Speeches

Mr President, Commissioner, your roadmap for women's rights is not as ambitious as we would like it to be. Specific targets, commitments, timelines and ambitious legislative proposals to tackle inequalities, such as gender stereotypes and entrenched social perceptions, are missing. We would expect you to define specific indicators and evaluation tools to assess and make effective European national policies for equality, freedom and security. Provide sufficient funding and resources to implement the measures so that the proposed actions do not remain unimplemented, and include legislative proposals on sexual and reproductive rights, such as the right to safe and legal abortion, as well as measures on wage equivalence. We'll do a lot more. We must strive to ensure that the progress we have achieved continues and that the achievement of a fair, secure and equitable society is not delayed. Thank you very much.

Mr President, 2024 has been recorded as the warmest year in history. The effects of the climate crisis and warming are intensifying and extreme weather events are causing major disasters across Europe. In Southern Europe and especially in Greece, islands and coastal zones do not have sufficient funding, do not have resilient infrastructure, and do not have the necessary connectivity to cope with these phenomena, thus being disproportionately affected and leading to desertification. In order to deal with the negative consequences of the climate crisis, it is therefore urgent to create a new regional governance model for the prevention and management of natural disasters, directly linked to European climate adaptation strategies, to strengthen vulnerable areas with modern and resilient infrastructure, through a flexible implementation mechanism, and finally to allocate additional European resources to deal with the effects of natural disasters through the creation of an independent long-term fund for natural disasters.

Mr President, Commissioner, if the European Union is to maintain its position as the world's leading tourist destination in the coming years, it must redefine its tourism strategy, putting at its core a holistic approach to sustainable development for society, the economy and the environment. The goal of sustainable tourism development cannot be achieved unless we immediately review the policies, mechanisms and European funding programmes for resilience to increasingly violent climate change. There is an urgent need to prioritise the immediate creation of sustainable, resilient and safe infrastructure by 2030 and to create better working conditions for tourism workers. Immediately establish a system for monitoring the performance, sustainability and certification of sustainable tourist destinations. To give tourism a separate budget line and finally set up the European Tourism Agency needed for better coordination and better coherence, with tangible results, so that brand Europe is a global model of sustainable tourism destination.

Mr President, Commissioner. In many countries, both within the European Union and in neighbouring states, female politicians are often the target of attacks and intimidation. Threats, attacks and slander, particularly through social networks, have become a daily routine for many women who choose to serve the public interest, and according to the European Institute for Gender Equality, one in three female politicians in Europe receives threatening messages online. This is a reality that not only undermines gender equality, but also threatens democracy itself, freedom of expression and women's civic participation. The nature of the attacks often aims to degrade women's participation in public life, causing self-censorship and withdrawal from public space. In our previous mandate, we ratified the Istanbul Convention and voted on the first directive, the first European directive on combating gender-based and online violence. In this mandate, it is our obligation to step up efforts and adopt stricter rules, and for digital platforms to take greater responsibility for preventing and combating online violence. Develop targeted educational programs and campaigns at local and international level to raise social awareness and combat sexism and gender stereotypes. Tighten the legislative framework for the protection of victims of online harassment and finally strengthen cooperation with neighbouring and accession countries and use all available external and accession policy tools to ensure a safe political environment for women.

Madam President, Commissioner, the Restore proposal for exceptional regional support and reconstruction of areas affected by natural disasters is a positive step in tackling the effects of climate change. The frequency and intensity of extreme weather events is increasing dramatically and southern European countries, such as my home country, Greece, are increasingly in emergency situations. European adaptation to climate change should therefore be accelerated and projects contributing to sustainable and resilient infrastructure should be supported. We should ensure that cohesion policy maintains its long-term strategic character and that cohesion policy and investment objectives are not jeopardised. The next Multiannual Financial Framework will ensure the necessary additional funding to address the impact of natural disasters and we will continue efforts to create a new, independent, long-term natural disaster fund.

Mr President, the message of today's International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women must be strong. Zero tolerance for violence against women. The official figures of the United Nations are shocking. In 2023 alone, every 10 minutes, a woman was murdered by her partner or family member. In my country, Greece, in the last five years we have mourned 106 femicides. The European Parliament – we here – must ensure the protection of victims, their access to justice, structures, health services and specialised support. Change starts with prevention, education, getting rid of gender stereotypes. We need to step up funding for legal, medical and psychological support for victims of gender-based violence, promote awareness-raising campaigns, invest in education at all levels, so as to nurture in young generations the value of equality, mutual respect and zero tolerance towards violence.

Mr President, the European Union is committed to making rail travel the main choice for passengers, improving legislation and promoting programmes for more sustainable, connected and efficient transport. But despite the hundreds of millions of European funds that have been spent, there is a gap between European objectives and reality in several Member States. In Greece, the tragic train accident in Tempi revealed serious safety gaps, which still remain today. The policies of the Greek government have led to understaffing, fragmentation of responsibilities, obsolescence of infrastructure and delays in the installation of necessary modern security systems. Today, therefore, basic security infrastructures such as telecommand, light-signalling and ETCS remain incomplete or dormant. There is also a lack of interoperability in a large part of the European network. We urgently need more investment in safe and resilient infrastructure and we need to ensure that all Member States comply with European legislation on railway safety and interoperability.

Mr President, Commissioner, the cities and regions of the European Union are called upon to face continuous environmental, social and economic challenges and crises, to implement the green and digital transitions and to combat the climate crisis and inequalities. To continue playing this crucial role, they need the necessary financial tools and autonomy to make decisions according to local needs, specificities and priorities. In the next Multiannual Financial Framework we must ensure that cohesion policy funding is strengthened, that the decentralised management of European funds continues with the involvement of local and regional authorities and that it is maintained as a long-term investment tool to reduce disparities, ensure economic, social and territorial cohesion, strengthen connectivity and sustainable development at regional and local level. In this way we will achieve equitable development, particularly in the less developed regions, so that no one is left behind.

Mr President, housing is a fundamental right for every citizen, but today it has become a privilege for a very large part of European citizens. The real estate market has been left unprotected by investment markets and short-term leases, causing housing costs to skyrocket. The inability to find affordable housing is the biggest obstacle for young people in the European Union to leave their parental home. The housing problem is a European one and European solutions are urgently needed. With regulatory interventions to protect citizens from auctions and evictions and more controls in the European real estate market. By financing a European social housing programme to be implemented in the Member States according to national and local needs. By creating a European strategy and a fund for public, social and affordable housing, subsidising young people in the Member States. By adopting an exemption from the calculation of Member States' deficit for public investment in housing.

Madam President, the catastrophic fires in the European South and especially in Greece, my homeland, but also the deadly floods in Europe, confirm in the strongest possible terms that we are not ready to deal with the climate crisis. In Greece, almost two months after the devastating fire of August in Attica, last week's fires in the Peloponnese, specifically in Corinth, killed two people and in Ilia left behind incalculable damage. Tens of thousands of acres of agricultural and forest land were burned and properties lost. The Greek government and the state apparatus once again failed to cope. There is an urgent need for new European interventions to prevent similar future disasters by strengthening the European Civil Protection Mechanism for a more immediate response, with better coordination between Member States and with new European financial tools, investing in infrastructure, equipment, human resources and more robust fire prevention and response mechanisms.

Mr President, Commissioner, water scarcity is one of the greatest challenges for the Mediterranean region, with very serious environmental, social and economic consequences. Greece is already experiencing an acute crisis, with many regions – but also islands – in a state of emergency. Primary production suffers, while farmers and ranchers suffer. Professionals in manufacturing and tourism are being tested and local communities are facing growing water shortages. Innovation and digitalisation in agricultural production, as well as the implementation of sustainable water management practices, are crucial and need to be strengthened. The European Solidarity Fund and the European Civil Protection Mechanism are unfortunately not sufficient. It is imperative that you take European initiatives to strengthen European solidarity mechanisms and propose new, more targeted financial tools to support the countries of the South – and in particular Greece – to face the scale of the challenge and adapt to climate change.

Mr President, one in three women has experienced the nightmare of gender-based violence and one in twenty has been raped, often without vindication, support and protection from the state. In Greece alone last year, 10,000 women reported violence and 15 femicides were committed. Today is a historic day for the protection of women and children. The directive is not perfect, but it is the first step. We would have liked her to be much more ambitious. But it is the first European directive that we are voting on to combat violence against women and domestic violence, and we are criminalising horizontally in all Member States forms of violence, such as female genital mutilation, forced child marriage and gender-based cyberviolence. We strengthen prevention, protection of victims and their access to justice, health services and specialised support. And I am very proud to have contributed with my interventions and with my report, together with all the progressive forces of the European Parliament, and we have achieved this historic development.

–Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, every year more than 7 000 people are victims of criminal trafficking networks in Europe and the majority of victims are women and girls trafficked for sexual exploitation. One in four registered victims are citizens of the same country. This crime is increasingly developing online, and the new Anti-Trafficking Directive strengthens victims’ rights, strengthens prevention measures and equips Member States with the necessary framework to tackle criminal trafficking networks, and support victims. It provides for tougher penalties in matters of forced marriage, surrogacy and illegal adoption. For the first time, we have protective measures for children in institutions and people with disabilities. It obliges EU countries to impose sanctions on people who knowingly use services provided by victims of trafficking in human beings. Now it is the responsibility of the states of the European Union to implement it immediately.

Madam President, Commissioner, about 400 of our fellow citizens are killed every week. Almost every home, every family experiences a tragedy because of an asphalt accident. In this revision of the directive it will be disastrous for seventeen-year-old children to drive huge trucks, even 40 tonnes, nineteen-year-old children to drive buses full of people, women, babies, the elderly. Evidence from countries where the minimum age was set at 18 clearly shows that young truck drivers are much more likely to cause road accidents and accidents. We have a responsibility to legislate to reduce the deaths and very serious injuries that happen every day on the roads of the European Union. How, then, can we allow driving licences to be issued without any medical opinion, not even a visual examination? Should there be no more frequent retests to confirm the ability to drive from a certain age onwards, especially when there are serious underlying diseases? How can we allow driving licences to be issued for motorcycles without any practical training on them? I am afraid that we cannot serve the European Union's vision, Vision Zero, of zero road deaths by 2050. Ladies and gentlemen, once again I call on you to vote in favour of my amendments, to reject these proposals which serve interests and make our roads more dangerous. I urge you to vote to save human lives.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the uncontrollable precision, the decline in the purchasing power of citizens, the energy and housing crises, the desperation of farmers and small and medium-sized enterprises for their survival are constantly growing. Cartels and profiteering thrive under the responsibility of some governments. In Greece, in January, food prices rose by 8.3%, when in the European Union the rate of increase was 4.8%. 40% of household income goes to housing costs, while 85% of young people up to 29 years old stay at their parents' house. Super-profits in electricity and refineries, combined with indirect taxes imposed by the government, exhaust Greek society. Many Greek products, such as oil, yoghurt, feta and halva, are sold abroad at lower prices compared to their prices on Greek shelves. In order to cope with soaring food and energy prices, immediate, horizontal and bold European measures are needed.

Mr President, Commissioner, the cost of living in Europe has increased, but in my country precision and profiteering are sweeping through Greek society. In Greece, the purchasing power of households has decreased by 50%. Food inflation is 5.5 points higher than the European average. Wages and pensions are up to three times lower than in other European countries, while products and services are up to three times more expensive. Small and medium-sized enterprises are suffocating, society is impoverished, farmers are struggling for their survival and thousands of citizens are losing their properties. Commissioner, I am sounding the alarm. Take horizontal measures to counter oligopolies and cartels that indulge in inflation of greed and profiteering with the tolerance of certain governments. Cap the profit factor for wholesale electricity at 5% for electricity generation; cap the refining margin; tax super-profits and take immediate action on bank lending rates.

Mr President, if a driver today commits an offence in a country other than the one that issued his driving licence and that licence is withdrawn, the penalty will, in the vast majority of cases, apply only in the country where the offence was committed and does not entail restrictions in the other Member States of the European Union. This driver will therefore be able to continue to drive normally in the other 26 Member States, even though his licence has been withdrawn. This situation undermines road transport safety in all Member States, but especially in countries that are important tourist destinations and welcome many foreign drivers. This directive thus fills the gap that exists and leads to impunity and includes serious road traffic offences, such as speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and incidents resulting in death or serious bodily injury as a result of a traffic offence. Colleagues, every year more than 20,000 of our fellow citizens die on European roads. This price is unacceptable, but not inevitable. This directive will be instrumental both in improving road safety on Europe's roads and in reducing the number of road accident victims.

Madam President, millions of households across Europe are struggling to cope with the ever-increasing cost of living and energy prices. Women face more challenges and higher levels of poverty than men. 20 million more women than men live below the poverty line in the European Union. Colleagues, ensuring a socially fair green transition is an absolute prerequisite for achieving gender equality. We should take urgent action to tackle poverty and inequalities. Access to energy should be considered a right. Address structural income inequalities and integrate a gender perspective in all activities of the European Union. Ensure affordable utilities and food for low-income households and, finally, strengthen access programmes to affordable and energy-efficient housing and ensure equal access to care and health services.

Madam President, Commissioner, I would like to address the Presidency of the Council, which unfortunately is not here today and is unacceptable. Hate speech and hate crime have been increasing alarmingly across Europe in recent years, especially online and on social media, threatening vulnerable groups, women, people with disabilities, minorities and particularly LGBTIQ people. Since 2022, we in the European Parliament have repeatedly called on the Council to immediately extend the list of European Union crimes to hate speech and hate crime. Establish minimum rules on the definition of these criminal offences and the necessary sanctions, as proposed by the Commission two years ago. Only in this way will we ensure that hatred is criminalised in the same way everywhere in Europe. Only in this way will we safeguard the fundamental values of the European Union. We therefore call on the Council to proceed immediately with the criminalisation of hate speech and hate crime.

Mr President, in international law, in Union law and in the law of the Member States, all children must have the same rights without discrimination. In practice, however, when a family is in a cross-border situation, because it moves from one Member State to another either to travel or to reside, it risks losing the recognition of parenthood established in a Member State. It is inconceivable that a parent in one Member State should not be recognised as a parent in another Member State. This unacceptable reality, which mainly affects LGBTIQ families, can have a negative impact on two million children in the European Union. It must be ensured that no child is discriminated against because of the way in which he or she was born or the type of family in which he or she was born and raised. If you are a parent in one European country, you are a parent in all European countries. I am very proud that through my report on the impact of intimate partner violence and custody rights on women and children, I pushed for this regulation and the European Certificate of Parenthood that protect the fundamental rights of the child to come.

Mr President, Commissioner, teleworkers are six times more likely to work in their free time and twice as likely to work 48 hours or more per week. Their additional workload and long stay in front of the computer screen puts a significant burden on their physical and mental health. As the European Parliament, we have called since January 2021 for the right to disconnect to be enshrined in EU law. It was wrong that you were delayed for three whole years. The social dialogue of the European social partners launched in June 2020 was wrecked under the responsibility of European employers’ organisations, as was to be expected, and we simply lost time. As a result of the delay, teleworking has not been regulated at EU level to date, workers continue to be treated differently in the Member States and are unprotected against uncontrolled exploitation by employers. We urge you to propose immediately, before the end of this legislative term, a directive establishing the right of workers to disconnect ... (The President took the floor from the speaker)

Mr President, gender-based violence is the most extreme form of inequality against women and a violation of their fundamental rights. Official figures in the European Union are shocking. One in three women has been the victim of physical or sexual violence, in many cases by their partner or ex-partner. However, two out of three do not file a complaint. This harsh reality has its roots in the patriarchal mentality, but also in the anachronistic and dangerous perceptions that the woman is inferior to the man and is his property. We therefore need to provide immediate answers that correct distortions and loopholes in European legislation. Ensure that the Directive on violence against women is ambitious, provides effective protection and support to victims and women, but also to children, prevents such crimes and prioritises prevention. And finally, to ensure that it defines the crime of rape on the basis of consent, to make it clear to everyone that no means no.

Madam President, the development of the transport system in Europe is almost entirely based on fossil fuels and is designed to serve mainly the needs of working men, disregarding the mobility needs of women in their daily lives, who have multifaceted roles in the economy, society and, of course, the family. This is clearly demonstrated by the statistics. European roads kill twice as many women on foot as men every year. In order to ensure high-quality, accessible and affordable public transport for all, a gender-equal approach to transport policy and urban planning policies is therefore essential. It is essential for women workers in the transport sector to improve working conditions, establish equal treatment and work-life balance, provide access to adequate sanitary facilities and finally ensure safety in every workplace to put an end to violence and sexual harassment.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, artificial intelligence is evolving very rapidly and its growth potential makes it extremely difficult for European legislation to regulate it. The case of artificial intelligence production systems is typical. Their emergence, after the negotiations on the Artificial Intelligence Act had started, resulted in the adoption of limited obligations relating mainly to transparency and mitigating the risks of discrimination and the creation of illegal content. There is no doubt that efforts towards global convergence, as in the case of the development of the Code of Conduct, are in the right direction, but they are not enough. The development of these systems must be carried out through ethics by design (principles, tools and procedures), ensure the protection of the copyright of the material used to train these systems and ensure that these systems do not deceive, manipulate or harm consumers and users.

Madam President, thank you very much, Commissioner, for your presentation. To meet our climate targets, we need to increase rail transport by 50% by 2030 and double it by 2050. These objectives are really difficult to achieve, bearing in mind that the Commission has been trying for decades to achieve an increase in rail transport, while the evidence shows that, contrary to intentions, rail transport has lost ground to road transport. After four legislative packages, the rail market has not delivered the results promised by the Commission and demanded by the fight against climate change. To be consistent with our climate obligations, therefore, we will need bold and radical policies aimed at safety, quality and affordability, and large public investments in track-based instruments, commensurate with the challenges and at the opposite end of privatisation and abandonment of infrastructure. In light of this, we will evaluate today's proposals in the coming days.