Speeches

Madam President, I would like to thank the rapporteur and the shadow rapporteurs, with whom we have worked intensively in recent months on the regulation on alternative fuels. We have significantly improved the Commission's initial proposal and have succeeded in setting ambitious but fully realistic targets for the development of infrastructure, alternative fuels and especially electricity on Europe's roads, ports and airports. We have also created the tools for states to ensure the necessary transparency in prices and the protection of consumer rights, which are crucial factors in the transition to this new reality to avoid profiteering and citizens' trust in electromobility. It is now the responsibility of states to implement the regulation and ensure that the transition is fair for all. Citizens as well as transport professionals need to continue to move seamlessly and at an affordable cost. Adequate European and national funding must be provided for infrastructure and to meet inclusive travel needs for all.

Κυρία Πρόεδρε, κύριοι συνάδελφοι, μετά από έξι χρόνια καθυστερήσεων, η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση κυρώνει τη Σύμβαση της Κωνσταντινούπολης, το πρώτο νομικά δεσμευτικό διεθνές μέσο για την πρόληψη και την καταπολέμηση της βίας κατά των γυναικών και των κοριτσιών. It is a historic day in the fight against gender-based and domestic violence. Ratification of the Convention is a crucial step in protecting the rights of women and victims of violence across the European Union. It strengthens the protection of all victims, the prevention and prosecution of these horrific crimes in a comprehensive manner in all Member States of the European Union. I am very proud to have been instrumental in my report on the impact of domestic violence, to have had the honour of being rapporteur for the European Parliament, and to have achieved this historic development under the pressure of the whole Parliament. The ratification of the Convention by the European Union is a great victory for progressive political forces over maintenance and backsliding, and the six Member States which have not yet done so must ratify the Convention without delay.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the volume of data produced by humans and machines is growing exponentially every year. Industrial data can be a key factor in the growth, innovation and transformation of all sectors of the European economy. Unfortunately, today their full value remains untapped or concentrated in the hands of a few large companies. To change this, adequate responses should be given to the long-standing issues of data access, fairness, interoperability and data reuse. There is no doubt that the ITRE position clarifies and improves several points of the original Commission proposal. It ensures the protection of personal data, that access to data and data sharing will be free of charge for consumers, the use of non-personal private sector data by public bodies of B2G Member States in the event of a public emergency or for the fulfilment of a specific task in the public interest, the promotion of consumers' ability to better understand the technical details and their rights regarding the data they generate, the right to judicial redress, etc. At the same time, however, there are still some elements that can undermine the objectives of the Regulation and should be improved in the upcoming trilogues. While, for example, the need to protect trade secrets is undeniable, the risk of its unjustified use to undermine users’ access rights should be addressed.

Mr President, in the European Parliament today we are taking a very important step that will improve the daily lives of citizens. We call for a European cycling strategy to double the number of kilometres cycled in Europe by 2030. We live in cities that are dangerous to our health, the environment and the climate. Bicycles and e-bikes should become a key pillar of urban mobility in all European cities because they bring significant benefits. Better health, reduced congestion and noise pollution, improved air quality, economic growth, as well as other environmental and social benefits. Cities need to invest in appropriate infrastructure and revise spatial planning so that citizens can switch to cycling, conventional or electric, and move safely and easily through the urban fabric. Our goal is achievable if there is strategic and strong political will.

Madam President, progress in the fight against violence against women is insufficient, while gender-based violence remains a global plague with explosive dimensions that is often concealed and its true magnitude is not reflected. We mourn victims of crimes that could have been prevented in time and this is a failure for all of us. Incidents of abuse are growing and the sad list of femicides is constantly growing. The Istanbul Convention is the most essential, powerful and comprehensive tool to prevent the fight against gender-based violence against women and domestic violence. Its ratification has been dramatically delayed. Commissioner, there is a need for political will from the Council, because the Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that, even without its ratification by all Member States, the European Union can ratify the Istanbul Convention and must do so immediately. Thus, all Member States will have to fully implement all the measures deriving from the Convention in their national laws and policies.

Mr President, in many countries, Uber's practices of forcibly and illegally expanding its activities through opaque relations with power have harmed the interests of legitimate taxi drivers and passengers. Few governments, such as the 2018 government of Alexis Tsipras in Greece, have managed to resist lobbying and interest pressures and put an end to these unacceptable practices. However, even today, the Commission refuses to acknowledge the risks of market deregulation and, in the new urban mobility context, calls for further market opening with the obvious aim of infiltrating Uber-type services. The Commission should therefore, instead of undermining the role and rights of legitimate taxi drivers, explore how it can defend their interests and the interests of passengers against powerful tech giants, for example through the development of European public applications for the benefit of the industry and passengers.

Madam President, millions of European citizens will fly for Christmas and New Year's Eve. The inconvenience and scenes of shame that we have seen at many airports in the summer, with delays and cancellations of flights that have also hit tourism, must not be repeated either now or, of course, in the future. There is an urgent need to ensure that groundhandling services at airports are adequately staffed and to improve working conditions and salaries for all air transport staff, as this concerns not only labour rights but is also a major safety issue. Also, air connectivity is a critical issue for remote and isolated regions and insularity. Particularly at Europe's external borders, reliable, adequate and affordable air connections are needed. Also the green transition of the sector must be fair and leave no one behind.

Madam President, gender-based violence against women and girls is a global scourge. It's a moral insult to all women. It is a sign of shame and failure for all societies and a major obstacle to the development of the European Union. One in three women has experienced the nightmare of gender-based violence and one in twenty has been raped, often without vindication, support or protection. At its core, gender-based violence is the manifestation of a lack of respect, denigration, disdain and undermining of women by men who do not recognize their inherent equality and believe that women's lives do not have the same value as their own. It reflects and reproduces patriarchal patterns and stereotypes that still prevail in Europe today and must be eliminated. We must include gender-based violence as a crime in Article 83 of the Treaty and we must strike it at its roots as a top political and social priority. Women and men, yes, are different, but they are equal. The directive to be adopted should be holistic and ambitious.

Madam President, ten years after the Commission's initial proposal, the European Union is moving forward with the adoption of the Women on Boards Directive, taking an essential step to put an end to the under-representation of women on the boards of major European companies. We are proud of the result we have achieved in the negotiations with the Council and the European Commission. I would like to congratulate my fellow European Parliament rapporteurs and I am proud to have been able to contribute to the European Parliament's negotiating team to reach this agreement. Although official European data show that European companies that ensure a high representation of both genders on their boards perform better, women are still a clear minority today, representing only 34% of non-executive board members in the European Union. Women deserve equal opportunities for leadership in companies. There is a need to stop this unacceptable waste of opportunity and talent at the expense of women. It is not only a question of social justice, but it is a precondition for the European Union to secure the economic growth it so desperately needs. We expect the new directive to overturn these structural inequalities by bringing more women into decision-making centres for the benefit not only of European businesses, but of society and the economy as a whole.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, in Europe, one in three women has experienced physical sexual violence and one in twenty women has been raped. In Greece alone, in the last eight months, 300 children have been sexually abused and 19 femicides have taken place. These figures are shocking, while the facts are much more, as women, either out of fear, shame or lack of trust in the authorities, do not report what nightmares they experience. Abusers, rapists and pedophiles find ground in the gaps in parental and social care, poverty, inequalities and patriarchal notions that still prevail in Europe today. We therefore need to ensure that the Gender-Based Violence Directive is ambitious and takes up the recommendations of the resolution on the impact of domestic violence and custody rights on women and children. Commissioner, the Court of Justice of the European Union in October 2021 ruled that even if not all Member States have ratified the Istanbul Convention, the European Union can ratify it and must do so immediately.

Mr President, Commissioner, the European Green Deal provides for a reduction in emissions of at least 90% by 2050 for the transport sector. The transition to electrification and sustainability has multiple benefits for the climate, the environment and people's health. A key condition for this reduction and for citizens to continue to move seamlessly is the availability of charging stations where they need to in their daily lives: on public roads, in business premises, supermarkets and shopping malls. It is also important to have access to charging stations and taxis in the places they wait for passengers, because they do tens of thousands of kilometers every day. Finally, I would like to stress that for the green transition to succeed it must be fair. Provide adequate European and national funding for infrastructure, make vehicles affordable and – above all – remember that the main pillar of the transition will be public transport, which unfortunately has not been given the attention it deserves so far.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I have an obligation to inform this House of yet another worrying development concerning Turkey's provocation towards Greece, centred on the Aegean Sea. Turkey has registered the term Turkaegean as a European brand and uses it extensively in a pan-European marketing campaign to promote its tourism product, creating confusion among the travel public. It should be made clear that the term Turkaegean is not innocent. It reflects the escalating Turkish aggression and is part of the same policy framework as the provocative statements and repeated threats by Turkish officials towards Greece. We need to build a European wall of solidarity in the face of Turkish provocations and send the message in every direction that challenging international legality and the Greek interests based on it, in all areas – commercial, energy and diplomatic – will not be tolerated.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the decision of the United States Supreme Court banning the right to abortion marks a dangerous blow to extreme conservatism in women's fundamental rights and overturns achievements that have been enshrined in modern societies through years of struggle. This decision will only end safe abortions. Women will now turn to dangerous practices and illegal clinics. And that will come at a human cost. We support with all our strength the struggle of the progressive citizens of the United States to prevent this ban. The right of women to abortion is not up for negotiation. Ensuring basic freedoms for women, such as the self-determination of their bodies, is not invalidated by court decisions. Access to safe, legal and effective abortion is deeply rooted in international human rights law and we have a duty to defend it in every way, both in the US and in Europe.

Mr President, tourism accounts for more than 10% of European GDP and supports millions of jobs in all Member States. Businesses and workers still struggling for their survival, after two years of a devastating pandemic, are now threatened by the impact of the war in Ukraine and the acute energy crisis. Operating costs have soared, as have transport costs, while inflation is eroding Europeans' disposable income and shrinking their travel budgets. There is no more time for discussion and consultation. The tourism sector needs support now so that thousands more jobs are not lost. Our proposals are concrete and must be implemented directly by the Commission and governments. Firstly, creating an action plan to support the tourism industry from the effects of the pandemic and the war with sufficient resources; creation of a European Tourism Crisis Management Mechanism; supporting the liquidity of small and medium-sized enterprises with sufficient resources from European financial tools; tax breaks for the tourism sector to meet rising energy and food costs, in particular for small and medium-sized enterprises struggling to survive after two years of pandemic; and lastly, deferrals of the deadlines for the financial obligations of undertakings to the State.

Mr President, ambitious climate policies require equally ambitious policies to support citizens' transport needs. Fuel prices have soared in Greece, gasoline has reached 1.74 euros per liter, one of the highest in Europe. In the wonderful Greek islands where you enjoy your holidays, fuel costs even more expensive and, combined with the unbearable transport costs and the high cost of living, conditions of demographic decline, greater isolation and exclusion are created. Gradually, older car models are obligatorily withdrawn, but without sufficient provision for the financial capacity of the weakest citizens to replace them. We claim: Reliable and safe public transport, free of charge or at least at an affordable cost for all in urban transport, using new financial tools. Reducing the cost of train tickets. Incentives to withdraw polluting cars and replace them with clean cars, mainly for those who use them for livelihoods. And finally, brave support for the islanders, so that they do not decay our islands under the burden of transport costs. Happy Birthday, Happy Holidays!

Madam President, gender-based cyberviolence is not a new form of violence, but the continuation of gender-based cyberviolence. A very important reality. No political proposal will be effective unless it takes into account that this is the other side of the same coin. Today, more and more forms of gender-based cyberviolence are being created and are constantly spreading due to the rapid growth of the internet and social media. Unfortunately, however, in the European Union there is no common understanding of what cyberviolence is and there is no appropriate European legislation to address it. There are several legislative gaps and Member States have different policies that do not cover all aspects of the problem. The European Parliament has repeatedly called on the Commission to swiftly propose a holistic directive to combat all forms of gender-based violence. With this report we call for a common definition of the crime of gender-based cyberviolence to be adopted, criminalised by all Member States and sanctioned accordingly. We call for the creation of a permanent European mechanism for collecting and publishing regular and comparable data on civil violence online. We call for the mandatory training of all professionals to combat it to be ensured and for measures to be put in place to promote and support prevention, as well as measures to adequately protect and rehabilitate victims.

Madam President, Commissioner, since the beginning of the pandemic we have repeatedly called (the Committee on Transport and Tourism TRAN, personally I, the Special Group on Tourism, the Task Force) for measures aimed at greater coordination and deeper cooperation between the Member States under the leadership of the European Commission. Since June 2020, we stressed in a Parliament resolution the need to adopt uniform protocols and measures aimed at facilitating travel in the European Union. In October 2020, the European Union Strategy for Sustainable Tourism, adopted last March, called for a common vaccination certificate as well as a common and non-discriminatory European Union protocol on safety and health. The European Digital Covid Certificate is a positive step, but it came too late. Europe's reflexes were not activated in time despite our repeated calls. This is because unfortunately there are no solid institutional foundations in the European tourism edifice. It is unacceptable that the tourism sector, which generates more than 10% of European GDP, does not have a European tourism policy, does not have a budget for tourism and also does not have a European agency that supports tourism in crises and improves its competitiveness. We all know that the pandemic is not over yet, and the future holds unprecedented challenges for the tourism industry, especially in the fight against the climate crisis. Millions of jobs and small and medium-sized enterprises are calling for Europe's support to survive and adapt. That is why we will continue to push for strong European institutions and policies in tourism, so that in the next crisis we are properly prepared to act swiftly and effectively and not late and piecemeal, as unfortunately happened with the crisis we are experiencing today.

Mr President, every year more than 20,000 of our fellow citizens and children die on European roads. This price is tragic and unacceptable but not inevitable. Dear colleagues, Commissioner, we are in a state of emergency and the European Parliament through this report is calling for strong will, action and immediate results from all of us. Our families, loved ones and we use roads every day, whether as drivers or pedestrians, as cyclists, and we are all potential victims of asphalt. Our report is a roadmap that will deliver and lead Europe towards the goal of reducing the number of dead and seriously injured by 50% by 2030. However, the 2030 target is only the next step. We must make it a top political, social and personal priority to zero the number of dead and seriously injured by 2050, putting into practice the vision zero. Our goal is ambitious, but I am convinced that it is also achievable. We already know which factors are responsible for most deaths. They are known both from empirical data and because they have been extensively studied: speed, alcohol, poor infrastructure, non-compliance with traffic rules and impunity. I am pleased that the European Commission has re-established a target of reducing the number of dead and seriously injured by 50% by the end of the decade, and it is perhaps more important that it introduces a new, holistic approach, the safe system approach, to achieve this goal. This approach is based on the premise that avoiding deaths and serious injuries is possible even if human errors will never disappear; safer vehicles, safer infrastructure, which will reduce the risk of human error, combined with a strong health system that responds directly to the needs on the asphalt. In our report we address the most root causes of death and serious injury and propose concrete measures, both at European and national level. I will mention a few: The role of infrastructure is crucial. A systematic mapping and evaluation of European roads should be carried out in order to direct investments to the most dangerous points as a matter of priority. It is therefore necessary to ensure the necessary national and European resources and make full use of all financial tools, including the Recovery and Resilience Fund. Speed kills. It is unacceptable for our society to accept a speed limit of 50 km/h for pedestrians and cyclists in urban areas. Although drivers' deaths are steadily decreasing, unfortunately pedestrian and cyclist deaths remain alarmingly frequent, and even increase in many cases. There are now many examples of cities that have lowered the speed limit to 30 km/h, and the benefits are enormous. We expect the European Commission to do the right thing and immediately make a European recommendation to introduce the 30 km per hour limit horizontally in all European cities. Even outside cities, speed must be moderated by technical means such as intelligent speed control systems. Cars are not a means of entertainment and emotion creation, as the industry is trying to convince us, other means of transport with the dominant criterion being safe for all users of the infrastructure. We also propose zero tolerance for alcohol and drug use and proper enforcement even across borders, and we call for ensuring adequate support for the families of road accident victims. We must finally close the road safety performance gap in European countries. The worst performers need appropriate support and know-how, and in this the European Union can play a catalytic role. That is why we propose the creation of a new European agency for road transport, modelled on the agencies for rail, air and maritime transport. I would also like to emphasise our call for a European Year of Road Safety to raise awareness and inform European citizens about 'Vision Zero', the new European target to reduce deaths by 50% in 2030, our new strategy and how they themselves can save lives on Europe's roads. Finally, I would like to thank the shadow rapporteurs for their excellent cooperation and for substantially enriching the report with important proposals that have been incorporated by large majorities. I hope that we will have the opportunity to continue our cooperation in the coming years, with the aim of making an ambitious European road safety policy a reality. We will of course also continue our cooperation with the European Commission, and especially the road safety coordinator, Mr Baldwin, whose dedication to improving road safety in Europe is truly admirable and valuable.

Mr President, I would like to warmly thank the colleagues who have worked on this very important file. I am very proud of the outcome of our committees. This report will be a milestone in the debate on a common European response, which will culminate at the end of the year in the Committee's legislative proposals on combating gender-based and domestic violence. We adopted a progressive report that creates a comprehensive framework for the effective protection of women and children from intimate partner violence and for resolving parental custody issues with the best interests of the child as a primary consideration. But I want to focus on one particular point: It is very worrying that in some Member States concepts such as 'parental alienation' or similar terms are accepted as a criterion capable of depriving an abused mother of custody. This practice is often used by abusive parents as a strategy against victims who attempt to report cases of child abuse or gender-based violence, and this is the case while the most important mental health institutions, the World Health Organization, American associations of psychologists, psychiatrists, doctors and others, have rejected the use of "parental alienation" syndrome, as it lacks the necessary scientific evidence. With this report we are sending a clear signal in all directions. We call on Member States not to recognise 'parental alienation' syndrome in their legislation and to discourage or even prohibit its use during judicial proceedings, particularly when checking for the existence or non-existence of violence. And we do this based on the recommendations of GREVIO and CEDAW and the UN Special Rapporteurs. Ladies and gentlemen, gender equality cannot exist unless we first eliminate gender-based violence. Today we must send a clear message from here, from Parliament. That is why I call on you to adopt the report, as voted for by our committees.

Mr President, first of all I would like to thank Mrs Regimenti for the excellent report that we have co-created. One in three women has experienced the nightmare of gender-based violence, often within the family environment, without the necessary protection, vindication and support. During the pandemic, this violence increased due to forced confinement at home, making it difficult for women to access effective protection and support. However, the full range of violence against women is not adequately documented and reflected in official European data. In several Member States the impact of intimate partner violence on women and children is underestimated when decisions are taken on the custody of a child and, although child abuse is a clear criterion for determining custody, in cases of domestic violence against the other parent rather than the child it is often ignored. This report is very important, because Parliament is for the first time putting at the centre of its proposals not only the impact that violence has on abused women but also the impact it has on children. And we're sending a clear message. Failure to recognise and address incidents of intimate partner violence when determining child custody and visiting rights constitutes a violation of women’s and children’s right to life and a life free from violence and is incompatible with the best interests of the child. In cases of domestic violence, custody is incompatible with the rights and safety of victims due to the severe impact it has on women and children and the risk of violence continuing after separation. This is why we believe that revoking custody and visiting rights of the abusive partner and granting sole custody to the mother if she is a victim of violence is the only way to prevent further violence and secondary victimisation. Commissioner, we are in a state of emergency and the European Parliament is sounding the alarm. According to this report, gender-based and domestic violence against women is a scourge of society and, in order to stop it in all its manifestations, we must make it a matter for all of us. We must strike it at its roots as the highest political and social priority and put an end to everything that sustains and reproduces it. The Istanbul Convention must be ratified immediately and implemented by the Member States that have not done so, but also by the European Union itself. We need binding European legislation, a holistic directive to prevent and tackle gender-based intimate partner violence. Victims’ safety and access to support structures and services, financed from state and community resources, and universal and quality medical and psychological support, including sexual and reproductive health services, must be ensured. Specialised courts with specialised judges should be created, where, with the support of specialist psychologists, child psychologists, they will be responsible for hearing family law cases. Provision should be made for compulsory training of judicial, police and forensic staff on all forms of violence and its mechanisms. A permanent mechanism should be established to provide harmonised reliable and comparable data on gender-based violence, to be used to formulate appropriate prevention and response policies. We must tackle economic violence against women. Financial independence is a prerequisite for escaping an abusive relationship. In this respect, the proposal for a directive on an adequate minimum wage and the proposal for binding pay transparency measures are very positive. Finally, a European protocol must be created to prevent gender-based violence and support victims in times of crisis and emergency such as the pandemic.

Madam President, gender equality cannot exist in the European Union unless we first eliminate gender-based violence against women and LGBTI people. Despite the positive steps taken so far in this direction, we have been unjustifiably delayed. How do we expect to combat gender-based violence when, even today, there is no comprehensive European strategy to eradicate it, or when gaps and divergences in Member States' legislation persist? It is necessary for the Commission to immediately propose a broad, holistic directive that puts an end to this systematic form of violence, horizontally, in the European Union. For this to happen, gender-based violence must be introduced as a new area of crime in Article 83 of the Treaty and thus act as a legal basis to ensure common legal definitions and common minimum standards aimed at preventing and addressing gender-based violence. Ladies and gentlemen, we cannot afford to waste any more time. I therefore urge you to rise to the occasion and vote in favour of the report.