Speeches

On 1 July, the European Union Digital COVID Certificate Regulation entered into force with the aim of helping to restore freedom of movement within the EU, a severely restricted right following the declaration of the pandemic. From this date, Member States should be prepared to issue and verify the physical or electronic document proving which persons are vaccinated, have been tested or have passed the disease. The Regulation provides, however, for a period of six weeks in order to allow Member States to prepare to issue the certificates referred to in the Regulation. Twenty-one of them, as well as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, had already started issuing certificates before 1 July, and five more started to do so from that date. However, according to data from the European Commission on 1 July, there are still six Member States without the necessary preparation for its implementation (Hungary, Ireland, Malta, the Netherlands, Romania and Sweden), which will require further efforts in this regard.

Madam President, thank you, colleagues, for your support and commitment. Thank you very much, Commissioner Kos, thank you for your commitment. I hope you support us in front of the Council so that we bring a strong and united position from the European Union, because the European Parliament is not a symbolic participant. We have championed ambitious standards to combat gender-based violence, including sexual violence and now also digital violence as well; eliminate all discrimination and strengthen victims' rights; promote economic independence for women; sexual and reproductive health rights and also access to justice – which today is more important than ever, as we are seeing what is happening with the Epstein files. United States justice and institutions choose not to believe the victims. This is why it is so important that we advance here in Europe in a consent-based definition of rape. We need to believe the victims. And regarding the ones against women's rights and gender equality, I would like to remind you that, contrary to what you have been saying, that equality is an idea coming from abroad: please read, study – it is a healthy practice. I really promise, because these ideas of equality were born here in Europe, are enshrined in our Treaties, are part of our fundamental values. And please, please, please, stop using women's rights, stop instrumentalising gender equality for other ends that are racism and Islamophobia. Please fight for women's rights and for gender equality. And just to finish, I was complaining before when this debate started that there were not many male MEPs, colleagues, here for the debate. However, after listening to you say that women only serve to be mothers, for maternity, that we are not human beings in and of ourselves, after being called hysterical twice, and even being accused of going to New York to take a Prosecco – the college that said that just escaped after talking, probably he's the one taking a Prosecco – please, please, don't instrumentalise our fight. Because it is a very serious fight. So vote in favour of our position, of this resolution. Bring the CSW to Europe and please fight really for human rights.

Mr President, colleagues, the theme of the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women this year is 'ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls'. This could not be more urgent, nor more fundamental. Access to justice is not an abstract principle. It is the difference between protection and impunity; between equality on paper and equality in reality; between rights promised and rights delivered. Around the world, millions of women and girls still face discriminatory laws, structural barriers and institutional practices that deny them equal protection under the law. Legal systems often fail survivors of gender-based violence, including sexual violence. We are seeing this now with the Epstein papers that are showing things that happened and were reported almost four decades ago. So, in addition, economic inequality limits women's ability to seek justice. Harmful social norms silence victims before they even enter the courtroom. If we are serious about equality, we must be serious about justice. The European Union has long positioned itself as a global leader in gender equality and human rights. Our credibility on the international stage depends on the strength, coherence and ambition of the position we bring to the CSW. That is why the European Parliament – and in particular the Gender Equality and Women's Rights Committee, the FEMM Committee that I chair – must be closely and meaningfully involved in shaping the European Union's position for this next session. In fact, the FEMM Committee participates in the CSW every year. We bring legislative expertise and democratic legitimacy. And we bring into the international arena the voices of European citizens, especially women and girls, but also men that are committed – though today there are not many MEPs here. Shameful. But never mind. That's normal in our debates. Early involvement of Parliament in the formulation of the European Union position is not a procedural step – it is a democratic necessity. Enhanced and sustained interinstitutional cooperation between the Parliament, the Presidency and the Commission is essential to ensuring a strong, unified European Union position. An inclusive approach strengthens policy coherence across institutions and legitimacy, and increases the effectiveness of our engagement at international level. When we speak with one voice, a voice shaped through today's democratic debate, that voice carries greater weight. Access to justice must be inclusive. It must reach migrant women, women with disabilities, women in rural areas, LGBTQI persons, and those facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination that is normally the case. Justice cannot be selective. Equality cannot be partial. Our draft recommendation from the Parliament urges the Council to, first, increase the European Union aid to compensate US aid cuts and ensure sustained funding for United Nations Women and gender equality, including sexual and reproductive health and rights. We must stop the backlash. Second, to tackle violence offline and online, including the non-consensual sharing of images, deepfakes, cyber-harassment and hate crimes, and push for stronger European Union and global action. Third, to promote women's leadership, participation and representation in the judiciary. Fourth, to advocate for a consent-based definition of rape, as a universal standard worldwide. Five, strongly condemned rape and sexual violence as weapons of war, and call for international prosecution and accountability. Six, to call for recognising gender apartheid as a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute, using the United Nations definition. As we adopt our recommendation today and prepare for the 70th CSW session, we must send a clear message. The European Union stands firmly for an inclusive and equitable legal system. We stand for the elimination of discriminatory laws, policies, and practices. We stand for dismantling structural barriers that prevent women and girls from fully exercising their rights. And we stand against the gender backlash. I hope that this House will support the FEMM Committee recommendation.

Madam President, Madam Vice-President, thank you to the rapporteur for his excellent work, but I now want to focus on one reality: poverty in Europe has a woman's face. The data for 2025 is very clear: more than 65 million women are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. And this is not a coincidence, but the result of structural inequality. Not only are women less incorporated into the labour market and have lower wages, but we also have the burden of care, which greatly limits our autonomy and well-being. And so it comes to retirement, to pensions, where there is a gap of more than 25% on average. Eradicating female poverty, therefore, is not only a question of social justice, it is not only an economic question, it is also a question of the future because of how close it is to child poverty. My call, therefore, is to immediate action. We need economic policies that allow for better distribution, fiscal policies that allow for better distribution, real reconciliation policies, effective wage equality, universal public services and a universal child guarantee, because a fair, prosperous and also competitive Europe is impossible if we leave more than half of the population behind and the children who depend on it.