What Clare spoke about.

15 Jan

2024

EN Speech

Amendments to the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II) - Amendments to the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation (MiFIR) (joint debate - Markets in financial instruments regulations)

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Madam President, I think in some ways this regulation is a little bit like trying to close the stable door after the horse has bolted. In 2007, the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive introduced competition in the market of equity trading in line with the objectives of the European Union, which made free movement of capital a fundamental freedom protected by the Treaties. Now this is neolib…

15 Jan

2024

EN Speech

Ozone depleting substances - Fluorinated gases regulation (joint debate - Gas emissions)

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Mr President, I think these files are really necessary and very important. Reducing gas emissions has to be a key priority if we're going to save the planet. But I have to be honest and say it's very hard to take the EU's commitment seriously in this regard when it's 16 months since the Nord Stream 2 gas explosions. Sixteen months since the biggest act of economic sabotage on EU infrastructure, re…

14 Dec

2023

EN Speech

Attempt of coup d’Etat in Guatemala (RC-B9-0526/2023, B9-0526/2023, B9-0527/2023, B9-0528/2023, B9-0529/2023, B9-0530/2023, B9-0531/2023)

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Mr President, I would have really liked to have voted in favour of this text, because for the first time that I can remember, the European Parliament is rightfully condemning a right-wing coup attempt against a democratically elected leader in a Latin American country. The Guatemalan people made their choice earlier this year. They decided on change, and instead of accepting that, entrenched inter…

14 Dec

2023

EN Speech

Frontex, building on the fact-finding investigation of the LIBE Working Group for Frontex Scrutiny (B9-0499/2023)

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Mr President, I abstained on this resolution because, while I appreciate that it certainly does have good points, it doesn’t go far enough on Frontex. At this point, Frontex is less of a border agency, much more like a mafia gang, a mafia gang working hand in glove with all the Member States’ mafiosos, policing Europe’s external borders. Frontex is ignoring Court of Justice rulings, still working …

14 Dec

2023

EN Speech

Jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition of decisions and acceptance of authentic instruments in matters of parenthood and creation of a European Certificate of Parenthood (A9-0368/2023 - Maria-Manuel Leitão-Marques)

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Mr President, I voted in favour of this report because I think it’s a really important text that allows for the mutual recognition of judgements relating to parenthood. It simply states that if you are the parent in one Member State, then you’re a parent in all Member States. It puts the rights of the child first, which is as it should be, and it doesn’t change the substantive family law of Member…

14 Dec

2023

EN Speech

Improving the strategic approach to the enforcement of EU Law (debate)

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Mr President, I think there is an urgent need to improve the enforcement of EU law, particularly in cases which involve a large amount of European citizens. Since I started in this mandate, I’ve been working with a group of Irish citizens who bought apartments in a complex in Bulgaria, in Sunset Resort in Pomorie, and have had an incredibly difficult time in getting their rights under European law…

14 Dec

2023

EN Speech

Outcome of the UN Climate Change Conference 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (COP28) (debate)

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Madam President, well, it’s a wrap: COP 28 has finally concluded with a fanfare and a celebration, and the news reports of an historic moment of a COP agreement that, for the first time, mentions fossil fuels. Hooray. I mean, can we really celebrate this when, even with the newly submitted revised climate targets, we’re still on our way to a world of over three degrees? It is an utterly terrifying…

13 Dec

2023

EN Speech

European Defence investment programme (EDIP) (debate)

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Madam President, well surprise, surprise, more money for militarism! We already have a European Defence Fund – EUR 8 billion in free money doled out to arms companies to research and develop new ways of killing people. We are already topping that up by EUR 10 billion with the STEP programme, we already have ASAP, where we hand out EUR 500 million to arms companies to make shells and missiles, and …

12 Dec

2023

EN Speech

Environmental consequences of the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the need for accountability (debate)

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Mr President, nearly two years into the Ukraine war and the slogans are sounding hollow: Europe’s cheerleaders have moved on to pastures new, and the predictions of the anti-war voices, viciously demonised, are now coming to pass. We’ve gone from ‘as long as it takes’ to ‘long enough’: the Western betrayal that was always coming is now in progress, and Ukraine is being pushed to consider peace ter…

12 Dec

2023

EN Speech

European Economic Security Strategy (debate)

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Mr President, the economic security strategy, presented last June by the High Representative aims, in its own words, to protect the EU’s interests against the militarisation of economic ties and to find the right balance between the openness that the EU wishes to maintain and the protection of our values and interests. Let’s be clear about it: the only values we are interested in protecting are ex…

12 Dec

2023

EN Speech

Need to release all hostages, to achieve a humanitarian ceasefire and prospect of the two-state solution (debate)

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Mr President, I think it would be really prudent for everybody here to read the UN Genocide Convention of 1948 and to reflect on words and actions of recent weeks. All of the essential elements of the crime of genocide, as legally defined there, are present in what Israel is doing in Gaza. It is normally difficult to show intent, but not this time. Open declarations of genocidal intent every day f…

12 Dec

2023

EN Speech

Defence of democracy package (debate)

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Madam President, time and again we’re asked to believe that the EU is a bastion of democracy in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Rather, it holds democracy in contempt. When citizens elect the wrong government, like in Greece, the gloves come off in Brussels, and that government is crushed. When citizens vote the wrong way in a referendum in Ireland, they’re made to vote again. A…

12 Dec

2023

EN Speech

European Health Data Space (debate)

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Madam President, information about your health is obviously some of the most sensitive information that there is. It should be yours to guard and share as you choose. It’s your family history. It’s your weaknesses. It’s your strengths. And it needs to be treated with care and respect. If you agree to share that data, then that’s grand. But the Commission’s proposal is to forcibly enrol all of us i…

11 Dec

2023

GA Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Mr President, Seven weeks of disaster suffered by the people of Gaza. For seven weeks, the world looked at how long Israel destroyed a city full of children, and it was not only once that the European Union mentioned the word ‘ceasefire’. Seven weeks, and then, a psychic humanitarian pause. A week for those who were still alive to escape the debris, to put their children in the ground. And again w…

11 Dec

2023

EN Speech

Mental health (short presentation)

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Madam President, it’s not a coincidence that three of the four speakers are from Ireland, because we have a huge problem in Ireland in terms of mental health, but we’re not the only ones. Mental health in Europe is taking a nosedive, and our chronically underfunded and overworked healthcare professionals can’t cope. The pandemic and its aftermath have exacerbated clear deficits in our care system,…

11 Dec

2023

EN Speech

Role of tax policy in times of crisis (debate)

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Madam President, I think the report – initially ambitious – was largely gutted by the EPP in what is becoming quite a trend in here with reports. And so we have taxation, instead of being the great leveller, being used as a sort of a Robin Hood in reverse, robbing from the poor and those on middle incomes to enrich those at the very top – whether it’s the military industrial complex, Big Pharma, B…

23 Nov

2023

EN Speech

The lack of legislative follow-up by the Commission to the PEGA resolution (B9-0464/2023, B9-0467/2023)

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Madam President, I voted for this report. Parliament’s position on spyware should be clear: no sale of it, no use of it. Full stop. The end. It’s not abuse that’s the problem as the resolution said – it’s use. There is no way to use spyware that isn’t abusive. It’s a weapon, it’s targeting our civilians, and no European government should be using weapons against its citizens, against civilians. Of…

23 Nov

2023

EN Speech

Innovative humanitarian aid strategy: spotlight on current and forgotten crises (A9-0321/2023 - Carlos Zorrinho)

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Madam President, I voted for this report because I believe that an improved approach to humanitarian aid is, in fact, badly needed. We see this, in particular, as the reports emerge of the Commission blocking necessary aid to Palestinian organisations, killing them with paperwork even as the humanitarian disaster gets worse there. Talk of monitoring their social media posts, insinuating that legit…

23 Nov

2023

EN Speech

Strategic Compass and EU space-based defence capabilities (A9-0334/2023 - Arnaud Danjean)

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Madam President, I voted against this report. For decades, European space efforts have been civilian, and this report attempts to move us away from that. The generals and the arms lobbyists are knocking at the door with pockets full of threat multipliers and defence research proposals. Privatisation and militarisation of the final frontier: one great stride for war and one giant leap for profit. A…

23 Nov

2023

EN Speech

Young researchers (debate)

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Madam President, quality research obviously requires very good working conditions and I think in the report the authors describe the considerable difficulties faced by young researchers in obtaining permanent academic posts. The quest, I suppose, for permanent contracts is complex, and it does have an impact on academic freedom as well. We hear, talk and see evidence of the pressure on young resea…

23 Nov

2023

EN Speech

International day for the elimination of violence against women (debate)

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Mr President, I think it would be utterly hypocritical of us to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women without calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, because what greater violence is there than murder? And in the last 47 days, at least 3800 Palestinian women have been murdered in Gaza by the apartheid state of Israel. 800,000 of them have been displaced. 50,000 of those are…

22 Nov

2023

EN Speech

Cyprus Confidential - need to curb enablers of sanctions-evasion and money-laundering rules in the EU (debate)

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Mr President, the reason businessmen using a secrecy jurisdiction to hide and move money has got into the news is, let’s face it, because they’re Russian businessmen. Now, I’m very glad to look at the ways in which the ultra-rich hide and protect their money and the people who help them do it. But I do have a worry, because feverish hatred of all things Russian in Europe, spurred on by geopolitica…

22 Nov

2023

EN Speech

Threat to rule of law as a consequence of the governmental agreement in Spain (debate)

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Mr President, when I heard that there was a debate on the rule of law in Spain, I thought, ‘Great! Is this about state surveillance on journalists and politicians with Pegasus? Is it undercover police tactics involving intimate sexual relationships with activists to infiltrate social movements? Is it people having their eyes mutilated by Spanish police rubber bullets, or singers being sent to jail…

22 Nov

2023

EN Speech

This is Europe - Debate with the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Nikolay Denkov (debate)

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Madam President, Prime Minister, thanks for being here and for the meetings you had with us and your cabinet and your President on the recent rule of law monitoring visit to Bulgaria. Bulgaria, of course, is the oldest independent country in Europe – a magnificent place and people. But for all the hope that EU membership would help transform it, the truth is that it remains the poorest country in …

20 Nov

2023

EN Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Watch

Mr President, Israel expects us to believe that there is no genocide in Gaza – they are only protecting themselves from terrorists, they are trying to limit casualties, and even that the Palestinians are responsible for killing themselves, when Israel controls every entry and exit point in that tiny occupied territory where half of the population are children. Absolute lies, of course, and not for…