Speeches

Mr President, the successive political choices of recent years, characterised by widespread precariousness, increasing and deregulating working hours, facilitating dismissal, high costs of justice and lengthy procedures, have exacerbated the vulnerability and lack of protection of workers in the face of repeated practices that undermine their dignity. In Portugal, the majority of victims of labour harassment are women and, although some legislative steps have been taken, such as the ratification of ILO Convention 190, the problem persists and affects the psychological and physical health, dignity and family environment of thousands of working women. It is necessary to comply with the rules laid down in this Convention, including the promotion and negotiation of collective bargaining, to ensure that workers have easy and effective access to adequate and effective remedies in the event of violence and harassment, and to ensure that labour inspectorates and other competent authorities are empowered to act in the event of violence and harassment. Laws must protect working women.

Madam President, despite so many speeches, young people are living worse and worse. Low wages, precariousness, lack of labour rights, difficulty in accessing decent housing, insecurity and instability in their personal and professional lives are present in the daily lives of young people. But this situation has responsible: the policies, also of the European Union, that put the market above people, that impose the deregulation of hours, the law of the jungle in the world of work, that institutionalize precariousness and promote low wages, and also those that have defended and implemented them. There is an urgent need for a change in policy that will give young people hope for the future. It is necessary to remove all barriers to access to education, guarantee the right to decent housing for all, ensure the right to employment with rights, to a fair wage, combating precariousness. We need a strengthened National Health Service that responds to needs and ensures sexual and reproductive rights. Access to culture and leisure and an effective sports policy must be guaranteed. These rights can no longer be denied to young people.

Mr President, the fundamental right to housing has been called into question, affecting millions of people across the European Union, whether through speculation in renting, a brutal increase in interest rates, or the lack or absence of a public housing offer – this at a time of sharp rises in the cost of living, where inequalities are increasing and poverty is increasing. There is an urgent need to invest in public housing and guarantee the right to decent and adequate housing. Investments in the energy efficiency of public buildings are urgently needed, but priority should also be given to the most vulnerable households, reflecting in the indicative allocation per country the European funds to be allocated for these purposes. It is incomprehensible that families are left at the mercy of the speculative housing market, not reassuring them that, after the renovation of their homes, the rent will not be increased, and that multinationals in the energy sector are given free rein to continue to add scandalous profits, while there are people who cannot keep the house warm in winter, or cool in summer. Measures are needed to guarantee the right to decent housing appropriate to the needs of the population and not the profits of private interests that grow from year to year.

Madam President, it is worrying and worrying that living conditions are deteriorating in various countries of the European Union, with the increase in the cost of living, food, housing and energy, as well as the increasing difficulties in accessing health care, a reality that is accompanied by the accumulation of colossal profits by large economic groups. The ECB’s recent insistence on keeping benchmark interest rates high has profound consequences for the worsening social and economic situation in a number of countries, particularly affecting households in the most vulnerable situations and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Urgent measures and effective policies are needed to combat the degradation of living conditions and the worsening of social injustices and inequalities. This Parliament can no longer turn its back on the worrying and disturbing development of the social situation. We therefore propose to add to the agenda this debate, with statements by the Council and the Commission, on the degradation of living conditions in the EU as a point on Thursday morning.

Honourable Member, there is a part of the agreement that speaks exactly about the exploitation of resources and that is what this agreement is intended to do, it is to continue to explore as it is in all agreements of the European Union.

Honourable Member, the policy that the European Union has in its trade agreements is to exploit the natural resources of third countries and this agreement is no exception. That is what is in the agreement and that is why we will also be voting against it.

Mr President, the European Union's trade policy is essentially determined by the interests of its powers and economic groups and is not based on the principle of mutually beneficial cooperation. Particularly when it is directed at developing countries, it emphasizes their predatory nature of third-country resources, ensuring the disposal of their already processed and valued products. The peoples, the workers, the small and medium-sized producers of the two parts of each agreement are losing out, and I would remind you that the agreements also have consequences for the farmers who have rightly expressed themselves. The trade agreement with Chile is one such example. The EU undertakes a genuine liberalisation of ore hunting, seeking to ensure the exclusive flow of Chilean lithium and copper to European industry, creating an export monopoly and seeking to limit the ability of the Chilean government to define its development strategies and diversify international partnerships in this regard. International trade cannot be a neocolonial expression, it must facilitate the recovery of structural delays, development and convergence, respecting the interests of workers, local populations and the integrity of ecosystems. Between exploring and cooperating, the European Union has already defined its side. (The speaker agreed to answer a blue card question)

Mr President, since 2020, the five richest men in the world have doubled their fortunes. In this period, these five people made an average of 14 million euros per hour. At the same time, almost 5 billion people around the world have become poorer. In 2023, the risk of poverty in Portugal was above 20%, after accounting for social transfers. Meanwhile, large companies profit 25 million a day from the exploitation and impoverishment of workers. In addition to an increasingly unfair distribution of wealth, policies of destruction of public services, deregulation of labour, compression of wages accentuate inequalities. Commissioner, it is time to have the political will to change policy and effectively address the causes of inequalities, combat unemployment and promote employment with rights, increase wages and pensions, regulate and reduce working hours, ensure quality and free universal public services, guarantee the right to education and tax the profits of large economic groups. These are just some of the measures we advocate for a life... (The President took the floor from the speaker)

Madam President, let us not talk about the content of this shameful initiative, instigated by forces and Members who promote the most brazen interference against Cuba, disrespecting and attacking the sovereignty and rights of the Cuban people. As you say, Cuba has always been willing to engage in a frank and open dialogue with this Parliament and with other institutions of the European Union, provided that this dialogue is based on respect for the Cuban national authorities and the sovereignty of the Cuban people, something that any country that is part of the European Union does not also require. We want to talk about the example of resistance, dignity and courage of the Cuban people, who face a demanding and complex situation, inseparable from six decades of imposition of a cruel, criminal and illegal economic, financial and commercial blockade by the United States of America, with an extraterritorial dimension to which is added the inclusion of Cuba in the illegitimate and hypocritical list of the United States of America as sponsors of terrorism. From this we reiterate our solidarity with the Cuban people and demand respect for the sovereignty and independence of Cuba, for the right of its people to decide sovereignly their path free from external interference.

Mr President, in Portugal, one of the biggest problems facing teachers is disinvestment in public schools, jeopardising access to constitutionally established education. We talk about thousands of teachers and early childhood educators who, from north to south of the country, have been confronted with multiple problems: disinvestment in teacher training, the devaluation of teaching careers, precariousness and the roaming model that forces thousands of professionals to move hundreds of kilometres away each year, without any support. The situation is not now. He's decades old and he's responsible. The fight against precariousness and the offer of attractive careers with a future, with due pay and progressions, are imperatives that cannot be postponed. Teachers must be respected and valued, with careers, adequate working conditions, recognition of length of service and an end to precariousness. Binding is fundamental for the stabilization of the teaching staff and for the dignification of their work. Teachers are needed every day in schools and their bond has to be effective. We're with them in this fight.

Madam President, the equality enshrined in important international and national texts, such as the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, is far from being achieved. Successful EU LGBTI Equality Strategy 2020-2025 requires measures that effectively address all forms of discrimination. Concrete and awareness-raising strategies are needed to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender expression/identity and sex characteristics. This is achieved mainly through awareness-raising actions and through the promotion of citizenship. For this, we also need stronger states with stronger public services. For example, the public school, in addition to the space of inclusion that it should be, has an important role in promoting citizenship and equality, combating stereotypes and discrimination and promoting sex education that contributes to the exercise of the right to self-determination of gender identity/expression and sex characteristics in the school environment. We condemn and will not accept backsliding on LGBTI rights. Just advances.

Mr President, the next session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women will focus on gender equality, the empowerment of women and girls and the fight against poverty. However, the European Union's policies insist on pursuing the path of imposing neoliberal policies, which cause serious setbacks in women's rights: increased unemployment, deregulation of the labour market and working hours, increased job insecurity and low wages. As much as they praise words like women's empowerment and entrepreneurship here, the results of these options are in sight: disinvestment in public services, increased poverty and social exclusion, migration, human trafficking and the multifaceted violence of the commodification of women's bodies. At the time of this sitting, we cannot fail to mention violence against women in war, specifically Palestinian women who live under constant threat of destruction of their homes, displacement and the despair of losing their lives or those of their parents, husbands and children, or who are arrested, wounded or killed. Their struggle is also our struggle.

–Madam President, farmers protesting across Europe have a common cause: the common agricultural policy. You can announce quick dressings, but we have all seen that if this disastrous policy continues at European and national level, with injustices in the allocation of aid, where 70% of direct aid goes to only 7% of farmers, the just outrage of farmers will continue. Portuguese farmers denounce, among other things, the lack of support for family farming and small and medium-sized farmers facing a dramatic economic situation, with rising production costs, the crushing of production prices and the significant reduction in incomes, to which is now added the situation of extreme drought. From here we stand in solidarity with the farmers who, at this time, are demonstrating in Vila Real and we reaffirm our commitment to the need for a profound modification of the CAP, which recovers market regulation mechanisms, ensures fair incomes for producers, guaranteeing agricultural activity and food sovereignty of the peoples.

Mr President, the purpose of this debate, which is in line with the agenda of the United States of America and the Venezuelan extreme right-wing coup, is to seek to interfere once again in the electoral processes of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Remember the shameful recognition of Juan Guaidó as said President, the unacceptable support for coup attempts, organized armed operations from abroad, the imposition of sanctions and a cruel economic blockade, an illegal blockade and theft of Venezuelan assets abroad, among other measures that disrespect and attack the Venezuelan people. When will the European Parliament, so concerned for the Venezuelan people, demand an end to unilateral coercive measures, contrary to international law, imposed by the United States of America? When will the European Parliament demand an end to the interference operations against Venezuela, such as the recent denunciation of the deployment of US DEA agents to destabilise that country? For our part, we reiterate our solidarity with the struggle of the Venezuelan people in defense of their right to decide, free from external interference, on their path of development and social progress.

Mr President, this debate, also held at the initiative of the members of the PCP in the European Parliament, aims to warn, once again, of the recurring situations of drought and extreme drought in some regions and countries, particularly in Portugal. The populations, farmers and irrigators with whom we have been, whether in Alvor, Armamar, Arraiolos, Montemor or in so many places in the country, require concrete measures to mitigate the effects of drought and prepare for the future. It is to these demands that we give voice. The need for real and significant investment in infrastructure and reservoirs for water storage, enhancing better use, as well as support for traditional irrigation. The need for water management that prioritises use in situations of scarcity, ensuring domestic use, food production, industry and only then for other purposes. It is necessary to ensure that access to, use of and safeguarding of water resources are ensured by public management and ownership. Access to water is a right and should not be a business, even more desirable in situations of scarcity or drought.

–Madam President, we believe that all organisms derived from genetic engineering processes should undergo a risk assessment before they can be released, grown or consumed as food. And for this there is legislation! We reject this regulation on new genomic techniques because it is not needed. There is already legislation to regulate genetically modified organisms. We do not need legislation to liberalise them. Since 2015, 17 governments have already banned the cultivation of genetically modified organisms and we argue that it should be up to states to reject these products on their territory. Small and medium-sized farmers should be guaranteed the right to produce at fair prices. Consumers should be guaranteed the right to choose. There are many objections that we have already voted on to the entry of genetically modified products into the markets of the Member States. With this regulation, the Commission is insisting on the path of liberalisation and deregulation. We know well who they want to please and at the expense of who they want to do it, and so we reject it.

Mr President, the hearing of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom on the case of Julian Assange is scheduled for 20 and 21 February. This is another opportunity to prevent the extradition of the journalist. Here we repeat the appeal, which we have made at various times, addressed to the competent authorities of the United Kingdom and the United States of America, asking for the refusal of extradition and the closure of the charges against Julian Assange, with a view to his immediate release. The attempt to extradite, criminalise and arrest Julian Assange represents unacceptable pressure to condition the publication of information of public interest. The silence of the European Union institutions on this case clearly shows that their concern for freedom of expression and the free practice of journalistic activity is an exercise in hypocrisy that we reject here. When, for example, it comes to denouncing the crimes of US troops in Iraq, the defense of journalism and journalists falls to the ground.

Mr President, the role of solar energy in energy supply must be valued as a solution for the present and the future, particularly in countries such as Portugal with high endogenous potential in this area. To subordinate the interests of industry and energy, solar or otherwise, to private interests is an affront to the sovereignty of peoples, the rights of workers and populations. But these are the policy choices made by the European Union: liberalisation, privatisation and deregulation of the energy sector. The consequences of these disastrous policies are well known and felt by all. Prices paid by consumers have increased, employment with rights has decreased, the interests and energy sovereignty of the Member States have been disregarded, and the defence of a high-quality public service serving the real interests of consumers and social development and progress has been disregarded. At the same time, privatized energy companies continue to accumulate millions of profits every day. Energy, solar or otherwise, is a public good and the supply and accessibility of energy is an essential public service. What is required, therefore, is the defence of energy sovereignty, security, supply, affordable prices adjusted to the evolution of economies and a quality public service.

Madam President, we are proposing this debate because drought and extreme drought are increasingly frequent, with significant negative impacts on agricultural and livestock activities and on people's access to water. It is therefore important to bring the necessary answers to the debate, not only the urgent ones, but also, essentially, the structural ones. The use of water needs to be prioritised. There is a need for public investment in infrastructure and for states to be given the means to manage water resources. This debate is urgent and we therefore propose it. We accept the title and consider that it should take place as soon as possible, not opposing it being held in February II.

Madam President, as we approach the end of the so-called European Year of Skills, we need to take stock and ask what this initiative has done for the so-called skills. What has the European Year of Youth not done for youth? Or what the European Year of Rail did not do for rail? The answer to all of them will be very far from what the propaganda announced and what reality needed. We distance ourselves from this market view of qualifications, seen as mere instruments for meeting the needs of large employers, and it is to these needs that qualifications are designed and implemented. We distance ourselves from the idea of so-called active ageing, which only fuels the pressure for lowering entitlements and raising the retirement age. And we argue that what is required is the right to aging with rights and dignity. What is needed is work with fair and decent rights and wages, which correspond to the professional qualifications of workers, to knowledge acquired throughout life.

Madam President, the brutal increase in the cost of living penalises women in particular: they are the majority of unemployed and precarious workers; have lower wages and pensions; they make up the majority of single parents and the population affected by poverty. In the absence of structural measures to counteract these trends, existing inequalities worsen. The rise in the price of essential goods – food, housing, energy and telecommunications – must be halted and requires measures to protect women and families facing serious difficulties, in contrast to the astronomical profits of large economic groups. Measures are required to respond to the problems experienced by women, but also to their aspirations, to defend their rights and to promote equality: the right to work with rights; the fight against precariousness and the general increase in wages and pensions; the regulation of the prices of essential goods, including energy, which should be considered an essential good and, in order to be accessible to all, should return to the public sphere; strengthening public services in transport, education, health, offering quality and free healthcare to all; and compliance with women’s sexual and reproductive rights; encouraging the increase of public housing; the brake on rent increases; combating speculation; and the reversal of the interest rate hike, which the European Central Bank insists on keeping high. Measures that we will continue to fight for, because they are necessary, urgent and possible.

Madam President, the difficulties experienced by farmers in Portugal are worsening in a context where input prices are very high. In the Algarve, the drought situation is worrying and threatens agricultural activity. At the centre, maize and rice producers – and despite the low prices paid to production – are unable to compete with imported cereals. And the lack of run-off and storage space are concrete problems. Milk producers see the price of liter, paid to production, lower than the price of production, and while industry and distribution crush prices, producers accumulate losses. Despite the urgent responses that the serious situation requires, another CAP is needed to ensure: the food sovereignty of each State; support for small and medium-sized farmers and family farming; fair prices for production and the improvement of the incomes of those who produce; market regulation mechanisms; sustainable farming practices that respect biodiversity and the environment; food safety and quality accessible to all; and the principle of national preference, importing only what is necessary.

Mr President, in a context of increasing attacks on workers' rights, wages and living conditions, talking about quality employment must necessarily address: the general and urgent increase in wages; raising labour rights and strengthening collective bargaining; the eradication of precariousness; reduction of working hours without loss of earnings; combating deregulation of timetables and promoting the reconciliation of personal, family and professional life; the realization of the rights of parents or caregivers, and of children. The European Union's impositions, through its various instruments, towing to arguments for strengthening the so-called social market economy or the need to increase competitiveness, have been synonymous, in my country and over the years, with social regression, the destruction of working class incomes and rights, and mass immigration. We do not condone socialising visions of the European semester and economic governance. There can be no sun on the threshing floor and no rain on the nabal. In other words, we must not want to end poverty and social exclusion, promote a general increase in wages, guarantee a public network of crèches with universal and free access, end the scourge of youth and long-term unemployment, ensure affordable housing and guarantee a decent life for our elderly and, at the same time, defend the accentuation of the policies that condition its implementation and the draconian rules of the euro. The needs are peremptory. Increase wages, strengthen collective bargaining, raise labour rights.

Mr President, in Portugal, young people leave home on average around the age of 30, according to 2022 data. And unlike liberal narratives, they don't do it out of their own choice or lack of financial literacy. They do so because housing costs are unaffordable: the house instalments, which the increases in interest rates dictated by the ECB have significantly worsened, while bank profits reach new highs; rents that are always rising; the rising cost of living, which continues to tighten; Low wages, which persist. This is all the more serious when young people are harassed by precariousness and the policy of low wages. Young people do not need more strategies, nor European years of youth which, as we have seen, instead of solving their problems, have still deepened them. Young people need concrete, immediate measures and it is time to invest in the provision of public housing, building, requalifying and acquiring housing. It is time to stop seizures and evictions, to prevent speculation and to control rents. It is time for young people to have the right to the future they dreamed of.

Mr President, it is misleading to think that this debate is about the situation in Venezuela. It is disappointing to think that the severe impacts of the coercive measures imposed by the United States of America and the European Union against Venezuela and its people – measures that 132 countries recently rejected at the UN General Assembly – would be discussed here. No, what this debate is about is aligning the European Parliament with the interests of the United States of America and multinationals, such as ExxonMobil, in the face of the sovereign decision of the Venezuelan people to politically reaffirm what they consider to be their rights over a disputed territory. I recall that the dispute over the Essequibo region, which Venezuela and Guyana have maintained for more than a century, is a legacy of British colonialism, which has remained unanswered for decades. We believe that this dispute must be resolved without external interference and through negotiation, within the framework of the Geneva Agreement signed in 1966, with a view to reaching a fair, satisfactory and amicable agreement for both parties. In this regard, we welcome the mediation initiative promoted within CELAC.