What Sandra spoke about.

16

Jan

2023

PT Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Mr President, today's situation is marked by an accelerated deterioration in living conditions, rising prices and a real loss of purchasing power. The housing problem is even more central in this context, owing to speculation in rent and purchase, aggravated by successive and significant increases in interest rates imposed by the ECB, with unaffordable increases in housing loan instalments. The de…

14

Dec

2022

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Tackle the cost of living crisis: increase pay, tax profits, stop speculation (topical debate)

Madam President, in Portugal, food products increased by 18.9%, bottle gas by 19.5% and energy products by 27.6%. There is a sharp increase in house rents, 9.2% in Lisbon and 6% in Porto. The provision of the house will rise between 100 and 150 euros and five families are evicted daily. It is estimated that more than 2 million people will fatten the poverty figures. This is the reality of Portugue…

13

Dec

2022

PT Speech

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A need for a dedicated budget to turn the Child Guarantee into reality - an urgency in times of energy and food crisis (debate)

Mr President, the Child Guarantee is an important tool for immediate responses. Around 25% of children in the European Union live at risk of poverty and social exclusion. Its implementation in the Member States already leads to conclusions. Its resources are not even sufficient to compensate for the loss of family income due to the inflationary outbreak, the consequences of the war and the disastr…

13

Dec

2022

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Renewable Energy, Energy Performance of Buildings and Energy Efficiency Directives: amendments (REPowerEU) (continuation of debate)

Madam President, this strategic plan proposes to intervene on the energy system, reacting to developments in this sector since last year, aggravated by the consequences of the war and the sanctions that, in keeping with the agenda of the United States of America, sacrifice the peoples of Europe. The measures envisaged in their various dimensions are essentially in the interests of the major econom…

12

Dec

2022

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A long-term vision for the EU's rural areas (debate)

Madam President, we believe that this report makes a correct diagnosis of the reality of the rural world in some Member States and that it has a strong focus on agriculture as a primary activity in rural areas. We follow many of the concerns expressed. We defend the valorization of the incomes of small and medium-sized farmers for the maintenance of activity and valorization of rural areas, aspect…

12

Dec

2022

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Towards equal rights for persons with disabilities (debate)

Madam President, this report gives voice to many of the demands of people with disabilities. A real commitment must be made to the rights of persons with disabilities, striving to ensure that everyone, regardless of their social background, level of income or area of residence, has access to quality public services capable of guaranteeing them the right to health, education, housing, social securi…

24

Nov

2022

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The European Year of Youth 2022 Legacy (debate)

Madam President, when we talk about youth policies we cannot disconnect them from concrete and necessary responses to the problems facing young people today. It is essential to put an end to exploitation and the scourge of precariousness. Let there be an increase in wages. That quality public services be guaranteed to young people and that we do not ignore the concerns about the discrimination tha…

24

Nov

2022

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Establishing the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030 (debate)

Madam President, digital technologies have the potential to improve citizens' access to information and culture, as well as to provide them with a wider, more diverse and easier choice in accessing public goods and services and to enhance their quality of life. But this script for the digital decade follows the neoliberal primer of the European institutions, oriented towards the digital single mar…

23

Nov

2022

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Eliminating violence against Women (debate)

Madam President, it is imperative to combat all forms of violence against women. There can be no more excuses. Every day, and around the world, millions of women and girls are subjected to some form of physical, psychological, moral or sexual assault and violence, at home, at work, in public. Trafficking in human beings and prostitution continue to reach alarming levels in this European Union. Oth…

22

Nov

2022

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Gender balance among non-executive directors of companies listed on stock exchanges (debate)

Madam President, in this system in which we live, women find it more difficult to reach positions of power. Women and their rights remain very uncomfortable for retrograde and conservative political forces. We believe that, despite this directive, inequalities will continue to be a reality in the lives of most women. Such as the existence of pay gaps, violating the principle of equal pay for equal…

21

Nov

2022

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Madam President, in recent weeks we have seen a number of workers' struggles all over Europe in demanding better wages, defending and gaining more rights and in the urgency of price control measures in Belgium, Greece, Switzerland, Cyprus, the United Kingdom, France, Spain and others. And also in Portugal, following the major demonstrations on 15 October against the increase in the cost of living.…

9

Nov

2022

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Mr President, another conference and the prospects for a serious and effective fight against climate change are not encouraging. The conclusions of the successive COPs have served to perpetuate injustices. While some continue to suffer, others continue to see business opportunities and negotiate mechanisms to protect their interests, even at the expense of humanity's future. They want to make peop…

19

Oct

2022

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Global food security as follow-up to the G20 Agriculture Ministers meeting (debate)

Mr President, the conclusions of the G20 agriculture ministers are a long way from responding to the current emergency and food shortage that some people feel. On the contrary, the measures referred to seek only to satisfy one more market, that of innovations and technological agriculture. Once again, we see world leaders bowing, rejoicing at the prospect of opening up to agribusiness, to intensiv…

19

Oct

2022

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Fighting sexualised violence - The importance of the Istanbul Convention and a comprehensive proposal for a directive against gender-based violence (debate)

Mr President, it is essential for society to be awake and focused on combating violence against women of any kind, domestic violence, trafficking in women, dating violence, prostitution or even harassment at work and sexual harassment. Above all, it must be borne in mind that the roots of these forms of violence lie in growing social inequalities, a situation which particularly affects women. We l…

17

Oct

2022

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Mr President, in Portugal this weekend, tens of thousands of workers, young people and pensioners took to the streets in Lisbon and Porto. They do not accept the degradation of wages, the degradation of pensions, the attack on public services, speculation in the prices of essential and energy goods. They shouted loudly that the cost of living is rising and the people can't stand it. At the same ti…

17

Oct

2022

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International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (debate)

Madam President, today's International Day for the Elimination of Poverty brings to light worrying data on poverty in Portugal. According to Eurostat, at the end of 2021, 2.3 million were poor or at risk of poverty or social exclusion, equivalent to 22.4% of the Portuguese population. Between 2020 and 2021, poverty has worsened, not only in Portugal, but in the European Union at 27, and the 2022 f…

6

Oct

2022

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The urgent need for an EU strategy on fertilisers to ensure food security in Europe (debate)

Mr President, in recent times agricultural producers in Portugal have been exposed and vulnerable to many natural phenomena and disasters, but they have long been confronted with the imposition of a CAP that despises small and medium-sized agriculture, which promotes and finances agribusiness, intensive and super-intensive agriculture, which consumes more water, fertilisers and phytopharmaceutical…

15

Sep

2022

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State of the SME Union (debate)

Madam President, the situation of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Portugal is characterised by great instability and fragility, with compulsory closures and reduced activity without proper support following the impacts of the pandemic. Many had not yet fully recovered economic activity and began to experience new difficulties stemming from rising production costs, the impact of the in…

15

Sep

2022

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Implementation of the Updated New Industrial Strategy for Europe: aligning spending to policy (debate)

Madam President, in countries such as Portugal we have witnessed for decades the destruction of the productive apparatus and the accentuation of the depopulation and desertification of vast areas of the country, sacrificing the essential foundations for a genuine process of economic and social development. The profoundly asymmetric impact of common EU policies on states confirms the need to regain…

14

Sep

2022

PT Speech

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Nicaragua, in particular the arrest of the bishop Rolando Álvarez

Madam President, this resolution directed against Nicaragua, like the one adopted just three months ago, is yet another exercise in concealing facts to cover up an objective stance in support of those who promote destabilization and coup in Nicaragua and who do not hesitate to incite violence and hatred in that country. An unacceptable stance by the European Parliament that runs counter to the pri…

13

Sep

2022

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EU response to the increase in energy prices in Europe (debate)

Madam President, the so-called energy market is characterised by the subordination of the interests of the peoples to those of the big energy transnationals, with dramatic consequences for their living conditions, including the worsening of inflation, leveraged by energy speculation. Regulated tariffs and maximum prices in energy products, electricity and natural gas, reduce VAT on electricity and…

13

Sep

2022

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Adequate minimum wages in the European Union (debate)

Mr President, this directive under discussion today is, in our opinion, a dangerous instrument for the general stagnation of wages and, consequently, of the national minimum wage. Limiting the adequacy of wages to indicators, and to these indicators, means, on the one hand, admitting and accepting that workers earning the minimum wage are condemned to poverty and, on the other hand, making future …

12

Sep

2022

PT Speech

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Energy efficiency (recast) (debate)

Mr President, we have no doubt about the potential for renewal and innovation of energy networks, building stock, transport and other utilities, with a view to greater energy efficiency. However, by setting binding targets that require some states to make more efforts than others, the European Union is throwing the responsibility and financial effort needed to achieve them on top of the Member Sta…

12

Sep

2022

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New EU Forest Strategy for 2030 – Sustainable Forest Management in Europe (debate)

Mr President, sustainable forest management must take into account aspects such as economic profitability, the promotion of multifunctionality of forests and the sustainability of forest ecosystems. It should encourage forest planning and avoid rural abandonment, which leaves large areas of land abandoned and favours the proliferation of forest monocultures at the service of the paper industry. Eu…

7

Jul

2022

PT Speech

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Recent heat wave and drought in the EU (debate)

Mr President, there are recurrent debates about drought, extreme weather events and their impacts on various vital sectors, such as agriculture and livestock farming and other productive and economic activities. In my country, Portugal, the situation of extreme and severe drought may also have an impact on firefighting. But it seems that we are always chasing the damage and the mitigation measures…