Speeches

Madam President, Commissioner, our House of democracy just served as a platform for the propaganda of Prime Minister Orbán. Because the truth doesn't serve his interests. The truth is that he's a corrupt, disloyal, and ruthless violator of the EU's most fundamental values. Instead of listening to him, we should give the microphone to the Hungarian people who face the daily hardship of living under his autocracy. The teachers, the judges, human rights defenders, journalists and academics who fight for the values that the EU stands for and simply demand the same freedoms and protection as every EU citizen. Yet this man is punishing them with smear campaigns and intimidating investigations. However, a solid majority in this House defends our allies and genuinely joins forces, and we urge the Council and Commission to go all in with our response, just like Orbán does with his destruction. This presidency fails to meet its duty to hold a hearing under Article 7(1). We urge the Council to use Article 7(2) and prevent Orbán from hijacking EU decision-making and the Commission to keep EU funding frozen until the rule of law is restored for real. Be consistent, credible and act with urgency. If we cannot protect our EU citizens against autocrats, our EU democracy is bound to fail.

Madam President, Council, Commissioner – maybe for the last time, who knows? – Orbán made it very clear where his true alliances lie when he extended Hungary's national card scheme to Russian and Belarusian citizens shortly after his controversial mission to Moscow. Of course, this falls under the national competences of the Member States, and a ban on certain nationalities would be discriminatory and run counter to the Treaties. But in the current geopolitical context, with Orbán's close relationship to Putin, this decree is far from innocent: it is a provocation and yet another blatant example of Orbán favouring his ties with Russia over sincere cooperation with the EU and with the Member States. So in any case, at least it's key that the Commission insist on thorough security checks. But in all fairness, the EU cannot pretend to be surprised by this. For so long, the EU has shown far too little teeth in response to Orbán's all-out destruction of the rule of law. The Commission has been hesitant in launching legal actions and has prematurely unfrozen funding. The Article 7procedure has withered in the Council, and we have let this crisis fester and fester, weakening the core strength of the EU, namely its common values. To the extent that now, the external security threat is infiltrating our own community. How much more existential does the threat of Hungary's rule of law crisis need to be before we say 'enough is enough'? I would say enough alarm bells have rung now, and the national card scheme is certainly not the only provocative decree adopted by Hungary. Right after his visit to Kiev, Orbán decided to revoke the housing rights of Ukrainian refugees from so-called 'non-fighting areas', including families with children. They have been evicted this summer, left out on the street in blatant violation of the Temporary Protection Directive. And yet the Commission has remained completely silent on this. The EU has solemnly vowed to stand with Ukraine and with its citizens. Where is that solidarity now? What message are we sending to Ukrainian refugees, to the world and also to the other Member States if we let this slide? So I urge the Commission to immediately act against this violation and to uphold the harmonised protection standards. We must treasure and defend unanimous solidarity and support of the EU for Ukrainian refugees. We must put our money where our mouth is.

Madam President, Commission, on 19 July, the ICJ gave a legal confirmation to the obvious, that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal and should end immediately. It states that states should do anything to avoid and stop the destruction, the massacre in Gaza and the occupation. Yet, we have seen two more months of complete inaction by the Commission and the Member States. Two more months of asking politely if Israel could stop. Please stop murdering innocent Palestinians and bombing schools. The time of asking politely is over. There's only one language that this aggressor understands ‑ international sanctions. We need to sanction those responsible for the war crimes, including Netanyahu and the responsible Israeli ministers. We need to stop selling arms. We need to freeze the association agreement. We simply need to start respecting international law, if we expect anyone else to do so in the future.

Madam President, the horrific attack in Solingen reminds us that we must remain vigilant against violent extremism. But we must also remain vigilant against cynical and dangerous spinning of the far right who misuse such attacks for their own political gain, to demonise migrants and refugees. That only distracts from the real solutions we need. And it divides and polarises our societies. Germany's decision to reintroduce border controls violates the Schengen border code and looks like a politically motivated, knee jerk reaction. Tolerating this is inviting other Member States to follow. So I urge the Commission to closely assess the introduction of border controls in Germany and of all other Member States who control their borders for eight years now, and to take effective action to protect our dear Schengen Area. And I urge political parties to focus on real, evidence-based solutions to violent extremism, and to refrain from cheap and false rhetorics that only serve to fuel even more suffering.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, the Russian invasion in Ukraine was a reality check. It made us realise that enlargement is not only vital for the citizens of the candidate countries, but also for the EU to preserve our values and to strengthen our role in the world. But enlargement and being an effective organisation and preserving a veto is not a realistic combination. We must urgently make our House ready for more inhabitants, but also to gain more decisiveness and to prevent blackmail by a single non-compliant Member State. Orbán and Fico show us how vetoes can easily undermine the values and strength that we hold so dear. And this is also why the rule-of-law conditionality must become more effective, both in the current Member States and the candidate Member States. But let us also pave the way to our House. Abolish the veto and enlargement process, support them better, and already involve candidate countries in common policies such as the single market, energy policies and other policy areas. Let them not wait for tangible benefits of accession, which would encourage the EU trust of their citizens. Political declarations and nice words only do not bring that trust, do not push reforms in candidate countries, and don’t make our Union ready for a larger and more meaningful future. So let’s get to work.

Mr President, my group has fundamental concerns about the necessity and proportionality of the mandatory collection of API data, as well as about the transition to automated check-ins only. Still, the text improves the status quo with clear, harmonised European rules on API collection. We also set limits and safeguards. Where Member States now do whatever they want, this revision will shorten the data retention periods and create more safeguards. And finally, after all these years, we bring the collection of API and PNR data in line with the PNR judgment, with clarified selection criteria for intra-EU flights, additional privacy safeguards, and the prohibition of profiling and collecting biometric data. So although API data collection is now mandatory, which we regret, there are also much clearer limits and safeguards. So I would like to thank both rapporteurs, Ms Kanko and Mr Oetjen, for this result and for the good cooperation also with the Commission. And we can conclude this cooperation in the very last voting session of this term, so congratulations for that.

Mr President, tomorrow, Italy commemorates the victory over fascism. But the author invited to deliver a speech was cancelled by the Italian state broadcaster. The reason? He was planning to state the fact that Meloni fails to condemn fascism. And how could she credibly do so with her party’s logo symbolising the eternal flame on the tomb of Mussolini? This act of censorship by the state broadcaster, already dubbed ‘TeleMeloni’, is straight from the autocratic playbook; a telltale sign that fundamental rights, democracy and the rule of law are at serious risk in yet another EU Member State. Rule of law is not a noun, but a verb. It requires constant vigilance to protect the precious foundations our community of values is built on. I urge the Commission to act against this breach of media independence, but also against a whole tendency to undermine the rule of law and democracy in more and more EU Member States. Foster, enforce, protect our values more vigilantly than in the previous term has happened.

Mr President, Commissioner. People who flee war and persecution need safety and reception, not pushbacks and violence. Yet this Commission seems convinced that by paying authoritarian leaders, we can stop people from seeking safety. After the Tunisia deal, the arrivals in Italy did not drop, but the violence, pushbacks and repression in Tunisia increased. It strengthened the dictator Saied and left our allies in society out in the cold. Egyptian dictator el-Sisi is the next in line to receive an EU blank check without any conditions. El—Sisi has effectively destroyed opposition NGOs and critical journalists, and refugees and migrants are being pushed back. Even the Sudanese refugees are being pushed back, attacked and abandoned. This deal will again reinforce everything that the EU should be fighting. Dear Commissioner, let me remind you that our Treaty obliges you to promote human rights and democracy worldwide, and not to demolish them.

Mr President, High Representative, civilians, journalists and humanitarian workers are murdered every day in Gaza. Hunger is used as a weapon, hospitals are attacked, many mass graves are found. No more war and genocide: This is the foundation of our European cooperation. And yet for months we have been blatantly allowing Israel to wage a war of aggression against Gaza, on which the UN's highest court has ruled that there is a plausible risk of genocide. It is high time for maximum pressure on Israel, for a permanent ceasefire, humanitarian aid and full compliance with the ruling of the Court and the UN resolution. That requires at least a stop to arms supplies, possible suspension of the association agreement and certainly also recognition of the state of Palestine. Because the promise of "never again war and genocide" is worthless if we allow it in Gaza.

Madam President, dear colleagues, tomorrow we vote on the visa exemption for holders of Serbian passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate in Kosovo. It’s presented as a technical proposal by the Commission, but Serbia proved last week that the opposite is true. Vučić prevented hundreds of Kosovars from entering the EU at the Serbia–Croatian borders as an act of retaliation for the country’s Council of Europe membership. It proves again that Serbia does not intend to advance relations with Kosovo, nor does it care about international law. Our votes will be seen and sold as a win by Vučić. So, dear colleagues, let it not become the legacy of this legislator to appease a Kremlin-flirting regime. Let us reject the proposal tomorrow and support the integrity and European integration of Kosovo.

Madam President, Commissioners, we had the chance to fix a broken system – a system now in which border states bear the brunt of the responsibility, fundamental rights are flouted and impunity is the norm. This pact was our chance to share responsibility, end pushbacks, uphold the right to asylum and make reception human again. I acknowledge the improvements. I am glad that we stimulate resettlement and that for the first time Member States must offer solidarity. But I urge them to fulfil this obligation in the only meaningful way, by offering relocation. But I am extremely worried that these rules systematically lock up asylum seekers – even families with children – at the external borders, for months on end. This law erodes the rights and safeguards of asylum seekers and risks dangerous deportations. It allows for undermining the common standards, which is exactly the opposite of what we need. We need to foster a common policy based on mutual trust. So we are far from fixing the asylum system. Let us indeed take responsibility to finally get it right.

Mr President, Commissioner, this is an election year. How can citizens judge the performance of Commissioners in charge if their right to access to information is denied? Unjustified secrecy hampers to address corruption, violation of fundamental rights and simply hurts democratic scrutiny of the EU. The Ombudsman’s examples of delayed access to information in its special report relate to issues that are of extremely high public concern: human rights violations at the borders; the spending of billions of euros from the Recovery Fund; COVID vaccines; sanctions against Russia. I want to ask the Commission, are you satisfied with the status quo? Are you alarmed by the Ombudsman’s findings? And most importantly, what are you going to change in order to make substantial progress on transparency in the next five years? Will you commit to: proactive transparency; disclosure of all documents unless there are real justified grounds not to do so; more staff and resources to treat applications; and preventing Commission and agencies from charging legal fees to civil society or journalists trying to access documents in the public interest? If you are serious in bringing Europe closer to the citizens, practise what you preach.

Mr President, Commissioner, it’s heartbreaking to conclude that this debate and resolution is a repetition of doing urgent calls for a change in Afghanistan. Because not a single thing has improved for women and girls. The gender apartheid installed by the Taliban is still alive. The human rights and the humanitarian crisis have not improved at all. But this status quo makes it all the more important that the EU offers support and solidarity to the Afghan population in and outside of the country. But also this is, sadly enough, still far too little and that’s also a status quo. Humanitarian organisations still lack funding. Local staff is still stuck without help. Afghans still face pushbacks and rejected asylum applications. We need to drastically change our policies towards Afghans and give them the support they deserve. Be strong on the five benchmarks, but also support civil society, human rights defenders, women and girls – specifically in their education but also in their health services – and step up our resettlement and humanitarian visa. And last but not least, finally complete the evacuation of the Afghan local staff that worked for EU missions and operations. Please do what we promised once because if the EU doesn’t care for them, no one will.

Madam President, Commissioner, we all remember the moment that the Commission announced to grant EUR 150 million to the Tunisian government, funding a dictator who cemented his power through a coup, who locks up opposition judges and journalists, and who dumps migrants into the desert, leaving them for death. And what is the Commission’s response? Reward him with EU funding, putting the final nail in the coffin of Tunisia’s democracy. We raised an objection to this draft decision in December, but the Commission refused to await the democratic process and pushed through anyhow. I am glad that we will have a vote formally to oppose this irresponsible policy. Dear colleagues, I really hope we will adopt a strong resolution and that the Commission will start to take European democracy seriously. But human rights and democracy must also be the leading interest in our external cooperation. We have lost so much credibility already – high time to change course and to uphold our own treaty principles.

Madam President, Commissioner, the Single Permit Directive is mutually beneficial, both for migrants who seek safe and legal pathways into the EU and for the EU wishing to attract skills and talent to its workforce. But in order for this law to be truly a win-win situation, we must ensure that migrants don’t end up as the losers. Too often, they are trapped in horrible situations of dependency and exploitation by shady employers. We now break this chokehold of abusive employers, and we empower the workers to enable them to change course. Single permit holders will have stronger rights, including a new right to change employer. They will be entitled to legal stay during unemployment and with three months extra for victims of violations or exploitation. I would prefer to have more improvements, I must admit that, but I’m glad with our achievement, this recast proves that with the right political will, the EU is capable of adopting progressive and human-rights-centred laws on migration. And that’s also thanks to both of the rapporteurs and their staff and secretariat, and to the Commission. So Javier, happy birthday, you deserve it.

Mr President, dear Commissioner, some politicians like to claim we are in a migration crisis, because they profit from it. But we are actually facing a fundamental rights crisis, an enforcement crisis, a solidarity crisis. Our external borders have become zones of lawlessness. Asylum seekers are beaten back across the borders, attacked with dogs or left to drown at sea. And civil society actors who step in are intimidated, harassed and criminalised. The right to asylum is being eroded, dignified reception has become an illusion and impunity is now the norm. And in this race to the bottom, Member States prefer to approve each other’s violations rather than take responsibility for their fair share. And these crises are being fuelled by extreme narratives and dehumanisation. For the extreme right, migration is a business model, but by exploiting refugees, they attack our core values and this indirectly leads to more human rights violations, to more deaths. Chair, deterrence is not the answer. Taking responsibility is – and I urge Member States to take responsibility equally and fairly and to show true solidarity through relocation. The genuine reflection of our values lies in how we treat the most vulnerable. And right now, at our borders, these values are dying fast.

Madam President, enlargement is not only important for geopolitical reasons, but also to offer the citizens of our neighbourhood a chance to enjoy the rights and values of the EU. But a core EU value is trustworthiness. So when a candidate country delivers, we must do too. And we fail to do that, for instance with North Macedonia – a champion in reforms. The report calls for an end to the veto. But already now Member States should stop blocking accession talks just for internal reasons. Don’t politicise the accession process. This undermines our credibility and, therefore, the motivation of citizens to reform and sacrifice in order to belong to us. Please don’t take that away from them.

Mr President, dear Commissioner, the latest Rule of Law Report shows a serious pressure on the rule of law in many EU countries. The Annual Report is supposed to be the key to unlocking the EU’s rule of law toolbox, but far too often, this toolbox remains closed. The numerous concerns described in the Report are not followed with infringement actions, interim measures, steps in Article 7 proceedings, or budgetary conditionality measures. I welcome the country-specific recommendations, but we need to see more strategy. Please differentiate between incidental and systematic breaches, expand the scope and cover all the EU’s fundamental values, including democracy and fundamental rights, and ensure an effective follow-up and enforcement. Mr President, rule of law is the cornerstone of our Union; we cannot afford to dialogue and see what happens. The 2023 Report sends an alarming message, and I urge you, Commissioner, as guardian of the Treaties, to enforce like our Union’s future depends on it, because it does!

Madam President, Council, Commission, let me applaud the EU Council for doing the right thing: securing the so much needed funding for Ukraine. We know that this support is only a small step, given the total needs and the declining support from the US. It is crucial that we keep delivering. But exactly this will remain threatened by Orbán. He is utterly disloyal towards NATO, the EU and the European values. But while leaders were focusing on convincing Orbán, they failed to secure our strategic autonomy – no investments in Europe’s green transformation and even cuts in innovation funds. Chair, the only long-term answer to this autocrat is to disarm him, take away his voting rights, keep EU funding frozen and cancel the Council presidency. No appeasement, no fear, but self-confidence and unity. That is imperative for Ukraine, for the security of our Union and for the rule of law.

Mr President, Council, Commission, the experts were crystal clear in their assessment: Hungary does not meet the standard of judicial independence, but the Commission decision to unfreeze the cohesion funds was not based on facts in Budapest, it was based on politics in Brussels. The Commission decision to bow down to Orbán's looming vetoes cost the EU so much more than EUR 10 billion. It cost us our credibility. It changed the Commission's already shaky track record upholding the rule of law. And that means that this performance will be taken into account by the Parliament by approving the new Commission, and it will mean that we will see you in court. So I urge you – no payments until the milestones are fully fulfilled. And I call upon the Council to draw a clear line against a head of state who systematically violates the European treaties and directs his loyalty towards Putin rather than the EU. It's time to suspend Hungary's voting rights, and it's time to finally protect the EU's vital interests in the rule of law.

Madam President, Minister, Commissioner, Russia’s actions at the Finnish external border must be called out for what they are: a geopolitical move. Russia is cynically using asylum seekers and migrants to exert pressure, and this must be clearly condemned and addressed. But casting aside EU law is never the answer. Derogating from key standards and rights can never be the solution. Doing so would mean re-victimising those same asylum seekers and migrants that fell into Russian hands, and it would give Russia exactly what it wants: proof that the EU doesn’t practise what it preaches; proof that its actions are working. Foreign affairs issues require foreign affairs solutions. We don’t need derogations. We need diplomacy and full support of the Finnish authorities. I urge the EU to take a firm stance against this dehumanising of vulnerable people, as if they are mere geopolitical pawns. We must ensure that on our side of the border we treat people with dignity; grant them the rights they are entitled to, including access to an asylum procedure; and uphold our laws, because that is what makes us Europe.

Madam President, Minister, Commissioners, when a veto by Orbán is feared in the EU council, the unfreezing of the EU funds reappears at the negotiation table. It’s a cynical pattern, but Hungary has not resolved its rule-of-law and fundamental rights deficiencies. The measures adopted in may suffer from fundamental flaws. Even in the most lenient interpretation, three out of the four judicial requirements are still not met, or only partially. The Commission was crystal clear: no fulfilment of the enabling conditions as long as the lack of judicial independence is not addressed. I urge the Commission to remain diligent and to keep the money frozen until genuine reforms are effectively implemented. To unlock funding to Hungary would play straight into the hands of Orbán, because his cynical approach of holding EU Council decision-making hostage is actually – literally – paying off. I urge the Council to find an effective approach to Orbán’s blackmail. Explore other ways to financially support Ukraine. We cannot allow ourselves to be taken hostage.

Madam President, Commissioner, as President von der Leyen rightly said, today’s proposal to grant candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova is historic. It shows that Russia’s attacks on European peace and stability only has led to closer cooperation, and that we stand by Ukraine in their fight for freedom. But the work starts now. We must support both countries to fully meet all criteria for accession, and we need to prepare our own Union for enlargement by initiating internal reforms now. At the same time, we cannot permit to forget the Western Balkans, because we need to restore the trust in that region by sticking to our promises to countries that deliver. That means that we open negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania and ensure visa liberalisation for Kosovo. The citizens there deserve the EU future that we promised to them. Any further delay in the Western Balkans will further empower Russia in this region, with all consequences that we should know by now.

Madam President, Commissioner, over 4 000 children killed, massive numbers of civilians bombed to death or bleeding under the rubble. The hospital system has collapsed, yet humanitarian aid is refused. Human suffering in Gaza is immense, unprecedented and is manmade. We can only be a credible value-based actor in the world if we, as the EU, fiercely condemn these brutal violations of international law, for the sake of the lives and rights of Palestinians, but also for so much needed security of Israel, as legitimising lawlessness is a dead-end street. Calling for a humanitarian pause makes no sense. For what? Feeding the people before they are killed? No, the bombardments must stop! We need a ceasefire from both sides now. We need full access for humanitarian aid in Gaza and an immediate release of the hostages. That is the necessary starting point for working towards a sustainable two-state solution.

Madam President, the Italian Government has taken an unprecedented step with its agreement with Albania, according to which asylum seekers who are rescued in the Mediterranean Sea are brought to Albania, where they are detained during an Italian asylum procedure. This outsourcing agreement violates international law, but also primary and secondary EU law and it must be denounced, therefore, by the Commission and the Member States. Instead of allowing Member States at the external borders to revert to illegal practices, we must secure solidarity within the EU and by equally sharing the responsibility. We propose, therefore, to hold the debate in the next plenary, as this cannot go unanswered.