Speeches

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.

Thank you for this question. I refer to the Temporary Protection Directive that these Ukrainian refugees can invoke, these rights that they have. I think to start with, there should be sufficient capacity in the Member States, and the rules should be very clearly disseminated so that people know that they have these rights. And I think it is up to the Member States, first and foremost, to make sure that they offer this support. But it is the Commission, as a guardian of the Treaty, that needs to monitor if these rules are complied with and otherwise intervene. Because until now, there is this solidarity platform, it is all behind the scenes that people discuss this – the Commission with the Member States. But this seems to be a quite persistent violation. And I think at that moment the Commission should start to act and enforce compliance.

Mr President, most refugees from Ukraine are women. Women to whom we promised immediate protection and access to rights and services in the EU. Yet, in Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, the barriers to sexual and reproductive health care and gender-based violence support services forced them to live either without this support or to return to a war zone in order to get the help that they need. And this is exactly the opposite of what temporary protection is meant to achieve. More generally, access to medical care, social welfare, housing, labour markets and education is impeded in these and other Member States. I urge the Commission to enforce the key rights of these refugees. Civil society and municipalities hosting Ukrainian refugees still struggle to access funding. The Commission must finally ensure proper EU funding to those actors that do the actual work on the ground. The swift activation of temporary protection to refugees from Ukraine was a true sign of solidarity. We must live up to this spirit and to the obligations that come with it, and start thinking of their future protection, as the refugees deserve a long-term perspective also beyond March 2025. If and hopefully not, but if they are still forcefully displaced. (The speaker agreed to take a blue-card question)

Mr President, from me, a very warm welcome to Mr Massoud and his delegation. Welcome in this heart of democracy, which I wish with all my heart for you and your people as well. The people in Afghanistan are suffering the devastating consequences of Taliban rule. Two years after the Western departure, women and girls have been fully erased from public life, subject to gender apartheid, and people are in dire need of aid. Winter is yet to come. Yet we leave the Afghans alone. Evacuations have stopped. Member States turn their back on former staff members that serve them loyally. Persecuted women are left stuck in the country and humanitarian organisations remain heavily underfunded. The interventions and exit by the West have increased the responsibility towards the Afghan people. We do not have the right to give up on them. We must step up humanitarian aid, visas, resettlement and provide active support to the opposition fighting for change. Let us deliver the support that they deserve.

Mr President, Council, Commissioner, asylum seekers face an ever more lawless Europe, a Europe of pushbacks, inhuman reception conditions, unlawful detention becoming the new normal. But make no mistake, this is not due to a lack of EU legislation. It is a result of unequal responsibility sharing and total impunity for the Member States. So yes, we need a new pact, but one rooted in solidarity, one that harmonises standards of protection and is coupled with credible enforcement and the current pact positions offer a mixed bag. Mandatory relocation is promising, but border procedures and increased derogations will only undermine the harmonised protection that we mean to achieve. So I urge Council and Parliament to focus on actually strengthening the system through real solidarity and a truly common framework. And I urge the Commission to show us that our law making is not in vain and that any current and future laws are finally enforced.

Mr President, Council, Commissioner, we were all shocked on 24 September when a heavily armed Serbian gang with seemingly strong links to the government invaded Kosovo and brutally killed a police officer – shocked but not surprised, because this is what the EU appeasement strategy leads to. For years we have silently allowed Vučić to undermine stability in the region, to remain supportive of the Kremlin and to demolish minority rights in his own country. Yet EPA funds flow in his direction and we treat him as a friend, incentivising him to go further. And this is what autocrats do when they face impunity. We should have learned our lesson with Putin. After the recent events it is high time that EU leaders wake up. The security situation in the Balkans is really under high threat. We need to act now to protect the citizens of the Western Balkans and to protect their prospect of becoming part of the EU.

Mr President, Council, Commissioner, tomorrow, at this very spot, President Von der Leyen will claim in strong words that she fiercely defends democracy against autocracy. But at the same time, she proudly presents dirty deals with a ruthless dictator, Saied. The extreme obsession to stop migration to the EU leads to the appeasement of an autocrat who incites violence against black migrants. Migrants and refugees are hunted, brutalised and killed in Tunisia. And until today, the deal has only led to more repression, more deaths, and even more migration. Commissioner, are you ready to acknowledge that Saied’s racist policies are the reason for migrants and refugees to flee, not the economy? This deal will therefore never lead to less migration. But the consequence will be that our values become transactional. So if Von der Leyen is a true defender of democracy and European values, practice what you preach and cease this deal.