What Maria spoke about.

17

Sep

2024

EN Speech

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War in the Gaza Strip and the situation in the Middle-East (debate)

Madam President, over six months ago, the Irish Government called for an urgent review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Time has since passed. Thousands of innocent Palestinians have been killed and innocent hostages on the Israeli side, not yet released. And yet the Commission and many Member States in the European Union have failed to answer any calls. The EU is Israel's largest trading p…

27

Feb

2024

EN Speech

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War in the Gaza Strip and the need to reach a ceasefire, including recent developments in the region (debate)

Madam President, over 30 000 lives have been lost over the last 143 days. The citizens of our European Union have spoken continuously, sharing their activism on the streets, speaking out on their social media platforms and leading. And they have been looking for you and I, their political leaders, particularly in the Commission and Council, in the European Union, to lead them. And what are we doin…

7

Feb

2024

EN Speech

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Implementation report on the EU LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025 (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, as always, here for a late-night debate on LGBTI rights. Thank you very much for your continued support. Colleagues, the right to equal treatment and non-discrimination is a fundamental right enshrined in the EU Treaties. On 8 March, Ireland will hold two referendums that directly impact the LGBTI+ community: one question focuses on the family and the second on care.…

7

Feb

2024

EN Speech

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The fight against hate speech and disinformation: responsibility of social platforms within the Digital Services Act (topical debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, parliamentarians, illegal hate speech has no place in our society online or offline. Illegal hate speech needs to be met with a level of punishment set at EU level. In Ireland, the Oireachtas is currently working on a new criminal justice bill specifically dedicated to hate speech. In December, our capital city of Dublin witnessed riots which were motivated by hate a…

17

Jan

2024

EN Speech

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Addressing urgent skills shortages and finding the right talents to boost job creation (European Year of Skills) (debate)

Madam President, digital literacy is not just a specific and lucrative job skill set. It is also part of understanding and navigating the world we live in. If we are to remain competitive, we need to keep pace with the evolving digital world. Member States, like my own, Ireland, have taken steps in developing a digital inclusion roadmap, which is working to increase digital literacy to 80% by 2030…

17

Jan

2024

EN Speech

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Gender aspects of the rising cost of living and the impact of the energy crisis (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, gender has a cost, and this cost is referred to as ‘pink tax’, a form of discriminatory pricing based on gender-targeting products and services for women. On the surface, it might seem like a trivial concern, but closer examination reveals a system that perpetrates gender-based economic inequality. Items such as razors, deodorants and dry cleaning, when marketed towa…

17

Jan

2024

EN Speech

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Quality jobs in a competitive future-oriented social market economy (topical debate)

Mr President, Union strives to stay competitive on the global stage, we must not forget or take for granted the pivotal role that quality jobs must hold across industries and sectors in shaping our future. Our policies must continue to support upskilling, innovation, research and development, with a robust digital infrastructure to develop cutting-edge industries and foster collaboration between a…

13

Dec

2023

EN Speech

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Jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition of decisions and acceptance of authentic instruments in matters of parenthood and creation of a European Certificate of Parenthood (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, it is quite a sad debate this evening, isn’t it? ‘Parenthood’, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is the state of being a parent and the responsibilities involved. Ironic, isn’t it? As, within the European Union, this definition only applies to some, not all. It’s a hard one to fathom, as you heard from my colleagues, that in 2023, blended families, those who adopt, t…

13

Dec

2023

EN Speech

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EU strategy to assist young people facing the housing and cost of living crisis (topical debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, the rising cost of living is affecting everyone, with people spending more of their income on basic living expenses such as housing, food and utilities. However, it is the younger generation who are more affected than most as they balance part-time jobs with lower wages, instability in these roles, and the struggle to find decent housing solutions relative to their w…

11

Dec

2023

EN Speech

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Mental health (short presentation)

Madam President, I wish to follow in the footsteps of my colleague MEP Cerdas by spending this time to remind our farm families and rural communities that, just as you and your families tend to your land on behalf of us Europeans, please also tend to the mental health also. Farmers’ hard work sustains us all, and yet, day in and day out, our farmers’ day can be overwhelming. It can be isolating, a…

23

Nov

2023

EN Speech

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

Mr President, there will always be more tears, more women murdered by their partners, women kidnapped and tortured in war zones, women raped by strangers. Femicide, female genital mutilation, sexual assault, revenge porn, online abuse – women live in fear. Irishwoman Ashling Murphy went for a very simple run on a bright Wednesday afternoon in January, and she was one of 12 women murdered in Irelan…

18

Oct

2023

EN Speech

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Mental health at work (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, many of us in this Chamber have discussed at length the plight of people living in the silent pandemic that is our mental health crisis. While the EU institutions have been more open to discussing the stigma and discrimination faced by people – thanks to Commissioner Kyriakides and her department’s communication prioritising sound mental health for all – …

17

Oct

2023

EN Answer

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Situation of Ukrainian women refugees, including access to SRHR support (debate)

Thank you very much, colleague, and thank you for giving me an opportunity to highlight, even within the EU, our EU citizens – again disproportionately affecting women – in my country of Ireland have been underserved at a national, local and an EU level in terms of access to sexual reproductive healthcare. Many are still fleeing to the United Kingdom or further afield, many are not seeking and get…

17

Oct

2023

EN Speech

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Situation of Ukrainian women refugees, including access to SRHR support (debate)

Mr President, colleagues, Commissioner, a report by the United Nations outlined that Russian forces have committed an array of war crimes, including torture, rape and other acts of sexual violence against Ukrainian civilians. And in the face of this extremism, this barbarism, millions of Ukrainian women and girls are forced to face the aftermath of this violence and make impossible decisions. For …

4

Oct

2023

EN Speech

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The spread of ‘anti-LGBTIQ’ propaganda bills by populist parties and governments in Europe (debate)

Madam President, today, human rights in Europe are in great danger as we witness the spread of anti-LGBTIQ propaganda by populist parties and governments, both online and offline. Not only does anti-LGBTIQ propaganda threaten the fundamental human rights of European citizens, it breaches EU law and undermines core EU values of freedom and equality. And let me share some harrowing reports. In Belgi…

4

Oct

2023

EN Speech

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Decent Housing for All (topical debate)

Madam President, just as our debate started, not so long ago, a protest led by the Union of Students in Ireland marched with hundreds of students to Leinster House, our government building, in protest of adequate and affordable housing. They share their lived experiences of couch-surfing, exorbitant rent prices, lack of dedicated university student accommodation, living in their cars, travelling o…

12

Jul

2023

EN Speech

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Recommendations for reform of the European Parliament’s rules on transparency, integrity, accountability and anti-corruption (debate)

Madam President, our political integrity cannot exist without transparency. Without transparency, integrity and accountability, our ability to lead is questionable. The laws that we can pass can be picked apart, and the laws to protect the human rights of citizens are questioned, and rightly so. We can never be complacent; as policy makers with the trust of our citizens, we are accountable to thos…

10

May

2023

EN Speech

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Fighting cyberbullying of young people across the EU (debate)

–Mr President, ‘It’s not a criminal offence.’ This is what police said to Jackie Fox after her daughter Nicole had suffered extreme torment which resulted in her ending her life. Jackie’s dedication to ensuring that Coco’s law was delivered in Ireland has ensured that what is a crime offline is made a crime online. But as we speak, thousands of young Europeans are living with cyberbullying, being …

19

Apr

2023

EN Speech

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Universal decriminalization of homosexuality, in light of recent developments in Uganda (debate)

Mr President, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, without distinction of any kind, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Currently, as mentioned, there are 64 countries that have laws that criminalise homosexuality. Homosexuality is already illegal in Uganda, and last month we saw the parliament …

19

Apr

2023

EN Speech

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EU Global Health Strategy (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, the EU Global Health Strategy aims to ensure our health policies protect our citizens in the best possible way, and I welcome the Health in All Policies. A coordinated approach between EU Member States serves our citizens best when it comes to health and social policy. However, it is fundamentally lacking, I believe, when it comes to the protection of our ci…

18

Apr

2023

EN Speech

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Question Time (Commission) - Legacy of the European Year of Youth

Madam President, Commissioner Gabriel, good afternoon to you and your team and colleagues here. The objective of our 2022 European Year of Youth was to shine a light on the importance of Europe’s youth in building a better future, a brighter future, and to very much put them at the centre of decision-making. Yearly youth conferences and events should take place across all four corners of our Union…

30

Mar

2023

EN Speech

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Strengthening the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women (debate)

Mr President, good morning, colleagues, Commissioner, what a day. Today, the gender pay gap in the EU stands at just under 13 % – 12.7 % – but this directive is going to change that. This pay gap remains unexplained for many and cannot be linked to the individual worker, education or working time. And we need this directive, as greater levels of pay transparency will uncover unjustified gender-bas…

15

Mar

2023

EN Speech

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Combating discrimination in the EU - the long-awaited horizontal anti-discrimination directive (debate)

Mr President, Article 14 of our European Convention on Human Rights specifically outlines our right to not face discrimination, and yet, many members of our society face discrimination every single day. In Ireland, people from minority backgrounds like our travelling community, our LGBTI+ community are much more likely to face and experience discrimination in their everyday lives. While we can con…

14

Feb

2023

EN Speech

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The EU priorities for the 67th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, this year I welcome the UN’s focus on utilising digital education to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls. Eighty-five per cent of our jobs today won’t exist in seven years due to digital growth. Over half of our Member States include digital skills in their primary education curriculum, and it’s welcomed. But while we push to excel our digita…

18

Jan

2023

EN Speech

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Revelations of Uber lobbying practices in the EU (debate)

Mr President, political integrity means exercising political power consistently in the public interest. Lobbying has shown us that it can be a force of good when it is being ethically practised, but it can also lead to undue influence to the detriment of public interest and affect public policies when action is taken to benefit one lobbyist group. Transparency is key to ensuring that policymakers,…