What Maria spoke about.

17

Jan

2023

EN Speech

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Consumer protection in online video games: a European Single Market approach (debate)

Mr President, I welcome the findings of this report and its aim to strengthen consumer protection and the single market, as both go hand in hand. I believe we are looking at and we could see opportunities to drive and support policies and regulations tailored to the industry of gaming and e—sports industries, and they want to be at the table of this conversation. I call for the swift transposition…

14

Dec

2022

EN Speech

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The Commission’s reports on the situation of journalists and the implications of the rule of law (debate)

Madam President, we know that democratic values and freedom of speech are in retreat and, in some parts of our world and EU, in serious decline. It is essential that we as a European Union defend journalists as this is a means of defending democracy itself. And it is deeply concerning that in 2022 alone 63 journalists have been killed, 78 journalists are retained as hostages and 478 journalists ar…

13

Dec

2022

EN Speech

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Suspicions of corruption from Qatar and the broader need for transparency and accountability in the European institutions (debate) (debate)

Mr President, I know it’s shocking to read news of police investigations into the work of an elected official and staff of Parliament. It is shocking to me and incredibly shocking to our EU citizens. And it is important that due process is followed. Today, in Strasbourg, I, along with 624 MEPs, voted for an early termination of the office of Vice-President of the Parliament Eva Kaili. The public s…

24

Nov

2022

EN Speech

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The European Year of Youth 2022 Legacy (debate)

Thank you very much for the question, colleague. I do agree with you. I think we rushed it. I think it was a fantastic year. But ultimately, look at the room right now. We should have 705 MEPs talking about how successful the European Year of Youth was in their constituency. We don’t. We should have younger people as part of this conversation, and not just the younger people sitting up here in the…

24

Nov

2022

EN Speech

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The European Year of Youth 2022 Legacy (debate)

Madam President, 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, and to put them at the centre of decision making. I believe the EU year was successful in some parts in achieving this, but the work cannot stop. It is essential that we, as EU decision makers, continue to welcome young people in every aspect of ou…

23

Nov

2022

EN Speech

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Legal protection for rainbow families exercising free movement, in particular the Baby Sara case (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, the love of a family knows no borders. In her State of the Union address in 2020, our Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, affirmed to us all: if you are a parent in one country, you are a parent in every country. But sadly, the freedom of movement of rainbow families is not guaranteed. It is a time now that the Commission and the Council act to ensur…

21

Nov

2022

EN Speech

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Assessment of Hungary's compliance with the rule of law conditions under the Conditionality Regulation and state of play of the Hungarian RRP (debate)

Madam President, in the past three years of this Parliament, how many times have we discussed the actions or, in most cases, the lack of action by the Hungarian Government? How many? We have debated the serious consequences of their decisions that have impacted, in my belief, the founding principles of our Union. And yet here we are, again. The Hungarian Government has not delivered in solidarity …

9

Nov

2022

EN Speech

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Esports and video games (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, creativity, design, storytelling, animation and music – all of these components are key for a successful video game. However, as shared just now, society has perpetrated a stereotype of gaming as anti—social and very technical, without recognising its massive cultural and creative impact. Global gaming revenue in 2021 was billions of euro – that is bigger th…

20

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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Cultural solidarity with Ukraine and a joint emergency response mechanism for cultural recovery in Europe (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, this week in Kyiv, rather than striking military targets, Russian missiles damaged cultural spaces, parks and monuments. One of those missiles cratered a children’s playground, just a few metres from a monument dedicated to Taras Shevchenko, Ukraine’s national poet. Russia’s war against Ukraine is an attempt to eradicate Ukrainian identity, its heritage a…

18

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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Growing hate crimes against LGBTIQ people across Europe in light of the recent homophobic murder in Slovakia (debate)

Mr President, hate kills. Tepláreň bar, once a safe space for Bratislava’s LGBTI+community, has now fallen silent, with flowers lining the pavement outside following the homophobic murder of Matusz and Juraj. Backsliding on LGBTI+ rights is a growing issue within our EU, with Europe’s LGBTI community increasingly living in fear and experiencing high levels of verbal and physical violence. Words pr…

18

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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Mental health (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, Council representatives, I welcome this much—needed debate and our Parliament’s support of it. Commissioner, you’ve been dedicated to our citizens’ mental health long before your mandate as our Health Commissioner began, and I want to thank you for your continued support. At this very podium last month, in her State of the Union, President Ursula von der Ley…

18

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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Keep the bills down: social and economic consequences of the war in Ukraine and the introduction of a windfall tax (debate)

Mr President, I welcome the reactive measures, such as the proposed introduction of a windfall tax, but it should not have taken European leaders over 236 days of a crippling crisis to introduce such measures. While this debate focused primarily on using the windfall tax mechanism on fossil fuel companies, we must utilise this instrument for the large building suppliers and supermarkets. Ensuring …

17

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Mr President, we cannot begin to understand what the community in Donegal has been going through for the past ten days since the explosion in a service station and an apartment block. The tragedy in Creeslough stole ten precious lives from a very small rural community in the north west of Ireland. No words can comprehend what the families and those who are still working tirelessly on the front lin…

4

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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The death of Mahsa Amini and the repression of women's rights protesters in Iran (debate)

Mr President, Mahsa Amini and the women of Iran are incredibly powerful. We’ve seen this at first hand, in large part because of the instantaneous connection we all have through social media, and the bravery of our trusted and free journalists. The young women of Iran have grown up in an age of digitalisation, of connectivity, and because of this, are connected to the rest of the world in a way th…

4

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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Situation of Roma people living in settlements in the EU (debate)

Madam President, Roma experience significant inequalities and marginalisation in Ireland and across the EU due to their exclusion from mainstream society. Our health services are failing Roma communities because of the lack of insurance, discrimination by health professionals and segregation in health care facilities. Roma women in particular experience multiple forms of discrimination and gender—…

4

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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Radio Equipment Directive: common charger for electronic devices (debate)

Madam President, the micro—USB charger was a major EU success story and it reduced the number of incompatible chargers in the market from 30 to 3. We’ve heard this this morning. This was essential in reducing electronic waste and making life easier for our citizens, our consumers. However, the move towards a common charger is still incomplete. This directive will ensure that USB-C chargers must be…

14

Sep

2022

EN Speech

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Situation of fundamental rights in the EU in 2020 and 2021 (debate)

Mr President, it’s time – this is the theme of this year’s EuroPride to be held in Serbia this weekend. The Serbian authorities have banned the march, citing security concerns. After three years of planning and coordination, they backtracked on LGBTI+ representation. Heartbreaking, but entirely too familiar to us in this House. We have our own leaders here in the EU backtracking on the work done, …

14

Sep

2022

EN Speech

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State of the Union (debate)

Madam President, I very much welcome a new mental health initiative through a citizens’ panel. This is an incredibly important and positive step forward following our Future of Europe Conference, following the impact of COVID, the stresses of isolation and the war that we are all living through. We must, through an EU year of education and training and a citizens’ panel dedicated to mental health,…

12

Sep

2022

EN Speech

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The impact of COVID-19 closures of educational, cultural, youth and sports activities on children and young people in the EU (short presentation)

Mr President, Commissioner and colleagues, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, young people suddenly find themselves socially disconnected from their closest friends, classmates and teammates. They spent excessive hours isolated in their rooms, connected only online. This disruption to their lives and education meant millions of young people have significantly missed out on aspects of learning a…

5

Jul

2022

EN Speech

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Mental health in the digital world of work (debate)

Mr President, thank you, Commissioner, and thank you, colleagues. There has never been a more fitting time to put mental health on the agenda. And I want to thank the many colleagues who highlighted young people, highlighted our ever-growing European community, particularly our Ukrainian citizens who are finding their home and safety in the European Union. We so desperately need to ensure that col…

5

Jul

2022

EN Speech

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Mental health in the digital world of work (debate)

Mr President, it is great to be standing here this morning and talking about the mental health of our communities. Colleagues, last year UNICEF reported that suicide is the second leading cause of death among our young Europeans. That same report outlined that, here in Europe, 9 million of our adolescents aged 10 to 19 years are living with mental disorders – 9 million. A joint OECD and EU Commiss…

22

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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Inclusion measures within Erasmus+ 2014-2020 (debate)

Madam President, I very much welcome the findings of this report, particularly in the areas of outreach and inclusion. However, while the inclusion measures in the Erasmus+ programme 2014-2020 were much improved, considerable challenges and shortcomings continue to persist. We must ensure that anyone wanting to avail of Erasmus+ has the opportunity to do so and has access to information and financ…

8

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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Global threats to abortion rights: the possible overturn of abortion rights in the US by the Supreme Court (debate)

Dear colleague, I think we’re missing the point. My mother had access to all the maternal help that she needed because she lived in a developed country. I was born in the United States. I was raised in Ireland. And I was raised to see, like my mother wanted me to see, that every woman, every man has the right to choose what they wish to do with their bodies. That is the end of the conversation. My…

8

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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Global threats to abortion rights: the possible overturn of abortion rights in the US by the Supreme Court (debate)

Great question, colleague. And I think, in many cases, we also have to support those at home too. I take great example of my own country of Ireland, which I’m very grateful that you brought up and mentioned. It’s about sharing the stories you heard from my EPP colleague, Frances Fitzgerald, also. It’s about storytelling. It’s about the lived experience of men and the many women. It’s about connect…

8

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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Global threats to abortion rights: the possible overturn of abortion rights in the US by the Supreme Court (debate)

Madam President, making abortion illegal only succeeds in doing one thing – it makes it unsafe and dangerous for women. When abortion is illegal, women who feel they need or have a right to the procedure find a way, but too often at great risk to themselves. The decision in 1973 for Jane Roe ensured the protection for women to have the right to adequate healthcare and to privacy in the United Stat…