Speeches

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 States, and it paved the way for other countries to follow. It took my own country of Ireland until 2018 to overwhelmingly vote in favour of repealing our eighth amendment, ensuring that every woman has a right to choose. As European representatives, we are kidding ourselves if we believe the potential rollback of women’s rights in the United States will not impact the decisions and directions taken here. We must understand that access to sexual reproductive health is a human right, and every woman worldwide has the right to choose. I echo the words of Hillary Clinton: you cannot have maternal health without reproductive health, and reproductive health includes contraception, family planning and access to legal and safe abortion. We, as a European Parliament, must understand and support everyone’s right to choose. If we do not do this in this House, what are our future generations going to be doing that we should have done for them? (The speaker agreed to respond to two blue-card speeches)

Mr President, the future of education lies in an integrated European education area, where fundamental values, automatic recognition of degrees and qualifications, and effective student representation on all levels are practised. We must ensure that in creating this European education area, the EU promotes minimum standards on investments in education, in areas of mental—health support services and outreach for those and our most vulnerable students, in line with the European pillar of social rights. It is essential that Ukrainian students and its institutions can easily interact with the programme and partake in it. And we look to the best example, like the Erasmus+ programme, which is currently proving to be a powerful tool to support Ukrainian students. Finally, the COVID—19 pandemic, the climate crisis and the rise of authoritarianism make the role of education and exercising our engagement more important than ever.

Mr President, some six years ago, a total of 84 million people suffered from mental health. And since then, we've been challenged to no end with the new realities of a pandemic and now a war. Balanced mental health is, of course, everything. Without it, we struggle to cope, adapt, maintain a good quality of life. We are currently living in a silent pandemic and no one deserves to suffer in silence. I ask the Commission and the Council to dedicate 2023 to an EU year that looks at mental health and develop an EU-wide mental health strategy, now and for all. I particularly like to highlight our staff, our teams and our advisors that work tremendously hard in these institutions that are experiencing and facing burnout and mental health pressures at work and at home. As Dragoș Pîslaru, our EMPL chair, shared, this debate deserves to be on a time when Parliament is full. We cannot continue to stigmatise mental health yet mourn the loss of it.

Mr President, this EU Year of Youth is an opportunity for us as policymakers to really connect to our younger citizens in shaping a respected and ambitious EU, and the provision of European citizenship education within schools is essential for empowering younger people and making them feel that the EU belongs to them. The European Parliament Ambassador School Programme should be scaled up and further resourced to ensure that students and teachers alike from all corners of the EU have the benefit of undertaking the programme. In my constituency, from Galway to Donegal, Mayo across to Louth, I have seen and I’ve witnessed the success of the schools programme at the most western periphery of our European Union. EU Citizenship Education must be inclusive to ensure that all young voices are heard, particularly rural voices. And this programme, the E-Pass Programme, does this in droves. We must also build on the successes of programmes such as Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps and continue to develop our young citizens’ knowledge about the opportunities of our Europe and strengthen cross-cultural exchanges by fostering a better understanding of the organisation and structure of EU institutions. Like this, along with the decision—making processes, we will ensure increased youth participation and engagement in our democratic life in our EU. And now, more than ever, we certainly need it.

Mr President, democracy cannot be preserved if freedom of the media, freedom of assembly and freedom of association are not guaranteed, encouraged and respected. These are key to the foundation of our European Union and each of our Member States. This report comes as a consequence of the COVID—19 pandemic and the various examples of backsliding we have seen in some Member States since the beginning of this mandate. Our civil society organisations are facing uneasy conditions across the European Union, with increasing issues related to access to funding, discriminatory practices and restrictive criteria being imposed on NGOs. The contraction of civic space is a first sign that the rule of law is at risk. And so often the case, these restrictions are disproportionately affecting our most vulnerable citizens and minority groups. We see this today more than ever. The European Council Commissioner for Human Rights notes that the situation in some Member States for LGBTQI people, for example, can be described as worrying, with an increase in online harassment, hate campaigns and assaults. In addition, in this European Year of Youth, it’s important that we amplify the voice of Europe’s youth organisations to be sure that they are building a positive influence into public policies and seeing a stronger Europe. These issues can only be addressed through protecting our civil society organisations and ensuring adequate funding. I welcome the Commission’s 1.5 billion funding for organisations through the citizens equality, rights and values programme. However, this is only the first step. It is essential that as parliamentarians, we recommit ourselves each and every day to encouraging a vibrant and diverse civil society at regional, national and European level. I think of Ukraine. I think of the pro—democratic organisations in Russia. Be safe, be well.

Mr President, I’m grateful that our Parliament has approached the topic of One Youth, One Europe horizontally. Colleagues across the political house have spoken on how our young people are impacted by culture, employment, women’s rights, budgetary decisions – the list goes on. This is how we must approach our work on youth, by considering all aspects of policy and the impact those policies make, not just for today but for their future tomorrow. When our young people think of the EU, they think of freedom to travel. They think of work and study, our shared culture, human rights, climate change. They have ambition for our project. Earlier today, I spoke to Harry McCann, a young pro-European from Ireland, and he shared that, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the landscape of his fellow young citizens has been one of confusion and uncertainty. And through the Conference on the Future of Europe, the European Youth Event, the European Youth Forum and the EU-wide organisations, we have heard time and time again that we must support the mental health and wellbeing of our young people. We must break the cycle where we stigmatise mental health yet mourn the dramatic effects of it. We cannot ignore mental health. We must deliver stronger mental health measures and messages for our young people. I ask that we continue in supporting our young citizens with an EU year focusing on their mental health and wellbeing in 2023. Let’s continue our work with young people and create a better future – a One Europe.

Mr President, this EU Year of Youth is an opportunity for us as policymakers to connect with our younger citizens in shaping a respected and ambitious EU for our future. The European Youth Event (EYE) last October, held in this very chamber, was an incredible launching pad for this EU year and the work by our rapporteur and my fellow colleagues. It afforded many of us the opportunity to listen and learn from our younger citizens about the issues they foresee ahead. The main focuses were climate change, access to education, opportunities to own or rent an affordable home, the devastation caused by this pandemic and access to the job market that’s not just focused on urban areas, but also incorporates rural communities. But with all this debate and dialogue of the EYE, one common theme I heard was mental health. Pressures and issues affecting the mental health of young people have increased because of this pandemic. We heard this from the rapporteur. We heard this from the Vice-President. We even heard it from the Council. We all know this. As both this resolution and the EU year are dedicated to empowering our youth, if we are truly to empower them, then the work we do collectively from this point must incorporate mental health. Mental health is our next pandemic. Refusing to accept this will affect the future of our Union. We need to break the current pattern where we stigmatise mental health and yet mourn the loss of life due to it. We need to do this for our young people. We need to do this for our European Union.

Madam President, for almost three years we have discussed sexual and reproductive rights and health in this House. Just last month, we voted to strengthen our understanding of gender—based violence to include online violence. We’re definitely taking steps in the right direction now, but when we look at our communities across our European Union, we have not done enough to protect women from harm in their own homes, their workplaces, schools or in their communities. As European representatives, we must understand that access to sexual and reproductive health is a human right. Historically, these rights have not been enforced for women, as we can see from the endemic levels of gender—based violence, including coercive control, the practice of female genital mutilation, poor maternal health, access to appropriate health care, safe and affordable contraception, and age—appropriate sexual education. I could go on and on about the many ways we’ve failed to uphold women’s and girls’ human rights over decades. Today, I think of our dear Ashling. I think of Fabiole, of Nadine, of Savita. Just some of the women in Ireland who died because we looked away, we failed to protect them properly or to uphold their rights under international law. They died, quite simply, because of their gender. They died because we here in the EU have not recognised that gender—based violence, femicide and dismissing women’s specific health needs are potentially lethal threats faced by half our population. Half. It should not take the death of a woman, or women, telling their personal stories of violence and denigration to bring change. Yet, time and time again, it takes tragedy to shock us into action. We must do better. I echo the words of our President Metsola. We stand on the shoulders of women whose lives were cut short. We stand for them. We must end our silence on SRHR.

Mr President, the #MeToo movement isn’t just for the celebrity circles of Hollywood. Unfortunately, most of us know a victim of sexual harassment; perhaps some of us are a victim of sexual harassment. While this is the broader societal issue both found online and offline, the discussion today has highlighted how we, as political leaders, want and need to break the trauma of the unspoken word and the secret of harassment. To eliminate the barriers that facilitate or shield sexual harassment, we must establish a basic understanding of such a thing. Too often, we focus on resolving individual allegations without tracing the root of the problem: the workplace environment in which it arose. The importance of educating ourselves to be the best ally to ourselves, to our teams, to our younger citizens who will join and work in this institution has evolved, and we cannot afford to sit on the sidelines knowing there are issues, knowing there is opportunity to change, and then do nothing. As I prepared this speech, I thought of someone in their first job as a trainee, who has worked tirelessly for years studying and working to be successful in achieving a permanent job within this institution. And then I thought of the moment or moments they felt their career could be in serious jeopardy if they report their harassment, their achievement taken away. And can we really say this isn’t the reality? We cannot. The signposting and what we do when sexual harassment happens in our workplace needs to be clear for victims, for employees, for our co—workers. We all need to know how we should support and be the very best ally. Our collective goal here needs to be eliminating the harm and trauma caused. I’m grateful that we were able to use this resolution to better ourselves and that, although we usually focus on sending strong messages as a Parliament externally, today we can send one internally. I will vote ‘yes’ to this resolution, to eradicate #MeToo from this institution.

Madam President, this week we debated how powerful words can be if used and targeted in a hateful way. Yesterday, we voted overwhelmingly to ensure our online platforms protect citizens against the ignorance of some who try to alienate and target people because of their gender, their orientation or the colour of their skin. Inclusive language and our journey with it is not to be feared. We are living in a time where our young citizens demand an EU that is ambitious, that is all-inclusive. They see culture. They see heritage. They celebrate differences. We are committed to mainstreaming equality in our communities. This must also be translated to our institutions. Instead of discussing our differences, we must be respectful of one another, of course, if we are to ensure inclusion and that non-discrimination ends in our EU. As a digital pioneer, a Navy Officer, Grace Hopper, said: “The most damaging phrase in the language is: ‘It’s always been done that way.’”. As a Christian Democrat, may I wish you a very happy Christmas and may you celebrate the traditions that bring you to our European Union and make it a better place.

Mr President, this EU Year ensures that we focus on giving a strong voice to our young people when it comes to our policy. During the European youth event held last October in this very building, one of the consistent issues identified by young people was their mental health. While the lived experiences of mental health may differ, the issue remains for many. UNICEF reported earlier this year that nine million adolescents in Europe, aged between 10 and 19 years, are living with mental health disorders. Anxiety and depression account for half of these cases. Nine million. And, in truth, it will be years before we will know the true impact of what effect this pandemic will have on their mental health. So this coming year, it is essential that we listen, engage and collaborate with our young Europeans. It is simply not good enough if we transition from this pandemic and do not have young voices at the decision—making table.

Mr President, online harassment, cyberstalking, image—based sexual assault: these are just some of the terms which have become all too common and real for people across the EU, especially for women and girls. It has now become normal for women to casually discuss personal experiences of cyberviolence and abuse. As female representatives, we’ve all experienced it in some form, haven’t we? We’ve experienced the anxiety that it draws within us. We’ve experienced how, again and again, it was not taken seriously or removed from a platform. Last November in Ireland, we had a monumental wake—up call when links to almost 500 000 WhatsApp chats, including sensitive images of women and girls, were leaked without their consent. They had their bodily autonomy taken away within seconds. They were not afforded an opportunity to consent or have their voices heard. They were judged, victim—blamed, told by online abusers and users to brush it off. While our Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, took swift action with the introduction of Coco’s Law, gaps in the protection of all forms of cyberviolence still remain today. The clear gendered aspect of cyberviolence must be recognised at an EU level. We must make gender—based violence a eurocrime. This is much—needed action to protect women’s rights in our EU. Online abuse will not stop if those doing it believe they face no consequences, so we must ensure, Commissioner, colleagues, each Member State implements quickly.

Madam President, sport has the beautiful ability and unique power to promote positive change, to inspire and unite, regardless of age, sex, ethnic origin, religion, background or socio—economic status. A majority of us had sports built into our development from a young age, and despite us having different national sports team or home—team favourites, the educational, culture and social dimensions of sport connect us all. I welcome the strong focus within the text presenting the need to foster better equality and diversity when it comes to sport within our EU. Accessibility is essential. Not only must we actively attempt to increase the visibility given to competitions involving female athletes and those with disabilities, we must create a space where we’re encouraging everyone to participate – one that is both inclusive and supportive. We consistently hear of the foundation of problems that exist in women’s teams, especially within our sporting culture: harassment, discrimination, gender stereotypes, a consistent lack of media coverage for their achievements, wage disparity and a disgraceful lack in funding. I’m proud that one example referenced in this text is an Irish one – the Football Association of Ireland, who committed to equal pay for all their professional athletes. We need to shape our EU sports policies with our values: democracy, human rights, equality, diversity and solidarity. We need to stand up even more boldly, both on and off the pitch.

Mr President, I welcome the collective work to deliver an EU education area aimed to enrich the quality inclusiveness of national education systems by 2025. It’s both ambitious and progressive. In Ireland right now, we’re beginning these conversations in reshaping aspects of our national curriculum, creating a curriculum for all, recognising that all students offer a range of skills. We need to desperately break the barrier for those who believe education is for a certain age, at a certain time, or memorising a page of information and regurgitating it, is education. Therefore, it is encouraging to see the Commission place the EU Skills Agenda and the vocational educational and training (VET) policy within the plans for this new education area. By focusing and delivering to our students holistically and with initiatives like Aim, Learn, Master, Achieve (ALMA) providing increased VET support, we improve the skills, knowledge and life experience of all our learners. I welcome the focus of this report and let us continue to collaborate and strengthen our education systems.

Madam President, democracy cannot be preserved if freedom of the media, freedom of assembly and freedom of association are not guaranteed, encouraged and respected. These are the key to the foundation of our EU and of each of our Member States. The use of strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPPs, as we commonly know them, filed against people or organisations who speak out on public issues, are clear attacks on the values we protect daily. They are often designed to be never ending, to intimidate, harass and deplete the resources of diligent citizens to stop them from speaking out. Over the past few years we have heard in this very House many examples of backsliding in some Member States with regard to human rights, and of several journalists being murdered for reporting on corruption. It is essential that we work collectively to improve the democratic space available for all of our citizens and ensure that civil society organisations and journalists report on, and bring the light needed to, important issues affecting citizens right across our EU. If we continue to ignore the growing use and issue of SLAPPs, we turn our back on the protection of our democracy and the individuals and organisations who work to make our Union a safer place. Finally, EU-level attention to this issue is needed and we must now continue to work to ensure that national legislation follows suit.

Mr President, Commissioner, the covid pandemic has emphasised an epidemic that has existed for many years. The escalating numbers of women and girls who have and continue to experience gender-based violence is rampant. This is why this body of work is essential to ensure the Commission fulfils their promise to every woman and girl in making gender-based violence a Euro-crime. We also need to address perceptions and beliefs within our own communities, workplaces, schools, political institutions and systems that we sit in today, and our homes, about gender-based violence, in order to eliminate the horrific abuse women and girls experience each and every day. In 2014, it was reported one third of women in the EU have experienced physical and/or sexual violence, and close to 50 women lost their lives every week to domestic violence. That was in 2014. In 2021 this pandemic has only exacerbated the violence and abuse those women and girls experience every day. Education plays a vital role to outline the importance of consent and respectful communication, both offline and online. It is vital that we introduce a culture of respect and equality for our women and girls throughout the world. Combating gender-based violence is not just a woman’s rights campaign or an LGBITQ+ campaign. This is a campaign for human rights. It is time for use to take strong, decisive action and ensure a safer future for our women and girls.