What Marc spoke about.

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FR Written Statement

2024 Annual Rule of law report (debate)

The defence of human rights, in particular LGBTIQ+ people, is at the heart of EU policy. During the previous legislature, many actions were implemented such as the activation of Article 7 against the previous Polish government and Hungary, as well as the introduction of the principle of conditionality in the allocation of EU funds. However, the issue of LGBTIQ+ rights does not end in Hungary or Po…

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EN Written Statement

Combating violence against women and domestic violence (debate)

For far too long, women and girls have been victims of patriarchy, not only in their private life but also in their professional life. Domestic violence, genital mutilation, sexual harassment and cyber-violence are concrete examples of what too many women experience in their daily lives. It can happen to our mothers and our daughters. In Europe, every six hours, a woman is killed. Two in ten women…

17 Sep

2026

EN Speech

An EU health workforce crisis plan: sustainability of healthcare systems and employment and working conditions in the healthcare sector (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, how much more can we expect from the workforce that cares for us? Across Europe, they are reaching their limits. We are short of 1.2 million healthcare workers, and one in three nurses and doctors report mental health problems linked to their working conditions. This is a real crisis, and we cannot solve it by asking them to do more. When every shift risks p…

16 Sep

2026

EN Speech

Stop gold-plating, relieve SMEs: Member States must implement EU legislation without adding extra bureaucracy (topical debate)

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Madam President, dear colleagues, Commissioner and Minister, it's very clear that unnecessary bureaucracy creates a disproportionate burden on our European SMEs. Our single market needs one set of rules, common standards and a level playing field. And therefore, we must put an end to gold‑plating, where the national transposition of EU laws creates unnecessary red tape with no added value. And it'…

14 Sep

2026

DE Answer

Government crackdown on the LGBTIQ+ Community in Türkiye: Türkiye’s compliance with its international commitments on non-discrimination (debate)

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So I would simply explain that whatever is spread from this side, that it is a gender ideology, that this is an ideology − that does not exist. People who fight for LGBTI rights, for women's rights, for the rights of disabled people who do not want discrimination. It's about equality, not ideology at all. But as always, everything is brought in from the side: Green Deal, Migration, LGBTI, etc. We …

14 Sep

2026

EN Speech

Government crackdown on the LGBTIQ+ Community in Türkiye: Türkiye’s compliance with its international commitments on non-discrimination (debate)

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Madam President, dear all, what we are witnessing in Türkiye is an unacceptable assault on fundamental freedoms. When human rights defenders and LGBTIQ+ and HIV activists are detained, when offices and homes are raided, and when peaceful voices are silenced, concern is not enough. Peaceful advocacy is not a crime, identity is not a crime, and democracy needs strong civil society and community grou…

16 Jun

2026

EN Speech

Achieving digital sovereignty and resilience for Europe, in light of recent developments affecting access to advanced AI technologies (debate)

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Mr President, dear all, what do digital tools in our public services, algorithms shaping public debates and the chatbots we use every day to guide our decisions have in common? All too often they are controlled by non-European actors, and that leaves Europeans as consumers of technology rather than masters of their own digital futures. As S&D, we support strengthening Europe's digital sovereignty …

20 May

2026

EN Speech

High time to deliver on the Single Market, providing certainty and predictability for EU businesses and quality jobs (continuation of debate)

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Madam President, Commission Vice-President, colleagues, yes, we want a stronger single market, and we want European businesses that innovate and that compete globally. But how do businesses want to be competitive without a healthy, skilled and motivated workforce? So to those who only see the market, I ask, how can we expect workers to give it their all if their wages do not pay their bills and if…

29 Apr

2026

EN Speech

The need for targeted criminal provisions and platforms’ responsibility to effectively address cyberbullying and online harassment (debate)

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Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, one quick, anonymous click for the aggressor has long-lasting consequences for the victim. Online spaces have become a fertile ground for harassment and cyberbullying, affecting children especially. Parents feel powerless, children continue to suffer, families are left alone to deal with tragedy. The European Union must respond and must do more.…

28 Apr

2026

EN Speech

The Commission’s 2025 Rule of Law report (debate)

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Mr President, I think the speaker just mentioned that in the Netherlands they would like to legalise the marriage between man and a beast, and I think this is unacceptable language in this House, and we should report that to the President and see how we can deal with such horrible discourse expressions here in the House.…

28 Apr

2026

EN Speech

The Commission’s 2025 Rule of Law report (debate)

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Mr President, dear Commissioner, colleagues, the rule of law is a fragile thing – it takes time to dismantle it, but then one day, you realise it's gone. Ask the Hungarians, they know all about it. They watched judicial independence and media freedom go down the drain. They were stripped of fundamental rights when trying to challenge the system. They saw government accountability and transparency …

28 Apr

2026

EN Speech

Situation of fundamental rights in the European Union in 2024 and 2025 (debate)

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Mr President, dear colleagues, dear Commissioner, fundamental rights are at stake in our Union. Our democracies are under great pressure and civil society is under attack. Women's rights are being rolled back. LGBTIQ+ people and minorities are increasingly being targeted. But, thank God, recently, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union turned 25: a moment of celebration and reaffi…

25 Mar

2026

EN Speech

European Citizens’ Initiative 'Ban on conversion practices in the European Union' (debate)

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Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, verbal and physical abuse that can go as far as corrective rape, forced injections of hormones, exorcism and much more – that is what young gays, lesbians, trans and intersex persons must endure in this so‑called conversion therapy. That is torture. So, let me thank all the activists of ACT who organised the European Citizens' Initiative, suppor…

10 Mar

2026

EN Speech

EU enlargement strategy (debate)

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Mr President, Madam Commissioner, dear colleagues, EU enlargement is a historic responsibility, a necessity and a testament to what we can achieve when we stand together. But a Union that grows must also be able to act. In this Parliament, in this mandate, we have agreed to adapt our institutions by expanding the use of qualified majority voting and to make full use of the flexibilities within the…

9 Mar

2026

EN Speech

Gender pay and pension gap in the EU: state of play, challenges and the way forward, and developing guidelines for the better evaluation and fairer remuneration of work in female-dominated sectors (debate)

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Mr President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, I remember very well one lesson when I was one of the negotiators for the S&D Group on the Pay Transparency Directive: that when we talk about equality, everybody applauds; but when equality comes with a cost, then suddenly too many become silent. And that is intolerable. To those who are calling to repeal or dilute this directive, we Socialists an…

11 Feb

2026

EN Speech

Addressing subcontracting chains and the role of intermediaries in order to protect workers’ rights (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, across Europe, subcontracting chains have become a blind spot in labour law, in construction, agriculture, transport and logistics. Some chains reach even 6 or 7 levels, leaving workers unprotected. When wages go unpaid and accidents happen, all responsibilities vanish. Millions of mobile workers and migrant workers are affected and often forced to pay illeg…

11 Feb

2026

EN Speech

Urgent actions to revive EU competitiveness, deepen the EU Single Market and reduce the cost of living - from the Draghi report to reality (debate)

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Madam President, 2028 – both the Commission President and the European Council declared 2028 as the deadline to complete the single market. Yes, the single market is an undeniable economic success story. But today, we need to reignite the fire of the single market to bolster our competitiveness and to allow Europe to politically stand firm in today's adversarial world. Like it or not, as long as a…

10 Feb

2026

EN Speech

Presentation of the action plan against cyberbullying (debate)

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Mr President, behind the statistics and the reports on cyberbullying, there are real people – children, young adults and families – whose lives are deeply affected, sometimes irreversibly. Some are especially exposed: girls, children with disabilities, queer youth, migrants, just to name a few. For them, the online world too often becomes a place of fear rather than freedom. This is why we, as Soc…

22 Jan

2026

EN Speech

Joint action addressing the increased use of death penalty (debate)

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Madam President, dear Commission Executive Vice-President, dear colleagues, in the European Union, the death penalty seems like an anachronism, a thing of the past. But let us remember that the last Member State who completely abolished the death penalty did so in 2012, not even 15 years ago. The path towards the abolition of the death penalty and scrapping it from our legal system was not obvious…

22 Jan

2026

EN Speech

A new action plan to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights (debate)

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Madam President, dear all, the social dimension is in the DNA of the European project and our Treaties commit the Union to have a competitive social market economy aiming at full employment and social progress. That is why competitiveness and social cohesion are two sides of the same coin. Europe cannot compete by lowering wages or weakening rights. A strong economy requires quality jobs, strong c…

20 Jan

2026

EN Speech

Human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter – annual report 2025 (debate)

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Madam President, since the Second World War, the United States and Europe and a few others have stood together in defending human rights and democracy. That alliance helped secure peace and prosperity for decades, but today, that reality has changed. Trump's actions have shown a clear disengagement from multilateral institutions, human rights mechanisms and international cooperation, and losing th…

20 Jan

2026

EN Speech

Tackling AI deepfakes and sexual exploitation on social media by making full use of the EU’s digital rules (debate)

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Madam President, were we even surprised when news broke that Grok, the AI tool developed by Elon Musk’s company, allowed the generation of women and minors’ nude and sexualised material? And Elon Musk’s response was emblematic for Big Tech. He said he was not aware of this and that people making these images are to blame. Musk failed once again to show a modicum of human decency. That’s Big Tech f…

17 Dec

2025

EN Speech

2030 Consumer Agenda (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, imagine crossing a border within the European Union and discovering a wider choice of basic everyday products – detergents, cosmetics, beverages – at lower prices, for no apparent reason. In a Union that rightfully takes pride in its single market, this should not happen. Yet, for millions of consumers, it's a long‑standing reality. A reality caused by th…

17 Dec

2025

EN Question

Preventing sexual harassment in public institutions: latest revelations and resignations in Spain and institutional responses (debate)

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Mr President, I will speak in English to remind us that we are in the European Parliament here. Sexual harassment has no place in private or in public life. Recent revelations and resignations in Spain show that sexual harassment in public institutions remains a serious challenge and a warning for all. I call on you not to be naive. We know that this can happen in other countries and in other poli…

17 Dec

2025

EN Speech

The urgent need to combat discrimination in the EU through the horizontal anti-discrimination directive (topical debate)

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Mr President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, the European Union has very strong anti‑discrimination laws in the field of employment, and we are proud of this achievement. But equality and dignity cannot start and stop at the door of our workplace. That is why we must extend anti-discrimination and equality protections to everyday life, and that is what we are discussing today. This is not abo…