What Miriam spoke about.

22

Nov

2022

EN Speech

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EU-China relations (debate)

Madam President, it seems the European Union has not learned its lesson. Even with the terrible human and economic costs of COVID-19, the CCP’s terror against all goods and people across China and growing aggression abroad, some EU leaders still think there can be business as usual with the CCP. We have also discovered that the United Front, an arm of the CCP, has a network of offices across Europ…

22

Nov

2022

EN Speech

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Resilience of critical entities (debate)

Mr President, I welcome this directive I was calling for since the beginning of my mandate. As Putin continues to wage his brutal and aggressive war against the people of Ukraine, he’s also continuing in his attempts to weaken and divide our democracies. Disinformation, cyber-attacks, espionage, strategic corruption of businesses and political cycles. That’s why it is crucial that we seek attacks …

9

Nov

2022

EN Speech

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Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 20-21 October 2022 (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, non—democratic regimes including Russia, Iran and the Chinese Communist Party continue to seek to weaken and divide our societies. Their use of hybrid threats, including disinformation, cyber or espionage, shows a wider context of operations aiming against us. The shocking revelation about the illegal Chinese police stations operating across 16 EU Member States show …

19

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023 - all sections (A9-0241/2022 - Nicolae Ştefănuță, Niclas Herbst)

Mr President, dear colleagues, I co-sign and support the general budget amendment concerning the Commission’s financing of a campaign promoting the hijab. I supported this amendment two weeks ago. I supported it today. And I should and I, should it be necessary, will support it again. I find it perplexing that the Union’s budget, our taxpayers’ money, is used to finance a campaign that trivialises…

19

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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Outcome of the first meeting of the European Political Community (debate)

Madam President, I welcome the meeting of the European Political Community, because in this House we have come up with numerous proposals on strengthening cooperation with our wider European partners, including creative integration of those desiring it. I therefore want to congratulate the Czech Government on the success. The summit made it clear that the Community can never be an alternative for …

19

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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Lukashenka regime's active role in the war against Ukraine (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, thank you very much. The illegitimate regime of Aleksander Lukashenko continues to press the Belarusian people and deny their desire for a free Belarus. On top of that, Lukashenko sold Belarus sovereignty to Kremlin, and his illegitimate regime is providing daily assistance to Russian terror against the brave Ukrainians. Lukashenko, like Putin, is an aggressor and…

19

Oct

2022

SK Speech

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Preparation of the European Council meeting of 20-21 October 2022 (debate)

Madam President, we are facing a test that will determine our future. The rise in energy prices is of great concern to 47% of the Slovak population. One in six households in Slovakia is at risk of energy poverty. As I have pointed out on several occasions, the Council's agreement does not sufficiently address the problems of all the Member States. This is why we need to take concrete steps towards…

18

Oct

2022

SK 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, first of all, I would like to express my sincere condolences to the relatives and closeness of these two young people. The shameful terrorist act that took place in Slovakia is a deplorable act of a desperate young man who succumbed to extremism and neo-Nazi propaganda. We must never allow hatred to spread to any person, minority or community, in this case LGBT. The killer's manifest…

5

Oct

2022

SK Speech

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The EU’s response to the increase in energy prices in Europe (RC-B9-0416/2022, B9-0416/2022, B9-0417/2022, B9-0418/2022, B9-0419/2022, B9-0420/2022, B9-0421/2022, B9-0422/2022)

Mr President, I would like to point out that our approach to this report unfortunately omits some important aspects that we urgently need to address in the European Parliament. The agreement from last week's Council is not the answer for many countries, and Slovakia is among the most affected. I consider it essential to look for new solutions, one that is based on solidarity. Indeed, it is our sol…

5

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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Countering the anti-European and anti-Ukrainian propaganda of Putin’s European cronies (topical debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, for many years, Russia has continued to use information warfare and other hybrid threats to weaken our democracies. Russian aggression against Ukraine has only deepened this, from spreading lies about the brave people of Ukraine, to cynically claiming that Putin’s Russia is a defender of traditional values. We must fight Putin’s propaganda, and there are con…

4

Oct

2022

SK Speech

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

Madam President, we saw how Roma live in settlements during the official visit of the European Parliament to Slovakia. All those who know at least a little about the reality of Roma communities know that it is absolutely necessary to find solutions to the problems that have been piling up for decades. It is no secret that even in the 21st century there are settlements without drinking water, sanit…

4

Oct

2022

SK Speech

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AccessibleEU Centre in support of accessibility policies in the EU internal market (debate)

Madam President, we have long declared in various resolutions and reports that accessibility is fundamental and necessary for the full participation of persons with disabilities in all areas of life. We subsequently translated this concept into several legislative proposals, including the Directive on the accessibility of goods and services. However, implementation of this legislation is not alway…

6

Jul

2022

EN Speech

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The arrest of Cardinal Zen and the trustees of the 612 relief fund in Hong Kong

Madam President, dear colleagues, let me begin by paying tribute to the brave Cardinal Zen, who is a true symbol of Hong Kong’s struggle for freedom and embodies Christian pursuit of freedom and love of one’s neighbour. It is in the intention of John Lee and his CCP masters to destroy the last remains of Hong Kong’s autonomy and freedoms and crush people’s hopes, and the moral strength of the 90-y…

5

Jul

2022

EN Speech

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The EU and the defence of multilateralism (debate)

Madam President, let me start off by thanking the rapporteur and colleagues across this House for the cooperation on this report. Multilateralism, as the peaceful organization of relations between states as well as the international organisations built over 75 years, is increasingly threatened. Today, non—democratic regimes, such as Russia under Vladimir Putin or the totalitarian Chinese Communist…

5

Jul

2022

SK Speech

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EU initiatives to address the rising cost of living, including the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights (debate)

Mr President, the Conference on the Future of Europe ended two months ago, and while resolutions are already being adopted in Brussels or Strasbourg to launch a Convention to revise the EU's fundamental treaties, the citizens of the Member States are concerned about something completely different. These are mainly the consequences of the pandemic as well as war, rising prices of energy and food. W…

5

Jul

2022

SK Speech

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Mental health in the digital world of work (debate)

Mr President, the pandemic, the long-term uncertainty and, in addition, the Russian invasion of Ukraine have further amplified what surveys have shown for a long time. Mental health is a neglected but constantly deteriorating area. This applies to adults, but even more so to children. These conclusions also stem from my meetings with experts, which confirmed to me that we face daily shortages of s…

22

Jun

2022

SK Speech

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Implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (debate)

Madam President, the Recovery and Resilience Facility is an unprecedented tool to help mitigate the socio-economic impact of the pandemic, but also to cope with the other challenges we face. It is therefore essential that we use these funds as efficiently as possible and that they are available quickly and without unnecessary administrative obstacles. Detailed guidelines applicable to national dif…

22

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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Preparation of the European Council meeting of 23-24 June 2022, including the meeting with Western Balkan leaders on 23 June - Candidate status of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, because of our lack of vision and political leadership, non—democratic regimes are today challenging European peace and security and threatening the stability of our neighbours. The doors of the European Union must remain open to all European countries fulfilling the necessary criteria: Ukraine, Moldova, but also Georgia, when it fulfils the necessary conditions. The…

8

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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The massacre of Christians in Nigeria (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, I am abhorred by the massacre of more than 50 innocent men, women and children during the Pentecost Sunday celebrations. However, we cannot simply express our concerns over such horrific acts. From Xinjiang, Syria to Nigeria, the state of religious freedom around the world is rapidly deteriorating, and Christians, as well as many other religious groups, are today …

8

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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Violations of media freedom and safety of journalists in Georgia

Madam President, dear colleagues, as an associated country and one aspiring for EU candidate status, Georgia must adhere to the basic conditions, including respect for human rights. Unfortunately, over the past years, we are witnessing a serious undermining of media freedom, which is part of the broader trend of democratic backsliding in the country. I believe that these trends are counter to the …

8

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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The human rights situation in Xinjiang, including the Xinjiang police files

Madam President, dear colleagues, the latest evidence shown in the Xinjiang police files confirms that what is taking place today in this province is systematic state-driven crimes against humanity and genocide. The evidence of the CCP’s crimes are there. They are collected and documented. Now it is time for action and political will to adopt the corporate due diligence framework and to bring in a…

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, dear colleagues, it is absolutely mind—blowing that we are standing here and having this absolutely disturbing debate on the possible future decision of an independent court of our democratic partner in the face of serious global challenges. At almost every single plenary, we are having resolutions on so-called sexual and reproductive rights, despite the very clear provisions of o…

7

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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Security in the Eastern Partnership area and the role of the common security and defence policy (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, the Eastern Partnership initiative was always envisaged to support our eastern neighbours in truly building a ring of friends. Unfortunately, the Russian Federation under Vladimir Putin has instead continued to view these countries as its sphere of influence. It regards people’s desire, states’ sovereignty, territorial integrity, undermining the very…

19

May

2022

EN Speech

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The fight against impunity for war crimes in Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, every day we hear new evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine – military attacks, including on civilian targets, rape, torture, mass executions, forced deportations, looting and many other barbaric acts continue to be perpetrated against Ukraine and its people. They remind us of some of the worst excesses of Stalinism. We must ensure that these crimes are thoroughl…

18

May

2022

EN Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Madam President, last week, Hong Kong police arrested the brave and peace—loving Cardinal Joseph Zen and three other trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund. The fact that the four trustees have been arrested for collusion with foreign forces under the so-called ‘national security law’, just days after the election of John Lee as the new Chief Executive, shows without any doubt that Beijing i…