Speeches

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to ask, on behalf of the ECR Group, for a roll-call vote on an amendment to the title of a debate to be held next Wednesday. Because, if we want this Parliament to be everyone's home, if we want it to be the guarantor of the legality and plurality that must exist among citizens, then freedom of thought and conscience must be respected. Therefore, a debate on human rights should not be held with a title that already raises confusion and starts from tendentious premises, as it is, as the president has said: ‘Women’s activism: human rights defenders related to sexual and reproductive health and rights. We call for it to be amended, therefore, to "Women's activism in relation to sexual and reproductive health in the context of human rights". If a debate is held in this House, it is essential that, at least, the legitimate plurality of views be accommodated, especially in a matter that is already as sensitive as this one. At least 23,000 people mobilized yesterday in Madrid in marches for life, which are also held in more European cities. You can't bury this social outcry.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, one more year, the Commission on the Status of Women closes its eyes to the reality of women and continues as a bulldozer with its established agenda. Last year: climate change and gender equality. This year: digitalisation and gender equality. Next one: Achievements of gender equality. There is a continuing commitment to the promotion of gender ideology. Meanwhile, there are women in the world who still do not have recognized dignity as people and are prohibited from occupying their space in public life. It's happening in Iran today. Women are killed for showing a lock of hair. This does not seem to interest the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, or at least it is not its priority. It is, however, to treat anything with a gender perspective, when this focus on any subject distorts the objective sense. Many women – the ones they want – already play an indispensable role in the field of science, technology and innovation. Let us guarantee equal opportunities, ensuring the right to a quality education that allows our children to choose their path.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I ask you: Can we allow ideological conventions to be used to create international legal instruments that undermine national laws themselves? The European Union should not position itself or accede to an international convention urging its parties to include a particular approach, in this case gender. Nor should it force Member States to ratify, because in many cases it contravenes their own constitutions. The Istanbul Convention seeks a legislative scope in criminal law that violates the right to act as opposed to the right to act as a perpetrator. That is, it is based on prejudices rather than on criminal acts themselves. The claim to combat and prevent violence against women and domestic violence should not conflict with respect for the right to equality and non-discrimination. It is a shame all the time wasted, resources wasted and wasteful efforts to follow documents based on twisted theories against nature that focus on generating social division, mistrust and confrontation between the sexes. Let's do the opposite. Let us foster contexts where men and women build a society together, integrating their lives in peace and harmony. The family plays an essential role. It is the rational place where we share and receive affection, where education in virtues allows people to decide to do good. As Dostoevsky said, beauty will save the world. In a world without beauty, the love that makes us free and allows us to live in peace cannot shine. We legislate, please, at this address.

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, this proposal for an extension of the directive on the committees of undertakings operating in Europe - with the vagueness of definitions, we do not know exactly what they are; This is a sensitive point – it meddles with national legislation and attacks, once again, the freedom to conduct a business. It is intended to regulate in which companies it should exist, what composition it should have or how its influence should be without taking into account the business culture of each country. An unjustified intrusion of workers would lead to more conflicts, the breakdown of social peace and even the blocking of activity. Of course, we defend the harmonious dialogue between workers and entrepreneurs, so that both social and business aspects benefit everyone and generate prosperity. We have just celebrated the 30th anniversary of our single market, but legal uncertainty, bureaucratic obstacles and abusive political interference reduce it, stifling the aspirations of any entrepreneur. Let's give wings to entrepreneurship, to freedom of enterprise. It is necessary to develop the vocation of each person at the service of the common good. Let's trust the human being. We are able to find creative solutions that are a real economic and social engine. Let us free ourselves from ideologies that are imposed to annul the human spirit.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, this report contains a manual of good intentions, but in practice it violates freedom of thought, conscience and religion. It points to those who do not agree with the ideological maxims oriented to the intersectional approach, green agendas or naturalization of the dramatic practice of abortion, in an alleged protection of unsafe abortions with the promotion of sexual and reproductive rights. This is contrary to the true spirit of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which begins by quoting "that freedom, justice and peace in the world are based on the intrinsic dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family". Article 3 states that ‘everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person’. We all start our lives in our mother's womb. Because, let's not forget, abortion always means the extinction of a life. Let us faithfully follow the dictates of the Declaration and return to the culture of life, listening to the natural longing of the human heart and, especially, our own, that of women.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the purpose of the Declaration is to enable persons belonging to minorities to contribute to the social and political stability of States, in order to serve the common good and the individual. Not in the general interest or in the interests of the majority, as is now being said. Always in an effort to find harmony and not confrontation. However, this right of minorities is being used as a throwing weapon to generate division, for example, giving rise to separatist minorities so that they illegitimately intend to break the unity of nations, as happens in Spain. Or when it is protected in an interested and sometimes disproportionate way to some, but, instead, not to others, depending on ideological interests. It is shameful that the international community silences the incessant attack on the lives of Christian minorities, cruelly, unjustly persecuted for their faith, when, moreover, they have always constituted an undeniable service to society. In your name and in mine I wish you all a very merry Christmas.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the important thing is that the funds reach the children. And the reality is that today there are still not all the national plans presented. We know that money is often not reaching children. Whenever money is allocated to a minor, because of his vulnerability, he is susceptible to misuse, precisely because of the ease of manipulating him. We know of very serious cases where institutions have not been vigilant, have not taken care of the good of the children they care for and there has been irreparable damage. In Spain, it has happened in the Balearic Islands. It is curious to see how parents are distrusted and, instead, institutions are not distrusted. Without transparency, trust cannot be born. Funds should always go to the family, to the parents, so that they can support their children. Only then would we support increased budgets for the European Child Guarantee.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, yesterday afternoon I hosted an event of civil society organisations. We received the boycott from deputies and assistants. This does not respond to the plurality that deserves to be respected in this institution. We assume that steps will be taken to ensure democracy in this space.

Madam President, Commissioner, Council, ladies and gentlemen, violence is a drama that we would all like to end, of course. Criminal laws must be effective in prosecuting crime and protecting society. On October 7, the so-called "only yes is yes" law came into force in Spain, which erases the distinction between rape and sexual abuse, altering the range of penalties and reducing their duration. This responds to the mentality of being very hard on men in general, but very soft on the most dangerous criminals for women. This is not the first time that we have suffered the unjust consequences of ideological laws. If they want to protect us, they should try to keep the real aggressors away from their victims. I call on political groups that collaborate with gender ideology to wake up and see the perversity of the concept of "gender violence" and its consequences in polluting laws. They confront men and women and do not fight crime. Seen are the results. Let's change strategy.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we are talking about 40% of non-executive posts, 33% if we include executives. What can be celebrated? Of course, the presence of women enriches and improves the results. We extol female talent, proud of our nature and the nuances we can bring to decision-making. But this directive: It even puts a cap on the female presence. Presenting ourselves as helpless and naturally disadvantaged does not help if we want to show the value of women. Freedom of enterprise is under attack. It is up to an organisation to decide on the composition of its board. It is a political interference in companies, with a regulation that should be legal-commercial, according to national legislation, not European. Quotas are a drastic, discriminatory and unfair system. The never-ending story. Now by sex, well, no, by gender. But it could also be by race or ethnicity. It is disrespectful to look at people's characteristics and not at people. It is our training or skills or experience that must determine us. Collectivization makes us one more of a group. It takes away our names and surnames, confronts us and accentuates prejudices. Turn just causes into power battles. Let us regain hope and harmony in this world. Measures like this only increase tension.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, everyone is different; her diabetes, too. Possibilities should be given to choose the most appropriate form for each patient. There are technological advances that must be exploited because they extend life expectancy and reduce complications. Close monitoring of glucose with modernized systems, real-time administration of insulin is essential. And the bombs. And it is no longer a dream the sustained-release implant of insulin nanoformulations. Social awareness and understanding of the disease and patients with diabetes are also very important, a global identification card that allows whoever is closest to recognize symptoms and support hypoglycemia, naturalness at airport security controls, facilities for children, training or food sugar labels. And, also, to promote nursing services, since they are the ones who carry out the usual management of patients, to know how to act, for example, in the decompensations of adolescence: its work allows Europe to have a privileged position. And, of course, investment in research is needed to deepen and know why autoimmune diseases such as diabetes are on the rise. Knowledge and good practices need to be created and shared in order to achieve greater achievements in the European area.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, since the well-known trans law came to light in Spain, they have not stopped raising alarms asking for caution. Therefore, I ask you to listen to associations, the medical sector, parents and repentant people, who warn us of the dangers of certain practices. It wants to prohibit mental health professionals from intervening in the so-called process of gender self-determination in minors, leaving children in the position of doubting who they are and if they want to start a transition of sex change, which involves irreversible treatments and lifelong medication. A teenager is developing, at a sometimes delicate time, and from social networks, the media, their schools and institutions it is intended to convince him that going to transsexuality can be the solution to all his problems, when in reality he may be suffering from other disorders such as depression, Asperger's syndrome or anorexia, which need a concrete diagnosis and an accompaniment that in Spain he wants to prohibit. Let's teach children to love themselves and recognize themselves in their natural selves.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the fact that someone calls himself a defender of women does not mean that he is. Look at the results. Faced with the drama of violence, let's analyze the causes: alcoholism, addictions, affective disorders, hedonism... Radical cultural ideas that denigrate women. To foster respect we must educate in virtues, build healthy and orderly bonds, not hypersexualize society or objectify people. Gender ideology stigmatizes and criminalizes men across the board. It is an unjust topic that destroys real equality between men and women, and provokes fear and mistrust. And, in addition, it prevents the recognition of the true aggressors. Whoever commits these acts must be persecuted, not go unpunished, so that he cannot again be a threat to his victims. Women in this situation need social services that engage, that give them real solutions: profound, psychological, affective, spiritual accompaniment, according to your specific needs. Resources today are lost along the way financing activist associations and NGOs that do not help and, instead, do generate social confrontation. Attention to women is often limited to offering them the inhumane remedy of abortion. Ideological laws, such as the so-called "yes is yes" in Spain, far from protecting women, are distorting criminal types and devaluing penalties. This he protects is not the woman, but the true aggressors.

Mr President, Commissioner Schmit, 22% unemployment in 2030: This is the objective proposed by the European Commission in these guidelines. It's embarrassing. One in four unemployed workers. Is this all the European Union can offer us? One in four of us on the street? But at the same time, the 2030 Agenda speaks of zero poverty. Zero poverty? How? The intentions are clear: subsidy culture. Poverty is caused and then the aid is marketed. Let's change course, employment is the best social policy. Let's talk about creating wealth, competitiveness, a market of prosperity where we can earn decently, with our effort, the livelihood of our families and be free (and not, as proposed here, dependent on any government).

Madam President, Commissioner Dalli and Commissioner Kyriakides, ladies and gentlemen, the COVID-19 crisis has been fraught with errors and poor transparency, both in the Member States and in the coordination work carried out by the Commission. These proposals should serve to improve access to information and coordination to gain agility in crisis management. The improvement of the available health instruments cannot, under any circumstances, be an excuse for imposing policies orchestrated by the European Commission to gradually empty the Member States of their competences. Coordinating on health does not imply unilaterally imposing disproportionate measures or discarding effective mechanisms at national level. The impending reform of the European pharmaceutical legislation will demonstrate whether we have been able to work together to find respect for the balance of competences that benefits the health of Europeans, innovation and, at the same time, industrial development and the autonomy of supplies.

Madam President, we call for the inclusion in the agenda of a debate without a resolution following the infamous statements by Spain's Minister for Equality, Irene Montero, on the sexual relations of children of legal age based on consent. Consenting? A child? What are we talking about? We need a serious debate in this Parliament on respect for the innocence of children, which today, unfortunately, is being stalked by ideological policies with concepts that a child is not yet able to assume; that damage him, injuring the normal development of his personality. His right to know sexuality at the right age must come hand in hand with those who truly know him, who are his parents and not those who want to corrupt him.

Madam President, it is clear that Europe needs to be reindustrialised. The pandemic made this clear, even more so in the context of the war in Ukraine. Our dependence makes us vulnerable. We need industry to generate prosperity and jobs. But the reality is that in Spain – including Germany, Italy and France – the industrial fabric is disappearing. They are forced to close or go to third countries because here they are drowned with more and more legislation, such as climate legislation, which leaves them completely out of the game. Because, ahead of this much-needed industrial strategy, there are other incompatible ones, such as the Green Deal, to which they continue to give priority, without mercy, without flexibility. Why don't you listen? There are solutions. It is necessary to match the plans to the situations, to the maturity of the technologies. The determination to move forward with environmental objectives shows that the happiness of European people and citizens is not their concern.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, we are talking about fundamental rights, but this report attacks them: denies the most elementary right, the right to life, with an obsessive promotion of the drama of abortion; lack of respect for the dignity of individuals; creates inequalities and division through collectivization, victimization and the promotion of ideologies such as gender. In 2020 and 2021, some governments have taken measures that we would never have imagined, and they deserve a deep reflection on what the situation of fundamental rights has been during the pandemic. It seems that it does not matter the violation of freedoms with incoherent confinements: The Spanish Constitutional Court has declared two states of alarm unconstitutional, but it prefers to attack Poland and Hungary skewedly. Neither do the elderly in residential care, nor the health personnel exposed in their work without the necessary protection, nor the imposition of de facto vaccination, no difference in treatment on the basis of possession of a certificate, no censorship of free expression... This occasion has been used to engage in political activism and thus collaborate with the increasing violation of fundamental rights in the European Union.

Mr President, Commissioner, the social economy is a new scheme compared to the traditional one that can cover an intermediate reality between the public and private sectors, generating new opportunities that respond to a social good. The typology and development of entities recognized within this model in the European space have been very heterogeneous. Therefore, the uniqueness and regulation of each nation must be respected. We do not agree that the wealth that the social economy can bring, the creativity to be developed or the potential are affected by an imposition, by a requirement to align or condition these projects to the objectives of other agendas, such as the environmental one, or to the Sustainable Development Goals, which limit entrepreneurship in one direction. The social economy must contribute to generating activity and services – needs that are not being met – but at the same time it must coexist with a market economy, never phagocyte it. It must do so respecting free competition and offering the same quality standards, without requiring exclusive privileges that detract from the presence or competitiveness of other business projects in the same sector.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, rapporteurs, getting care that guarantees the dignity of every person is an essential responsibility of our society. We have all received them and we will all offer them. Getting there is still a challenge. This strategy was an opportunity to design a serious and ambitious framework for those in need of care, committed to those providing care and respectful of national competences, but it does not provide all the clarity we needed. It lacks structure, mixes concepts related to the regular, irregular and informal world of work, which are the relatives, but avoids naming them. In fact, it is proposed as an objective to externalize care through an artificial infrastructure that replaces the family, values care exclusively from an economic and unhuman perspective, and smears these occupations abounding in the alleged victimization of women for having a greater presence, ignoring our natural vocation. Through an alternative text, we propose to give priority to supporting the family, which is the irreplaceable natural environment where life and affections take place; give options to choose solutions adapted to each moment and each situation; propose creative ideas, offer economic resources and promote tax advantages that allow the dedication of a family member or professional services that are of quality and qualified on the basis of a specialty, whether domestic, educational or therapeutic; recognize the incalculable and indispensable value of those who offer their dedication. There is no more honorable work, caring for another transcends the mere material act. Returning prestige and seeking good conditions is a priority, whether you are a family member or a professional.

Madam President, the end of 'Roe contra Wade' in the United States is a return to sanity, after fifty years of confusion and helplessness over a misinterpretation of the concept of freedom. The defense of life has had a major place in your nation's culture and history. There is therefore no constitutional recognition of the right to abortion. This sentence invites a reflection, to look face to face at the reality of abortion, without beautiful words that cloud consciences or ideological premises that denaturalize women and push us to despise love and life. During pregnancy there is a tiny reality: obvious. It is illogical to think that, if desired, it is a baby, and if not, then it is discarded, as if it were an object. Open yourself to a new way of understanding life. Don't be afraid. If the spiritual and transcendent dimension is missing, if we only value the material dimension, human existence is instrumentalized and relationships are commodified. The protection of life cannot be questioned, it does not depend on circumstances. Not doing so unprotects us all, especially the most fragile. The guarantee of the security of human rights lies in affirming life.

Madam President, more than 360 million Christians suffer, because of their faith, high levels of persecution and discrimination. They are threatened, rejected, imprisoned, displaced, beaten. They are forced to marry, their churches raided, closed, some destroyed, but they do not abandon their faith in Jesus. One in five Christians is persecuted in Africa, two in five in Asia, one in fifteen in Latin America. Christians suffer persecution for hatred of Islamic extremism, for communist oppression, for non-Islamic religious nationalism, and the rest, for other reasons. Last week we saw the terrible images of a young student beaten, stoned and burned alive in Nigeria. This week we have seen, also in Nigeria, the church of San Francisco Javier, in the State of Ondo, attacked during the mass on Pentecost Sunday, its parishioners dying on the ground and part of the kidnapped community. Also this week the Christian village of Nandoli, in Mozambique, has been burned by the Islamic State. Europe is looking the other way and this must end. That's enough. There can be no collaboration with any of these governments and any assistance from the European Union and its Member States must be made conditional on the real protection of these communities. Only in Nigeria is a Christian killed every two hours, thirteen a day. Our actions and words today can save these lives, before they kill tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or next week. Therefore, I implore your help. Life goes in it for our brothers.

All abortions are unsafe, there is always an end to a developing life; In fact, none of us would be here if our mother had aborted. What do you think of this reflection, Mrs. Walsh?

– Mrs Rodríguez Palop, in our country we know that there are many women who are pressured to give up their babies because they cannot take on a childhood. They do receive funding to abort, but not to support them with their financial situation. Don't you think it shouldn't be a privilege for women who have financial solvency to be able to have children?