What Clara spoke about.

13

Dec

2022

EN Speech

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This is Europe - Debate with the Prime Minister of Slovenia, Robert Golob (debate)

Madam President, Minister, in 1991 US Secretary of State James Baker solemnly declared that neither the United States not the European Community would ever recognise an independent Slovenia. Less than a year later, both were among the first to recognise the new country. The lesson is simple: self-determination must be pursued regardless of the opposition of world powers, that always will protect t…

24

Nov

2022

EN Speech

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The European Year of Youth 2022 Legacy (debate)

Madam President, we’re concerned about the youth participation and engagement in our European project. Well, what hundreds of Catalan youth are facing right now for their engagement in politics, following their protest, are arrests, trials and prison sentences, police brutality and abuse, and unrelentless infiltration and spying in youth organisations, without – without – judicial oversight. This …

22

Nov

2022

EN Speech

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New EU strategy for enlargement (debate)

Madam President, we spend a lot of time discussing the rule of law standards for new members, but once they are in it seems that they can ignore those same standards, because they become members of the club and it’s the club of Member States. It’s mostly a system of cover-ups. President Metsola went to Barcelona over the weekend. I hope she found good weather there in my beloved hometown, a city w…

19

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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Whitewashing of the anti-European extreme right in the EU (topical debate)

Mr President, big words, grave concerns, and self-righteous indignation from the Spanish Social Democrats and other colleagues here, but colleagues, this is not a new threat. Spain has Vox now, yes, but Vox had Spain long before it even existed. Vox had judges also in the Constitutional Court long before it had any elected representative. Vox controls the police, the military and the judiciary – a…

18

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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Continued internal border controls in the Schengen area in light of the recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (C-368/20) (debate)

Mr President, the continued border controls and closures in some Member States must end now. The Court of Justice has now indisputably established what we knew all along: that continuous border controls and closures are illegal. The latest extension of border controls by France until 23 April, arguing new terrorist threats, makes a mockery of the Union’s law and the court. Worse, by keeping contro…

18

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023 - all sections (debate)

Madam President, as we move on to the next budget, it’s important that we look at how the previous budgets have been used, but if we look at the use of Next Generation funds, what are the two pillars of fund management in Spain? Kafkaesque bureaucracy and obsessive centralism. That’s not news. Let’s look at the figures. While Spain is the main beneficiary of the Recovery and Resiliency Facility, 8…

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, do you know who Jina Amini is? Yes. She’s the woman who paid with her life for being free. However, everybody here has called her Masha, ignoring her Kurdish identity. Women in Iran are showing us how to fight for freedom. Sadly, this struggle has also become the perfect platform to show moral superiority without any real action. This is why nobody mentions that Amini was Kurdish, or…

14

Sep

2022

EN Speech

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Economic, social and territorial cohesion in the EU: the 8th Cohesion Report - EU border regions: living labs of European integration (debate)

Madam President, in January 2021, France closed many border points, arguing prevention against terrorism and COVID restrictions. One year and nine months later, the border at the Col de Banyuls in Catalonia remains closed. Some huge rocks are blocking the road. Nine months ago, following our written question on the matter, the Commission informed us of a dialogue with the Government of France to o…

14

Sep

2022

EN Speech

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

Mr President, on 31 August, the UN Human Rights Committee reported that suspending four Catalan elected representatives was a violation of their political rights and, more importantly, the rights of their voters. The UN reported that Spain is in violation of Article 25 of the Charter and is denying Catalans their constitutional rights. This happens in plain sight under your watch: the watch of thi…

5

Jul

2022

EN Speech

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2021 Report on Kosovo (debate)

Madam President, thanks to the rapporteur for a good report. Kosovo is a stress test for Europe but self—determination is the route to solve conflicts peacefully and democratically, and hence it is sound geopolitical policy. If we look down on Kosovo as an experiment in new forms of good-faith colonialism as a nuisance to bear and despise for strategic reasons, then we will just repeat the histori…

9

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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The call for a Convention for the revision of the Treaties (debate)

Mr President, the CoFE was a pretence to invite debate and participation, but the priority was not to upset the status quo. For example, when participation delivered an initiative with the second highest level of citizen support, as the clarity mechanism for self-determination, it was simply brushed away ungraciously. But once we start debating the future of Old Europe, it becomes obvious that Jea…

8

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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This is Europe - Debate with the Taoiseach of Ireland, Micheál Martin (debate)

Madam President, I would like to thank the Taoiseach for being here and for his remarks. The fundamental rights of any European must be the concern of every European, and in 1976, Ireland led by example. You took the UK to court for torturing detainees in Northern Ireland. It was an uphill fight, but time has shown that you were right. Yet decades later, we still see judges using evidence extracte…

18

May

2022

EN Speech

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Commission’s 2021 Rule of Law Report (debate)

Madam President, we need to explore this notion of systemic and serious deficiencies on the rule of law because, for some reason, of things like the reiterated case of the European Court of Human Rights on freedom of expression. Spain is still persecuting people for insulting the king, and yesterday the Belgian courts refused the extradition of Jose Arenas Valtònyc just on these grounds. Or, perha…

4

May

2022

EN Speech

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The case of Osman Kavala in Turkey

Mr President, the conviction of Osman Kavala to life prison is the outrageous conclusion of a blatant case of persecution of political dissidents under the guise of a legal criminal prosecution. I express my full solidarity and call for his immediate release. Sadly, he is far from an isolated case in Turkey, where the oppression of political opposition is an everyday occurrence. Yet the EU treats …

4

May

2022

EN Speech

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Use of the Pegasus Software by EU Member States against individuals including MEPs and the violation of fundamental rights (topical debate)

Mr President, Spain is spying on elected politicians, including MEPs, our lawyers, our families, our assistants. The CatalanGate is a dystopian fantasy, a pathetic rendering of the life of others taking place under the complacent watch of the Commission and the Council, that cynically just mumble half-baked excuses on internal affairs. You may hope to get away with this, Commissioner, but in every…

4

May

2022

EN Speech

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Discharge 2020 (debate)

Madam President, our budgets express our souls. Taxes allocated to our agencies should under no circumstances be used to infringe human rights, like pushbacks at our borders, a practice where Frontex plays a very shady role. Frontex and the Agency for Asylum must serve a policy that seeks to secure our borders, while defending fundamental rights and protecting refugees. However, we have a long way…

5

Apr

2022

EN Speech

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Trans-European energy infrastructure (debate)

Mr President, this is a lost opportunity, because instead of using this regulation to really change our energy towards more renewables, we keep investing in gas infrastructure, staying vulnerable both to the climate and the geopolitical front. Russian imports of oil, coal and gas are a huge share and they have not stopped – not even decreased – after the Ukraine invasion. The EU must be energetica…

4

Apr

2022

EN Speech

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Urgent need to adopt the minimum tax directive (debate)

Madam President, this directive is a step in the right direction, and it is urgent to have multinational companies contribute at least a little bit. But it is also urgent to stop the unfair competition with local SMEs that bear the weight of state regulations and taxes. With war instability, inflation and energy prices going through the roof, SMEs are the weak link of the economy. Multinationals a…

23

Mar

2022

EN Speech

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Debriefing of the European Council meeting in Paris on 10 March 2022 - Preparation of the European Council meeting 24-25 March 2022 (debate)

But it’s not right to be looking the other way on the affair of Western Sahara. Yet again, Spain’s nationalistic pride is dragging the Union away from international law and democratic ... (The President cut the Speaker off)…

23

Mar

2022

EN Speech

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Debriefing of the European Council meeting in Paris on 10 March 2022 - Preparation of the European Council meeting 24-25 March 2022 (debate)

Madam President, while everybody was looking at Ukraine, Spain has recognised the sovereignty of Morocco over the Western Sahara. Spain is ignoring the right of self-determination and international law. Pedro Sánchez is dancing to the tune of an autocratic regime and is opening a crisis with Algeria. The Council needs to be paying attention to this. Why have they done this? Perhaps because of Ceut…

9

Mar

2022

EN Speech

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Debate with the Prime Minister of Estonia, Kaja Kallas - The EU's role in a changing world and the security situation of Europe following the Russian aggression and invasion of Ukraine (debate)

Madam President, our duty is to help Ukraine because they are suffering an intolerable aggression and because the principles of the international system must be upheld – territorial integrity, no invasions are allowed to change borders, the right to self-determination and third, we believe in solving conflicts through democratic means. So the EU has reacted, but more is needed. Military aid must b…

7

Mar

2022

EN Speech

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Shrinking space for civil society in Europe (debate)

Mr President, on 12 November 2019, hundreds of peaceful protesters walked the beach on the Spanish-French border at La Jonquera. As they left, many were held by the police on both sides of the border. On the French side, the Gendarmerie gave them traffic tickets, but those that were detained in Spain are facing criminal trial and may end up with prison sentences. So is the right to protest not the…

19

Jan

2022

EN Speech

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Digital Services Act (continuation of debate)

Mr President, there are many good things in this Digital Services Act, but it still leaves too much leverage to governments that fear the freedom of expression and cannot refrain from censorship. Do I need to remind you that Pablo Hasel, a singer, is in prison for his lyrics? Or about the Spanish obsession to imprison José Arenas Valtonyc, who dared to sing that the Bourbons are thieves? Spanish f…

15

Dec

2021

EN Speech

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State of play of the RRF (Recovery and Resilience Facility) (debate)

Madam President, a few days ago, while Mrs von der Leyen was congratulating Spain upon receiving a first tranche of the EU recovery funds, Catalan SMEs were announcing that small businesses are de facto being excluded from the funds. There is much uncertainty on whether small firms will manage to access the funds through the maze of red tape. Hence, their investments are on hold. Spanish mismanage…

14

Dec

2021

EN Speech

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Digital Markets Act (debate)

Madam President, this Digital Markets Act is very good news for Europe and for the world. At long last, we’re making progress to bring the massive tech players that shape our lives under some democratic oversight. The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) is proposing many good amendments, but let me stress one that other colleagues have already mentioned today, the one d…