What Cyrus spoke about.

13

Mar

2023

MT Speech

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Binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States (Effort Sharing Regulation) - Land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) - Revision of the Market Stability Reserve for the EU Emissions Trading System (debate)

– For years many young people and scientists have warned that the time is pressing and that it is time to act before it is too late, to avoid major climate-related tragedies all over the world. At that time it is now. We are in the fight against climate change. We are witnessing disasters around us often, caused by climate extremes and the irreversible point is too close. This is the moment, and w…

15

Feb

2023

MT Speech

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The erosion of the rule of law in Greece: the wiretapping scandal and media freedom (topical debate)

Ms President, would have been laughing if not crying to EPP spokespersons, nationalists in the European Parliament, excuse what happened in Greece just because there is a nationalist government. When there are other governments from other parties, they have made a plate that never ends. Not only has an investigative journalist been killed in Greece – something very bad that unfortunately also happ…

14

Feb

2023

EN Speech

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Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence: EU accession (continuation of debate)

Madam President, yesterday Ordo Iuris contacted me to speak in this debate, so speak I shall. Dear Ordo Iuris, you and the far right here called this convention defective. The only defective thing in all of this is your view on women, the misogyny and sexism with which you drive your policies. The idea that women's sexual and reproductive health and rights should be driven by your disrespectful ag…

14

Feb

2023

MT Speech

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CO2 emission standards for cars and vans (debate)

Mr President, speaking at the end of such a debate may be a disadvantage but good because you have heard all the thoughts of the Chamber. Let us not forget that we are talking about our health and the health of the environment we live in. We are not talking about cars already on our roads that are killing us – those will continue to kill us but those who laud new 12 years. I see a gallery full of …

13

Feb

2023

EN Speech

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Following up on measures requested by Parliament to strengthen the integrity of European institutions (debate)

I think that we could go back to the original proposal of the Commission, when it proposed in 2016 the interinstitutional agreement for a mandatory transparency register. Already there it was stated that while Members of the European Parliament should be transparent and register all their meetings, the same should be done for staff of the European Parliament, for the Council, as well as for the Co…

13

Feb

2023

MT Speech

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Following up on measures requested by Parliament to strengthen the integrity of European institutions (debate)

Ms President, I am here on behalf of all the citizens of the European Union, we are here on behalf of all the citizens of the European Union. And so every meeting we have is not on our behalf, but we are doing it on behalf of European citizens in order to understand exactly what the needs and needs of all citizens of the European Union are. And so, as my friends from all political parties said, to…

17

Jan

2023

MT Speech

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New developments in allegations of corruption and foreign interference, including those related to Morocco, and the need to increase transparency, integrity and accountability in the European institutions (debate)

Ms President, the scandal ahead of us should be an opportunity. An opportunity for us to do what has not been done before us in this legislature, before this mandate is closed. And I say this because in the year 2016, the European Commission had proposed a mandatory, mandatory register for all. A transparency register where each Member of the European Parliament could and had to follow, together w…

16

Jan

2023

MT Speech

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Shipments of waste (debate)

Mr President, if there seems to be something we all know to do, it is to keep our homes clean and then to fall and rise from what is happening outside our door. And so far that is also the European waste policy. But now we're going to say so much. So, because we live in one world and pollution in one side of the world affects everyone. As such, because we care about the health and rights of those …

14

Dec

2022

MT Speech

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The Commission’s reports on the situation of journalists and the implications of the rule of law (debate)

Taking the protection of journalists for granted, even in modern democracies, where the Rule of Law is respected, is a mistake that we cannot afford. Last year more than 900 journalists reported being persecuted, some of them even being assassinated. I therefore welcome the European Commission's evaluation and its recommendations. However, I urge the European Commission to be more ambitious and st…

23

Nov

2022

EN Speech

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Legal protection for rainbow families exercising free movement, in particular the Baby Sara case (debate)

Mr President, dear Sara, to us you have two mothers whose parenthood we see, recognise and value; two mothers who have fought for their place in this world and for yours in this Union. You might find it contradictory to call this place a Union when parts of it have refused to recognise a union as beautiful as your family. And so this is why we are here today, to remind not only this House but all …

23

Nov

2022

MT Speech

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The need for a European solution on asylum and migration including search and rescue (debate)

What hypocrisy, Mr President, that those countries that have been enriched by the colonisation of several African countries today treat the citizens of these countries as totally forgettable, totally discarding them. What hypocrisy, Mr President, that those countries that are enjoying solidarity funds, European funds that they are enjoying, have no solidarity with the Mediterranean countries that …

10

Nov

2022

EN Speech

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Racial justice, non-discrimination and anti-racism in the EU (debate)

Mr President, it’s incredible the hate that comes out of certain speeches. Two years ago, this parliament declared that ‘Black lives matter’ but, let’s be frank, even judging by the three previous speeches, do ‘Black lives matter’ in our politics, in our policies and in our implementation of them? Are persons of colour, minorities and others only remembered in our thoughts and prayers? Right now, …

19

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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

Mr President, like a virus, right—wing extremism is mutating in unpredictable ways. Exasperated by a pandemic which has left many scared and alone, extremist organizations have found a playground for recruitment on online comment boards and social media platforms. Yes, a playground, with media reports indicating that children as young as 13 are actually leading neo-Nazi divisions across the Union.…

18

Oct

2022

EN 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, it started with a word – they call us ‘poofter’, ‘dyke’, ‘faggot’ – but it ended with a knife, a fist or, in this case, a gun. That is the reality we face when our communities and our leadership do not take hate speech seriously. This is the result of inaction in the face of growing radicalisation of far—right and conservative narratives. Last Wednesday, Slovakia, Europe and the worl…

17

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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The Rule of Law in Malta, five years after the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia (debate)

Mr President, five years ago, all of us were shocked. On the day of Daphne’s assassination, I stated that this was a terror attack on freedom of speech. I joined the vigil in Sliema with my partner and a friend, only to realise that, due to partisan political reasons, we were not welcome there. I did not agree with all that Daphne wrote, but what happened needed to be fought by us all, away from p…

3

Oct

2022

MT Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Everyone in leadership has an economic choice before him which is all the more important in challenging times such as those in which we are living today. Either the path of nationalist parties of austerity that place any new burden heartily on families and businesses because they believe the market drives, or the path of a progressive economy that invests in people, invests in families and invests…

3

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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Momentum for the Ocean: strengthening Ocean Governance and Biodiversity (debate)

Madam President, there are many legends that come from my island: they say that we are home to Atlantis, the legend of Calypso, and that we stand at the point where the plates of Europe and Africa kiss. And while the legends that we are told by fishermen weaving their nets are fables, the deep and intricate relationship between islands and oceans is not. In 1967, one of the greatest marine conserv…

14

Sep

2022

EN Speech

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

Mr President, I am so honoured today to stand here as the Socialists & Democrats shadow rapporteur on this report, because this report that we are discussing today truly represents this European Parliament. It represents the diversity of this Parliament, its different faces, multiple views. And, above all, it is a symbol of what united, progressive and moderate forces together can achieve in the f…

14

Sep

2022

EN Speech

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Existence of a clear risk of a serious breach by Hungary of the values on which the Union is founded (debate)

I don’t want to give more time to the extremists in this Parliament, thank you.

14

Sep

2022

EN Speech

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Existence of a clear risk of a serious breach by Hungary of the values on which the Union is founded (debate)

Mr President, nobody is free until we are all free. Mr President, in 1956, Hungarians united in their revolution against the Soviets, fighting for their basic universal freedoms. Inspired by their innate European values, together, they achieved their dream: freedom, culminating in European Union membership in 2004. Yet today we see those freedoms under threat. Some Hungarians today cannot even sim…

8

Jun

2022

MT Speech

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Parliament’s right of initiative (debate)

Mr President, we elect parliamentarians to convey our message and take action. Whether we do this in our local, regional or national parliaments. The same should apply to this Parliament, the Parliament of all Europeans. But we are the only parliament without the right of initiative; we cannot bring forward the laws citizens expect from us, as we said at the Conference on the Future of Europe. Cit…

6

Jun

2022

MT Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Ms President, Europe has a shortage of workers. Malta, a country, has a huge shortage of workers. We have come after the Commission for years to come up with proposals for legal migration routes because we are thirsty for our economies to continue growing, strengthening and raising workers with them. However, it was only in April that they were published. In some countries, 75% of businesses say t…

2

May

2022

EN Speech

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Election of the Members of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage (debate)

Mr President, it is time to take the European Parliament to the next level and, indeed, it is time to take the European project to the next level, and this could not have come at a better time. Citizens were given the opportunity to speak directly in this Chamber itself, and they told us the changes they want to see for the European Union to be closer to them, closer to citizens. And what a strong…

5

Apr

2022

EN Speech

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Revision of the Market Stability Reserve for the EU Emissions Trading System (A9-0045/2022 - Cyrus Engerer) (vote)

Mr President, I would like to request referral back to committee pursuant to Rule 59(4) so that we may begin interinstitutional negotiations.

4

Apr

2022

EN Speech

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Revision of the Market Stability Reserve for the EU Emissions Trading System (debate)

Madam President, thank you to the Vice—President of the Commission. I cannot but agree with you on all that you have said right now. I would like to first thank all of those who have participated in this debate on the Market Stability Reserve. It is the first out of the legislative files of the Fit for 55 Package that have come in front of this plenary. And I am very grateful for all the help and …