Speeches

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we know that the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic have made it possible to strengthen the European Union. Robusting our preparedness to respond to health threats or crises. But there is still a lot to do. In terms of citizens' literacy. Also in terms of accelerating the development of medicines, tests and vaccines against the main threats, without forgetting the guarantee of their availability. I therefore welcome the work of HERA and the Commission reflected in the Strategy for the Establishment of Reserves in the area of medical countermeasures. In particular, the establishment of a European diagnostic centre and a European therapeutic centre, which will contribute to the strategic autonomy of the Union and the establishment of specialised professionals. It was announced that the Commission is examining the need to revise the 2014 Vaccine Procurement Agreement and this is also necessary. Ladies and gentlemen, anyone who thinks that we can face threats or crises, health or otherwise, without coordination, without the support of science, without sharing information, has not really understood anything that has happened in recent years in our world.

Madam President, Commissioner, Minister, in the European Union this year, temperatures, burnt areas and the number of fires are already above average. And in my country, in Portugal, there is significant fire activity, although we are still in the early summer. This reality is and will be more and more frequent and it is one of the reasons for strengthening preparedness at European level, because extreme weather events know no borders. The recent EU Preparedness Strategy fits into this context. It is a good strategy, consistent with the efforts made this summer, which translate into the reinforcement of firefighters, ground teams and planes allocated in a coordinated manner. But this consistency is not reflected in other decisions. This is the case of the Regulation on a monitoring framework for the resilience of European forests, which is currently under discussion in this House and on which the Council has adopted a common position that empties the Commission proposal, a good one, and which some political forces in this House are willing to reject. Without reliable, up-to-date and comparable data on European forests, there will be no preparedness and protection policies. How can we be so incoherent?

Honourable Member, I can only answer for myself and my political family. We always associate two words: preparation for war and strengthening our security, but also peace. And she means all that she said: education, health, stronger welfare state.

Madam President, Madam President of the European Council, Commissioner, unsurprisingly, the conclusions of the last Council show how difficult it is for our Member States to form progressive consensuses. Commitments to support Ukraine, strengthening European defence and security and competitiveness are to be welcomed, but complacency in the face of the Israeli government, the timidity of the reference to peace diplomacy and effective multilateralism or adherence to the outsourcing of migration policies are to be regretted. Above all, the political silence in the face of the war in the Gaza Strip is distressing. We are faced with ‘double standards’, comparing the positions taken by the Heads of State and Government on the invasion of Ukraine – the 18th package of sanctions – and the invasion of Gaza – which do not even gather consensus to trigger the revision of the Association Agreement with Israel. But the silence on denouncing the consequences of the externalisation of our border control, particularly in the transit countries of North Africa, is also heartbreaking. I welcome the concern for the protection of international courts and recall that Europe is, in essence, a peace project and that is where its future lies.

Madam President, the situation in the Middle East continues to give us back the image of disrespect for the international order and multilateralism, but also the image of our collective failure. In Lebanon, the terms of the ceasefire are not being respected and Israel has conducted further airstrikes. In Iran, the Israeli and US bombings likely delayed the development of nuclear weapons, but led to the suspension of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and further isolation of the country. And in Gaza, where more than 20 Israeli hostages remain in Hamas hands, the epicenter of the greatest humanitarian tragedy remains. After 33 months of war, hungry people succumb every day. UNICEF reports 112 children hospitalised per day for malnutrition. In the lines of access to humanitarian aid, now at the hands of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, 500 people have already died and 4,000 have been injured in the food dispute. That is why today we are once again echoing the voices of European citizens who question our institutions. And we ask each of the foreign ministers of our Member States who will meet on 15 July: Ladies and gentlemen, what position will you take when you discuss the question of the suspension of the Association Agreement?

Mr President, the dissolution of political parties in Mali is a serious violation of the fundamental principles of any rule of law and constitutional order. Without pluralism, without freedom of expression, without the involvement of civil society and without the democratic participation of citizens, no lasting political stability can be built. From the 2020 coup d'état and the military junta's takeover came the commitment of a transitional government with the responsibility of preparing elections. However, what we saw was a prolongation of the presidential term, an increase in repression of the opposition, arbitrary arrests and an increase in human rights violations. In this way, instability grows and the international isolation of Mali worsens. We therefore call on the transitional authorities to restore democratic space as a matter of urgency, to annul the decision that dissolved the parties and to fix an electoral calendar, of course. Only then can there be a real future for Mali.

Mr President, Madam High Representative, the military escalation between Iran and Israel is, unfortunately, a smokescreen over the immensity of the humanitarian tragedy that continues in Gaza, the political abandonment of the Hamas hostages, the diplomatic efforts to return to the ceasefire, the discussion on the situation of the two states and respect for international order and institutions, the very nature of the political regimes of Iran and Israel. It was therefore with immense sadness that I heard the words of the President of the Commission at the opening of the G7 Summit: Israel has the right to defend itself; Iran is the main source of regional instability. About Gaza, just silence. Forced population transfers, ethnic cleansing, hunger and thirst as weapons of war, the destruction of essential services, the violation of international law with the distribution of humanitarian aid by a proxy of Israel. What else do our Member States, our countries, need in order to obtain the unanimity needed to suspend the Association Agreement with Israel? Our institutions may want to look away, but Europeans...

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to begin by stressing that the commitment and resilience shown by the Government and the people of Moldova to carry out, in a short period of time and in a difficult geopolitical context, the reforms necessary to meet the criteria for membership of the European Union and to refer to the constitutional enshrinement of a pro-European course must inspire us all. Despite campaigns, all hybrid threats and external interference, Moldova has made real progress in areas such as the rule of law, socio-economic reforms, energy independence and environmental sustainability. This autumn's own parliamentary elections should not waste these results. But the responsibility is not only for Moldova, it is also ours. The European institutions need to ensure the support that ensures that for all these reforms there is irreversibility and concrete results in the lives of citizens. The future of Moldova is a matter of mutual strategic and political interest. We can therefore only strongly advocate accelerating their gradual integration into an accession process that must be demanding, but also fair, transparent and free of artificial blockages.

Madam President, Commissioner, for two months now, the refusal of aid has put the entire population of Gaza in the face of acute levels of food insecurity: 20% in catastrophic starvation, 71,000 children, 17,000 mothers with acute malnutrition – the antechamber of death. Meanwhile, at the borders, rows of trucks loaded with humanitarian aid are waiting for permission to enter. I was there in February on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border; The trucks were stationary and the ceasefire was in effect at that time. Along the road, humanitarian aid was waiting to be delivered in droppers. In this scenario, the entry of 100 trucks is nothing. The proposal to create humanitarian corridors militarised by Israel deserves repudiation under international law. It is unacceptable that the protection of civilians and access to humanitarian aid should be conducted under the military control of one of the parties to the conflict. Therefore, today, we simply repeat that the European Union has a heavy responsibility, and I call on the High Representative, the President of the Council and the President of the Commission to raise their voices in the name of the immediate and complete opening of humanitarian corridors and to make use of the suspension of the agreement immediately.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, it has been almost three decades since Parliament and the Council adopted an action programme on rare diseases - Fabry, Duchenne, Behçet or - especially present in my country, Portugal - Corino de Andrade disease, diseases that represent a small number of cases in society, but pose great difficulties for patients, families and national health systems. This is why the new European Action Plan is so necessary and why it now improves on what has already been created: the European Platform on Rare Disease Registration, the European Reference Networks, the authorisation of orphan medicinal products or the empowerment of patient organisations. But we have not forgotten how much remains to be done: more than 95% of rare diseases have no treatment available on the market and the average diagnosis time is 5 years. That is why, in this mandate, we must speed up the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases in the Union, but above all we must buy together, negotiate together orphan medicines.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the persecution of media workers in Cameroon reflects the atmosphere of political repression in Cameroon, which is well known to be one of the countries in Africa with the highest number of cases of journalists being detained. Abusing national security laws, resorting to administrative measures and resorting to military courts, Cameroonian authorities have arbitrarily detained journalists critical of official policies for many years. Cases of enforced disappearance, torture, violence, defamation and even murder have also been reported. These cases not only constitute very serious attacks on freedom of expression, but also undermine the balance of power and the public's access to free and unhindered information. So today, here, the appeal is simple and clear. We call on the Cameroonian authorities to immediately release Amadou Vamoulké, Kingsley Fomunyuy Njoka, Mancho Bibixy, Thomas Awah Junior and Tsi Conrad and to promote a clear and transparent investigation into the previous killings of other journalists.

Madam High Representative, today I want to talk to you about the unbearable silence of the European Union regarding the crimes of Mr Netanyahu's government. The silence in which our Member States take refuge, when in this House we call for the suspension of the Association Agreement with Israel, because it makes trade relations conditional on respect for human rights and every day they are violated in Gaza and the West Bank. The silence that we heard you maintain last week, when you regretted the interruption of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, without ever mentioning who so often violated it and, finally, broke it. The silence to which we ourselves, as Members of the European Parliament, are forced when questioned by the public opinion of Palestine, Israel and our countries. The silence in the face of the political instrumentalisation of Hamas hostages and the protests in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, in the face of the deaths of 50 000 Palestinians and the slow extermination of the population still living in Gaza, deprived of everything, even water. The silence that we are asking you to break today, Madam High Representative. Help us not to lose trust in our institutions.

Madam President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Commissioner, I would like to welcome the conclusions of the last European Council regarding the centrality which they attributed to the economic agenda. We know well that strengthening the European Pillar of Social Rights depends on Europe's prosperity, that only with more growth can we create more jobs, more quality jobs, and strengthen Europe's industrial base and autonomy. We therefore support the three priorities of the new agenda: simplifying, making energy more affordable for all and improving market integration. We are well aware of the gains of the administrative simplification agenda in Portugal, but we completely reject the idea of simplifying and deregulating. We must not forget that markets have flaws and that it is up to the state to correct them for the protection of all. As we cannot – or do not want to – forget that our position in international trade cannot be achieved by turning a blind eye to violations of human rights and the multilateral order. And on this issue and the voice that the European Union needs to have on the international stage, the Council conclusions remain disappointing.

Mr President, Commissioner, Sudan is experiencing an unprecedented human catastrophe since the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces started a civil war almost two years ago. Trapped in this confrontation are millions of Sudanese, in particular women and children. Sexual violence, rape of women, girls, boys – including collective rape – is systematically used as a weapon of war, with their bodies becoming part of the battlefield. The United Nations considers rape the oldest, most silenced and least condemned war crime, but this practice is also used to sow terror. Therefore, we have an obligation to demand the investigation and accountability of the perpetrators of these crimes. But we also have an obligation to maintain strong support for their victims, through mechanisms and funds available in the context of humanitarian aid, including health. We may not have it in our hands to end the war, but we have it in our hands to alleviate the suffering of its victims.

Madam President, Commissioner, the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is in a tragic stalemate. To put pressure, Israel cut off all electricity supply to Gaza (which also prevents access to desalinated drinking water) and suspended all humanitarian aid inflows. We can no longer passively watch the degradation of life in Gaza. Israel must again allow humanitarian aid – which is not an instrument of pressure on Hamas, but a right of the civilian population in Gaza. The prolongation of the war in Gaza only serves Netanyahu’s political and personal interests, supported by an ultra-Orthodox far-right coalition. The Trump administration's disrespectful proposals for the territory only reinforce this leadership, which is increasingly far from representing all Israelis. The wounds of decades will only begin to heal if we build a two-state solution based on equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians. And to do so, Israel and Hamas need to move back immediately to fulfil the subsequent phases of the ceasefire agreement.

Madam President, Commissioner, the proposed Critical Medicines Act is an essential part of the architecture of our common security and defence, as we learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. We know, in our countries, the experience of rupture of vital medicines (such as anesthetics, antibiotics, even insulin), as we know the diagnosis of our weaknesses: dependence on less than a handful of geographical origins in raw materials and erosion of the European industrial base. Our action is urgent because the results require time, and legislative responses are really the easiest part of what we need to do. Yes, we need a list of critical medicines, stocks Contingency, new public procurement practices. We really need to invest in European manufacturing. But it's not enough. We need to recognise that only through common European coordination and investment can we succeed in this strategy, and that the availability of medicines on the market does not serve European citizens if access, from the point of view of affordability, is at stake. Yes, we also need to talk about the price of medicines, and these are aspects that we will not give up on.

Madam President, dear President-in-Office of the Council, I would like to begin by welcoming the conclusions of last week's extraordinary European Council. More than ever, we all understand that European security is closely linked to the outcome of the war in Ukraine. The rearmament of the European Union, notably to respond to hybrid threats, is not a choice, it is an emergency of deterrence. Ukraine needs immediate support, including the mobilisation of frozen Russian assets, and the Council conclusions show the understanding that we are experiencing a historic break. But we need to go further. Just as we were able to do in the response to the pandemic, so too in security and defence investment we need greater solidarity and coordination between Member States, including through debt mutualisation and joint purchasing. And at the same time, we need to do everything to maintain the same investment ambition in the social and environmental areas of the European Union, which are our raison d'être. Finally, we need to be clear with our citizens: the moment we live in is serious, and we probably won't get over it without sacrifices. The just peace we want for Ukraine is the peace that will protect us, as free and democratic societies, all.

Mr President, what I think is required of the European Union is that the voices we hear in this House today, this afternoon, should not be those that triumph at the end of the day, but rather the voices of support for common responsibility, respect for others, respect for human life, respect for the international order, because that is why we came to politics, not to be 'America first', not to be 'others first'. That is the answer that the citizens outside expect from the European Union and the only one that is truly worth fighting for.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the world we have known in recent decades has changed. O American First It represents hostility to the multilateral order. The withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement will weaken for the second time the global commitment to fight climate change. The withdrawal from the World Health Organization will remove 330 million people from the Global Coordination of Responses to International Health Emergencies, putting the entire population at risk. Because we have not forgotten the lesson that no one is safe until we are all safe. And finally, the suspension of USAID's action will have the immediate effect of worsening poverty, food insecurity and instability with waves of refugees and migrants. The American exit from the multilateral scene will accelerate the geopolitical realignment with the reinforcement of protagonists such as China and Russia. The institutions of the European Union and its Member States have, in this context, a historic responsibility, to take the lead in resisting and defending an alternative world, committed to multilateralism, global health, sustainable development and people, because that is why we are here.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, desertification and land degradation, like climate change, are a reality that calls into question the most basic human rights, such as the right to food or the right to access clean and safe water. They hit the most vulnerable communities in particular, women, children, indigenous peoples, but potentially they will hit us all. And COP 16, which took place in Riyadh last December, reinforced the urgency of combating these phenomena, through the intensification of international collaboration and an integrated approach. The European Union reaffirmed its commitment to the overall target of land degradation neutrality and its commitment to achieving this objective by 2030 by encouraging Member States to adopt policies that favour land restoration and the implementation of sustainable agricultural practices. Therefore, the European Union must continue to encourage the adoption of these regenerative agricultural practices, which respect natural ecosystems and contribute to the restoration of degraded soils, and must fight for the implementation of the Nature Restoration Law. But the inclusion of civil society and the private sector in this fight is essential, and this requires supportive initiatives. I want to mention here an initiative of civil society in my country, Portugal, which exemplifies well this struggle that we need to carry out with it. And it is the Pró-Montado Alentejo initiative, a project that aims to promote the construction of an active forest barrier in the southern region of Portugal, based on the cork oak and holm oak forest, with the aim of mitigating the effects of climate change, combating desertification, protecting diversity and, finally, combating depopulation.

Madam President, Commissioner, Boualem Sansal, a French-Algerian citizen, free spirit, award-winning writer and political dissident, was arrested last year for daring to speak out against the political and social situation in his country, accused of an attack on state security. His act is considered terrorism and he risks life imprisonment and the death penalty. This detention, like many others in Algeria, raises the issue of disrespect for freedom of expression in a country, ironically, which sits on the UN Human Rights Council for the period 2023-2025. This detention, like others in similar situations, cannot be exploited by anyone. Freedom of expression has an intrinsic value. So here is this Parliament's appeal to the Algerian authorities today: immediate release of Boualem Sansal and all those arbitrarily detained for peacefully exercising freedom of expression, alteration of the use of the legal framework of terrorism for the repression of fundamental freedoms, freedom of the press, freedom in Algeria.

Honourable Member, two very important things: firstly, the response that China has just given to what was the withdrawal of US support for the World Health Organization is an example for this House, as China has just stepped up its financial intervention in the World Health Organization to cover the withdrawal of the United States. That is what the European Union needs to do. Secondly, on the question of armaments, I have no doubt that the defence of peace sometimes also involves armaments.

Mr President, Commissioner, Minister, Trump's arrival in the White House, his inaugural speech and the first presidential decrees clearly show what we can expect. Trump's "America First" shows us the choice for weakening transatlantic cooperation in areas such as defence, trade or climate policies. The reference to the construction of a society blind to diversity shows us a choice not only with regard to disrespect for individual rights, but also, reflexively, with regard to contempt for international organisations and multilateralism. Finally, Trump's idea that the best war fought is one in which the United States does not enter raises questions about the United States' commitment to its global position. We fully respect the democratic choice of American citizens and want the United States to remain a privileged partner of the European Union, but not at any cost. We are not ready to do without our values, our principles, our identity, especially when it comes to interference and technological interference in our liberal democracies. The European Union, all of us, this House, is required to do more than manage silences or contemporize. It requires a sense of urgency, investment in our strategic autonomy and also a sense of awareness of our value.

Mr President, 24 hours have passed since the start of the ceasefire in Gaza and we do not know for how long the hope will last, but we are delighted at the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees. Today is the day of a new phase that asks, in addition to seriousness in its implementation, restraint of the parties. At any moment, the fragile peace agreement can be broken. The release of all hostages captured by Hamas and those arbitrarily detained in Israel's prisons is a step. The immediate entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza is another. But this temporary pause cannot make us forget the need to face the deep roots of conflict. We need a two-state solution, support for the reconstruction of Gaza, respect for the decisions of international courts and the work of UN agencies, including UNRWA. It is time to repair the possible and design a solution for the future. And the European Union must be present, not only with financial aid, but as an active part in the search for a political solution built within the framework of the United Nations. If we want to be this European Union, we must first understand each other here in this House.