Speeches

Mr President, the case of Victoire Ingabire is a prime example of the ongoing challenges to freedom of expression and political participation in Rwanda. As a member of the Delegation to the Africa-EU Parliamentary Assembly, I am aware of how important it is to strengthen democratic principles and human rights in Africa. The EU has a responsibility to share its values and standards by supporting not only development but also human rights and democratic principles in civil society across Africa. We do it next week, observing the elections in Malawi. And we cannot accept that political opposition in Rwanda is systematically persecuted. The repeated imprisonment of Madam Ingabire, despite clear rulings by the African Court, is an alarming signal. The government of Rwanda must end political persecution and guarantee the safety of all political actors. Victoire Ingabire deserves and needs our support.

Mr President, dear colleagues, the horrible terrorist attacks in Colombia must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. These acts of violence not only claim innocent lives, but also represent an attack on our shared values, and here we have to support the government of Colombia in its fight against terrorism. As Vice-Chair of the Eurolat Committee on Political Affairs, Security and Human Rights, I always stress in our exchanges with politicians from Latin America that, on the one hand, democratic principles and, on the other hand, our fight against extremism and against terrorism must be in the centre of our political dialogue and our work we are doing together. So, Colombia is a key partner for the European Union, and we have to do more than only to work on a trade agreement, which we renewed in 2024. Colombia is a strategic partner for development, prosperity and also in the fight against crime and organised terrorism.

Madam President, dear colleagues, the recent events in Serbia remind us that European integration is much more than technical negotiations. Respect of our common values and fundamental human rights is crucial. The ongoing protests started peaceful, but the reaction at the same time was the wrong one. We have received many reports of disproportionate use of force by security services, and we must stress that Serbia's authorities have to ensure that fundamental rights are fully respected. A candidate country aspiring to join the European Union should show that it upholds our key principles. Yes, Serbia is an essential partner in the Western Balkans, and I still see the future of Serbia ultimately in the European Union. But the road to membership must be based on common democratic standards, and hopefully Serbia will come back to its path towards EU membership. Now it's not on this path.

Mr President, dear colleagues, as Chair of the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with the Arab Peninsula, I feel compelled to address the ongoing detention of Ryan Cornelius in the United Arab Emirates. I work for strengthening our relationship, but we have to be honest with our friends in the United Arab Emirates. Mr Cornelius was convicted in 2008. He served 10 years – a 10‑year sentence. However, in 2018, his detention was extended by an additional 20 years unless a substantial sum – over USD 400 million – is repaid. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention reviewed the case in 2022 and found that his imprisonment violates international human rights law. It concluded that Mr Cornelius has been arbitrarily detained and called for his immediate release. We recognise the importance of strong and constructive relations between the UAE and the European Union, and fully respect the independence of judicial systems. But our partnership must also be grounded in core principles, and these are the rule of law and human dignity. I therefore urge the UAE authorities to seriously re-examine Mr Cornelius's case. We have to continue with the already well‑established human rights dialogue between the UAE and the European Union.

Mr President, dear colleagues, as Chair of the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with the Arab Peninsula, I feel compelled to address the ongoing detention of Ryan Cornelius in the United Arab Emirates. I work for strengthening our relationship, but we have to be honest with our friends in the United Arab Emirates. Mr Cornelius was convicted in 2008. He served 10 years – a 10‑year sentence. However, in 2018, his detention was extended by an additional 20 years unless a substantial sum – over USD 400 million – is repaid. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention reviewed the case in 2022 and found that his imprisonment violates international human rights law. It concluded that Mr Cornelius has been arbitrarily detained and called for his immediate release. We recognise the importance of strong and constructive relations between the UAE and the European Union, and fully respect the independence of judicial systems. But our partnership must also be grounded in core principles, and these are the rule of law and human dignity. I therefore urge the UAE authorities to seriously re-examine Mr Cornelius's case. We have to continue with the already well‑established human rights dialogue between the UAE and the European Union.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. As far as my previous speaker friend, I would not go to call the patriots a criminal organization. But it is a well-known pattern – that is true. Right-wing populists are rattling against the European Union and, at the same time, using it illegally to an extent that is incomprehensible – that must be said. Le Pen has already been convicted with a dozen of her fellow MPs. It was a matter of millions of dollars – that's no small matter. And today there was another house search in Paris. The European Public Prosecutor's Office is now investigating the further abuse of 4.3 million euros. Involved: Right-wing extremist parties in France, Germany, Belgium, but also in Austria, which hits us very much. The investigation only found in Austria: 599 650 euros. 599 650 euros went to the FPÖ-related magazine Zur Zeit, published by a former member of the Liberal Party, here in the European Parliament. And who then defends all this as super clean? Harald Vilimsky, head of the FPÖ delegation, against whom several criminal proceedings are pending. What it needs now is, in fact, full enlightenment. And if something is illegal, then you also pay it back in the same way that you had to pay back a very high amount of money at that time – 400,000 euros for champagne celebrations.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. As far as my previous speaker friend, I would not go to call the patriots a criminal organization. But it is a well-known pattern – that is true. Right-wing populists are rattling against the European Union and, at the same time, using it illegally to an extent that is incomprehensible – that must be said. Le Pen has already been convicted with a dozen of her fellow MPs. It was a matter of millions of dollars – that's no small matter. And today there was another house search in Paris. The European Public Prosecutor's Office is now investigating the further abuse of 4.3 million euros. Involved: Right-wing extremist parties in France, Germany, Belgium, but also in Austria, which hits us very much. The investigation only found in Austria: 599 650 euros. 599 650 euros went to the FPÖ-related magazine Zur Zeit, published by a former member of the Liberal Party, here in the European Parliament. And who then defends all this as super clean? Harald Vilimsky, head of the FPÖ delegation, against whom several criminal proceedings are pending. What it needs now is, in fact, full enlightenment. And if something is illegal, then you also pay it back in the same way that you had to pay back a very high amount of money at that time – 400,000 euros for champagne celebrations.

Madam President, dear colleagues, the European Council conclusions send a clear and resolute message. The European Union remains steadfast in its commitment, firstly, to enlargement. We had the last one in 2013. The time has come for the next enlargement. Secondly, a clear message that we defend Ukraine's sovereignty, and it is a good signal. Also, the United States now said that they will continue in their support for the freedom of the people in Ukraine. And thirdly, the strengthening of our collective security. Austria was always in favour of enlargement, and we strongly support the credible merit-based enlargement process. This is essential for the future of the European Union. Enlargement was always a success story. We should continue with it. We need concrete results after years of negotiations, especially with Western Balkan countries, and we have to do everything so that we are not losing credibility. Therefore, we have to say very clear that we are absolutely in favour of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and guaranteed unhindered humanitarian access. This is necessary for us to keep our credibility.

Madam President, dear colleagues, I want to mention at the beginning that I think we have to see the reality. Bosnia and Herzegovina has only made limited progress in the reform agenda. When we compare this report with other reports from the region, we see there big, big differences. Yes, on the one side, Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to align with EU foreign and security policy – very important for us that new laws have been adopted on border control and data protection. But we have to see the role of Milorad Dodik. He has initiated unconstitutional actions undermining state laws, and he is always using secessionist rhetoric. Here we must condemn this in the strongest terms we can, and we have to support the unity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. So here we stand at the crossroads. So we should continue with our support for Bosnia and Herzegovina. But we should also have in mind how Milorad Dodik is acting – as he was acting yesterday, as he is doing it today. And I think he will not change in the future.

Madam President, dear colleagues, the situation in Belarus remains one of the most critical challenges facing Europe today. Nearly four years after these fraudulent presidential elections, as my colleague Ms Strack-Zimmermann mentioned, 1 160 Belarusians remain imprisoned not for crimes, but for bravely standing up for their fundamental rights of democracy, dignity and freedom. These political prisoners – journalists, students, trade unionists – are enduring unjust repression under this illegitimate Lukashenka regime. Their detention constitutes a grave violation of fundamental human rights, and we must demand their immediate and unconditional release. Until this happens, we cannot think about normalisation with such a regime. The release of Siarhei Tsikhanouski is a signal for hope, but it's not the end of our fight against this regime.

Madam President, dear colleagues, I want to reiterate when we talk about the Middle East, we have always have to remember the most significant threat in the region stems unmistakably from Iran and its network of proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. While Israel's pre-emptive strikes disrupted Tehran's operational capacity, the mullah regime, of course, will seek ways to continue destabilising the whole neighbourhood. And we saw it yesterday: the latest missiles were fired by the Houthis against Israel, and some weeks ago, Iran itself fired missiles on a major American base in Qatar. What we need is to push for diplomatic, political and economic initiatives to help to stabilise the region, like the European Commission is doing it, with the negotiations for a free trade agreement with the UAE. This is a good example of how we should act as a European Union. But the real threat is Tehran.

Mr President, dear colleagues, Europe has played an active role in supporting all the Sahel countries and mobilised more than EUR 600 million for Mali alone since 2014. This has included support for development, humanitarian aid and efforts to stabilise the region and fight and combat terrorism. But we see in Mali, if we fail in our engagement, there is dissolution of political life, the erosion of freedoms are spreading and immediately Russia is active on the ground whenever they see an opportunity. Just three weeks ago, we were on a mission in Mauritania, five kilometres away from Mali, and there we were in the Mbera camp. There are more than 120 000 refugees from Mali. This is another result, if we fail. Thousands of refugees are leaving their homeland. So what I want to say is, even it's very difficult, we have to work very hard to bring Mali back on a democratic path in the interest of the people of Mali.

Mr President, dear colleagues, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, with 181 member parliaments out of 193 countries in the world, expresses each year more and more concern over the growing number of human rights violations against parliamentarians. The number of cases brought before the IPU has more than tripled within one decade, from 311 in 2014 to 956 in 2024. The assassination attempt against Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe is one of these grave attacks on democracy, the rule of law and the fundamental rights of political participation and free expression. Therefore, we have to be in solidarity with Senator Uribe, and the EU must defend human rights and stand clearly against all forms of political intimidation.

Mr President, dear colleagues, we must always have in our mind that the big danger in the Middle East stems unmistakably from the mullah regime of Iran and its proxies, Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. It is not Israel which is the aggressor. These groups – enriched, equipped and directed by the mullah regime – present a unified front of existential threat to Israel and of destabilisation of the whole region. Israel is under immense pressure. Its pre-emptive strikes aim to disrupt the nuclear ambitions of Iran and degrade its operational capacity. This is an act of self-defence. We should respect it and Europe should support Israel.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, I want to underline what the Commissioner and also our rapporteur, Šarec, said. Yes, Montenegro is a frontrunner towards EU accession with a fully committed, pro-European government. There is also strong support from society: more than 75 % of the people back EU integration, and European legislation is supported by the governmental parties, but also by the opposition. The country has been using the euro since 2002, and Montenegro has been a reliable partner in NATO since 2017. I was in Montenegro last December, at the time when there was controversy regarding the retirement of a Constitutional Court judge. The Prime Minister took on board the advice of EU diplomats and also politicians, and he agreed to involve the Venice Commission. After their proposal, they found an acceptable and effective solution. So, what I want to say is that the report shows this progress, but it also includes negative points we have to work on, like corruption or a better electoral and judicial system. So finally, it recognises the significant progress. This is the most important thing: Montenegro is on its path for reforms and strong commitment to EU integration.

Madam President, Tundu Lissu is a long life fighter for human rights and democracy, currently serving as chair of Chadema, the biggest opposition party in Tanzania. He was arrested and charged with high treason on 10 April ‑ which carries a death penalty ‑ after calling for electoral reforms during a peaceful rally. International organisations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch or the International Democracy Union have condemned Lissu's arrest, with many calls for his release and condemnation of the attacks on political freedoms and human rights. The EU contributes hundreds of millions of euros to Tanzania through various initiatives. We have to be very clear that any European cooperation investment has to be tied to progress in the areas of the rule of law and human rights. The European Commission must closely monitor developments and especially Tundu's trial.

Mr President, colleagues, this report is both timely and necessary. Yes, Türkiye remains an important partner for the European Union politically, economically and strategically, but a strong partnership, however, must be based on shared values, on a commitment to democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights. Let me underline clearly that respect for the sovereignty and sovereign rights of all EU Member States, especially the Republic of Cyprus, is non-negotiable. Moreover, persistent shortcomings regarding fundamental rights, democratic backsliding, and compliance with the European Court of Human Rights are deeply concerning. Therefore I think that the report's conclusions that accession negotiations should remain suspended until Türkiye demonstrates clear and substantial progress is moving in the right direction. It is appropriate to show Türkiye our disappointment in a clear way. If there is no progress at all I think it will be better to stop the negotiations with Türkiye.

Mr President, dear colleagues, the Armenian Genocide resulted in the murder of over 1 million Armenians and as well countless Assyrians, Chaldeans and Pontic Greeks. We remember the victims of violence, murder and expulsion and honour their memory by reaffirming our commitment to truth, justice and reconciliation. The recognition of historical truths is not merely an academic exercise. It is a moral imperative for all of us. By acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide, we take a crucial step toward preventing future crimes against humanity. As history has shown, denial and silence only serve to perpetuate cycles of violence and injustice. It is our duty to ensure that the mistakes of the past are neither forgotten nor repeated. In 2015, I initiated that the Austrian Parliament adopted a resolution recognising and condemning the Armenian Genocide. The path to reconciliation is neither simple nor swift. It requires courage, transparency and the willingness to confront painful truths. We must call upon to Türkiye to engage earnestly in this process by recognising the crimes committed against the Armenians and other Christians through the Ottoman Empire. We have to do everything to ensure that this never happens again.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen! How we treat minorities shows whether we are actually able to enforce respect for human rights for all. The largest group in Europe is the Roma and Sinti. More than 10 million people from Spain to Romania, also recognized as an ethnic group in Austria. That's the one, the positive. The negative: Roma are of course – and unfortunately so – affected by disadvantages on a daily basis, whether on the labour market or in the housing sector. Europe is a continent of diversity. Our task is therefore not only to tolerate this diversity, but also to actively protect and promote it. A society is only fair if it offers equal opportunities to all citizens. That's why we have to work together.

The worst thing for me is that Orbán is stealing Hungary's future in the European Union, pushing Hungary more and more into isolation. This is the biggest theft of Hungary's future.

Madam President, dear colleagues, 'Je suis Marine', said Prime Minister Orbán two days ago. What did he mean? The misuse of EUR 2.9 million. Is this what he shares with Marine Le Pen? But it's not this statement on X that is concerning. The recent legislative changes in Hungary should be a wake up call for all democrats in Europe. They undermine fundamental rights, weaken democratic institutions and erode the rule of law, all of which are core values of the European Union. And as Members of this Parliament, I think it's our duty to speak out and act when these principles are at risk. Austria has always had in its history a special relationship with Hungary, the Hungarian colleagues know it, and we always supported constructive dialogue. But media restrictions, judicial interference and the erosion of civil society are unacceptable. As the EU Member States have to be on the right side, also Hungary must uphold its commitments under EU law. The rule of law conditionality mechanism must be enforced. EU funds cannot support governments that undermine democracy. If Orbán ‑ and its Orbán ‑ continues on this path, there must be consequences.

Madam President, the targeted attacks against Christians in Congo are horrific acts of violence which demand our immediate attention and decisive actions. What do we have to do? We must intensify, of course, diplomatic efforts with DCR authorities to ensure the protection of all religious communities. We must establish a comprehensive monitoring and reporting mechanism, and we have to hold perpetrators accountable. We must provide stronger support to civil society organisations that are working tirelessly to promote interfaith dialogue. And we must collaborate with international partners, including the United Nations and regional organisations, to enhance our collective capacity to address religious persecution effectively.

Madam President, dear colleagues, as many colleagues mentioned already, the recent arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu is not just an attack on an individual, it is an attack on democracy. Detaining a leading opposition figure, along with 100 others on politically motivated charges, is an attempt to eliminate political competition ahead of a crucial election. This repression extends beyond politics. Independent media is being silenced. International journalists are being expelled, and peaceful protesters are met with brutal crackdowns. Still, an EU candidate country and a member of the Council of Europe, Türkiye must uphold democratic principles and the rule of law, and the EU must respond with more than words. We must apply diplomatic and economic pressure to demand accountability.

Madam President, the EU is not only an economic and political union. Two of our cornerstones are human rights and democracy. Looking around the world, we see increasing threats to these principles. Authoritarian regimes are suppressing civil society, independent media and political opposition. But the misuse of EUR 2.9 million, as it was done by Le Pen and her party members, that has nothing to do with political oppression. It is justice if someone is doing criminal acts that he is sentenced or she is sentenced, in this case. The space for human rights defenders is shrinking worldwide. Therefore, we must remain a force that protects human rights in its Member States and we have to fight around the globe as our High Representative Kaja Kallas mentioned it.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, If a speaker in front of me has attacked the French judiciary so head-on, it shows how important it is that we stand by European values, that we defend our legal system, and that can only be done if the European Union remains strong and united. Because if in the tone of the Putin spokesman Peskov after the abuse of 2.9 million euros here is done as if nothing had happened, and the judiciary is found guilty and not the culprit is held responsible, then this shows: Sometimes it is already five to twelve for colleagues here. It is therefore all the more important that the European Union clearly showed at this Council meeting that this strength in the EU remains on key points when it comes to setting us up economically strong; that this plan will be presented in June here, where the single market will be strengthened, where there will be deeper financial integration and also an Investment Union. Then it is all the more important when a black Wednesday comes here tomorrow – when President Trump will kick off this customs avalanche. There is a need for a strong European Union, which will jointly take appropriate countermeasures and which will be guided by the values and the legal system in Europe. This sets us apart from other groups in the House.