Speeches

Madam President, I am writing to the European Commission to convey to you what the Saharawi people are celebrating, which is the victory the other day at the European Court of Justice in three agreements for which the Saharawi people have been fighting for many years, which have to do with legality, justice and the fact of being able to access their own natural, terrestrial, fishing and halieutical resources. And that is why they are celebrating this victory in the refugee camps and also in the occupied territories. But now the European Commission has to get wet and so do the Member States. They have to do things right after years of thinking so that these agreements do not go ahead in any way, as would be international legality. Now the Commission and the Council will have to define themselves to agree first to return to the Polisario Front what they did not receive, because there is an agreement with Morocco that would be illegal at the moment. Secondly, they will have to set up a Western Sahara working group within the European Commission itself and implement the ruling. That's what's expected.

Madam President, today the streets of Galicia are full of a voice against the femicide that took place yesterday in Domaio, Moaña. Male violence, violence affects one third of European women. Right now, the streets of my country are saying 'no' to violence to stop femicide. Thirty-seven women were murdered this year in Spain. One in 200 women is raped. Violence is much more than external violence, it is intra-family violence, for those who speak of foreigners. We women don't have to go out in fear on the streets; we women must not be afraid in our homes; We women must have public support so that this violence, this femicide, does not end our lives.

Mr President, speeches by the far right, such as those by Salvini, Le Pen and Bardella, in favour of reinstating border controls are speeches against European cohesion. We have had a lot of discussion in the European Parliament's Committee on Petitions about the petitions of citizens from different Member States such as Bulgaria or Romania. I do not see Mr Bardella in the Chamber, as I have never seen him in the Committee on Petitions, even when there were debates about borders or other issues. So the extreme right comes here, it talks, it produces blabla, but it is not interested in the situation of citizens in the border areas, which is really serious. Where's Mr. Bardella?

Madam President, all lives matter. We care about all lives, but do all deaths matter the same? A year later. A year of murder. A year without going to school. One year of families suffering: all families. A year without a home. A year of destruction of hospitals. A year of not being able to cure diseases. A year without enough humanitarian aid for lack of medicines. A year calling for peace. A year without international law. A year without humanitarian law. One year calling for a ceasefire, as we have called for in this Parliament. One year. In a year too many people have died without solutions being sought. One MP said that more children were being killed because of rapid population growth. I ask that those words be removed. No child anywhere has the right to be killed. Geopolitics cannot be equidistance. Confusing anti-Semitism with denouncing genocide is very twisted and that is why we will continue to cry out for peace. Because in these 12 months of brutal offensive in the Gaza Strip, more than 41,000 people have been killed. A year without humanity.

Mr President, all my solidarity with disasters throughout Europe. The image of the scorched earth in Portugal... All my solidarity with the brother country. The ashes are coming to my country, Galicia. It's devastating! Deaths, affected agricultural land, loss of biodiversity, depleted firefighters. And you know why? Because the eucalyptus is the species that burned the most in Portugal and Galicia. The cellulose industry, which devastates Portugal and Galicia and grows thanks to companies such as Ence, and now with the threat of the Portuguese company Altri, which wants to come to Galicia, is a flammable species that increases the risks of fire and that has an impact on water scarcity and the change of the hydrological cycle. Today I say to the European Commission and its services: be alert, attentive to the problem of intensive cultivation of eucalyptus, watch over this cellulose company, Altri, which attacks the water and causes fires.

Madam President, imagine that you live in a country that cannot give enough resources to its citizens, in a country that is absolutely blocked, in a country where scientists are prevented from publishing in international journals because there is a blockade, the blockade of the United States, that unjust blockade that has been denounced at the United Nations so many times by an overwhelming majority of its Member States. Listening to the interventions of the right and the extreme right in this House, I would like to tell you one very important thing that affects my country, Galiza. We are an emigrant people and most of our emigrants in the 19th century marched to Cuba; We have a sister relationship with the Cuban people and there is enormous solidarity, because we know what they are suffering, but, above all, I would like to bring them a little shame, because even their historical leader, Manuel Fraga, had relations with Cuba. And that they come here to take advantage again of the suffering that the Cuban people are having because of a tragic embargo, is, of course, a joke and, in addition, to support institutions that are protecting from Miami the overthrow of a Government. And finally, to break the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement that Cuba currently has with the European Union.

The reality is this, it is a series of international crimes that violate international law, with an abandoned population; the reality is this and, although they do not want to see the photographs, nothing happens, it is that it is reality: there are more than 41,000 people killed. And it annoys me very much that there are MEPs like Mr Girauta, who has just left, who has been paid by the European Parliament. lobby Zionists, come here to give lessons, because what those MEPs would have to have is a little humanity, and call for a ceasefire and for that abandoned population to have humanitarian assistance. They have not been to Rafah, as I have been, seeing more than two thousand trucks of humanitarian assistance stand still. Israel is violating international law, and what we need to do is very clear: suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement and proceed with the arms embargo and the rupture of diplomatic relations of all the countries of the European Union. Afterwards, there will be peace when there is equality and precisely when one speaks not to a genocidal person, but to a people who are massacred. European streets, from Galiza to Brussels, speak loud and clear: "not in our name, let's not fight or be complicit in genocide". That is why we voted against this European Commission, which has not moved and has totally opted for inaction in the face of this genocide.

Madam President, Commissioner, Madam President von der Leyen, it is not a war, it is genocide. And as such genocide I will show you this image, Commissioner: Look at her, please. You've seen her many times. Or this image...

Mr President, as a Galician MEP, I want to represent the mandates given to me by the voters to stop Altri's pulp project in Galicia. A project that degrades the environment, landscape, agriculture, waters, ecology and way of life of an entire territory. Multinationals arrive, they consume our resources and then they leave. In Galicia, we refuse to allow this situation to continue. European funds should be used to combat depopulation, to build necessary infrastructure for collective use and not to destroy our land. The social response to this project has been communicated to the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament and will bring together, on 3 October, representatives of the Ulloa Viva Platform, which brings together numerous groups, to explain why this project violates European directives. The Galician and Spanish People's Party are already exerting influence to prevent the voice of our people from reaching this Parliament through me. So, in this first plenary, let the Galician people know that they are going to have me here to fight for this cellulose project to be stopped. Not Altri!

Madam President, Commissioner McGuinness, as a Galician MEP, I invite you to come to my country to talk about the Strategic Dialogue, to talk to the producers and producers, who asked me during the election campaign: why does a Galician farmer or a Galician farmer receive less than a farmer from Germany or France? We have to live to produce, not live poorly, as is happening with many Galician farmers. There is talk of renewal and a future for young farmers. In my country, they leave the rural sector because there are no services, because prices are very low, because there are no fair wages in agriculture. We need a reform to ensure access to land and that you pay for producing, for working, and not for having, not for hectares. We need services, advice and a rural structure that is not based on eucalyptus, as is now the case with the Galician government. Between 2005 and 2020, half of the dairy and meat farms in my country closed down. 200 milk farms have disappeared each year. Of course we have to dialogue. Discuss to make it easier and not for farmers to disappear.

Madam President, after the more than 41 000 Palestinians and international victims killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, in this new term, colleagues, I want to reiterate my request of the past mandate for a minute of silence for the victims in Gaza. The European Parliament must stop with the double standards with the victims and stand against the genocide in Gaza, calling for a permanent ceasefire and sanctions on Israel: children, hospitals, schools, journalists are not a target.

Mr. President, Chato Galante, an anti-Franco activist and activist of democratic memory, said that there will never be true democracy as long as there is no truth, justice and reparation. To him and to all the victims of Francoism who have had to go to Argentina, to the Argentine lawsuit against Francoism, I dedicate this intervention today. Listening to the People's Party and listening to VOX whitewashing neo-fascism, which we have denounced so many times in Europe, is a real shame. The PP, it is clear, that, with that abolition of democratic memory laws, it is sold to the neofascism of VOX. I am very happy that, in my country, in Galiza, VOX has zero deputies. I'm very happy. Because truth, justice and reparation have to be our goal, our goal also here, where, by the way, there was a group of historical memory. If you see this flower it means fascism. Never more. And we will continue precisely for that reason, to denounce these fascists who dishonor democracy and who dishonor the European peoples.

Mr Angel, thank you very much for your mandate. The ninth Cohesion Report speaks of the government of my country, Galicia, and reads as follows: Galicia disapproves of the European Union examination. This Cohesion Report says that the quality of government is below the European average. We know this well, Galicians and Galicians, with a demographic challenge, with professionals fleeing, with a lack of support for rural areas and, also, with challenges in public services, a lot of lack of pediatricians, a lot of lack of investment. Galicia disapproves of the European Union's examination, Commissioner. And it is not me – a Galician MEP from the NBG – who says so. This is reported by the European Governance Quality Index. It is unfortunate that European funds have not been used to avoid all the problems that my country has. What a different thing it would be if we ruled.

Madam President, I want to thank all the workers of this Parliament. I want to thank you in all the languages. (The speaker said ‘thank you’ in several languages)

Madam President, we have to stop this genocide. The European streets are telling us, day after day, week after week, that this genocide must be stopped. Mr Borrell, you know that the European Parliament has asked you for more action, sanctions, recognition of Palestine, support for humanitarian aid and expulsion from Israeli embassies, just as they do not allow Members of the European Parliament to enter their territory. Also strong measures of respect and humanitarian aid. Israel, Netanyahu, they don't want eyes, they don't want witnesses. Look at that picture that just won an award: A mother with a dead child in her arms should be the shame of Europe. It should be the shame of our peoples that we end this European legislature and the ceasefire has not been achieved. Israel has no limits. Those humanitarian graves, those persecuted aid workers... Nothing like it has been seen. I did not want to leave this legislature that ends this week without saying that impunity is enough, that we call for a ceasefire and recognition of the Palestinian state.

Mr President, there is an increase in gender-based violence in Europe. Violence is a scourge, it is a structural problem and it must be combated. On the streets, feminism has said loud and clear that we don't want violence. If they hit one of us, they hit all of us. If they kill one of us, they kill all of us. We had to wait until 2024 to have such a directive; a directive that is not complete, as we said a moment ago, after the boycott of France and Germany, Commissioner. I remember when we came to the government in 2005 in my country, in Galicia, and we made a law against gender violence that was a priority. I hope we have more courts, more resources, more salaries... for freedom. May no girl, no teenager and no woman have to be afraid when we leave our homes, when we are in our homes or when we defend our position as women. A sexual relationship without consent is undoubtedly rape. We'll always say that loud and clear. But seeing the advance of neofascism, which also denies gender-based violence, I think it's the least bad text we could hope for. Surely we would like something more, but we will fight so that, in the future, in the next Parliament, we already have a directive that also contemplates the inclusion of rape.

Mr President, as a Galician MEP for the BNG, I defend pacifism and antimilitarism. We defend peace, politics as dialogue, diplomacy as a bridge, negotiating conflicts rather than escalating them by sending more weapons that prolong wars and genocide. Not on our behalf. War is defended by all those who are willing to send more weapons and prolong conflicts, those who are willing to do anything. And I want to call again, in this last plenary session, for an end to the war. We must put an end to the massacre and genocide of the Palestinian people, recognise the State of Palestine and put an end to the crimes committed by Israel. The hypocrisy and cynicism that exists in Europe in relation to wars show who is really behind it, those who sell arms. Therefore, always for peace, not for wars. Not on our behalf.

Madam President, as a Galician MEP, this debate is very important for my country, Galicia. The environmental disaster of the loss of plastic pellets off the coast of Galicia was evidence of the lack of response from the Galician government. Mr. Millán Mon, it was a veritable irresponsibility of the People's Party government. I welcome the rapporteur's words. Always present and always helping so that these disasters are not repeated, with prevention, with safe storage. Thank you very much! We want to prevent the recurrence of events such as the container ship accident. I recently spoke to the mayor of Muros. And listen to the Lord, listen to the People's Party, she says that the pellets continue to arrive, that the white tide continues to arrive, and that they are in great difficulty. So do not lie here, because this is undoubtedly a European problem, Commissioner, and we therefore want maritime transport to be included, compulsory transport and responsibility to be included, so that people like mine in Galicia do not continue to be those who receive oil tides and microplastic tides.

Madam President, this day four years ago my mother died. I think every day in sadness of the mothers and children of Gaza. Mothers without children. Children without mothers. President, I want to reiterate my request for a minute of silence for the Palestinians and international victims killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip. It’s the only case which we don’t have any minutes of silence. It’s time, President and Members of the Chamber, to stand against the genocide in Gaza and stand up for a permanent ceasefire.

Mr President, in the centre of my country, Galicia, the speculators of the Portuguese company ALTRI, through their Galician society, want to install a gigantic polluting cellulose factory in a territory with a unique nature, water, heritage, work and landscape. The project promotes a forestry model contrary to European objectives and protected areas such as the Natura Network, promoting the monoculture of eucalyptus. Since the project cannot be implemented in Portugal, the Galician government wants this project to be installed in Galicia, and that we Galicians and Galicians suffer the consequences of predatory companies that seek spaces rich in biodiversity without taking into account the consequences for agriculture, farms and rivers, or for the Ria de Arosa. Speculation is free for companies coming to Brussels for European money. That is why, as a Galician MEP, I want to warn here in the European Parliament in Brussels that it is necessary to protect our territory, to protect our rural way of life, to protect our environment and our land.

Madam President, I greet the representatives of the Galician association Asarga who are present here in Parliament. I want to say that this association was born as an association of Galicia, of my country, and now brings together patients from all over the Spanish State, and that it has been denouncing the lack of access throughout the State to medicines approved at European level by the European Medicines Agency, because they were not financed precisely by the high prices. Access to medicines should be made on an equal footing in all Member States. Because there can't be first-class patients and second-class patients. Patients' lives cannot depend on the market decisions of pharmaceutical companies. In addition to equity and accessibility, there is a need to support innovation of new medicines for rare diseases and cancers. In Galicia, for example, more than 20,000 cases of cancer are detected each year. Sempre public health.

Madam President, the world is looking at us, not with our vote, because we do not want a fortress Europe, with borders and supporting dictatorships by paying to externalise borders. The Immigration and Asylum Pact is based on security policy and sets aside solidarity and human rights. We cannot accept the speeches of the far right in this Parliament, and of the far right in general, to tell us what we have to do. First, we need to protect people. Walls and fences criminalize it. Walls and fences leave out human dignity. Walls and fences do not respect the human person. We, today, will be out here, in the Place du Luxembourg in Brussels, to support all organisations and all peoples fighting for a migration pact and an asylum pact that respects human dignity and rights.

Madam President, embassies are inviolable. The raid, attack and kidnapping carried out by Ecuador at the Mexican Embassy in Quito are unacceptable. Mexico and any country have sovereignty in their diplomatic missions. The kidnapping of former Vice President Jorge Glas has violated diplomatic protection under several international treaties. I express our solidarity with Mexico and we call for a debate on the subject in plenary on the basis of our reciprocal relations with Mexico and with EuroLat.

Madam President, Commissioner, we are still speaking in the same language. The ageing of the population in Europe, as in my own country, Galicia, is an indisputable fact. In fact, for example in Galicia we have to talk about population loss and aging. As for the population loss, Galicia has lost almost 100 000 inhabitants since 2009. Just this week I was talking to Commissioner Šuica about this, since according to data from the Statistics Institute for 2009 – precisely when the People’s Party took over the government of Galicia again – there were 2 796 089 people living in Galicia, while in 2023 that number fell by 3.7% to 2 696 177 people. On the other hand, while the population of Galicia decreased, aging increased. While Galicia's population ageing rate in 2003 was 168 for every ten children under the age of 16, there were almost 200 people over 64. Two decades later, in 2023, that figure was 218 elderly people – our elderly, so dear, as was my mother, who died of Alzheimer’s. Taking into account these data from public administrations, we have to bet on policies that take into account the concept of active ageing advocated by the World Health Organization. The World Health Organization defines this phase as the process of optimising opportunities to participate in society to improve people's quality of life as they age. Active ageing policies should be more public investment, more support for retirement homes, more public support. Grandparents don't have to be the ones who endure the crisis. May grandparents not be the ones who have to take care of their children and grandchildren, as happens and happened in all cyclical crises. Europe is ageing, but we have to care for our elderly, to support them because they cannot bear the burden of crises, nor the burden of disease. In my country, for example, many elderly people wait many months to see a doctor. That's not what our seniors need.

Mr President, I shall continue, after Maria Manuel Leitão Marques, also in our language. We women have the right to decide on our bodies, contrary to what the far-right and right-wing parties, which deny women’s rights, want. That right should therefore be included in the European Charter of Fundamental Rights. The right to abortion is a human right that feminism has fought for all its life. Feminism takes to the streets, from Galicia to other parts of Europe. Feminism takes to the streets to ask the world for the fundamental right of all women to a free, safe, free and public abortion. We will continue to fight so that there is no backsliding, because women's rights are threatened. And no, they won't.