Speeches

Mr President, dear colleagues, in a world plagued by growing contempt for international law and human dignity, by environmental crisis, and by the increasing concentration of wealth and inequality, the UN World Summit for Social Development is more important than ever. It offers a platform, a place to discuss how we can create stronger global action to turn the tide. Equally important is that we get a strong statement from the European Parliament, a strong statement focusing on the three main commitments of the first World Summit for Social Development from 1995. Those are: social justice, poverty eradication, employment and social cohesion, all guided by a commitment to human rights and sustainable development. And I hear many colleagues listing the problems that we see in many countries all over Europe, and social Europe is about finding solutions to those problems. Solutions both on national and on European level. The Europeans support a strong social Europe. So let's get to work both here in the EU and globally.

Mr President, the bigger and more international a company, the harder it is for an individual worker to make his or her voice heard. Legislation on European Works Councils responds precisely to this problem by safeguarding the right of workers to be heard and informed. The larger the size of the companies, the more employees this will affect. In Finland, the first works councils for social enterprises were created last spring, and they are currently being created for private early childhood education and care. Members on the right side of this room: This is a good simulation. Works councils already exist. This legislation already exists, i.e. this Directive only provides clarification improvements to existing legislation and also improves the legal protection of workers. I find it incomprehensible that such a small improvement in the position of workers is not acceptable on the right side of this Chamber.

Mr President, two years of genocide in Gaza and now peace is being debated on the basis of a plan that repeats historical injustices by completely bypassing the Palestinians and their right to self-determination. Peace and a two-state solution cannot be achieved without the Palestinians' right to self-determination. It cannot come about without the dismantling of the illegal occupation. 700,000 illegal settlers live in the occupied territories, but the EU has done nothing to stop this. Just as nothing has been done to stop the genocide, and nothing has been done when 500 activists were illegally intercepted and arrested in international waters. Almost 20,000 Finns signed our petition last weekend to support them, but the Finnish government did not say a word. This is a historic shame for the EU.

Madam President, I was expecting this debate to be speech after speech about the successes of the Single Market, and that's why I think it's important to point out that there is also another side to this story. That is the story about all of the Europeans who have not benefited or gotten their share of this success. It is the story of workers who have had to leave their homes to work elsewhere, because there are not enough jobs and no services. It is the story of both EU and non-EU workers who are working here within the European Union, who are not being paid according to collective agreements and our national laws, who are given the most dangerous tasks, the most dangerous jobs, who are subjected to exploitation, to extortion and in many cases also violence. So yes, we would really need a stronger social dimension to the Single Market, but this must mean tougher measures to address labour exploitation. This must mean limiting subcontracting and excluding companies from procurement that do not respect collective agreements. It must mean strengthening our labour inspectorate and also addressing problems such as bogus self-employment. Most importantly, we need a strategy to strengthen trade unions, because the best way to secure workers rights is to strengthen the unions that fight for these rights and for a socially-just single market every single day.

Mr President, Putin's drones in Poland and his escalating aggression in Ukraine show what we have already known: Putin is not interested in peace; he is now increasing pressure to the maximum to test how NATO reacts and is trying to improve his position on the front in Ukraine. In addition to the need for close but peaceful coordination between the EU and NATO countries and the creation of a common drone defence, continued support for Ukraine and the strengthening of sanctions remain of paramount importance for Europe as a whole. Putin's illegal attacks will only stop when he has an interest in stopping, and that is what we can contribute with a strong sanctions policy and strong support from Ukraine.

Mr President, would you spend more than EUR 2 trillion annually to buy from companies that disrespect workers? I certainly hope not. The rules on public procurement affect the wages, the working conditions and the working life of millions of European workers. The EMPL Committee adopted an opinion to this report with a broad political majority, including possibilities to exclude companies that do not respect workers' rights and also to strengthen collective bargaining. I was very disappointed to notice that the EMPL opinion was not included in the IMCO report to the extent that we would have expected, even though the amendments were clearly under EMPL competence. The revision of the rules on public procurement cannot turn into yet another missed opportunity to strengthen workers' rights in Europe. To prevent this, we need a clear message from this Parliament, and to get that we need to vote for the EMPL amendments.

Madam President, dear colleagues, Viktor Orbán is at risk of losing political power, and I think he is showing his desperation and his weakness by attacking the Pride and by trying to push through legislation that would shut down many NGOs and many independent media outlets in Hungary. But at the Pride in Budapest in June, the people really showed their strength and power. And I have to say to the extreme right that, yes, many of us were there, but that is not the story. The real story is the fact that hundreds of thousands of Hungarians were there at the Pride, many of them participating and marching in a Pride for the first time ever to oppose this ban and to show that they protest against Viktor Orbán. Our job here now is to make sure that this does not go to waste and I think the Commission really needs to step up and use all of the tools it has. Interim measures must be requested by the Court and new legal proceedings initiated regarding the Pride ban and the 'starve and strangle' laws that have been proposed, and Hungary must be stripped of its voting rights in the Council.

Mr President, right-wing forces are currently doing their best to transform the EU into what it can be at its worst: Only a union of markets and big business. But in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, many people are looking at us for another reason. They seek security through political cooperation. They want strong protection for the rule of law, human rights and adequate environmental requirements. As Putin's authoritarianism intensifies, people are ready to take to the streets to defend their right to choose, their freedom and European values, and that is why enlargement is now such an important issue. It is also about Ukraine. If and when Ukrainians want to join the EU, we must be ready to welcome them. At the same time, we must ensure that the membership criteria are met. We need an open debate on the changes brought about by enlargement to the Union's decision-making and budget. But we also need to learn from the mistakes of previous enlargement processes. We need better tools and common digital systems to combat cross-border labour exploitation. Given how long there has been free movement in the internal market, it is incomprehensible that we have not made any further progress in resolving this problem.

Mr President, right-wing forces are currently doing their best to transform the EU into what it can be at its worst: Only a union of markets and big business. But in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, many people are looking at us for another reason. They seek security through political cooperation. They want strong protection for the rule of law, human rights and adequate environmental standards. As Putin's authoritarianism intensifies, people are ready to take to the streets to defend their right to choose their freedom and also to defend European values. (The President interrupted the speaker.)

Mr President, Viktor Orbán has been attacking freedoms and fundamental rights by restricting freedom of opinion and by weakening the rights of minorities and workers for years. And now he is doing exactly what authoritarian leaders always do when they are not stopped – he is going further, by giving authorities broad powers to monitor, sanction or even ban activities of civil society, trade unions and media by withdrawing Hungary from the ICC and by attacking diversity and democracy through banning the Pride event. Enough is enough. The EU must be able to act to protect fundamental rights and freedoms of all Europeans, and this is a legitimacy question for the whole Union. As parliamentarians, our most important, job is to support the people in Hungary who are protesting against this, who are organising the Pride march despite the repression, and I, for one, am proud to be joining them.

Mr President, workers have a fundamental right not to fall ill because of their work, and it is often even a matter of life and death. Few people are aware of the importance of the EU in the development of OSH. In 1989, a framework directive was adopted which, in addition to setting minimum standards, sets limits on, inter alia, exposure to dangerous substances, protective equipment and the protection of, for example, young people or pregnant workers. Yet in 2022, there were around 3 million accidents and more than 3 000 deaths related to work in the EU. But as the world changes, so does the law. In Finland, mental health problems have outpaced musculoskeletal disorders as the most common, i.e. the most common, cause of sick leave and disability pensions. We lose up to seven million working days a year. That is why we need a directive on psychosocial risks and to address them during this period. We need to take mental health much more seriously.

Mr President, the US is ruled by an authoritarian president who is using trade policies as a means of coercion and political extortion. While it is clear that European workers will only lose in a full-fledged trade war, the EU should be much bolder and much more imaginative in its own response to Trump's actions. The EU should target the oligarchs that are close to Trump, through action directed at Tesla and Musk, and by digital tax aimed at the huge digital platforms. The EU should also signal its readiness to use the Anti-Coercion Instrument. But most importantly, we need to make the European economy less dependent on US exports. That means supporting internal demand in the European markets, and that means supporting real wage growth and also increasing investments. More than ever, we need to put people and workers first in our economic policymaking.

Mr President, only about a year ago, in this Chamber, new EU fiscal rules were adopted and are already being amended. It tells us all about how badly these rules fit in times of multiple crises. Changing the rules to allow only defence investments is obviously not enough, neither for competitiveness nor for a social Europe. We need investments in the climate and energy transition, research, education, lifelong learning, welfare services and affordable housing. The latest Eurobarometer survey shows once again how citizens want the EU to tackle inflation and rising prices. But what do EU leaders do? They are stuck in deregulation and think that lowering human rights and environmental standards should be a winning concept. It has never been and never will be. We need a strong social Europe and, in order to achieve this, we need investment in people and workers.

Madam President, last week we in The Left Group gathered young Ukrainian leftists and trade unionists in Brussels to discuss how Ukrainian civil society can be supported during the fight against Russian imperialism. The message was crystal clear: in addition to arms support, Ukrainian society needs to address acute problems such as the severe lack of affordable housing, the lack of care services, and also proposed reforms to weaken workers' rights and trade unions. We need to find the legal basis to use frozen Russian assets and to direct these funds into a large investment programme for social housing in Ukraine. Now is also the time to finally put an end to Viktor Orbán trying to stop support to Ukraine and blocking Ukraine's EU accession process. We must remove Hungary's voting rights in the Council under Article 7. Enough is enough.

Mr President, Executive Vice‑President, who is at the centre of all of the transformations that are ongoing in Europe? It is the workers. They are the first to face the emergence of new technologies, and every day they feel the rising costs of living. As a response, we need action to secure good working conditions and quality jobs and an ambitious skills agenda. At the moment, EU Member States are far behind when it comes to participation in adult education. By 2030, the number should be 60%, yet at the moment it's only 34%. The common starting point should be: how do we find the right tools to change this? Member States need new incentives to invest in high‑quality vocational education and training, but increasing the supply of training for individuals is not enough. We also need new proposals to secure the right of workers to training. Investing in people and investing in skills is essential to reduce poverty and to deliver quality jobs in all sectors.

Madam President, as a leftist, I think that Putin and Trump form one of the most dangerous ideological alliances that the world has seen in a long time. Therefore, it is essential that the EU strengthens its support for Ukraine. In addition, the EU should set a strategic goal of reducing our dependencies on the US. This means: creating a European security architecture, redirecting all financing currently going to the US arms industry to Europe; reducing energy dependencies; and limiting the powers of the digital oligarchs. Changes to the fiscal rules must enable all of these investments. I do understand that the goal might also require more investment in European defence. But it would be a historic mistake to finance this by cutting welfare, because that would only cement the rise to power of Putin's and Trump's allies in Europe: the extreme right. And for once, the EU needs to be smarter than this.

Mr President, 'it is not a matter of deregulation, it is a matter of simplification. We just want to do things better." We have heard these messages from the Commission on several occasions, but now, at the latest, this omnibus package shows that these claims are not true. The whole of this so-called preparatory process has shown whose interests are being defended by deregulation – big companies and even those who are currently being accused of human rights violations and environmental problems. The changes proposed by the Commission undermine, for example, the CSR Directive by excluding smaller subcontractors from its scope and by weakening the position of victims of human rights violations. If care is required only at the first stage of production, as the Commission is now proposing, the human rights impact of the production of pineapple juice, for example, will in future be monitored only in Kuopio, Finland, and not in Thailand, where subcontracting will take place. Such regulation makes no sense and destroys the very idea of this directive.

Madam President, not a good start indeed. This Work Programme, which is supposed to be about moving forward together, includes zero legal initiatives in the field of social fairness. Zero. Instead, we get a long list of initiatives aimed at watering down legislations from the last mandate to lower standards when it comes to corporate responsibility and sustainability. Commission – this is not what Europeans expect from you. The rising cost of living and personal economic situation were the two most common reasons for Europeans to vote in the last EP election. Now, it seems like the social agenda is forgotten altogether, and the Commission is focusing on deregulation in a way that, in the end, will not even benefit the companies. If we move along this policy line, we risk moving backwards, divided.

Mr President, appreciation - that is what professional students have talked to me about the most. The wish to be seen as equals in terms of skills, working life and the economy. As a former Minister of Education, it is therefore a great pleasure to take part in this debate. Vocational education and training must be developed as an attractive educational path, including sufficient quality education in general subjects and civic skills. At the same time, the problem for the EU is that Member States too often adopt completely contradictory economic policies in relation to these objectives. It is impossible to improve the level of skills if, at the same time, EUR 120 million is cut from vocational education and training, as the Finnish right-wing government is currently doing. Adult education allowance has already been abolished. It is important for the EU to talk about vocational education and skills, but there is also a need for a debate on how current economic policies lead to policies that are detrimental to competitiveness and have nothing to do with the EU's objectives of improving skills.

Mr President, the last time I called in this Chamber in October for stronger action to tackle Russia's shadow fleet. Since then, we have indeed seen the risks associated with the shadow fleet: it enables Russia to finance and continue the illegal war in Ukraine, it can sabotage critical infrastructure and it poses a continued serious environmental risk to the Baltic Sea. For example, we have already set a warning example in the Black Sea. The Finnish authorities have rightly been commended for their prompt action on the Eagle S, but we need more means. The EU must support the Baltic Sea Member States in finding, within the framework of international maritime law, the means for stopping and inspecting ships. The EU must add ships to the scope of sanctions. Contrary to what is sometimes said, sanctions policy has had and has had a significant impact on the Russian economy, and therefore work needs to continue to stop the shadow fleet – for both Ukraine and the environment.

Mr President, the ceasefire will hopefully be at least a moment's relief from human suffering, an opportunity for people to be safe and an opportunity to bring humanitarian aid to the Gazans desperately in need. The release of prisoners is an important step forward, but a ceasefire does not yet mean peace and does not bring justice. It will not bring back the tens and tens of thousands of people who have lost their lives in the Gaza genocide. Rebuilding schools, homes, hospitals and streets will be a huge task. EU countries are also responsible for the continuation of crimes for such a long time, and it is now up to EU countries to ensure that those responsible for war crimes are brought to justice. But that is not enough. The Palestinian people's human rights and self-determination must be fully realised, and Israel must put an end to the illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories. Only through the implementation of these principles can a just and lasting peace be achieved.

Mr President, Commissioner, in September I visited a group of young Swedish car mechanics who work at the Tesla workshop in Umeå. They were ordinary girls and boys who, at the time, had been on strike for over a year. Why? To protect their right to make collective agreements. The Tesla example shows why safeguarding the right to collective bargaining and the right to strike is increasingly important. They are fundamental tools for ordinary people and workers to protect their democratic rights, and they are tools to ensure that people like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos – the richest man in the world – cannot dictate the rules in the labour market as they wish. That is also why the EU needs to safeguard these rights. Implementation of the Minimum Wage Directive is extremely important, but the EU also needs new tools to strengthen collective bargaining through reforming the rules on public procurement and through the use of social conditionality to improve workers' rights as part of the green industrial policies to be launched. This is the time to stand firmly in solidarity with Europe's workers.

Mr President, the fall of the dictator al-Assad is joyful and reassuring news for all Syrians and for the whole world. However, the future of Syria remains a matter of great concern. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham's commitment to women's rights and polyphonic democracy, for example, is still a big question mark. Turkey and Israel are now taking advantage of the situation for illegal territorial conquests. Turkey is attacking the Kurds in the self-governing region of Rojava and is arming Islamist groups for this purpose. The EU must put pressure on these countries to immediately stop the illegal activities in Syria. At a time when the EU is apparently establishing formal links with the new Syrian regime, the recognition of Rojava's self-government must be a condition. When discussing the future of Syria, the Kurds must be involved both nationally and internationally. The international community must not and cannot turn its back on the Kurds, who have persistently and with great sacrifice fought for equality in the region against ISIS terrorism.

Madam President, around three weeks ago, I was sitting on a train from Kyiv going back over the border to Poland. We were visiting Ukraine with a delegation of representatives from different left parties, having meetings with NGOs, trade unionists and the Ukrainian left organisation Sotsіalniy Rukh. Everyone in Ukraine was telling us the same thing: they expect this winter to be the hardest period since Putin started this war of aggression, with attacks on energy infrastructures, soldiers getting worn out, and relentless drone and missile attacks keeping people in constant alert. It is therefore of utmost importance that we stand firm in our solidarity with Ukraine. It is up to the Ukrainians to decide when the time is ready for possible negotiations. But for the possibility of a just and lasting peace, there must be enough pressure on Putin. That is why we need military support, and that is why we need to strengthen the sanctions regime. But Ukrainian society also need other forms of support. There is a pressing need for social and non-profit housing models to address the housing crisis. Trade unions need to be strengthened so that collective bargaining and social dialogue can be continued as soon as possible. A strong civil society and transparency is needed in the fight against corruption. And Ukraine's sovereign debt also needs to be cancelled so that we can ensure the economic and political sovereignty of the country, in addition to its independence and territorial integrity.