Speeches

Madam President, Madam Executive Vice-President! Ladies and Gentlemen! In July 2023, the European Parliament adopted a crucial piece of legislation, the European Chips Act, to strengthen the domestic chip industry and promote Europe’s strategic autonomy, not even knowing how current this project will be. In order to reduce our dependence on third countries and especially in view of the current geopolitical challenges, in particular the US export restrictions, which divide the single market, the question arises in particular: How far has the implementation of this legislation actually progressed? You said it, Commissioner, you will look at this legislation until 2026 and possibly redesign it. But here's what it's all about: What has happened so far? Because it's more than five to twelve. There is an urgent need for action. It's not just about competitiveness, it's about security of supply...

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! We are in the midst of demographic change, which is accelerating. It is therefore necessary to swiftly set the political course, for example by exploiting all labour potential, by developing childcare also in rural areas and by avoiding the need for women to ask themselves the question – either children or careers? – but is both a matter of course and a matter of course – this would also increase the courage to realise a desire to have children. Accompanied by a fair distribution of care work, which should not only rest on the shoulders of women. And the labour potential of migrants must also be raised through an offensive education and qualification policy. At the same time, we have productivity gains through automation and rationalization. And it is precisely these that must be used more to finance public budgets, so that pension systems and the entire financing structure of governments do not collapse.

Mr President! Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! The 30th The anniversary of the Beijing Declaration next year is only a limited reason to celebrate. Yes, there has been some progress. In many countries around the world, the constitutions, even simple laws, have been changed in favour of women, in Austria even the federal anthem. But at the European level, much has gone further in the last legislative period: important guidelines were adopted, not only for pay transparency, but also for more women in management positions. But there is still an unbelievable amount of work to be done across Europe and indeed worldwide. After all, if things continue at the current pace, we will still need around 300 years to achieve true equality, as our rapporteur Lina Gálvez has also pointed out. We are also experiencing severe setbacks when, for example, girls are denied access to education or when more women die from the consequences of climate catastrophes because they are not able to flee because of the children. So, there is an incredible amount of work to be done here, and I hope for constructive cooperation. Merry Christmas, all the best for a better 2025!

Madam President, Commissioner, High Representative, Ladies and Gentlemen! The use of rape as a tactic of war is not only a cruel crime against humanity, but is also capable of destabilizing entire societies. Rape and sexual violence in war is not only a war crime – ‘only’ – but also an expression of a deep-rooted patriarchal abuse of power. Here, the European Union must stand up to these crimes with all determination and by all means. We hear again and again the shocking reports of the extremely important organization Doctors Without Borders that the number of victims is steadily increasing. This year, too, this number has continued to rise, and it is our duty as representatives of European values – namely humanity – not only to condemn these acts with words, but also to take decisive action.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! The right to self-determination over one's own body is a human right that every woman in Europe should enjoy freely, and that is why the European Parliament is indeed the right place to debate it. A de facto abortion ban poses a major threat to women's mental and physical health. And not only in Poland, but in all European countries, we need safe access to legal abortions, close to home and affordable. No woman takes this step lightly. And to equate these women in this difficult situation with murderers, as happened today with some speakers – this is a scandalous derailment! It is also about avoiding unwanted pregnancies. This is why free contraceptives are needed throughout Europe, at least for young people and low-income people, and also high-quality sex education throughout the country.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! Digitalisation and growing e-commerce have fundamentally changed our markets and it is essential that we as the EU act decisively to ensure security and fairness. European trade is coming under increasing pressure from the online offer from abroad, and large platforms, mainly from China, are flooding the European market with cheap offers and exploiting the existing loopholes, which distorts competition and severely disadvantages European companies and also costs European jobs and, of course, European added value. And I'll tell you: It's not five to twelve, it's five to twelve, because it's already changed people's buying behavior significantly, and there are already numerous companies in the production sector and also in the retail sector insolvent. And here we sometimes have a problem with security of supply in the future. This is why urgent action, rapid action is needed. The Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act have achieved a lot – but these laws must also be implemented consistently, and immediately.