Speeches

The Cyprus problem is not a bi-communal problem. It is a problem of illegal invasion, occupation and settlement. Since 1974, Turkey has occupied 37% of the Republic of Cyprus and has settled more than 300,000 settlers, altering the population. Turkish Cypriots are now less than 100,000. There is no longer a political basis for political equality at the level of central power. The EU is fulfilling its responsibilities by invoking negotiations under the UN. However, it has refused to apply the acquis communautaire to the entire territory of a Member State since 2004. The "bizonal, bicommunal federation" is a colonialist invention and acceptance of the faits accomplis of illegal invasion and occupation. As evidenced in the project ‘Cyprus 1974: Anatomy of an Invasion’ (Fouskas–Mallinson), institutionalised ‘political equality’ led to the collapse of the 1960 Constitution. In 2004, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots massively rejected this "solution". The only realistic and just proposal is a unified, multi-cantonal, self-governing state, with the return of all refugees and a strong democratic central government. Cyprus is a member state of the European Union. It is not allowed to remain under occupation. Europe must live up to its principles.

Madam President, three years after the state crime in Tempi: 57 dead – most students –, two trains on the same line, no telecommand, contract 717, European funding, safety system not working, signals not working, station chief alone, no automatic train protection · · Collision Huge pyrosphere, temperatures above 1000 degrees, unexplained explosion, unknown fuel, 27 young people burned, jamming of the site of the accident, alteration of the research field, removal of debris, transportation of materials to Koulouri · toxicological tests not done, exhumation requests rejected, biological samples destroyed, missing videos, lost audio-visual material, altered conversations, lost recordings, new data three years after· seizures of expert computers, searched hard drives, technical reports talking about unknown fuel, questions about freight train load, customs discrepancies, cargo difference, missing plates. Possible customs fraud? Smuggling? Military cargo? Families asking for answers. Why was there no pyrosphere in the Spanish accident? Why has the European Public Prosecutor's Office not taken over the investigations? The truth will shine.

Madam President, the housing crisis in Europe is not just an economic problem, it is a social problem. The report we are debating attributes responsibility mainly to the shortage of housing and proposes more funding for construction. But the reality that people live in is different. In many European cities, homes are transformed into products: Gold visas, funds that buy loans and drive families to auctions, even those who consistently pay their loan installments, apartments turn into Airbnb or stay closed to skyrocket rents. Housing is a fundamental social right, not a financial product. We need protection of primary residences, more social housing and rules that put an end to speculation. The report we are debating does not protect citizens. It is cut and sewn to market measures and in my opinion it will aggravate the housing crisis in Europe and I will vote against it. I warn you that in the coming period I will reveal a huge housing scandal in Greece that the report does not touch upon.

Mr President, today we are gathered here to discuss a very important issue and I really want to protest, because before Mrs Latinopoulou invaded and said that what we are discussing before the war is of no importance, I asked with a blue card to intervene. I wanted to ask her how many years she has had employment stamps and whether she has lived outside the European Parliament. Because reality says that in Greece women are still paid on average about 13.4% less than men, but this does not interest her. This means that for every 100 euros a man receives, a woman receives only 86-87 euros, while in some sectors the gap reaches even 25%. And as age increases, this inequality grows, with a larger pension gap. We need strong collective labour agreements, real transparency in wages, equal pay for equal work and a quota for women to participate.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, let us speak frankly. The main problem of the European Union is not the lack of dialogue between the institutions. It is the lack of a genuine democratic balance. Today, the Commission, a body not directly elected by citizens, has almost exclusive power to initiate the legislative process and determine the political direction of the Union. At the same time, the Council of the European Union represents governments, right-wing by majority. It addresses issues in terms of economic equilibrium and state interests. The only institution directly elected by European citizens is the European Parliament. However, it is the only one that does not have a real right of legislative initiative. It's no coincidence: A strong parliament means more democratic accountability, and it seems that many do not want it. If we want a Europe that serves the citizens and not the balances of power, then we must substantially strengthen the role of the European Parliament. This requires a change in the Treaties of the European Union.

Madam President, the European Union is talking about objectives, indicators, job quality and transitions. Workers in Greece count dead: 201 workers were killed at work last year. Almost one every two days. 21 was over 60 years old. 330 were seriously injured, not by accident, but by 13 hours that recently became law. Intensification, exhaustion, employer impunity and viewer-state. This is the competitiveness that is being built in a Europe of two-speed workers, with rights in the North and annihilation in the South. Collective contracts demolished, hunger wages, young people fleeing, families that can't even afford rent, security measures non-existent, checks pretentious, but with a lot of profits for the few. And then you talk to us about a pillar of social rights. I ask you: Will you legislate for real protection or will you continue to cover exploitation with fine words? Homelessness, poverty and dead workers are not statistics, they are a political choice. Are you going to clash with that choice, Mrs. Mînzatu?

Mr President, Mrs Kaja Kallas, as High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, I would like to ask you why I have this question: How can you not speak, representing the European Union, with Russia? I really wonder why your anti-Russian rage is not a useful tool, you know, for diplomacy. And let me tell you that in this speech you made, after the six minutes you talked about Ukraine, which is a country outside the European Union, in the rest of the speech and up to the tenth minute I did not hear you really say anything about Cyprus or Greece, about the casus belli that Turkey has declared for so many years, and I do not hear anything from the European Union. You only talk about where there are rare earths. That's all your interests are. So, please, I'll be here to listen. I want you to give me an answer to these questions.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen. When Steve Bannon in 2017 saluted Nazis, when Elon Musk in 2025 saluted Nazis, when Trump said he would make Gaza a tourist resort, and with him you supported the genocide of the Palestinian people, there was no orderly reaction from Europe to international law. So when Trump entered Venezuela – because the regime you say, the Maduro regime, did not fall, it became a kidnapping – the sovereignty of one state was violated. Do you understand what that means? It means that you agreed – implicitly, because you did not react forcefully then – to something that under international law we will find in front of us. And we find it in front of us, because now he's in Greenland, and Sheriff Sam is here. Don't support the Nazis anymore.

Mr President, I would like to make it clear that every time I have intervened I do so without supporting either Putin, Zelenskyy, Trump, von der Leyen or any of them. I am interested in European citizens. They're the ones I've come here to protect and represent. The intention to use the 200 billion euros of Russian state reserves is an extremely dangerous option, and I want what I'm going to say to be heard here, be aware of it before it happens: If Europe breaks the principle of the immunity of state reserves, it will cause capital and deposits to run out of the European banking system. Confidence in the euro will be severely damaged. To prevent a banking collapse, the European Central Bank will be forced to print money. This leads to inflation, perhaps hyperinflation. In practice, citizens with their salaries, pensions and businesses will fall out. Europe cannot shoot at its feet.

Madam President, I agree with the need for a European plan for cardiovascular health. Necessary measures include prevention, Health Life from an early age, information and education in schools, the restriction of ultra-processed food and junk food, strict adherence to dietary standards and a horizontal increase in taxes on tobacco and vaping in all Member States. Mostly strict controls and real sanctions on all those who sell them to minors and institutional cooperation with the national cardiological scientific communities, because they are the ones who really know the issues in each country. Our interlocutors are essential if we are to achieve the right results for the health of citizens. Trust the doctors, not the tobacco companies. Environmental and lifestyle measures. Air pollution, chronic stress, work exhaustion kill. A 13-hour workday has been established in Greece. This is not just a social issue. It's a cardiovascular risk factor. What does Europe's plan say about this?