What Lucia spoke about.

16

Jun

2026

EN Speech

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The role of the EU in efforts for peace and stability throughout the Middle East after the announced deal between the US and Iran (debate)

Madam President, High‑Representative, Trump and Netanyahu claim that the strikes on Iran, Lebanon and Palestine would deliver security. Instead, an entire region is in flames. None of the ceasefires so far have held and civilians across the Middle East are paying the highest price, so no wonder everybody is a bit sceptical. And now, the war is spilling into Lebanon: Beirut is under fire, more than…

20

May

2026

EN Speech

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Rights, support and protection of victims of crime (debate)

Madam President, thank you for this debate, but I must address the attempts to really turn the victims suffering into some kind of cheap ideological battleground. You from the far right, stop using women's suffering for cheap political points. It's enough. Once again, you have been bluntly lying here, pushing the idea that the violence against women somehow comes from outside or from other culture…

20

May

2026

EN Speech

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Rights, support and protection of victims of crime (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, tomorrow the European Parliament will vote on something very, very powerful: the kind of support any of us may need in the darkest moments of our lives. Tomorrow we are set to vote and adopt the revised Victims' Rights Directive: the most important reform of victims' protection in Europe in more in more than a decade. It is important because every year, almo…

28

Apr

2026

EN Question

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Situation of fundamental rights in the European Union in 2024 and 2025 (debate)

Dear colleague, I am wondering why are you shouting here at us? That's my first question to you. And second question: did you read this report? Did you read this report, because it is about the fundamental rights of all Europeans – women, men, all the people that are living here. So please let us know if you had even spent five seconds of your precious time – instead of shouting at us, instead of …

28

Apr

2026

EN Speech

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Situation of fundamental rights in the European Union in 2024 and 2025 (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, firstly, I would like to thank the rapporteur and shadows for this comprehensive report. Sadly, it is confirming that, over the past years, rights in the European Union have been eroding, and we are calling for the corrections. What have we learned? That the rollback of fundamental rights is not accidental: it happens when governments, and many groups here a…

10

Mar

2026

SK Speech

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Tackling barriers to the single market for defence - Flagship European defence projects of common interest

Madam President, Commissioner, we have two reports before us today that are very clear: If Europe wants to protect itself, it is not enough to spend more. The events in the world show us that we need a genuine European Defence Union, not 27 fragmented national systems, not fragmented efforts, but we need to act as one. But we also have to say b): The money of all of us for common defense must not …

12

Feb

2026

EN Speech

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Recommendation to the Council on EU priorities for the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (debate)

Mr President, the report we have negotiated shall represent the EU's position on gender equality globally, at the UN in New York. And do you know what resonates there these days? Why we must be loud and clear about women's rights? The Epstein files. They expose how rich and powerful men – often with traditional values – abused girls from across the world, and how their position, influence and mone…

11

Feb

2026

SK Speech

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Rule of law, fundamental rights and misuse of EU funds in Slovakia: the need for an EU response (debate)

22

Jan

2026

SK Speech

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Drones and new systems of warfare – the EU’s need to adapt to be fit for today’s security challenges (debate)

Mr President, we have a big strategy ahead of us to prepare the Union for an era of drone threats, and I do not need to reassure you today that we support such a strategy and that we need it to be ambitious. And especially at a time when we are talking about a break-up or a shaking of transatlantic security at its foundations. Obviously, we have a different problem. For example, we in Slovakia hav…

16

Dec

2025

EN Speech

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European Citizens’ Initiative ‘My voice, my choice: for safe and accessible abortion’ (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, abortion is healthcare. Women are dying because they were denied it even when they wanted to continue their pregnancy – you know it? Abortion needs to be available because rape survivors must have the right to decide over their own bodies. If today some countries are still failing to provide this, Europe must step in – I am very much convinced about that. I saw the r…

16

Dec

2025

SK Speech

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EU Defence Readiness (joint debate)

25

Nov

2025

SK Speech

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2026 budgetary procedure: joint text (debate)

Mr President, in the coming year, the budget of the European Union will be EUR 192.8 billion. The European Parliament has not backed down and has won more than has been proposed by both the Commission and the Member States. And we managed to raise 372 million euros more. And this money will go to areas that really improve people's lives across Europe: research, transport, energy, health, environme…

25

Nov

2025

SK Speech

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European Defence Industry Programme and a framework of measures to ensure the timely availability and supply of defence products (‘EDIP’) (debate)

Madam President, we have been talking about supporting the European defence industry for years, but we are still not ambitious enough. We are not fast enough because we obviously do not listen to warnings about how Russia is preparing for Europe. And even EDIP comes in just five minutes twelve. Even the height of EDEIP is far from sufficient. Because we still clearly don't see that together we can…

12

Nov

2025

EN Speech

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Gender Equality Strategy 2025 (debate)

Madam President, 'gender equality is supposedly ideology', 'we have had enough of equality for a long time', 'feminism is destroying the workplace and society': this is what we are hearing recently, especially from the far right and from populists. These words are designed to provoke fear and to provoke resistance. But the reality is actually completely different, and we've heard it: 1 in 3 women …

12

Nov

2025

EN Answer

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The new 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework: architecture and governance (debate)

Thank you for that, Damian, it is not an easy question! What we are trying to do in Renew is to find precisely the right balance, because we cannot have prosperous regions and prosperous people if we do not have prosperous agricultural policies in Europe. So I understand that it's a difficult thing to do for us, but we cannot just go on with some pushes, neither if it's from agricultural conglomer…

12

Nov

2025

EN Speech

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The new 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework: architecture and governance (debate)

Mr President, colleagues, Commissioner, when I became a Renew coordinator for the budget about a year ago, I knew one thing: we do not have the climate for major treaty changes, but we certainly can shape Europe through the next MFF. We have this huge opportunity. However, today, seeing what's ahead of us, I fear that we've lost that ambition – ambition for the EU to be more than a mere conduit fo…

23

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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Combating violence against women and girls, including the exploitation of motherhood (debate)

Madam President, yes, gender-based violence costs lives and it must be addressed. As a co-rapporteur of the Victims Rights Directive, I am doing everything I can to stand up for victims of violence. But what also must be addressed are politicians who are fuelling violence against women. Far right: don't fool the people, because are you really talking about protecting women? I see that in 2025, we …

22

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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The need for a united support to Ukraine and for a just and durable peace concluded on Ukraine's terms, with Europeans and without surrendering to Vladimir Putin's conditions ahead of the foreseen Budapest summit (debate)

Mr President, Vladimir Putin has no right to be in Ukraine, and he has certainly no business to be in Budapest. He is a war criminal. Period. He belongs before an international tribunal, colleagues. Those that are already trembling with excitement roll out the red carpet for him, right? Many of you, Mr Orbán, Mr Fico, they are not defending peace. Because – let me speak also for millions from cent…

21

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2026 – all sections (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, the 2026 budget is not just about figures – I hope we know it. It's about Europe's future. It's about the promises that we make to our citizens. We, in Renew Europe, fought very hard to secure hundreds of millions more for research, for innovation, for health and for defence. These are investments that protect and empower Europeans. But I turn to Member Stat…

21

Oct

2025

SK Speech

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Commission Work Programme 2026 (debate)

Vice-President of the European Commission, Europe is finally doing in defence what it should have done for years. It cuts red tape, connects industry and plans joint investments. But if some states either slow down or refuse this cooperation, it puts us all at risk. While setting the right direction in its programme, the Commission lacks tools, enforcement mechanisms, control of funds and protecti…

9

Oct

2025

SK Speech

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Declaration of principles for a gender-equal society (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner. Attempts for gender equality in Europe are once again slowing down, thanks to colleagues on the right. Women are denied health care, including access to abortion. Thanks to you, open misogynism is thriving on the Internet and attacks on sexual and other minorities are increasing. That is why this declaration of equality is so important. Some countries, and apparently co…

9

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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The EU’s post-2027 long-term budget: Parliament’s expectations ahead of the Commission’s proposal (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, Commissioner, I want to talk about the size of the MFF today, because the annual EU budget is roughly as large as the budget of the country holding currently the presidency, Denmark, with 6 million people. But Europeans ‑ half a billion people ‑ demand much more, we've heard it: prosperous regions; investments in infrastructure, security, climate action, media, su…

18

Jun

2025

SK Speech

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Stopping the genocide in Gaza: time for EU sanctions (topical debate)

on behalf of the PPE-DE Group. - (DE) Madam President, honourable High Representative and colleagues. The news from Gaza is terrifying. Humanitarian aid blocked, hospitals bombed, more than half a million people facing famine. In recent days, dozens of people have been killed while waiting for food and water. We are calling for peace, but how many Palestinians will actually live to see it? How man…

18

Jun

2025

EN Speech

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Upcoming NATO summit on 24-26 June 2025 (debate)

Madam President, High Representative, colleagues, even in Europe, peace has its price tag. Neglecting this reality has left us with a critical defence capabilities gap. The upcoming NATO summit is therefore a critical juncture. It is no longer about if, but precisely how fast we can increase defence expenditures to a sufficient level. It's not our thirst for militarisation, colleagues, Mr Fico, Mr…

6

May

2025

EN Speech

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2023 and 2024 reports on Türkiye (debate)

Mr President, let me be a bit personal today. I fell in love with Türkiye about 20 years ago, and I believe many of you might have had the same experience discovering a country while travelling and instantly falling in love with its people, culture, its soul. But since that first visit, my heart has been breaking down again and again every time a Turkish friend calls me and tells me they are leavi…