What Elena spoke about.

17

Jun

2026

ES Speech

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Political prisoners in Nicaragua – the cases of Carlos Brenes, Salvadora del Socorro Martínez Aburto and Brooklyn Rivera

21

May

2026

ES Speech

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The Union’s preparedness for and response to health emergencies: the case of the MV Hondius and the hantavirus warning (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, I am glad to have you here today. I want my first words to be to express my heartfelt condolences for the deaths of the three people who lost their lives on the MV Hondius vessel and to wish the speedy recovery of all those in hospitals fighting this virus. As you said, the alert for the hantavirus outbreak in MV Hondius, where passengers from 23 countries – nine of …

19

May

2026

ES Speech

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Political repression and humanitarian situation in Cuba (debate)

Madam President, Mrs Kallas, the agreement between the European Union and Cuba has served no purpose, and you have to change course. Because the Cuban people have lost their fear, despite the fact that in the month of April alone there have been more than 300 arbitrary arrests, more than 700 violations of human rights. And these figures are not isolated: They are the result of decades of repressio…

12

Mar

2026

ES Speech

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Prevention and treatment of obesity (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, obesity has become one of the main public health challenges, as more than half of the adult population is overweight. It has profound implications for the health of Europeans. We know well the risks associated with this disease because this is how it should be treated: its close link with diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and increased pre…

12

Mar

2026

ES Speech

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Activities of the European Ombudsman – annual report 2024 (debate)

Madam President, Madam Ombudsman, ladies and gentlemen, very good morning, what we are discussing here today is the Annual Report on the activities of the European Ombudsman in 2024, which highlights a fundamental premise in democratic systems and, in particular, in the proper functioning and accountability within the European Union: strengthening citizens' trust in the instit…

9

Feb

2026

ES Speech

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World Cancer Day (debate)

9

Feb

2026

ES Speech

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Amending Regulations on agricultural products as regards market rules and sectoral support measures in the wine sector and for aromatised wine products (debate)

19

Jan

2026

ES Speech

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Framework for strengthening the availability and security of supply of critical medicinal products as well as the availability of, and accessibility of, medicinal products of common interest (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, may my first words be to express my deepest condolences to the families of those who died in the serious accident that occurred in my country and to wish the speedy recovery of all those injured. Everyone needs essential medicines. Today we are trying to adopt a proposal for a regulation on essential medicines which is a clear sign that things are changing in…

12

Nov

2025

ES Speech

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

Mr President, Commissioner, when we MEPs speak, we are the voice of the people and, therefore, what we are crying out to you today is to listen to the people. We are debating a proposal for the future budget today, but in reality what we are debating is the future of Europeans, and no one can be above the Treaties. They know that cohesion, the CAP and fisheries are in the DNA of the Treaties – thi…

23

Oct

2025

ES Speech

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Breast cancer: the importance of screening (debate)

Madam President, we all know women who have suffered or are suffering from breast cancer, and screening is indeed essential for early detection: This must be our concern, as it is today for Mr Moreno Bonilla. It embarrasses me that women are used to do politics and it embarrasses me that they intend to screen Mr Moreno Bonilla. You are using this issue ideologically when you have put rapists on th…

9

Oct

2025

ES Speech

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World Mental Health Day - addressing the socio-economic factors (debate)

Mr President, Mr Vice-President, pandemics, economic insecurity, wars, climate change, frustrations, losses: All of them silent scars on millions of Europeans. Every day we take to act is a lost day. Anxiety and depression are already the second leading cause of prolonged disability in Europe. And this reflects not only a major health problem, but an open wound on productivity, on employment, on t…

9

Oct

2025

ES Speech

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Deliberations of the Committee on Petitions in 2024 (debate)

Mr President, Mr Vice-President, Commissioner, the Committee on Petitions is the highest representative of the voice of citizens in the European Union. Through this committee, citizens can express their concerns, concerns and demands, making it a bridge institution between citizens and the European Union itself. In 2024, Parliament received a total of 1,518 petitions, reflecting an increase over p…

8

Oct

2025

ES Speech

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Arbitrary detention of EU citizens Javier Marañón Montero and David Rodríguez Ballesta in Equatorial Guinea

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Javier Marañón and David Rodríguez are two of the Spanish citizens arbitrarily detained in Malabo by a regime, that of Equatorial Guinea, considered an authoritarian dictatorship characterized by serious human rights violations, arbitrary arrests and detentions that endanger life with the use of violence and indiscriminate torture. Today we want to raise our …

9

Sep

2025

ES Speech

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Cohesion policy (joint debate)

Madam President, Commissioner and Vice-President of the European Commission. For decades, cohesion policy has emerged as a substantial part of the acquis communautaire: Europe's link with its territories, the tool of its own growth according to its real needs. We want more competitive regions and we want to face different situations and challenges: from just transition to infrastructure or housing…

9

Sep

2025

ES Speech

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Devastating wildfires in Southern Europe: the need to strengthen EU aid to restore the massive loss of forests and enhancing EU preparedness (debate)

Mr. President, I see many political arsonists here, trying to take advantage of misfortunes. In front of the opportunists who are complaining, in front of the "ecolojetas", Commissioner, what we ask from the Popular Party is more countryside and more rural world, which is what the presidents of our autonomous communities are crying out from the Spanish Popular Party, such as Guardiola, Mañueco, Ru…

17

Jun

2025

ES Speech

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EU framework conditions for competitive, efficient and sustainable public transport services at all levels (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, today we are debating framework conditions for efficient, competitive and sustainable public transport services in the European Union, but let me speak from reality and, as a best example, from Extremadura, which is my land, where these conditions shine through their absence. Just yesterday, Commissioner, it took me 12 hours to get to Strasbourg: I could have made it to…

22

May

2025

ES Speech

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Deliberations of the Committee on Petitions in 2023 (debate)

Mr President, it is the citizens who are addressing Parliament, so I ask you not to insult them. The Spanish Socialist Party intends to instrumentalize even the European Parliament. It confuses their way of doing with the right of the Spaniards to convey their concerns to this Parliament and their concern about the permanent attacks on the rule of law that we are suffering. Because Spaniards, in 2…

6

May

2025

ES Speech

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An urgent assessment of the applicability of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) with Cuba (debate)

Madam President, what the PP thinks is defended by the PP, and we will not be silent. The citizens of Cuba have been demonstrating and protesting for years about the shortage of food and medicines, about a regime that drowns them, about the blackouts, about the arbitrary imprisonments, about the multiple violations of human rights. Thousands of Cubans have been forced to leave their land to escape…

6

May

2025

ES Speech

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A revamped long-term budget for the Union in a changing world (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, if you have listened to this Parliament today, what you have been asked to insist on is that, in the next budget, cohesion should remain the central pillar, because cohesion policy is recognised in our Treaties and serves to promote convergence, the social and territorial economy. Cohesion is not an instrument of crisis mitigation or a tax on solidarity, but a policy of…

2

Apr

2025

ES Speech

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The importance of trans-European transport infrastructure in times of stalling economic growth and major threats to Europe’s security (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, investing in all cross-border transport infrastructure is more crucial than ever. Europe's lack of demand in meeting the deadlines of the rail transport network has also caused us to be caught by the train at an increasingly uncertain geopolitical moment. The Madrid-Lisbon high-speed network, which passes through my land, through Extremadura, is more than 20 years behin…

1

Apr

2025

ES Answer

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Improving the implementation of cohesion policy through the mid-term review to achieve a robust cohesion policy post 2027 (debate)

Thank you very much for the question, Mrs García Hermida. Of course we can work together on this. We have also defended from our group the need to respect the principle of paternity and the multilevel principle. The role of regions and local authorities is key in cohesion policy to achieve such convergence. Your territory and mine, Extremadura, still need these funds to be able to compete on equal…

1

Apr

2025

ES Speech

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Improving the implementation of cohesion policy through the mid-term review to achieve a robust cohesion policy post 2027 (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, the mid-term review of cohesion policy is the time to build on lessons learned, make funds more accessible and address threats. Challenges require making decisions that are up to par. However, we cannot leave aside the question of how Europe wants to remain on the ground. In order for the Union to preserve its presence on the ground without impairing its capacity to act…

13

Mar

2025

ES Speech

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Action Plan for Affordable Energy (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner for Energy, in your purpose you have the enemy at home: Mrs. Ribera. We face a crucial challenge in Europe: ensuring sustainable and secure affordable energy for families and businesses that provide jobs. The science is clear: the combination of renewable energy and nuclear energy is key to reducing emissions and protecting our planet. While the United States extends the…

11

Mar

2025

ES Speech

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Presentation of the proposal on Critical Medicines Act (CMA) (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, I think the message is clear and almost unanimous: Europe has to be self-sufficient and, with this law being presented today, the Commission must ensure that citizens' access to essential medicines is guaranteed. Shortages of essential medicines have become a challenge in the European Union. Fragile and dependent supply chains are a vulnerabilit…

12

Feb

2025

ES Speech

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Silent crisis: the mental health of Europe’s youth (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the deterioration of mental health is a silent crisis. Yes, silent. I wish our young people would raise their voices in the face of hopelessness. It is a threat that, according to the World Health Organization, suffers one in seven young people. And with these statistics, Europe cannot look the other way. We are not aware of the current environment…