What Sebastião spoke about.

6 Oct

2026

PT Speech

This is Europe - Debate with the Prime Minister of Portugal, Luís Montenegro (debate)

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Madam President, Prime Minister, Commissioner, Minister, to be European is to do the opposite of what the majority expected, but which everyone knew had to be done. If we accept this definition, we will not find a more European government than the Portuguese one. In immigration, our reforms halved human trafficking and responded to 583,000 unresolved cases. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, there was a E…

19 May

2026

PT Answer

EU governance under pressure – institutional responses to global challenges (debate)

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I'll answer you with facts. The honourable Member asks whether it is the unanimity rule in the Council that has so far prevented the Council and the Commission from taking a more aggressive, more serious, more assertive stance on international law, for example on the Gaza issue – which I know is very dear to him, as it is to me too, as the honourable Member knows. I'll answer you: Yes, it was unan…

19 May

2026

PT Speech

EU governance under pressure – institutional responses to global challenges (debate)

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Mr President, on the day we pay tribute to those who built the Union as we know it today, we are debating in this Parliament how to respond to a world different from the one that saw Europe born. When we have not yet fully glimpsed what is behind the horizon, we base our history on what we project for the future. There are answers to be given and changes not to be postponed. Nothing illustrates it…

29 Apr

2026

EN Speech

Shortcomings and deficiencies of the ‘Amnesty Law’ in Venezuela

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, this is the third resolution on Venezuela that we have discussed in this parliamentary term. I hope it will be the one with the most support. When negotiating ‑la, it was clear that there is a majority that coincides on three points: human rights and international law must be respected; the 470 political prisoners must be released and the future of…

10 Mar

2026

EN Speech

Recommendation on enhanced EU-Canada cooperation in the current geopolitical context, including the threats to Canada’s economic stability and sovereignty (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner Kos, it is symbolic that we should present the proposal for enhanced cooperation with Canada, not to the foreign policy holder, not to the Commissioner for Partnership or Trade, but to the Commissioner for Enlargement. In the future, our relationship with Canada will not be the same as we have with the accession countries, but it will be closer and closer. Let's look at …

20 Jan

2026

PT Question

Situation in Venezuela following the extraction of Maduro and the need to ensure a peaceful democratic transition (debate)

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Madam President, Madam High Representative, this was the first parliament in the world to recognize the victory of the Venezuelan democratic movement. We did it in 2024, against critics and non-believers. We did it mainly because we had to. We owed it to the eight million Venezuelans who have left their country in 12 years. We owed it to the 12 million Venezuelans who voted against fear, against o…

17 Dec

2025

EN Speech

Preparation of the European Council meeting of 18-19 December 2025, in particular the need to support Ukraine, transatlantic relations and the EU’s strategic autonomy (debate)

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Madam President, for those who see the world as a zero-sum game, the growth of others is always a defeat. That is why some people prefer a nationalist Europe or nationalisms. A nationalistic Europe would not complete the Capital Markets Union or the banking union. A nationalist Europe would leave the monopoly of the future on the other side of the Atlantic. The question is not 'why have our allies…

16 Dec

2025

PT Speech

Presentation of the European Affordable Housing Plan (continuation of debate)

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26 Nov

2025

PT Speech

The situation of Christian communities and religious minorities in Nigeria and the Middle East, and Europe’s responsibility to protect them and guarantee freedom of conscience (topical debate)

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26 Nov

2025

EN Speech

EU position on the proposed plan and EU engagement towards a just and lasting peace for Ukraine (debate)

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Mr President, colleagues, a Portuguese poet once said, 'I know not what tomorrow will bring'. Today we may not know what tomorrow will bring, but we know this: a true peace strengthens the invaded, not the invader. After four years of fighting, Ukraine has the right to keep what they fought so hard to defend and to recover what Russia took by force. After four years of fighting, we cannot tell the…

21 Oct

2025

EN Speech

Institutional consequences of the EU enlargement negotiations (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner Kos, this is the first time in this parliamentary term that Parliament has taken the initiative on enlargement. It is a sign that we are doing this starting by talking about what we have to change as a Union and not just what those who want to be part of it have to change. The debate on the accession of new Member States boils down to two issues: whether it is going to h…

21 Oct

2025

PT Speech

Recent peace agreement in the Middle East and the role of the EU (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, recognising the fragility of the ceasefire does not negate the need for peace. And admitting the difficulty of peace does not deny Israel's right to exist, nor the right of the Palestinian people to more than survive. This plan is not a victory, but an advance, led by those who can make themselves heard, but enhanced by those who have never given up seeing. Respect f…

11 Sep

2025

EN Speech

Solidarity with Poland following the deliberate violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones (debate)

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Madam President, my Polish friends, an attack on Poland's airspace is an attack on this European Union. When Russia crosses your border, they are assaulting each and every one of us, from Warsaw to Lisbon. There is a reason why those drones flew, but didn't shoot. They knew they would strike more than a building: they would strike the 27 democracies of this Union, the 32 armies of our common allia…

8 Jul

2025

PT Answer

Situation in the Middle East (debate)

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I can only interpret your question as a question that was addressed to the European Commission and not to a Member. For a very simple reason: as the honourable Member knows, the government of my coalition supports the suspension of that agreement in any decision that is taken in the Council, following the Commission's assessment. The honourable Member tells me: How much longer do we have to wait f…

8 Jul

2025

PT Speech

Situation in the Middle East (debate)

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Madam President, in December the European Commission's envoy for peace in the Middle East told us: “We cannot be surprised if we see an increase in terrorism in the coming years.” Europol’s annual report confirmed: the images of death and destruction in Gaza impact the security of the European Union, with support already going beyond al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. Madam President, even if Europe …

18 Jun

2025

PT Speech

Safeguarding the rule of law in Spain, ensuring an independent and autonomous prosecutor's office to fight crime and corruption (debate)

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Mr President, a week ago, Spain and Portugal celebrated their accession to the European project. It is fair to say that this anniversary would not exist without the two popular parties and the two socialist parties that founded our democracies. On a path with differences, but very much in common, there is a brand that brings us closer and distinguishes our European belonging, our internationalism,…

18 Jun

2025

PT Speech

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

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Madam President, Commissioner, the NATO summit at the end of the month will reveal two things: the ability of the Alliance to withstand a new reality and the ability of its members to meet agreed goals. As a European, I believe we will correspond to both. As a Portuguese, coming from the Member State furthest from the war, I reaffirm here the commitment of a government that will meet the 2% of def…

21 May

2025

PT Speech

The EU's response to the Israeli government's plan to seize the Gaza Strip, ensuring effective humanitarian support and the liberation of hostages (debate)

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Madam President, dear loved onesIsrael blocked the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza for two months. The people are starving." This is not an activist statement, it is a declaration signed by 17 Member States of this Union, including mine. We oppose Israel's military expansion. The suffering in Gaza is intolerable." This is not an activist statement, it is a statement signed by Canada, the UK an…

8 May

2025

PT Question

80 years after the end of World War II - freedom, democracy and security as the heritage of Europe (debate)

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The blue card is usually used in a confrontational way. Allow me to interact with Mr Francisco Assis and his speech to say the following: I find it remarkable that a centre-left socialist MP dedicates his intervention on the anniversary of peace and the end of World War II to honouring a man who founded a party from the centre opposite his centre, General De Gaulle. This is the lesson that Francis…

8 May

2025

EN Speech

80 years after the end of World War II - freedom, democracy and security as the heritage of Europe (debate)

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Madam President, in the history books, the post-war world means not just the world after the war, but a world without it. Today, 80 years after the surrender of the Nazi regime, we live in a world that faces a darkness most of us can't recall. 50 million lives in six years made us say 'never again'. The Second World War confronted mankind with humanity, patriotism with fascism, truth with anger. T…

1 Apr

2025

EN Speech

Safeguarding the access to democratic media, such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (debate)

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Mr President, the lack of funding for US foreign aid has caused 1 300 000 displaced persons in Ukraine to lose shelter, 2 700 000 war-wounded persons to lose medical assistance. There are 4 million Ukrainians in 90 days. In Africa, half of Sudan's population depended on USAID-sourced food programs. Today, 25 million people are hungry. This Parliament may criticise, ignore or applaud the cuts in US…

11 Mar

2025

EN Speech

European Council meetings and European security (joint debate)

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Madam President, Mr President, three years ago, no one anticipated that Europe would unite around Ukraine, denying the invasion of the Russian Federation. Three years later, American instability causes many to say that Europe does not exist, that it does not count, that it cannot. Ladies and gentlemen, over the last hundred days, the three institutions gathered here have shown that Europe is here.…

11 Feb

2025

PT Speech

Preparedness for a new trade era: multilateral cooperation or tariffs (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, the title of this debate asks 'cooperation or tariffs?' when the largest economy on the planet waves tariffs, not in an environment of cooperation, but of intimidation. For a union of states and for any company, more harmful than a tariff is the threat of tariffs. This is an unpredictability that is not only economic, ranging from diplomacy to the labor market, from …

21 Jan

2025

PT Speech

Situation in Venezuela following the usurpation of the presidency on 10 January 2025 (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, I have seen it. I saw them on the plane to Caracas before last year's presidential election. I saw the Venezuelan families who had to flee the country come back to vote. I saw how they held their hands on that plane and cried out of fear. Not fear of repression, not fear of intimidation, but fear that your vote wouldn't count. I saw them, I saw them as I saw Maria Corin…

21 Jan

2025

PT Speech

Geopolitical and economic implications for the transatlantic relations under the new Trump administration (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, in the face of an American administration which understands only the logic of force, the European Union does not have to be mischaracterised, but it has a clear path: Strengthen yourself. The stronger our economy, with the Capital Markets Union and Banking Union completed, the stronger we will be at the table of this transatlantic relationship. The stronger our …