Speeches

Madam President! The world has not in my time seen a worse attack than Israel's on Gaza with hunger, thirst and medicine as weapons, on top of the continuous bombardment and shootings. 34 000 are reported killed, half of them children. No horror surpasses this. With the killing of aid workers, we lose arms and legs in the disaster area, but our eyes are also blinded. The fact that Israel is denying journalists access to Gaza means that we only have those who were there before. And here grotesquely many, probably hundreds have been killed. Soon we will have Hamas alone as a news source. Israel must be pressured to allow journalists in immediately. We all need their eyes to see what is really happening, and the EU must immediately include Gaza and the West Bank’s journalists in the EU’s Media Freedom Rapid Response, as well as Ukraine’s journalists. It is also urgent to have an independent investigation into the many killings of journalists and the responsible Israelis on the EU sanctions list. Impunity is a plague in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Mr President, have you made it clear that our civilisation is under real threat? The situation is obviously bad for the ill-treated population of Gaza, but everything worsens when the majority here and among the governments do not dare to mention Israel's 57-year occupation of Palestine, in which the reality has happened. An occupation that has only gotten worse and worse, and now in Gaza culminates in what the ICJ does not reject is genocide. It is even hesitant to make it clear what is causing Gaza's suffering. Israel's cynical use of hunger, thirst and disease as weapons against the imprisoned population in addition to shootings and bombardments. Then it is really our civilisation that is at stake, a collapse of the international legal order. The EU's hypocrisy and double standards flash sharply across the starry sky. We must immediately press Israel to comply with the ICJ's orders. Vi må omgående vise Gaza og resten af verden, at vi mener det, når vi insisterer på menneskerettigheder og retsstatsprincippet. I hope it's not too late.

Madam President! I would say that it has been a very good debate today, with so many people supporting the fact that the massacre in Gaza must stop now and that we must embark on a two-state solution. But one thing has been frightening, and that is how few people have spoken of such a clear verdict by the International Court of Justice a month ago – very clear – demanding that the bombing stop – if you could read it – with a demand that much more aid should immediately enter Gaza. And it was clear that this, it was almost a unanimous verdict. And then to see that such a judgment of the International Court of Justice – our most important instrument of international law – is taken as a contribution to the debate. In other words, ignoring the International Court of Justice poses a serious threat to all of us. And it helps to ensure that we in the Global South in the East are seen as hypocrites who do not actually take international law seriously themselves. I hope that something will happen immediately on the part of the European Union and on the part of our Member States. My own is no better.

Anders Vistisen! Have you ever been there? Have you seen how much UNRWA manages with schools, with emergency aid, with everything that was really Israel's job, because as an occupying power they have a duty to provide for it? They haven't done anything. The evidence that exists – for there are stingy vessels – but the evidence that exists is worth nothing. A few years ago, Israel accused UNRWA of carrying rockets in their ambulances. They turned out to be citizens. It just says something about the level of when you put forward evidence. But you're obviously completely cynical and don't care about the lives of thousands, millions of people. I would like an answer to: Do you have a better proposal than UNRWA?

Madam President! Yes, thank you, Madam President, and also thank you to the Ombudsman. Much has been said about the importance of proper transparency for our citizens to keep up, and here I would like to highlight in particular the good work Emily O’Reilly has done to keep up with this. Because if we don't have this to run right, then we're on it, and that's why it's so important that we have a good ombudsman. Fortunately, the EU has done this so far. Thank you for that and also thank you for the good cooperation with the report to Peter Jahr. Let me give you a few examples that I think are important: The study on the composition of the EU Energy Platform Advisory Group, where the fossil fuel industry grotesquely gained dominant influence. Thank you for keeping that case going, and hopefully it will end well, so that industries relevant to the green transition, as well as the main NGOs and experts, are also listened to. The process of purchasing COVID vaccines is also important. It is scandalous that we do not have access to the key communication between the Commission and the Pharma industry. We have poured billions of taxpayers' money into this matter, and yet it runs, but thank you for keeping it clear. Finally, I would like to mention the work on the transparency of the Council's work. If citizens are to fulfil the Treaty's promises of democratic participation, they must be able to keep up with what their own governments are doing throughout the legislative preparation process. Finally, I would like us to have a real ombudsman again after the next elections - one that is able, as Emily and the previous ones have been, to distinguish between party representatives and, for example, judges. So good luck with it and thank you, Emily.

Mr President! Yes, thank you, Mr. President. “If this is not genocide, what is it?” Gillian Levy asked in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz the day before yesterday. And then he gave full support to South Africa's indictment of Israel at the Hague court with an accurate review of the appalling attacks on Gaza. Here it is also worth remembering that the great hero in the fight against apartheid, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, was among the foremost critics of Israel's mistreatment of the Palestinians. But the most dangerous thing right now for all of us is that we in the European Union lose credibility in the rest of the world in the fight for the international rule of law. It looks dark. A few countries are shining, but many are staying in the dark - including my own Denmark. I hope and pray that we can get back in place. Demands peace now, the lifting of the occupation of Palestine and a serious commitment to the two-state solution that we have long since promised both Palestine and Israel's peace wing.

Mr President! Also thanks to Borrell for his speech. The fact that the EU must now demand a ceasefire with an end to the bombing of Gaza, the release of all hostages and free access to humanitarian aid should not be discussed. It's already thousands of dead too late. But the prospects for the two-state solution are muddy, Commissioner. Indeed, the EU is actually reinforcing illegal settlements and land robbery. The way the EU implements its own laws is active, substantial support for colonisation. In all Member States, it is forbidden to trade in products originating from stolen land. We don't need new laws, we need respect for those we have. And I believe that if Israel realizes that the EU will live up to its laws and that Israel cannot profit from the settlements, the two-state solution will also be a good chance for them. The 67 limit gives Israel 78% of historic Palestine. There's room. At the same time, East Jerusalem must be secured for Palestine. Such is the obvious path to peace for both Palestine and Israel.

Mr President! And thanks to Borrell for a nice speech. There is one point that has not been discussed at all today, and that is the threat that is happening now in Lebanon. Yesterday, nine people were killed, including two journalists and an old woman. 45-46 000 are internally displaced. 45 000 olive trees have been destroyed, cut down, scattered with ‘white phosphorus’. And let me quote what the Israeli Defence Minister – Defence Minister Galant – has said. They're flying everywhere in Arab media now. "What we are during in Gaza, we can do in Beirut." I think we need to pay much more attention to the serious threat that is hitting us all, because we are not seeing the things that are happening at the moment. In Beirut and Lebanon, too, there are strong memories of what they have experienced. So we cannot guarantee that they just sit with folded hands and hope that it goes well. If we're not much, much tougher. I know Borrell knows this, but I think everyone should know this.

Mr President! No matter who is behind this horrific bombing last night, we must not, and it was horrific, forget that Gaza is currently completely imprisoned. Nothing can get in. Egypt will allow it. Israel will not. They bombed children and adults. Three thousand have already been killed here in the last few days in Gaza, and we have to deal with that as well. And if our condemnation, absolutely necessary condemnation of Hamas, is to be credible, there is no point in not insisting that both sides respect international law. And let me also say that we now have a great responsibility here in Europe to achieve real peace. We share responsibility for the fact that nothing has really happened in the 30 years that have passed. You have spoken and you have spoken and you have spoken. But nothing has actually been done right in order to achieve the two-state solution. Therefore, our call today must be to say yes, an immediate ceasefire, an immediate end to the occupation, and then to start putting real pressure on both Palestine and Israel. We are currently failing that peace camp and our friends in both countries. We are, and it is very important, that we are aware that Israel's true friends are those who are now fighting for a proper solution and not just saying revenge, revenge, revenge.

Mr. President! Thank you to Nils and to colleagues for a good cooperation! In fact, the Commission's proposal was fine and it has made our work much easier. But there was still room for improvement, and we managed to get through a lot. A few important points: On the whole, we have been able to maintain, or even raise, the level of ambition. We have received more attention to reducing energy consumption, increasing energy efficiency, and exploiting waste heat, as well as ensuring a greater focus on methane and nitrous oxide, and thus the necessity of climate neutrality in the long term. We have also strengthened our contribution to the circular economy in relation to both nutrients and water, and we have been given extra focus on the problems of microplastics and PFAS, and we have improved governance and cooperation between the Member States and the Commission, harmonisation with relevant environmental legislation and tightened the requirements for transparency. Unfortunately, something has also deteriorated. We Greens are very concerned about this. Firstly, we find it unfortunate that the polluter-pays principle in Article 9 is being watered down. The Commission's proposal to finance the clean-up of micro-pollutants through extended producer responsibility was the right way to go. It is only fair that the sectors concerned should be included, and so they are not poor. The pharmaceutical industry, for example, has good advice. We are also disappointed that it will allow up to 25 percent of the area's energy neutrality to be retrieved from the electricity grid. There is already a strong demand for green power, and if we are to reach climate neutrality, all sectors should settle. Nor is it acceptable for there to be a proposal to increase the size limit for cities to be required to clean up micro-pollution, cf. Article 8. This will mean much more pollution in a number of semi-large cities. And then I have to mention an entirely bizarre Amendment No 253, which would exempt a particular country from having to remove nutrients on the grounds that an area is vulnerable to the extra pollution. Excuse me! Every citizen in the EU has the right to live in a healthy environment, even if it requires additional efforts!

Madam President! We all know that wolves eat grandmothers. So, of course, they must be exterminated. Everyone who eats grandmothers, let's go somewhere else. In Denmark, more than 20 000 piglets die per day. If we are so concerned about animal welfare, then we should not look the other way. And let me say that we know very well that if we take care of our own livestock – as Róża Thun, not least, described very well – then there can be fine coexistence between wolves and humans and wolves and animal husbandry – if we take good care of it. But we also have to pay attention – and that is very much to you, Commissioner: What signal are we sending to Africa and India? What about their elephants? What about the tigers of India? They are truly dangerous! I've heard people say they should take care of their animals. But we should not sacrifice it, it costs to ensure that we just have so much care for it that we can all be there. You want to hear about it from another dancer. He believes that all animals that cannot be eaten or hunted or itched behind the ears must be eradicated. Take a look at it, it will be coming soon, from Denmark.

Madam President! Israel's long-term occupation of Palestine must end. Israel must retreat behind the Green Line. The PLO has accepted a status of the remaining 22% of historic Palestine, including East Jerusalem. It is the only chance for peace and freedom in both Palestine and Israel. The EU owes it to the peace wing, not least in Israel, to move from words to deeds. They feel abandoned by us. With good reason. But we also need to address the leadership of Palestine. This report contains a necessary criticism of the PA, on the one hand, of the weakening of the rule of law, the conditions of the opposition and free debate, and on the other, and in particular, of the absence of elections. The last was in 2006. The elections at the time were free and fair, but the EU did not respect them. Since then, the PA has damaged democratic legitimacy. They sit in their bubble in Ramallah and do not move out of the crack, not even to help the many whose land is stolen by violent settlers and whose houses are being demolished by Israel, as well as by the brutal military repression. Both the EU and the PA must act in accordance with international law. We can find out in other contexts. The many young Palestinians urgently need to be able to hope for a humane future.

Madam President! When some of us shouted back in the 70s that the pesticides would go into the groundwater, we were dismissed with the absurd accusation: "Doomsday prophets, it will take at least 30 years!" Yes, now we are there, everywhere in Europe we have the great generational pollutions that we are struggling to fight, and that struggle has filled my nearly 50 years of political activity. But it is still as if the key decision-makers have not learned from the experience. They are repeating themselves now with PFAS. The European Union is already heavily polluted with it, and we know that it can plague us for centuries to come. We must urgently ban all non-essential PFAS chemicals and find ways to dismantle the others. And those Member States that are now ready for it themselves must get started. However, as many have already mentioned, it is urgent to revise REACH. It is now time to take responsibility for the environment and nature of our children and grandchildren. They are the ones to whom the precautionary principle applies, not the fear of stepping on the toes of reactionary industries and politicians.

Mr President! The legal framework underway in Israel is a disaster for Israel's democracy. But that was already the gap with laws that clearly discriminate against Israel's Palestinian citizens, let alone those in occupied Palestine. For 55 years, their lives have gone from bad to worse. I 2022 blev 146 civile dræbt, heraf 39 børn. Most of the IDF is unpunished. Land was stolen by settlers, houses demolished on a massive scale, children and adults imprisoned for months, even years. With the new government, the last remnant of legal protection will disappear. The annexation of Palestine is now taking place legally and at full speed. International law is for Israel a city in Russia, gone. Mr Borrell, relevance, speech is important, but more importantly, relevant action is now. Desmond Tutu also considered Israel an apartheid state. His answer to those who clothe themselves with the cloak of neutrality was; If you are neutral in unjust situations, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.

Madam President! Thank you to the rapporteur and also to Commissioner Timmermans. We have achieved a fairly good result and we are particularly pleased that we have tightened up the Commission's proposals in several important areas. The most important thing is, of course, that the reduction path towards the 2030 targets has been tightened, and so that we have closed this loophole that the Commission had found to link to land use, so that it has come away, and that we have tightened the countries' opportunities - or limited the countries' opportunities - to postpone the reduction of climate gases. It is no secret, however, that we Greens had hoped for more courage and more ambition. On the one hand, from colleagues in this House, but above all from governments. Reductions are hard and hurt. But the alternative hurts a lot more, and the bill we send to the nursery will be much bigger if we don't act now and act quickly. But I am probably particularly disappointed that we have met so little goodwill to make the reduction path even shorter. There is a difference when you have a goal, whether you reach it by making such an arc, or you make such an arc here. We would also like to see more of these loopholes reduced. Now it applies to the implementation, and here we have also fortunately ensured better transparency with the efforts. And we expect the 27 governments to make every effort to comply with the new reduction requirements, because you must be able to see that it is fathers and mothers or grandparents like me who are doing this work.

Madam President! First of all, thank you to the rapporteur for a good report. I would just like to say that the Greens will once again vote in favour of these three ECR amendments. We actually think they are good and don't really understand why you don't vote for them. But first of all, thanks to Emily O'Reilly, and I will not repeat all the praises that come from those comments. There is no time for that, because I have so little time, but I just want to say: We in the European Union have a real ombudsman, and we must therefore be careful that we continue to have that. Because I have the feeling, from the times I have participated in the elections – and that is part of it – that it is difficult to fully understand what an ombudsman is. And let me say here that there is one thing I would like to highlight from Emily O'Reilly's work. And it's not from this year, it's from 2018. And that was when we got the report, the special report, about opening up the Council's work so that citizens and the press can follow what their own governments are doing. And only when we really get it will we live up to the Treaty's promise to the citizens that they can participate in democracy. If they do not know what their own governments are doing, how can they be confident that this is going on properly? I would like to thank you again for this report, but I would also like to say that we have a great deal to say here, and I would very much encourage our governments to finally start taking this seriously.

Madam President (start of speech off mic) ... I was there, the leader of the delegation, and it was a clear shock that Ana Miranda was kept out, as it was also a shock – it wasn’t a shock; it was a surprise – that our Chair, Manu Pineda, was denied. Again, we were denied access to Gaza. I haven’t been there since 2010. I think now that the Parliament should be… I know that you responded to it, but it is not them to decide. It is us. And it was, as said by Ana Miranda now, clearly against the European Parliament, not against these persons. Let me add here what once Elliott Abrams said in – I think it was in Washington – when somebody asked about the EU role in Israel, and he said, ‘EU, they are payers; we are the players’. I think we should do something about this here now.

Madam President, thank you to the rapporteur and colleagues who worked on this file; the result is overall balanced and positive. It’s good that we reiterate the request to the Commission to revise its approach to petitions, which the Parliament already considers to be in breach of the Treaties. It leaves many citizens who filed individual petitions without adequate protection of their rights. I am happy that this report considers the best way forward to be an agreement between the Parliament and the Commission on the handling of petitions, and the fulfilment of the request to get access to the Commission’s documents and information on EU pilot and infringement procedures, based on petitions. But we should have been more outspoken on the very bad situation we are experiencing in this committee. Frankly, it’s taken hostage mainly by Partido Popular on Spanish issues. These often have no connection with EU law but are nonetheless treated to accommodate national party political interest. This includes biased decisions that undermine the spirit of this citizen-close committee, and violate our internal rules and practices in ways that I have never seen in my 14 years of work in this committee. We must safeguard the committee’s credibility and restore its authentic European dimension by working in full compliance with all applicable rules, and truly be the citizens’ gateway to the EU institutions.

Mr. President! Now we are again faced with a resolution that talks about a two-state solution and that we must return to the negotiating table as if the parties are equals. We constantly overlook the fact that one party occupies the other and has been doing so for 50 years. And there is no chance that the basic problem itself will be solved until the occupation is lifted and we can have real negotiations. And we must not forget that it is really good that we are talking about the 1967 solution, but that is 22% of historic Palestine for the Palestinians and 78% for Israel. Just to keep the proportions clear here. And again, we are also talking about upholding – as we do in many other places – international law. But Israel can clearly violate international law without doing anything serious about it. And we are being asked - and I would like to stress this here - both by the Palestinians and by our peace friends in Israel that we are finally doing something so that this whole atmosphere of impunity is lifted and we have means at our fingertips, legal means that we can use if they could finally have some consequences.

Madam President! First of all, thank you for a good collaboration with a skilled dealer team. We Greens have particularly focused on a holistic view of health. When our nature and environment are threatened, our health is also threatened. Deteriorating biodiversity and increasing pollution pose a general health risk, increasing the risk of new pandemics. This holistic approach has now come into play. We would have liked to see more transparency when it comes to joint procurement and negotiations with the pharmaceutical industry. Taxpayers have a right to know how their money is spent. We got a little openness in decision-making through the participation of parliamentarians at several levels. This gives the public a chance to follow suit. If governments are alone, there is very rarely openness about the work, not at all in the same way as we have in Parliament. But what about global solidarity? It is outright disgraceful for the industry, which has received billions of euros for vaccine development, for example, and will continue to be well-padded from the public purse, to combat the sharing of knowledge as well as recipes for vital medicines. And it is equally disgraceful that our governments are taking their side, not the side of mankind, in this matter.

Madam President! Thank you to the Commissioner, and especially to you, Grace, for a very good job. And although we could have liked the level even higher, there are many good things in the text. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the holistic approach. We must stop thinking in boxes if we are to deal with the climate crisis, the destruction of nature, the depletion of topsoil, the misuse of drinking water, runaway pollution, etc. Only if we see them in context do we have a chance. Solutions often reinforce each other. An obvious but also very overlooked example is the roll-out of renewable energy and the protection of nature. On the contrary, being in conflict, they can help each other. Coastal windmills create artificial reefs with lots of life and seafood and food for birds and marine mammals in our devastated marine environment. At least it's very bad up north. Giant wind turbines disturb the landscapes less than the small ones, as the wings run slower and quieter. So we have to bring that too. Solar panels are not beautiful. No, no! But they can make room for lots of nature with insects, small animals and birds. If we work like this with subsidence, there is a gain on all the plates. And we need that if we are to make the EAP and the other parts of the green transition a reality. There is no time to waste!

Mr President! I participated in 2009 in Copenhagen, the following year in Cancún and in Paris in 2015. The mood was always alarmed, but especially after Paris we welcomed the lightening of the results. Afterwards, the level of ambition rattled down again, and the discouragement grew. Fortunately, young people are now on the streets. They and we know that in Glasgow it is their very future that is at stake. Now that's it. Do we expect our children and great-grandchildren to talk about COP26 with enthusiasm in the future? That here world leaders finally stepped in and made the necessary decisions so that we can deal with the climate crisis? Or will the angry and discouraged note that their lives and future apparently meant less to us than short-term economic interests and business as usual? We all hope for the first. That outcome depends solely on the political will, and although it has often been absent, remember: Fortunately, political will is a renewable resource.

Madam President! The EU needs stronger cooperation in the field of health. The question, therefore, is not why, but how we should strengthen our health union. What have we learned from the EU's handling so far? We have learned that EU-procured vaccines work, and thank you for that. We have spent billions of euros, but have scandalously little control over how. And then we have a system that holds the hand over the industry, with conflicts of interest and no requirements for transparency in relation to research, manufacturing and pre-supply agreements. No transparency on public funding of companies, on vaccine prices and sales revenue, costs of clinical trials, etc. Global solidarity is minimal. But the European Commission's recent proposal on the EU's emergency health authority is not the answer to these challenges. And it needs to change fundamentally from being an industry to being a health cooperation. Let us now think big and establish a European infrastructure for the production of medicines and vaccines. Let's prioritize competent, non-profit pharma companies over commercial ones. Let us work with non-commercial research institutions and civil society. And let us ensure opportunities for poorer countries to speed up at least adequate vaccine programmes. All with the highest degree of transparency, democratic control and demands on our partners in the industry. Let me also say to Mrs Pernille Weiss that it is not an agency. If only it had been. But it is only a force, a power within the Commission. The Commissioner also said so explicitly just now.

Mr President! Yesterday we talked about the Corona crisis. We have shown that we can take drastic and immediate action if we really want to. We didn't wait until we had the vaccines. With the climate, we face a much worse danger. But here we mainly focus on finding solutions that do not interfere with our lifestyle. We've known the threat for 31 years. The last IPPC report from August was alarming reading. The world is on fire. Now it's all man for the pumps. There are good initiatives in "Fit for 55", but too little action here and now. We are still sitting and hoping that the birds on the roof will fly down into our hands. I am eight children's grandmother and politically also Greta Thunbergs. Children and young people all over Europe – indeed all over the world – will love us if we finally take this seriously, as will old people. I hope that the Commission will be as serious and capable of action as Commissioner Timmermans said just now. I hope so.

Mr President, COVID—19 has highlighted serious shortcomings at both EU and national level. With the new European Health Union package we should be better prepared in the future, but only if the Council agrees on stepping up efforts. I believe Parliament has done a great job. Let me highlight the most important improvements to the Commission proposal. Firstly, future decision—making has to be more inclusive and involve public health experts, healthcare professionals and consumer organisations. Decision—making needs to be fully transparent and with conditions on rules of conflict of interest, particularly for members of the Health Security Committee. We need much better accountability than what we have seen around the procurement of COVID—19 vaccines. Secondly, on transparency, we cannot continue with ‘business as usual’. The procurement of vaccines remains a scandal. We still don’t know how more than EUR 2.7 billion from the EU Emergency Support Instrument has been spent, and still contracts with industry remain redacted. As we move on from a state of emergency, we need much more transparency and better accountability in the future. The European Parliament should be regularly informed about ongoing negotiations, and up—to—date information about jointly procured products should be provided to consumers, including details of liability and legal protection. Thirdly, I am confident that our improvements on the high level of data privacy and security will be carried in the coming negotiations. Lastly, we need to improve the EU’s global approach to the pandemic and step up cooperation with the WHO as well as secure access to medical counter—measures for low— and middle—income countries as part of joint procurement. To this end, compulsory and voluntary technology transfer pools and licensing agreements need to be considered seriously as tools to address the global supply of medical counter—measures.