Speeches

Mr President, one thing is clear: the October parliamentary elections were not free and fair. We cannot allow those who stole the elections to get away with it. A wake‑up call, members of the Commission, members of the European Council: in this Parliament, we have it clear that the de facto authorities controlled by the oligarch Ivanishvili have adopted increasingly repressive legislation, while detentions of protesters, activists and journalists are used to try to silence the opposition. The several violent incidents targeting political leaders last week are just unacceptable. The European path to resolving this crisis is clear. We have to be with the Georgian people and ask for the immediate release of all political prisoners and the organisation of new, fair and transparent elections. We cannot leave Georgia in the hands of the Russians, in the hands of Putin. We have to be close and give our support and our warmth to the people that are suffering in the streets in Georgia.

Mr President, Commissioner, the truth is that I rarely feel proud of a title in these debates: ‘usurpation’. Indeed, it is the usurpation by the criminal regime of the dictator Maduro and his aides, those drug traffickers that he has around, and that here, in the European Union, we have not yet known how to pursue in the right way. Here, with the help and collaboration of the European far left, the regime is still alive and it is the image of Europe that is at stake; It is up to us Europeans to lay down the appropriate sanctions at once. And we must be clear about the persecution of the members of this clan, who are perverting the freedoms and democracy of the Venezuelan people. We must also show our firm and determined support for the Venezuelan opposition and the Venezuelan people, who exercised their right to vote and who declared that they wanted to go to this regime. Let's see if, at once, we Europeans listen and know how to support these brave people like María Corina Machado, like Edmundo González and like thousands of Venezuelans.

Mr President, President Trump has finally been elected and confirmed and, although it rains here in Strasbourg, the skies do not open, as some predict; Nor will the world be destroyed, as others predict. It's all right now! It's all right now! Let's be the Europe that discovered and colonized America. Let us return to the pride of our unity, which we have achieved so much in the past and which we can achieve in the future, and let us face the challenge of the new American Presidency as we must: united. It is already good to run like headless chickens, scared to death, through the European institutions and through the corridors of Brussels. On the contrary, let us look for the opportunity – as has already happened with the Brexit – to be united in a negotiation that we are going to have, very hard, with President Trump. It's okay: We'll benefit from this if we do it the way it plays. As my good friend Senator John McCain said, we need to define our policies not because of what we oppose, but because of what we stand for. And what we Americans and we stand for – and we are an example to the rest of the world – is the defence of freedom and democracy. Let's keep those principles these next few months.

Mr President, there is no doubt that this is an important time for us. Thank you to those who collaborated to have this ceasefire. The ceasefire agreement in Gaza, whose implementation started yesterday, was our end goal from the very beginning. Our priority was always the liberation of the hostages held captive by the terrorist group Hamas and the alleviation of the challenging situation faced by the civil population in Gaza. Finally, this can be achieved. Our EPP Group should be proud. In these last fifteen months, we have been able to act with responsibility, stepping up to the complexity of the conflict. While some choose the ideological, opportunistic and sometimes anti-Semitic approach, we have shown leadership and this Parliament has shown also leadership. I would like to thank President von der Leyen and President Metsola for their guidance. In the face of the brutal tragedy of the 7 October terrorist attacks and the conflict that followed, they expressed our solidarity to the Israeli people and stressed our commitment to protecting the right to existence of the only democracy in the Middle East, while doing all they could do to help guarantee that humanitarian assistance could be delivered to the Palestinian people and stressing our commitment to a two‑state solution. Now it is time to develop a clearer and more coherent approach to the region. A two‑state solution is a goal that we all share but not recognising one state without consensus to strike points in domestic politics. This is absolutely irresponsible. To those who still believe that we should negotiate some sort of new agreement with Iran – wake up! Iran is behind all of this and we cannot allow this to continue. And we have to identify who was the beginning of all this. That will be the starting of the solution of this problem.

Without taking an iota of importance away from the problem you are mentioning. What I say is that the priority is to solve the problem in Syria so that it does not happen again and so that you do not have to waste time with these issues, and to solve the problem of emigration. And what he has to do is talk about what is happening in Syria and what the population is suffering from. That is why they had to leave, for those thirteen years of civil war, for those tortures and those persecutions. And that's what we should be talking about. And so we should not be talking about the problem of emigration.

Mr President, 13 years of civil war and 50 years of a bloody regime are coming to an end, but not yet. Let's see what happens in Syria with the new government and the new situation created. You will understand that I have my suspicions and my doubts about the rebel groups that are part of this new government. We Europeans are also at the root of this problem and no one has spoken about it. At the beginning of the 20th century we drew the lines that separated the Kurds and many minorities. The big problem of this sensitive area of the planet is created by us. Therefore, the truth is that I was comforted to see the high representative sitting with the ministers of the Arab countries, sending diplomatic representation to Damascus. For the first time, I believe that we are present in the decisions. It seems that we are finally up to the task and that we Europeans have assumed the responsibility that we have had for almost two centuries for all this. In the meantime, in this Parliament, unfortunately, we have the usual: to the extreme right talking about immigration, as it is, from minute one and to the extreme left talking about Israel. Hey, can you stop your obsessions now? Don't you see that Israel is defending itself, just as it is defending Europe from these rebel groups, that this is the far West and that someone has to bring order to southern Syria? It's just that these obsessions are an incomprehensible thing. They're ridiculous, really. Let's talk about solutions. They need solutions. Syria needs them and we Europeans have to be there for them, for those millions of people that neither the far left nor the right speak of, who are suffering torture and persecution.

Mr President, 35 years later, we have achieved much but a long journey is still ahead. Children's voices, needs and rights should be at the heart of everybody's work. The anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child is not only an occasion for celebration, but also a reflection of the failures. In many parts of the world, with armed conflicts and humanitarian crises, the principles of this convention unfortunately remain unfulfilled. The creation of an Intergroup on Children's Rights here in this Parliament is not a symbolic gesture: it is a profound commitment to place children at the heart of our policies. Across Europe, too many children face poverty, abuse and barriers to opportunities that are their fundamental rights. The EU must lead by example, ensuring that no child is left behind. It is our duty to ensure that every child, regardless of their background or circumstances, has the chance to grow, thrive and contribute to a better Europe. Let us seize this opportunity to prove that in Europe, protecting children's rights is not just a priority: it is an emergency.

Mr President, last month I led the European Parliament electoral observation mission to Mozambique. I would like to thank my colleagues that participated in that delegation and also the Chief of the European Mission, Ms Laura Ballarín, my colleague, for the very good collaboration that we had there. We were welcomed by kind people hopeful to overcome a very challenging social and security context. As Europeans, we have responsibility in Mozambique. Unfortunately, today we still do not have the official results of the elections. The irregularities observed during the electoral process and the lack of transparency from the electoral administration, which is putting into question the integrity of the results, is fuelling social unrest, violence and has already caused dozens of deaths. We must keep urging all parties to exercise restraint. Moreover, the Constitutional Court must fulfil its mandate with responsibility so that the voice of the people will be respected. We have to do this, and it's our responsibility to support the Mozambican people, and especially the young generations that are also speaking in these elections. They voted for that in their aspirations for democracy, safety and prosperity.

Madam President, that Iran is a terrorist state, we all know. But you didn't know, and we have to know, that a year ago I denounced it. Once again, I need to remind you of the assassination attempt against our colleague Alejo Vidal-Quadras, a former Vice-President of this House, of this Parliament, who was shot in his face in bright daylight in the streets of Madrid. This is unacceptable. Today, as we speak, the President of Iran is arriving in Russia for the BRICS summit. He will shake hands with Mr Putin and discuss further steps in their comprehensive strategic partnership. Do you know the meaning of that? It means the end of democracy, our freedoms and the end of Europe. Maybe it's time now to understand this. The Iranian regime is helping Russia with weapons and was behind the attacks of 7 October. We have to put an end of this and we have to do it from Europe.

Madam President, I am writing to Nicolas Maduro Moros: Your days are numbered. You will not escape justice. Neither all the gold bars of Delcy Rodríguez nor the money of your drug traffickers nor your oil stolen from the Venezuelan people will be able to pay the debts you have contracted with the Venezuelan people and with humanity; Not even your lawyer and ambassador Zapatero will get you out of this. We know that your partners and friends from the São Paulo Forum and the Puebla Group will continue to try to help you: they are not affected by the millions of Venezuelans exiled from their great country, the thousands of Venezuelans persecuted, tortured and murdered; For years they have ignored the same in Cuba and Nicaragua, they have ample experience in supporting bloody regimes. Nicolás Maduro Moros, this European Parliament will have the opportunity on Thursday to denounce your outrages and your attacks on freedom and democracy and will do so humbly honoring the courage of the Venezuelan people who told you "No" last Saturday, July 28; recognizing the victory of the democratic opposition, the dedication and bravery of María Corina Machado, and Edmundo González as the legitimate president of all Venezuelans. Soon, Nicolás Maduro Moros, you will discover that you were nothing more than a bad and tragic copy of Hugo Chávez and that your only contribution to history was to maintain and increase the suffering of the Venezuelan people based on an outdated and finished socialism.

Mr President, gone are the days when some naive politicians in Europe and America thought that they could sit down with the ayatollahs, leave some sanctions, and think that the Iranian regime would no longer pose a threat to us. Iran is a country that supplies the weapons that Putin’s regime is using daily against the Ukrainian population. It is a regime that sanctions Members of the European Parliament. It is a regime that orders assassinations on European soil against those who dare to denounce them, like our friend and former Vice-President of the Parliament, Alejo Vidal-Quadras. It is a regime that kills, tortures and oppresses those who bravely decide to participate in peaceful protests. It is a supporter of terrorist organisations in Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Iraq, Yemen. It is an unreliable, autocratic government that is clearly trying to make a fool of us by continuing to pursue the development of nuclear military technology. It is time to illegalise the Revolutionary Guard. It is time we change our approach and stay against the threat, together, of the Iranian regime.

Madam President, the tragic events when seven staff members of the World Central Kitchen were killed by an Israeli strike are regrettable and unacceptable. The distinction that we have to make is the reaction. Whereas Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist attacks butcher innocent civilians and show absolutely no regret, a democratic country, Israel, which is fighting a difficult war to neutralise terrorist groups and recover their abducted civilians, shows accountability and regret. Israel admitted its terrible mistake. It carried out an investigation that showed that the officers in charge of the strike were convinced that the cars were being used by Hamas, something that happens often. It dismissed and reprimanded officers involved in the operation. This will, of course, not bring back those who tragically lost their lives. But at least we know clearly what happened, and hopefully a similar tragic mistake like this will not happen again. This is what democracies do. The attempt of many to use this episode to argue that Israel is deliberately targeting workers of these organisations, like those who easily use the word genocide, are wrong, irresponsible and shameful. What we do not know, or if there are any regrets or investigation, is after the bombing by Islamic Jihad of a hospital at the beginning of the war. Hundreds died. Where is the investigation? Where is the regret? Abuse, rape and torture of Israeli women – where is the investigation? Where is the regret? I have not heard anything, here also in this Parliament, from many. What we do not know is where hundreds of hostages are. I think that we should focus on what we can do to reduce suffering in the Middle East. This will not happen only by accusing Israel of being a genocidal country who is deliberately killing aid workers. It is not true.

Thank you very much, Mr President. The situation in Gaza is dire and concerning. We want this war to end. But it is also our responsibility that the over 100 innocent civilians kidnapped 558 days ago by the Hamas terrorists be released. These are innocent civilians like Tsachi Idan, husband and father of three whose daughter was murdered, or little Kfir Bibas, who turned one year old in captivity. I hope that someone after me will take good note, will also speak about that. We all have to speak about the drama that’s going on also in Gaza, and that here we have to be part also of the solution. I have said this all the times in my interventions and I keep my word.

Mr President, when dealing with a crisis, we as politicians have a duty to look beyond the ballot box. Unfortunately, half of this Parliament doesn’t do it. Twenty-two speakers from the left after me will not speak about Hamas, will not speak about Israeli prisoners. No, they will not. I will speak about all of them. I will speak about the sufferings of the Palestinian children and people and also the Israeli people, because this is the European Parliament. We speak about all of them, not just one part. The situation in Gaza is dire and concerning. We want this war to end, at least on this I’m sure we all agree. Could you please stop interrupting my intervention? Please? Could you please stop? Thank you. Mr President, she’s insulting me. Mr President, are you taking note? Ms Ana Miranda. Could you please stop? I have never interrupted her in her interventions about genocide.

Mr. President, I had the enormous privilege of meeting Alexei Navalny personally, and I was immediately impressed by the humility in his treatment and his firmness of character. Humility and firmness are the attributes of a leader. I feel enormously, dear Alexei, the lack of humility and firmness in Europe. I feel the lack of leadership, a leadership that you did have. We are not used, after eighty years of peace, to suffering or to defending our values and principles. Moreover, we have even in this Parliament members of the extreme left and the extreme right who defend Putin, Maduro, the Iranian regime and, in addition, charge them, and countries in Europe – my country, Spain, among them – that buy Putin’s Russian gas. Those of us who admire you in your leadership continue your work in Europe. We will continue to denounce dictators, corruption and the agents who dwell among us. It's for you and your exemplary life.

Madam President, our Ukrainian friends are fighting a war for us. Once again, others are fighting our wars for us. We must face reality: this is no longer sustainable. Europe needs to be able to protect itself. This is a serious debate that will define our future capacity to protect our democratic societies and our international liberal order as we know it. It requires vision, leadership and responsibility. I am happy to see that this debate is gaining more momentum and that the Commission, led by President von der Leyen, is doing all it can to provide us with more tools to keep strengthening our defence capabilities. There is much still to be done: more commitment from our Member States, especially from my country, Spain. In any case, I am convinced that this debate is evolving and that in her second mandate as President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, alongside this Parliament, will be able to consolidate a European defence policy which will increase our strategic autonomy, bring our European project to the next level and be a real sign to Putin, Xi Jinping, Iranian ayatollahs and all those threatening Europe.

Mr President, if my calculation is right, we are holding the sixth debate on Gaza, and we have had two resolutions, in four months. If anyone is taking good note, I think that we are breaking all the records in this Parliament. We did not break these records for Ukraine in four months. Neither for Bosnia. No we didn’t, no we didn’t. Not in four months, my friends. Because this is not about ideology. I know that some of you are looking for votes in the next European elections, but this is about the sufferance of the Palestinian and Israeli people and how we can mediate on that. And then I have to hear the High Representative attacking again the President of the European Commission. Why? Because we have elections in two months? Is this the role of the High Representative? Is this the role? People of good, and there are many in this Parliament, have voted in favour of two resolutions in this Parliament. We were the first to talk about the humanitarian process, we talked about the ceasefire condition to the release of hostages and the end of Hamas. We have been first in everything. We will continue that line. Yes, yes, you will lose the elections, my friends. The polls are showing you are not reaching the European population. Unfortunately, because of the reaction against you, they are turning to the other side. You will not be there in the next Parliament with all your rhetoric because you take this ideologically, not from the humanitarian approach that this question needs, and Europe at its centre to be the mediator between the parts. As long as you don’t understand this, then we cannot be part of the solution, and that’s what many of us would like to be.

– Mr President, first of all, I would like to thank the authors for this very timely resolution. Today we address the assassination of yet another young Iranian man who died at the hands of the tyrannical regime of the Ayatollahs. Three people die every day in Iran – including women and children – but it’s also important to know that this is not only happening in Iran, but also in the streets of Europe against people that are fighting for democracy in Iran. A former Member and Vice-President of the European Parliament, Alejo Vidal-Quadras was shot in the face on 9 November 2023 in Madrid, Spain – in Europe. This is happening here; the regime is trying to silence all those who speak the truth, denounce the atrocities and fight for a democratic future in Iran. Mr Borrell, European governments, no more shady deals with the regime.

Madam President, Vice-President, the fight against anti-Semitism is a constant and never-ending battle. We must never lower our guard. It surrounds us in Europe. I want to let all the victims know that we are taking this very seriously here. Thanks to the efforts of the President of the European Commission, von der Leyen, and Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, we are making important steps forward to fight this in the European Union. I wish and I hope that the European governments are up to doing what we are doing here in the European institutions about it. They have to do it. Anti-Semitism is anti-European, it does not belong in Europe and we will keep up the work and the fight to make Jewish people safe and happy, working and interacting in our Europe. Now more than ever in these difficult times, after the horrific attacks perpetrated by Hamas on 7 October, now more than ever is the moment to show our European principles and to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves here in Europe.

Mr President, it must be said loud and clear: The continuation of the bloodthirsty Maduro regime is one of the biggest failures of the European Union's foreign policy. Twenty-five years of dictatorship, thousands of Venezuelans persecuted, tortured or killed and eight million exiled is the result. Half of the European left is silent and the other half collaborates, as they did with the Soviet regime in Eastern Europe until the Berlin Wall fell. And now Macron and Sanchez join in taking photos and protecting Delcy Rodriguez, the regime's financial agent in Europe. Gas and oil in exchange for human rights. That is European hypocrisy with Venezuelans. And, now, the voice and image of the democratic opposition, María Corina Machado, is disabled by the regime of terror. Good Europeans - those of us who don't want blood-stained gas and oil - say no to Maduro's electoral farce. We want free and transparent elections and María Corina Machado as a candidate. Any other option must be considered collaborationism with the repressive regime and must be denounced.

Mr President, we all want the conflict – in this room also – the conflict in the Middle East to end. But, Minister, apart from five minutes talking about Israel, it would be good, and it would be a European solution, if you would dedicate maybe one second to talk about Hamas, Hezbollah, and about future perspectives. That would be a European solution. But your people forgot about it. As nobody can turn a blind eye to the losses of human life in Gaza and the humanitarian challenges faced by the Palestinian people. True. As we cannot forget either the pain of the Israeli families waiting in despair for the return of their loved ones. We all want it to end, and there is a solution for that: the release of Israeli hostages and the demilitarisation of Gaza. On 19 October, this Parliament agreed by a compelling majority that Hamas can no longer be part of the future of Palestine. As we have always done, we keep supporting a two-state solution. But sustainable peace cannot exist as long as Hamas and other terrorist groups hijack the Palestinian cause and threaten the existence of Israel, the only democracy of the region. Remember, we are talking about two parts, okay? Not only one. We cannot ignore either the elephant in the room, the puppet master: Iran. It is now clearer than ever who is behind and benefiting from this crisis. Do we want to be puppets of the regime? By failing to keep our unity, we are just taking us further away from peace. Dear colleagues, at some point this Parliament will have to make a clear choice to say no to those who murder women, homosexuals, Christians, Jews; to say no to those who reject our democratic principles and deny Israel’s right to exist; or face a future where Iran and their proxies will succeed in denying any hope for democracy and peace in the Middle East. Make no mistake: Europe is the next target. From the beginning, our position was clear. October resolution that we made. We set the conditions for peace. I hope – and the EPP will collaborate – that we will do this this time again.

Mr President, the coincidence of the visceral attacks by the Greens and the far right to the results of the COP indicates to me that it has gone well. It is not the solution to all the evils that afflict us, of course. I am proud of the role played by the European Union, as always, in these meetings. We can aspire to more, no doubt. But, instead of this destructive criticism, let us celebrate that experts, governments, the private sector have met and reached agreements, some of them historic, badly despite those who are seeking the immediate vote in the next European elections. They're wrong. It is not the future of their vote, it is the future of Europeans. And that's what unites us to moderate, right-wing and left-wing politicians: saving European citizens from climate change; help them face these challenges. Therefore, congratulations to the Presidency on the results achieved.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Mr High Representative, I was listening to your speech and the truth is that I agree on many points. On the recognition of Palestine, which the Europeans - myself - have defended in this two-state solution, what has to be very clear is that it will not be done as a victory for Hamas, but as a question of building a genuine, democratic one, not dependent on Hamas or Hezbollah or Iran, a Palestinian state. When those circumstances arise, I am convinced – and I tell you – that everyone will accept it. But first, let's go in parts. I would like to thank the remaining moderate politicians, and I am very proud of them, in this Parliament, in the Socialist Group, in the Liberals, in the Greens, who voted against the introduction of resolutions. We have a resolution that unites us all on October 19. I understand that the Communists, the Left Group, do not like it and this is the fourth attempt to undo that unity. They've been wrong again. Moderate people - many of us are sitting here - are not going to use this use of the word to put our finger on Mr Borrell or the rotating presidency of the European Union. We are here to be part of the solution, to try, at least, to be part of the solution, which is the European Union. We can ask both sides a lot of things. We can ask that Hamas stop being claimed by the Palestinians for the kidnapping they are doing of the humanitarian aid trucks. We must once and for all put an end to this intervention on behalf of the Palestinian people – which is not true – who are being the human shield of these terrorist organisations. Let us see if, in today's statements, my colleague, the Chairman of the Delegation for relations with Palestine, and others will speak in the same terms, in European terms, of solution, of collaboration, so that this does not end in a conflict that can drag us all in the end. Let's see if I hear it this afternoon from even the far left. I believe that with the European spirit we can achieve many things together and be part of the solution and not part of the problem.

Mr President, on 19 October we adopted by an overwhelming majority in this European Parliament a resolution condemning the attacks by Hamas and echoing the suffering of the Palestinian people as Hamas' human shield. However, of the 20 Members who voted against that resolution – an absolute minority in this Parliament – two have been appointed ministers of the Spanish Government. Mr Borrell explained that he finds it very difficult to reach agreements within the European Council. But how will it be able to do so if the Presidency of the European Council is held by the Government of Spain with these two ministers? Parliament has done its job. Our President was where she had to be at the beginning, as was the President of the Commission. Financial funds have also been launched. We're there to help. But this is European history: Here we are debating again after two weeks, I don't know why, when what we have to do is find solutions. Financial aid, European presence... It has been the United States and other countries that have achieved this humanitarian pause. Where were we? Well, that is the explanation, with this European Council that we have.