Speeches

The next item is the debate on six motions for resolutions on the wave of executions in Iran and the confirmation of the death sentences of activists Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani (2025/2628(RSP)).

The next item is the debate on eight motions for resolutions on the persecution of journalists in Cameroon, including the cases of Amadou Vamoulké, Kingsley Fomunyuy Njoka, Mancho Bibixy, Thomas Awah Junior and Tsi Conrad (2025/2627(RSP)). I give the floor to Tomáš Zdechovský, author, for two minutes.

The next item is the debate on the Commission statement entitled ‘A threat to freedom of expression in Algeria: the sentencing of French writer Boualem Sansal to five years in prison’ (2025/2655(RSP)). I would like to draw your attention to the fact that, following the Commission statement, there will be only one round of speakers from the political groups. There is therefore no on-demand intervention procedure and no blue card will be accepted for this debate.

I would like to inform you that the non-attached Members have communicated to the President decisions on changes to appointments in delegations. These decisions will be recorded in the minutes of today's sitting and will take effect on the date of this announcement.

The next item is the Commission statement entitled ‘Union of competences: increasing and improving opportunities for study, training or work in the EU and bringing our brains back” (2025/2563(RSP)). We are waiting for Commissioner Roxana Mînzatu to arrive. We have it for a few seconds, and I will ask him to go immediately to the gallery for his statement. Madam Vice-President, welcome, and I give you the floor immediately.

Mr President, first of all, as a Reunionese, I would like to thank all the political groups for this debate, which expresses the European Parliament’s solidarity with the people of Reunion, who have been affected by the immense damage caused by Hurricane Garance. My thoughts go above all, tonight, to the victims, to the bereaved families as well as to those who have lost everything. From this rostrum, I want to tell them that we stand with them and that all the European Union's means of solidarity are immediately available, as you said, Commissioner. I would like to welcome the decision of the President of the Regional Council of Reunion, Huguette Bello, to activate the Restore fund, which I had the honour of defending here, before this Parliament, as rapporteur, and which will make it possible to mobilise immediately EUR 100 million: €100 million to help families who have lost their homes, repair destroyed roads and repair damaged infrastructure. I also want to welcome the changes we have made to the EAFRD, which will make it possible to help farmers immediately by allocating EUR 40 000 per farm affected. To conclude, Mr President, I want to say that these natural disasters remind us of our duty to continue to act against global warming, and that we must place particularly fragile islands at the heart of the policy of adapting to global warming. I would like to conclude by saying to the people of Réunion that I salute their courage and resilience. They are standing up, and that is how they will be able to get up.

The next item is the report by Mrs Van Brug on the European Central Bank Annual Report 2024 (A10-0003/2025) (2024/2054(INI)). I am pleased to welcome Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank. Madam President, welcome. To open this discussion, I will give the floor to Mrme rapporteur Anouk Van Brug.

I thank all colleagues for the great dignity of this discussion and the very strong emotional burden that says how much we stand in solidarity with all the Swedish people.

The next item is Parliament's statement on the situation in Sweden following the recent mass killings in Örebro (2025/2561(RSP)). I would draw your attention, ladies and gentlemen, to the fact that there will be only one round of speakers from the political groups for this debate. There is therefore no on-demand intervention procedure and no blue card will be accepted.

The next item is the Commission statement on combating desertification: 16e 34th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention (2025/3018(RSP)). I am pleased to welcome Commissioner Jessika Roswall, to whom I give the floor immediately.

The next item is the debate on the Commission statement "Promoting social dialogue, collective bargaining and the right to strike in the Union" (2024/2983(RSP)).

Madam President, Mr Vice-President, I stand here before you, but my heart and my thoughts are in Mayotte, in solidarity with all the people affected by Cyclone Chido, which we sense will be among the most serious natural disasters in all of history – in all of French history, certainly, if not in all of European history – with hundreds, if not thousands, of deaths. It is a Mahoran tragedy, and it is a national tragedy. At this time, it is important to show solidarity, and I know that you will agree with me that our words from Strasbourg are heard in Mayotte, as well as our compassion for these European citizens of this outermost region, the poorest in France and in all European regions – one in three inhabitants lives below the poverty line and 100,000 people in precarious housing – and our commitment to support all the requests for help from Europe, which Mayotte so badly needs. At any point in history, Europe is never as big, strong and united as when it shows solidarity with the people affected by the tragedies, with the territories. It is to this duty that we are now called upon for Mayotte, concretely, very concretely, to save lives and avoid the humanitarian crisis. I say to the French government: Europe can help, because in Mayotte tonight there are people who are thirsty and hungry. That is why the French government must request the activation of the rescEU mechanism, just as it is possible, for repair, to use the Restore Regulation, which we adopted this afternoon. I therefore call on the French authorities to make a request to the European Union.

Our next meeting will take place tomorrow, Tuesday 17 December, at 9 a.m. The agenda has been published. It is available on the European Parliament’s website.