Speeches

Thank you. The time is over. We have taken the first round of speakers on behalf of the groups and I will now open the blue card option. Please, colleagues, be so kind as to stick to your speaking time, because we have a very, very busy morning here in the Chamber, and if you stick to your speaking time, more people will be able to speak.

The first item on the agenda is the debate on the Council and Commission statements on preparedness for a new trade era: multilateral cooperation or tariffs (2025/2551(RSP)).

Let me just be more specific on the rule for blue cards. The rule I used before was Rule 178(10), and the rule states that you're not allowed to use a blue card to put a question to a person in a group or affiliation you belong to. So that was the reason why I was not allowed to give you the blue card, but feel free to use blue cards for other people than those belonging to your own affiliation. (Off-mic comments from Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă) It is stated in the Rules. That also goes for non-attached Members.

(Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă, off-mic, asks for a blue card) You are on the speakers' list, so therefore I cannot give you a blue card. It's clear in the Rules.

Mr Andresen, I just want to let you know that it's not allowed to show images here in the Chamber when you're speaking. Please remember that.

Mr President! For almost a month, President Trump's interest in Greenland has made headlines around the world. We have all heard them, and therefore I will not reproduce them here. Instead, let me quote the Prime Minister of Greenland, Múte B. Egede, who has made this quite clear. Quote. We are not for sale and we will never be for sale. Denmark's prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, fully supports this, and she has repeatedly stressed that any discussion about Greenland starts and ends in Nuuk. Nowhere else. Greenland has the right to self-determination. The new administration in the United States presents us Europeans with a new reality that we need to learn to navigate, and we also see that with questions about Greenland. The United States is our closest ally in the world, and we must stick to that, and we must insist on close and strong cooperation. But the situation also clearly shows that Europe must be stronger in its own right. We must and must strengthen Europe's position in the world economically, militarily and digitally. And I think we should do that pretty quickly.

It is possible for everyone in Europe to speak freely and it has never, ever been easier to express your own points of views online on social media. If somebody is taken down, it's not because of the European laws or German laws, it's because of the way, for instance, Facebook has decided to have their community standards. It has never, ever in the history been easier to say what you want, come out to so many people with such a small effort. That's a fact.

Madam President, dear colleagues, the DSA is a very good law. I know this because I negotiated it on behalf of the European Parliament. In that law we have found the right balance. On the one hand we have extremely big freedom of speech but, on the other hand, we also have some responsibilities. The platforms need to take responsibility for their algorithms. If there is a systemic risk against democracy, then they have to risk mitigate. We are in fact not saying how they should risk mitigate. It's up to the platforms. But they have to risk mitigate. So what we need now is that the EU Commission start looking into what is happening on the platforms. Therefore, I was very happy to hear you, Ms Virkkunen, today telling us that you have started trying to enforce the law, because I think that we really need to see some results. I am fed up with the side that's saying that we don't have freedom of expression. We have never, ever, in the history of the Western countries, had a chance to speak so freely as we can now. But what we need to avoid is foreign interference into our elections. We need to make sure that we have a balance in place so people are not bullied. And we need to make sure that kids are not seeing murder, suicide, self-injury, etc.. That's why the DSA is a good law, but it's no better than the way it is enforced. So I really, really, really encourage the Commission to come up, speed up the process so that we can show people that we have a good law and it can be safe and good and free to be online.

The next setting is tomorrow, Tuesday 21 January 2025, at 09:00. The agenda has been published and is available on the European Parliament's website.

The next item is the one‑minute speeches (Rule 179). I would like to inform you all that for the one‑minute speeches, you are invited to take the floor from your seat.

The next item is the debate on the Commission statement on powering Europe's future – advancing the fusion industry for energy independence and innovation (2025/2507(RSP)).

The next item is the joint debate on: – the report by Lina Gálvez, on behalf of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, on a European Parliament recommendation to the Council concerning the EU priorities for the 69th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (2024/2057(INI)) (A10-0030/2024); and. – the Commission statement on the EU priorities for the 69th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (2024/2893(RSP)).

The first item is the Commission statement on the need to update the European strategy for rights of persons with disabilities (2024/2965(RSP)).

Madam President! We must not forget that Ukrainians are fighting every day for their country, and we must not forget that Ukraine has involuntarily become the front line for our struggle and for our values, for peace, for freedom and for democracy. Two weeks ago I visited Ukraine, and here I saw for myself the destruction that the war has brought with it. But I also saw a country and a people that are strong and do not give up, and then I saw a country that so much needs our help. That is why I believe that the European Union must do everything we can to support and strengthen the Ukrainian struggle - militarily, civilianly and economically. Our support must not stop until Ukraine is free again, and I sincerely hope that the Council and Council conclusions will reflect that when they meet again. We need to support, and there are Member States that do not support enough. It is a small price for us to pay now that the Ukrainians are paying the very highest price for the fight for freedom.

The next item is the debate on the statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on Russia's disinformation and historical falsification to justify its war of aggression against Ukraine (2024/2988(RSP)).

The next item is the debate on the statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the use of rape as a weapon of war, in particular in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan (2024/2987(RSP)).

Pursuant to Rule 251(4) of the Rules of Procedure, I would like to inform you that there was no request to put to the vote the corrigendum announced in plenary on Monday, 16 December. The corrigendum is therefore deemed to have been approved and it is published on the plenary website.