What Lara spoke about.

9 May

2023

EN Speech

Discharge 2021 (continuation of debate)

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Madam President, thank you to the Commission and to the ECA for being here. I’ve got one minute and a half; there’s too much to talk about, but we do absolutely need to talk about Parliament’s own voluntary pension scheme. Closed now, but financed from allowances that were meant for office supplies and reportedly investing in the arms, tobacco, mining and fossil fuel industries. ‘What’s not to lik…

14 Feb

2023

EN Speech

Establishment of an independent EU Ethics Body (debate)

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Mr President, today’s context is frustrating, embarrassing even. But I’m glad that we’re finally working on a number of reforms to do with transparency and accountability in this House. Self-regulation on ethics in the Parliament has failed, and it’s time for tighter controls on lobbyists, stricter rules against influence of dubious regimes and more financial transparency. All of this is long over…

17 Jan

2023

EN Speech

New developments in allegations of corruption and foreign interference, including those related to Morocco, and the need to increase transparency, integrity and accountability in the European institutions (debate)

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Madam President, Qatar and Morocco’s bribery have tarnished the reputation of the European Parliament. Our credibility on matters of transparency, integrity and independence is being questioned, and rightly so. But this very dark thundercloud has one silver lining, and that is that this is the time for making real strides towards an open and trust-worthy European Parliament. We need to put our mon…

16 Jan

2023

NL Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Mr President, I wanted to talk about corporate responsibility in response to the unscrupulous statements of the Boskalis CEO. Peter Berdowski argues that responsible business conduct will cost Dutch companies the head. That irresponsible entrepreneurship costs employees and nature, he says nothing about that and that bothers me. The argument that the Netherlands is leading the way as a pastor and …

22 Nov

2022

EN Speech

Gender balance among non-executive directors of companies listed on stock exchanges (debate)

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Madam President, so colleagues, after ten years of obstruction, that’s a wrap! It has taken three Commissioners, five Parliament rapporteurs and 21 Council Presidencies to get this done. And we persisted in spite of all the obstruction. Since the adoption of our Parliament position back in 2013, I have lost count of how many resolutions were adopted on this very topic and how many times this Europ…

22 Nov

2022

EN Speech

Gender balance among non-executive directors of companies listed on stock exchanges (debate)

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Yes, my question was very similar. I don’t understand at all what I just heard. I think you spoke about education. I think you spoke about how we need better schooling. And the facts – we laid them on the table for you earlier. We have 60% of female graduates in our European universities. And then at the end of the day, we have 8% of female CEOs. That shows very clearly that something is going ter…

22 Nov

2022

NL Speech

Gender balance among non-executive directors of companies listed on stock exchanges (debate)

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You just said: We try to control the world here with laws and regulations, and you were embarrassed about that. You also said: We are trying to make the ideal world here. I am indeed trying and you mentioned two of my projects and sustainability legislation. My question to you is: Why did you become a Member of Parliament? If that's not to create that ideal world, then why is it?…

22 Nov

2022

EN Speech

Gender balance among non-executive directors of companies listed on stock exchanges (debate)

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Mr President, colleagues, around 60% of graduates from our universities in Europe are women. And yet, out of every 100 CEOs of listed companies in Europe, only eight are women. In my own country, the Netherlands, often upheld as a progressive bastion, there are more CEOs called Peter than there are women CEOs. And the reason for their underrepresentation in the boardroom is not a lack of merit or …

21 Nov

2022

EN Speech

Situation of human rights in the context of the FIFA world cup in Qatar (debate)

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Madam President, we heard Mr Infantino say the other day, indeed, that he feels many things, including being disabled, gay, a woman and a migrant worker. What I felt mainly there, and I think many colleagues here with me, was embarrassment. Not only at his very ill-advised speech. Because no matter how much progress was made in Qatar – and progress was made – it’s not okay, and I’m going to state …

21 Nov

2022

EN Speech

Assessment of Hungary's compliance with the rule of law conditions under the Conditionality Regulation and state of play of the Hungarian RRP (debate)

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Madam President, I see that we have visitors here, and I think it’s Parliament’s sad honour to welcome you to this end of the year budget showdown. It’s brought to you against the backdrop of widespread reports that the Commission will soon be approving Hungary’s recovery plan. So, for our visitors, on the one hand, you’ve got the European Parliament, on the other you have Hungary. And, frustratin…

9 Nov

2022

EN Speech

Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (debate)

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Madam President, this Parliament has an ambitious agenda for sustainability in the broadest sense of the word, from curbing emissions under the Green Deal to improving minimum wages, ensuring responsible investing or achieving gender equality on company boards. But those ambitions around sustainability, they cannot be achieved without companies playing their part. And for that, we need quality inf…

19 Oct

2022

NL Speech

Presentation of the Court of Auditors' annual report 2021 (debate)

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Mr President, in the next three years, a large amount of money will be made available to the Member States through the European Recovery Fund. That is good, because in this way Europe can help, for example, to structurally address people's concerns about energy costs in the future. But for this it is necessary that the allocation and control of the recovery money is done carefully. Especially if –…

3 Oct

2022

NL Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Mr President, I am concerned about the World Cup in Qatar. Then I'm not talking about whether or not we should boycott that World Cup. Then I am talking about how we can actually compensate the exploited migrant workers in Qatar. I get very angry when I hear people talking about that question, because at the moment I mainly see that everyone is pointing at each other. National federations point to…

6 Jul

2022

EN Speech

Protection of the EU’s financial interests – combating fraud – annual report 2020 (debate)

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Madam President, given that I only have one minute on the broad topic of fraud in the EU, I will move straight to the item highest on our agenda. That is, of course, the topic of access of Hungary and Poland to European funds. Let’s be clear, money, of course, is extremely important to authoritarian regimes because without it there is less to give away to friends, to supporters and to influence el…

4 May

2022

EN Speech

Discharge 2020 (debate)

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Madam President, I wanted to thank Daniel Freund for his excellent work on the parliamentary discharge. But President, I hope that you will allow me to colour outside the lines a little bit because I’m not going to get another chance to say this today, and this is the European Parliament. Because I too, was furious last night because of the goings-on on abortion in the US and the leaked Supreme Co…

16 Feb

2022

NL Speech

The Rule of Law and the consequences of the ECJ ruling (debate)

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Mr President, it is a good, but also a bleak day for the rule of law in the European Union. Good, because the European Court has confirmed that countries that violate the principles of the rule of law can be cut back on European subsidies and that the legislation we have adopted in this area does not need to be deleted. Somber, because we could have intervened in different places in Europe for thi…

22 Nov

2021

NL Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Mr President, I do not think it is an evil will that the European Parliament should not have a leave regime. I think it has simply not occurred to our European forefathers that a representative of the people might also be a young woman or young man who would like to be with a newborn child. I myself travelled to Strasbourg this time with my three-and-a-half-month-old son, and I did so because I th…

22 Nov

2021

EN Speech

The revision of the Financial Regulation in view of the entry into force of the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework (debate)

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Mr President, Europe will soon be spending unprecedented amounts on its recovery from COVID. I am pleased that it will do that and that it will make a common historical effort to invest in things such as tackling the climate crisis and fighting social inequality. But as the only directly—elected European institution, it’s vital that Parliament can scrutinise recovery plans and, importantly, see to…