Speeches

If the translation was correct, the term you used is not allowed in this House and there will be consequences to the message you have used. It is not OK in this House of democracy. Thank you. Regardless of what we think of Mr Trump, it is not possible to use such language.

Madam President, I listen to some recently and, quite frankly, quoting Zuckerberg, quoting Musk, in this debate is like quoting the owner of Haribo on the benefits of gummy bears! Social media has promised to connect us, but in reality, they separate us. Parents sit in one room, children in another, each living in a reality given by their screen. Algorithms decide what we see. Algorithms decide what we think. Algorithms decide what we vote for, and bots amplify all these messages until they go viral. So why is extremism gaining? Because false information becomes visible, and the truth is hidden under the rug. I saw this in Romania and when the truth came out, it was barely heard, because it was a room full of lies. Democracy cannot be bought by those who control algorithms. Democracy has no price and it is in danger, and we are here to defend it. So I want to tell Mr. Musk that Václav Havel said: ‘truth and love beat hatred and lies’.

I listened to all the comments made by the right and the extreme right in the House. To deny the existence of Palestine – because you said the two‑state solution was a fantasy – where would you like these people to go? Where would you like the millions? Maybe push them out into the sea? How is anything but a two‑state solution even reasonable in your mind? You mentioned the example of Bosnia, but Bosnia was a state altogether. How can you imagine the faith of the Palestinian people within a Balkan solution, such as the one you mentioned? I think it's purely incredible to deny that the right solution is that of a two‑state solution now.

Before we conclude the vote, and since this is the last voting session of the year, I would like to express my gratitude, on behalf of all of us, to Parliament's services and those who have been working hard to make the sessions possible – including our interpreters, our ushers, the staff from the canteens, all the way to the last worker at the European Parliament, and including the public that watches us and comes to watch our sessions. We love public debate, we love discussion, but we also have to carry on our work here. (For the results and other details of the vote: see minutes)

We continue with point five on the agenda, which is our last vote of the day, and that is the report by Ms Gálvez on the recommendation to the Council on the EU priorities for the 69th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. (For the results and other details of the vote: see minutes)

We continue with the report by Mr Radtke on Amending Directive 2009/38/EC as regards the establishment and functioning of European Works Councils. (For the results and other details of the vote: see minutes)

We go on with the joint motion for a resolution tabled by six groups on the continued repression of civil society and independent media in Azerbaijan. (For the results and other details of the vote: see minutes)

We continue with the vote of a resolution tabled by six groups on the human rights situation in Kyrgyzstan, in particular the case of Temirlan Sultanbekov. (For the results and other details of the vote: see minutes)

The first vote is on the joint motion for a resolution tabled by five groups on the 11th year of the occupation of the Republic of Crimea. The vote on the resolution is by roll call. (For the results and other details of the vote: see minutes)

We have taken on board Mr. Bloss' point of order. We don't take any more points of order. The next item is the vote. Colleagues, please insert your cards.

Mr Bloss, I am sorry. I would ask the ushers to take care of the protesters. (The sitting was suspended at 12:04 owing to a disturbance in the visitors’ gallery)

The next meeting will be held tomorrow, Thursday 19 December 2024 at 9 a.m. The agenda has been published and is available on the European Parliament's website.

Dear Jessica, we won't keep you any longer from your birthday cake! I join the colleagues who have wished you well. We wish you well because we want you to be an excellent Commissioner in this domain. So we will listen to your remarks.

Mr President, imagine that as a young child you are kidnapped from your home to a faraway land. Only half your friends and family survive the trip. 50 years later, you return – only to once again be forced out of your home, this time with your own grandchildren. This is exactly what is happening to thousands of Crimean Tatars, because the easiest way to destroy a culture is to make them doubt their own existence by removing their leaders, their thinkers, their artists. What we see in Crimea is also the template for the kind of repression, ethnic cleansing and historical erasure that Putin wants to impose on all of Ukraine. Europe failed to act when Crimea was annexed. This is where it all began, and it is also where it must end. So who is the most effective advocate of the Crimean Tatars' right to their historical homeland? It is the Ukrainian army empowered to win. Slava Ukraini!

I want to ask you – because you were among the people who actually worked on the file – do you think it has teeth right now? What does it need to do? And what would you do in the case that we are discussing right now? Is a fine going to solve democracy? Is simply putting a money fine retribution for what happened, or what should we actually do here?

Mrs. Soşoacă, you may not have seen the hundreds of thousands of young people who were not represented in Romania. That was the value of my candidacy, the hundreds of thousands of young people, the young people on the street. As for the LGBT culture you're talking about, it's the culture of some citizens, it's the right of some citizens. Don't hate what you don't understand. If you say you are a patriot, love Romanians who are of a different sexual orientation. Lovers and Romanians who love other people. Let me tell you, because these Romanians have not been listened to and, more than that, they are the target of a wave of hatred at this moment, because of statements like yours. There are young people who are being attacked right now because they're from the LGBTQ community, and it's irresponsible to say that.

Madam President, dear colleagues, how do we explain that a candidate with less than 7% in the polls, a few days before the elections, is suddenly discovered by millions of Romanians and ranks first in the results? Perhaps many will say that it is an enlightenment or an awakening to the truth, but the truth is different and the Recorder showed it. You can even build a fake politician profile, using a few million bots, a few tens of thousands of them, and have more likes than possible in a few hours. When you see hundreds of thousands of comments on your favorite videos, it starts to look like you have to conform to the truth, that there is a wave. So remember, the precedent in Romania is a lesson for Europe. I call on representatives of TikTok and other social networks to come to the European Parliament, otherwise they risk measures similar to those in the United States. Europe is not a village without dogs, Europe has very clear laws. Elections are not random facts, elections must be guaranteed, guarded by someone. And we have this role, the Romanians are looking at us waiting for us to guarantee democracy throughout Europe. I want to say something else, that you mentioned Mrs. Kövesi. Mrs. Kövesi is more valuable to Romania when she is not in this room, and when she has nothing to do with what we are discussing today, she is the guarantor of the use of European money and justice in this continent.

For sophistic argument in a very patient way, I want to ask you one thing: does it matter when millions are pumped from somewhere that is not disclosed, that we do not know, that is potentially foreign interference of grave, grave impact? Or does it not matter because you said all the groups here use financing for online content? Does it matter when it comes from Putin? Does it matter when it comes from Maduro? Does it matter when it comes from Xi or not?

Mr. President, I want to talk to the Romanians who have suffered a lot this autumn, they have actually been traumatized by politics. Lucky Christmas is coming, lucky we're taking a break from this stomachache. I want to tell them that good is born of evil. Doina Cornea said it in the Revolution. We started talking about Europe, we all said: It's a good thing we're here. There are hundreds of countries in the world, there are billions of people who would give anything to be in our place here. But man quickly gets used to the good and forgets everything just as quickly. Therefore, I believe that we must protect Romanians and the Romanian elections and from here, from the heart of Europe, to protect them maybe from their own mistakes. I think you are a politician only when you see into the future, when you educate and when you want to take the country forward, not backward. So I only want one thing for Romania: More trust, Russia! And this is not said by any philosopher, but by a banal advertisement, but it is also what we must have in our heart: trust.

Colleagues, we will proceed to the voting session immediately, in a few minutes. Please keep order until we get there. The debate was closed.

The next item is the Commission Declaration – Foreign interference and espionage by third country actors in European universities. [2024/2953(RSP)]