Speeches

Mr President, although half the population is women, only a third of businesses are set up by women. And that's not because of a lack of potential. Old-fashioned gender roles, disproportionate household chores, informal care, but also insecurity behind the front door, all contribute to women being able to do less. In the outermost regions of the European Union, that threshold is even higher. The tax money that supports businesses in the EU does not sufficiently reach women in our outlying areas. What a world of potential would open up if we shared the burden and support a little more fairly. The whole budget of the European Union must therefore look at how money actually goes to women. Gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting are an absolute requirement, as well as financial support for women entrepreneurs, because by strengthening the economic situation of women you strengthen the entire community.

Mr President, Commissioner, this is already the seventh time during this mandate that we are standing here and talking about Sudan in this Chamber. I can always give the same speech, because after three years of war nothing has changed. The European Union has a double standard. We condemn human rights violations in the strongest terms. We are sending humanitarian aid and at the same time we are turning a blind eye to those who are benefiting from this war. On this battlefield, where countless people are murdered, where women and children are raped, oil is also pumped up and gold is mined. The humanitarian situation in Sudan was already terrible and worse than ever six debates ago. Meanwhile, evidence is accumulating that external partners are supplying weapons, importing gold, and sponsoring mercenaries. How many times do we have to stand here until the countries that feed this war, including the United Arab Emirates, are named and held accountable for their part in the human rights violations and humanitarian needs of Sudan?

Mr President, Commissioner, 'the Commission did not instruct nor require non-governmental organisations – NGOs – to lobby Members of the European Parliament.' This is a quote from Commissioner Serafin's letter of 14 April 2025. However, the Committee on Budgetary Control still has a research working group or Scrutiny Working Group looking at the funding of NGOs. My group is in favour of thorough monitoring through the annual discharge procedure, including when it comes to subsidising NGOs, which is why the Court’s reports are so important. The European Court of Auditors confirmed last year that NGO funding is legal and subject to the strictest transparency requirements. Why is this research group still there? Is it not duplication and waste of our taxpayers' money here in the European Parliament? Or does it serve a different purpose? Is it not budgetary control, but an attempt to silence or delegitimize civil society, without a factual basis? Democracy requires that all voices be heard, all voices in society, not only those of large and wealthy corporations and financial institutions, but also those of organizations and institutions with less deep pockets.

Does it matter whether the European Union spends more or less? Yes, and I especially care that that money ends up with the right people. For people who try to move forward every day, but always bump into the same walls: high energy bills, no home, no diploma, no work experience, no opportunities. But if it is up to the Commission, under the heading of simplification, a large pot of money is given to the Member States, who can then spend it to their heart's content. No European policy and no clear priorities, and above all much less money for social policy. We need European funds that make a real impact, so that someone can find work or obtain a diploma after years, so that someone can find a roof over their head. We do not need blank cheques for Member States, but a strong and independent European Social Fund, so that the European Union invests in social security for a future for everyone and certainly also for people in Europe in vulnerable positions.

Madam President, an online rape academy. This is sick and inhumane. A global online rape academy with tens of millions of visitors, where men, many men, share tips. Tips on how to drug women, tips on how to rape your own partner, on how to film it, even how to earn money with it. This is sick. Let it sink in. And this is not about a few disturbed individuals. This is a system. It's a system that operates on our digital platforms, and it's a system that grows. It's a system that is protected by men, by tech bros who protect anonymity, who protect legal loopholes. But we have the tools to act. Platform accountability, mandatory reporting, cross border enforcement. Now we need the political will to act. Because every day we delay this system grows. Every day we delay more women are targeted, are violated, are raped. The question is not whether we can do something about it. The question is whether we choose to do something about this. Let's choose women over tech bros.

Mr President, this report on the Global Gateway sends a clear message to the Commission: we need more transparency. At every stage, from project selection to implementation and monitoring, we need to ask ourselves: does this instrument support our partner countries in terms of sustainable development and employment or only EU ‑ interests? Does it help the people who need it the most? Does it support women and girls who carry the greatest burden of poverty? Does it reach the regions affected by crises and conflict? The Global Gateway is a tool to increase the impact of EU ‑ tax money through strong partnerships. It combines public and private funding for development. It should therefore continue to focus on the most important aspect of EU ‑ development cooperation, namely reducing and ending poverty. I look forward to further dialogue between Parliament and the Commissioner for International Partnerships to ensure that this financing for development remains in line with this.

Madam President, Commissioner, men and women in several African countries – from regions suffering from severe unemployment and social instability – are targeted for work in Russia. But when they arrive, their passports are confiscated and they actually have to participate in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Through social media and intermediaries, they are lured into Russia with false promises of employment and education. Once in Russia, they are coerced, threatened and transferred to military facilities. Men end up at the front lines and women are made to work in factories under extremely dangerous circumstances. Testimonies show the especially inhumane treatment of African recruits: they are subjected to racial abuse and discrimination and are forced to do the most dangerous duties on the front lines, many of them losing their lives or being seriously injured. This constitutes a serious violation of international human rights and possibly crimes against humanity. With the European Union, the Member States and the African states, we must increase the cooperation to protect these citizens and to make sure we can repatriate them.

Mr President, Commissioner, the housing crisis is not an abstract problem. It is the starter who still lives with his parents after twenty viewings. It is the single mother who is afraid of the rent increase every month. It is the homeless, which we in Europe still allow to exist. Millions of people in Europe are looking for an affordable home and don't find it. So we have to address that deficit. In Europe, no one should live without a roof over his or her head. Yet a persistent reflex keeps coming back: more market and more emphasis on home ownership. It is precisely the market that has caused this crisis. It treats homes as an investment project, while people simply look for a home. If we really want to change something, we have to do it differently: more social and affordable housing without the state aid rules standing in the way. Houses are for living, not investing.

Mr President, Commissioner, ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all girls and women – that's the topic of this year's Commission on the Status of Women. Because justice to all is not a given. Too often, women and girls face hurdles accessing justice systems, and they are not taken seriously. This takes place everywhere. In my country, the Netherlands, only 15 % of women that experience rape or sexual assault go to the police, and convictions are very rare. In situations of conflict and war this is even worse. Sexual violence and rape are used as a weapon of war. The lives of women and girls are devastated, as are often the lives of their communities. When justice does not prevail, it means that impunity thrives and perpetrators go free. The EU must promote sexual and reproductive health and rights, and bodily autonomy, in its external policies, but also in the European Union. Improving the status of women should be a concern for all of us.

Madam President, Commissioner, poverty is not inevitable – it is the result of political choices, and today we can choose differently. We will work with people who experience poverty. They must be involved from the start in shaping measures; no policy should be made without them. And let's get this straight: if we do not tackle poverty, no defence plan, no market reform and no competitiveness strategy will make people feel secure. Security means also to pay your rent and to be able to pay for your groceries. A strong Europe starts with people who live, not survive from paycheque to paycheque. That is why I urge all of us to support the EUR 20 billion for the Child Guarantee. Children do not decide our budgets, but they live with the consequences. And finally, in the European Union, no woman or girl should miss school or work because she cannot afford basic hygiene products. We provide toilet paper as a standard in public places; menstrual products should be just as normal. Again, poverty is not inevitable – it is a result of political choices. Let's choose differently.

Mr President, education provides knowledge and skills for your later work and participation in the labour market. And education also gives you a social basis for your entire life. You will learn about history, geography, social skills and how society works. Learning experiences that will benefit you for the rest of your life. That is why it is also important that sexual education and knowledge about contraception is part of the educational strategy. Some may think: What does that have to do with it now? Well, 70% of girls who get pregnant young drop out of school prematurely. And that has enormous consequences for their own potential, for their income and for their possibilities later. But it also has consequences for their children. The social and economic opportunities for their children are becoming less and therefore they are entering a negative spiral. That is why we need to break through this with good education on reproductive and sexual health and rights for all girls in Europe and in the world.

Mr President, the European Pillar of Social Rights can be called the Constitution of Social Europe. It contains 20 principles that we, as the EU, are fighting for. A not insignificant principle is: everyone in Europe should receive a fair minimum wage. And let it just suspend it in the Netherlands. Because when you are 18 or 25 years old, you get a different salary for equal work and experience. The Netherlands is one of the few countries that uses a minimum youth wage and therefore structurally underpays young people. Why should you earn less for the same job? That's ridiculous, isn't it? That's what we think. That is why the EU Minimum Wage Directive states precisely that: Exemptions from pay should never be discriminatory. It is high time that the Netherlands will also comply with that law and abolish a minimum youth wage for adults. I therefore ask the Commission to open an infringement procedure against the Netherlands.

Madam President, High Representative, in the context of this debate, I would like to shine a light on three islands – Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao – that lie a mere 30–80 km off the coast of Venezuela. These islands are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and part of the EU overseas countries and territories. It is needless to say that what happens in Venezuela worries the people and the authorities of these islands, and it affects them – politically, economically and in migration. Therefore, I would like to ask the High Representative if there is already contact with representatives of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, either directly or via the Dutch Government. And if not, are you willing and planning to do that? Because it is important to listen to the representatives of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao in shaping the policy of the EU in the region – in general, but specifically now. We should not forget them.

Mr President, when we think of democracy, we often think of elections. Democracy is so much more than that. Democracy is freedom of expression, feeling safe on the streets, being able to love who you want and a strong civil society. Democracy also gives people the power to question power critically. Democracy also includes the rule of law, which means that a country that does not adhere to those important values will suffer the consequences. That is why it is so important that we have systems "with European money". That we can freeze that European money if governments misbehave, for example when they want to control universities or when judges can no longer speak their law independently. This system could be significantly strengthened in the next Multiannual Financial Framework. It is also important for the Commission to use this system. We will continue to question the Commission on this.

Mr President, the Commission's proposals are very good, for example the proposal to adapt State aid rules. The fact that we have a presentation today on the Affordable Housing Plan makes today a historic day. Nevertheless, you say that the Commission's plans are a step in the right direction in terms of improving the functioning of the market. But don't we romanticize market forces too much as a solution? After all, without government intervention, prices also rise. How do you intend to stop speculators by further liberalising the market?

Mr President, Commissioner, I think we all feel sympathy and solidarity with the people of Sudan, with the people of el-Fasher who were besieged, where rape as a weapon of war took place, where starvation as a weapon of war took place. And unfortunately this is not only in el-Fasher, this is also in other places in Sudan. The RSF, the Rapid Support Forces, commit these atrocities, but the SAF also commit atrocities. And it's good that we have humanitarian assistance, and it is good that our Commissioner has also said that we need more access for humanitarian assistance. We need more funds for humanitarian assistance because we need to support the people of Sudan, and we need to support the organisations in Sudan. However, solidarity and empathy alone are not going to end this war and are not going to end the suffering of the people in Sudan. We know what fuels this war. We know the richness of the soil of Sudan fuels the war. We know the illicit trade in gold fuels the war. So we must also act. We must stop block minerals from entering into the European Union. And we also must call a spade a spade: I think we must call the UAE and must make sure that they do not continue their support to RSF and to other actors. We must ask the Commission to stop the trade negotiations with the UAE as long as this is going on.

Mr President, thanks to the colleagues that have worked with me on this report. Gender equality is an objective that is enshrined in the primary law of the EU, and a principle that should be at the core of all EU policies, and that is what we will be voting for in a minute. Some of you asked why gender mainstreaming is necessary in all EU programmes and funds. What does gender have to do with the development of medicines? Well, if medicines are designed for the average person, which is still a man, they will work less for women and might even overlook dangerous health consequences for women. What does gender have to do with human resources? Well, the average pay gap in the European Union is still 13 % and the average pension gap is a staggering 29 %. And what does gender mainstreaming have to do with the building of roads and of bridges? Well, my colleagues, we want roads and bridges to be safe for everyone that uses them. Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and we have talked about the dangers for all women. Therefore, there should be light on the roads and safe havens when we need to stop. And, when it is safe for women, it is safe for everybody. Medicines for all, safe roads, safe buildings, comfortable safety belts, honest wages, liveable pensions – I can continue. These are all important reasons for gender mainstreaming. And if that does not convince you, improving gender equality would lead to an increase of the EU GDP per capita by 6.1 % to 9.6 %, which amounts to EUR 1.95 trillion to EUR 3.15 trillion. And that, my friends, is something that I would vote in favour of.

Mr President, this week there was a report from GREVIO, and that was hard work. The Netherlands does far too little against violence against women. Ten years ago, the Netherlands signed the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women, but in practice it is doing far too little to combat it effectively. The consequences are immense. Women and girls are not safe on the street, at home, at school or at work. Every week eight women are murdered in the Netherlands and every day there are six in the European Union. Women who are killed because they are women. What is needed is more money, more policies and more actions to effectively combat violence against women. For example, criminalizing psychological violence, but also pro-actively prosecuting offenders. I expect the Commission to come up with real policies in the coming period, and I also expect the Member States to come up with real policies against violence against women, and with legislation. Just signing a treaty is very nice, but it does not prevent violence. We need action.

Mr President, we are talking about the renewal of the EU-Africa partnership and it is impossible to talk in the menu about how important this relationship between the EU and Africa is. That is why I would like to highlight two points. Firstly, there is the importance of people-to-people exchanges, getting to know each other and working together, especially young people going to study in Africa or young people coming to study in Europe. Researchers working together to address today's challenges, such as climate change, poverty reduction and gender equality. Programmes such as Erasmus+ and Horizon should therefore be strengthened. The second is the importance of fair trade and fair investment. We need the raw materials and minerals from the African soil for our energy transition and for our digital transition. But we must take much more action to ensure that the mining that goes with it does not harm people and nature, and that blood minerals do not enter the European Union. Africa is our neighboring continent and in the Netherlands we say: ‘Better a good neighbour than a distant friend.’ Let that be the spirit of the renewed EU-Africa partnership.

Mr President, Commissioner, as many as 50 million people today live and work in modern slavery. There are also people in Europe who work in deplorable working conditions and are being exploited. At the same time, we are organising a summit in a country like Qatar, a country known for the exploitation of workers. Is it fair, then, to hold this summit in Qatar at the very least, when we know that there are gross human rights violations taking place there? We are talking about social development. We need to work on this World Summit on Social Development. At the same time, we note that more than a hundred countries are so deeply in debt that they have to cut back on social development. They have to cut back on care and education and the result of those big cuts is a global economy. Gender Poverty Gap. Indeed, we see that it is often women who work in the care, social security and education sectors – and they lose their jobs. We need to increase funding from social development programmes to women’s rights and women’s organisations so that we can quickly achieve SDG 5, the Sustainable Development Goal for gender equality.

Mr President, Commissioner, imagine the following: you have been working for years at a beautiful, large company with branches in the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and perhaps in many other countries. However, the workload is increasing, while decisions are made elsewhere. No one listens to the people who actually do the work. Until the works council intervenes and makes clear: We also have a voice and we want to make it clear what the employees think. Then there will be a policy, for example against the increasing workload or to promote training and further learning. There is room for consultation and mutual respect. This is exactly what works councils do: They bring democracy and co-determination to the workplace. They ensure that employees are not ignored, that their concerns are not dismissed, that they are actually heard. This becomes even more important in companies that operate internationally. Because what good is participation in the Netherlands if the decisions are taken in London or Frankfurt? That is why we need strong European works councils.