What Maria da Graça spoke about.

12 Mar

2024

EN Speech

EU climate risk assessment, taking urgent action to improve security and resilience in Europe (debate)

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Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, an effective climate strategy is based on two pillars: mitigation and adaptation. For many years, we’ve focus our policies on mitigating the effects of the climate change. We were convinced to have enough time to avoid drastic consequences. We did not pay enough attention to the consequences that climate change was already having, and the need t…

12 Mar

2024

PT Speech

Artificial Intelligence Act (debate)

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Dear President, Dear Commissioner, Dear Colleagues, the European Artificial Intelligence Act is a world-first legislative initiative. It is based on strong ethical principles, transparency and reliability. With this legislation, we can more safely exploit the enormous potential of artificial intelligence, but we need to create the ecosystem that will power this use. Currently, I have in hand the r…

12 Mar

2024

PT Speech

Council decision inviting Member States to ratify the Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190) of the International Labour Organization (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, half of European women have already experienced some form of harassment. This scourge is also common in workplaces, where it is a severe form of gender-based discrimination – yet another form of discrimination, alongside known inequalities in pay and access to leadership positions. The International Labour Organization’s 2019 Convention 190 is the …

11 Mar

2024

PT Speech

Energy performance of buildings (recast) (debate)

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Dear President, Dear Commissioner, Dear Colleagues, in the European Union, buildings are responsible for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions. This Directive is therefore of great importance for the climate transition and is also key to tackling energy poverty and ensuring thermal comfort for Europeans. In Portugal, people still die because of the cold. Many homes are degr…

11 Mar

2024

PT Speech

Horizontal cybersecurity requirements for products with digital elements and amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 (debate)

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Dear President, Dear Commissioner, Dear Colleagues, we have had a great deal of discussion about cybersecurity, technologies, processes and measures to prevent cybercrime. We do not talk so much about what happens when these barriers are insufficient – the huge waste of time and money caused by these attacks. In Portugal, cyber-attacks increased by 23%, starting to seriously compromise the securit…

28 Feb

2024

PT Speech

Improving the Union’s protection against market manipulation on the wholesale energy market (debate)

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Madam President, thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your contributions. I do not have much more to add to what I have said and what has been debated here. However, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have contributed to completing the review of this regulation in such a short time: colleagues and especially shadow rapporteurs for good cooperation; the Council, in particu…

28 Feb

2024

PT Speech

Improving the Union’s protection against market manipulation on the wholesale energy market (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, this new regulation on the transparency and integrity of wholesale energy markets, which we are about to adopt, is an important component of the reform of the design of the electricity market. Important, because it reminds us of a fundamental dimension that is trust. Confidence in the markets, confidence in the operators operating in them, both …

7 Feb

2024

PT Speech

The EU priorities for the 68th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, gender equality, the empowerment of women in all sectors of society and the economy is a matter of concern to all. Tackling social inequality and the increased risk of poverty linked to gender should be a foreign policy concern for the European Union, including in the framework of the United Nations, but it should also be a priority at home. The ri…

7 Feb

2024

PT Speech

The fight against hate speech and disinformation: responsibility of social platforms within the Digital Services Act (topical debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the Internet is increasingly a place where young people interact, play, learn and discover. In this space rich in opportunities, the dangers are also abundant. These include cyberbullying, exposure to illegal content and attempts at manipulation and indoctrination. We know that social media is a preferred stage for those who are dedicated to pro…

6 Feb

2024

PT Speech

Water crisis and droughts in the EU as a consequence of the global climate crisis and the need for a sustainable, resilient water strategy for Europe (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, drought and water scarcity are not a passing problem. We have more than enough scientific evidence that they stem from climate change and will tend to become more pronounced in the future, especially in the countries of southern Europe, particularly in Portugal. Unfortunately, in view of all these facts, several Member States are slow to take the n…

5 Feb

2024

PT Speech

State of EU solar industry in light of unfair competition (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, until the beginning of 2000, the European Union was the world leader in the production of solar panels and their components. Today, this control belongs to China and China's quasi-monopoly position in this market poses real risks to our energy transition goals. We have very ambitious targets for solar. We want to triple the production capacity o…

18 Jan

2024

PT Speech

EU Action Plan: protecting and restoring marine ecosystems for sustainable and resilient fisheries (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, protecting the ocean must be a priority for the European Union. But protecting is much more than forbidding. In the maritime sector, as in all others, successful environmental protection is based on cooperation. It is by involving all actors, including businesses, local communities – often dependent on the resources we want to preserve – that susta…

17 Jan

2024

PT Speech

Geothermal energy (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, geothermal energy is a renewable energy with unique characteristics. It allows for continuous and reliable production. It can be used in the production of electricity, directly for district heating, or in industrial processes. It is a resource of great value, particularly for some remote and outermost regions. In the Autonomous Region of the Azo…

12 Dec

2023

PT Speech

Framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the European Union's external dependence on critical raw materials is an obstacle to our future. We need to harness the resources we have by removing bureaucratic barriers to responsible and sustainable mining. This Critical Raw Materials Act is a step in the right direction. At the same time, at Member State level, it is crucial that processes are…

11 Dec

2023

PT Speech

Small modular reactors (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, in our efforts to decarbonise the European economy, we must always bear in mind that the choice of energy mix is a matter for each Member State. But if there is technology with the potential to produce clean energy in a safe and affordable way for consumers, this technology should be considered in the equation. This is the essence of the princip…

23 Nov

2023

EN Speech

Young researchers (debate)

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Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, young researchers are faced with a very demanding reality, working in precarious conditions, and often forced to leave their countries in search of opportunities. All of this is leading the European Union to a situation in which talent is being wasted or lost to other economies. Their situation got worse in recent years. The COVID-19 crisis has …

23 Nov

2023

PT Speech

International day for the elimination of violence against women (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, since the beginning of this year 15 women have been killed in my country by their current or former comrades. Last year there were 22 femicides in the context of existing or past intimate relationships. These figures, which embarrass me, are not unique to Portugal. Violence against women in various forms remains entrenched in several Member States.…

20 Nov

2023

PT Speech

Framework of measures for strengthening Europe’s net-zero technology products manufacturing ecosystem (Net Zero Industry Act) (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, for the European Union the green transition is not only a strategy to combat climate change, it is also our growth agenda for the coming decades. It focuses on the objectives of job creation, wealth, strategic autonomy and competitiveness in global chess. If we are to succeed on this path, it is essential that we ensure that the European Union i…

8 Nov

2023

PT Speech

State of the Energy Union (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we have seen a lot of progress in the energy sector. We have reduced the total consumption of natural gas, the European Union has freed itself from Russia's dependence on pipeline gas and oil, we have broken records in the installed capacity of solar photovoltaic energy. We have managed to revise a very significant set of directives and regulations…

16 Oct

2023

PT Speech

Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (‘STEP’) (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, there is an urgent need to restore the culture of production in Europe and our industrial autonomy. In particular, we need to invest in critical and emerging bio, digital and energy technologies. This is a fact that has been well demonstrated in the recent crises we are experiencing. The Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) will be …

4 Oct

2023

PT Speech

The spread of ‘anti-LGBTIQ’ propaganda bills by populist parties and governments in Europe (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, respect for diversity and non-discrimination in any form are the basic principles of the European Union. These principles give rise to clear duties for all those in each Member State who carry out political functions. It is not acceptable for European political parties to link, both domestically and internationally, discriminatory speech by people …

4 Oct

2023

EN Speech

Energy Charter Treaty: next steps (debate)

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Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, the Energy Charter Treaty is an international trade and investment agreement for the energy sector. It has been important to attract private investment in energy, even more in the current situation. The EU and its Member States were keen to modernise the treaty’s outdated text from the 1990s. Efforts were made to align it with the new approach t…

13 Sep

2023

PT Speech

SME Relief Package (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to welcome the announcement of this long-awaited package of measures to support small and medium-sized enterprises in this sector. Now it needs to be adopted quickly. There are several relevant novelties. These include actions related to tax incentives, improved access to finance as well as skilled labour. I would also highlight the…

11 Sep

2023

PT Speech

Renewable Energy Directive (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, without a real commitment to renewables, the energy transition is not possible. And this revision of the Renewable Energy Directive is proof that we are aware of this and that we are willing to act. The work done by the co-legislators in revising this Directive is remarkable. The amendments introduced are victories for Parliament and I would lik…

12 Jul

2023

PT Speech

State of the SME Union (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of the European economy. They employ 100 million people and account for more than half of the Union's GDP. Most of these companies are small family businesses, businesses that face administrative barriers and costs, including tax costs, much higher than the equivalent elsewhere in the world. Europ…