misclassified/meps_speeches huggingface dataset:
Conclusions of the extraordinary European Council meeting of 23 April 2020 - New MFF, own resources and Recovery plan (debate)
Speaker: Kathleen VAN BREMPT (Belgium, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament / Vooruit)
Date: 2020-05-13

  Kathleen Van Brempt (S&D).   – Voorzitter, wat me erg is opgevallen in deze ongeziene sanitaire, maar ook sociale en economische crisis, is de immens grote solidariteit onder onze Europese bevolking. Laten we duidelijk zijn dat diezelfde solidariteit moet weerklinken in het beleid van de Europese Unie en het herstelplan dat op komst is.
Solidariteit betekent kijken naar ecologische en sociale rechtvaardigheid. In het Europese jargon betekent dat: gebaseerd op de Europese Green Deal en op de pijler van sociale rechten. Dat is heel belangrijk. Daarnaast is er voor solidariteit een groot investeringsplan nodig, gebaseerd op euro-obligaties, zoals we hier kamerbreed vragen, beste vriend Maroš Šefčovič. Maar ook, dat wil ik heel sterk benadrukken, op een eerlijke en solidaire fiscaliteit binnen de Europese Unie, want ook dat is essentieel.
EU coordinated action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences (continuation of debate)
Speaker: Kathleen VAN BREMPT (Belgium, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament / Vooruit)
Date: 2020-04-16

  Kathleen Van Brempt (S&D),  schriftelijk. – De gevolgen van de coronacrisis kunnen enkel Europees worden aangepakt. Dat is, na de wilde grenssluitingen en exportverboden, glashelder geworden. Even helder is dat het makkelijker is een lockdown uit te vaardigen, dan eruit te treden. De fundamentele interdependentie van onze samenlevingen en economie zorgt ervoor dat de ene maatregel onbedoelde effecten kan hebben op andere domeinen van de samenleving. Niet alleen is daarom een gecoördineerde aanpak noodzakelijk, ook de aard van de maatregelen zal cruciaal zijn. 
De gezamenlijke resolutie maakt twee dingen duidelijk. Vooreerst zijn de meeste voorstellen niet nieuw, maar behandelen ze gekende problemen die uit gebrek aan politieke moed of nationaal egoïsme nooit genomen werden: het dichten van de digitale kloof, bescherming van werknemers in precaire beroepen, stevige sociale vangnetten, de invoering van eurobonds. Nu moeten oude vooroordelen sneuvelen en stappen gezet worden naar een Europa dat zijn burgers beschermt. Ten tweede is ook de discussie van de baan dat er geen geld zou zijn om de Green Deal uit te voeren. Het is nu zaak om die middelen slim in te zetten in de transitie naar een circulaire, duurzame en eerlijke economie. De Green Deal is een duurzame groeistrategie. Precies wat we nodig hebben.
Proposed mandate for negotiations for a new partnership with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (debate)
Speaker: Kathleen VAN BREMPT (Belgium, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament / Vooruit)
Date: 2020-02-11

  Kathleen Van Brempt (S&D),  schriftelijk. – Groot-Brittannië mag dan vertrokken zijn uit de EU, het land blijft niet enkel een naaste buur maar het liefst ook een trouwe bondgenoot waarmee we nauwe betrekkingen onderhouden. Het Parlement is duidelijk: wij verlangen een ambitieuze deal met onze Britse vrienden, niet alleen over onze toekomstige handelsbetrekkingen, maar ook over andere aangelegenheden waar samenwerking in ons beider voordeel is. Zo’n hechte relatie veronderstelt dat het VK de Europese sociale, arbeids- en milieunormen respecteert. 
Maar laat ons duidelijk zijn: wij willen een hechte, duurzame relatie met het VK, haar burgers, ondernemers en wetenschappers, niet noodzakelijk met de huidige regering. Regeringen zijn tijdelijk. De deal die we beogen, moet lang meegaan. Laten we dus koelbloedig blijven als de regering-Johnson bizarre voorstellen doet die mogelijk leiden tot een No Deal en erop gericht zijn de Europese lidstaten uit elkaar te spelen. Wij moeten nu standvastigheid tonen en aan de regering-Johnson duidelijk maken dat we een zeer nauwe samenwerking willen, maar mocht de Britse regering alsnog de sprong in het duister wagen, dan is Europa klaar voor een No Deal. De regering-Johnson moet goed beseffen dat de EU solidair aan één zeel trekt.
Devastating Bushfires in Australia and other extreme weather events as a consequence of Climate Change (debate)
Speaker: Kathleen VAN BREMPT (Belgium, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament / Vooruit)
Date: 2020-01-13

  Kathleen Van Brempt (S&D).   – Voorzitter, in tegenstelling tot wat sommige extreme stemmen in dit Parlement beweren, staat het onomstotelijk vast dat de klimaatopwarming en de klimaatverandering een ongelooflijk effect hebben op bosbranden, die inderdaad jaarlijks voorkomen, maar nu uitgroeien tot echte humanitaire en natuurrampen. Het is daarom onwaarschijnlijk belangrijk dat wij in de Europese Unie onze verantwoordelijkheid nemen met de nieuwe Green Deal en evolueren naar een volledig koolstofvrije economie en samenleving. Maar we kunnen dat niet alleen. We hebben daarin partners nodig. 
We zijn volop bezig over een handelsakkoord te onderhandelen met Australië. Het zou toch te gek voor woorden zijn als we de macht die we hebben niet gebruiken om Australië aan de juiste kant van de geschiedenis te krijgen? Het kan niet zo zijn, het is uitgesloten dat wie partner wil worden in ons handelsbeleid en toegang wil krijgen tot onze Europese markt, geen partner zou zijn in de bestrijding van klimaatverandering. Dat betekent uiteraard dat in toekomstige handelsakkoorden – dus ook in het akkoord met Australië – het Parijse akkoord moet worden ingeschreven en moet kunnen worden afgedwongen, en bovendien dat de inhoud van het handelsbeleid er in de toekomst op gericht zal zijn om bijvoorbeeld volledig af te stappen van de fossiele brandstoffen. En laten we wat Australië betreft beginnen met de kolen. 
(De spreker stemt ermee in te antwoorden op een “blauwe kaart”-vraag (artikel 171, lid 8, van het Reglement))
Devastating Bushfires in Australia and other extreme weather events as a consequence of Climate Change (debate)
Speaker: Kathleen VAN BREMPT (Belgium, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament / Vooruit)
Date: 2020-01-13

  Kathleen Van Brempt (S&D),  "blauwe kaart"-antwoord. – Beste collega, dit is nu net het punt dat ik wil maken als het over handelsbeleid gaat. Het heeft geen enkele zin om alleen in Europa, in onze eigen markt, ervoor te zorgen dat we klimaatneutraal worden, en tegelijkertijd producten van over heel de wereld binnen te laten die enorm veel uitstoten en niet dezelfde ambitieniveaus hebben als de niveaus die wij opleggen aan onze eigen industrie. Dat is de reden waarom ik denk dat het handelsbeleid echt moet worden ingezet om het klimaatbeleid ook waar te maken, en dat we ervoor moeten zorgen dat we tegelijkertijd klimaatneutraal worden maar ook onze eigen industrie kunnen blijven beschermen.
Compatibility between the current EU - Mercosur Free Trade Agreement and the Commission's proposal for a European Green Deal (topical debate)
Speaker: Kathleen VAN BREMPT (Belgium, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament / Vooruit)
Date: 2019-12-18

  Kathleen Van Brempt,  on behalf of the S&D Group. – Madam President, as has been said before, Europe is at the doorstep of a new era. With the new Green Deal, we want to ensure a future that is more just, more sustainable and completely climate-proof. At the same time, we also had to face an unsuccessful COP in Madrid last week, let’s be honest, and one of the parties that was part of the negotiating team that led to that disappointing result was Brazil. ‘I won’t protect any part of the rainforest that can be exploited.’ Those are Bolsonaro’s words. Could it be any clearer? And let’s be frank at the beginning of this term. It is unthinkable that our farmers, our manufacturers, have to make a huge effort in the new Green Deal and at the same time trade policies will remain as they stand.
We cannot open our markets to these countries that – at the same time – try to profit from social and environmental competition and a race to the bottom. 
Let me be clear, and I said this to you, Commissioner, informally. Let me say it formally. I don’t think there is today a majority in Parliament to agree on the FTA with Mercosur. It will not fly as it stands. 
And I have no proof of that, but I have some experience in this Parliament. So let me outline what is important for the S&D in the coming year. 
First of all, we want the Brazilians – the Mercosur countries, but Brasilia in particular – to take a different attitude with the international states. If they want to be our partners in trade, they need to be our partners as well when it comes to measures on climate change. Secondly, we want pre-ratification conditions. We want to have a change in the policies in Brazil on the Amazon. And last but not least – and I’m looking to the Council in particular, but also to the Commissioner – I want to remind you that we, the Parliament, have a long-standing demand to make the TSD chapters legally much more enforceable, and that includes sanctions, because otherwise the paper on which the TSD chapter is written is useless. We should use less paper and take more action.
The European Green Deal (debate)
Speaker: Kathleen VAN BREMPT (Belgium, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament / Vooruit)
Date: 2019-12-11

  Kathleen Van Brempt (S&D).   – Voorzitter, de wetenschappers hebben al lang hun werk gedaan en de urgentie aangetoond. De jongeren hebben de kwestie bovenaan de politieke agenda gezet. En hier is nu de Europese New Green Deal. Wat ons betreft is dit niet gewoon een milieuprogramma of een programma voor het bestrijden van de klimaatverandering. Dit is hét Europees project, niet alleen van de komende jaren maar van de komende decennia.
Dit project heeft onder meer door het grote investeringsprogramma in essentie ook de potentie om álle Europese burgers erop vooruit te laten gaan. Denk bijvoorbeeld maar aan het recht op schone lucht in al onze steden en gemeenten. Denk bijvoorbeeld aan de honderdduizenden banen die gecreëerd worden en daar waar ze verloren gaan nemen we de mensen mee om ze voor te bereiden op een andere baan.
Denk er bijvoorbeeld ook aan dat onze energiefactuur zal dalen omdat we investeren in nieuwe gebouwen. Dit moeten we ook uitbreiden naar de rest van de wereld. Daarom zal handel een van de essentiële onderdelen worden in de New Green Deal.
Crisis of the WTO Appellate Body (debate)
Speaker: Kathleen VAN BREMPT (Belgium, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament / Vooruit)
Date: 2019-11-26

  Kathleen Van Brempt (S&D).   – Madam President, international trade and, more specifically, fair and rule—based trade is essential for human and sustainable development. Therefore, a well-functioning body Appellate Body is crucial for our rule—based multilateral trading system, and it makes sure that the law of the jungle does not apply to all trading partners, whether they are small or large. 
Commissioner, as you can see, there’s a broad consensus in this Parliament on this topic. Let there be no doubt: for our political group it’s essential to find a solution within the WTO.
However, we should not be naive. There’s a chance – and it’s up to our people to make sure that we can get a good look at it – that the US will not engage constructively in finding a solution. The Trump administration wants to use the Appellate Body crisis to change some of their long-standing irritations about the way the WTO functions. This is quite a cynical position of the US today. Think about the Airbus case and their tariffs, but also about the new case that they are bringing against India. It seems that President Trump does not want to have the cake, but still eat the cake. 
However, having a workable Appellate Body can also be of benefit for the United States, but if the States are not willing to unblock the appointment of the judges, we should stand ready to look for alternative solutions and stand firm on these issues.
I’m quite sure that we’ll also find a united Parliament to do so. International trade is much too important to be managed by the law of the jungle, instigated by large trading partners taking advantage of smaller ones. And Europe should do everything in its power to defend that fair and inclusive trade.
Climate and ecological emergency (topical debate)
Speaker: Kathleen VAN BREMPT (Belgium, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament / Vooruit)
Date: 2019-10-23

  Kathleen Van Brempt (S&D).   – Voorzitter, beste collega's, ik ben optimistisch van aard. Ik wil vandaag dan ook een optimistische boodschap brengen over een complexe en grote uitdaging als de klimaatverandering. Ondanks het geklungel in de Raad en de obstructie van heel wat lidstaten in de Raad ben ik optimistisch, mevrouw de voorzitter van de Raad, dat de nieuwe Commissie met een goede nieuwe Green deal en een goede klimaatwet zal komen. En ik hoop op een grote meerderheid in dit Parlement om de doelstellingen van 2030 en 2050 ook zeer ambitieus te zetten.
Daarbij wil ik meteen ook de boodschap geven dat we niet naïef mogen zijn. Als we heel ambitieus zijn en hoge streefcijfers vastleggen, dan moeten we ervoor zorgen dat we onze industrie ook beschermen en de middelen geven om te overleven in die moeilijke, competitieve wereld. Dus zullen we een mechanisme voor koolstofcorrecties of een CO2-taks nodig hebben. Mij is het om het even, als we er maar voor zorgen dat de vervuiler betaalt en dat onze industrie goed beschermd wordt, met hoge ambities.
General budget of the European Union for 2020 - all sections (debate)
Speaker: Kathleen VAN BREMPT (Belgium, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament / Vooruit)
Date: 2019-10-22

  Kathleen Van Brempt,  rapporteur for the opinion of the Committee on International Trade. – Mr President, when it comes to international trade, the implementation of trade agreements is key, and that goes in particular for the sustainable development chapter within the trade agreements. Without sufficient resources to monitor the commitments, we risk leaving with empty words, and that is absolutely not what we intend as a parliament. When we think about these commitments, it’s about eradication of child labour, freedom of association, fighting climate change, commitments on gender equality and, of course, human rights. Sufficient funding is also needed to draft impact assessments on a regular basis. And let’s not forget that civil society is also key in the implementation of this trade and sustainable development (TSD) chapter, and enforcing these domestic advisory groups is also very important.
A final point of the Committee on International Trade (INTA). At times when multilateralism and the WTO is under very firm attack, we as a Union should do everything within our power to strengthen that, and in that sense the WTO Parliamentary Conference is a very useful tool in discussions on shaping global trade policy. Therefore, the Committee regrets that the amendments for INTA, both on the domestic Advisory Group and on the WTO Parliamentary Conference, were not taken into account. We deeply regret that.
US tariffs on European goods following WTO's decision on the Airbus dispute (debate)
Speaker: Kathleen VAN BREMPT (Belgium, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament / Vooruit)
Date: 2019-10-09

  Kathleen Van Brempt (S&D).   – Voorzitter, commissaris. Gisteren, bij de opening van het publieke forum van de Wereldhandelsorganisatie, zei de welbekende en befaamde Amerikaanse econoom Jeffrey Sachs dat het absoluut de bedoeling is van de regering-Trump om het wereldhandelssysteem van de Wereldhandelsorganisatie, dat gebaseerd is op gezamenlijke waarden en regels, compleet onderuit te halen. En hij doet dat ook. We zijn op de hoogte van alle problemen omtrent de Appellate Body van de Wereldhandelsorganisatie en het is dus bijzonder bizar en bijzonder cynisch dat net diezelfde regering de uitspraak van de Wereldhandelsorganisatie gebruikt om extra tarieven op te leggen.
De tweede bizarre vaststelling is uiteraard de aard van de tarieven: het is goed te merken dat het absoluut de bedoeling is om Europa te verdelen op de verschillende tarieven in de verschillende lidstaten. Mijn boodschap aan u, commissaris, en ook aan de nieuwe Commissie is dus heel duidelijk: laten we niet verdeeld raken. Laten we één gezamenlijk standpunt innemen en niet naïef zijn. Onderhandelen is goed, maar als het tot niets leidt, zal Europa ook straf uit de hoek moeten komen.
Amazon forest fires (debate)
Speaker: Kathleen VAN BREMPT (Belgium, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament / Vooruit)
Date: 2019-09-17

  Kathleen Van Brempt (S&D).   – Voorzitter, beste commissaris, ik ben blij u nog eens te zien bij dit belangrijke debat. Ik merk heel sterk dat over de partijgrenzen heen in dit Europees Parlement de verontwaardiging unaniem is over wat er gebeurt in het Amazonegebied. Ik ga er dan ook van uit dat er unanimiteit gezocht en gevonden kan worden dat de Europese Unie haar tanden moeten laten zien om dat probleem ook op te lossen. Er zijn verschillende manieren, maar één cruciale manier om hiermee om te gaan, is ons handelsbeleid drastisch te herzien, handelsbeleid dat de sustainable development goals ook echt meeneemt en ervoor zorgt dat de ontbossing wordt gestopt. Er zijn twee heel belangrijke manieren: je hebt de sustainability chapters, de TSD-chapters die echt afdwingbaar moeten worden en bindend moeten worden. Maar wij als Parlement kunnen ook laten zien dat we tanden hebben, bijvoorbeeld door voorafgaand aan de discussie te zeggen: de ontbossing moet stoppen en de manier waarop de mensenrechten worden behandeld in Brazilië moet stoppen. Dat moet de basis zijn van een toekomstig handelsbeleid. Laat ons daar de komende jaren onze tanden inzetten.
The need for EU action on search and rescue in the Mediterranean (debate)
Speaker: Alessandra MUSSOLINI (Italy, Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) / Forza Italia)
Date: 2023-07-12

  Alessandra Mussolini (PPE).   – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, non è che però si può consentire che, quando c'è un dibattito sui migranti – è una cosa seria il rispetto per le vite umane – ci deve essere sempre l'attacco o addirittura la condanna da gente che vive in Stati membri dove non vedono per niente uno sbarco, dove non sanno neanche che cosa significa andare e salvare le vite in mare. Devono attaccare l'Italia e la Grecia?
Se non ci fosse l'Italia ci sarebbe il 100 % di morti in mare e questo documento, questa risoluzione, non serve a niente, sono parole. Perché è stato detto, l'unica cosa giusta è questa: non devono andare in mare perché muoiono. Muoiono perché ci sono questi barchini, perché appena vedono un'imbarcazione, che sia una ONG, che sia la Guardia costiera, si buttano tutti da una parte e si rovesciano e cadono in acqua perché non sanno nuotare.
Allora questo documento è fatto per le ONG, è scritto a più mani, perché dato che noi italiani abbiamo inserito una legge che pone di nuovo un controllo sugli sbarchi e sui porti sicuri, le ONG, invece, vogliono andare dove ritengono loro. Quindi si parla di nuovo in questa risoluzione di "porto più vicino", ma nessun "porto più vicino", perché devono essere dei porti che decidono gli Stati membri, dove ci sarà tutta una serie di aiuti, di viveri, di aiuti anche medici per queste persone.
Quindi, assolutamente io trovo fuori luogo – Commissario, Lei è stato a Lampedusa e io quindi voglio ringraziare prima di tutto la Guardia costiera italiana, che salva vite umane "h24", il sindaco Filippo Mannino e Attilio Lucia, che è il vicesindaco.
Queste sono persone, non solo da non condannare ma da ringraziare, Presidente... e Lei fa fare i comizi a questi di sinistra. Mi perdoni, non si fa così, c'è un dibattito, non un comizio...
(La Presidente ritira la parola all'oratrice)
(L'oratrice accetta di rispondere a una domanda "cartellino blu")
The need for EU action on search and rescue in the Mediterranean (debate)
Speaker: Alessandra MUSSOLINI (Italy, Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) / Forza Italia)
Date: 2023-07-12

  Alessandra Mussolini (PPE),  risposta a una domanda "cartellino blu". – Rispondo dicendo: cara, è esattamente questo! Noi vogliamo le regole, le ONG non possono scegliersi i porti perché in quei porti ci deve essere l'assistenza per i migranti, quindi non lo può decidere lei da questo scranno, né lo possono decidere le ONG. Lo devono decidere gli Stati membri che devono aiutare i migranti.
Questa è la legge e la legge va rispettata!
The need for European solidarity in saving lives in the Mediterranean, in particular in Italy (debate)
Speaker: Alessandra MUSSOLINI (Italy, Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) / Forza Italia)
Date: 2023-04-18

  Alessandra Mussolini (PPE).   – Signor Presidente, devo ringraziare il presidente Manfred Weber e il gruppo del PPE per aver introdotto il tema con decisione dell'Italia e della solidarietà, e immediatamente qui al Parlamento europeo ancora una volta le sinistre hanno addirittura eliminato, cambiato, voluto modificare un titolo per togliere il concetto di solidarietà dall'Italia, perché evidentemente non ce la possono fare ad avere solidarietà per questo Stato membro fondatore dell'Europa, al salvare vite umane. Noi siamo tutti d'accordo nel salvare le vite umane, tant'è che abbiamo votato a favore.
Addirittura il Presidente Mattarella ha chiesto maggiore organizzazione. Perché? Perché questo è importante. Cosa ha fatto l'Italia? Ha immediatamente nominato un commissario per lo stato di emergenza. Perché? Perché indica una situazione di maggiore organizzazione. Per fare cosa? Per ampliare l'accoglienza e l'integrazione, esattamente quello che deve fare il secondo livello che appartiene agli enti locali, e anche qui in Italia sempre le sinistre anziché dare una mano alla risoluzione di questa fase, come l'ha descritta Mattarella "epocale", che cosa hanno fatto? Quattro regioni non hanno dichiarato l'intesa con il nuovo commissario, sono ovviamente Emilia Romagna, Puglia, Toscana e Campania, e anche sei grandi città hanno detto no. Quindi continuare nella frammentazione, nel boicottare un'organizzazione che invece deve essere fatta su tutto il territorio nazionale con la piena solidarietà dell'Europa.
E volevo dire all'on. Ferrara che non si parla di costruire muri, si parla di difendere le frontiere esterne, e questa è una cosa importante, allora non c'è più Schengen, allora quando si entra e si esce da Schengen significa che i database non esistono più. Questo non è.
La difesa della migrazione passa anche dalle frontiere esterne, passa anche dal rafforzare le frontiere esterne e la sorveglianza. Ma tanto la sinistra non lo capisce.
The Rights of children in Rainbow Families and same sex parents in particular in Italy (debate)
Speaker: Alessandra MUSSOLINI (Italy, Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) / Forza Italia)
Date: 2023-03-29

  Alessandra Mussolini,  a nome del gruppo PPE. – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, cara Commissaria, lei giustamente ha fatto un bellissimo intervento in quest'Aula completamente vuota, perché alla sinistra, in questo Parlamento, fomentata soprattutto dalla delegazione italiana, non interessa. Non si fermano neanche davanti ai sacrosanti diritti dei bambini nati da famiglie omoaffettive pur di attaccare il governo italiano e l'Italia.
Hanno addirittura fatto un emendamento che in Italia non sarebbe stato ammesso, è inammissibile, va buttato, perché non è vero che il governo italiano ha bloccato il sindaco Sala che oggi è venuto a fare questa sceneggiata affacciato al balcone. È stata una sentenza della Corte di Cassazione, quindi i giudici, a camere riunite, che hanno detto, in mancanza di una legge, che non si possono direttamente registrare le nascite.
Io sono fermamente d'accordo con il regolamento del Consiglio sulla certificazione, il riconoscimento e l'accettazione reciproca tra gli Stati della filiazione. Secondo me quelli della sinistra, Benifei e gli altri, neanche l'hanno letta. Loro vogliono solo parlare contro l'Italia. Quindi tuteliamo i bambini, tutti, tutti, ma fermiamoci, abbiate almeno la pietà di fronte a questo. Parliamo realmente di questi temi, ma basta di attaccare l'Italia, perché sennò ogni settimana noi avremo degli argomenti. Per questo argomento non c'è un testo, è stato fatto solo così: uno prende, si alza e dice "attacchiamo l'Italia, parliamo dei bambini". Vergognatevi! Voi vi dovete vergognare!
Non mi è piaciuto neanche l'atteggiamento di Sala che, anziché pensare alle stazioni di Milano dove ci sono i delinquenti, viene qui a fare le sceneggiate, non a favore dei bambini. Facendo così voi lavorate contro i diritti dei bambini. Ma vergognatevi!
Resumption of the sitting
Speaker: Alessandra MUSSOLINI (Italy, Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) / Forza Italia)
Date: 2023-03-16

  Alessandra Mussolini (PPE).   – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, per richiamare l'attenzione dell'Aula sui fatti gravissimi accaduti ieri nella città di Napoli, dove gruppi numerosi di violenti organizzati tedeschi hanno messo a ferro e fuoco la città, distruggendo negozi, intimidendo i cittadini ed è grazie alle forze dell'ordine, l'organizzazione italiana, che non ci sono stati dei morti. 
Come sia possibile che il governo socialista tedesco abbia potuto consentire una trasferta già nota e ampiamente annunciata su tutti i social media e che non ci siano state delle scuse formali e sostanziali da parte delle autorità tedesche, ma soprattutto il pagamento dei danni ingenti alla città di Napoli.
Deaths at sea: a common EU response to save lives and action to ensure safe and legal pathways (debate)
Speaker: Alessandra MUSSOLINI (Italy, Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) / Forza Italia)
Date: 2023-03-15

  Alessandra Mussolini (PPE).   – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, che vergogna! Che vergogna sentire esponenti anche italiani che strumentalizzano i morti pur di andare contro un governo. La tragedia di Cutro è una tragedia non italiana, è una tragedia europea. E le soluzioni devono essere europee. Ma perché non parliamo anche dei bambini che scompaiono, di quello che accade in Italia? 
Ma non sapete quanto è complicato. L'Italia non lascia da solo nessuno e nessuno deve permettersi in Europa, e non lo si fa, di lasciare da sola l'Italia: 60.000 migranti sono stati salvati dalla Guardia costiera e dalla Guardia di Finanza. Chi lo ha fatto? A fronte di un aumento dei flussi migratori del 250% dalla Tunisia, dalla Libia, dalla tratta della Turchia. 
Allora parliamo di questo. Non buttiamo veleno addosso ad uno Stato membro che deve essere aiutato da tutti perché noi siamo l'Europa, non è che c'è l'Italia e l'Europa è da un'altra parte. Quindi quello che ho sentito, guardate, è veramente vergognoso. Perché non si onorano e non si porta rispetto alle tante vittime, ai sacrifici di vite umane che appartengono a tutti e tutti li dobbiamo rispettare. Ma voi no, voi della sinistra no! È come se io dicessi che le ONG raccolgono tangenti e sfruttano le vite umane e i migranti e lavorano con gli scafisti. Vero, cara?
One year after Morocco and QatarGate – stocktaking of measures to strengthen transparency and accountability in the European institutions (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2023-12-13

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Herr Präsident, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Katar war nicht das erste Land, das mit illegalen Methoden versucht hat, Einfluss auf die europäische Politik zu nehmen, und es wird nicht das letzte sein. Heute werden immer mehr Entscheidungen auf europäischer Ebene getroffen, die für Drittstaaten von besonderem Interesse sind – Finanz- und Investitionspolitik, Handelspolitik, Visapolitik. Und genauso wie unsere Verantwortung hier zunimmt, nehmen Versuche zu, legal – aber eben auch illegal – Einfluss auf uns zu nehmen. Deswegen müssen wir zusätzlich zu den Regeln, die wir dieses Jahr beschlossen haben, zwei weitere Dinge tun.
Erstens: den Laden hier sauber halten. Und ich erwarte, dass jede und jeder hier die Regeln einhält, die wir uns gegeben haben, und dass es endlich auch schmerzhafte Sanktionen gibt, wenn sich jemand nicht daran hält. Und zweitens: die Behörden in Belgien und den Mitgliedstaaten so ausstatten, dass sie dem Ganzen endlich Herr werden – Herr Körner hat die Probleme beschrieben. Damit Drittstaaten es irgendwann gar nicht mehr versuchen – nicht bei uns, nicht in der Kommission, nicht im Rat und auch sonst nirgendwo.
European Defence investment programme (EDIP) (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2023-12-13

  Hannah Neumann,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, with EDF, EDIRPA, ASAP, EDIP, EDIS frankly said I’m a bit tired of these acronyms trying to disguise the main problem: Member States are simply not willing to move towards a truly European defence industry and market. The communication on EDIP in February surely won’t change that. But I haven’t given up on EDIS, the strategy, yet. 
Here is what needs to be done. One, let’s pool national defence budgets to buy what we need to guarantee the security of European citizens and that of our closest allies, Ukraine before all. We have to stop competing against each other on the market, because this only increases the profits of the defence industry and decreases the security of Europeans.
Two, let’s work on common technical standards to ensure interoperability and economies of scale, and then subsidies and pooled funds should only go to those who produce and procure along these EU standards.
Finally, we need to talk about arms exports. Currently, we have common rules but very diverging national export policies. This is a constant source of conflict between EU Member States, and it hampers cooperation – and Mr Breton, don’t tell me it’s complicated. I have the solution in the drawer, I have it on my website, please just reach out.
Dear colleagues in the Commission and in the Council, if you want to really move from a national piecemeal to a truly European approach – pooling resources, increasing interoperability, prioritising the security of European citizens over the benefits of those of the arms industry – we are here to support.
Humanitarian situation in Gaza, the need for the release of hostages and for an immediate humanitarian truce leading to a ceasefire and the prospects for peace and security in the Middle East (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2023-11-22

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Mr President, as we debate, families in Israel are mourning children, parents, spouses barbarically killed by Hamas terrorists on 7 October. They fear for the lives of hostages, and they are seeking shelter from ongoing Hamas shelling. In Gaza, people are mourning their children, parents, spouses who have become victims of Israel’s shelling of civilian infrastructure. They fear for those who remain exposed to ongoing airstrikes and suffer under the siege of Gaza.
All human beings have the right to live in safety and freedom. Demanding this for one group does not question this right in relation to another group. Empathy is not a zero-sum game.
The announced release of hostages linked to a temporary truce offers a new glimpse of hope to end the spiral of violence. The European Union, together with the UN, Arab states and the US, must facilitate a process where both Israelis and Palestinians can work on solutions to live side by side in peace. Hopefully for good this time.
UN Climate Change Conference 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (COP28) (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2023-11-20

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Frau Präsidentin, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Wenn wir die Klimakrise stoppen wollen, dann müssen die Fossilen im Boden bleiben. Wir müssen also jetzt reden über den massiven Ausbau der Erneuerbaren und über Klimaschäden und faire Kompensation. Dafür brauchen wir die Zivilgesellschaft am Tisch. Tausende Menschen verlieren heute schon ihr Zuhause. Jeden zweiten Tag wird ein Mensch ermordet, der sich für mehr Klimaschutz einsetzt. Und in den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten sitzen immer noch Dutzende Menschenrechtsaktivisten in Haft, sogar nachdem sie ihre Strafen abgesessen haben.
Wir alle, die wir zu COP fahren, sollten die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate an ihre Versprechen gegenüber den zivilgesellschaftlichen Akteuren erinnern. Und auch daran, ihnen alle politischen Freiheiten zu gewähren. Und gleichzeitig: Ohne die Golfstaaten im Team Klimaschutz kriegen wir diese Welt nicht gerettet, egal wie viel wir Bahn fahren. Deswegen: Lasst uns diese COP nutzen, um die Golfstaaten zu Vorreitern bei echtem Klimaschutz zu machen.
Urgent need for a coordinated European response and legislative framework on intrusive spyware, based on the PEGA inquiry committee recommendations (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2023-10-17

  Hannah Neumann,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, Commissioner, we heard it right now. You know it and we all know it: how widespread the abuse of spyware is. This Parliament has worked hard to develop recommendations on how to fix it that have been carried by a broad majority. Yet, so far nothing happened, although the Commission had promised to pick them up. In the meantime, we keep learning about new revelations. Members of Parliament targeted again, including President Metsola, European companies illegally circumventing export regulations and European stakeholders making money by sending spyware to dictators, who use them to target human rights defenders. Frankly said, it is only a matter of time before military-grade spyware ends up in the hands of terrorists. So what more do you need to finally act?
Commissioner, the European Union has one superpower. The superpower is to set standards and regulations that then become global ones. We have managed to regulate the use of ‘ABC’ – atomic, biological and chemical weapons – globally. The EU must now take the lead to also regulate the use of these digital weapons and ban its most intrusive forms. Frankly said, exploring options for a non-legislative proposal is not going to be good enough. So, I have only one question: when is the Commission putting forward a legislative proposal to fix this highly dangerous mess?
Human rights situation in Afghanistan, in particular the persecution of former government officials
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2023-10-04

  Hannah Neumann,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, it has been more than two years since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, and they kept none of their promises. Employees of the old regime are under constant threat. Women are not even allowed to go to parks anymore and schools are turned into jihadi madrassas.
The situation seems devastating. The media spotlight has shifted, but our attention should not because there are things we can do. We can advocate for gender apartheid to be recognised as a crime under international law. We can make sure that human rights defenders under threat are given flexible visas so they can continue their important work in Afghanistan, yet leave the country when needed. We can ensure that all organisations running programmes for women by women receive adequate and unbureaucratic funding.
There is something very concrete all of you can do next week nominate Parasto Hakim, Marzia Amiri and Matiullah Wesa, three education rights activists, for the Sakharov Prize to ensure again that the spotlight is on Afghanistan and to ensure recognition and protection for the many resisting the Taliban.
Dear colleagues, however bleak the situation, there are ...
(The President cut off the speaker)
Egypt, in particular the sentencing of Hisham Kassem
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2023-10-04

  Hannah Neumann,  author. – Mr President, it’s ten years since the massacre at Rabaa Square in Cairo, where the Egyptian military under al-Sisi’s command killed about a thousand protesters. It has been ten years of brutal repression since, with so many critical voices locked behind bars. Journalists, political activists, human rights defenders, one of them, Alaa Abd el-Fattah, the prominent face of the Arab Spring, who has served about ten years in prison combined and has not seen his son for over two years now. Another one is publisher Hisham Kassem, who was imprisoned on charges of defamation shortly after he had helped to form a coalition of opposition parties. It is brutal violence and tens of thousands of political prisoners, this is how al-Sisi secures his power. Yet EU Member States continue lucrative arms deals with this regime. So far, no human rights sanctions have been imposed on high-ranking Egyptian officials. And even worse, right now, the European Commission is preparing a dirty deal with al-Sisi to prevent migration, while human rights defenders in Egypt remain blocked from leaving the country. This hypocrisy must end.
Iran: one year after the murder of Jina Mahsa Amini (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2023-09-12

  Hannah Neumann,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, High Representative, so, finally, you are here to explain why your Iran policy over the last 12 months has been so different from what this Parliament asked you to do. Yet all I heard was we are trying our best, but it’s complicated. But in the end, Mr Borrell, it’s not the intention that counts, it’s the results. And where are we as of today? The Iranian regime exchanges hostages with convicted terrorists and kidnaps new ones. It becomes more repressive by the day. It is only weeks away from the nuclear bomb. It destabilises a whole region by proxy wars. And Iranian drones are attacking our allies in Ukraine. 
Mr Borrell, it’s time to clearly spell it out. The EU’s Iran policy of the last 44 years has failed, and it is your job to think about new policies. Stop meeting regime representatives and start meeting the many different people that advocate for a free Iran, stop financial flows of the regime and start exploring avenues for the diaspora to send home remittances for the strike front. Encourage Member States to give more humanitarian visas to those badly injured by regime violence and spell out the truth. This regime terrorises its own citizens and the whole region. It systematically uses rape to force political prisoners into confessions, and it is already preparing to crack down the protests planned for 16 September. 
Mr Borrell, you have to stop stabilising a brutal regime while the people in Iran are prepared to die for its downfall. (The speaker used a slogan in a non-EU language)
European Defence Industry Reinforcement through common Procurement Act (EDIRPA) (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2023-09-11

  Hannah Neumann,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, dear colleagues, we Greens will vote in favour of EDIRPA tomorrow. We will vote in favour of EDIRPA because we hope that it is a small step ahead to supply Ukraine with the equipment it urgently needs and because it may lead to a little more cooperation in the defence sector. But, frankly said, it’s just a small patch on a big oozing wound for a fragmented and inefficient defence sector. 
To keep our citizens safe and to support our allies such as Ukraine, we need Member States to finally move from the current protectionism to a truly European defence with cooperation starting from raw materials over joint procurement to joint export control.
We also need to move from the current secretive deals in the Council to open debates on defence in the European Parliament. European defence needs European debate and it needs European scrutiny and this has to happen in this House. 
So, for four times now we have given away our rights of scrutiny with EDF, with EDIDP, with ASAP and with EDIRPA. The ECR, EPP and Renew gave away easily the delegated acts and I hope this will finally change next time in the interest of the security of our European citizens and that of our allies.
Protection of journalists and human rights defenders from manifestly unfounded or abusive court proceedings (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2023-07-10

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Mr President, dear colleagues, Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia had more than 40 SLAPP cases against her when she was killed; some were continued against her family. Nobel Peace Prize awardee Maria Ressa is, until today, blocked from leaving the Philippines without prior court permission because of pending SLAPP cases against her. And the only goal of such strategic yet baseless lawsuits is to intimidate, harass and silence critical voices.
Because once you are faced with a SLAPP case, you need to read that file. You need to hire a lawyer, you need to appear in court, you need to fight related smear campaigns, sometimes even your bank accounts are being frozen. In addition, such SLAPP cases overburden already strained judicial systems and undermine trust in legal proceedings.
Dear colleagues, this is simply a perversion of rule of law. It is about time that we stand up and stop it in the EU and all around the world. So thank you, Tiemo, for your report. It is a good first step and let’s join forces to walk down that road even further.
One-minute speeches on matters of political importance
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2023-07-10

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Madam President, today Tomaj Salehi was sentenced to six years and three months in an Iranian prison for his rap songs about freedom. Tens of thousands of political prisoners are held on trumped-up charges in Iran because they advocate for freedom.
At least eight protesters are at imminent threat of execution for demanding freedom: Ebrahim Narouie, Kambiz Kharout, Shoeib Mir Baluchzehi Rigi, Manouchehr Mehman Navaz, Mohammad Ghobadlou, Mojahed Kourkour, Milad Zohrevand and Mansour Dahmardeh. And at least two EU citizens are being held hostage by the regime, and they are on death row because this regime fears freedom: Jamshid Sharmahd and Ahmad Reza Jalali.
And I request everyone who engages with this regime to start talks by saying these names, by demanding their release again and again. I will not be silenced.
(The speaker concluded in a non-official language)
Investigation of the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware - Investigation of the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware (draft recommendation) (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2023-06-14

  Hannah Neumann,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, Commissioner Reynders, dear colleagues, and too bad the Council isn’t here once more because my speech actually primarily addresses Member States, but I am sure they will receive the message. 
If one of your best journalists is spied upon while investigating a major story, if one of your state prosecutors is spied upon while preparing court cases, if your defence minister is spied upon while attending NATO meetings, if one of your companies is exporting spyware to a war zone, if any of this happens and you are only a halfway-decent government with some responsibility, you would investigate. You would turn everything upside down, find the loopholes that make this possible, bring perpetrators to justice, apologise to victims, right?
I don’t get why none of this happens. So basically, we, the PEGA Inquiry Committee, did your job in the last 12 months. Yet rather than working with us, Member States’ governments ignored or obstructed our work, the approach was omertà, not cooperation. 
Looking at this mess, I am quite amazed by what we have achieved here. And I want to thank the rapporteur, the shadows, all Members for that, because we managed to come forward with an accurate description of the abuse that is happening and with very solid and reasonable recommendations on how to fix it, supported across party lines by Members, by colleagues from 27 EU Member States. 
And if you ever wondered what the European Parliament is good for, for this. Europe has been a pioneer in protecting the privacy of its citizens and has set standards that have become global ones by now. We bent the entire Internet ecosystem towards better protection and respect of individuals’ data rights. Yet on something as horribly destructive as spyware, it looks as if we are lagging behind. 
But dear colleagues, if we want to see European – and yes, universal – values reflected in the regulation of these invasive technologies, it is time to stand up to the shady practices of secret services and to companies and their CEOs gone wrong. Because otherwise the next chapter of surveillance and manipulation, then involving AI and other powerful technologies, will be very, very dark. 
We have done our job, Commissioner. Now it’s time that you do yours, the Commission and the Council. And believe me, we will follow up, and follow up, and follow up until our recommendations are put in place.
One-minute speeches on matters of political importance
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2023-06-12

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Madam President, dear colleagues, more than 300 people were executed in Iran this year, and these are only the official numbers. This regime is harassing, beating, torturing, raping, killing its own citizens, and, so far, it gets away with it. 
It gets away with it because a culture of impunity persists in Iran and a culture of silence is developing again in the international community. I mean, how can Ebrahim Raisi, who was instrumental in killing thousands of protesters in 1988, get away with it and now be, 30 years later, the president of Iran? How can we, as the international community, allow a regime that brutally terrorises its own citizens to chair the UN Human Rights Council Social Forum, when it would actually be our job to watch carefully what is happening in Iran, to condemn every single killing, to sanction the perpetrators, and to do our part to break the cycle of impunity? 
Because if we don’t, 300 executions may soon turn into 3000. This regime kills when it thinks it can get away with it, and we have to make sure it no longer does. Silence will only lead to more violence.