misclassified/meps_speeches huggingface dataset:
The crackdown on the democratic opposition in Hong Kong
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2021-01-21

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Madam President, when it comes to human rights, the EU has two faces. It’s happy to issue statements of concern, passing its judgment on countries around the world, but our support for democracy and human rights is less vociferous when it comes to selling German cars.
Brave young men and women stand on the front lines of the battle between freedom and autocracy. They include Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam, currently in jail for defending the democracy that we all take for granted here. What are we doing to support them? What signal are we sending to them, when we close our eyes and sign an investment agreement with the very regime that is trampling over democracy in its neighbourhood, murdering Uighurs and threatening democratic Taiwan? What actions will the EU take regarding that investment agreement with China if the PRC continues to break human rights and international labour laws?
Know that Hong Kong is a test of the resolve of the free world. Right now, the EU is shamefully failing that test and I deeply feel ashamed for that?
Inauguration of the new President of the United States and the current political situation (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2021-01-20

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Madam President, as the era of ‘America first’ comes to an end, we can begin to look forward to a presidency of ‘Allies first’ from the Biden administration.
Europe has spent the last four years carving out its own strategic autonomy. Now we have an opportunity to make the transatlantic alliance great again. By speaking in unison as Democratic allies, our words and actions can be strengthened in the face of the existential challenges that we face: autocrats like Putin, challenges related to the tech revolution, violent Islamic extremism and the threat of climate change.
I urge the EU to support Biden’s efforts to unite democracy so that we can reinvigorate multilateralism in our own free image.
The recent events in Washington have shown how fragile all of our democracies can be, but I also do we agree with my colleague Danjean that we need to look deep inside the issues and face reality. The free world has the chance to come together in the defence of our common values which have been neglected for too long... 
(The President cut off the speaker)
Humanitarian situation of refugees and migrants at the EU's external borders (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2021-01-19

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Madam President, Madam Commissioner and Madam Secretary – three women, that’s really cool. 
On this topic, any abuse of the law must be thoroughly and seriously investigated, but today’s discussion cannot take place without looking at the bigger picture. The situation at our external border is complicated and difficult. Frontline Member States are overwhelmed. Others struggle with the consequences of secondary movements and poor integration. 
The EU asylum system is broken. As confidence in this system continues to disintegrate, the more likely it is that people will seek to operate outside the failed legal framework. It’s clear that we need urgent and serious reforms. We must improve the efficiency of processing asylum seekers upon entry, prioritise the expedient return of failed asylum seekers, and work with international partners to stop individuals from being smuggled into the EU in the first place. We need a system that goes back to the founding principles of the Geneva Convention. Only by tackling the heart of the problem can we stop the consequences, which we discuss here today.
European Arrest Warrant and surrender procedures between Member States (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2021-01-18

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Madam President, the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) is a valuable cross-border tool in the fight against terrorism and serious crime. The speed of extradition now, compared to the cumbersome processes of the past, is greatly improved.
However, many will remember a time when this House repeatedly expressed concern regarding its use for petty crimes, or the system errors which destroyed the lives of unlucky individuals.
This Parliament pushed therefore for actions and consequently its implementation has greatly been improved. Yet we were recently reminded of the pitfalls when the Spanish Government used the EAW for its own political agenda. It reminded us that instruments can be used, abused and stretched if there isn’t careful monitoring and protection in place.
Rather than seeking to create new powers and widening the scope of the EAW, we must first build back trust between the Member States and increase transparency and judicial independence. This is the only way we can help.
Forced labour and the situation of the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2020-12-17

  Assita Kanko,  author. – Madam President, can you imagine what it must be like to be forced to be sterilised, to be forced to undergo abortion, to be tortured, to be used as a slave, to have your children taken away from you? Because that is the reality for so many Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Twenty percent of the world’s cotton production originates from Xinjiang, often harvested with the use of forced labour. The supply chain for textile products, including masks sold in our pharmacies here in Europe, are part of an economy that is based on forced labour and a lot of exploitation and suffering.
Our companies cannot simply turn a blind eye and claim ignorance. They have a duty to better monitor their supply chains. China is not simply an economic partner; it is a country edging towards the definition of carrying out genocide. The EU and Member States must put in place effective controls and place an import ban on Chinese products made using forced labour. The EU should enforce targeted sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for overseeing these shocking crimes. It’s time to stop talking and practice what we actually believe.
EU Security Union Strategy (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2020-12-16

  Assita Kanko,  on behalf of the ECR Group. – Mr President, the threats around us evolve very fast, but our response is way too slow. The terror attacks of recent months and years were mostly perpetrated by Islamic extremists acting alone. We need, of course, a stronger role for Europol and more effective cross-border information sharing but this is not enough. It must be matched with measures that tackle the heart of a dangerous ideology that permeates our society – radical Islam. This is why the Commission and Member States are right to strengthen their efforts to tackle radicalisation. We must take steps to root out those who use religion and ideology to incite acts of violence. In order to do that we must cast aside political correctness and understand that defending our values must be central to any action. We need the resources, political will and policies, but above all, we need courage – the courage to be proud of who we are, the courage to defend our society and way of life. This renewed security union must deliver that.
Deterioration of the situation in Mozambique (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2020-12-15

  Assita Kanko,  on behalf of the ECR Group. – Madam President, Islamic militants linked to ISIS in Mozambique’s gas-rich northern province Cabo Delgado are becoming bolder. The extrajudicial executions, burning and looting and destruction of schools and hospitals is also extending to Tanzania. Since 2017, this Islamic terrorism has killed more than 2 200 people in this country. There are almost half a million internally-displaced people depending on international aid for food and basic needs. 
This humanitarian catastrophe must come to an end. The civilian population must be protected – urgently – and human rights violations must be investigated and punished. Gas resources should be used for the development of the region and to create the much-needed employment. The EU must contribute to humanitarian aid and the de-escalation of this conflict. We should also seriously consider why the EU so often underestimates this type of geopolitical threat – the proliferation of jihadist violence is deliberately disrupting African societies and becoming a push factor for migration. 
If the EU is serious about its geopolitical role then regional crises with a potential global impact, such as this, must be at the top of our EU-Africa agenda.
European Citizens’ Initiative – Minority SafePack (continuation of debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2020-12-14

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Voorzitter, de culturele en taalkundige verscheidenheid van Europa is belangrijk. De voorliggende resoluties belichten enige problemen bij de bescherming van deze verscheidenheid, waaronder de definitie van “nationale minderheid”. De ervaring van mijn lidstaat België, waarin twee volkeren leven, leert dat het begrip “nationale minderheid” geen louter numerieke notie is die slaat op het bevolkingsaantal.
Dit zuiver rekenkundig element wordt genuanceerd door het al dan niet innemen van een dominante positie. Ingevolge het institutionele machtsevenwicht binnen de Belgische federale overheid en het grondwettelijk kader inzake taalwetgeving is er in België sprake van codominantie van de twee grote gemeenschappen.
De Nederlandstaligen en Franstaligen kunnen noch op het gehele grondgebied van België noch op een deel ervan als een nationale minderheid worden beschouwd, in de zin van het Kaderverdrag inzake de bescherming van nationale minderheden van de Raad van Europa. De kleinere Duitstalige Gemeenschap kan als zij dat wil wel als zodanig beschouwd worden. 
In de voorstellen van rechtshandeling die de Commissie eventueel zou indienen in opvolging van het Europees burgerinitiatief “Minority Safepack”, moet er rekening mee worden gehouden dat de casus van de Nederlands- en Franstaligen in België buiten het toepassingsveld van beschermingsregels voor traditionele nationale minderheden valt.
Elimination of customs duties on certain products (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2020-11-26

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Madam President, I would like to raise a point of order under Rule 39, given that under Rule 144 it was not possible to raise this urgent matter. In the last couple of days, there have been alarming reports that EU citizen Ahmad Reza Jalali has been transferred to solitary confinement by the Iranian authorities in preparation for his execution in the coming week. This deserves the urgent and utmost attention of the European Union. 
I call upon the European Parliament President, on High Representative Borrell and EU Foreign Ministers to urge the Iranian authorities to review this decision, not to execute Doctor Jalali, and to agree to his release. If Iran does not agree to this, then the EU must look to sanctions. This is very urgent.
Situation in Ethiopia
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2020-11-26

  Assita Kanko,  author. – Mr President, the situation in Ethiopia is urgent. The country’s grip on peace is slipping with every passing day. Its leader, Abiy Ahmed, has a Nobel Peace Prize but is refusing to pursue peace in his own country. I believe he should give that back. He has been a wolf in sheep’s clothing; a reformer turned authoritarian. 
In the Tigray region, hundreds are already dead, with ethnic targeted violence and violations of human rights. Buildings and homes are shelled and roads are blocked to humanitarian assistance. There are no telecoms, no internet or electricity and millions face the threat of famine in a country that once was a stabilising factor, an influence in a fragile region and a pivotal force in the fight against the spread of Islamic terrorism. Tens of thousands of Ethiopians now cross the border to eastern Sudan to seek safety. 
Progress and development in Ethiopia was hard won. We must do all we can to help prevent that progress from being lost forever. A looming civil war could destabilise the whole region and trigger another humanitarian crisis that could reach the shores of Europe. We must continue to call for international mediation and a ceasefire, as you have done this week, Mr Borrell, but I would also stress that rarely does a crocodile yield to the roar of a toothless tiger. The EU provides large amounts of development assistance to Ethiopia and we should consider using this, and all available leverages, to help de—escalate the conflict. 
Time is running out to salvage the situation and forge a path to free, fair and transparent elections and ultimately to democracy. Nothing short of our most determined and resolute effort is needed.
The fight against impunity for crimes committed against journalists around the world (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2020-11-24

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Madam President, Thomas Jefferson said: where the press is free and every man able to read, all is safe. But today, in too many countries, including in European countries, the press is not free and journalists therefore are not always safe when they express what they think. Hate speech online, intimidation, the spread of disinformation, arbitrary detention and sexual violence towards female journalists all create a shrinking space for free speech. In the past 15 years, close to 200 hundred journalists have been killed. In nine out of ten of these cases, there is no conviction. Impunity emboldens perpetrators. It also points to a bigger problem within our societies and justice systems. A free press speaks truth to power. It criticises, satirises and holds us to account. It sheds light where others have sought to shore up corruption, wrongdoing and mistruth in darkness. A free press is one of the great pillars that hold us up and our democracy safe, and by protecting journalists we help protect the path to truth and freedom.
Police brutality within the EU (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2020-10-20

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Madam President, good policing is a consequence of understanding the moral responsibility that comes with holding power. The legitimacy of policing is based upon consent, integrity and accountability. 2020 has brought an appetite for change and self—examination. We should not miss this opportunity to renew our social contract and better ourselves as a society, not only to ensure we stamp out any abuses of power or acts of brutality within our police forces, but also to bring to an end the growing threat of violence to police officers on our streets.
These are difficult discussions to have but they are necessary. When our institutions and those within it fail, which at times they do, we must not hesitate to hold our own feet to the fire. Acknowledging the wrongdoing of the few does not undermine the integrity of the many, it only strengthens it.
Digital Services Act: Improving the functioning of the Single Market - Digital Services Act: adapting commercial and civil law rules for commercial entities operating online - Digital Services Act and fundamental rights issues posed - Framework of ethical aspects of artificial intelligence, robotics and related technologies - Civil liability regime for artificial intelligence - Intellectual property rights for the development of artificial intelligence technologies (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2020-10-19

  Assita Kanko,  rapporteur for the opinion of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. – Madam President, we are in the midst of a global tech race. Technology should empower us all, but we see everyday how it can be deployed for malign purposes, from deep-fake videos undermining democracy to the challenge of fully autonomous weapon systems.
The EU is a regulatory power, but we must also be a tech superpower, not only for regulation but also for promoting technology and supporting it. That means developing metadata skills and partnerships with like-minded allies. The only way to ensure ethical development of AI is for the world’s democracies to win the global tech race and set the global standards. If China comes first, our ethical frameworks will be nothing more than well-intentioned empty words, and that cannot be.
The resumption of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan in relation to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2020-10-07

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Voorzitter, de regio Nagorno-Karabach staat op een breekpunt. Mijn hart bloedt als ik het zie. De levens van gewone burgers gaan verloren. Dit escalerende geweld is een weg naar nergens. Geen enkele militaire oplossing zal vrede brengen, alleen dialoog. Zoals de Armeense premier zei: “een staakt-het-vuren kan alleen worden ingesteld als Turkije wordt verwijderd uit de zuidelijke Kaukasus.” 
We kunnen hier wel allemaal zeggen dat Turkije een belangrijke bondgenoot van de EU en een waardevol NAVO-lid is, maar hoeveel conflicten, urgenties en spanningen zijn er niet erger geworden door het handelen van Erdoğan? Hoelang zal het duren voordat de EU de moed vindt om eerlijk te spreken en Turkije laat zien dat zijn acties consequenties hebben? Turkije had een keuze. Het had zijn aanzienlijke invloed kunnen gebruiken om de spanningen te kalmeren. In plaats daarvan stuurt het strijders uit Syrië om de vlammen van het conflict verder aan te wakkeren. 
De EU denkt misschien dat ze pragmatisme aan de dag legt wat Turkije betreft. In plaats daarvan toont ze alleen zwakte.
The establishment of an EU Mechanism on Democracy, the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2020-10-05

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Madam President, the deeper our challenges, the more our values matter. Times of crisis can erode freedom and fairness. As we all know, no country is immune to this. Protecting human rights, promoting free speech and free media, passing legislation that increases freedom and does not discriminate, and ensuring court systems that do not allow political interference or bias – this is the only true path to stability and prosperity. The rule of law is not the enemy of great government – the belief that our values are extinguishable is! The rule of law was not designed to protect governments and elites, but to protect people. For those that seek to stray from our shared values, I hope they reach the conclusion that by respecting democracy and the rule of law, there is much to be gained and far less to lose.
Combatting the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2020-09-17

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Mr President, the measure of a society is how it protects the most vulnerable. Right now, Europe is letting its children down. Interpol, Europol, the Internet Watch Foundation and many others have highlighted the shocking and vast extent of the sexual abuse of children online in Europe.
Our aims are clear: that more victims need to be identified and protected that more criminals need to be brought to justice and that we will do all we can to create a world free from child sexual exploitation. To achieve this, the EU needs to lead the world on creating effective partnerships between governments, industry, law enforcement and NGOs.
The EU must give the necessary political will, expertise and resources needed to end this horrific pattern of criminality once and for all, and also in how we show children on television and in the media.
The case of Dr. Denis Mukwege in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2020-09-17

  Assita Kanko,  author. – Madam President, years ago I was honoured to interview Dr Mukwege for a book I wrote on women’s rights. He inspired me with his simple belief that we all have a duty to do the right thing. He is not a man who thinks women’s rights is an issue for women. He just jumps in and fights. He said, ‘I became a feminist because, in the face of the atrocity I witnessed, I had a choice: to go away or to act. I couldn’t just leave’.
The EU must do all it can to protect the points of light that shine through darkness. For the many thousands of victims of sexual violence in the Congo, Dr Mukwege is that light. We must call for a deep and impartial investigation into the threats made against him, and the EU must urge the Congolese authorities to adopt the draft law which protects human rights defenders and installs transitional justice. By defending Dr Mukwege’s life, we also defend the lives and dignity of those that every day rely upon his bravery. We must do all we can to help him continue to fight for the change he has spent a lifetime trying to achieve: the delivery of justice, truth and the empowerment of women.
Preparation of the Special European Council, focusing on the dangerous escalation and the role of Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2020-09-15

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Mr President, Turkey is an important strategic partner for the EU, both economically and geopolitically, but that does not negate its many misdemeanours: backsliding democracy and human rights; devastating actions in Syria and Libya; disregard of international law with regard to Greece and Cyprus; lack of respect for Christian communities. And this is not the first, second, third or even fourth time we’ve had this exact same debate in this Parliament.
Turkey has not presented itself as a worthy candidate country for years. We need a fundamental strategic rethink of our relationship. It’s time the EU accepts that at best we can only have a business relationship with Turkey. Accession negotiations should be stopped and the budget allocation also for this process should be put to better use. We need the money for other things. Trying to turn Erdoğan into a reliable and cooperative partner is like trying to flog a dead horse. I don’t want to do that.
The 2019 Human Rights Annual report - Stability and Security in the Mediterranean and the negative role of Turkey - Situation in Belarus (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2020-07-09

  Assita Kanko,  on behalf of the ECR Group. – Mr President, gas drilling in Cyprus, belligerence in the eastern Mediterranean, annihilating Christian communities, buying a Russian—made S—400 missile system, threatening French ships, transferring Jihadi fighters from Syria to Libya, blackmailing Europe with migrants if we do not support their actions in Syria. Colleagues, I have to ask, with friends like these who needs enemies?
The past few months have shown that Turkey under Erdoğan cannot be a close and trusted ally of Europe. This is the behaviour of an autocrat and we cannot continue to entertain autocrats on Tuesday and then on Wednesday claim we are a continent based on democratic values. The time has come to admit that the current framework for our talks with Turkey, the membership framework, is completely out of touch with reality. It’s time for a fundamental strategic rethink of EU—Turkey relations. We can have a relationship that is built on trade, but we should not be naive to the fact that both our values and interests are not converging, they are diverging. Friends do not behave in the way that Turkey has been behaving. So, if we cannot be friends, let’s take the Turkish approach and have more transactional relationships. Maybe we cannot be friends, but Turkey needs to be a better neighbour and you can do that.
Foreign policy consequences of the COVID-19 crisis - The PRC national security law for Hong Kong and the need for the EU to defend Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy - The EU's response to the possible Israeli annexation in the West Bank (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2020-06-18

  Assita Kanko,  on behalf of the ECR Group. – Mr President, this Commission has promised to be a geopolitical Commission. Yet, so far, I have not seen proof of this. Instead, I’ve seen the External Action Service bend over backwards to appease Beijing. At next week’s EU-China summit, it’s clear that the Chinese are unwilling to make progress on any major issues. 
So, I ask the Commission, I’m asking you why are you giving Beijing a free photo op while they use all their energy to wage a global campaign against democracy? The people of Hong Kong were promised their own system of governance. China is reneging on its promises with the national security law. 
If you are to truly defend democracy at home and abroad, we cannot just issue statements of support for Hong Kong democratic forces. We must back up our words with actions.
The EU is trying to chart its own strain of strategy. I do not subscribe to some of the Cold War rhetoric that we have seen from Washington. But, as Margaret Thatcher once said: ‘The trouble with walking down the middle of the road is you get hit by traffic in both directions.’ Where do you want to stand?
The current security situation in Syria (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2020-02-11

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Madam President, the situation in Syria is dire. The conflict has killed almost 400 000 people since 2011. This is an entrenched conflict rife with opposing interests and objectives. A solution must be found. The suffering of the Syrian people and the risk to long-term global stability have been too great for too long. The EU and its Member States have provided more than 17 billion in aid and the Council has targeted sanctions in place. But these are sticking plasters on a gaping wound.
EU Member States, the US and other international players must do everything they can to push for de-escalation and the freezing of this conflict so that a cease-fire can be honoured and a fragile peace can be maintained. Europe’s influence in achieving this aim will be severely diminished if it cannot speak with one voice at both an EU or NATO level. There are no elegant solutions available, simply the urgent need for pragmatism and diplomatic determination. Let’s do this.
Nigeria, notably the recent terrorist attacks
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2020-01-16

  Assita Kanko,  author. – Madam President, ‘Bring back our girls’. Remember six years ago this hashtag brought the world together to call upon the Islamic terror group Boko Haram to release the hundreds of schoolgirls they abducted. It is heart breaking to think that more than 100 of them have still not returned to their homes today. It’s a terrible fate for them and for their families. The pain is easy to imagine. 
Nigeria has been subjected to sectarian and religious violence for far too long. It’s yet another country in sub-Saharan Africa that sees its economic and political potential wasting away. Nigeria with its oil wealth would be a leading example in the region. Instead, almost every day Nigerians are dying at the hands of violence and terror. Millions run for their lives. Millions more live every day in fear. Europe must continue to support the people of Nigeria and promote the regional cooperation and encourage further reforms like for security and in the army. 
Our determination and efforts to end religious and sectarian violence and to protect women in the region must never waiver so we can stop the poisonous and destructive spread of terror.
Situation in Iran and Iraq following recent escalations (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2020-01-14

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Mr President, the Iran crisis is the first test of the new geopolitical Commission. The jury is out on whether it has passed. We all agree that General Soleimani will be missed as much as toothache. His death came after years of brutal action and weeks of Iranian escalation. However, since his death, the United States has probably avoided a war through chance rather than through strategy.
The EU was right to seek de—escalation and to push the Iranian response to be limited. Unfortunately, 176 innocent people became victims of this situation.
The EU’s role right now is critical. While Europe’s actions must never be driven by Iranian intimidation, we should continue to de—escalate, we should get Iran back to the table and prevent its nuclear ambitions and work with Iraq to maintain the anti—ISIS coalition.
We have stepped back from the brink of war but getting everyone around the table will require solid European leadership, and I’m not seeing it right now.
Violations of human rights including religious freedoms in Burkina Faso
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2019-12-19

  Assita Kanko, Auteur. – Voorzitter, mijn hart bloedt want mijn vaderland Burkina Faso, ooit seculier, kreunt onder de terreur van islamitische radicalisering en geweld door jihadistische terroristen. Ze zaaiden eerst dood en verderf in Syrië en bedreigen nu de hele Sahel met hun gruwelijke ideologie van de dood. Door kerken en moskeeën aan te vallen hebben ze maar één doel: de gemeenschap vernietigen. Ze richten zich op die plekken waar mensen samenkomen, bidden, lachen, zingen en elkaar liefhebben.
Regionale terreur heeft wereldwijde gevolgen. De geopolitieke implicaties kunnen enorm zijn, zeker voor Europa, in de eerste plaats op het gebied van migratie. Maar laten we ook de aanslagen in het hart van onze Unie niet vergeten. Mede daarom moet de EU de landen van de Sahel blijven ondersteunen om de veiligheid in de regio te garanderen. Maar ook duurzame ontwikkeling en een sterk handelsbeleid in het kader van de EU-Afrika-strategie zijn essentieel. Welvaart is vaak een dam tegen terreurregimes. Wij mogen Burkina Faso en de Sahel niet achterlaten. Anders dreigt een brandhaard en de vonken zullen snel overslaan naar Europa. Vergeet niet: Burkina was seculier.
Situation of human rights and democracy in Nicaragua (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2019-12-18

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Voorzitter, mijn partijgenoot en N-VA-senator Mark Demesmaeker bezocht begin dit jaar Amaya Coppens. Deze 25-jarige studente uit België zit in een gevangenis in Managua omdat zij mee protesteerde tegen de regering van president Ortega. Duizenden mensen zitten in de cel in Nicaragua omdat zij op straat kwamen voor een vrij en democratisch land dat de mensenrechten en fundamentele vrijheden respecteert. Is Ortega soms vergeten dat hij zelf ooit in de gevangenis zat omdat hij tegen zijn regering protesteerde?
We eisen dan ook de volledige uitvoering van de afspraken van 29 maart dit jaar. We roepen de Nicaraguaanse regering op om de dialoog op te starten en een einde te maken aan de voortdurende repressie. De democratie moet weer kunnen zegevieren. Dat wil zeggen: vrije en eerlijke verkiezingen. “Ik blijf hier en ik ga hier voor de mensenrechten blijven strijden”, dat waren de woorden van Amaya Coppens. Alle mensen die omwille van hun protest in de cel zitten, moeten onmiddellijk worden vrijgelaten, inclusief dat meisje van 25 jaar. We moeten ze helpen.
An EU strategy to put an end to female genital mutilation around the world (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2019-12-18

  Assita Kanko,  on behalf of the ECR Group. – Madam President, FGM affects every stage of your life. It becomes a part of who you are – your ability as a child to trust; how you feel when you fall in love; your experience when you are pregnant; the way you give birth. It changes how you love others, and how you love and treat yourself. FGM is the worst kind of violation to your body, your mind and your dignity at a time when you are a defenceless child, and it never goes away. You do your best to survive and thrive, but you must, because you end up keeping an eye on yourself to never forget your value is the same as everyone else’s. 
This is also my daily struggle – and that of 200 million women and girls worldwide, including the 500 000 who live in Europe and the many victims who remain every day. Change is too late, too little, too slow. We urgently need strategies and an action plan that achieve far-reaching and lasting impact. 
I was moved and very much inspired by The Restorers, our finalists for the Sakharov Prize, who are here this week. They remind us that behind every action we take, every choice we make, there is a girl whose hopes and future or dreams rely upon us. We must first of all see them. We must hear them. We must protect them. We must together enable them to fulfil their potential and live a bright future.
The Rule of Law in Malta, after the recent revelations around the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2019-12-17

  Assita Kanko,  on behalf of the ECR Group. – Mr President, a free press keeps us free. It shines a light on the darkest and most corrupt corners of our societies. It holds politicians, governments, but also businesses, accountable. It keeps the eyes of our citizens wide open.
From where I come from, I had never imagined that modern—day Europe, the continent of enlightenment, would become the home to corruption, to press intimidation and to the assassination of journalists; that serious concerns about a criminal investigation, the independence of a criminal investigation, or serious concerns about the independence of government action would weave itself around the roots of our democracies.
If Europe is to speak with authority and credibility on governance, on freedom and on the fundamental rights, then Europe must become the best it can be. If we are to win back the trust, and retain this trust, of our citizens, then we need to keep ourselves to the highest standards.
Daphne Caruana Galizia was a mother and a wife who will not be going home on Christmas Eve to hug her sons or smile to her husband because she did her job as a journalist. And this family of hers cannot mourn because there is no justice yet. Not only must there be justice for Daphne and her family but also justice for our press for the sake of our democracy. We need to look into the mirror, and there face what we might become if we do not make that justice happen.
Presentation by the Commission President-elect of the College of Commissioners and their programme (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2019-11-27

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Madam President, this is a make or break Commission. The UK is leaving, or trying to. Enlargement strategy has stalled, our European way of life is under pressure and Turkish troops continue to bite at the heels of our border management policy.
Let’s face facts: confidence and trust in the EU is fading, reforms are needed. We all need this Commission to deliver. You will, therefore, need to work hard to unite this fractured Union and win majorities around your agenda, especially on important issues like protecting the European way of life, ensuring effective solutions on internal security, migration management and economy. And we must lead by example on human rights. We need to increase jobs, growth and trade and to protect our environment while ensuring Europe can remain competitive. It is no small undertaking, but I hope it can be achieved.
It’s a great moment to have a female President of the Commission. Suffragette Alice Paul said: ‘there will never be a new world order until women are a part of it’. My hope is that you, Madam President, and your team will show us every day that you are the woman for the job and for the change and I look forward to working with you.
Children rights in occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Convention of the Rights of the Child (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2019-11-13

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Mr President, every child deserves a future and the freedom to choose what that future looks like. Everything we decide in this Parliament is helping to shape those choices. Our policy on the economy, the environment, the single market, trade and our engagement with third countries is building a framework for that future.
Yet, often the best way to improve a child’s life is to listen to what they have to say. As policy-makers, we need to make sure we do this. We cannot always allow what is urgent to overtake what is important in the long run and throw out the concerns of the young.
As we saw with the ECR Sakharov Prize nominees and finalists, the Restorers, these girls were determined to shape their own future by giving other girls of their age the freedom to choose what happens to their bodies and to their destinies.
Let me share a WhatsApp message they sent me after their nomination. They said: ‘we are just back from class. Being able to be part of the people who are considered for the prize itself was a big win for the team and an affirmation that we are not alone’. So I would like to call for us to speak more with each other and achieve more of this kind of hope.
Situation of LGBTI persons in Uganda
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2019-10-24

  Assita Kanko,  on behalf of the ECR Group. – Mr President, two African countries criminalise same—sex relations. Four of them punish homosexuality with death. This is a heartbreaking and awful statistic. I have spent my whole life trying to help others fight intolerance and discrimination. When I was a kid I couldn’t imagine what my life would be if I had not been heterosexual. A lot of conversations I heard referred to homosexuals as criminals or people who are not clean. It’s really awful to know that today this is still the case.
It has also been my experience that to really achieve meaningful and lasting change in attitudes and beliefs, you not only have to condemn and be bold or sound sad, but also promote education programmes and community dialogue for concrete and sustainable results. We need to help increase trust between local people and the NGOs who carry out the brave and important work of protecting the LGBTI community in these countries. Europe needs to work together with communities, police forces and the political system of these countries to bring an end to this deplorable situation. We must use every opportunity we have in our dialogue with these countries to promote tolerance, education and understanding, because everyone has a right to be free and everyone has a right to live and love without fear.
The Turkish military operation in northeast Syria and its consequences (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2019-10-23

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Mr President, when I was a child, if someone would say that the Americans would come and save us, I actually tended to believe it because of American movies. I don’t know if it was right and I don’t know if today it would be wrong. If I was a child again and someone were to say, ‘wait, Europe will come and save you’, maybe I’d start saving myself. 
Europe has chosen diplomacy as a powerful tool and I think this is very beautiful. Diplomacy is indeed a powerful tool, but only when the person across the table knows you are willing to act. We must show that, when it comes to ensuring global stability, the EU is not a talking shop but a beacon of hope for those fighting for freedom, for their lives. 
We should halt licenses for arms exports to Turkey and consider putting in place economic sanctions. We must push for a no-fly zone in north-east Syria and call for peace talks to be resumed with the involvement of Kurdish representation. We should put an immediate block on European pre-accession aid and guarantee humanitarian assistance in the region for those displaced and in harm’s way. While some world leaders seek to retreat from their responsibilities in the Middle East, this is the time for the EU to step forward and also pay special attention to women suffering a lot of abuse over there.
Situation in Northern Syria (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2019-10-09

  Assita Kanko,  namens de ECR-Fractie. – Voorzitter, mevrouw de hoge vertegenwoordiger. Worden de Koerden eens te meer de speelbal van de geschiedenis? Het ziet er vandaag, na de Turkse inval in het noorden van Syrië, zo naar uit. Nadat de Koerdische milities de [...] leverden om het IS-kalifaat te helpen opdoeken, laat de VS hen nu vallen. De Turkse autocraat Erdogan krijgt zo vrij spel om de Koerdische autonomie in het gebied ongedaan te maken. Zijn plan om Syrische vluchtelingen te hervestigen in de noordelijke strook van Rojava, waar zich de grootste steden van de Syrische Koerden bevinden, zal daar voor langdurige instabiliteit zorgen. Het Turkse offensief dreigt het herstel van het gebroken land bijna onmogelijk te maken.
Eind vorige maand werd dankzij VN-bemiddeling een constitutioneel comité opgericht waarin de Syrische regering en oppositie constructief zouden overleggen. Erdogan begraaft nu in feite deze dialoog. Deze inval kan de IS-terroristen een tweede adem geven, zowel in Europa als in de Sahel-regio. Daar is deze situatie acuut en precair, zoals mijn geboorteland Burkina Faso jammer genoeg aantoont. IS zal in kampen zoals Al-Hol wellicht vrij spel krijgen. We mogen ook een vluchtelingencrisis verwachten. Onverantwoord dus, dit Turkse optreden in Syrië. Daarom moet Europa de betrokken partijen dringend tot maximale terughoudendheid aanmanen. Mevrouw de hoge vertegenwoordiger, maak hen dringend duidelijk dat het bloed van de bevolking gespaard moet worden bij militaire operaties en dat massaverplaatsingen van bevolkingen vermeden moeten worden.
Ik vraag om het democratisch Koerdisch zelfbestuur te beschermen. Laten we alstublieft de heropleving van jihadistische terreur effectief tegengaan.
Iran, notably the situation of women's rights defenders and imprisoned EU dual nationals
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2019-09-19

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Mr President, she liked soccer, maybe she was in love with someone, and enjoyed specific scents or food. Her name is Sahar Khodayari. She was also known as the Blue Girl, the colour of her favourite soccer team. Facing a jail sentence for trying to watch a soccer game, which is forbidden for women in her country – as another Flemish Iranian, Darya Safai, has been telling the world – the 29—year—old Iranian set herself on fire two weeks ago in front of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran.
In Iran, human rights defenders, or people like her who just want to enjoy freedom, face harassment, prosecution and detention. Protecting women’s rights is not a crime. Since January 2018, 32 people have been arrested in Iran, and at least 10 imprisoned, for protesting against the mandatory wearing of the hijab. The compulsory dress code is a violation of human rights and women’s dignity. In the past three years, 30 EU dual nationals have been unjustly arrested – like, for example, Professor Ahmad Reza Jalali who was also a visiting professor at the Free University Brussels (VUB).
After all the resolutions, Council conclusions and so on, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy stressed, earlier this year, that dialogue is the only way, but it’s not enough. It was not for Khodayari: she is dead because she liked soccer and was 29. It was not for Jalali: he’s in jail and sick. Many others are threatened.
Security situation in Burkina Faso (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2019-09-17

  Assita Kanko,  on behalf of the ECR Group. – Mr President, the dress I am wearing was made by a girl in Burkina Faso. When we were her age, we had so many dreams. Who doesn’t, when one is 20 years old? But what future is being shaped for her, on her motorcycle in a village in Burkina Faso, or for our kids here in a global world where Jihadism is allowed to grow here and there?
As the world looks away, Burkina Faso – my country of birth, where I played and ran barefoot in the then safe fields – is sinking far away in Jihadist violence today, after so many other places. Didn’t the world look away too long when the same problems occurred in Iraq or in Syria? Islamic State, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram and other Jihadist terror groups are now growing up again in this area. In the meantime, there are plenty of meetings, but isn’t it about time for more action and concrete results? 
The impact of the growing insecurity is a very concrete fact in the daily lives of people like that girl. School doors are more and more often barred by violence, leaving them without the education they need and with the increased risk of recruitment by armed groups, exploitation by human traffickers, abuse by child marriage and teen pregnancy. The number of displaced grew from 50 000 to 300 000 in less than a year. Health centres are closed. Freedom of the press was also affected by a legal ban on reporting on military operations. Businesses, including Western ones, move out – I just spoke to a business leader yesterday in Brussels. We need less meetings and more actions and results for the girl I just told you about.
Statement by the candidate Commission President (debate)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Date: 2019-07-16

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Madam President, Mrs von der Leyen, my name is Assita Kanko and I am one of the seven children of a woman who had to run and hide when she decided to divorce – chased away by religious and traditional prohibitions.
When my last sibling was born she was 37. I turned 39 last Sunday and I have only one kid, by choice. But also because, for millions of female genitally-mutilated women, giving birth is more complicated – I am one of them. And I am grateful for this freedom to stand here and talk to you. 
I’m asking you this question as a Fleming and a woman, as a little girl who did not escape FGM and as a concerned mother. In Europe we close our eyes when the Islamic State kidnapped and raped women and girls like Nobel Prize winner, Nadia Murad. We look away when girls are cut on European soil – 500 000 is the number of those who live today with the consequences of FGM inside the EU. We look away when there are honour crimes, Sharia courts, segregation and Islamic radicalisation, which is bad news for women and our European values. 
How are you going to use your position to protect all women regardless of their religion and tradition? Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has yet to apply to them. You can do this inside a strong Europe, not a superstate for top jobs but one about the people and which adds value and respects subsidiarity.