Billy Kelleher
Member of the European Parliament · Renew · IE
“Madam President, fairness and burden‑sharing should be at the heart of the common fisheries policy, if we were truly to live in a European Union where we try to treat all citizens and all sectors fairly.”
“Migratory patterns of fish species are changing dramatically due to global warming and temperature rises and seas, and yet there has been no solid review of quota allocation and new quota allocation because of changing fishing patterns.”
“Mr President, humanitarian aid has been weaponised and politicised, 90 % of Gaza destroyed, 60 % of Gaza occupied, continual encroachments into the West Bank, aggressive actions by settlers being facilitated by the Netanyahu government and the Israeli Defence Forces.”
“A Uachtaráin, ar son mé féin agus fhoireann Fhianna Fáil, cuirim fáilte roimh an Taoiseach. Mar is eol do chách, is cara pearsanta é an Taoiseach. Táimid inár gcairde le beagnach 40 bliain. Guím gach rath ort, a Thaoisigh, agus tú ag tosú ar d'uachtaránacht.”
“We must get real when it comes to the budget and that means being honest about the level of funding needed to sustain a dynamic, progressive and ambitious Union. We must get real about the threats facing us and invest in our defences.”
“Mr President, this time last year, there was great uncertainty and volatility across Europe and great concern by workers and small and medium-sized businesses.”
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“Migratory patterns of fish species are changing dramatically due to global warming and temperature rises and seas, and yet there has been no solid review of quota allocation and new quota allocation because of changing fishing patterns. For example, bluefin tuna off the coast of Ireland is now very prevalent – something we would not have seen 50 years ago. So, Commissioner, in doing the evaluation, we also have to look at a review to make sure that we have sustainable fishing in all parts of the European Union, not on sustainable fishing in the North East Atlantic and undermining fishing stocks in Irish waters. 4-0106-0000”
“Madam President, fairness and burden‑sharing should be at the heart of the common fisheries policy, if we were truly to live in a European Union where we try to treat all citizens and all sectors fairly. But, Commissioner, there has been an unfair burden placed on the Irish fishing communities: a 23 % decrease in direct gross value added and a 15 % drop in numbers employed over the last number of years. We have 12 % of the waters, but we catch less than 4 % of the fish. And at the same time, in the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission, Russia, Norway, Faro, Greenland, Iceland and the UK continue to fish in an unsustainable way.”
“Israel acts with impunity because we have granted it immunity. We simply will never sanction any action that Israel does. So the accountability should start here in this House, in the European Union, and particularly among the Council. 3-0261-0000”
“Mr President, humanitarian aid has been weaponised and politicised, 90 % of Gaza destroyed, 60 % of Gaza occupied, continual encroachments into the West Bank, aggressive actions by settlers being facilitated by the Netanyahu government and the Israeli Defence Forces. Fundamental breaches of international law, refusal to accept decisions of the International Criminal Court. At the same time, we are here in the House today debating the EU's role and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and accountability of Israel under international law. But maybe it's time that we started looking for accountability among ourselves, because we have consistently turned a blind eye to Israel in all its actions with regard to Palestine. No acceptance of the two-state solution, no acceptance of the Palestinians' right to self-determination.”
“We must get real when it comes to the budget and that means being honest about the level of funding needed to sustain a dynamic, progressive and ambitious Union. We must get real about the threats facing us and invest in our defences. And finally, we must get real about our values and never again can we let a tinpot autocrat hold our Union to ransom. Taoiseach, I know you care passionately about the European Union and I firmly believe that you will be the right person at the right time to meet these challenges head on. You have my full support and the support of the Renew Europe family in the European Parliament. Ná déanaimid dearúd: 'Ní neart go cur le chéile'. 2-0110-0000”
“A Uachtaráin, ar son mé féin agus fhoireann Fhianna Fáil, cuirim fáilte roimh an Taoiseach. Mar is eol do chách, is cara pearsanta é an Taoiseach. Táimid inár gcairde le beagnach 40 bliain. Guím gach rath ort, a Thaoisigh, agus tú ag tosú ar d'uachtaránacht. Tá dúshláin mhóra romhat féin agus roimh ár nAontas, ach táim cinnte go bhfuil an taithí agus na scileanna agat iad a shárú. Agus go n-éirí an bóthar leat, a Thaoisigh. Taoiseach, your presidency comes at a pivotal moment for the European Union. All of us must decide if we want to take our Union to the next level of development. To do so will require all of us – including our country, Ireland – to make some of our red lines a little less red. The EU isn't perfect compromise, but nothing today has come close to it being as successful in improving the lives of our citizens.”
“Mr President, this time last year, there was great uncertainty and volatility across Europe and great concern by workers and small and medium-sized businesses. And the Turnberry agreement, while not perfect, certainly brought about stability in terms of at least giving confidence to businesses and workers that an agreement could be struck whereby we would play by certain rules.”
“And if we want action taken, we do need to ensure that the authorities and those agencies that are charged with the responsibility of investigation, they must build trust among the broader public. So victims will have confidence to go there in the first place. On the issue in Ireland, for example, it is estimated that only 5 % of adults who have experienced sexual violence reported to the police ‑ only 5 %. We have a long way to go. This is a step, but we have many steps to take. 3-0416-0000”
“Madam President, I welcome the agreement on the Victims' Rights Directive and it is a step forward in justice. But let us be very honest, we have a long way to go. While justice must always be seen to be done, it is adversarial. It can be very hostile to victims of crime, and very often the onus is on the victim beyond their capacity in presenting a case. And that makes it difficult, particularly in the areas of coercion, domestic violence and sexual violence. So while we have this framework in place, we do need to ensure that across Member States there is a sea change around the issue of domestic violence and coercion. We recently saw a case in Ireland that was a tragic case with regard to Nicola Hanney, who made a complaint to the Garda Ombudsman, and yet there was very little action taken.”
“So, the short term obligations are on us to address immediately and that would be the issue of the suspension of CBAM, the emissions trading scheme and any other areas of policy that are putting burdens and cost on fertiliser in the short term. In the medium term, we obviously have to expand our own internal capacity to ensure that we have adequate fertiliser. And of course, the longer term is to address the whole issue of the types of fertiliser we use. But in the short term, Commissioner, the plan you have outlined is welcomed, but we do have to suspend anything that puts additional costs on the price of fertiliser to farmers and increasing food prices for consumers. 2-0305-0000”
“Madam President, Commissioner, farming is in crisis, as you well know and there is a significant challenge with regard to sustainability of farming. We speak regularly about intergenerational solidarity and the need to bring new young people into farming. And of course, at the heart of it is the fact that input costs have increased dramatically in recent years – the price of fuel and most importantly, the price of fertiliser. And that is having a profound impact on profitability and on farming practices and crop rotation. But equally, on top of that, this is now going to fall into consumers right across the globe in terms of food inflation.”
“Israel acts with impunity because we have granted it immunity. It simply can disobey any international law and humanitarian standards, and bomb and kill people at will – while we know that, at the end of the day, a diplomatic effort is required to bring stability to the region and security to Israel. 3-0480-0000”
“Mr President, the situation in Lebanon is truly dire: 1.2 million people displaced; Israel occupying southern Lebanon up to the Litani River; villages being razed to the ground – already a country that was in turmoil and under huge pressure because of Hezbollah undermining it and carrying out a proxy war on behalf of Iran, but also the flow of refugees into Lebanon over many, many years. We simply have abandoned it. Irish troops have served bravely as UNIFIL members in southern Lebanon for many years. UNIFIL will be leaving at the end of this year but, as it stands, we will be leaving a region in turmoil. Is it too much for us in this House to ask for the implementation of a ceasefire, to support peace efforts and humanitarian access? Is it too much for us to ask Israel to comply with international law?”
“Yes, there are many challenges with moving to renewables. We are too slow at permitting, too slow at building, but the alternative is to allow the Ayatollah, Putin or President Trump to control our shared futures. Only when our economies are powered by secure, carbon‑free electricity will we be able to stop worrying about the whims and actions of dictators and unreliable partners, the conflicts they entangle the world in, and the damage they can do to our living standards. 3-0027-0000”
“Mr President, since President Trump's unilateral attack on the Iranian regime, it is clear that we can no longer let our citizens be held ransom by countries that can withhold fossil fuels from us. The choice is clear. Will we do what is necessary to wean ourselves off fossil fuels and finally break the link between conflicts in one part of the world affecting the day to day lives of European citizens? Households, SMEs, farmers and industry are all suffering. Energy prices have been abnormally high for over four years, pushing up fertiliser, food prices and the cost of doing business and this results in reduced living standards. We must double down on renewables and – especially in Ireland's case – offshore wind, solar and biogas. We must end the taboo in certain Member States, including my own, about the potential for nuclear energy.”
“They are all equally abhorrent, and we must deal with them based on the fact that if a woman says 'no', she means 'no'; and 'yes' has to be at the centre of any consensual sexual relationships or intimacy. I find it appalling that we have different scales of severity of rape being portrayed in this House. 1-0146-0000”
“Mr President, the Istanbul Convention is quite clear on the context of prevention and combating violence against women and domestic violence. I think it beholds us all in this Parliament to ensure that we put consent as central to any changes in terms of legislation. If we are to talk about human rights, the basic human rights of dignity and bodily autonomy, then the European Union has to have consent at the heart of any proposals to ensure that all citizens in every Member State can have their bodily integrity vindicated in the case of being violated. We look at the statistics, they're very, very clear. We have a situation in here, where some elements try to portray violence against women in various steps and degrees of severity. You know: close family members isn't as bad as a migrant.”
“We have to have confidence that they stand by their word as well. Time will tell, but in the meantime, we must play our part to ensure that we stand firm with regard to what was agreed in Turnberry and that we insist, from the United States's perspective, that they also honour the commitments with regard to Turnberry. On the issue of steel and aluminium, yes, there is a need for us to continue to negotiate in those particular areas, but at the moment certainty is what is required for businesses and workers. 2-0025-0000”
“Mr President, in a very volatile world, and particularly in a volatile relationship between the United States and the European Union, it is critically important that we play our part in trying to stabilise that relationship. While we do hear ideological debates inside this Chamber from the left and from the right, in the context of President Trump, I think we should be looking at it through the eyes of workers and businesses across the European Union. They need certainty in a very uncertain time. EUR 4.6 billion is traded daily across the Atlantic in goods and services, and anything that gives confidence to this particular trade agreement I very much welcome. I also believe that we have to be firm in saying to President Trump and the US administration that respect is critically important in this particular trade agreement.”
“They are simple, indisputable facts. The idea that we would be more dependent on fossil fuels simply would mean that we would have craven people like Orbán, who would be kowtowing consistently to Putin, trying to ensure that he can receive cheap oil and gas from that dictatorship. It is clearly important that we stand firm with the people of Ukraine, with the government of Ukraine in providing the EUR 90 billion loan for 2026 and 2027 and, more importantly, that we deal with people who are treacherous to the principles and the values of this particular Parliament, of the European Union in general, and the people of the European Union. It is shameful that people are justifying Orbán's most recent kowtowing to Putin. It is a sinful, shameful act of treason to European values. 1-0148-0000”
“Madam President, I welcome the conclusions of the Council regarding competitiveness and the single market – One Europe, One Market. I certainly welcome the commitments in the areas of the 28th regime and deepening the single market and removing obstacles to our competitiveness and innovation. Reference was made to our dependency on energy and listening to the debate here, I think we live in parallel universes. The people who are complaining about our moves to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels are the same people that have been championing Orbán and Putin inside in this Chamber and, even more recently, President Trump. The fact of the matter is that the increases in energy prices are primarily because of the war in Ukraine that Putin started five years ago and in the context of Netanyahu and President Trump invading Iran.”
“The reasons these sanctions were placed were stated by President Trump himself when he signed the sanctions themselves, when he said it is an attack on the US and on Israel. Now, by any credible stretch of the imagination, what the ICC is doing is holding Israel to account and many other actors as well that have been involved in genocide, in war crimes in the Middle East – and that includes leaders of Hamas as well. So they have been impartial in addressing those particular issues. It is a shameful act, and we should deal with it very quickly. 3-0394-0000”
“Mr President, the ICC was established by the Statute of Rome. It is the court of last resort to uphold international law, and the credibility of the international community is at stake. But from a European perspective, our credibility is at stake. If we are to stand by the rule of law, if we are to stand by the principles on which this particular institution and the other institutions of the EU are founded, on upholding law and the rule of law, well the very least we should do is first and foremost condemn the sanctions placed on ICC members, but more importantly, bring forward the blocking statute to address some of the personal concerns for the individuals that have been sanctioned. More importantly, the International Criminal Court deals with international crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, crimes of aggression and war crimes.”
“So I would urge all concerned to look at this from the purpose of what it is about. Certainly, if we have an opportunity to debate this in the near future, we should also look at it in the context of the Draghi report and what is highlighted with regard to the deficiencies in the investment gap. We certainly do not need any further political stagnation, bureaucratic paralysis. What we need now is action to bring forward the savings and investments union. If those countries are too slow to move with this, we do need to move ahead without them, but still encourage them to stay in our coat-tails so they can eventually catch up. 3-0307-0000”
“Madam President, I welcome the decision of the EU leaders on the 19 and 20 February to accelerate the completion of the savings and investments union. Indeed, when you listen to the debate here, it is quite clear that this particular project will have to work from the centre out again. I would urge those to come out of their ideological cabins and look at what we are trying to do here, which is effectively using private capital to invest in projects in infrastructural development, in stimulating the acceleration of small and medium-sized businesses and creating job opportunities across the European Union. It is about making Europe more competitive, and I cannot understand why people on the left or people on the extreme right could object to the concept of making Europe more competitive and creating job certainty.”
“We can do this, but it will not happen if we do not recognise that we do have some challenges. First and foremost, our grids. We need to expand our grids. We need huge investments, we need faster permitting, we need better cost sharing, and we need better planning. Fortunately, we have put forward a plan to change these things. We put forward a plan and a strategy to make this possible. I urge you in the European Parliament to support this plan, give us good advice to make it even better, but support us in this endeavour. Also, I will put forward a plan for electrification later this year, a plan for heating and cooling, a plan for digitalisation and AI. We have got a lot of work ahead of us that is, of course, related to today's discussion, but thank you so much for the input. I look very much forward to the work in the future.”
“It took as long for them to make the sails for the ships as it took to build the actual ships, but they exploited the wind and it made them successful. Today, we need to learn from the Vikings. Let's exploit the winds of the North Sea. The potential is huge. Back in 1991, Denmark built the first offshore wind farm in the world. Back then, a lot of people were shaking their heads. Surely that is way too expensive a way to make energy. But today, offshore wind competes in price with almost any other energy source on the planet, certainly with fossil alternatives. So, offshore wind needs to be a cornerstone in our green transition to make us safe, to secure our energy supplies, to make us independent, to lower the prices, to decarbonise our economies and fight climate change.”
“So while we welcome this, we have to ensure that there is strong monitoring. From an Irish perspective, we still have significant challenges, Commissioner, in the area of planning and permitting, and we also need greater connectivity to the UK and then, obviously, into the European Union itself as well. So we would appreciate those commitments in the Hamburg Declaration which ... (The President cut off the speaker) 3-0273-0000 (End of catch-the-eye procedure) 3-0274-0000 Dan Jørgensen, Member of the Commission. – Madam President, around 1000 years ago, Vikings ruled the North Sea. A lot of people do not know why they were so successful. They went to America 500 years before Columbus. They went to Greenland. How could they do this? The answer? They were the first to deploy sails to their ships. It was very difficult back then.”
“Madam President, we welcome the outcome of the Hamburg Declaration and the signing by the countries in the precincts of the North Sea, and Ireland was a signatory to that declaration as well. It is quite ambitious, Commissioner: 300 GW by 2050 from wind energy in the North Sea area. From my perspective, it means that we not only have to announce and outline what we are going to do, but we have to follow through with regard to timelines and the monitoring of Member States. Clearly, this is not just about transitioning. It's also about making Europe resilient and less reliant on fossil fuels from the areas that we can no longer geopolitically depend on. But more importantly, we need to get competitive. And to be competitive, we have to have cheaper electricity for our industries and for our homes as well.”
“Madam President, nobody will shed tears for the mad theocracy and brutal dictatorship that is the Iranian regime. We sincerely hope that it would fall immediately and that the people of Iran will be able to decide its future. But we are at a crossroads here in terms of a number of things from the European perspective. First and foremost, are we going to acquiesce to the abandonment of multilateralism and international rules‑based order? Because we are a rules‑based order here in the European Union and we claim to live by the UN Charter and international law. It is clearly evident that what is happening in the Middle East is not within the confines of the UN Charter. So, let's at least be honest with ourselves: we either are going to accept the international rules‑based order and defend it, or else we are going to abandon it.”
“I also welcome the fact that the reform of the state aid rules is included in this report. That is a significant issue and I believe those on the left should really look at this as an issue that we fought hard to ensure would be included because that would give flexibility to Member States to fund local authority social and affordable housing. So, I very much welcome that. The issue of the single market and building ... (The President cut off the speaker) 2-0095-0000”
“Madam President, the housing crisis is a challenge for the individuals, for a generation and could fracture the social cohesion and generational solidarity. So, we are in the midst of a crisis and rather than climbing into the ideological trenches and trying to fight it from there, maybe we should just look at the obvious problems that we have. Supply is a significant challenge. It seems to me that states and local authorities are conspiring to stop the development of homes by the fact that the planning and the permitting system in Ireland and across most of Europe is a significant challenge to developing homes. Whether they are for the private sector, for the rental sector or for social housing, it simply is impossible at the moment to get homes through the planning process in Ireland.”
“In 2025, the average pay rise for men in Ireland was 6.5 %, compared to 5.4 % for women. Continuously repeated over a career of several decades, this eventually amounts to an even greater pension gap of 25 % in the EU and a huge 31 % in Ireland. It's very sad, finally, that we still have a situation where we are inside this Parliament consistently negotiating women's rights and begging the right to be more understanding of the need to ensure that we have equality. I do want to say to the centre in this House that we have an obligation to ensure that we do not play with equality from over there, and we stand firm on the issue of equality from the centre out, rather than from the right over there. 1-0155-0000”
“Madam President, I'd like to congratulate deputies Joveva and Nykiel for their own-initiative report. Year after year, we stand at this podium and deplore the gender pay gap, and whilst it is narrowing, the progress is far too slow. The World Economic Forum has estimated that it could take over a century to close the global gender gap. One of the most worrying factors for me is the pay gap is evident at the very beginning of a woman's career. A recent study in Ireland has shown that a 25-year-old man earns, on average, EUR 50 more per week than his female counterpart. These figures show to serve that differences cannot be explained away by differences in experience or the impact of career breaks. They show that the inequalities are ingrained in the system and must be rooted out. These inequalities are compounded over the decades.”
“With regard to academia, working with industry and government in ensuring that you have creative research, innovative research, cutting-edge research and then the spin off of that out into the commercial world is something that we are not as good as other countries. And if you look at what has happened in recent years, the large companies, those that have grown rapidly in recent years have all been founded out in the United States or in Asia. And we do have an awful lot of work to do to make sure that not only do we have the academic research, but that we can innovate and spawn that out into the commercial world. I welcome this very much and hope that it is followed through with the underpinning proposals. 1-0124-0000”
“Madam President, just to say, at the outset, I really welcome this debate, and I think it is very timely that we do actually accept that Europe has an awful lot of work to do in making ourselves competitive in the whole area of innovation and research. Draghi was quite clear in outlining in his report what we had to do, because if we didn't, we were going to fall further behind. So I do welcome the European Research Area. 3 % of GDP is an ambitious target. And clearly, obviously with diversion of funds in recent times for security and defence, we still have to be ambitious in trying to insist on that target being met in the short and medium term.”
“However, no detailed impact assessment was carried out in terms of the law's impact on land usage, farming, housing development and energy infrastructure. That is why I really welcome this own-initiative report and compliment the author for high-quality legislative drafting proposals, robust economic assessments and systemic ex-post evaluation. Citizens expect legislators to get things right first time around and not to waste time cleaning up badly drafted and poorly justified legislation without proper impact assessments. 1-0095-0000”
“A Uachtaráin, since June 2024, this Parliament has spent a lot of time unwinding everything we did in the 2019-2024 Parliament, that was previously supported and adopted, and much of that was at the request of the Commission. Of course, some will say that this unwinding, or U-turning, is in response to emerging new issues and threats, and that is correct in certain circumstances. However, in many cases it is because due diligence in terms of the impact new EU legislation would have on overall EU economies and broader society was not carried out properly. Take, for example, the Nature Restoration Law. Yes, an impact assessment was carried out in terms of how the legislation would impact on biodiversity and climate objectives.”
“They will try to water down ensuring greater representation of women in the judicial system. They will try to deny calls to introduce a consent-based definition of rape. I call on my colleagues in this House and for the Member State governments not to let this narrative take hold. Let us send out a very clear and strong message that women's rights are enforceable. In fact, they should be non-negotiable. But tragically, inside this House, we have people who are willing to sell out and undermine half the population of this globe and undermine their rights. Let you be heard, I say to the women. You will be believed and you will have access to justice. 4-0034-0000”
“Mr President, earlier this week, during the debate on the migration package, people on the right of this House stood up and repeatedly claimed that asylum seekers are a grave danger to women and girls in our communities. We just heard it again this morning. Yet the fact remains that women are most likely to be attacked by someone in their own family. To put this in context, while 60 % of female homicides are committed by their partner or family, this is the case for 11 % of male homicides. The people who are trying to stoke fear and distrust towards asylum seekers and migrants are the same people who will vote today to water down the Parliament's priorities for the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. They will try to water down calls to ensure better access to the judicial system.”
“He was arrested in September in Massachusetts and has been detained by ICE since that time in Texas. The case in the US system resulted in him being ordered released after a bond was paid, and then having that release order revoked. He's being detained in what can only be described as inhumane conditions for political reasons. Until President Trump returned to office, Mr Culleton's case wasn't on anyone's radar. Like many Irish Americans, he was in the process of regularising his immigration status. Like others, my office has raised Seamus' detention and detainment with the Taoiseach and the Irish Government, and I hope that he will be released as soon as possible so he can get on with his life and that of his family. 3-0227-0000”
“Madam President, the scenes of harassment and intimidation, with multiple breaches of people's human rights across the United States in recent months is heart-breaking for those of us who view the United States positively and have fond connections and memories and visit the country regularly. Illegal arrests, detentions without trial, state-overseen murders are now all the hallmarks of US immigration. Policy that is now more akin to something that we would have seen in the Soviet dictatorship than in the supposed 'land of the free'. Madam president, I want to raise the case of Seamus Culleton, originally from Kilkenny, Ireland, who has lived in the United States since 2009 and is married to a US citizen. He owns a construction business in Boston, employing many Americans and Irish Americans.”
“So it is clearly time for us to address that issue and simplify both at national level and European level. The 28th regime is not a key area that we have to address very quickly. The single market is not deep. Let's be very honest: the single market is fragmented. There is no free movement of capital. There is no free movement of financial services. Even goods, at times, are still facing difficulties in transiting across the European Union. So we have to start looking at the 28th regime and give the opportunity to small and medium-sized businesses to work beyond their country in a truly European fashion. So I call for immediate simplification, ensuring that the 28th regime moves smoothly, and that the savings and investments union is brought forward with urgency to ensure that Europe can grow again. 3-0050-0000”
“In every assessment, we have to unlock the capital that's tied up in deposit accounts across the European Union and get it into the real economy. The other issue, of course, is what we call deregulation or simplification. Some people see deregulation as a risk and a threat. Others see it as a golden opportunity to unwind ambition. What we really need is to simplify, to take the burden away from small and medium-sized businesses so they can get on with their job of innovating and creating opportunity and employment. So I don't see it as a one or the other. What we must do is just distil down the regulations that are there to ensure that it doesn't cost a small and medium-sized business, you know, 20 % of its overall labour force complying with national regulation and European regulation.”
“Madam President, it's good that within this Parliament, there is a clear focus on the need to boost European competitiveness. The Renew Group wholeheartedly supports the Draghi report. Of course, every MEP and every Member State may have issues with certain parts, but the overall trajectory of Draghi is something we must all sign up to and sign up to fast. We have spent 18 months now reading the Draghi report. It is time that we put the report down and started implementing what it requests of us. There is an investment gap of about EUR 800 billion per annum that we need to fill, and that needs to be filled by a number of key factors and policy changes. The savings and investments union is a critical component.”
“No doubt that when this video goes on X, I will be attacked by the Second Amendment‑waving US free‑speech heroes. Sorry guys, the EU does not have unlimited right to free speech. Stop trying to impose your country's legal system into our European Union. We care about young people and vulnerable sections of society. We can no longer allow serious harm caused by social media and cyberbullying to continue. 2-0418-0000”
“Mr President, cyberbullying is abhorrent. It is in general faceless, but it causes untold distress, harm and, tragically, loss of life in each and every one of our countries. Bullying of any form is a cowardly act that usually covers up for the bully's own failings and insecurities as a person. The easiest and simple way to curtail cyberbullying, and indeed most problems on social media, is to ban anonymous accounts. If you want to post on social media, your ID needs to be stored and verified by the company. By all means, call yourself and your account '@Patriot1916', but if you bully a child, incite hatred, threaten people, be warned: we will know who you are and your Member State's legal system will deal with you in accordance with the law.”
“Rising rents, and the inability for us to get housing and home developments through the planning and the permitting system in many countries, is causing huge difficulties for local authorities and states to provide social and affordable homes to citizens. This is really having a major impact across many countries. I know we have a Commissioner for Housing and that we have a Housing Committee established in this Chamber, but we do need to focus in on ensuring that we remove as many blockages on developing homes, so that we have homes for people who can afford them, for people who need support, and for those in homelessness, so the State can afford to build homes for people in homelessness as well. 4-0086-0000”
“Madam President, the Action Plan on the European Pillar of Social Rights has been a good driver for implementing the necessary changes for the digital and green transitions, but progress is too slow. The need for greater action and pace has been compounded by the boom in the use of AI, as well as the geopolitical uncertainties. But in the context of the social pillar itself, and the social rights around housing and homelessness, I just want to focus in for a while, Commissioner. There is genuine concern that we could fracture society – the cohesiveness – across Europe if we don't address the increasing scarcity of affordable housing to citizens.”
“We have to insist on international rules‑based order in every conflict, in every aspect of life. That means we have to insist on international rules‑based order in Gaza as well and we have to insist that Israel complies with international law when we are dealing with Gaza.”