Margarita DE LA PISA CARRIÓN

Policy topics Margarita DE LA PISA CARRIÓN is active on

What Margarita DE LA PISA CARRIÓN has said (80)

• 2026-07-15 “(18:23:44 - 18:25:14): Thank you. The idea of EU Inc is an opportunity to grow. It's an opportunity for Europe's growth. But what we don't need, the Draghi and Latvia reports to know that European countries are suffering when it comes to count up competitiveness. We see this, we see the ideology and the atmosphere that attracts investment to Europe. That we're not seeing this innovation in Europe. But this option can bring in more problems and solutions. We see that there is a burden created from other European legislation. We have, there are different incompatibilities that have been identified, such as legal uncertainty. This goes against what we're trying to follow. We want simplification and to protect the legal basis. So it wouldn't make sense to continue the regulatory simplification pathway if there are many different problems. We have the issues with due diligence. This is something that we need to put into focus. Thank you.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• 2026-07-15 “(17:59:27 - 18:01:31): Chair, colleagues, thank you to our speakers for their clear enlightening presentations. The EU '28 regime illustrates the problems with the EU. We're dream of ever closer integration, but we end up with a patchwork chaos. Couple of questions on my side to clarify a number of points. We're very worried about the text. 1st question for mister Malberti. As a representative of European notaries, you know better than we do the important role your profession plays in vetting any company being set up. Now what about the accelerated pace that the commission is introducing here for EU Inc. Could you give us a realistic timeline for proper checks to ensure no fraud? 2nd question, mainly for mister Oliveira on the scope of the regulation for companies, in existence to switch their legal regime and allow a far more lax EU ink regime to prevail. This would not create fair competition. We would end up with the dumping administrative burden for SMEs. It would not be suited to their, line of work. Another question for mister Olive Olivere on tax rules. Now, the companies are linked to a member state of choice when it comes to social and fiscal rules. Do you think that this regime will lead to greater administrative simplification for companies? Thank you.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• 2026-07-15 “(18:23:44 - 18:25:14): Thank you. The idea of EU Inc is an opportunity to grow. It's an opportunity for Europe's growth. But what we don't need, the Draghi and Latvia reports to know that European countries are suffering when it comes to count up competitiveness. We see this, we see the ideology and the atmosphere that attracts investment to Europe. That we're not seeing this innovation in Europe. But this option can bring in more problems and solutions. We see that there is a burden created from other European legislation. We have, there are different incompatibilities that have been identified, such as legal uncertainty. This goes against what we're trying to follow. We want simplification and to protect the legal basis. So it wouldn't make sense to continue the regulatory simplification pathway if there are many different problems. We have the issues with due diligence. This is something that we need to put into focus. Thank you.”
  Due diligence in supply chains (environmental and human rights)
• 2026-07-15 “(17:59:27 - 18:01:31): Chair, colleagues, thank you to our speakers for their clear enlightening presentations. The EU '28 regime illustrates the problems with the EU. We're dream of ever closer integration, but we end up with a patchwork chaos. Couple of questions on my side to clarify a number of points. We're very worried about the text. 1st question for mister Malberti. As a representative of European notaries, you know better than we do the important role your profession plays in vetting any company being set up. Now what about the accelerated pace that the commission is introducing here for EU Inc. Could you give us a realistic timeline for proper checks to ensure no fraud? 2nd question, mainly for mister Oliveira on the scope of the regulation for companies, in existence to switch their legal regime and allow a far more lax EU ink regime to prevail. This would not create fair competition. We would end up with the dumping administrative burden for SMEs. It would not be suited to their, line of work. Another question for mister Olive Olivere on tax rules. Now, the companies are linked to a member state of choice when it comes to social and fiscal rules. Do you think that this regime will lead to greater administrative simplification for companies? Thank you.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• 2026-07-13 “(16:58:16 - 17:01:12): Thank you very much. Now I'm gonna speak Spanish. Thank you so much for coming here and giving us the opportunity to become familiar with something that we suspect in, but the fact that it's in studies, I think this could actually make parents trust that technology could give us even a clear idea of this. It seems like recently recently, the family seems to play a smaller role or their role has not been emphasized enough. Their essential role of development of our children and how necessary it is to spend time with them because building a family means spending time together. Now we're seeing decades, decades of cultural drifting from this and mental drifting because parents are playing the smaller and smaller role in the home. And the fact that women are working, when more and more women are working, but at one time before, at least one parent was with the children and one parent was working and there was economic possibility, but the children the families were larger before. And often, shouldn't their child children are only children now today. They just come home and they come by themselves, and they're just getting all their education from the screens. And this is becoming a normal situation, and I think women's have gotten women have gotten to protect us. They need to be able to work, but they should also emphasize how important it is for women to spend time with their children even though they should be able to go back to their vocational life. But we've got to weave the bonds that are so important because at one time, it was felt that it was important from fathers and mothers to be able to devote less time to their work, but more time to their children because this is an investment in society. This affection and love and affection is going to also have an impact on society. It's going to benefit everyone. A child who's been in conflictual environment and who has social problems, of course, will need more institutional support and will have a lot more problems. Isn't that”
  Support for families
• 2026-06-29 “Thank you. I'll speak on behalf of both Etray and SANT in Spanish. I am delighted to note that we agree on many of the points flagged by the reporters. Biotech could be vital for health care and European industry. There are risks, and we should assess them. Biotechnology gives us an opportunity to explore innovative technologies to transform the lives of millions. It is useful when it comes to enhancing competitiveness and strategic autonomy. We agree with the rapporteurs there. It is important to breathe life and dynamism into the sector. This is of importance for the health care, and it is an industrial lever for Europe. Projects and companies across different sectors need support to succeed, particularly startups and SMEs. We need to invest in health care innovation. We need clarity, predictability, legal certainty to attract capital, protect intellectual property, ensure, regulation. We have a new category of strategic projects that could be useful, but I'd like to understand it more clearly. What is the practical difference between a strategic priority or project and a a high impact European strategic project. I'd also like to know more about the various calls and how projects will be selected. Would, things escape parliamentary scrutiny? And what about the value chain in research, innovation, European production? We need to look at all steps in the chain to identify any problems to ensure that we are not left at a disadvantage. We need to reduce timelines for clinical trials, speed up time to market, but we need to also safeguard safety. We cannot compromise on quality.”
  EU policy on ethical standards in biotechnology applications
• 2026-06-29 “is an incredibly sensitive sector, and so public trust is vital. And we need innovation and rigorous standards to go hand in hand. Europe has been a pioneer when it comes to respect for human dignity. We need to stand our ground there. We cannot allow ourselves to be drawn in directions we would regret in the short or medium term. We need to look at the opportunities and the challenges and get the balance right between opportunities and risks, particularly where there are irreversible risks. We have talent, knowledge, the cultural basis, respect for human life to ensure that Europe can lead in the way. We can be pioneers when it comes to publishing articles, but also developing the technology. Europe needs to make a commitment, harness these opportunities so that these new tools are made available to the patients that need them most. Thank you very much.”
  Medical devices
• 2026-06-23 “(10:39:29 – 10:42:14): thank the rapporteur for a report that is in line with the progress we think needs to be made for professional training to improve skills that meet society's needs and also what people want to do. The 1st step is making VT attractive to people, that it is not lessened or that there's a poor perception of these types of jobs. So these types of jobs we say 'oficio' in Spanish and I can't say that very well in Spanish. So I do, lament the fact that I couldn't make specific amendments in Spanish because we have specific concepts that we cannot say properly, specifically in English. So there are types of jobs that have prestige and other jobs that don't have this prestige, and we have a lack of people in certain sectors that are very important. We're seeing bottlenecks in different areas, so things like building, housing, things like that. The primary sector is affected, so food or even the care sector. These types of jobs are not always linked to the green and digital transition. And so this report doesn't actually give as much priority to these types of jobs. We have to give dignity and importance back to these jobs because we have this type of hierarchy between among jobs and the report tries to refer to this. We have to recognize the skills and specific knowledge that different professions have. Take into account experience and excellence. Jobs have changed over generations and this feeling of belonging to profession is something that should be maintained. But we have to include innovation and I'll just finish off now. It's a vital moment to look to the future, but there are opportunities in an uncertain future. We have to look at sectors like health and energy, but we can't forget other needs that are there because these jobs are also vital because they meet the needs of people. Thank you.”
  Focus of EU policy on education (shaping workers vs citizens)
• 2026-06-23 “(11:05:23 – 11:07:37): Thank you, chair. Members, I was speaking Spanish. In our amendments, we wanted to align ourselves with the Budapest declaration on the competitiveness deal that was reached. The 1st question that we have to ask ourselves is whether we need to create a EU ink to improve our competitiveness. We think that the legal basis is slightly weak because the the treaty doesn't actually give the EU power to create these kinds of entities and their other unresolved issues. So in the proposal, it's not clear how this activity is taxed. Is it at national levels, EU level? And there's already a European social model that's not actually being currently used. So perhaps we should have simply modified the previous regulation rather than creating something new. There is the issue of administrative burden. We need things like more energy, more access to production, and this new regulation is not actually proposing anything that will help. We have wealth in Europe, so we have workers participation in in companies and this works differently in different countries. Difference is not fragmentation. It's simply opportunities to find frameworks that give specific outlets that can be useful for some companies, and this can lead to a prosperity across the EU. I would ask the rapporteur a question because you didn't understand something. Why are some sectors excluded? That is all. Thank you.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• 2026-06-03 “(15:52:00 – 15:54:01): Thank you for giving me the opportunity, chair, and thank you, commissioner, for being here today. We have spoken about the importance of being prepared for health crises or epidemiological ones as well, and also the need for coordination and a common strategy to respond to possible emergencies and pandemics. But listening to you, I could not stop myself from thinking about the current situation of many health systems, particularly my own country, Spain. Today, doctors and other health care professionals, and we did vote on a report this morning on health care professionals, are under massive pressure at their very limits, often with 24-hour shifts or more, which would be considered illegal in fact and would not apply in any other type of profession. They are looking after our health and keeping hospitals and health centers going, a health system which is collapsing in many places like Spain, facing increasing demand and due to open border policies and offering services without worrying who they should be offered to. My question is, can we talk about adequate preparation for future crises when on a daily basis there are difficulties in ensuring normal responses and a quality service for patients? How can we build resilient systems for extraordinary emergencies if professionals are already making extraordinary efforts to keep their day-to-day work going? Thank you.”
  Public and private sectors role in healthcare services
• 2026-03-02 “E-000852/2026 E-000853/2026 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission Experts interested in evaluating proposals register in the Commission database. When proposals need to be evaluated, the Commission searches the database using keywords linked to the relevant programme and call. The Commission then selects experts based on their relevant expertise, experience and qualifications as recorded in the database. Before selection, each expert's professional profile is thoroughly reviewed, including professional background, reputation, and potential conflicts of interest. The corporate template of the experts’ contract used under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme (CERV) 1 requires experts to comply with the Experts Code of Conduct 2 which outlines the principles of impartiality and confidentiality that must guide the experts’ work. Various checks are performed to identify potential conflicts of interest; moreover, each proposal is independently assessed by two experts, who prepare separate evaluation reports, while a consensus report (CR) is prepared normally by a third expert. Proposals are evaluated on the basis of the pre-announced selection and award criteria. The selection and award of proposals are under the direct responsibility of an evaluation committee, which for CERV is composed exclusively of staff from the Commission and the European Education and Culture Executive Agency. External experts may assist the evaluation committee, but do not have decision-making authority. The evaluation committee analyses the proposals received and reviews all CRs. On this basis, the evaluation committee drafts the Evaluation Summary Report that documents the merits and shortcomings of each proposal, the decisions taken, and it ranks the proposals up to the available budget. 1 Regulation (EU) 2021/692 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021 establishing the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (OJ L 156, 5.5.2021, p. 1); ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/692/oj. 2 https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/experts/code-of-conduct_en.pdf.”
  Accounting and auditing of EU budget · Conditions to access EU budget
• 2026-02-27 “P-000838/2026 Answer given by Ms Lahbib on behalf of the European Commission The European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), established by Regulation (EU) 2021/1057, aims to improve social cohesion and economic well-being across the EU 1 . Recital 18 of the Regulation stipulates that the ESF+ should also be used to enhance timely and equal access to affordable, sustainable and high-quality services, such as healthcare. Therefore, the ESF+ can support initiatives, selected at national level, that aim to ensure and enhance equal and timely access to healthcare services, such as abortion. Article 7(4) of the Regulation stipulates that Member States shall allocate 25% of their resources to objectives for social inclusion, which includes enhancing equal and timely access to healthcare. The EU competence pursuant to Article 168(5) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, to provide financial support for healthcare services, encompasses sexual and reproductive healthcare services that are legal in a Member State, including services relating to legal abortions 2 . The ESF+ strand is implemented through shared management, however it leaves it to the Member States to identify which objectives are to be supported through their programmes. Therefore, if a Member State wishes to use its ESF+ resources to realise the objectives of the citizens’ initiative, it is necessary to ensure this is possible under their current programme. If not, the Member State concerned, who may still wish to use its ESF+ resources to realise the objectives of the citizens’ initiative, may decide to amend its programme to include this type of action. 1 Regulation (EU) 2021/1057 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 establishing the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1296/2013, OJ L 231, 30.6.2021, pp. 21– 59, http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/1057/oj. 2 Communication from the Commission on the European Citizens' Initiative ‘My Voice, My Choice: For Safe and Accessible Abortion’, https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/documents-register/detail?ref=C(2026)3225&lang=en.”
  EU competences on health · Abortion policy
• 2025-11-05 “E-004365/2025 Answer given by Ms Lahbib on behalf of the European Commission The European Citizens’ Initiative ‘My voice my choice’ calls on the Commission to submit a proposal for financial support to Member States that would be able to perform safe termination of pregnancies, in accordance with their domestic law, for anyone in Europe who still lacks access to safe and legal abortion. The proposed financial support, according to the organisers of the initiative, ‘could take the form of an opt-in mechanism open to Member States on a voluntary basis’. On this basis, the Commission’s registration decision observed that ‘there seems to be no straightforward targeted interference with the competences of Member States to define their own health policy and the organisation of their health services’ 1 . In accordance with Article 15(2) of Regulation 2019/788 2 the Commission will, by 2 nd March 2026, set out in a Communication its legal and political conclusions on the initiative, the action it intends to take, if any, and its reasons for taking or not taking action. Any EU action would need to respect the responsibilities of the Member States for the definition of their health policy and for the organisation and delivery of health services and medical care, which includes the management of health services and medical care, and the allocation of the resources assigned to them (Article 168(7) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union). 1 Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/1158 of 10 April 2024 on the request for registration, pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/788 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of the European citizens’ initiative entitled ‘My Voice, My Choice: For Safe And Accessible Abortion’, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32024D1158. 2 Regulation (EU) 2019/788 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on the European citizens’ initiative, OJ L 130, 17.5.2019, pp. 55–81.”
  Sexuality and reproduction · EU competences on human rights
• 2025-11-05 “E-004364/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission The protection of minors, online and offline, is a priority for the Commission in line with the relevant EU legal framework. This includes the obligations in the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) 1 for video-sharing platforms to protect minors against harmful content which may impair their physical, mental or moral development and the obligations under the Digital Services Act 2 (DSA) requiring providers of online platforms accessible to minors to ensure a high level of privacy, safety and security for minors on their service and prohibiting those providers to present advertisements on their interface based on profiling using personal data of the recipient when they are aware with reasonable certainty that it is a minor. The Guidelines on the protection of minors 3 under the DSA describe the measures that the Commission considers that providers of online platforms accessible to minors should take to ensure such a high level of privacy, safety, and security on their services. Finally, individual European Citizens’ Initiative 4 campaigns are the sole responsibility of their organisers, who are bound by the applicable legal framework. It is Commission policy not to comment on the communication style of private entities or other institutions. 1 Directive 2010/13/EU on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the provision of audiovisual media services in view of changing market realities. 2 Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC. 3 Commission publishes guidelines on the protection of minors | Shaping Europe’s digital future https://digitalstrategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/commission-publishes-guidelines-protection-minors. 4 European Citizens’ Initiative https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/_en.”
  Abortion policy · Sexuality and reproduction
• 2025-05-28 “E-002147/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Mînzatu on behalf of the European Commission Directive 2005/36/EC 1 aims to facilitate the cross-border recognition of qualifications for access to regulated professions including medical specialties, while ensuring patient safety. The Directive includes specific rules on recognition of qualifications for general practitioners, who benefit from the most advantageous, automatic recognition rules covering all Member States. Conversely, the automatic recognition rules for specialist doctors cover only those Member States that choose to notify a specialty to the Commission. Classifying family medicine as specialised medicine would not improve the situation for family doctors who wish to pursue their careers in other EU Member States. Directive 2005/36/EC sets out the minimum training requirements for specific training in general medical practice. Only those who completed such training and obtained the corresponding national qualifications, can benefit from automatic recognition. The Directive respects the responsibility of Member States for the content of teaching and the organisation of education systems. Within the framework of the Directive, Member States can autonomously decide on the scope and duration of education programme for family doctors, considering organisation and needs of their healthcare systems. The Commission maintains a constant dialogue with Member States through its expert group, including on matters of mobility of family doctors and the application of Directive 2005/36/EC. As referred to in the Union of Skills 2 , building on the Implementation Report of the Professional Qualifications Directive, the Commission will consider actions to further facilitate, expand and modernise recognition processes for regulated professions. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2005/36/oj/eng. 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CaELEX%3A52025DC0090.”
  EU competences on health
• 2025-05-28 “E-002148/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Mînzatu on behalf of the European Commission The EU acquis in the area of health and safety at work protects workers against all risks to their occupational safety and health. Directive 2004/37/EC on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to carcinogens, mutagens or reprotoxic (CMR) substances at work 1 , in particular, requires employers to assess all risks from exposure or likely exposure to CMR substances that their workers face, and to take the measures necessary to prevent or minimise these risks, including related to training and personal protective equipment (PPE). In addition to the Commission Communication with an indicative list of hazardous medicinal products (HMPs) 2 , the Commission issued, in 2023, a Guidance for the safe management of HMPs at work 3 . This non-binding guide provides detailed information and guidelines on the safe handling of HMPs during their whole lifecycle, covering different aspects, such as risk assessment, training, personal protective equipment and the use of closed systems. Both initiatives will help prevent and control risks from occupational exposure to HMPs, especially in the healthcare sector. 1 Directive 2004/37/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to carcinogens, mutagens or reprotoxic substances at work (OJ L 158 30.4.2004, p. 50) - https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2004/37/oj/eng. 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/1150/oj/eng 3 https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/ee1e6d15-4095-11ee-952f-01aa75ed71a1/language-en.”
  Pharma companies manufacturing and production obligations
• 2025-05-19 “E-001991/2025 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission According to Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union 1 , Member States are responsible for the organisation and delivery of health services and medical care, including treatment 2 . The Commission supports Member States in reducing the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including neurological disorders, under the ‘Healthier Together’ – EU NCD initiative 3 . A joint action 4 supports Member States to reduce the burden of neurological disorders, through health literacy, early detection, and integrated care pathways. The Communication on a comprehensive approach to mental health 5 supports the prevention and early detection of mental health problems and provides support to vulnerable groups. The Commission also supports the collection and sharing of best and promising practices through the EU Best Practice Portal on Public Health 6 . The Commission regularly exchanges views with Member States via the Expert Group on Public Health 7 on priorities in addressing key public health challenges, and currently it does not envisage the development of a dedicated EU plan for neurological disorders. The Commission has provided opportunities for funding research on under-researched medical conditions, including migraine, through Horizon Europe. The Health Cluster Work Programme 2023-2024 8 had a call topic on ‘Tackling high burden for patients, underresearched medical conditions’ 9 . Moreover, the Health Cluster 4 of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025 includes a similar topic in its call 10 . Horizon Europe 11 will continue to provide opportunities for funding research in this broad area of under-researched medical conditions 12 . 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/treaty/tfeu_2008/art_168/oj/eng. 2 Article 168(7) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:C:2008:115:TOC. 3 https://health.ec.europa.eu/non-communicable-diseases/healthier-together-eu-non-communicable-diseasesinitiative_en. 4 https://jadementia.eu/. 5 https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/promoting-our-european-waylife/european-health-union/comprehensive-approach-mental-health_en. 6 https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/dyna/bp-portal/. 7 https://health.ec.europa.eu/non-communicable-diseases/expert-group-public-health_en. 8 https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2023-2024/wp-1general-introduction_horizon-2023-2024_en.pdf. 9 https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-hlth2024-disease-03-14-two-stage. 10 https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZONHLTH-2025-01-DISEASE-07. 11 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-opencalls/horizon-europe_en. 12 https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/home.”
  EU policy on mental health · EU competences on health
• 2025-04-10 “E-001496/2025 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission The Gluten Free Regulation 1 sets harmonised requirements for the labelling of foods as ‘gluten-free’ or ‘very-low gluten’. It applies to both prepacked and non-prepacked foods, such as those served in restaurants. These rules are based on scientific data and aim to prevent misleading and confusing the consumers from divergent food information. In line with Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the Commission complements national policies by providing support in reaching health policy objectives, through the framework initiative ‘Healthier Together’ 2 , which addresses noncommunicable diseases. The Expert Group on Public Health 3 , composed of national experts, assists and advises the Commission, including on the preparation of policy and legislative initiatives and activities addressing major public health challenges. It also organises exchange of best practices 4 , such as on effective actions to support coeliac patients. The Commission continues to support the Member States through policy coordination and funding to encourage actions at national level on the management of conditions like coeliac disease. The implementation of measures on healthcare delivery and financial support to improve the access to specific foods for coeliac patients rests with the national authorities. Finally, under the Horizon programmes, several projects 5 have been funded to address gluten in food and personalised nutrition for individuals suffering from coeliac disease. Based on the results, new challenges could be addressed to identify possible gaps in research and innovation. 1 Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, OJ L 228, 31.7.2014, p. 5. 2 Healthier together – EU non-communicable diseases initiative: https://health.ec.europa.eu/non-communicablediseases/healthier-together-eu-non-communicable-diseases-initiative_en. 3 Expert Group on Public Health: https://health.ec.europa.eu/non-communicable-diseases/expert-group-publichealth_en#:~:text=The%20Expert%20Group%20on%20Public%20Health%20advises%20and,communicable%2 0diseases%20%28such%20as%20HIV%2FAIDS%2C%20tuberculosis%20and%20hepatitis%29. 4 Best practices Portal: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/dyna/bp-portal/. 5 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/816303; https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/752438; https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/190104468.”
  Nutrition · EU competences on health
• 2025-02-25 “E-000833/2025 Answer given by Ms Roswall on behalf of the European Commission The Commission’s impact assessment 1 accompanying its proposal for a recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD) 2 builds on the report ‘Feasibility of an extended producer responsibility system for micropollutants’ 3 , which is publicly available. The methodology to estimate the potential ‘no effect concentration indicator’ value of 92% is explained in this report which includes all relevant sources. The report uses the chemicals list - Total Pollution Proxy Substances - by Pistocchi et al. 2022 4 which is available in the published data. The methodology for compiling the list is explained in chapter 2. The recast UWWTD entered into force in January 2025. As envisaged therein, the Commission will prepare a number of implementing acts. Producers can be exempted from extended producer responsibility obligations if they fulfil the conditions described in Article 9.2 of the Directive. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52022SC0541 2 Directive (EU) 2024/3019 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2024 concerning urban wastewater treatment (recast), OJ L, 2024/3019, 12.12.2024. 3 Feasibility of an EPR system for micro-pollutants- Final report (070201/2020/837586/SFRA/ENV.C.2), 2022: https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/14249cbc-5f1c-11ed-92ed-01aa75ed71a1/language-en 4 European scale assessment of the potential of ozonation and activated carbon treatment to reduce micropollutant emissions with wastewater, 2022: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969722042218?via%3Dihub#s0080”
  Water pollution
• 2025-02-05 “E-000537/2025 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission 1. The definition of health policy and the organisation and delivery of health services and medical care is a Member State competence. EU actions in the field of rare diseases complement national policies and aim to encourage cooperation across Member States. Therefore, the Commission does not plan to adopt any measure to recognise ‘complex therapeutic procedures’ as part of the treatment of rare diseases. However, the European Reference Network (ERN) TransplantChild 1 , one of the 24 ERNs funded by the EU, has been working since 2017 on paediatric transplantation, striving to make the latest techniques and medical, pharmacological and therapeutic advances available, while facilitating the dissemination of harmonised clinical practice guidelines and the development of personalised paediatric transplantation medicine. 2. The Commission previously funded a project that supported the mobility of ERN healthcare professionals, allowing them to follow training sessions in specialised ERN centres. Under the current grants for the ERNs (2023-2027), worth EUR 77.4 million (amounting to around EUR 3.25 million per ERN), training and education activities are specifically included, organised and implemented by each ERN, including the ERN TransplantChild. 1 https://transplantchild.eu/”
  EU competences on health
• 2025-01-14 “E-000125/2025 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission 1. While the Commission cannot prejudge the outcomes of the negotiations on the Pandemic Agreement 1 , the Global Supply Chain and Logistics Network (the GSCL Network) 2 would aim to enhance equitable, timely and affordable access to pandemic-related health products 3 . The World Health Organization (WHO) is expected to convene the GSCL Network, in consultation with the Parties to the agreement, WHO Member States not Parties to the agreement and in partnership with relevant stakeholders. In practice, the latter may include collaborations between public and private sectors, civil society organizations, and international organizations to foster the efficient and comprehensive distribution of health products. National governments would be responsible for coordinating distribution efforts, establishing regulatory frameworks, and allocating resources to ensure equitable access to health products within their territories. 2. Transparency and stakeholder involvement are among the European Union’s key principles set out in Articles 10 and 11 of the Treaty on European Union, as well as in Article 15 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The draft text of the Pandemic Agreement 4 includes a range of measures aiming to ensure that the implementation of the Agreement is transparent, inclusive, and accountable 5 . The documents pertaining to the EU position in the ongoing negotiations are publicly available 6 . If the EU decides to become a Party to the Agreement, the EU would implement it in accordance with the applicable EU law and with the provisions of the Agreement. 3. The Commission works to ensure that any data handling provisions in the future Pandemic Agreement comply with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 7 . 1 Information related to the ongoing negotiations is available at: https://inb.who.int/ 2 To be established under Article 13 of the Pandemic Agreement, available at https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA77/A77_10-en.pdf 3 Such products typically refer to health products that may be needed for prevention, preparedness and response to pandemic emergencies and may include medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, medical devices, personal protective equipment etc. 4 The draft text of the Pandemic Agreement is available at https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA77/A77_10-en.pdf 5 See in particular Articles 3, 9, 10, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 of the draft Pandemic Agreement. 6 The documents pertaining to the EU position are publicly available at the following link: https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/un-geneva/who-pandemic-agreementihr-negotiations-relateddocuments_en 7 Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) (OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, p. 1).”
  Processing of health data · Pharma transparency
• “So intersectionality is something that should be looked at in this committee then. Because intersectionality talks about race.”
  EU policy on integration and ethnic, racial and religious discrimination
• “I'm back. Gracias, president. Yes. Thank you. Chair. Colleagues. Well, I mentioned that I'm back because, uh, I've, uh, back on the employment committee. Uh, so I just wanted to mention that in passing. Now, last week, our group of patriots came forward with the Madrid Declaration to simplify regulation and to try and break the efforts of the Commission, which is undermining the situation of families in Europe. We hear from many Europeans. Apparently their voices don't want to be heard. We hear about the price of energy, the winding up of cohesion policies to try and then fund green policies which are put forward by by populists and by socialists. This money is being used for the green transition. But if you look at what's the the elections have told us, we've seen that you can't be just fixated on environmental issues. We've got to make certain that we do meet the needs of our industry. And, uh, it's not calling into question the transition, the green transition. But you can't leave out the social side. We've got to make certain that we use the money of our voters for our voters. Our families need this. They don't want incentives. They don't want some sort of envelope with cash. They want, uh, things that, uh, actually allow them to continue to work in their meaningful jobs so that they earn their wages, and they have a valued role. And we can't invoke the environment for this often. This is something that just doesn't play out in any way that's positive for these people. We've heard about simplification from the commission. But if we look at what actually happens in the, uh, in the at the national level, much of this is going to be absorbed at the national level. So don't you think that we really need to think about this again, to think about the green transition, to actually try and not just, uh, address the enormous social damage which it causes, which are becoming so clear as we move forward. Shouldn't we try to address the root issues?”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• “Ladies and gentlemen, Nobody disputes that for the. That everybody ought to be paid the same for the same job. That's what's just. But Brussels uses this as a pretext to enter into remits that pertain to the member States salaries and also creates inconvenient bureaucratic burden for undertakings. So it's a paradox that right now, of course, we're speaking about simplification here in this House. But at the same time, we're requesting this transparency directive, uh, and which doesn't include any simplification like the omnibus does. So what's to be done? We are against this legislation because the difference between remuneration between sectors is natural, and there's no reason why it ought to indicate or mean some sort of discrimination. Women play a fundamental role in education, health and care. These are essential for our societies, of course, but we can't build or impose regulations that would undermine the particular systems that are in place in each member state. Equality isn't, uh isn't created in this particular fashion and displaying women as victims of discrimination. This is not a way to create balance either. So women have a project in life and that is maternity care as well. It ought not be penalized and not penalize them or condemn them to have careers which aren't the same as men either. So I think indeed, the opportunities for employment have to exist for all for women as well.”
  Gender pay transparency
• “We have fewer thermal plants in Andorra in many places. Same for nuclear. They have been deprogrammed. Those are all of the places. I spoke previously when I spoke to the commissioner. You said it wasn't true. You said that there had been no closure of nuclear power plants. But I am proving what I am saying is correct. I think that citizens want to have peace of mind and they don't have peace of mind when that is happening. There is no energy mix which will ensure that we have energy supply. We already had the blackout and this is not fake news.”
  Nuclear energy
• “Yes, thank you very much, chairman, and thank you, Commissioner. Um, dear colleagues, obviously we're talking about strengthening the framework for incentives for innovation by looking at a possible, um, extension of the supplementary protection certificates in this context. How is stability going to contribute to innovation? In order to create new therapeutic tools to the benefit of the patients. Do you feel that this is going to strengthen the biotechnological industry in Europe? There are those who believe that it might delay the approval of of generic medicines and biosimilar medicines. So perhaps you can say something on that.”
  Pharma IPRs
• “Thank you very much. Honourable members, I would like to express my concern, really? Because we seem to have diagnosed a lack of competitiveness in Europe, and the hope from the Commission might be for them to identify rules that aren't working. And yesterday it was mentioned that we have 13,000 legislative acts versus 3000 in the US. So the lack of APIs, pharmaceutical ingredients, we've got three times the amount being produced in other countries versus in in Europe. So. The idea seems to be not reducing costs and not reducing the number of rules we have. So I'm struggling to understand how your solution is going to be a solution. Surely we need less rules, less legislative acts, and not more. There's a very easy way for us to change course and to correct our course. There are many groups like mine which have been raising the alarm time and again about this. There's a lack of interaction between industry and citizens. We know the red tape that people are getting stuck in, and this is making it impossible to do what we need to do on the market. So. What options are you considering at the commission? Because I'd like to know what legislation is going to be revised. It seems like there is no intention to cut the amount of regulation. So I'm feeling quite helpless.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• “Thank you. Chairman. At the beginning, we quite frankly mentioned human dignity, freedom and the fact that no one should be obliged to do anything with any type of coercion or violence. However, we all know that in all the legislation of all European countries, everything that is done with violence is already punished. And that's why we have certain doubts on this proposal. I read it very carefully, and now I have some questions to ask on this, because it very well could be that when we're looking at certain points, there might be some limitations on freedom of expression. First of all, I'd like you to specify clearly what you mean by gender identity, because it's quite obvious that if a person has to advise a friend that a male body feels female, well, he should try and be at peace with himself. This would be it. Would this be an attempt, a coercive Attempt to convert and also any action by the parents. Aren't they the ones who have the first responsibility for educating their children? Then you're talking about religion. And this is something that really, I feel it's close to my heart because I think that freedom of religion and of conscience is something that should be maintained. We've talked about the French bishops conference. They said that a spiritual accompanying, spiritually, having a spiritual director and a moral teaching of the church should be considered legitimate. Do you think they are legitimate or not?”
  LGBTIQ+
• “So we've just been hearing about discrimination against LGBTQ people, which is something I fully condemn. But I don't understand if we're saying that this committee is only to deal with women's issues, then what about how does it have to be a woman within the LGBTQ group? I just don't understand what the remit is. If a person is a woman first and foremost. Well, what about LGBTQ? Are homosexual men not something that we want to protect in this committee?”
  LGBTIQ+
• “Thank you very much, chair. Ladies and gentlemen, the outcome of this vote. Our group would like to present a minority opinion on it. We believe that the Beijing Declaration was meant to install a equality between men and women. But there's an ideological framework in this report which promotes dissent and division. This Extends its reach to education, health, abortion and reproductive rights, which are the competence of member states. It follows a gender ideal which sees women as perpetual victims and detaches them from their real dignity, and it puts well-being above life and promotes those over fertility and maternity, which are inherent to the feminine identity. In terms of human rights and the manipulation of national sovereignty, the rights of equality are not respected that we are meant to promote, and for those reasons we cannot support it. Thank you very much.”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• “And that's the fundamentalist Islamic regime. The largest enemy of Muslim women is radical Islam. And it's shocking that a committee such as this focused on gender equality, is closing its eyes to these this alarming reality. This shows a lack of commitment to justice. It's a huge lack of impartiality, and it really undermines the commitment of this committee to the commitment, this committee's commitment to human rights and gender equality. And we cannot ignore religious discrimination. And this affects many, many people in this committee. People always say that women are the most affected when there's exclusion or abuse in these contexts. It's so disappointing to see that rather than addressing the many forms of discrimination affect women all over the world. It seems that this committee only wants to focus on those which are in line with the predefined narrative. In doing so, we're abandoning those who need most protection. If there's something we should expect from this committee, is that it should be leading the fight against all forms of discrimination. However, we have not been able to table amendments on persecution of Christians or how religion can be used as a way to undermine women's dignity.”
  EU policy on integration and ethnic, racial and religious discrimination
• “Thank you. President. Commissioner. Ladies and gentlemen, one in every five children suffers sexual abuse in Europe. We adults today should be ashamed. We're failing, leaving them unprotected against violent situations which leave them with physical, psychological and social traumas which accompany them for life. We cannot see our young children exposed to pornography because what children see, they live as a real experience. Pornographic content. Right now is seen as a psychic mental violation. It it wrecks their innocence and affects them emotionally. We can't continue this. Um, we are seeing that this is a type of pathology which has become an issue of public health, but it's also a social threat as well, because children learn by repeating models that they see. And so therefore their relationships, they relate them in particular to women, and they give back the violence they've seen on the screen. Unfortunately, every click allows access and Six and 12% of access to pornography is by minors. So we have to, um, to prosecute those who earn on the backs of the innocence of our children. Thank you.”
  Regulation of pornography in the EU
• “Thank you very much, chair. Indeed. This is a very serious problem. We need to tackle these violations to human rights of women that are crimes. We do not have tools at our disposal. Uh, political will is lacking, and technology is evolving very swiftly with these malicious application. And all of this is going unpunished. And so non-consensual images are being posted and platforms rights and the conditions there is shocking in terms of data protection because there's nothing in place. Nothing. You know, we've enabled these platforms to own data that we are posting and the data that we are using. And so if you look up a product and immediately on social media, you see advertisements of that product. And, you know, our lives have been invaded with all of this and we're enabling it to happen. We cannot, uh. You know, these these adverts. Have, have, you know, become basically the product of our own doing in a sense. And this is. This is generating a problem in terms of pornography that's becoming a public health problem. And I would like to ask miss O'Malley because she is here, because we are calling for legislation. But indeed there is an online international dimension. And that means that is that it's very difficult because perpetrators can, um, be on the other side of the Atlantic or anywhere in the world. So how can we prosecute these people? Because in fact, you know, we can legislate, but how can we enforce it globally? That would mean. You know, how how can we how can we combat the internet in itself? Thank you.”
  Regulation of pornography in the EU
• “President. Commissioner. Ladies and gentlemen. Production. Autonomy is an issue of certainty and security. We must support this critical sector which can lead to wealth and job creation. We boast the talent. We are leaders when it comes to publications. But then we don't follow through and produce the tech. We need to have our own structures in Europe, and we need to create an environment which allows us to be productive. We need to foster dialogue. We need to create an environment where innovation can really happen. We don't want to overregulate the sector that could lead to further scarcities. Let's look at our measures. There won't be investment without legal certainty. Let's cut red tape. Let's reward those who take risks. When it comes to farmer development, farmer development is a synonym of hope. Hope for those who need it the most. **Nicolae ȘTEFĂNUȚĂ @Chair: Commissioner, you have the floor.”
  EU industrial strategy: activist sectoral targets vs horizontal-only approach
• “Just to so discrimination, discrimination on the basis of religion does not fall in the competence of this committee. Discrimination on the basis Of conscience, freedom of thought, freedom of religion, or any other characteristics which not only, um, agenda. You're saying there that out of the scope of this committee, I just want to note for the rest of the Monday going forward, because it'll be interesting to know, because what kind of discrimination, um, does the Committee on Equality look at? It's important to maintain the equality of men and women, not between women, because I think the principle of equality is, um, before the law when we're talking about treatment with dignity for all people. I just want to know, for the mandate.”
  EU policy on integration and ethnic, racial and religious discrimination
• “Thank you chair. Ladies and gentlemen, our work should allow us to live with dignity. But workers conditions are being worsened. Current wages or salaries do not allow employees to reach the end of the month. The director of minimum wage in her previous term said shed light on a number of problematic issues and the court supported us on a number of the issues. It seems inconsistent that the treaties of ban legislation on wages, but does allow us to do this if it is an indirect influence. This leads us to question the legal basis and the Commission's proposal. We think that this interpretation of a handed down by the courts is somewhat worrying, and could worsen the lives of our workers. It would lead to automatic indexation, which would undermine our wage guarantees and a number of countries. Furthermore, we have lost key criteria such as the cost of living without these references. It seems that the decision was taken a more arbitrary. If it's. If a minimum wage has not yet led to a. Ensuring people can live with dignity. We don't know whether the next steps will do so either. Mr. Grubman was clear. Uh, we don't think this ruling is fit for purpose. Thank you.”
  Minimum wages harmonisation at EU level
• “Ladies and gentlemen, Nobody disputes that for the. That everybody ought to be paid the same for the same job. That's what's just. But Brussels uses this as a pretext to enter into remits that pertain to the member States salaries and also creates inconvenient bureaucratic burden for undertakings. So it's a paradox that right now, of course, we're speaking about simplification here in this House. But at the same time, we're requesting this transparency directive, uh, and which doesn't include any simplification like the omnibus does. So what's to be done? We are against this legislation because the difference between remuneration between sectors is natural, and there's no reason why it ought to indicate or mean some sort of discrimination. Women play a fundamental role in education, health and care. These are essential for our societies, of course, but we can't build or impose regulations that would undermine the particular systems that are in place in each member state. Equality isn't, uh isn't created in this particular fashion and displaying women as victims of discrimination. This is not a way to create balance either. So women have a project in life and that is maternity care as well. It ought not be penalized and not penalize them or condemn them to have careers which aren't the same as men either. So I think indeed, the opportunities for employment have to exist for all for women as well.”
  Gender pay transparency
• “Thank you. Thank you. Chairman. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much to all the speakers who spoke in today. It's been mentioned that it's. But it's incredible to hear statements from this Parliament here in 2020. For those of us who are sitting here have been elected by citizens. Not all citizens share the same views as the civil society, which here is is represented in a very limited manner. And as my colleague was saying, we need to be in favour of human beings and in line with human human rights. You want to see abortion as a human right. This would put an end to the original meaning of these human rights. And in the next hearings we have on this, we'd like I'd like to see a plurality of civil society here represented in the committee meeting. Many of us see hope in the birth of a baby, future in the birth of a baby, and a place in the world of the future, that there are alarming reductions in the fertility and birth rates. And often these are a symptom of a lack of hope among young people who are not able to have future prospects. Now, I'd like to know whether you are worried about those data as well. Thank you”
  Sexuality and reproduction
• “Well, apologies for putting even more questions, but I think it is important to get clear information. Now, in this Parliament, we're working a lot on mental health as well. And, um, brain health. Now, often, uh, we, um, focus, uh, perhaps, um, uh, on certain issues and forget neurological diseases, for example. So perhaps we could broaden the concept and talk about brain health rather than just purely mental health, which has more social, uh, connotations. So not just, uh, epigenetic but also genetic, looking at the causes of these diseases and tracheitis.”
  EU policy on mental health
• “The children can't enjoy stability or the constant presence of their parents. And elderly people grow old alone, without the presence of their loved ones who don't have enough time or resources. It's an infinite loop. We cannot combat poverty unless policy focuses on supporting families and creating jobs. Women, the creator of life, are really at the center of this, and we need to focus on supporting motherhood and very often we see people going without care. Stable families are at the basis of a strong and happy society, and in the family values are passed on which enable people to live together in a harmonious society. And the quality of services and security is key. And forcing immigrants on communities is not the answer. Immigration causes difficulties with integration and then there are problems caused to women and children. There are dangers for them. And we see what happened in a district of Madrid just the other week. This has a major, in fact, impact on women's lives and freedom. And we need to bear this in mind. And this will certainly be picked up in our amendments.”
  EU strategy on population growth
• “Thank you. I'd like to also thank the signatories of this Citizen's Action. When we look at the psychological and physical abuse for a person, we're not the only ones to replace this. And we. I would like to know whether you've assessed the risk of a wide fan of this concept could be dissuaded for medical health, for health operators looking at severe sanctions. And so it would limit their clinical activities and the negative impact in access to pension and accompanying supporters. Now A common policy in countries who do have these practices, and see whether it is possible to have a sort of personal assessment and maybe a psychological support. Now, if we're talking about children, it would be better, or it would be a good idea to help a child who wants a possible gender declaration, and the parents or the teachers should be able to contribute this. When experience tells us that that maturity is important and it is possible to live with this type of activity. You have to live with other problems such as anorexia, for instance. These statements imply pharmacological treatments and the possibility of irreversible results, and these could be considered a psychological and or physical damage. We know that people later were sorry about this situation, but you're looking at children. They can be some sort of interest to and recognizing this conflict and to ensure that it is, does not take place in daily medical practice or when there is a citizen's initiatives. So which are the bodies that have taken part in the presentation of this? And we would like to know how their neutrality was actually verified. Thank you, madam de la Pisa. So you're the only one speaking for the Patriots groups.”
  LGBTIQ+
• “Thank you. I'd like to also thank the signatories of this Citizen's Action. When we look at the psychological and physical abuse for a person, we're not the only ones to replace this. And we. I would like to know whether you've assessed the risk of a wide fan of this concept could be dissuaded for medical health, for health operators looking at severe sanctions. And so it would limit their clinical activities and the negative impact in access to pension and accompanying supporters. Now A common policy in countries who do have these practices, and see whether it is possible to have a sort of personal assessment and maybe a psychological support. Now, if we're talking about children, it would be better, or it would be a good idea to help a child who wants a possible gender declaration, and the parents or the teachers should be able to contribute this. When experience tells us that that maturity is important and it is possible to live with this type of activity. You have to live with other problems such as anorexia, for instance. These statements imply pharmacological treatments and the possibility of irreversible results, and these could be considered a psychological and or physical damage. We know that people later were sorry about this situation, but you're looking at children. They can be some sort of interest to and recognizing this conflict and to ensure that it is, does not take place in daily medical practice or when there is a citizen's initiatives. So which are the bodies that have taken part in the presentation of this? And we would like to know how their neutrality was actually verified. Thank you, madam de la Pisa. So you're the only one speaking for the Patriots groups.”
  LGBTIQ+
• “Thank you. Chair. Ladies and gentlemen, firstly, we'd like to thank the Court of Auditors for their hard work on this report on the beating cancer plan. This plan was the fruit of an ambitious, ambitious initiative. And I would like to. Remind the rapporteur and others that this report had almost unanimous support in plenary. We are all aware that we are. We share concerns about our health. It is an opportunity for us to talk together in this committee with health professionals and patients and other experts. Doctors made it clear where we need to intervene when it comes to lung cancer reducing smoking, for example. We've worked together with national entities in Spain, in my case, and as the report said, the impact is. Countries such as mine, who are in a relatively good position, have not always been able to make clear progress. If you look that if you take a broader view of the situation, it may well seem that has been some steps backwards. In other countries, the situation is so much more complicated. The report makes it clear that some countries who have not had a national strategy would be obliged to draft one, but there are a number of issues remaining. There are a lot of initiatives, a lot of projects which are not coordinated, and public money does not always bear fruit. We need a way to measure the impact of the plan. We find ourselves at a crossroad. We're able to have a new therapeutic tools, especially given the innovative technology.”
  Smoking regulation
• “So it's discrimination affecting Women and homosexuals. Is that right? So what is not covered would be a heterosexual man. I'm just asking. A heterosexual man can't be discriminated against.”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• “Ladies and gentlemen, Nobody disputes that for the. That everybody ought to be paid the same for the same job. That's what's just. But Brussels uses this as a pretext to enter into remits that pertain to the member States salaries and also creates inconvenient bureaucratic burden for undertakings. So it's a paradox that right now, of course, we're speaking about simplification here in this House. But at the same time, we're requesting this transparency directive, uh, and which doesn't include any simplification like the omnibus does. So what's to be done? We are against this legislation because the difference between remuneration between sectors is natural, and there's no reason why it ought to indicate or mean some sort of discrimination. Women play a fundamental role in education, health and care. These are essential for our societies, of course, but we can't build or impose regulations that would undermine the particular systems that are in place in each member state. Equality isn't, uh isn't created in this particular fashion and displaying women as victims of discrimination. This is not a way to create balance either. So women have a project in life and that is maternity care as well. It ought not be penalized and not penalize them or condemn them to have careers which aren't the same as men either. So I think indeed, the opportunities for employment have to exist for all for women as well.”
  Gender pay transparency
• “So this threatened the lives of many, those who are living or need respirators. They are scared for their lives. So thankfully, thanks to God, things worked out and the fallout was not so massive. So my question is, are we going to just accept? Are we just going to normalize something like this can happen? Are we going to accept normalize that people have to live in fear. We need a electricity network that ensures security of supply. You've not given us answers. You've not taken up your responsibility. And it seems even worse that the energy policy is not going to be brought back on track. Don't you think citizens need to be treated differently? Uh, a few months ago, uh, my compatriots were left to their own devices, were received no aid when they were left facing a natural disaster. We've also faced a pandemic in the past. So must we live in survival mode? Isn't it time to learn from our mistakes, to recognize that we were wrong, and to actually bring the EU back on track? Thank you.”
  EU approach to electricity market and prices
• “Thank you, Madam Chair. Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests. We all agree that on equal work for equal pay. But this directive is on pay transparency. It's not on salary equality. The idea is that behind pay transparency, we'll achieve salary equality. But we think that won't happen. And the implementation is going to be damaging because we think it's going to disincentivize employment because of red tape and legal uncertainty. We think this will be the case for men and women. Your colleague said that it should be applied not only for equal posts, but also posts of equal value. We all know that some vacancies are more difficult to fill than others for other reasons. That might be because of where a job is based, or it might be because you need to draw in new talent. You have to negotiate. So how do and how do we incentivize work? We can think that this might be discrimination. If there's incentivization. But there's also the issue of salary equality and and remuneration. So we need. So there might be a single policy. But but that won't take account of labor and responsibility. Not all sectors have the same needs and not all jobs. So it's logical that remuneration be differentiated. And it wouldn't shouldn't ever be differentiated or shouldn't always be differentiated because of discrimination. When the the guidelines aim to strike the balance between evaluation and the relevant social knowledge and dealing with with care work as well. To avoid that, this system creates too much burden for businesses, in particular small businesses. Smes in practice, how do we distinguish between different salaries based on discrimination and those that rather respond to other factors within the market and different sectors? Thank you.”
  Gender pay transparency
• “I would like the inclusion of these amendments to be reconsidered, and I'd like to be included on the voting list. And then it will be up to the members of this committee to to vote in favor or against. But we would like to see them added to the voting list.”
  Transparency requirements of EU institutions
• “Thank you very much indeed, Madam Chair. Honourable members, equality between men and women is a fundamental value of the European Union, and as such, it must be integrated into our public public budget. Now, when there is any form of discrimination, we can see that the gender perspective is behind that, not just causing discrimination between men and women, but also discriminatory, um, actions that are ideological in nature. We've seen funding being withdrawn from pro-life or pro-family projects because, as you said a little while ago, because there are anti-gender movements, apparently. So this is being seen as anti European values. But I wonder which European values we're talking about here. This really raises serious questions about the objectiveness of the allocation of funds. And so we have to have objective criteria that are used respecting the principle of neutrality and placing the family at the very heart of society as a pillar of society. So we very much regret that this gender perspective, so-called gender perspective, is being used in order to undermine and stop certain enriching initiatives. So we have to move away from an ideological structure that is causing. Bring about major changes in our societies, not positive changes, even worrying changes. I would say the lowering lower birth rate. We've seen loneliness. And what we're seeing is this gender perspective within the EU budget is not achieving what it should, and we need to rethink it.”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• “Thank you very much, Madam Chairman. And thank you, rapporteurs, for this report. Once again, we're debating a report which we think is based on erroneous analysis. The difference between men and women is an injustice that should be corrected in Brussels. That's what we're assuming. But the reality is more complicated. We cannot only explain salary differences because of discrimination. Uh. We can't turn every statistical difference into this supposed European problem to justify actions requiring more structures to be set up and more funds. The true inequality is actually comes about from the bottom. Equality can only come about when men and women have equal opportunities and can make their choices. But this report makes a confusion between equality and becoming equal. It actually challenges the freedom of companies to try to determine excellency and productivity. Nobody wants to actually take on the responsibility. And the idea is there will be fewer jobs and more legal insecurity. We don't need more European red tape and road maps from the commission. We need to get. Jobs created based. And this must be based on subsidiarity. And member States must have their own family and social policies. The Parliament considers maternity as a burden rather than a source of wealth, and therefore families are being penalised and mothers and people are giving less incentive to spend time with their children. We need to establish public policies, and women with more than two children end up having to pay more taxes. But women, if they are given the incentives, could be able to contribute a great deal to society, which would open doors to further and fairer economic and social policies.”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• “And I'm talking about going back to Europe when the, uh, the Covid vaccines first came out, then the companies had no legal responsibility about the side effects that might be from those vaccines. And the member states come up with guarantee funds that in the case of the worst side effects, that we didn't know what those actually might be because we were still in an experimental stage at that moment. They came up with those funds, but the people had those side effects. When they actually turned to the member states or to the commission, tried to ask for some sort of compensation. The answer to them was always that, well, but they had done that under their own free will. No, taking those vaccinations, meaning that those people never got the compensation they were entitled to. So what is your opinion about this? Because I think there's also a flagrant violation of people's rights here. We know that vaccines were not voluntary. They were compulsory or needed for many people if they wanted to go to work. Thank you very much.”
  Vaccination
• “Thank you chair. In Spain, we have a pretty bad experience in our experience of the application of this directive. We have seen that a purchasing power of Spaniards has increased. We continue to have high level of employment, but many companies and families and farmers have increased their costs but not their income. Therefore, crucial sectors such as farming have lost a 100,000 plus jobs. This is not social justice. We have seen we have a few jobs, a lower, a lower wages and fewer working hours. Living wages cannot appear out of thin air. We need greater productivity. That is what creates jobs. Increasing minimum wage will not benefit the workers, but we need to take a more global approach. The Pedro Sanchez government is breaking a record in terms of tax income. Would it not be better to reduce taxes so that the money can go where it's needed to the families? The EU does not have a competence for wage setting, and the implementation of this directive could actually have this impact. Wage transparency would be more helpful if there was a worrying trend that minimum wages are also seen in the most common wage. It's a race to the bottom. Do we want same wage or minimum wage as we say in my country? We are looking at wage inequality regardless of the training responsibilities or a number of people managed. We think this is a way of encouraging a lack of effort. Thank you.”
  Minimum wages harmonisation at EU level
• “Gracias. Gracias. Cuesta entender hablemos de una estrategia intergenerational sin mencionar a la entidad donde todas las generaciones se encuentran mas alla donde las diferentes generaciones comparten inquietudes porque vivan Como una unidad y se apoyan entre si. Qué es la familia? Justo es la configuracion de la familia. La causa de muchos de Los desafios actuales preocupa mucho se trata este tema enfrentando a generaciones Como si Los intereses de unos no estuvieran conectados con Los otros. La accion, la mejor es la orientada apoyar a la familia y su papel essencial, pues de forma natural proporciona el ambiente mas beneficioso desde el punto de vista efectivo economico y de salud. Por qué tratamos de ignorar Los vinculos nacionales entre Los miembros de una familia. La familia es sabemos vive en un ambiente apropiado estabilidad y afecto se enfrentan menos dificultades desde la infancia a la vejez. De hecho, este amor, luego puede también devolver hacia afuera con compromiso hacia su comunidad. La familia es un factor donde Los cuidados y la compania. Hemos hablado hoy de la Soledad ocurren de forma de sintetizada y natural no hay una estructura artificial sostenible y eficaz se puede reemplazar la. Me gustaria preguntarle a la Comision Como se entiende la familia dentro de esta estrategia. Creo en la intervencion no mencionados en su intervention, pero en una vez ha sido mencionado a la palabra familia. Es por eso.”
  Support for families
• “Thank you very much, chairman. Mr. Jurgensen, as you will be aware, industry and families and businesses have run out of patience. You are talking about reducing the pressure in terms of energy. And I think what you're talking about is minimal and it shows how far away from your reality. I mean, basically it's these green regulations that are tying our hands behind our backs. And third, countries are basically benefiting. I mean, in Spain, Russian gas is now being increased to be purchased at an increased extent. 41%. But China is exporting all the equipment we need for for the Green Deal. I mean, China's making a lot of money out of us. They produce solar panels, etc., and they're selling them to us. I mean, we're basically being exploited by everyone. There are clearly things that aren't working. And your measures don't solve our problems with competitiveness. You talk about giving a little bit. You talk about small changes. You talk about tinkering about. But we need a radical change of direction. Isn't it time to simply get rid of the Green Deal? We're being betrayed here. Mrs. von der Leyen should know. Shouldn't be president of the commission anymore. I mean, everyone continues to make the same errors. The commission in particular. Everyone talks about energy independence, but we need energy sovereignty, which is in line with the reality of every country. Don't you think it's time to let every country decide its own energy mix and exploit its own resources in the most effective way possible? Thank you.”
  Energy (green transition)
• “Thank you, chair, and thank you to the commission. We are talking about the dangers of AI. We have seen very quickly how much content we have generated by AI is difficult to know what's real and what is not. It's the same for for adults and children. This content a could use a women's or children's faces to generate pornographic content that is even more serious, and is leading to a lack of trust. Do you think this will change the way we interact in the traditional digital world? But I'm not sure if this was the right word, this lack of trust. The risks are unpredictable. They're great and also unpredictable. You spoke about actions taken by the Commission against a Porn platforms. These are very timely. But sometimes this content can be disseminated through other other channels. It is not just within the EU people. These kind of people know how to get around the rules. So there is an international center. Not all countries have the same regulations as the EU. So how can the Commission act where it does not have the power to act? When these are crimes that affect European citizens, but they're maybe not committed in the EU, but they affect women and children in the EU.”
  Transparency and oversight of AI-generated content
• “Panelists, thank you for being here. We're talking about safety in the workplace, and it seems there's going to be, new legislation. Of course, we're also talking about this in the context of quality jobs. So, of course, we're talking about, the piece of legislation called 89 slash 3 9 1 slash EEC. So are we changing the previous framework? Well, we've got a new framework which really expands things. So now we're not just looking at workplace safety. It goes further. It's really encompassing many, many things in the workplace now. And I think the results we get from this framework will really vary greatly from country to country. You know, let's look at the case of doctors in Spain. We have legislation that dates from 2016, and yet there are strikes doctor strikes in Spain. We have a very high suicide rate in the medical profession. And the fact is they have to be on call for very long work hours, sometimes 24 hours in a row. Many of them suffer from burnout when they haven't even reached the age of 30. And don't forget what happened during the pandemic when they didn't have adequate, protective equipment. You know, would you have anything to say about the specific case of doctors in Spain?”
  EU rules on hazardous working conditions
• “Thank you chair. This year I am delighted to see this health committee and the participation for the first time this year of this draft opinion on disability because the health perspective is important to contribute to improvements of the health of people, of people that aren't always taken into account. We need to in diagnostics. We need early screening, early detection, adequate treatment, adequate support. We need to make administration also easier for these people and foster their integration to society. Of course, they need specific treatment and they are entitled to receive it. Respectful life and dignity of every person, especially of people with disabilities, should never be conditioned to their productivity. Therefore, we are in favour of their integration into the labour market whenever possible and. Job therapy and integration into the labour market is also, whenever possible, a desirable option. This is a employment draft, so it has a social perspective, and we need to ensure that the economic situations of personal disabilities is taken into account as well. We are facing a revolution in the world of medicine that can provide advances in the medical area for these people, and we will contribute with amendments that are in line with that. Thank you very much.”
  EU policy on disability inclusion & accessibility
• “Durante Los anos. Hemos visto Como la comision ha ido actuando en cada vez mas Como puede ser Los asuntos sociales o la salud entendemos y fuera. Si si no fuera porque Hubiera utilizado a veces para antrodiaetus donde la Union Europea no tiene competencias. Mas alla a través de esta accion se ponen y las propias legislations nacionales. Este es el caso del proyecto de la salud para utilizarlo a la. Reproductivos es decir el aborto las legislations nacionales diferentes entre estados ofrecer alternativas ofrecer alternativas es una falta de finalidad de la Comision de Los Estados miembros y también hacia el. Destino. El aborto no es un servicio de salud y la accion social deberia ser orientada on dar soporte a la mujer embarazada para q se puede hacer madre en las mejores condiciones. Sabemos la falta de apoyo emotional la discrimination condiciones economicas son factores determinantes. Sin embargo, no vemos propuestas con esta inquietud toda la vida debe ser acogida y protegida debemos preocupados por Los bajos indices de natalidad. Tenemos ahora mismo en Europa, muchas gracias.”
  Abortion policy
• “Thank you. Chairman. At the beginning, we quite frankly mentioned human dignity, freedom and the fact that no one should be obliged to do anything with any type of coercion or violence. However, we all know that in all the legislation of all European countries, everything that is done with violence is already punished. And that's why we have certain doubts on this proposal. I read it very carefully, and now I have some questions to ask on this, because it very well could be that when we're looking at certain points, there might be some limitations on freedom of expression. First of all, I'd like you to specify clearly what you mean by gender identity, because it's quite obvious that if a person has to advise a friend that a male body feels female, well, he should try and be at peace with himself. This would be it. Would this be an attempt, a coercive Attempt to convert and also any action by the parents. Aren't they the ones who have the first responsibility for educating their children? Then you're talking about religion. And this is something that really, I feel it's close to my heart because I think that freedom of religion and of conscience is something that should be maintained. We've talked about the French bishops conference. They said that a spiritual accompanying, spiritually, having a spiritual director and a moral teaching of the church should be considered legitimate. Do you think they are legitimate or not?”
  LGBTIQ+
• “Thank you. I'd like to also thank the signatories of this Citizen's Action. When we look at the psychological and physical abuse for a person, we're not the only ones to replace this. And we. I would like to know whether you've assessed the risk of a wide fan of this concept could be dissuaded for medical health, for health operators looking at severe sanctions. And so it would limit their clinical activities and the negative impact in access to pension and accompanying supporters. Now A common policy in countries who do have these practices, and see whether it is possible to have a sort of personal assessment and maybe a psychological support. Now, if we're talking about children, it would be better, or it would be a good idea to help a child who wants a possible gender declaration, and the parents or the teachers should be able to contribute this. When experience tells us that that maturity is important and it is possible to live with this type of activity. You have to live with other problems such as anorexia, for instance. These statements imply pharmacological treatments and the possibility of irreversible results, and these could be considered a psychological and or physical damage. We know that people later were sorry about this situation, but you're looking at children. They can be some sort of interest to and recognizing this conflict and to ensure that it is, does not take place in daily medical practice or when there is a citizen's initiatives. So which are the bodies that have taken part in the presentation of this? And we would like to know how their neutrality was actually verified. Thank you, madam de la Pisa. So you're the only one speaking for the Patriots groups.”
  LGBTIQ+
• “Thank you very much. Thank you. Chair. I would like to start off by thanking the European Commission for the proposal to boost biotechnology and biomanufacturing that was published up to a year ago in the Forum on Biotechnology. In their report, it says that in 2050. The bioeconomy sector will represent one third of one third of global activity. It seems quite exaggerated. We're starting to understand the influence of digitalisation and its impact on our daily lives. But at the same time and in parallel, we need to realise the size of the effect of biotechnology. The EU has to focus on a race where we have to be leaders, we have the knowledge and we have the talent pool. We have great scientists and startups that are trailblazers at the moment. We want Europe to make sure that we have the right environment where research, development and innovation on the basis of biotechnology can occur in the best conditions. And in order to do so, we have to make sure that we don't fall into the trap of an administrative burden or too much regulation or other mistakes that have led to us losing ground.”
  EU policy on ethical standards in biotechnology applications
• “Very brief because it's important for the ongoing work of this committee and the competences. It is LGBT and incompetence.”
  LGBTIQ+
• “Thank you. Chairman. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank the rapporteur, Mrs. Konecna. And we shouldn't spend more. We should spend better. And it's it's a good idea that we spend European funds and make sure that they are allocated to urgent, pressing needs. We need to analyse the implementation of these funding and the implementation of resources, and make sure that they are more effective. We need to cut red tape and make the funding more flexible. Now, when it comes to the budget, we need to prioritise reallocation of funds, particularly particularly when it comes to digitalisation and the extension of systems. We need to help healthcare professionals and streamline resources in different regions. We are concerned that certain agencies like Hera create excessive administrative burden as well as overlapping and hinder the usefulness of the healthcare system. It's important that we be able to manage coordination. And finally. These systems are at their breaking limit. And so we should ask ourselves how we can ensure that the commission can guarantee funding for citizens that are more effective. We need better transparency and more streamlined implementation so that we can actually analyze the results. Thank you.”
  Conditions to access EU budget
• “Thank you. Madam president, the situation of families in Europe is very worrying, largely because of the bad decisions we take here. A cost of living and housing, destruction of jobs. But there's an anti-poverty strategy that doesn't speak one single time about correcting the policies that have put us here. The the social catastrophe caused by the by the Green Deal. Subsidies to minimum income and so on is being proposed by a Communist MEP, but supported here by the majority of this House, including the EPP and the employment committee. You talk about social benefits. Increasing expenditure is actually going to be counterproductive. It's going to create more poverty and hold back growth. This is why our group has presented a text with a different vision. Prosperity is not created by agendas imposed by Brussels. It's made by people who take initiatives. Smes. These are people who Create growth and wealth. So let's stop weighing them down with administrative burdens. I think we should give people back the possibility to work and to fend for their families. The best social policy is to create jobs and defend the stability of the family. While some people are talking about more centralization, ideology and subsidies, we are calling for freedom and responsibility and real opportunities so that we Europeans can be the masters of our own future. This is the real anti-poverty strategy that we should follow. Everything else is just repeating the mistakes of the past.”
  EU expenditure on social policy
• “Thank you very much. I'll be speaking Spanish. We agree that women are a big unknown. There are differences in biological terms between men and women. Yes, but we do need a deeper understanding in of the human body and the cyclical nature of female bodies. Something we need to understand that also changes throughout the lifetime of women. There's endometriosis pause and pregnancy, which are specific conditions, and there are differences between the sexes that are not fully understood. So that's why we have problems diagnosis and treatment. For example, in the case of cardiovascular disease, something similar happens with medical research. There are certain risks associated with carrying out clinical trials during pregnancy, and that's why women are underrepresented. We must find solutions for this. News, for example, new solutions such as in vitro and others. And we need to provide specific support to women who might need a better emotional support as well to improve their prospects. Now, quite often, maternity is seen as a drawback, as a an obstacle to be overcome. But so fertility is almost seen as an inconvenient factor that puts women at a disadvantage with vis a vis men. Now, this focus is rather unfair and oversimplifying the situation, as if being a woman or being is itself a disadvantage or disability. But it takes two to, um, create fertility. So there's this campaign to destroy fertility, as if becoming a mother were an obstacle to health, good health and progress. Some time before Christmas, there was a vote in the plenary. In the December plenary, which was hailed as progress for health, female health. But it left me asking whether this is really the vision that we want for female health. But really, when it comes to abortion, that's not really progress. You have to welcome new life as a gift and something that is to be shared by men and women. We are talking here about a vision for equality that doesn't deny our nature, and that we can find solutions for the recognition of women, including during their maternity. Thank you.”
  Sexuality and reproduction
• “These measures are right. Renewables and taking down nuclear and thermal and scorn for experts in every sector. Miss Ribera. All of your policies have brought us to ruin regionally in Valencia and now domestically with the blackout. What more needs to take place so that you move beyond this fake ecological approach? Do we need to have a full disaster and for the citizens to claim call for this? I imagine you are waiting for a great Message and video. I think the best thing that we can do is to improve the conditions and resilience for climate change and the security of science and knowledge, and not recount fake news. We haven't demolished a nuclear or thermal plants, and the national decision must be made with the respect for the national subsidiarity.”
  Nuclear energy
• “(15:52:00 – 15:54:01): Thank you for giving me the opportunity, chair, and thank you, commissioner, for being here today. We have spoken about the importance of being prepared for health crises or epidemiological ones as well, and also the need for coordination and a common strategy to respond to possible emergencies and pandemics. But listening to you, I could not stop myself from thinking about the current situation of many health systems, particularly my own country, Spain. Today, doctors and other health care professionals, and we did vote on a report this morning on health care professionals, are under massive pressure at their very limits, often with 24-hour shifts or more, which would be considered illegal in fact and would not apply in any other type of profession. They are looking after our health and keeping hospitals and health centers going, a health system which is collapsing in many places like Spain, facing increasing demand and due to open border policies and offering services without worrying who they should be offered to. My question is, can we talk about adequate preparation for future crises when on a daily basis there are difficulties in ensuring normal responses and a quality service for patients? How can we build resilient systems for extraordinary emergencies if professionals are already making extraordinary efforts to keep their day-to-day work going? Thank you.”
  Public and private sectors role in healthcare services
• “Thank you. Chair. Ladies and gentlemen, firstly, we'd like to thank the Court of Auditors for their hard work on this report on the beating cancer plan. This plan was the fruit of an ambitious, ambitious initiative. And I would like to. Remind the rapporteur and others that this report had almost unanimous support in plenary. We are all aware that we are. We share concerns about our health. It is an opportunity for us to talk together in this committee with health professionals and patients and other experts. Doctors made it clear where we need to intervene when it comes to lung cancer reducing smoking, for example. We've worked together with national entities in Spain, in my case, and as the report said, the impact is. Countries such as mine, who are in a relatively good position, have not always been able to make clear progress. If you look that if you take a broader view of the situation, it may well seem that has been some steps backwards. In other countries, the situation is so much more complicated. The report makes it clear that some countries who have not had a national strategy would be obliged to draft one, but there are a number of issues remaining. There are a lot of initiatives, a lot of projects which are not coordinated, and public money does not always bear fruit. We need a way to measure the impact of the plan. We find ourselves at a crossroad. We're able to have a new therapeutic tools, especially given the innovative technology.”
  EU measures on lifestyle-related behaviours (smoking, drinking, eating, etc.)
• “It is therefore necessary that we have a clear European strategy and not fall prey to the errors that have burdened other sectors. Biotechnology Formed an overlap of different legislation and legislation in certain specific areas. Legal certainty. Simplification is essential to attract investments to generate new paths, not labyrinths. We need to ensure security with clinical trials that have an opportune risk benefit. We need creativity and support in all areas of development. We need appropriate financing from the early phases towards the academic and business world. We need to. Ensure that there are intellectual property guarantees. Biotechnology goes hand in hand with progress in other technologies such as artificial intelligence. So we need to make sure that we avoid. Obstacles that can undermine our competitiveness, especially when it comes to supply of raw materials, tools, or even fungible material. We need to streamline the entire production line. We need to be intelligent and face challenges with care, such as challenges that have to do with ethical and safety issues. Biotechnology must serve the common good and also the most vulnerable people, including people with disabilities, so that at no time that they would be discriminated against. It needs to serve the principle that it will not adversely affect future generations. And this is why I am here to work actively with all of you, to present a good tool that takes all of these aspects into account, and I'm anxious to hear from you. Thank you very much.”
  EU policy on ethical standards in biotechnology applications
• “Thank you, Madam Chair. Ladies and gentlemen, Madam Commissioner, this gender equality strategy and the previous ones in theory, aim to achieve equality between men and women. However, the effect they've had on society hasn't been the desired effect. Women are facing more and more attacks on their dignity around Europe. Forced marriage, FGM and other problems would have. I would have liked to have seen these problems mentioned in the strategy, but they don't appear. We've seen Legislation, such as the trans law in Spain that attack women in a different way because they hold hostage our identity. They say that being a woman is just a decision that you take. It's not a constitutive fact. They also impose impose a way of being women on us. That don't properly take account of and in fact, denigrate things such as being a mother. It rejects our femininity. We find ourselves in a constant confrontation. The gender strategy also addresses supposed setbacks, inequality that is mentioned a number of times. We'd like to see significant. What indicators are being used to define this setback? How do we define a true. A true setback? The. There's also a study that says that many women are less and less prioritizing a gender focus because it doesn't respond to their daily problems.”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• “Thank you very much, chair. And thank you to the rapporteur. It is a very broad subject in Patriots. We think that Europe should be a synonymity with synonymous with prosperity and social stability. But reality is different. Even people with jobs are in precarious situations without the possibility of a decent life. The costs of energy, transport, food and so on are shooting up and wages are stagnant. On the other hand, political expenditure is increasing and taxes are increasing on wages. And we're constantly seeing taxes on waste at municipalities and so on. But other spending is non-existent on what is actually needed, particularly in peripheral regions, people are facing massive difficulties despite promises of specific policies for those remoter areas. Rural areas are being abandoned and it's impossible to live there, particularly for the elderly and families with children. And this doesn't just lead to lack of material possessions, but it also has a psychological and emotional effect on people. It's very difficult for young people in these circumstances to start their lives, to have their own home or have children, or the number of children they would like, and they can't.”
  EU competences on social policies
• “We know that there is a limit to the number of amendments that can be made. There is a limit per rapporteur. And so it's also about contributing um like MEPs to uh amendments. So I'm looking forward to working with other groups and we'll have exchanges with the shadow rapporteurs in our meeting.”
  Transparency requirements of EU institutions
• “How does the Commission interpret setbacks? Could could we perhaps could it perhaps be reflecting a disconnection between the policies and actually women's genuine concerns? The strategy also mentions as a as a source, the next wave report, a report that has a biased ideology. That is anti-democratic, that deals with certain different entities simply because they're Christian and that are in favor of life and family. And it also outlines political parties such as my own, those elected by the citizens. And it attacks them simply because it disagrees with them. How can this be justified? How does the Commission justify using this report as a source reports, with such a political bias. Indeed, these fight against Christian faith in a strategy that aims or says that it aims to uphold democracy and pluralism. I don't know whether you've read this report and whether you're aware of the evaluation that it makes of universities that have many, many graduates in Spain and that I think are doing actually very worthy work in terms of training people for the future of our society. And yet these are being labelled as anti-democratic and against human rights. Thank you very much.”
  EU engagement with Christian communities inside and outside the EU
• “Thank you. Chair. Ladies and gentlemen, firstly, we'd like to thank the Court of Auditors for their hard work on this report on the beating cancer plan. This plan was the fruit of an ambitious, ambitious initiative. And I would like to. Remind the rapporteur and others that this report had almost unanimous support in plenary. We are all aware that we are. We share concerns about our health. It is an opportunity for us to talk together in this committee with health professionals and patients and other experts. Doctors made it clear where we need to intervene when it comes to lung cancer reducing smoking, for example. We've worked together with national entities in Spain, in my case, and as the report said, the impact is. Countries such as mine, who are in a relatively good position, have not always been able to make clear progress. If you look that if you take a broader view of the situation, it may well seem that has been some steps backwards. In other countries, the situation is so much more complicated. The report makes it clear that some countries who have not had a national strategy would be obliged to draft one, but there are a number of issues remaining. There are a lot of initiatives, a lot of projects which are not coordinated, and public money does not always bear fruit. We need a way to measure the impact of the plan. We find ourselves at a crossroad. We're able to have a new therapeutic tools, especially given the innovative technology.”
  EU measures on lifestyle-related behaviours (smoking, drinking, eating, etc.)
• “So it's discrimination affecting Women and homosexuals. Is that right? So what is not covered would be a heterosexual man. I'm just asking. A heterosexual man can't be discriminated against.”
  EU policy on integration and ethnic, racial and religious discrimination
• “Thank you. Chairman. At the beginning, we quite frankly mentioned human dignity, freedom and the fact that no one should be obliged to do anything with any type of coercion or violence. However, we all know that in all the legislation of all European countries, everything that is done with violence is already punished. And that's why we have certain doubts on this proposal. I read it very carefully, and now I have some questions to ask on this, because it very well could be that when we're looking at certain points, there might be some limitations on freedom of expression. First of all, I'd like you to specify clearly what you mean by gender identity, because it's quite obvious that if a person has to advise a friend that a male body feels female, well, he should try and be at peace with himself. This would be it. Would this be an attempt, a coercive Attempt to convert and also any action by the parents. Aren't they the ones who have the first responsibility for educating their children? Then you're talking about religion. And this is something that really, I feel it's close to my heart because I think that freedom of religion and of conscience is something that should be maintained. We've talked about the French bishops conference. They said that a spiritual accompanying, spiritually, having a spiritual director and a moral teaching of the church should be considered legitimate. Do you think they are legitimate or not?”
  LGBTIQ+
• “And figure up from the committee. You have two minutes. Thank you very much, chair. And, Madam Commissioner, I would like to draw your attention to a very clear paradox between our European territorial management policies and our crisis prevention because of a misunderstood green philosophy. We're asking those who are familiar with the fields, farmers and those who live in the countryside to maintain and care for the natural environment as they have over devastations. But the result is clear we have uncontrolled fires like those that raised broad regions of Spain this summer. We have communities that are unprotected when faced with these crises, and this is because of the inexperience of those who are living in these areas. And the most concerning element, Madam Commissioner, is that all of is that we are hearing that all of this is happening because of climate change. That isn't the case. This is happening because those who understand the land are being uprooted and they're separated from those who are making policy. We need realistic ambitions. We need to not just listen to the people from these areas. This is vital for us to manage crises correctly. So my question is the following. Are you going to change the focus that is going to give rural capacities back the management of these rural areas, or are you going to continue to put the well-being of our citizens at risk?”
  EU cohesion/structural-fund architecture: consolidation vs ring-fenced separate funds
• “Thank you very much, chair. Dear colleagues. In this first draft opinion, we wanted to take up problems that significantly affect women. And surprisingly, they do not figure in the Fundamental Rights Agency's report, nor do they come up in the Eni. We're talking about very difficult realities, data that is often forgotten because either people don't care or they do not fit in with the discourse that dictates the political agenda. For example, according to the UN, 90% of women that enter Europe through the Mediterranean route are subject to sexual harassment or rape. And so they continue to face major risks. In fact, today there are girls in the whole world, in Europe as well, that are subject to female genital mutilation. They are also subjected to forced marriages. Between 2019 and 2023, there were 79 cases of forced marriages in Catalonia in my country, Spain. This infringes on the security and dignity of girls, and you still have cultures that continue to promote such activities. Pregnant women, for example, also face difficult situations. Abortion. Is offered to women and some women are forced to undergo sterilization. Also, there are sometimes if they do not give birth to a son, there is also a selective abortion that is carried out in vitro in countries like China, for example. These practices of selective abortion are rampant, and we wanted to raise our voices against this. We also underline the exploitation of women through. Uh, which is known as, uh, economic, social and physical violence against women. And this is also something that has been included in, uh, reports that talk about, uh, fighting against, uh, human trafficking. Their surrogacy is, in fact, something that pushes something that is not natural, that commodifies women and children and the babies and also put women's lives at risk.”
  Sexuality and reproduction
• “Gracias, president. Thank you, Mr. President. Commission. Ladies and gentlemen. We've spent decades hearing people talk about gender equality, with millions allegedly going to alleviate life for women. But this expenditure is not focused on something as important as our health. Campaigns are often aimed at social engineering. But a question such as endometriosis, which affects so many women, is invisible. 1 in 10 women suffer from this disease with intense pain, infertility and chronic pain as possible results. But there is no effective early diagnosis available and it's very difficult to get any kind of effective treatment. And I would like to ask, why can more money not be invested in diseases that affect women? The European Union has invested more than €400 million on gender equality promotion of gender equality. But where is the social engineering when it comes to real pain to be treated. Let's recognize that a relatively little has been invested in this. But what can we expect when this is an ideology? When there's no agreement about what it is to be a woman? It's urgent that we redirect funds from the EU. Women need real solutions for real problems. This disease affects millions of women in Europe. It represents an estimated cost of around €30 billion per year in absence from work alone. I'm sure that every woman would be grateful for more effort to be devoted to finding a causes, and treatment for this disease is still not known what factors might be involved. Thank you.”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• “President. Millones de personas en activo. Por lo tanto, la economia social aproximadamente millones de empleos recibimos millones de euros para la economia social puede ver qué resultados tangibles se Han obtenido de uso de estos fondos Como se acaban financier solamente mencionadas o incluso incluso redes de corruption del Gobierno de Sanchez cuya prioridad no ha sido la respuesta a Los problemas de Los espanoles poder acceder a Los jovenes no pueden emancipates y el Peru continua entre Los mas altos de Europa. También vemos entidades Como las edades son entidades de la economia social se enfrentan a graves problemas poder ofrecer Los servicios y prestaciones. Los ojos deberias tener garantizada por haber aportando a lo largo de su vida. Hoy abogados y procuradores se encuentran en una situacion muy delicada injusta y esta haciendo Justo contra el Gobierno de esta realidad tiene en la Union Europea. Prevision de ayudar a estas mutual edades, especialmente a las espanolas. Gracias.”
  EU housing policy