Joanna SCHEURING-WIELGUS

Policy topics Joanna SCHEURING-WIELGUS is active on

What Joanna SCHEURING-WIELGUS has said (17)

• 2025-04-09 “E-001459/2025 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission The Commission refers the Honourable Members to its answer to written question E-001083/2025. Although there is currently no specific provision explicitly requiring the composition of menstrual products to be provided, there are obligations in place to ensure the safety of these products. As the Commission pointed out in its answer to written question E 001083/2025, the new General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) 1 , applicable since 13 December 2024, strengthens the safety framework for consumer products, including menstrual products. It introduces stricter safety related obligations for economic operators such as the need to perform an internal risk analysis and the requirement to provide any relevant safety information on the product, or on its packaging, to warn of any risk. Additionally, the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation 2 regulates chemical substances in consumer products, with existing and upcoming restrictions on hazardous chemicals, including those found in menstrual products. For instance, an existing restriction under REACH already bans the use of certain hazardous substances (e.g. the dioctyltin (DOT) compounds) in female hygiene products. A REACH restriction on skin sensitisers is in preparation too. 1 Regulation (EU) 2023/988 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 on general product safety, amending Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Directive (EU) 2020/1828 of the European Parliament and the Council, and repealing Directive 2001/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Directive 87/357/EEC. OJ L 135, 23.5.2023, p. 1–51. 2 Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), establishing a European Chemicals Agency, amending Directive 1999/45/EC and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 793/93 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1488/94 as well as Council Directive 76/769/EEC and Commission Directives 91/155/EEC, 93/67/EEC, 93/105/EC and 2000/21/EC. OJ L 396, 30.12.2006, p. 1–853.”
  Medical devices
• 2025-03-06 “P-000962/2025 Answer given by Ms Mînzatu on behalf of the European Commission In preparing the first work programme of the mandate, the Commission has thoroughly assessed all proposals currently pending with the co-legislators. In its assessment, the Commission took into account whether proposals were actively being considered and agreement could be reached or, on the contrary, blocked for a very long time and/or have any real perspective of progress. As a result of this assessment, the Commission put forward a list of 37 proposals it intends to withdraw. This includes the proposal for a Council Directive on equal treatment 1 presented 17 years ago, in 2008. In line with the interinstitutional agreement on better law making, the Commission will take due account of the positions of the Council and of the European Parliament before deciding on withdrawal of the proposals. While a majority of the Member States have indicated their support to the proposal, some of them have expressed concerns related to potential implementation costs and administrative impact, the respect of the subsidiarity principle and legal certainty. The Commission has consistently supported the Council Presidencies and the Member States to help them in making progress towards the adoption of the Council Directive. Building an EU of equality remains a key priority for the Commission, as demonstrated by the recent adoption of the Roadmap for Women’s Rights 2 and the preparation of new strategies on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer equality, anti-racism and gender equality. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52008PC0426 2 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_681”
  EU policy on integration and ethnic, racial and religious discrimination · Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• 2025-02-18 “E-000742/2025 Reply Pending its possible withdrawal by the Commission, the proposal referred to by the Honourable Member remains under discussion within the Council. Unanimity following the consent of the European Parliament would be required for the Directive to be adopted by the Council. The Council is not in a position to foresee the outcome or the duration of the discussions. The latest progress report is set out in 10817/24.”
  EU policy on integration and ethnic, racial and religious discrimination · Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• 2024-12-05 “E-002786/2024 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Mînzatu on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is committed to ensuring that persons and entities considered unreliable because of involvement in criminal, unethical practices or activities incompatible with European values do not receive EU financial support. Beneficiaries of Erasmus+ must uphold legal provisions protecting EU values. Mechanisms framed by the EU Financial Regulation 1 and relevant agreements concluded with recipients of EU funds have been put in place to safeguard and monitor the proper use of these funds. If there is evidence that a beneficiary receiving EU funds is in breach of the applicable rules, the Commission will take appropriate measures, including reinforced monitoring, audits, termination of the grant agreement and recovery of funds, to protect the integrity and proper use of the funds. Following allegations of disinformation by the World Youth Alliance Europe on sexual and reproductive health and rights, the Commission is looking into the matter together with the European Education and Culture Executive Agency, and assessing whether there has been a breach of the grant agreement provisions for non-compliance with European values or grave professional misconduct. Moreover, the Commission has deployed a set of monitoring and supervision activities such as regular audits to ensure efficient and effective programme implementation. The ongoing ‘Women’s Health Goes Digital’ project 2 is thoroughly monitored as all other projects co-funded under the Erasmus+ programme, and its future deliverables will need to be approved before they can be made public. 1 Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 September 2024 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (recast), OJ L, 2024/2509, 26.9.2024. 2 https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/101134732”
  Disinformation & online freedoms · EU engagement with civil society · Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• “Commissioner, the problem of housing is huge. We sometimes have some, um, stupid contributions from those on the right. The these a pathology where the price of housing since 2010 has gone up by 30% and rents up by 16%, which means that young people in Europe can't have an independent life of their own. We shouldn't close our eyes to the way in which the housing problem affects the poorest. 400,000 children are sleeping in the streets in. We have 35 children in Poland that don't have a home. It's a shock. It's a scandal because. Home isn't a good. That can be traded. We should create rights for people and not for those who are speculating.”
  EU housing policy
• “I am glad that in this I hope that in this new strategy, um, this is being addressed. I've been dealing with this for a couple of years now, and I understand the scale of the problem. And I hope that we will have the Commission will in fact, undertake studies. But what will happen after that? What will happen after the studies? What will be the future steps? Where will the Commission go with the results of those studies now? I think that we've got to iron out all inequalities, all of these fake news which the gender critical movements are spreading. We've got to have transparency. And there's a specific question I have to you now, how will the Commission ensure that this directive will be implemented properly? Because we do hear the criticism of many member states. Is the commission is the Commission actually prepared for those criticisms and for that for that counter-attack? It's a good thing that we're talking about here. But let. I hope that it's a situation where men can flex their muscles in the world, but we can do our work and counter-attack and we can just ensure that we are a shining example to the rest of the world when it comes to equality. Thank you.”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• “Through this We want to change not only the legal definition, but also the mindset and culture about the crime of rape. It cannot be about struggle, resistance, our violence, lack of consent. This must be the central part of the thinking about the crime of rape. I also speak about this because like as a co-rapporteur, we want this report to be as a concrete, transparent and effective as possible. We believe that our main goal must be the urgent change of definition of rape at the European level. And exactly because of this, we suggest excluding some more detailed matters from this report so as not to weaken its central message. That is the need for a European definition of rape of based on consent. We have shown in the report that there is a legal basis for doing this, and how consent is an internationally acknowledged human rights standard in the Istanbul Convention, Rome Statute and more. I am from Poland and Paolo is a good example. Poland is proof that this can be achieved beyond political disputes. After years in my country, after years of struggle and consultation, we have a new definition of rape based on lack of consent. It is a model for the entire union, but also a reminder that the national system is not enough. Why is not enough, for example, because we know from victim support networks report that in cases of rape, there is a risk of dismissal of this case due to Differences.”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• “Thank you for your story. Thank you for your story. For sharing it. Just like everyone present here in this room. Um, each and every of us suffered from hate speech in internet in our lives. And we know very well what the situation is. We know there are many analyses. We know the results. And regardless of the country we live in, if it's. If it's about us. Who shared a story a little, Eleanora. Each of us, we know what the situation is. No matter what the country we live in, we. We face this all the time. And it's increasing. This level of hate is increasing. Intensifying. We cannot. We can't stop it. We know also what Ultima said a while ago. That we are defenseless, that we are alone facing these problems. The direction is to slow that there is there are no no option of any sort of reaction. They simply say nothing can be done. So we know all this and we know that the digital giants are responsible for this. We know who they are. We know the names we don't have to look for for long. Yes, we know which entities are responsible for that. In the last speech, Madam Ellen from Greenville. Thank you very much for that presentation, too. She said that we have to encourage the platforms to do something. I think the time of encouraging is over.”
  Digital platforms liability for harmful and illegal content
• “President. Commissioner €3 billion is a fine on Google is a very important step. But we shouldn't be under any illusions. This is a company that earns hundreds of billions a year and this is just a small amount. It's not a real sanction. For very many years, Google has been favoring its own advertising services and has not played fairly. So we are very satisfied with the Commission's decision, because it's a very clear signal that commission is finally implementing its own laws. So it's a very good step. There shouldn't be equals and more equals in Europe. Everybody should be equal before the law in Europe. And this isn't only a question of competitiveness. We're talking about freedom of the media. Pluralism of information. Justice and democracy. The Commission has taken the first step. But I would very much hope that this is only the beginning, the beginning of implementing legislation and countering the unfair big tech companies. And perhaps, uh, make sure that the big tech companies also pay their taxes.”
  EU rules on digital competition
• “Commissioner, before I finish this speech, at least one new case of abuse online is going to be reported. The Internet Watch Foundation report for 2025 shows what is going on, and it points out to us being passive. Um, all those reports, uh, of abusive practices, uh, show up every 74 seconds and 97% of the victims are girls. Um, Roblox and discord platforms are used to gain trust of the children and then to use them and abuse them. The scale of this risk is appalling. The new problem is AI generated images of children's sexual abuse, and the increase is staggering by 26,000%. Um, so please bear in mind that this is happening. The, uh, big techs must be more responsible for what they are doing. Thank you.”
  Safety features & content control for child protection online
• “We should not be encouraging. Then we should demand in a strict way. That they have to do something because it's not just about us, but it's also about the young generation who don't know the world without social media. They are growing up in this new world, In the digital world. So after listening to all this presentation, which I and I thank you very much for those. We should unite not just the politicians and organisations, but also the NGOs. Influenza like the lady who spoke before, because we all know where the problem is. We know what should be done, what should be changed. But perhaps we should simply unite to force the internet platforms to change the situation. Because I also know the answer. And what they're doing is about power and money. So it's high time to stop this, because listening to the stories like like your story, which are which are horrible, more and more horrible, that is very sad. But it's simply time for some global action. Regardless of political divisions and national borders, we know who aggressors are. We know who allow for manipulation, for hate speech, for fake images. So let's do something. This is what I like to appeal to you. How? I like to appeal to you. And thank you very much for all the presentations.”
  Digital platforms liability for harmful and illegal content
• “Differences in national laws and only a uniform European standard ensures that rapists will not go unpunished, regardless of where the crime was committed. Since the adoption of the Directive on Combating Violence against women, a lot of has happened. The story about Gisele Palikot brought the spotlight back on this subject and has created a movement for change in France. One of the countries blocking for conscience based rape legislation to be included in the Gender based Violence Directive last election. And now we have an obligation to use this momentum to create the that change, and we have no time to lose. We are currently working on our compromise amendments and will share them with you and your teams very soon. We are looking forward to working with you on the report, and to jointly putting pressure on the Commission to put forward a proposal. And finally, this is our common mission. We fight for equality, but truly for justice and safety. The European Parliament must be an example of unity and courage in the face of hesitation in the Council. Let us stay together because this is a great opportunity for all of us. We can jointly to this simple but important thing. I count on you. Thank you.”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• “Thank you, Madam Commissioner. In this world which we live in, it's true that the policies which we have are Mail policies which show mail force. So I thank you for this strategy, and I thank you for the work which you've done in preparing the strategy. I will say I'm really pleased that as far as health is concerned, this issue will be looked at from a female point of view. It's incredible that we're talking about women's health. We would look at statistics which were based on male male health, and I'm glad that the there has been a change to the definition of rape. And sex without consent is rape. And I'm happy that in two weeks time we will be voting on the report in Strasbourg. I'm a rapporteur for this report, and we will be urging the Commission to have a new definition of rape. And I would like to ask if the Commission intends to propose new legislation on the basis of this. We have requested this twice now, and in two weeks time, we will be doing this for the third time, and I'm hoping that third time will be will be lucky. And finally, that definition will be in place legally. Another thing which is very important for me personally and that it concerns these anti-gender movements.”
  Sexuality and reproduction
• “Commissioner. I was listening to this debate and to what the right side of this House was saying. And those, uh, the shouting, the, uh, them saying that they don't like this act means that it's good that it was created. But, Madam Commissioner, uh, the organization liberties report says that many countries, including my own country, Poland, are not prepared for the implementation of the act. And I think that what commission needs to do now is to make sure that the act is transposed, is implemented, and the member states are really using it as they should. Uh, what we are saying very often is we are talking about the freedom of speech, freedom of information, truth, facts. However, our duty as MEPs here and the duty of the Commission is to implement this. Act and to make sure that we think how to deal with disinformation and manipulation that we are facing. Thank you.”
  Disinformation & online freedoms
• “Thank you so much. Thank you for the discussion. And maybe I will give some statistics, especially for my friend from Hyzaar. Hyzaar. Hyzaar. I would like to remind you, 1 in 3 women in the European Union has experienced gender based violence, and 1 in 20 women has been a victim of rape. According to studies, 6,060% of rapes are committed by persons which we known, including partners. It's about 21%, close relatives about 13%, and friends colleagues about 28%. These are facts, and we must base our our work only on facts. Because the problem of rape is not a political game, it is a real tragedy for women that we must that we must resolve. Moreover, research also shows growing support for these changes. Nearly 300,000 Europeans have signed the petition only yes means yes and in countries that have introduced this definition. Like Spain or Sweden, the readiness to report crimes and trust in the justice system has increased and this is our way forward. Thank you once again for discussion, and I am very much count on very good cooperation in the future and for good final for this report. Thank you.”
  Sexuality and reproduction
• “Thank you. Lena. First of all, I would like to say that Irvin from the committee, she cannot be here with us because she is sick. And I will say a few words on her behalf as well. Irvin is a very experienced when it comes to working on violence against women and the issue of the rape, because she was the co-rapporteur on the gender based Violence Directive. I know that the Parliament fought very hard to include the definition of rape based of consent in the directive, but there was no majority in the council. We now fight for it again. Consent based rape legislation is a very important first step to live up to international human rights standards, as set out in the Istanbul Convention. And I believe That with this report, we can make it happen. Happen. We have in total received 386 amendments on a wide range of topics to our draft report, and I would like to thank you, the shadow rapporteurs, for their great effort for the amendments. Thank you for the constructive approach to this report. And once again, we show that when it comes to such a fundamental issue as this, we can act beyond political divisions. As we all know, our our report is based on article 36 of the Istanbul Convention. We want to introduce a simple, clear and effective definition of rape because only clearly expressed voluntary conscious consent may allow any sexual contact.”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• “Mr. president, ladies and gentlemen, let's face the truth. Our children grow up in completely different times than we did. They live in two worlds online and offline. It is on the internet that young people play, learn, make friends, or look for love. But as it turns out, they also often suffer. Cyber bullying affects 1 in 6 teenagers. It's awful. Depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts. This is the scourge of social media that is destroying the young generation. Recently, AI of Elon Musk, using a one simple command, undressed 3 million photos of women and 23,000 photos of children without their consent. This is pathological. And online platforms must be held accountable. The scale of online bullying against children is growing. We cannot ignore cyber bullying. We are responsible for it, especially when it comes to the younger generation. And now I address those who are talking about freedom of speech who talked here today. Think about it. Would you really like to see pictures of your mothers, wives or daughters undressed? Would you be then talking about freedom? Think about what you're talking about. We fully support what the commissioner is doing and hope it will be implemented very soon. Thank you.”
  Digital platforms liability for harmful and illegal content