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Hannahs Monthly: One day, two speeches, three human rights resolutions

This week: there is a new President of the Commission, I am making my first speech, there are regular debates on human rights violations in Parliament and the weather is beautiful in Strasbourg.

Ursula von der Leyen

Mrs von der Leyen stood for election before Parliament this week. As indicated last week, it was not an easy decision for me personally and for us in the Green Group. She made a really impressive speech. I personally would have liked Mrs von der Leyen to have come to our group earlier with such strong statements and we would have had more time for concrete negotiations. But even so, in the coming years we will continue to measure her against her promises in the areas of climate protection, women's rights, social justice, the right of initiative for Parliament and strengthening the EU vis-à-vis the Member States - and we are prepared to work closely with her to implement them. So: Congratulations Mrs von der Leyen! And I am very pleased that for the first time a woman is leading the Commission. From now on we have to get down to work, because we have a lot to do.

Here is the official press release of the European Green Group.

Urgency Resolutions on China, Russia and the US-Mexican border

For me, as human rights spokesperson for the Greens/EFA Group, the Urgency Resolutions are of particular importance: every month the EU adopts three of these urgent resolutions. These are always about situations or conflicts outside the EU where human rights are endangered (yes, you could talk about such problems within the EU, but this has been mostly blocked so far). Parliament decides how the EU should deal with these situations. This week we have dealt with the protests in Hongkong, political prisoners in Russia and the situation on the US-Mexican border. The result - short and sweet:

  • As the EU we stand behind the demonstrators who are peacefully protesting against the extradition law.
  • We call on Russia to release its political prisoners, including Ukrainian citizens and human rights activists. We also condemn any threats against parliamentarians.
  • Regarding the situation on the US-Mexican border, the majority of the Parliament called for the closure of the camps there and the reunification of children who fled alone with their families. The EPP did not agree with these demands.

Of course, the various groups were not in agreement on all points. But the fact that cross-party commitment to human rights issues was evident here gives me hope for the next five years in Parliament!

My speech!

The jump into the cold water, which every parliamentarian has to take, was already on the agenda for me this week. I was allowed (only a short time after Ursula von der Leyen) to give my first plenary speech on the situation in the Persian Gulf. Keyword: Nuclear agreement with Iran and escalation in the Strait of Hormuz. Among other things I called on the EU to encourage regional talks:

"The EU must encourage regional talks and ensure that the conflict does not spill over into neighbouring countries already ravaged by war. But this cannot be done without also talking about the many human rights violations in the region. A strong European foreign policy is more important today than ever to maintain a rule-based international order".

– Hannah Neumann, MEP

Out of the parliament - into the city

Strasbourg is really beautiful! In my second week of sessions I finally had the opportunity to see the city centre. It was a little journey into the past: the last time I came to visit, I was still a child. Even then I was already fascinated by the fairytale scenery. That felt good, in this weighty and tense political week.

Summer break

Nächste Woche wird nochmal in den Ausschüssen debattiert, am Donnerstag geht’s dann in die parlamentarische Sommerpause. Bei dem Trubel, der in Brüssel und Straßburg herrscht, ist eine Sommerpause super wichtig. Klar, Urlaub muss sein. Aber es geht auch darum, in die eigenen Wahlkreise zurückzukehren, mit den Bürger*innen vor Ort in Kontakt zu treten und sich auf die parlamentarische Hauptsaison ab September vorzubereiten. Ich freue mich auf Wanderwege in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Kiezgespräche in Berlin und auf meine Reise zum Thema Rüstungsexporte – #topsecret 😉

More on this in a few weeks.

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