23/04/2026 | 15:45:04 Thank you Chair. Let me start saying that crime should not pay. Not for organised crime networks. Not for money launderers. And certainly not for those who are financing terrorism. If we are serious about security in Europe, we must go after the money. Because that is where power lies. That is how criminal networks grow, recruit and destabilise our societies. This protocol is therefore an important step forward. It strengthens financial investigations. It improves co-operation across borders... 23/04/2026 | 10:31:56 Thank you, Madam President. Dear colleagues, The agreement to establish a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine is not just a legal development. It is a moral necessity. Because without accountability, there is no justice. And without justice, there is no lasting peace. This tribunal sends a clear message: those who plan and wage wars of aggression cannot hide behind power or position. They will be held responsible. Not someday, but through institutions we build today... 22/04/2026 | 17:59:47 Chair, Dear colleagues, Let me be clear. The death penalty has no place in any society that respects human rights. Not in any circumstances. And it must never be applied differently depending on who you are. Because when the law treats people differently, it is no longer justice, it is discrimination. This is why I am deeply concerned about proposals in Israel that risk expanding the death penalty in a way that would, in practice, apply mainly to Palestinians. That is not rule of law. That is... 22/04/2026 | 13:34:51 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Chair, dear colleagues, The Istanbul Convention is not controversial. Violence against women is. And yet, instead of focusing on the women and girls who need protection, too many political forces have chosen to attack the Convention itself. They spread disinformation, distort its purpose, and try to turn a human rights instrument into an ideological battlefield. When you attack the Istanbul Convention, you are not defending families. You are... 21/04/2026 | 16:41:29 Thank you, Chair. Dear colleagues, As a Social Democrat from Sweden, I came from a political tradition that has seen the worst consequences of political hate. Our Prime Minister, Olof PALME, was murdered. Our Foreign Minister, Anna LINDH, was killed. "You and your family should be two metres underground, not in Parliament." That is a message I have received. So this debate is not abstract for me. I know what it means to receive threats and hate, not only as a politician, but also as someone... 29/01/2026 | 19:38:25 Thank you. Madam Chair, Dear colleagues, I had the opportunity to observe the national elections in North Macedonia. What I saw was clear: people could vote freely, calmly, and without pressure. But a good election day does not mean that everything in a democracy works well. Both the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe point to important problems: unclear rules for campaign financing, weak transparency in the media, limited ways to challenge... 02/10/2025 | 11:17:46 Thank you President and thank you Lord Michael GERMAN for an excellent report. Let me begin with clarity. I strongly condemn Hamas and its acts of terror. Free all the hostages now. Nothing justifies targeting civilians. But we also have to talk about what is happening now in Gaza. This war has already become the deadliest conflict for journalists in modern history. Nearly 200 media workers have been killed while trying to report the truth. Killing the messenger is not only a human tragedy... 01/10/2025 | 10:22:56 Thank you, Chair. I was present in Serbia during the last elections. I saw people who wanted to believe in change, but I also saw how difficult that road has become. And we all know this – in Serbia, as in Sweden – the struggle for democracy and dignity is never easy. The facts are clear. Serbia is sliding backwards in every major democracy index. Freedom House now calls the country only 'partly free'. The Economist Democracy Index has fallen to 6.2. These are not just numbers, they mean that... 26/06/2025 | 10:20:45 Thank you, Chair. Dear colleagues, Thank you Mr Paulo PISCO for the report. We talk a lot in this chamber about values about human rights, dignity, justice. But let me ask you honestly: what are those values worth if they don’t apply to a mother drowning with her child off the coast of Lampedusa? People don’t get on those boats because they want to. They do it because they’ve run out of choices. No one risks everything for fun. They’re escaping war, dictatorship, poverty, and, in many cases... 25/06/2025 | 22:50:34 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Mr President, dear colleagues, The escalation of war in the Middle East from Gaza to the West Bank, from Iran to Lebanon is not only a regional tragedy. It is a global danger. A danger to peace, to international law, and to the human values that bind us as Europeans. This is not the time for neutrality between the powerful and the displaced. It is the time to reaffirm our commitment to human dignity, international humanitarian law, and the...