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03 October 2024 afternoon

2024 - Fourth part-session Print sitting

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Openning of the sitting No 31

Debate: Preventing and combating violence and discrimination against lesbian, bisexual and queer women in Europe

Mr Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS

Greece, EPP/CD, President of the Assembly

16:06:47

The sitting is open. 

I thought that you were applauding me on entering the room but it was for somebody else. But anyway, thank you for being here with us and having the opportunity to watch how this Assembly is working.

Dear colleagues, I remind you that you should insert your badge before taking the floor. As you begin your speech, please press the microphone button once only.

The first item of business this afternoon is the debate on the Report titled “Preventing and combating violence and discrimination against lesbian, bisexual and queer (LBQ) women in Europe”. It is Document 16043 presented by Ms Béatrice FRESKO-ROLFO on behalf of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination.

In order to finish by 5:15 p.m., I will interrupt the list of speakers at about 5:10 p.m. to allow time for the reply and the vote.

I call Ms FRESKO-ROLFO, rapporteur. You know that you have 7 minutes now, and 3 minutes at the end to reply to the debate.

You have the floor.

 

Ms Béatrice FRESKO-ROLFO

Monaco, ALDE, Rapporteur

16:07:55

Thank you, Mister Chairman.

Dear colleagues,

Promoting respect for all people in all their diversity is a principle that we vehemently defend in this House. Over the years, many of our colleagues have spoken out against all forms of injustice, discrimination, and stigmatisation. Despite remarkable advances in the protection of rights, LGBTI people are still victims of violence and discrimination in Europe today.

Lesbophobic violence is a serious and worrying problem that affects many people around the world, making the situation all the more alarming. It takes the form of acts of hatred, discrimination and, very often, physical and psychological violence. Lesbian, bisexual and queer women today are the object of attacks that seek to make them invisible and even to deny their legitimacy in the public sphere. They are attacked as women and because of their sexual orientation.

Today, I am honoured to present you with a report that deals as objectively as possible with the violence and obstacles that LBQ women may encounter and that prevent them from feeling safe in our societies. Of course, it is through an intersectional and inclusive approach that the protection of rights will be effective, and this is what this report aims to do.

I would like to point out, however, that despite a significant increase in reports of lesbophobic offences, I have encountered a certain difficulty due to the lack of data on this kind of violence, as it is often poorly disaggregated.

I'd like to share my initial findings with you.

First of all, many of these acts of violence are motivated by a desire to punish women whose sexual orientation does not conform to a so-called heterosexual standard, or who have simply rejected a man's advances. To be precise, dear colleagues, I'm talking about corrective rape, but also murder by an ex-spouse.

Secondly, this violence also takes place within a family circle that does not accept their sexual orientation and no longer has a protective function, pushing teenage girls and young adults to leave home and take refuge on the streets. LBQ women are often forced to hide their homosexuality or the visibility of their sexual orientation to avoid facing threats and hate speech. Avoidance and self-effacement strategies are put in place. Victims often feel socially isolated, stigmatised and persistently afraid of asserting themselves and living their identity freely.

Harassment and insults, even online, are still common for public figures. A few days ago, our colleague Lucia PLAVÁKOVÁ was the target of hate speech following a session of her national parliament, by another MP, because she is queer. Threats to her and her daughter: you can imagine and all because she doesn't fit into THE box. Let's hope she gets justice.

We also encounter such stigmatisation in the world of sport. Despite some lesbophobic comments, the 2024 Paris Olympics were an opportunity to showcase LBQ athletes recognised for their exceptional sporting performances.

Attempts at intimidation, emotional harassment, even the term lesbian is often associated with shame and disgust. Let's face it. The long-term impact of explicit insults and threats is extremely devastating for the self-esteem, mental health, and well-being of the women concerned.

The difficulty of accessing employment due to discrimination linked to their sexual orientation or the lack of support in working environments poses a serious economic problem for many lesbian women seeking to integrate into society. This can lead to homelessness, which disproportionately affects LGBTI communities.

On the medical front, 60% of LBQ women do not undergo smear tests, which can delay the discovery of an illness, and 90% had not been screened for Chlamydia because of their sexual orientation. The associations I met denounced a misogynistic and heteronormative healthcare system that makes this community suffer from non-diagnosis and lack of care. Let me remind you that diagnosis too late is dangerous.

On an institutional level, the fact that some states do not include marriage for all in their legislation or do not recognize the marriage effects of same-sex couples married abroad causes family instability, parental discrimination and daily administrative difficulties.

Before concluding, I would like to point out that this report is essentially about violence against LBQ women and, despite several attempts at intimidation by an association, I refuse to include transphobic comments. I want to reiterate that transgender women are women.

The purpose of this report is to make the voices of LBQ women heard, to contribute to the visibility of their struggle for equal rights, and to ensure that the difficulties they face are dealt with effectively. It is crucial to promote awareness-raising programs on equal rights in order to deconstruct negative stereotypes and foster better understanding and living-together between different communities within society.

It is essential to combat lesbophobia at all levels of society, in order to create an environment where all people, whatever their sexual orientation, can live in safety and with dignity.

Collective mobilisation and the will to change are fundamental to building a more inclusive and equitable world. It is only by strengthening laws against hate crimes and legal protections for the rights of LGBTQ+ people as a whole that our societies today – it's 2024 – will finally be able to promote and realise living together in all its diversity, moving forward and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity for family stability if they so wish.

In conclusion, I would of course like to thank the Secretariat and the Equality and Non-Discrimination Commission for all their support.

Mr Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS

Greece, EPP/CD, President of the Assembly

16:14:32

Thank you, Béatrice. 

In the debate, I call first on the behalf of the European Conservatives Group and Democratic Alliance, Ms Sally-Ann HART.

Ms Sally-Ann HART

United Kingdom, EC/DA, Spokesperson for the group

16:14:47

Every individual should be treated with dignity and respect. It is sadly true that lesbian, bisexual and queer (LBQ) women face discrimination and violence in both private and public spheres. While we must ensure that no one is subjected to hatred or violence based on their identity, we must also carefully consider the broader implications of the policies being proposed and the role of education in shaping the next generation.

It is undeniable that LBQ women face significant challenges. Sexism, misogyny, and stigma continue to affect their lives, from access to employment and housing to healthcare and personal safety. These are real issues that deserve attention and serious solutions. However, as we seek to address these concerns, we must also ensure that our responses do not go too far in ways that undermine the rights and protections of others, particularly when it comes to education.

One of the proposals we often hear is the introduction of educational programmes that teach about gender diversity and sexual orientation in schools. While well-intentioned, these programmes risk confusing young minds, especially when they encourage children to question their gender identities prematurely. Schools should focus on the basics – maths, science, literacy – not the promotion of ideologies that are still highly contested. Parents, not educators or bureaucrats, should be the primary guides when it comes to teaching children about complex issues of identity and sexuality. This does not mean turning a blind eye to discrimination, but it does mean acknowledging that there are alternative approaches that respect parental rights and the innocence of childhood.

Instead of introducing controversial gender ideologies into the classroom, we can focus on teaching values that we all agree on: respect for others, the importance of equality, and the rejection of violence and bullying in all its forms. We can create environments that are inclusive and safe without pushing young people into ideological frameworks that may not align with their family’s values.

Moreover, it is crucial that we maintain the protections and rights that are essential for all women, particularly in spaces like women’s shelters, sports, and private spaces where privacy and safety concerns are paramount. We should not sacrifice the hard-won gains of women’s rights in the name of inclusivity. Biological differences between men and women are real – a lesbian does not have a penis – and policies should reflect these realities to ensure fairness and security for everyone.

There are alternative approaches that can address the concerns of LBQ women while safeguarding the rights of others. We can strengthen anti-discrimination laws, ensuring that no one faces unjust treatment based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, without introducing policies that conflict with women’s rights or parental responsibilities.

We must take a balanced approach and not forget that different approaches can address the needs of all citizens in a way that unites, rather than divides, society.

Mr Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS

Greece, EPP/CD, President of the Assembly

16:17:59

Thank you, Sally-Ann.

On behalf of Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, Mr Damien COTTIER.

Mr Damien COTTIER

Switzerland, ALDE, Spokesperson for the group

16:18:08

Thank you, Mister Chairman.

On behalf of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Group, I'd like to congratulate and thank the rapporteur for her work.

She is right to point out that lesbian, bisexual and queer women continue to suffer discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender and other cross-cutting factors, despite the obvious, notable and significant progress that has been made on LGBTI rights in recent decades on our continent. This discrimination affects their access to employment, housing and healthcare, and must be combated.

The rapporteur is right to strongly condemn movements and actions that seek to deny or withdraw the rights of LBQ women, and more generally of LGBTQ people. These movements aim to erase their presence from the public space. And, in particular, the resolution is right in stressing that laws which are so-called "anti-propaganda" laws should be repealed when in fact they seek to discredit another form of normality, which may not be the majority but is still a normality.

It's not a question of promoting ideologies as we've just heard, it's simply a reminder that there are other forms of normality, and this is particularly important for young people.

The rapporteur is also right to call for zero tolerance regarding hate crimes and hate speech against LGBTQ people and women in particular and she is right to call for specific legal protection and equal rights. And there is a whole arsenal of measures that our States can take, and in particular - several parliaments are currently discussing this, several States have made progress in this direction recently - the prohibition of the famous so-called "conversion" therapies, which are basically unacceptable treatments in countries like ours, or indeed in any country, and it is therefore important to ban them and make sure they are dealt with.

The rapporteur is also right in calling for recognition of parental rights for same-sex couples, and there are various ways this can be done. Many countries recognise those rights, others still have some way to go in this area. Sometimes it means recognition of marriage for all, sometimes a civil partnership, sometimes other forms, but progress must be made to that end.

The report also stresses the importance of national strategies for protecting the rights of LGBTI people. And here again, we share that vision: our countries must equip themselves with such instruments. And finally, fair access to healthcare for LBQ people is an especially important measure.

And by way of conclusion, the rapporteur also stresses the importance of enhancing the visibility of lesbian women. Let's hope that one day this will no longer be necessary; it still is today, and it's particularly important for young people, so that they know that there are these other forms of normality and that, ultimately, society is there to integrate and love all its children.

And with that in mind, we support this resolution and thank the rapporteur for her work.

Mr Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS

Greece, EPP/CD, President of the Assembly

16:21:37

Thank you, Damien.

On behalf of the Group of the Unified European Left, Ms Laura CASTEL.

Ms Laura CASTEL

Spain, UEL, Spokesperson for the group

16:21:45

Thank you, Chair, and thank you, dear rapporteur, because their report underscores the vulnerability of LBQ women to anti-gender movements and the need for inclusive policies and legal protections.

Rightly so, due to alarming trends worldwide.

Furthermore, the varying societal attitudes towards gender identity and sexual orientation in different countries are also a cause of concern.

While some regions have made significant progress in recognising gender identity, others remain highly restrictive regarding sexual orientation.

This highlights the ongoing struggle to challenge traditional societal norms and promote inclusivity. While progress has been made, there is still much work to be done to ensure the safety and equality of LBQ women in Europe and worldwide.

It is essential to continue advocating for comprehensive legal protection, promoting education and awareness, and challenging discriminatory attitudes.

The proposal set out in this report for concrete actions to protect LBQ women from violence and discrimination are very comprehensive and are a good starting point.

By promoting the report and building up on this work in our national parliaments, we can come closer to building more inclusive and unjust societies.

That being said, I briefly would like to touch upon the very question of gender categorisation, which arises from a complex interplay of biological, societal, historical, and institutional factors.

I think it is important to know that while some individuals may feel that gender is an innate internal experience, others perceive it as a social construct that has been shaped over time by cultural norms, expectations, and power structures.

To guarantee that the rights mentioned in this report are upheld on many occasions, gender categorisation should take place. I think a broad reflection is needed on the purposes of gender categorisation and the possible misuse of this practice.

There are concerns about the potential for gender categorisation to infringe on individuals privacy and lead to discrimination.

Therefore, it's important to ensure that data is collected and used ethically and responsibly.

While there are valid reasons for maintaining gender categories in certain contexts, it is also important to recognise the limitation and potential for harm.

As societies continue to evolve, it is likely that discussions about gender identity and expression will become increasingly complex and that the Parliamentary Assembly will need more nuances in its reports.

Thank you very much. Thank you, Madam rapporteur.

Mr Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS

Greece, EPP/CD, President of the Assembly

16:24:37

Thank you, Laura.

On behalf of the Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group, Ms Heike ENGELHARDT.

Ms Heike ENGELHARDT

Germany, SOC, Spokesperson for the group

16:24:47

Thank you, Mister President,

Chers collègues,

I could now ask provocatively: do we really need a report that deals exclusively with the rights of queer women? Haven't we already created a comprehensive legal framework for the protection of women with the Istanbul Convention, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity?

Ms Béatrice FRESKO-ROLFO's report makes it crystal clear. Yes, we need that. She has worked out in detail how vulnerable and at risk this group of women is. And I would like to thank you, Ms FRESKO-ROLFO, for pushing this issue forward in the Assembly.

Imagine, ladies and gentlemen, that you cannot tell your close circle who you are in love with for fear of being ostracised, rejected or, in the worst case, raped or even killed. They would have to deny themselves. Imagine having to hold back in public with gestures of affection because you are afraid of being verbally or physically attacked because of your relationship. You would be forced into invisibility.

Imagine you want to start a family. But you are denied the right to be a real family by parts of society because you supposedly don't have the right man for the job. Or you have to go through a complicated adoption procedure to become a parent to the child that is the result of your relationship. What others take for granted, you have to constantly explain, justify and fight for.

I could go on and on with the list of discrimination and exclusion that queer women unfortunately have to experience in contrast to their cisgender, heterosexual fellow citizens, not to mention the emotional and physical consequences. It is our duty to protect queer women legally and close loopholes in the law. Contrary to the anti-gender polemics of the right-wing parties in our member states in particular, I must make it clear here: the rights of queer women are not a niche issue. From a democratic and human rights perspective, it is the duty of all of us to guarantee them by law.

We must not leave the stage to the agitators who want to divide our society and pit groups against each other. We must act. The views and needs of queer women have so far been under-estimated, and the report by our colleague shows that there is still a lot to do here.

Let's get on with it and join me and my group in voting for the report.

Thank you very much.

Mr Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS

Greece, EPP/CD, President of the Assembly

16:27:31

Thank you, Heike.

Now I give the floor to Mr Georgios STAMATIS on behalf of the Group of the European People's Party.

Mr Georgios STAMATIS

Greece, EPP/CD, Spokesperson for the group

16:27:42

Then allow me to speak in my native language. 

Ladies and gentlemen, Béatrice, I think, is really the best possible rapporteur for this subject and I really want to thank her for everything she has done both the work here and in the Committee. 

What is the issue in this report? It really does describe to us where we want to go and what the purposes we wish to attain are and that does not mean a society which takes us back to the Middle Ages when people were split into categories like rich and poor. 

By adopting this resolution, we can make major decisions to protect lesbian, bisexual and queer (LBQ) women and give them a choice as to what life they wish to lead. And I totally agree with Béatrice that it is very difficult to get everything we want today and it would be very positive if all citizens, including those being discriminated against, could come here to Strasbourg and report on and describe what they are experiencing. 

Obviously, we need to give LBQ women more rights – they should be able to adopt children, decide on their lives and be self-reliant and not be subjected to racism, homophobia, lesbophobia and similar discrimination. 

And today, at the very time that we are holding this debate, there are several lesbian women belonging to another discriminated-against group – Roma lesbian women, immigrant lesbian women. So you can see that there is proliferating discrimination and this report gives us hope. We are heading to a better future. So I would beseech you to support this resolution. I really think many women are suffering today and other categories who expect us to make a real step forward.

Mr Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS

Greece, EPP/CD, President of the Assembly

16:30:30

Thank you, George.

Now we continue to our list with Ms Luz MARTINEZ SEIJO.

Ms Luz MARTINEZ SEIJO

Spain, SOC

16:30:44

Thank you, Mister President.

I would like to speak Spanish if you don't mind. 

Despite the great progress we have made in protecting the rights of lesbian, bi, queer, trans and intersex people over the last few years, the attacks that wish to deny or withdraw those rights have grown in Europe. 

Lesbian, bi and trans (LGT) women were marginalised for a long time and today they are specifically attacked by anti-gender movements that attack women's rights and the rights of LGBT people, attempting to silence them or deny them their legitimate right to exist in the public space. 

LGBT women are stigmatised and discriminated against based on their gender, their sexual orientation and their identity as women since they do not fit into any of the little boxes of social expectations or stereotyped gender roles or standards of feminity. They may be victims of physical, mental and verbal violence, including so-called honour crimes which aim to deny their sexual orientation, punish them for recognising it or control their bodies. 

We must not forget that prejudice and stigma can also affect their access to employment, housing, medical attention, healthcare, sexual and reproduction rights and also the right to have a family. 

Preventing and fighting against discrimination and violence against LGBT women is an issue of human rights. In Spain, female couples have recovered the right to access assisted procreation techniques, which had been refuted by the previous government of the Partido Popular.

Now, our LGB and trans law has produced another commitment to the demands made by LGBT+ organisations by including the sons and daughters of female couples without the need to be married, meaning we have taken another step towards including diverse families.

When we talk about lesbian women, we must take into account intersectionality and multiple forms of discrimination because this collective is greatly vulnerable due to the combination of different forms of discrimination, which can sometimes be dual given their sexual orientation and sexual identity, for being women, and in many cases, this can be further worsened when there are other factors, like ethnic and racial diversity, origin, age or disability. 

We must denounce the instrumentalisation of the rights of these people for political reasons and hate speech is directed against them. This is a clear symptom of the regression that the right and far-right want. The recent creation of a commission on the fight against hate speech in the Congress of Deputies in Spain is showing clearly how important it is to see the extent of these crimes, the areas in which they unfold and are disseminated, the collectives that they are aimed at, the factors involved in their increase and the necessary measures to find a social, political and legal response. 

For this reason, members of parliament must play an active role in fighting against hate speech directed against these people and in particular in such a vulnerable sector as LGBT women. 

Lastly, I would like to thank you for the work that has been organised by the rapporteur and also thank you for the colleague who has brought this report to this Parliamentary Assembly.

Thank you very much. 

Mr Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS

Greece, EPP/CD, President of the Assembly

16:34:14

Thank you, Luz.

Mr Christophe BRICO is next.

Mr Christophe BRICO

Monaco, EPP/CD

16:34:19

Thank you, Mister Chairman.

I would also like to thank Ms Béatrice FRESKO-ROLFO for her report and her unfailing commitment to tolerance and dignity, which can be seen here as well as in our national Parliament. The question before us all boils down to this: tolerance and dignity.

In a report published last May, the European Agency for Fundamental Rights, the report it produces every five years on LGBTQI equality, basically demonstrates a paradox: European societies are both more tolerant and, at the same time, aggression, discrimination, hate and homophobic acts are on the rise. It's paradoxical, but it's a fact.

In the case of LGBQ people - women - it's even a double whammy, since homophobia is often accompanied by sexism, the former being an aggravating circumstance for the latter. It therefore seems to me that in this forum, which defends tolerance and dignity, which defends gender equality and non-discrimination, we should support the defence of these people.

It seems to me that the proposals in this report are perfectly reasonable and that we should all support them, at least for the most part.

Thank you very much.

Mr Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS

Greece, EPP/CD, President of the Assembly

16:35:45

Thank you, Christophe.

Ms Kate OSBORNE is next.

Kate, we cannot hear you.

Have you inserted your badge?

Ms Kate OSBORNE

United Kingdom, SOC

16:36:04

Thank you.

Dear Colleagues, Mister President,

I welcome this report in its entirety. It is well written and balanced and covers a whole range of ways LBQ women are sidelined, targeted, and face a whole range of discrimination.

Forty years ago I came out as a lesbian, and now as a member of the UK Parliament, the gayest parliament in the world. I still face lesbophobia from some quarters and particularly over the last few years targeted by anti-gender movements.

It is beyond disappointing that despite major progress for our LGBTI communities, in recent years we have seen frequent attacks on LBQ women, on our right to exist and attempts to row back the rights we have fought so hard for.

I am pleased the report asks member states to celebrate International Lesbian Visibility Day.

Last year we held a debate in the UK Parliament on Lesbian Visibility Day, the first in the UK. Following that debate I faced some awful homophobic remarks. Simply for being open about my sexuality, I was called a nonce, had serious threats and received a barrage of abuse.

This abuse is designed to silence women. We must instead use our platforms to call it out and to highlight, as this report does very well, the increase in sexism and misogyny that LBQ women face.

Let me also be very clear, the intersectional approach of this report is exactly what is needed. As a cis lesbian woman, I refuse to be pitted against my trans siblings. We must not be distracted by the fabricated conflict between trans women and lesbians, which only serves to divide and undermine the fight for equality within our communities. We must also not fall prey to the false narrative portraying trans people as a threat to women.

The vile abuse and terminology currently being used against the trans community is the same hate as the Lesbian and Gay Community faced back in the 1980’s.

I welcome the report calling on member states to ensure LBQ women have the rights and protections they need and deserve, and I am pleased that the report talks about how LBQ women are portrayed and our diverse profiles. We are here to be fabulous in our differences and to be seen, to let others know that they can be their true selves.

It is important that we don’t forget the challenges that lesbians still face.

So, I would like to thank the rapporteur and hope that you all support the report.

Thank you.

Mr Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS

Greece, EPP/CD, President of the Assembly

16:39:04

Thank you. Kate.

It is the turn of Mr Yuriy KAMELCHUK, but I don't see him in the room.

Yuriy?

No.

So it looks like, Francesco, you are going to speak earlier.

Francesco VERDUCCI.

Mr Francesco VERDUCCI

Italy, SOC

16:39:19

President, thank you.

Colleagues,

There is violence and discrimination that many women suffer, not just because they are women, but doubly so, because they are women and because they are lesbians, simply because they want to live out their nature and their feelings, as equals, without having to hide.

It is a vicious and pervasive form of discrimination, which sinks in prejudice and stigma. It prevents people from living their lives freely, from realising their happiness, which is the most powerful and revolutionary right.

The Report we will approve today is part of a larger battle to expand civil protections and rights, which always also generate social protections and rights, lives, existences, everyday lives, which we have a duty to liberate from the pressure of intolerance. To combat crimes and abuse, the first way is to confront them, not to be indifferent, as many do in parliamentary halls.

If one of us is discriminated against, we are all discriminated against. We should all try to put on the shoes of a girl or woman humiliated and offended because she is lesbian, or bisexual, or queer. There is an additional violence that these people are forced to suffer, the lack of legal regulations to protect themselves, to defend themselves, to assert their right.

That is why it is essential to recognise in every legal system the homophobic aggravating factor, hate crimes based on sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity.

In Italy all this has been prevented by right-wing obstructionism. But the new generations are ahead of bad politics, and this battle will one day be won. Similarly, there is no more violent discrimination than for a government to cancel the transcription of birth certificates of children of couples formed by two women, going to affect the most important thing, the pre-eminent interest of minors, of children.

President, I want to thank the rapporteur, Ms Béatrice FRESKO-ROLFO, for giving, in this report, a voice to civil society, to social demands that do not only affect some, that affect us all.

There is a stigma of unjust discrimination, which weighs on the existence of millions of people. This stigma can destroy a life, and it can undermine a democracy. We here all, in this Assembly of the Council of Europe, have a duty to erase this infamy.

Thank you.

Mr Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS

Greece, EPP/CD, President of the Assembly

16:42:26

Thank you, Francesco

And now it is Mr László TOROCZKAI.

Mr László TOROCZKAI

Hungary, NR

16:42:33

Thank you, Mister President.

Before we discuss the situation of lesbian, bisexual, and queer women in Europe, let's talk talk about something else related to this topic.

Let's talk about the scandal that is currently unfolding here in the Council of Europe.

I will share my views soon on the report entitled "Preventing and combating violence and discrimination against lesbian, bisexual and queer women in Europe", because I have read this report.

But first, let me tell you that I believed that the Council of Europe was actually about core values, as it is proclaimed everywhere, that it is about human rights, about the protection of Europe's ethnic minorities, such as the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia and Transylvania, and about the protection of the most vulnerable group in society, the children.

But no, that's not what the Council of Europe is about right now, children's rights are barely dealt with. Instead, we focus almost every session on LGBTQ lobby issues, just as this report is about the interest of a group of a certain sexual orientation.

However, the biggest scandal is what the Council of Europe is doing now.

In the Council of Europe's agora building, there is currently an exhibition promoting sexual perversion with illustration of children and animals. It's a shame.

As for the report, it mentions a few isolated cases from France, Portugal, Italy. But this is not a problem for the whole of societies in Europe.

So the report's conclusion is therefore incorrect in this sense.

The report highlights that it wants zero tolerance of so-called "hate speech" against the LGBTQ community. This is in fact a restriction on the freedom of speech, and it has already been implemented. It's in fact about censorship. You want to silence those who, in defence of the children, dare to criticise this lobby, which is getting stronger and more violent.

Actually, it is not lesbian, bisexual, queer women who are at risk in Europe, but children. Among other things, because of the propaganda that has now been presented in an exhibition here at the Council of Europe. This exhibition, this is a pornographic, paedophile, and zoophile exhibition. It's a scandal! And I demand that not freedom of speech, but such exhibitions should be banned.

Thank you very much.

 

Mr Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS

Greece, EPP/CD, President of the Assembly

16:45:28

Dear colleagues.

It is freedom of speech that we have to enjoy here.

And let me remind you, dear colleague, that there are hundreds of reports about children, about those who are in need, and weak people who are living in our member states.

So I didn't interrupt you, but I would like you to reconsider the word "scandalous". I think it is a totally different meaning that we give. Unless my English is not as good as yours.

So let's go on.

Mr José María SÁNCHEZ GARCÍA.

Mr José María SÁNCHEZ GARCÍA?

He's not here. Martin, he's not here.

Do you want to take his place? No. Okay, let's go on.

Ms Gökçe GÖKÇEN.

 

Ms Gökçe GÖKÇEN

Türkiye, SOC

16:46:31

Thank you, Mister President.

Dear colleagues, the fight against homophobia and transphobia has led to many advancements. Particularly instruments like the Istanbul Convention are essential to ensure that everyone feels safe and feels that they belong in society, especially concerning the prevention of and fight against every form of violence.

However, this struggle has no end, and fighting in just one aspect is never enough.

Discrimination persists, access to social and economic rights remains problematic, and physical and psychological violence continue unabated.

Moreover, each generation witnesses the renewal of hate speech fuelled by phobic rhetoric and misinformation.

Civil society that defends rights of the LGBTQ is being targeted. LGBTQ people cannot access even their most basic fundamental rights. Young people who are rejected by their families are unable to exercise their right to shelter. They cannot find jobs, and sometimes cannot even vote due to misleading information on their identities.

Simply expressing who they are to their loved ones becomes one of the most risky moments of their lives. Many are forced to hide their identities throughout their lives.

When they are murdered, it is their friends who must even fight for the data to be publicly recorded.

Those who use family values as an excuse to violate human rights do not make an effort to ensure that families can live together happily and in dignity.

Discrimination against women intertwines with cruelty towards animals, just as violence against children overlaps with that against the LGBTQ community and refugees. As violence against LBQ women increases, it is increasingly hidden and ignored. As long as states do not publish credible data, violence remains concealed.

Those who employ hateful rhetoric can then assert that violence is exaggerated.

Today, on one side, there are those who defend democracy and human rights as a whole, and on the other, those who strengthen their authority through a politics of hate to marginalise the vulnerable.

The question here is, can we truly protect progressive texts like the Istanbul Convention if we allow the authority of our Council's human rights instruments to lose its power today? What other fundamental principles might be compromised tomorrow?

Thank you.

 

Mr Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS

Greece, EPP/CD, President of the Assembly

16:49:14

Thank you, Gökçe.

Mr Gergely ARATÓ is next.

 

Mr Gergely ARATÓ

Hungary, SOC

16:49:22

Thank you, Mister Chair.

First of all, I would like to make it clear that I deeply disagree with what my fellow MP Mr László TOROCZKAI said, and I am convinced that it does not reflect the opinion of the majority of the Hungarian people either.

But, if this unfortunate speech has already been made, it is just the right time to talk about the responsibility of the politicians. Because words do have consequences. In every case, we find that if minority groups are stigmatised for political purposes, this emboldens those who can only confront societies problem in the language of violence.

This happened in Hungary as well when the number of the reported attacks against LGBTQ people increased after the government and the far right put the fight against the so-called gender propaganda and LGBTQ lobby on its banner.

But there are such news from Georgia, Romania, and other member states, too.

If rhetoric against a minority becomes a political weapon, it is always a green signal for violence.

Of course, I respect that someone has a different opinion on any moral or political issue due to religious or personal beliefs, and I believe that reasonable and calm discussion are more beneficial for all concerned.

But there is a very clear limit: respect for human dignity. The stigmatisation, shaming, dehumanisation, and extortion of others are not only contrary to the basic ethical standard, including Christianity, but also pose a direct and strong threat to the social harmony and peace.

Yes, hateful words are important and the traders of hate have responsibility.

That is why I would like to thank the rapporteur for this report, which draws attention to the situation of a particularly vulnerable group, LBQ women, and the violence they face. Because democrats also have a responsibility, we must speak up and say no to hate and violence.

Mr Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS

Greece, EPP/CD, President of the Assembly

16:51:50

Ms Alessandra MAIORINO is next.

Ms Alessandra MAIORINO

Italy, NR

16:51:58

Thank you, Mister Chair, I will speak in my own language, Italian.

I want to express, first of all, my heartfelt thanks to the rapporteur, Ms Béatrice FRESKO-ROLFO, for the thorough report she has presented and the investigations, very thoroughly conducted in Italy, even in my country.

LGBTQ people unfortunately still suffer from a lot of discrimination in the member states of this Assembly and, especially women. So especially women, lesbian women, bisexual women, queer women, in the LGBTQ movement itself have had more difficulties to assert themselves, to assert their identity, to fight and to make themselves visible. Today, fortunately, this is changing, but the greater discrimination these women face has not changed.

In many Council of Europe member countries, there is no law protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination. Italy is among them. There is no law that allows people to defend themselves against hatred and discrimination based on sex, gender or gender identity. In many countries there is no possibility for same-sex couples to marry.

In Italy, I take the case of Italy because it is a special case, it is a case of a country that geographically is in Western Europe, but it is very far from the standards of protection of human rights of the LGBT community and lesbian, queer and bisexual women compared to countries in the same geographical area. I said, there is no institution of marriage for same-sex couples. They can access the institution of civil unions, which is a discriminatory institution, dedicated only to same-sex couples, which heterosexual couples cannot access, being discriminated against in turn because they either marry to be protected, or they have no protections, with their children. Children are the biggest problem, the boys and girls. In Italy we have seen, unfortunately, a systematic deletion of mothers from the birth certificates of their children, as many as 33 in the city of Padua alone.

Recently a resolution was passed banning the introduction of gender theory in schools, but I want to inform this Assembly that our boys and girls need to have sex education. And unfortunately they access other types of information that are much more dangerous, so I believe that schools can, in this sense, help many of our boys and girls to improve the condition of LGBTQ women.

Thank you for this report.

Mr Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS

Greece, EPP/CD, President of the Assembly

16:55:23

Ms Wanda NOWICKA is the last speaker on my list.

Wanda.

Ms Wanda NOWICKA

Poland, SOC

16:55:33

Mister President, the situation of LGBTQI people, despite significant success in many more progressive societies, still is far from satisfactory.

Inequality and discrimination, quite often accompanied by numerous forms of violence, constitute a serious problem in enjoying fully democratic, fair, and just policies and standards.

Moreover, growing populism and religious fundamentalisms block the necessary processes leading to full recognition of human rights, including autonomy, dignity, and self determination of LGBT persons.

Political instability often leads to challenging and withdrawal of laws and entitlements, once adopted, and feeds the feeling of insecurity and uncertainty about the future.

LBQ women are particularly vulnerable to these challenges and risks. While in the Polish context the situation is quite difficult, especially in the realm of choosing the model of life, including the family life, it affects particularly women.

Poland is one of few European countries where neither same-sex couples nor civil unions are legally recognised. Despite the political will of the current ruling coalition to legalise civil unions due to lack of majority votes, the law on civil unions could not yet be adopted.

As far as reproductive choices are concerned, single women, including lesbians, cannot legally undergo in vitro fertilisation, and those lesbian couples who choose this way to get pregnant have to go abroad for treatment.

The right to maternity of lesbian couples is significantly limited, which has negative impact on the legal status of children of same-sex couples.

Once the baby is born in Poland or abroad, the Polish law in practice does not recognise these children as legally born from lesbian parents.

These children often are being denied the ID number.

There are, though, some legal initiatives prepared by the current government aimed at the improvement of the status and human rights of LGBTQI persons. The Ministry of Justice is working on the issue to guarantee children of same-sex couples legal status in accordance with the Court of Justice of the EU decision.

Nevertheless, it is still not clear if and when they are going to be adopted.

In conclusion, I have to state that there is still a long way to go before LGBTQI persons are able to enjoy equality and human rights globally, my country included.

Please, support the excellent report to which I thank the rapporteur.

Thank you.

Mr Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS

Greece, EPP/CD, President of the Assembly

16:58:37

And that concludes the list of speakers.

So I call now Ms Béatrice FRESKO-ROLFO to reply.

You have 3 minutes, Béatrice.

Ms Béatrice FRESKO-ROLFO

Monaco, ALDE, Rapporteur

16:58:55

Thank you, Mister Chairman.

It was a calm, contradictory but constructive debate, before our colleague Mr László TOROCZKAI came to flood this hemicycle with his hatred. Thank you, Mister Chairman, for calming things down.

Constructive and contradictory, because indeed, I've heard some comments, perhaps things that not everyone agrees with, but it was constructive. And that's the most important thing.

As far as inclusive education is concerned, which is in this report, it's not a propaganda tool. It's a means of enabling all children to understand and accept, perhaps, the sexual orientation of others. That's all it is. The aim is not to promote one sexual orientation or another. The aim is to make people understand that we can all live together and, perhaps, for those who need it, to give them access to this information.

I really liked what our colleague Mr Damien COTTIER said, "Society is there to love all its children". All its children and all its adults. I think that's the main point of this report. Whatever our orientation, our sexual orientation, society is there to defend rights and to promote, in fact, good living together.

We've talked about intersectional discrimination. Women, lesbians, disabled people, racialised people. Can you imagine the stigmatisation that results when you put all four together? In fact, we have to fight for a society that is more tolerant, despite the increase in acts of hatred, because our societies are indeed more tolerant. The people who live in them are open-minded, and it's often certain discourses that want to restrict this society when in fact living together has never been a difficulty.

I mentioned children's rights in the report, because they're important. You can have heterosexual parents. You can have homosexual parents. Children's rights are paramount. We have to help these children to be able to live with both parents. We still need to work on legislative and regulatory advances.

Responsibility. Words have consequences. The angle of violence in our debate is not right. I don't want these women to deny themselves, their sexuality or their sexual orientation. I want them to be able to live their sexuality and their lives to the full in our world.

Thank you very much.

Mr Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS

Greece, EPP/CD, President of the Assembly

17:01:57

Does the Chairperson of the Committee wish to speak?

Mariia.

Madam Mariia MEZENTSEVA, you have the floor.

Ms Mariia MEZENTSEVA-FEDORENKO

Ukraine, EPP/CD, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination

17:02:05

Thank you, dear President, colleagues,

It is very sad to say, sometimes people are discriminated for the fact that they love some particular person, and the others would judge whether they are allowed or not to love this particular person. But that goes way deeper in the societal relations than that.

I want to thank on behalf of our Committee Ms Béatrice FRESKO-ROLFO for her work, for the conducted hearings, for the collected information. And the fact that we didn't have any Amendments and the Resolution was adopted unanimously proves that the work was conducted so efficiently.

It is the first time, colleagues, that our Assembly debates on a report dealing specifically with the situation of LBQ women in Europe. It is also an opportunity to show what political stance we may take, what is the call for action, and which support programmes can be given.

Due to the fact that too often it is the intention to silence the voices of LBQ women, to invisibilise them so that they, for instance, don't exist in the society. And just to put them aside. LBQ women are true political and effective actors. They are citizens, they are parents, they are business leaders, they are workers, and we can name it.

However, their rights and interests are not often reflected in the policies nor of our member states or other partner countries.

The rights of LGBTI persons are many times neglected, and this must change.

Colleagues, LBQ women are attacked for who they are and what philosophy of life they represent. They are exposed to violence in person and online, physical and verbal violence, and this may go on and on.

This report calls for equal rights and for an end to all forms of the discrimination of violence against LBQ women. It highlights specific difficulties and challenges, and the Resolution presents in its final text the measures which can tackle prejudice, discrimination, and violence.

Of course, the systems which we have passing the laws in the parliament, changes for the court system, of course, would help. Regardless, however, how many reports we can pass, it should be directly implemented by the governments and member states.

And, President, to conclude, we must say that we must demonstrate our support to LBQ women and to all LGBTI persons in general.

We are in favour of this text, and I'm sure it will receive vast majority.

I thank the Secretariat of our Committee, and I thank all members who have shown up for this vote.

Thank you so much.

Vote : Preventing and combating violence and discrimination against lesbian, bisexual and queer women in Europe

Mr Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS

Greece, EPP/CD, President of the Assembly

17:05:21

Thank you.

The debate is closed.

The Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination has presented a draft resolution [Doc. 16043] to which no amendments have been tabled. 

We will now proceed to vote on the draft resolution. A simple majority is required.

The vote is open.

The vote is closed.

I call for the results to be displayed.

The draft resolution is adopted.

 

The next item of business this afternoon is the debate on the Report by Mr Fourat BEN CHIKHA titled “Protecting the human rights and improving the lives of sex workers and victims of sexual exploitation” (Doc. 16044). Chair of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, Ms Mariia MEZENTSEVA-FEDORENKO. 

 

Mariia, I know that it is very quick, but you have the floor now on the report that I have just referred.

You have 7 minutes, as you know.

 

Debate: Protecting the human rights and improving the lives of sex workers and victims of sexual exploitation

Ms Mariia MEZENTSEVA-FEDORENKO

Ukraine, EPP/CD, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination

17:07:14

I think I'll extend the words of appreciation to the Committee and I will explain the main points of the resolution and I will initiate the call to the Bureau and what we have decided in the Committee after the discussions in the political groups.

Dear President, dear colleagues,

I would like to say a few words about the Resolution that we have revised in Paris and was adopted a few weeks ago by a large majority, the text itself.

And the report and the draft resolution were the outcome of the excellent reports of Ms Margreet De BOER, a human rights lawyer with a vast experience in matters related to migration, and Mr Fourat BEN CHIKHA, who is no longer a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, but we thank him for his work. He has just left our embassy to serve and he was serving as general rapporteur on the rights of the LGBTI people. And until recently the rapporteur on combating racism and intolerance.

Both rapporteurs conducted some very good work encompassing research, exchanges of experts, and they've conducted fact-finding missions to the member states.

Above all, they involved in the preparation of these reports a large number of civil society organisations. I would like to name them: Amnesty International, La Strada International, the European Sex Workers' Rights Alliance, Médecins du Monde/Doctors of the World, the Coalition for the Abolition of Prostitution were invited to participate in our hearings in Paris.

The European Women's Lobby, the Amicale du Nid, Isala and others, they were consulted directly by us and the Secretariat and the rapporteurs took part in the meetings.

Also we had members of the governments, police officers, the representatives of academia, and they also provided very valuable information.

As usual, the members of the Committee contributed to the text, they shared their views, but most importantly, they also registered Amendments.

The approach of the Committee was based on human rights, particularly the Council of Europe standards, such as those mentioned in the Istanbul Convention, the Council of Europe Convention on Actions against Trafficking in Human Beings, the European Convention on Human Rights and the Case Law of the Strasbourg Court, the European Court of Human Rights.

Persons selling sex are particularly vulnerable to discrimination, violence, and exploitation. Many of them are victims of trafficking. Indeed, trafficking for purposes of sexual exploitation is rife, and women and girls are disproportionately affected.

Colleagues, countering discrimination based on any ground is our Committee's mission and that is what our Committee aimed to do with the text that is approved. The aim was to raise awareness of this severe discrimination that people selling sex face, which is often ignored, underestimated, or even hidden.

Also, our aim was to provide concrete indicators to the member states, so which extra measures can be taken.

It appears that there is not enough political support as the consultations were conducted in all political groups from Monday to today onwards.

And now we have opinions that are extremely divided. We have no intention to divide the Assembly and we are very constructive. You know that our Committee always brings people along and together.

Therefore, right now I would ask the Assembly to refer the report back to the Committee according to rules and procedures, back to Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination for additional discussion, work, and deliberation.

On the point of information, I would like to inform colleagues from other Committees that we would address the Bureau, the meeting of which will be held tomorrow, to receive an extension of 6 months to possibly have another rapporteur, another work being conducted, and probably finally a report for the Assembly to be considered.

We hope this recommendation and suggestion of the Committee will be approved.

Thank you very much, dear President.

Mr Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS

Greece, EPP/CD, President of the Assembly

17:12:11

Thank you, Mariia.

Dear colleagues, as it was just announced by the Chair of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, Ms Mariia MEZENTSEVA-FEDORENKO wishes to propose that the report be referred back to the Committee.

On this motion, one speaker is in favour and one is against, and they can head, of course, equally. Ms MEZENTSEVA-FEDORENKO had already spoken in favour. Does anyone wish to oppose this motion? No.

Now we are going to vote. The Assembly is going to vote, and I remind you that we are voting for the motion of Document 16044 back to the Committee.

Those in favour of referring the report back to the Committee should vote "yes". Those against should vote "no". I repeat, those in favour of referring the report back to the Committee as Ms MEZENTSEVA-FEDORENKO has just proposed should vote "yes". Those against should vote "no".

The vote is open.

The vote is closed.

I call for the results to be displayed.

The motion has been agreed, and the report is therefore referred back to the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination.

 

Dear colleagues, 

The next item of business this afternoon is the debate on the report titled “Guaranteeing the human right to food” (Document 16041) by Mr Simon MOUTQUIN, presented by Ms Aurora FLORIDIA on behalf of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development.

In order to finish on time, we should finish by 8:00 p.m., but as the just discussed item is being referred back to the Committee, I believe that we will finish much earlier. I will interrupt the list of speakers earlier to allow time for the reply and the vote.

Now, until Ms FLORIDIA takes her chair.

So, Madam FLORIDIA, are you ready? You know that you have 7 minutes now and 3 minutes at the end to reply to the debate. When you are ready, you can take the floor.

Debate: Guaranteeing the human right to food

Ms Aurora FLORIDIA

Italy, SOC, Rapporteur

17:16:13

Thank you, Mister President.

Dear colleagues,

I have the honour of presenting to the Parliamentary Assembly a report devoted entirely to the right to food, which is one of the cornerstones of the concept of sustainable development.

I would like to begin by congratulating the rapporteur and Former President of our Committee, Mr Simon MOUTQUIN, on his inspiration for this subject and his dedication to bringing it to a successful conclusion.

I wish to start with some key figures: 2.3 billion people or 29.6% of the global population, were food insecure in 2023. One in four people did not have access to safe drinking water at home. By 2030, billions will still lack regular access to clean water. Obesity has a similar economic impact to smoking or armed conflict, costing around 1.75 trillion or 2.8% of global GDP.

This report stems from a paradoxical reality in Europe. Despite an abundance of food resources, hunger and malnutrition persist, revealing deep inequalities in access to healthy and sufficient food. These inequalities are exacerbated by climate disruptions which worsen agricultural crises and weaken supply chains, posing serious challenges to ensuring equitable access to food and water in the future.

Food-related issues in Europe are complex. The lack of effective self-production systems and imbalances in food distribution and marketing chains harm small producers who are deprived of fair remuneration. Market-driven logic dominant in Europe prioritises economic interests over individuals' right to food, reducing people to their economic potential rather than recognising them as holders of fundamental rights.

In preparing this report, our Committee organised extensive consultation with recognised experts addressing issues of food democracy, food insecurity and the food economy. A notable innovation was the inclusion of a group of young people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods in the process. This group, involved in an educational project on food resilience, provided valuable insights and concrete proposals. Earlier today, they animated a lively smoothie distribution with their mobile kitchen, raising awareness of the fight against food waste and reinforcing the social connection that food creates. Their participation highlighted the importance of understanding the social and political barriers to healthy eating and focusing on a human rights-based approach aligned with the values of the Council of Europe. Consequently, the rapporteur proposed modifying the report's title to focus on guaranteeing the human right to food. And since I'm talking about these young ambassadors and I think they are in the gallery today – where are you? Ok, yes. I would like to join the rapporteur in sincerely thanking them – thanking you – for your participation in encouraging you to continue your action with the energy you have shown in our joint work.

The right to food is a fundamental right recognised in international law, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights clarified in 1999 the obligation resulting from this right for states to protect the population from hunger and to respect and realise the right to food. For over 20 years, the United Nations has developed tools to clarify and implement the right to food. The Assembly can thus emphasise the importance of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization's Voluntary Guidelines, which guide states in integrating the human right to food into constitutions, legislation and food policies.

Additionally, the conceptual and strategic framework developed by the high-level panel of experts on food security and nutrition promotes a systemic vision of food systems aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

In Europe, the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have reignited the debate on food sovereignty and food insecurity. In Europe, the problem lies in food accessibility rather than availability.

The consequences of food insecurity are severe, particularly in terms of health. Unhealthy diets are the leading cause of death in Europe, responsible for diseases such as cardiovascular illnesses and diabetes, with an economic cost comparable to that of smoking.

Despite international progress, none of the Council of Europe member states' constitutions expeditiously recognise an autonomous right to food. Existing legislation, while protective of food safety standards and consumer rights, does not guarantee universal access to sufficient food. Moreover, current measures to combat food insecurity, such as the redistribution of food surpluses, are more reactive to emergencies than focusing on dignity. Therefore, the Assembly should recommend that member states include the right to food in their constitutions, adopt framework laws consistent with this right and shift from a charitable approach to a right-based approach in fighting food insecurity.

The Council of Europe has made efforts to improve food security in Europe, starting with the 1995 partial agreement. Despite recommendations to create a European framework convention and an agency dedicated to food security, these initiatives failed to be implemented.

In the 1990s, the European Union took the lead and in 2007 the Council of Europe ceased its activities in this area. Unfortunately, today food issues are absent from the final declaration of the 2023 Reykjavik Summit. However, I am convinced, with the rapporteur, that there is a real opportunity for the Council of Europe to reaffirm its role as a leader in human rights protection by developing a robust framework for the right to food. The right to food is independent of the right to a healthy environment and should hence be included in the strategy of the Council of Europe on the environment aimed at being adopted in 2025. Thank you.

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

17:24:13

Thank you, Madam rapporteur.

We will now open the floor to discussion.

I remind you that interventions are limited to 3 minutes per speaker.

I shall now give the floor to Ms Laura CASTEL, on behalf of the Unified European Left.

You have 3 minutes.

Ms Laura CASTEL

Spain, UEL, Spokesperson for the group

17:24:49

I would like to thank the rapporteur, he's not here, but anyway, for such an important report.

While supporting its proposals, I would like to highlight some challenges.

Addressing hunger and malnutrition requires a strategy that focuses on human rights and government accountability.

We agree with the rapporteur that anchoring the right to nutritious food and access to drinking water in our national constitution is a logical goal to pursue.

However, this report leaves out the elephant in the room that is the role of multinational corporations in the capture of our nutrition policy space and the human rights agenda to make them serve their interests.

Profit over public health goals.

Since the mid-1970s, the world shifted away from rights-based governments to a dominant policy-making paradigm characterised by free trade, deregulation, globalisation, and reduced government spending. And here we are. We are in 2024 amidst a globalised, corporate-led industrial food system, which leaves us a few steps away from a disruption to the global supply chain.

In the current system, citizens pay the price. Fragile supply chains, disparate distribution, workers without rights, climate crisis, diminished biodiversity, reduced access to healthy food, unsustainable diets, food loss, food waste, and extreme economic inequality.

With hunger and malnutrition on the rise, it is time for a radical course correction and address the real problem of unequal access that requires political solutions.

The current food supply management and production practices are insufficient to support the projected global population of 9.9 billion by the year 2050.

Moreover, experts predict that at current rates of erosion, due to the negative impacts of agrifood technologies, we will run out of farmable soil within the next 60 years. The excessive use of chemicals in agriculture is degrading our topsoil and making our food less healthy.

The latest danger lies in the attempts by multinational corporations to gain control of global food governance from the rights-based intergovernmental system.

We, as legislators, need to put human rights central and resist the influence of unaccountable multinational corporations in policy making in relation to food.

Reforming the global industrial food system is difficult but crucial.

A human-rights approach should empower food producers, especially small family farmers, who produce a significant proportion of the world's food, and reach consumers through local markets rather than global supply chains. Their rights to land should be ensured.

We need more state funding to guarantee food sovereignty. Any country, while part of a global food supply chain, should be able to sustain itself to avoid famine or a new Holodomor in case of disruption of the global supply chains.

The potential of regenerative agriculture is huge. So now it's up to the governments and parliaments to be on the right side of their history and make wise choices which will define what is put on the plates of our children and grandchildren.

Thank you, Chair, and thanks to the rapporteur.

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

17:28:33

Thank you, Madame.

I now give the floor to Mrs Saskia KLUIT, on behalf of the Socialist Group.

Ms Saskia KLUIT

Netherlands, SOC, Spokesperson for the group

17:28:43

Thank you, President.

So we talked about a wonderful report about the right to food.

I am so happy. I'm going to wave to you, like the MakeSense guys. I will tell a little bit more about you in a minute.

Since I have only one kidney left, I am unable to eat healthy if I buy my food in a general supermarket.

And that goes for a lot of people, because we don't have healthy food on average in our supermarkets anymore. And I'm not the only one. A lot of people who have little money know about food, but still be not nutritious and still have lack of vitamins and lack of minerals.

So a healthy right to healthy food is a very important right. And I'm happy that we have this report. If you talk about payable food, I'm very happy, that makes sense. I experimented a whole year long about how to get into a community who doesn't have a lot of money, but how to make healthy food for everybody. And you did really a great job, and I hope that makes sense. We'll continue working on this topic, so be good to the next generation of food ambassadors, guys.

I'm also happy that it includes the right to water, because the pollution of water is going on in many scales, in many places of the world, even in my home country we are now discussing whether we will have drinkable water in the near distance.

And it should therefore be a constitutional right to have clean and healthy water and clean and healthy food.

And also, not only for our generation, but also for the generation that comes after us. We also need to have an agricultural system that is good for our farmers here and now, but is also good for our farmers in the future and the far future. It has to be good for us as consumers now, but it also has to be good for our children and grandchildren, because they also want healthy and good food.

This means that the distribution must become fairer and it must become more sustainable. And we need to pay attention to hiccups, or big hiccups, like what happened in Ukraine. We need to be prepared for situations of war, so our farmers know how to deal with disruptions of the food supply.

That doesn't mean we need to go and do more planning, we need to do more preparation. It doesn't necessarily mean that we need to make more food. It needs to be smarter food.

To conclude, we have to leave our current approach on food behind. If you don't have enough money to buy your food, you are getting a charitative approach. You get help from a food bank in my country, for example. But in many places in Europe that is not the right way to treat a fundamental right as a right to food.

We need to go to a rights-based approach where normal, healthy, and safe food is the norm.

Thank you, President.

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

17:31:51

Thank you for your attention.

We now turn to the Group of the European People's Party, with Mr Georgios STAMATIS.

Mr Georgios STAMATIS

Greece, EPP/CD, Spokesperson for the group

17:32:00

Thank you, Mister President.

I'll speak in the Greek language.

We are talking about democracy, and we're talking about peace. But if there's no food, then there could be neither democracy nor peace. I think that this report, and I would have liked to thank the rapporteur who is no longer here, is one which wanted to be an adopted. We would hope it would go to all parliaments for all governments to adopt.

Greece will start a procedure to reform the Constitution. I very much have there for that the right to food will be something that is debated in our Parliament, because we've got people in all our countries who are homeless, who have to queue up at food banks or soup kitchens day in day out. That's not good for any of our countries, for Europe, for democracy.

It is simply unacceptable that, at this point in time when we have renewable energy and we have a green transition, that we do not have the right to food. We've got those large and small food producers, and food must be accessible.

It is intolerable that the major industrialists and the big supermarket chains have food in abundance that is not distributed, it is not shared out, and that is not a successful Europe.

What separates us from the days of yore from past times is that we have a Europe in which we assert those rights. I hope that this report marks the day in which we move into the modern age, because we've seen the effect of war on grains, and we know that wars in the future will be all about water and the right of food.

So, they're not only decisive, crucial for human life but also to enable all of us to live in the kinds of democracies which we espouse, along with the rule of law.

So, once again, I'd like to congratulate Mr Simon MOUTQUIN, and we very much hope that this report is successful and that once again, this report will be debated in all of our Parliaments to make sure that all countries of the Council of Europe realise that there cannot be life or democracy or even human beings without food.

Thank you very much.

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

17:34:52

Thank you for your attention.

I now give the floor to Ms Olena KHOMENKO, on behalf of the European Conservative Group.

Ms Olena KHOMENKO

Ukraine, EC/DA, Spokesperson for the group

17:35:01

Dear colleagues, the world faces growing threats to food supply chains driven by conflict and geopolitical instability, not just climate change.

Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine has pushed 70 million people around the world to the brink of starvation due to disruptions in food supply chains. Russia keeps using famine as a weapon to achieve geopolitical goals around the world.

Food security goes beyond access to healthy food in peaceful times. It involves ensuring resilient supply chains during crises. Thus, it would be relevant to cover this challenge in the report. Moreover, the report could have been enriched with valuable insights by paying a visit to key regions like Ukraine, which are directly impacted by food supply destruction.

I would also like to stress that in 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals, one of which goals directly addresses food security and droughts and hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. I very much hope that the food security issue will be given adequate consideration in a separate resolution in this Assembly.

I very much hope that the food security issue will be the focus of this Assembly, and such resolution should focus on preventing the weaponisation of food supply chains, securing trade roads, and building a resilient global food system that can withstand geopolitical and environmental shocks.

We need a stronger international framework to protect food security in conflict-prone areas, as we consider enshrining the right to food in constitutions.

This Assembly must prioritise a comprehensive approach to global food security, recognise the threats posed by conflict and instability, and strengthen international co-operation to mitigate these risks. Thank you, dear colleagues.

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

17:37:21

Thank you, Madame.

Now it's Ms Larysa BILOZIR's turn, for the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.

Ms Larysa BILOZIR

Ukraine, ALDE, Spokesperson for the group

17:37:32

Thank you, Mister President.

Dear colleagues, I would like to thank the author of this report Simon MOUTQUIN, who is not with us today, but also our rapporteur Ms Aurora FLORIDIA, for addressing such a critical issue guaranteeing the human right to food.

I would like to express my unwavering support for the idea of ensuring the right to food in national legislation.

While we have laws about food safety and trade in other countries, we are missing fundamental guarantees that access to food and drinking water is a human right.

An enshrined right to food would do something simple but very powerful. It would require our government to ensure that no one should go hungry and that we must protect the most basic human rights.

Ukraine knows about the importance of this right very well. As the bread basket of Europe, a vital producer and exporter of grain and meat, especially to the regions already vulnerable to food insecurity, such as the Middle East and Africa. But Ukraine's agriculture sector has been devastated by constant Russian attacks.

Every day the ports of Odesa, of Izmail are bombed, attacked with drones.

We need an additional air defence system in the Odesa region to protect our Black Sea.

As in July 2023, Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and began to actively destroy the infrastructure of Ukrainian ports.

Despite this, Ukraine has launched a grain corridor across the Black Sea. By pushing back the Russian fleet in the vast part of the Black Sea. We fully renewed our sea exports with the help of naval drones and with help of you, friends, destroying one third of the Black Sea Russian fleet and proving that Russia understands not the power of negotiations, but the power of weapons.

It is important to ensure that sustainable food security in times of crises during armed conflicts is capital.

It has been agreed with the Committee that this problem should be reviewed in a special separate resolution, because this issue cannot be delayed.

When it comes to food security, the Black Sea, Middle East, Gaza, Nagorno-Karabakh blockades are examples of how one can weaponise the food, keeping people hostages in complete shortage of access to food.

Should we let this happen? No.

We must also support development of appropriate legal mechanisms, invest in technologies, sustainable innovations, and we need to assure the development of resilient food systems capable of addressing global food security challenges.

Thank you.

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

17:40:29

After the speakers on behalf of the political groups, we'll move on to the list of speakers.

The first speaker is Ms Edite ESTRELA from Portugal.

You have the floor, Madam.

Ms Edite ESTRELA

Portugal, SOC

17:40:42

Thank you, Mister Chairman.

Ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, I'd like to thank the rapporteur, Mr Simon MOUTQUIN, for his excellent report and for the work he has done for our Assembly.

Thank you, Simon. Thank you for all you have done for the environment, human rights and the rule of law. We shall miss you.

Dear colleagues,

The right to healthy food, including the right of access to drinking water, must become a fundamental pillar of European constitutions.

Today, the rights to health, education and housing are recognised in most European countries, but no constitutional text explicitly enshrines the right to healthy food.

This represents a major gap, all the more striking in a society where food abundance coexists with hunger and malnutrition.

Despite Europe's agricultural wealth and the industrialisation of its food systems, many people, even in the most prosperous countries, do not have access to sufficient, healthy and nutritious food.

Economic insecurity, food insecurity and the poor quality of certain industrialised foods exacerbate social inequalities. At the same time, the consequences of malnutrition are felt not only on individual health, but also on public health systems, generating considerable costs.

Our Assembly, as a promoter of human rights, must call on member states to move from a charitable approach to one based on rights. This is what is expected of democratic societies.

This would not only guarantee universal access to quality food, but also promote sustainable agricultural and food systems that respect the environment and future generations.

By recognising this fundamental right, we will build a fairer Europe, where no one suffers from hunger or malnutrition.

Many thanks to all.

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

17:43:51

Thank you, Madam ESTRELA.

I now give the floor to Mr Franz Leonhard ESSL from Austria.

Mr Franz Leonhard ESSL

Austria, EPP/CD

17:43:58

Yes, ladies and gentlemen,

There is a basic need for food. We humans need food to live. That is why we must do everything we can to ensure that there is enough food available for the population, for each and every one of us. The right to food is a fundamental human right that is already enshrined in Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which has been ratified by all member states of the Council of Europe.

This right includes the basic guarantee of protection against hunger and the obligation of states to ensure that food is available, accessible, sustainable and adequate for all. This should be self-evident.

However, recent events, such as those described by our Ukrainian colleague, the war in Ukraine, have also shaken up the supply situation worldwide. In general, it should be noted that access to food can only be guaranteed if enough food is produced and is available in sufficient quantities. Food is not an ownerless commodity that can simply be distributed. Food has to be harvested, has to be processed, has to be produced, and this production incurs costs. A lot of work goes into it, so this food must also have a fair price. When farming families bring food to market, the production costs must be covered, and the farming families must be properly remunerated for their work.

Farming families live from food production and they need to be properly remunerated for their work and not, as is currently the case, more and more regulations and requirements. Otherwise, it will simply come to this and result in these farmers ceasing food production and no longer providing food.

That is why I think this is the key point. The basic prerequisite for guaranteed access to food is that there is enough food available. It is therefore essential that we also call on the member states to provide the best possible support to food producers and, in particular, to sustainably producing farming families in order to consolidate the level of self-sufficiency in the individual countries and ensure food sovereignty so that there is enough food for everyone.

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

17:47:17

Thank you.

It's now Mr Bertrand BOUYX's turn, from France.

Mr Bertrand BOUYX

France, ALDE

17:47:56

That's it. We'll get to it, Mister Chairman.

I'm sorry for the delay, but it's the law of the new technology we've just been awarded.

Thank you, Mister Chairman.

Madam rapporteur,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I wish to speak on the draft resolution on the human right to food as an elected representative of a territory that produces quality food from both land and sea, and because I sincerely believe that the issues of democracy and human rights that drive our institution include the first of these, namely the right to food.

Indeed, the report begins by asking whether food is a matter of right. I don't know if it is, but in any case, it is a fundamental human right.

As the report points out, in 1996, at the World Food Summit in Rome, more than a hundred Heads of State and Government recognised in the Declaration on World Food Security, and I quote, "the right of every human being to have access to safe and nutritious food, consistent with the right to adequate food and the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger". Since 1996, the quantitative question has been joined by a qualitative concern, with questions linked to health and the environment.

I would like to reiterate the importance of the agricultural issue. I come from a country, France, and a region, Calvados, as I said, where agriculture is of fundamental importance in the collective consciousness. Farmers feed the population. They must be able to make a living from their work. The human right to food comes at this price.

More broadly, the health crisis linked to Covid-19, the war of invasion taking place on Europe's doorstep and the intensifying impact of climate change demonstrate the urgent need to consolidate European food sovereignty and make this imperative one of the strategic priorities of our public policies. It's almost upstream of the human right to food.

The French Parliament passed a law to this effect in 2024, but I'm aware that it's a work in progress. Now that I've talked about upstream, let's talk about downstream: the ability of the entire population to access sufficient, quality food. Talking about access to food in Europe in the 21st century may seem far-fetched, dear colleagues. Of course, we are not witnessing large-scale famine, but in the end, extreme poverty has not been eradicated, and it obviously has an impact on the quantity and, above all, the quality of the food consumed by the most vulnerable.

The report stresses that junk food, a very French term, is mainly destined for the most precarious, due to the distribution channels. This is obviously unacceptable.

Finally, I'd like to add that I'm particularly sensitive to recommendation 8.1, which reads, and I quote, "to reappropriate the issue of the right to food as an autonomous right interdependent with the right to a healthy environment, for example by including it in the elements of the Council of Europe's new environmental strategy announced in 2024 on the basis of the final declaration of the Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Reykjavík".

I shall, therefore, vote in favour of this resolution.

Thank you for your support.

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

17:51:47

Thank you, Mister BOUYX.

I now give the floor to Ms Valérie PILLER CARRARD, from Switzerland.

Ms Valérie PILLER CARRARD

Switzerland, SOC

17:51:55

Thank you, Mister Chairman.

Dear colleagues,

I would like to begin by thanking our former colleague, Mr Simon MOUTQUIN, for his important work on the report "Guaranteeing the Human Right to Food". This report has the merit of highlighting a paradox noted by the rapporteur, namely that despite an abundance of food, hunger and malnutrition persist in Europe, revealing inequalities in access to healthy food. The report points out, for example, that in France, over a third of the population has financial difficulties in consuming fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis.

Among the consequences of food insecurity, I'd particularly like to highlight the effects of junk food on health. Unhealthy diets are responsible for numerous pathologies, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, which together account for 85% of mortality and 75% of the burden of disease in Europe.

For people to eat healthily, they not only need to have the financial means to do so, they also need to know enough about the subject. It's vital that children and young people have access to healthy food, and this requires education and awareness-raising.

In my own country, Switzerland, many schools offer cooking and nutrition courses as part of their curriculum, with the added benefit of making children aware of the importance of a balanced diet from an early age. Not only do these courses teach them the principles of healthy eating, but they also enable young people to become autonomous in their diet and to make choices based on sustainable products, respecting the seasonal nature of fruit and vegetables in particular, and discovering that food is not just about pre-cooked dishes.

It is striking to note that none of the member states' constitutions recognises an autonomous right to food. The report recommends that the Council of Europe reintegrate this issue and recognise the right to food at constitutional level. Indeed, access to healthy food is not guaranteed for a significant number of vulnerable people. The Covid crisis has unfortunately highlighted this. I remember the images we saw in many countries, including my own, Switzerland, supposedly a rich country: long queues of people collecting food at distributions organised by associations.

The challenges surrounding food in Europe are major. People's access to reliable and sufficient sources of supply is often compromised by unbalanced distribution, processing and marketing systems, which penalise small-scale producers.

Dear colleagues, I invite you to support this report and to spare no effort in making the food systems of our respective countries sustainable and inclusive.

Thank you for your attention.

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

17:55:17

Thank you, Valérie.

We now turn to Mr Yuriy KAMELCHUK, from Ukraine.

Mr Yuriy KAMELCHUK

Ukraine, EPP/CD

17:55:24

Dear Chairman, dear colleagues,

The right to food is a fundamental human right recognised by many international treaties and conventions. However, millions of people around the world continue to suffer from hunger, malnutrition and lack of access to safe and nutritious food. This is not just an economic or social problem – it is a challenge to our collective efforts to ensure human dignity and equal opportunities for all.

Paradoxically, even in Europe where food is abundant, hunger and malnutrition persist, demonstrating inequalities in access to healthy food. This situation is exacerbated by climate change, and distribution and marketing systems often put small producers at a disadvantage, giving priority to market logic over the fundamental human right to food.

We must change our approach to solving this problem. Current food aid initiatives are mostly focused on emergency measures rather than self-sufficiency. This approach turned out to be insufficient and ineffective. It is necessary to move from a charitable approach to a human rights one based on Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

None of the constitutions of the member states of the Council of Europe recognise the right to food as autonomous. We have to fix this. I call on all states to enshrine the right to food in their constitutions, adopt framework laws consistent with this right, and ensure that our food security systems are based on respect for human rights.

In addition, we should re-integrate this issue into the priorities of the Council of Europe in co-operation with other international organisations, in particular with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and also expand attention to the right of access to drinking water.

Access to food is the foundation of peace, security and prosperity around the world. Let's join forces to ensure this right for every person on our planet.

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

17:57:36

Thank you.

It's now Ms Meryem GÖKA's turn, from Türkiye.

Please take the floor.

Ms Meryem GÖKA

Türkiye, NR

17:57:43

Thank you, thank you.

Dear president and colleagues, this time I will be speaking German.

Mister President, dear colleagues,

Ensuring safe, healthy and sustainable food is not a privilege, but a fundamental human right enshrined in international law and essential for global peace.

Yet millions of people around the world continue to suffer from hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity every day. This global problem requires our collective action.

As many of you know, the war in Ukraine has severely impacted the global supply of grain, which in turn affects vulnerable populations. The historic 'Grain Agreement' brokered by Türkiye and the United Nations has saved billions of people from famine and alleviated global food inflation.

However, we cannot talk about global food security without addressing the catastrophic situation in Gaza. This crisis is not a natural disaster, but a man-made crisis that is the result of a deliberate blockade that has brought the people of Gaza to the brink of famine. Türkiye is taking a leading role in the humanitarian efforts in Gaza, providing relief supplies, food and medical care.

Dear colleagues, in 2018, the UN Security Council banned the use of starvation as warfare with Resolution 2417. But isn't that exactly what we are experiencing in Gaza today? Israel has deliberately and systematically deprived the civilian population in all parts of the Gaza Strip of the things that are essential for survival.

By cutting off water and electricity supplies, obstructing humanitarian aid and attacking hospitals and schools in violation of international law, Israel's ultra-right extremist government is seeking to collectively punish the civilian population of Gaza, using 'starvation as a method of warfare'. This is a clear violation of international humanitarian law and a direct attack on human dignity - and then to have the audacity to portray Israel as the only democracy in the region is truly the height of hypocrisy.

If we do not act in Gaza, what does that say about our commitment to human dignity and international law? Israel must end the occupation of the Palestinian territories. Netanyahu sees a carte blanche for his actions in Gaza and is extending his genocidal policy to the whole region, which is dangerous. A ceasefire is not a gesture, but a necessity for the survival of innocent people.

As I speak, families are being torn apart, children are losing their future and hope is fading. We must act now, because by remaining silent in the face of the genocide in Gaza, we are all complicit. There must be an immediate ceasefire - now.

And humanitarian aid must be allowed into Gaza now.

Never again is now.

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

18:01:12

I now give the floor to Mr Jeremy CORBYN, from the United Kingdom.

Mr Jeremy CORBYN

United Kingdom, SOC

18:01:34

Thank you, Mister President.

I compliment Ms GÖKA on her excellent speech that we've just heard, and I welcome this report that we're discussing today. It quite rightly opens with the paradox. The paradox that, in a continent of relative plenty, there are people living in desperate poverty and relying on food banks in order just to survive, week in, week out.

In my own constituency of Islington North in London, 15 years ago, food banks were unheard of. We now have, I think, 15 food banks across the constituency where families go every week to try to get enough food just to feed their children to survive because the cost of living is so high and the levels of poverty are so desperate. And this is repeated all across Europe with the growth of food banks and very good, well-meaning people working very hard to deliver food.

My good friend Mr Ian BYRNE, the member of parliament for Liverpool West Derby in Britain, has developed a huge right-to-food campaign across the country and with football supporters from both of the major teams in Liverpool giving an awful lot of food, which helps to feed many children.

But the whole issue is really this. We live in a wealthy society. We live in a world that produces quite sufficient food for everyone to eat, but it is not available and not distributed properly. As paragraph 12 points out, there is no automatic right to food within our constitutional arrangements within each of our member states. So, our report really goes to the heart of all this, and I welcome what's been said.

It also refers to agricultural systems. This is actually very important, because if you think about the whole supply chain of food, those that actually grow the food, both in Europe and around the world, are often grotesquely exploited and underpaid. The farmers are not wealthy out of food production. Those who move the food from the point of growth to the processing centres are not well paid. Those that transport it, if necessary, by ship, are not well paid. The supermarket chains and the big producers make a huge amount of money and then some of the most exploited people in the world, the Deliveroo riders and Uber Eats and all the others – the gig economy that actually brings the food to our homes – they too are grotesquely exploited. We need to look at all this. We need to look at the quality of food that we're eating and the quality of the water that we're drinking that goes with it, because too many people are suffering obesity and malnutrition because of poor quality food. Too many people are going hungry in this world, and we have to do something about it, which means less waste, less over-packaging, less over-purification of food, which in turn often leads to very serious health issues.

This debate today goes fundamentally to the heart of what we should be about as a Council of Europe: persuading our governments to make food priority – quality food priority –  something that is real to the people of the whole of this continent.

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

18:04:49

Thank you, Mister CORBYN.

I now give the floor to Ms Ana Elizabeth AYALA LEYVA, from Mexico.

You have to put on the card and then press a button.

Ms Ana Elizabeth AYALA LEYVA

Mexico

18:05:32

Good afternoon.

We are meeting today to discuss an essential issue for our collective well-being and dignity – the right to food. 

The report presented by Mr Simon MOUTQUIN sheds light on a worrying development. Despite an abundance of food in Europe, hunger and malnutrition remain. This contradiction reflects the profound inequalities that call into question the effectiveness of our food systems, and the capacity of our public policies to guarantee equitable access to adequate food to all.

The right to food is something that is enshrined in Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, a covenant that has been ratified by all of the member states of the Council of Europe.

This acknowledgement means that member states are duty-bound to provide food to all of their citizens, all of them should have access to adequate food. However, the figures show that the problem is still ongoing. Instead of dealing with hunger as an exception or an emergency, we really should be looking at long-term policies that guarantee fair access to food. 

In Mexico, the human right to food is recognised in Article 4 of the political constitution of the United Mexican States, which represents a great step forward in protecting that right. It means that we explicitly guarantee the right to sufficient food, quality food and nutritious food.

The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has underscored that the right to food is not limited to avoiding hunger – this right means guaranteeing the availability, accessibility and sustainability of adequate food for all. 

Therefore, states all have a responsibility to ensure that food is available to all not just as a basic minimum but also economically speaking. In other words, all individuals should be able to meet their food needs without having to sacrifice other basic needs, such as health and education. 

We cannot allow such deep inequalities in access to food to continue, especially bearing in mind that we have the resources to guarantee adequate food for all. It is our responsibility as representatives of our people to promote a change in our food systems, which put human rights centre stage of our public policies.

And, therefore, without a shadow of a doubt, I would like to support this initiative. We need all of the rights for all people.

Thank you. 

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

18:08:50

Thank you, Madame.

It's now the turn of Ms Jamila MADEIRA, from Portugal.

Ms Jamila MADEIRA

Portugal, SOC

18:08:57

Thank you, Chair.

First of all, I would like to thank the rapporteur for such a relevant report.

Defending democracy is first and after all defending human rights. And when defending democracy, we are properly fighting populism and extreme right and, obviously, the respect for human rights.

And we, in the way we refer in this report to the goal of guaranteeing the human right to food, we know it stands side by side with other constitutional rights, and sometimes we say it, that they may run against each other.

We, representing citizens, cannot fail to defend this right, and in line with this report, we have to demand member states to include the right to food in their constitutional provisions, including the right of access to drinking water and, like it was said previously, the right to quality food.

This is the only way that may oblige governments to interpret rules and regulations in accordance with the protection of people's rights. Food policies must be more regulated than just another area of pure competition or profit.

We must give priority to a coherent legal framework to make food distribution, processing, and marketing systems fairer and more stable. Balanced information, regulatory terms, reducing economic imbalances between public and private players, small and bigger players, aligning with fair instruments agricultural issues with the objectives of regenerative and ecological transition.

We must ensure to all small farmers in this transition an inclusive way, while ensuring fair remuneration and greater protection of their rights.

Our countries must adopt a legal framework that explicitly guarantees the right to food, recognising it as a human right rather than a market commodity. This requires shifting, including our regulations in Europe, from a market-oriented to a rights-oriented approach, ensuring that policies put people and their right to food at the centre. Acknowledging food security, like it was said today, but also food justice as fundamental to human dignity, is essential.

For that, special attention should be given to vulnerable populations such as low-income families, people with disabilities, migrant workers, and smallholder farmers. Policies should ensure their right to food is protected by making food affordable, accessible, and of adequate quality.

The United Nations set a target to end hunger, achieve food security, and improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.

We cannot fail.

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

18:12:09

Thank you, Madam.

It's now the turn of Mr Ioannis OIKONOMOU, from Greece.

Mr Ioannis OIKONOMOU

Greece, EPP/CD

18:12:24

Thank you, Mister President. I will speak in Greek.

Ladies and gentlemen, in this decade, after a lengthy period of relative peace, Europe has come to the realisation that security issues long underestimated by the EU and NATO must now be addressed with renewed urgency.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the climate crisis have prompted the European countries to prioritise the energy transition.

Beyond its environmental goals, this transition holds a strategic objective. Europe should not be dependent on other forces, including with regard to food security.

Now, for quite some time, we've been hearing that Europe must invest resources, including in the defence industry, and I'd like to commend this initiative.

I want to emphasise another crucial, but often neglected aspect of European security, when we talk about food security and the availability of food over the past decades. The EU mistakenly assumed that there was no issue with regard to water scarcity and that the supply of cheap, abundant, and high-quality food could be guaranteed through imports from the developing world, and all within the context of a globalised society.

But this liberal utopia no longer exists. History has proven otherwise. Europe must now urgently invest in modernising agriculture to conserve water and to save water and to also save with agriculture production.

Traditional agriculture is something that requires considerable quantities of water.

Now, we calculate that agriculture consumes over 60% of Europe's total water usage. Therefore we need to develop new technological methods to guarantee Europe's food security and access to water.

I'm optimistic about us achieving this goal as Europe boasts some of the world's most advanced agriculture technology. One example is a country such as the Netherlands.

It is possible for us to invest in new forms of farming by the expansion of greenhouse farming, for instance, is an essential step in this process.

Now, the solution is not to limit consumption as such or to developed food banks or soup kitchens. The true solution lies in increasing production. We need to support our farmers. We need to produce more and for farmers to remain in the region and in our villages.

Water and food security is a key pillar of European policy, and we need to develop the relevant policies for this.

Thank you.

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

18:15:37

Thank you.

I now give the floor to Mr Yunus EMRE, from Türkiye.

Mr Yunus EMRE

Türkiye, SOC

18:15:43

Thank you, Mister President.

First of all, I want to begin by expressing my gratitude to Mr Simon MOUTQUIN for this report and his invaluable contributions to the Assembly. He has shown remarkable sensitivity in response to the devastating earthquake that struck my country last year, conducting thorough investigations in the affected areas and demonstrating significant solidarity with those impacted. We owe him our heartfelt thanks.

The issue of the right to food addressed in this report adds a crucial dimension to our understanding of human rights. We know that the concept of human rights is dynamic and has evolved significantly over time. Since the French Revolution, there have been important developments regarding human rights and the role of states in guaranteeing these rights.

Our continent has experienced major wars and human rights violations. In this regard, the Council of Europe has played a pivotal role in establishing a foundation for human rights and creating a system of guarantees based on agreements. Revising human rights to include the guarantee of the right to food and access to clean water represents a significant step forward. I want to emphasise that this would be an essential starting point toward building a society that leaves no one behind and embraces all.

On the other hand, we must deeply reflect on a significant issue: we cannot view human rights as rights exclusive to Europeans. Advocating human rights does not merely entail defending one’s own rights, nor does it solely pertain to the rights of those we perceive as close, such as family members or friends.

Advocating for human rights means defending the rights of individuals you may have never met and whose faces you have never seen simply because they are human.

Therefore, we must remain mindful of the universal nature of human rights. This universality of human rights reminds us that the right to food applies to everyone on this planet, imposing a significant responsibility on all countries, especially developed ones.

Protecting natural resources, particularly water sources and agricultural lands, is crucial.

Additionally, supporting the global population engaged in agriculture is vital for sustainability.

So the principle of the universality of human rights is significant concerning the right to food, and it should be further elaborated within a global guarantee system.

In conclusion, Mr Simon MOUTQUIN's efforts are immensely valuable.

I wholeheartedly congratulate him and all those who contributed to this report.

Thank you.

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

18:18:37

Thank you.

I now give the floor to Ms Petra BAYR, from Austria.

Ms Petra BAYR

Austria, SOC

18:18:42

Many thanks firstly to Simon for the great report, thanks to Aurora for presenting it, and thirdly to the young activists for the impressive presentation of their important project today.

I would like to talk about something that is not very exotic, namely free school meals from small-scale farmers. I believe that it can be a real win-win situation. Both for the transformation of food systems and for the right to food.

We know that child labor is on the rise. In our region, in Europe, around one in four children is at risk of poverty and exclusion. And in the EU alone, in the relatively rich EU, as many as 20 million children were affected by the effects of food deprivation in 2021, in that they had poorer school performance and greater health problems. And there is a real fear that this will have an impact on their later lives because they find it harder to study, to get good jobs, and to be well paid.

Free school meals would be a strategic lever for realising the right to food and nutrition because they ensure that all children have access to healthy and nutritious food every day. Free school meals can also promote the transition to a sustainable food system if this food is sourced from small-scale organic farms. And if food for school meals is then also sourced from small and medium-sized farms in the region, this in turn also contributes to social justice, because these farmers can then count on a steady income for farming the land in our regions.

In this context, I would like to make the following recommendations to the member states:

Firstly, to provide every child with free, healthy and sustainable school meals.

Secondly, to also use funds for this, such as the European Social Fund or the Regional Development Fund, at least in the EU. This is also possible because it is within the scope of application.

Thirdly, states, including local and regional authorities, should set up a public procurement system for food so that small farmers also have easier access to this public procurement and can really offer their products at fair prices. The member states should ensure that this free access to school meals is actually monitored and that it is also possible for relevant actors to be supported in meeting the criteria for public procurement.

And finally, I believe it is also a tool for development co-operation. If we expand this in the work between North and South, smallholder farms in the South of our world will also benefit. And that is really very relevant and important for everyone.

Thank you very much.

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

18:22:04

Thank you for your attention.

I now give the floor to Ms Seda GÖREN BÖLÜK, from Türkiye.

Ms Seda GÖREN BÖLÜK

Türkiye, NR

18:22:11

Thank you, Mister Chairman.

Dear colleagues,

Everyone has the right to an adequate, nutritious and culturally appropriate diet, necessary for a healthy life. I therefore congratulate the rapporteur, Mr Simon MOUTQUIN, on his important work. As the report points out, food insecurity is exacerbated by climate change and ongoing crises in Europe and neighboring countries. The triple global crisis makes sustainable agriculture a necessity rather than a leisure activity.

One of the most innovative methods of sustainable food production is vertical farming, a form of urban agriculture that maximises space efficiency, reduces water consumption by up to 90%, and cuts transport costs and emissions associated with food distribution. One such project is underway in my constituency of Istanbul, where the public and private sectors have been working together on the "Vertical Agriculture Application Closed Centre Project" since late 2022. This indoor vertical farming project operates on the second floor and at a depth of at least 30 meters, making it the second deepest point of agricultural production in the world.

Another source of food insecurity is the precarious situation of lack of access to food in crisis zones. The situation in Gaza is becoming more desperate by the day; agriculture, once a source of sustenance and income, has been crippled by restrictions on water, land, and farming equipment.

UN experts declared that famine had spread throughout the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government has begun to use famine as a weapon of war, and almost half the Palestinians in the enclave are suffering from hunger. Doctors and families in Gaza have described children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers suffering from severe malnutrition and dehydration, and hospitals are ill-equipped to treat them.

As the conflict continues, the humanitarian need for food is urgent, but it is increasingly difficult to get aid into Gaza. What's more, Israel's senseless and indiscriminate aggression knows no borders and is supported by a section of the West, which now has the audacity to extend its attacks to the West Bank and now to Lebanon, two countries which are likely to face food security problems.

To conclude, I would like to say that I support all efforts in favour of sustainable and fair food production in Europe. I also think it's time to face up to the glaring source of man-made food insecurity, namely the Israeli military attacks on Gaza. Israel must put an end to this senseless war, stop the suffering, and allow humanitarian aid to reach the whole of Gaza without hindrance.

Thank you for your attention.

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

18:25:04

Thank you, Madam.

I now give the floor to Ms Gökçe GÖKÇEN, from Türkiye.

Ms Gökçe GÖKÇEN

Türkiye, SOC

18:25:12

Thank you, Mister Chair.

Dear colleagues,

First of all, I would like to thank dear Mr Simon MOUTQUIN for this report.

The silence of the European Constitutions on right to food, while being indirectly protected in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and the conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights, tells us about a political choice.

As guaranteed in the International Covenant on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the right to food is a fundamental right.

The right to food encompasses not only the absence of hunger but also access to healthy and adequate nutrition.

Our current system imposes an understanding on us. Freedom of expression, democracy, the right to property, and all liberal rights are indeed rights worthy of protection. These are also shared values of our Council. However, social and economic rights, beyond being subject to political choices, are also rights that deserve the same protection.

When we exclude social and economic rights, no liberal right can be fully protected. If we do not guarantee the right to health and the right to food, this also affects the assurance of the right to life. If we leave the right to housing to political choices, this situation impacts the right to health. If we do not guarantee the right to unionise, this affects the freedom of Assembly and freedom of expression.

Therefore, social and economic rights, including the right to food, cannot be separated from first-generation rights. They are interconnected. They are indivisible. If we want to uphold human dignity, we cannot have the option to choose certain rights while leaving others to political preference.

Before I conclude my speech, I would like to briefly touch on a topic.

The right to food is not only an issue for Europe and European constitutions. We also need to address the significant food crisis occurring today, because we do not have the option to prioritise one right over another, nor can we say that we will defend rights in this geography alone.

Today in Gaza, according to the Global Report on Food Crisis, we are experiencing the most serious food crisis in history of this report. Some 2.2 million people face high levels of acute food insecurity, with 576 000 people in a situation of Catastrophe level by the GRFC.

While the humanitarian aid is being blocked, as politicians and those working under the Council of Europe, in this very institution, we have a responsibility. The world is watching us, and it will continue to do so. We must not forget this historic duty.

Thank you.

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

18:28:05

Thank you, Madam.

And the last speaker is Ms Zeynep YILDIZ, from Türkiye.

Ms Zeynep YILDIZ

Türkiye, NR

18:28:19

Thank you, Mister Chair.

Dear colleagues,

Firstly, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Mr Simon MOUTQUIN for highlighting such an important issue through his report and also his stance right next to Palestine during his membership of PACE.

The classification of positive and negative rights provides a normative framework to determine the moral obligations of societies and governments regarding the right to food.

Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserts, "Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person." Life is the foundational condition for exercising all other rights, especially, establishing the right to life as paramount.

Survival transcends mere physical safety. It fundamentally involves access to food and water. An old Turkish proverb states, "Let the human live, so the state can live." Thus, ensuring the survival of people is essential for strong institutions. For this reason, the "right to food" should be recognised as a fundamental human right in all relevant documents.

As of 2023, approximately 250 million people globally face inadequate access to food, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, due to factors like climate change, internal and external conflicts, lack of plant agriculture, and economic difficulties. Simultaneously, about 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted each year, highlighting the stark inequities in food access.

Economic and political instability, alongside ongoing wars, has severely impacted the implementation of the right to food, contributing to a global food crisis. This crisis often leads to migration, with displacement closely tied to starvation and malnutrition.

The right to food is enshrined in the United Nations International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, where it holds a unique position as a fundamental means to a dignified life. This Covenant, signed by 171 state parties, has seen inadequate implementation in recent years. Despite Israel's approval in 1991, it voted against a UN committee's draft recognising food as a human right in 2021, raising questions about its commitment to human rights.

The situation in Gaza exemplifies this reality, where the current starvation campaign of the Israeli Government has left many in dire conditions and used as a weapon.

We must all acknowledge that this is not an obstacle arising from indirect factors such as climate change, but rather a direct impediment created by Israel through the violation of relevant United Nations resolutions.

Palestinians displaced to the south of Gaza are struggling to survive in difficult conditions, facing extreme challenges due to famine and soaring prices. One carton of milk exceeding US$24 and diapers at nearly US$14. UNICEF reported that 9 out of 10 children in Gaza suffer from severe food shortages, with malnutrition heightening mortality risks.

I firmly believe that the food crisis in Gaza and inequities in access to food must remain a priority on the Assembly's agenda, ensuring that Palestinians can enjoy their right to food.

Thank you.

 

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

18:32:28

That concludes the list of speakers.

I now give the floor back to the rapporteur.

You have the floor for 3 minutes.

Ms Aurora FLORIDIA

Italy, SOC, Rapporteur

18:32:41

Thank you, Mister President.

Dear colleagues,

First I'd like to thank Mr Simon MOUTQUIN once again for his excellent work on the human right to food, a topic that both the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development and myself I fully support and consider of utmost importance. I'd also like to thank, once again, the group of young people now sitting in the gallery.

Thank you again for the great smoothie distribution with your mobile kitchen. Maybe we can applaude them. Thank you.

Thank you for your energy and engagement, and for your precious points of view on food resilience. I firmly believe that the time has come to involve young people in decisional processes that concern their lives more actively.

This report is an example of this approach.

I'd also like to thank you, dear colleagues, for your valuable insight on this topic.

As you emphasise, the right to food is indeed fundamental, and it is our duty to reaffirm the role the Council of Europe can play by developing a robust framework to support this right.

I'd like to emphasise once again how crucial it is to protect the general population and vulnerable groups from hunger and food shortages while ensuring the accessibility and sustainability of food, including access to clean and safe drinking water.

Europe continues to face deep inequalities in access to healthy and sufficient food.

Food security is severely impacted by armed conflict, as we see in Ukraine, often called the granary of Europe, which is suffering due to the Russian aggression.

Additionally, we are grappling with the devastating effects of climate change, which has brought entire regions and countries in Europe to their knees in terms of food supply, leading to price increases.

These issues carry enormous economic, social, and environmental consequences.

The agricultural crisis is being worsened by the severe impacts of climate change.

I must mention the devastating droughts in southern Italy and Spain, as well as the recent floods in northern Italy and parts of eastern Europe.

Additionally, I cannot overlook the issues caused by PFAS contaminated groundwater, which leads to serious health problems, such as cancer.

Moreover, we must continue our efforts to promote a circular economy to combat food waste and reduce CO2 emissions.

This is not only an environmental challenge, but an ethical one as well.

The right to food is closely interconnected with the right to a healthy environment and should therefore be included in the Council of Europe's strategy.

To conclude, immediate action is needed to address these significant challenges.

Thank you.

Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Switzerland, SOC, President of the Assembly

18:35:58

Thank you, Ms JAZŁOWIECKA.

If she wishes to speak, I give the floor to the Vice-Chairwoman of the Committee, Ms Danuta JAZŁOWIECKA.

You have 3 minutes, Madame.

Ms Danuta JAZŁOWIECKA

Poland, EPP/CD, Vice-Chairperson of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development