Women’s rights, LGBTQIA+ people and gender equality
Dressed in her light blue suit, Hadja Lahbib patiently listens to questions from MEPs and takes the time to respond. Spanish MP from the left group Irene Montero notably questioned Hadja Lahbib on the issue of violence against women: “It will be necessary to discuss, dialogue, finance programs to change mentalities […] LGBT people face increasing violence“, replied the liberal.
Further in this grand oral, Hadja Lahbib was questioned about the rights of LGBTQIA+ people.”It is clear that LGBTQIA+ rights are increasingly in question within the EU“, she first said. “We are going to renew the strategy and I am waiting for feedback from the field because this strategy will have to be renewed from 2025. We will see with the representatives on the ground what worked and what did not work. […] We are also going to work on positive incentives, this is something that is close to my heart, we can also increase the number of LGBTQIA + friendly cities”, commented by Hadja Lahbib.
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The candidate for commissioner was applauded following her response on conversion therapy. “In my mission letter, it is clearly written that I should ban conversion therapy and that is what I will work on if I am confirmed. They are anything but therapies, because there is no disease to treat. These are traumatic practices, vicious because hidden behind psychological consultations from which broken beings emerge.“, explained Hadja Lahbib to the deputies of the European Parliament.
An MP asked Hadja Lahbib the relationship she intends to maintain with the United States after the announcement of Donald Trump’s victory. “The European Union and the United States have an important relationship. We must respect the democratic choice made by the Americans. As for women’s rights, I followed the news like you, I know that the two candidacies for the White House were polarized on the gender issue which I regret. My job will rather be to bring people together, to take the men on board. I am one of those who think that we cannot fight for gender equality by putting men aside. We will make a difference if all men are on board“, replied Hadja Lahbib.
“I am announcing to you that a study will be released on November 25 when this day of the fight against violence against women. Ten years after the first study, we will discover that violence against women has not decreased, like that against LGBT people, like that against the Roma has not decreased. It is now a question, with your help, dear parliamentarians, of making a difference, of transforming into everyday life all the magnificent directives that you voted for during the previous mandate.“, declared the candidate on the issue of violence before being applauded by certain parliamentarians.
Russian visa for Crimea and war in Ukraine
“I fought for the sending of F-16s, humanitarian aid, I went to kyiv. Yesterday I was with the Ukrainian president, I have a fairly close relationship with him“, declared Hadja Lahbib following a question on Ukraine. A German MP notably questioned the former RTBF journalist about her visit to Crimea with a Russian visa which had triggered a lively controversy in 2022. This visit to Crimea under Russian visa came back to Parliament’s table of questions several times: “We must not reinterpret what we do in a journalistic state, where it is normal for journalists to go everywhere to testify, it is part of freedom of expression and what we do as ministers. One was not in contradiction with the other, it was in both cases to give people a voice, to hear and denounce“, Hadja Lahbib explained again.
A minor portfolio, but a lot of work for Hadja Lahbib
Interference and humanitarian aid
“What will you do to combat interference within the European Union” asked Deputy Bellamy, focusing his question on the controversy over Iranian visas issued last June. “I would ensure transparency in humanitarian aid“, Hadja Lahbib began to respond. “I will always hold consensus with me, this basis which serves as our bible for delivering humanitarian aid.“added the liberal.”You come back to this story of Iranian visas, there was a vote of confidence in Parliament. Brussels, like New York, is a city that welcomes international delegations when there are summits“, she concluded on this question.
The issue of Iranian visas did not stop there. A Belgian MP once again questioned Hadja Lahbib on this distribution of visas, a question quickly brushed aside by the liberal, affirming that this question had already been the subject of a comment on her part. Hadja Lahbib then focused on the second part of this MP’s question on the relationship between the European Union and Iran: “We do not have political relations with Iran, we mainly have sanctions against it. The worrying development of women’s rights in particular will surely lead us to take additional sanctions […] We had hostages that I was able to free, we also have to bring that into the light, it is something that was put in the shadows during my mandate as Minister of Foreign Affairs: we released with the Belgian government four citizens who were held in Iranian prisons“, insisted the outgoing minister.
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Humanitarian aid and environment
“Humanitarian aid is urgent, it means saving lives […] Humanitarian aid is not a response, it is crisis management. Development must very quickly come to the aid of humanitarian aid to work on resilience, allowing the populations we help to be autonomous.“, affirmed Hadja Lahbib on the question of his collaboration with the development commission.
The former journalist was asked about the EU’s response to the deadly floods in Valencia. “Spain activated Copernicus (satellite, Editor’s note) to have a view of the disasters we gave all the information to Spain and RescEU (mechanism for protecting citizens from disasters, Editor’s note) has capacities, water pumps, makeshift shelters, a huge amount of stocks which can be made available to Spain, but if it has not activated it for the moment it is because it does not doesn’t need it. We respect the sovereignty of Member States“, she commented.
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The management of migration by the European Union was also an area on which Hadja Lahbib was questioned. “Addressing the root causes of migration is an issue that I would address thanks to the Nexus, thanks to humanitarian aid, development and peace […] As for the return of refugees, there are very clear indicators, these are those of the UNHCR, so for refugees to return home, this return must be voluntary, dignified and secure.“, said the candidate commissioner.
In conclusion, Hadja Lahbib thanked the deputies for their questions during this oral hearing. “If I confirm, I commit to working with you“, declared the candidate at the end of her exam. “Hopefully tomorrow will be better than today […] if I am confirmed, this hope will follow me for five years“, as Hadja Lahbib insists.
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