8. volební období Nessa CHILDERS

Today’s vote is a stepping stone in recognising the fundamental rights of intersex people in the EU, with the first ever resolution approved by the European Parliament.
People in Europe continue to be discriminated because of who they love, the body they are born with and the personal sense of their gender.
Parliament deplores the fact that, in many EU countries, transgender people are still considered mentally ill, and the consequences are devastating for some people, causing significant distress.
Furthermore, surgery and medical treatment are often performed on intersex children without their prior, personal and full and informed consent, which can cause life-long consequences, including psychological trauma and physical impairments.
Every child should be able to safely explore their gender identity and expression, without being subjected to harmful diagnostic practices.
Today we are calling on the Commission to keep acting in this field and adopt a new multiannual strategy during its next mandate.

It is vital to have clear rules regarding animal transport in Ireland and the rest of the EU. Most importantly, to ensure proper compliance with these rules – especially for journeys that cross intra—EU borders as well as borders with third countries – to ensure proper animal welfare standards throughout.
All farmed animals should be slaughtered as close as possible to the place of production and all meat products should be exported on the hook.
Live exports currently represent an important source of income for some farmers, especially in Ireland. However, live exports should ultimately be replaced with chilled or frozen meat products or carcasses. A country like Ireland risks its reputation for high welfare and high quality products by continuing to export live bulls and heifers (many in-calf) to third countries such as Libya where welfare standards are poor compared to Ireland and the rest of the EU.

I am disappointed to see a majority of my colleagues persisting with this model that grants big business an exclusive judicial forum to challenge government policy-making whenever they think decisions taken in the public interest will interfere with their profits.
The Investor Court System, which the EU executive champions as an important reform to a dispute settlement, actually maintains the all the perverse features of this flawed approach.
We are willingly taking our own governments hostage to a maximalist doctrine of ‘legitimate expectations’ from the business sector which can and does chill regulation, on pain of extortionately expensive litigation.
By pushing this model, particularly among developed countries, we are effectively undermining our own legal and judicial institutions, where the same legal standards should apply to all under the same conditions.
There is a groundswell of frustration and anger against the unequal dividends of globalisation among the general public.
Those who claim to defend it are actually undermining open societies by turning a deaf ear to their legitimate concerns.