During the plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels, MEPs celebrate the International Women's Day during a debate. Opening statement by David SASSOLI, EP President. This transcription speech is the result of an automatic process. Check against delivery.

International Women's Day Celebration: Opening statement by David SASSOLI, EP President

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, Good evening. Dear fellow members, I would like to start by thanking Prime Minister Ardern and Vice President Harris for accepting our invitation to address our assembly today on the occasion of International Women's Day. We will be reflecting together on the challenges ahead of us. Thank you very much, President von der Leyen for being present with us. And in the chamber today, Vice President Jourov&aacute;, our countries and societies united by historical, cultural, political and economic ties which run very deep.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, And of course, we are going through a very dramatic period at the moment worldwide. We want an economic and social recovery, which leaves nobody behind. Today, this celebration cannot be mere words, because we are right in the middle of a dramatic period. Women and young women and girls have been in the frontline of this crisis. They've been suffering the economic, social and material consequences of this pandemic in their everyday lives.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, Simone de Beauvoir said you should never forget that it will only take a political, economic or religious crisis for women's rights to be questioned again. We cannot ever take them for granted. We should remain vigilant throughout our lives. And I believe that that phrase is a very pertinent one as we go through this crisis.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, Ladies and gentlemen, covid-19 has not only consolidated injustice and inequalities, but it's also questioned achievements, unravelled achievements about cohesion, about independence, about the relationships we have. Basic rights for people to make their own choices about their relationships.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, Women have been losing jobs and losing out on benefits. Those who have worst suffered the economic impact of the crisis have been sectors such as tourism and culture, leisure, catering, where many women work. The labour power of these sectors is mainly women, 76 percent of health care workers across the EU, 86 percent of carers.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, What this pandemic has done and has obliged many women to work part time to stay at home and look after their children, the elderly, people with disabilities. Poverty has a face in Europe, and it's a woman's face. It's a mother's face in Europe. In lockdown, too, we've seen more women suffering violence, violence committed by a partner, perpetrated by a family member.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, Women have been unable to escape because incredibly, we don't have enough refugee shelters. We don't have enough hotlines for people to turn to. The victims of violence, do not have enough people to turn to. And so we've seen a perverse impact of our economic and social model, which is blaming the poor for being poor.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, What the pandemic has done is show the extent to which caring for others is vital to a society. It is a public good. We must defend it. Caring for others is something which mainly women do, but actually it's everybody's responsibility. We should see it as a public good, too. Ladies and gentlemen, we can only combat this pandemic and its social and economic impact now and in future the impact on people's lives if we put women and girls at the centre of our response.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, Not because of some general principle, but using the powers that we have, the powers that parliament has, the power that institutions have to improve people's day to day lives, women's day to day lives to take a step forward and not a step backwards for women as we build back better. This continent has been at the forefront of defending women's rights. We are now called upon to defend true equality for women on behalf of us all.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, Women should be equally present in the centres of the decision making process as we build our recovery. So the directive on women on boards is vital. It's been held up for too long in Council and I count on the Portuguese presidency's support to achieve this vital aim. But that is not enough. We need wage equality and equal pay for equal work. The average European woman earns fourteen point one percent less than the average European man.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, That is not acceptable anymore. We are willing to work on the commission proposal for wage transparency. For that to be binding, as was presented yesterday, we'll put that at the heart of our work. Parliament, as you know, has been fighting for the gender dimension to be mainstreamed right across our seven year programme for recovery and all the national recovery plans.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, It has to be at the heart. This is not an abstract concept because if our recovery is to have equality at its heart, then it will truly make an impact on people's lives and more specifically, women's lives across the EU and cities, in workplaces and schools, universities, research centres. And this is not a time for rhetoric and fine words.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, We need to ensure that violence against women is deemed a serious crime, considered in practical terms a serious crime right across the territory of Europe. That should be our undertaking. All EU member states should ratify the Istanbul convention. We should make violence against women a crime in the EU, not as an abstract concept. This is about who we are. This is about our identity as a global actor.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, And this has been such a traumatic crisis. It has shown us how important it is for the EU to be a different place, a place with greater equality. We have instruments available, we have resources available, and we need to show unity of purpose. It's been such a traumatic year for all of us.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, We want to achieve a fairer economy. Now we. Come out the other side, women, young women, girls need to be at the heart of recovery for our economies and societies, that should be our aim. That should be the aim of us all women and men in 2021. Thank you very much.

International Women's Day Celebration: Opening statement by David SASSOLI, EP President

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