In the European Parliament in Brussels, David SASSOLI, EP President, resumes the plenary session (23-24 June 2021) with opening remarks on today's Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis World Day and on rule of law in the EU Member States. This transcription is the result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Brussels

statement

plenary session

EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights (T)

SASSOLI, David Maria (S&D, IT, S&D, IT)

keynote speech

Opening remarks by David SASSOLI, EP President, on the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis World Day and on the rule of law in the EU Member States

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, Good afternoon, we will open our session for today. Dear colleagues, on the 21st of June, on Monday was the International Day on the Amyotrophic Multiple sclerosis and with you today, I would like to offer a word of encouragement and solidarity to the patients suffering from this and to their families, and I would like to underscore the necessity and the need to invest more in research so that we can find the cause and also find a treatment for this very serious disease.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, Dear colleagues. I would also like to inform plenary following our resolution of the 10th of June of this year that I wrote to the Commission President, Ursula Von der Leyen, on behalf of Parliament and on the basis of Article 265 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to invite the Commission to meet its obligations as guardian of the Treaties and to safeguard full and immediate application of the regulation on the conditionality for the respect of the rule of law.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, We are convinced that there are some flagrant violations of the principles of the rule of law on the part of a number of member states, and they will have to be penalised. Of course, in the absence of any reaction from the Commission and within the time period set for this, we will, of course, act against the Commission and bring them before the Court of Justice. Thank you