The attacks by right-wing Spanish MEPs on the acting Spanish Minister of Equality, Irene Montero, created tension yesterday Tuesday during her intervention in the Women’s Rights Committee of the European Parliament and made its president, the Polish social democrat Robert Biedron, react. , who reprimanded several parliamentarians and asked them to leave national issues aside.
Montero appeared to explain the priorities of Spain, which presides over the EU Council until the end of December, related to its portfolio. In particular, he spoke of the objective of advancing the directive to combat violence against women or of working to promote the LGTBIQ strategy in the Union.
He also stressed the importance of placing sexual rights as the right of all citizens and spoke of a conference that will be held during the Spanish presidency on this topic.
PP MEP Rosa Estarás was the first to intervene after Montero’s presentation, and she did so to mention, among other things, the reductions in sentences derived from the “yes” law or Montero’s statements about judges.
The president of the parliamentary commission stressed that the objective of the minister’s appearance was not to address national politics, but rather the priorities of the Spanish presidency of the Council and ended up silencing Estarás. That first call to attention was followed by others to some parliamentarians from the PP and Vox who brought up national issues instead of sticking to the priorities of the Spanish presidency.
“We have a guest. We are not here to talk about that issue, if you want to do national politics, go to your national parliament. We are here to talk about European issues,” the Pole insisted.
The German social democratic MEP Maria Noichil intervened in defense of the minister, apologizing on behalf of Estarás for “not being aware of the issue being discussed” and congratulating Montero for the “very feminist and good policies” of the Spanish Government.
BNG MEP Ana Miranda also criticized “the spectacles caused by the right and extreme right”, and denounced the attacks that Montero and her family have personally suffered in Spain and feminism in general.
At the end of the appearance, Estarás said that he will present a complaint to the president of the EP, Roberta Metsola, for “lack of neutrality” for not having had the right to speak as if other parliamentarians did. Deputy Gabriel Mato (PP) supported his party partner for the “discrimination” suffered.
The Polish Biedron reacted angrily to Mato’s intervention, apologized to Montero for what happened and assured him that this type of thing does not usually happen in his commission. “Spain is a champion of women’s rights,” said the Polish deputy, who valued Spain’s “ambitious and progressive agenda” and highlighted the “many similarities” that exist with that of the Women’s Rights Commission. “There are many emotions in the air, but the topic we have discussed has nevertheless been very, very important,” he concluded.
Soraya Rodríguez, from Ciudadanos, referred to this scuffle between the president of the Commission and several MEPs. “Here we talk a lot about Poland when its measures (against abortion) cause women to die in hospitals and the president has never understood that this is national policy: it is something that affects everyone, the 27 states,” he said. Rodríguez, for whom Montero “does not need protection.”
