They are a fundamental right that not only guarantee the dignity of every person, but also contribute to the security of the EU itself, reminds MEP Miriam Lexmann.

“Totalitarianism, extremism, or persecution destabilize entire regions and expose the Union to security challenges. This is also why the EU must actively advocate for the support of religious freedom within and outside of it. Religious freedom and the protection of human dignity continue to be one of my priorities in the service I perform in the European Parliament,” explains MEP Miriam Lexmann (EPP/KDH) her attitude and values, which are guided not only in her work.

At the end of January, together with her parliamentary colleague Peter van Dalen, she presented a report by the Open Doors organization called World Watch List, which presents the most up-to-date information on the persecution of Christians in the world. Every year, Open Doors has approximately 4,000 collaborators who provide verified first-hand information from all over the world. It remains a painful fact that more than 360 million believers around the world are being persecuted or discriminated against today.

Dabrina Bet Tamraz, who comes from a Christian family from Iran, herself went through prison and other hardships, spoke to the participants at the event. Today, from exile, he tries to help those who live under an increasingly draconian regime.

During the presentation of the World Watch List report by Open Doors in the European Parliament.

The report was published at the time of the approaching 35th anniversary of the Candle Manifestation, when people in Slovakia took to the streets to peacefully express their disapproval of the lack of freedom and restriction of human rights by the totalitarian regime.

“Also based on our own experience with totalitarianism, I acted for a long time regarding the appointment of a special envoy for the support of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU. Since his appointment, I have been trying to ensure that he has a strong mandate and all the necessary means to perform this office,” recalls Lexmann, one of the successfully implemented solutions.

In her speech, she also drew attention to the fact that totalitarian regimes are beginning to use new forms of suppression of religious freedom. For example, China terrorizes its own citizens through surveillance with the help of artificial intelligence. In addition, through its dominant position in international organizations such as the UN, it attempts to redefine the principles on which the protection of human rights is built. As a shadow rapporteur for multilateralism, she therefore points out and suggests several ways in which we can stop this trend.

Photo source: Office of Miriam Lexmann

Staying competitive means protecting yourself from harmful investments or economic coercion from totalitarian regimes.

For a long time, Miriam Lexmann has therefore been pointing out how big a threat our dependence – for example, on China – is in this regard. The more dependent we are, the more vulnerable we are.

As the European Parliament’s shadow rapporteur for the anti-coercion instrument, she has therefore pushed hard to ensure that we have the necessary tools to protect our single market. He continues in this role.

“Our role is twofold: on the one hand, to support innovation, but at the same time to ensure that we are never again blackmailed by totalitarian regimes,” says Lexmann.

We observed the consequences of this blackmail during the COVID pandemic, when we were faced with a lack of supplies of critical products, especially medicines. Today we are experiencing this situation again.

“I therefore welcome that the European Parliament and the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU have opened a discussion on the Union’s strategy to support industrial competitiveness, trade and quality jobs. We must provide the best possible conditions and create the infrastructure for investment and innovation. Here I also want to appreciate and welcome the recent decision of the Taiwanese company TSMC to start producing semiconductors in Europe, which are absolutely key for the future of our industrial production, including cars,” concludes Miriam Lexmann, MEP for EPP.

Cover photo: Nenov Brothers Images (shutterstock 121516270), euractiv.com

During this week’s plenary session in Strasbourg, the European Parliament is debating a resolution calling on the European Union to work with international partners to establish a tribunal for crimes of aggression against Ukraine. The European Parliament’s debate and resolution follows Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s call for the creation of such a tribunal.

“Russia’s aggression and way of waging war against Ukraine is a clear violation of the Charter of the United Nations and international law. As such, the leadership of the Russian Federation must one day face justice for crimes against aggression and crimes against peace, however long it takes. Justice must prevail, not least in order to bring at least some degree of satisfaction to the victims, even if, unfortunately, it will never bring back the extinguished lives and reverse the trauma caused. The European Parliament is already trying to support the creation of a temporary prosecutor’s office, which can collect the necessary evidence and prepare the relevant tribunal. In this context, I would like to recall the words of Judge Robert Jackson at the opening of the Nuremberg Trials in 1945: ‘We must never forget that what we judge these defendants on is what history will judge us by tomorrow,’ says the Slovak MEP Miriam Lexmann (KDH/EPP).