Plenary session
27 April 2026
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PLENARY European Parliament
Follow its sittings00:07 - 07:12
Speaker 2
Good afternoon, dear colleagues. Can I ask you to take your seats, please? Welcome back. Dear colleagues, let's start this plenary session. I have two very quick announcements to make.
The first one concerns the fact that this past Sunday marked 40 years since the Chernobyl disaster. It was the worst nuclear accident in history, made catastrophically worse by a system that could not bring itself to tell the truth. Millions paid the price, losing their health, their homes, and, in many cases, their lives. No country was left untouched. Crops were contaminated, food supplies were restricted, and communities were gripped by fear.
The shock waves from Chernobyl, environmental, political, human, have rippled across countries and generations and are still felt to this day. This disaster is a reminder that we are more connected than we sometimes choose to believe. We owe it to the victims of Chernobyl and to those who come after us to ensure that this never happens again. And to the communities that lost everything, and to the generations that are still living with the consequences, our message is that Europe remembers and Europe stands with you. Dear colleagues, now under the fog of war, and despite the ceasefire, the Iranian regime continues to conduct arbitrary executions and detain dissidents.
Narges Mohammadi, human rights advocate and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, was sentenced again to 7 and a half years in February. She is now reported to be in a serious condition after surviving suffering a heart attack last month while in detention. Nasrin Sotoude, human rights lawyer and Saharov Prize laureate, was recently arrested in Tehran. Two women of extraordinary courage who have given everything in pursuit of justice and human dignity, and who represent the will and defiance of so many in Iran. We call for their immediate and unconditional release.
This parliament will always be a voice for those who have been silenced, and a stage for those who stand up, and we will not look away. Now, dear colleagues, the session adjourned on 03/26/2026 is reopened. The minutes and the text adopted at the sittings of the twenty-fifth and the March 26 are available. Are there any comments? No.
That does not seem to be the case. Therefore, the minutes are approved. Some announcements about our colleagues following the election of Anders Wistesen as member of the Danish parliament. Parliament takes note of the vacancy of his seat from 04/14/2026, in accordance with rules of procedure. The competent authorities of Denmark have notified me of the election of Maybrit Birchholm to the European Parliament, replacing Anders Wistesen, with effect from 04/16/2026.
Competent authorities of Germany have notified me of the election of Marie Sophie Lanik to the European Parliament, replacing Daniel Kaspari with effect from the 25 March 2026. I welcome our new colleagues and recall that they take their seat in parliament and its bodies in full enjoyment of their rights, pending the verification of their credentials. On the proposal of the committee on legal affairs, Parliament verifies the credentials of Willemine Koenig with effect from 03/03/2026. The competent authorities of Greece have addressed a request to me for the parliamentary immunity of Aphrodite Latinopulu to be waived. The competent authorities of Hungary have addressed a request to me for the parliamentary immunity of Tamas Deutsch to be waived.
The competent authorities of Poland have addressed a request to me for the parliamentary immunity of Mariusz Kamiński to be waived. These requests are referred to the committee on legal affairs. The EPP, SND, PFE, ECR, and ESN groups and the non-attached members have notified me of decisions relating to changes to appointments within committees and delegations. These decisions will be set out in the minutes of today's sitting and take effect the date of the denouncement. The transport, employment, and economic affairs committees, and jointly, the environment and fisheries committees, have decided to enter inter-institutional negotiations pursuant to rule 72, paragraph one of the rules of procedure.
The reports which constitute the mandates for the negotiations are available on the plenary web page, and the titles will be published in the minutes of the sitting. Pursuant to rule 72, paragraph two, members or political groups reaching at least the medium threshold may request in writing by tomorrow, Tuesday, April 28 at midnight, that the decisions be put to the vote. If no request for a vote in parliament is made within the deadline, the committees may start negotiations. Pursuant to rule 76 of parliament's rules for procedure, I wish to inform you that we have extended the time limits for the third reading of the air passenger rights regulation at the request of parliament's delegation to the conciliation committee. In accordance with article 294, paragraph 14 of the treaty on the functioning of the European Union, the period of six weeks available to the conciliation committee for reaching an agreement on a joint text shall therefore be extended by two weeks. The jury and IMCOR committees have transmitted a corrigendum to the text adopted by the parliament.
Pursuant to rule 2514, this corrigendum will be deemed approved unless no later than twenty four hours after its announcement. A request is made by a political group or members reaching at least a low threshold for it to be put to the vote. The corrigendum is available on the plenary web page. Its title will be published in the minutes of the sitting. I'd like to inform you that since the adjournment of the parliament session on March 26, I have signed together with the president of the council five acts adopted under the ordinary legislative procedure in accordance with rule 81 of our rules.
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