What Pirkko spoke about.

Corruption is like cancer that undermines the foundations of society and its balance. I would particularly like to focus on one instance of corruption, namely the risks associated with large electoral funding. According to the European Parliament's rules, MEPs are not allowed to accept gifts in excess of EUR 150. It is confusing that the same MEP is legally allowed to take multiple amounts of elec

Mr President, we are fighting against a relentless opponent, money laundering. Europol estimates that up to around 1% of the EU’s annual GDP is linked to suspicious economic activities, including the financing of terrorist organisations. The proposal for a directive before us serves as a barrier against the forces that seek to sow chaos and destruction in our midst, which threatens the structure o

Mr President, Russia is trying to influence European politics in particular to undermine the support of the EU and its Member States for Ukraine and its people. Russian disinformation campaigns have been uncovered across Europe. I consider extremely serious the information revealed by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo that Russia has approached some MEPs and offered them money bribes to pro

Mr President, the European Semester is part of the EU's economic governance. During this period, EU Member States adjust their budgets to the rules agreed at EU level. I think it is important to maintain the focus of the Semester on key economic and social policy issues without overburdening the process. Social policy must remain largely in national hands. I am opposed to the reforms proposed in t

Mr President, for my part, I would also like to welcome you, Prime Minister Orpo, to the European Parliament. In this way, I would also like to take the lead in correcting the harshness of the Group of the Party of European Socialists' speech, and I say that there is no far-right party in the Finnish government. We have a patriotic government that is doing its best to repair the catastrophic legac

Mr President, I warmly support the orientation of the new candidate countries towards the West and their rapprochement with the Western institutions. At the same time, I believe it is important that accession to the EU must always be a merit-based procedure, and there are no bypasses. Candidate countries must meet the strict criteria they have been given before membership can become a reality. The

Mr President, Russia's interference in the EU's democratic processes raises concerns and calls for a decisive response. Last autumn's parliamentary elections in Slovakia reported a large-scale spread of pro-Russian propaganda. Generally, public debate has focused on the right-wing parties' ties with Russia. Often the debate forgets the corresponding sins of those representing other political posit

Mr President, the objective of a sustainable water strategy should be to reduce the use of water, to maintain its sanitation and to improve the sustainability of water bodies. Water reuse and rainwater collection should also be promoted. Resolving the water crisis requires broad cooperation – at all levels. Each of us has a role to play in achieving these goals. As consumers, we can make choices t

Mr President, the corruption scandal uncovered a year ago has shaken the European Parliament and undermined public confidence in decision-making. Transparency in decision-making is a cornerstone of democracy. Transparency increases voters' confidence in the political system by reducing suspicions of hidden interests and unethical practices. More transparency and stricter rules are also needed for

Mr President, thank you for giving us the opportunity to discuss the housing and cost-of-living crisis for young people. I myself will focus on describing the problematic situation in the housing market in Finland, where too many overexpensive dwellings have been built during zero interest rates and over-indebted housing companies have been established already at the start-up stage. The overall si

Mr President, this new leak of information from Cyprus revealed alarming information about the links between the country's financial sector and Russia. For example, the Cyprus office of the accounting giant PwC has been assisting Putin's close circle at the same time as Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Cypriot companies have assisted individuals subject to EU sanctions in circumventing

Mr President, let us be frank. Russia has launched a hybrid operation against Finland and is using migrants as a weapon. Young men with inadequate documentation from Somalia, Syria, Yemen and Iraq, among others, have flowed to Finland's eastern border of more than 1,300 kilometres. However, we cannot be sure of nationalities, because the identity papers have mysteriously drowned on the way. It is

No, Madam President.

Mr President, it is important that we talk about things under their proper names. Over the past few weeks, Russia has launched a hybrid operation against Finland. Young men with inadequate documents, including Somalis, Syrians, Yemenis and Iraqis, have increasingly crossed the border between Finland and Russia. There are very strong indications that this is instrumentalised entry promoted by the R

Mr President, the debate on EU enlargement has intensified as a result of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. I am in favour of the candidate countries heading west. EU countries and the international community must stand in support of Ukraine until Russian troops are evicted from Ukrainian territory. Russia must also withdraw from the occupied territories of Georgia and Moldova. I myself

Mr President, the EU and many of its Member States are in debt in a worrying way. Last year, the EU's debt increased by more than EUR 100 billion, reaching EUR 344 billion at the end of the year. The auditors' annual report is a worrying read. There was a significant increase in errors in EU budget expenditure. The total risk to the EU budget at the end of the year was close to EUR 250 billion. Wh

Mr President, media independence and pluralism are important objectives. In festive speeches, everything seems to be going smoothly, and democracy is flourishing in several EU countries where the media is said to be independent. However, reality may differ much more than we think. And now I'm talking especially about my home country, which is the media world I know best. In Finland, I have encount

Mr President, clean surface water and groundwater are a valuable resource that we must protect. I believe it is essential that companies and private operators should take responsibility for the pollution they cause. Environmental crimes should be investigated more across the EU and polluters should be made to pay for the consequences of their actions. Clean water is vital to our health and the env

Mr President, free cheese is only in a rat's trap, according to an old Russian proverb. Since 2014, Russia has secretly diverted hundreds of millions of euros to foreign political parties and candidates in an attempt to influence political content. Apparently, Russia has achieved its goals. An effective way to fight corruption in politics is to make election funding fully transparent. If the donat

Mr President, it is important to carefully review the experience of the Pandora Papers and other revelations in order to focus in the future on the most effective and efficient methods in the fight against tax evasion. When the richest people in the world don't want to pay taxes, they can easily find experts who help with tax avoidance. Four large audit firms control almost 90 per cent of the tax