What Christian spoke about.

Madam President, Dear Vice-President of the Commission! Dear colleagues! The European single market is one of the greatest achievements of our European Union. It creates growth, jobs, prosperity; At the same time, however, it also shows: For many companies, everyday life is still far too complicated. Especially in the service sector, companies continue to experience different national regulations,

Dear Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, Public procurement decides on schools, roads, hospitals, in short: about the daily lives of the local people. And it moves over €2 trillion a year, almost 14% of our GDP. Ten years after the last reform, it is clear: We need new rules that focus on speed, clarity and practicality. Our municipalities in particular are reaching their limits in p

Madam President, dear Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen, In a few days, the European Commission will present its proposal for the new Multiannual Financial Framework. Now is the right time to send a clear signal to the Commission with our own-initiative report on strengthening rural areas in view of the next EU budget. Because one thing is clear: If we want to keep Europe together, cohesion pol

Mr President, Mr Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen! The European single market is undoubtedly one of the greatest achievements of our Union and the foundation of our economic success. But we are not exploiting these potentials. On the contrary: Bureaucracy, outdated rules and national loneliness are slowing down the single market in many places. The Commission presented a new strategy today. Th

Mr President, Mr Executive Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen! As a Bavarian MEP and regional policy spokesperson, I am committed to ensuring that cohesion policy, with its €392 billion, has a targeted impact where it is needed. I welcome the Commission's positioning presented today. There needs to be adjustments in the programmes, there needs to be a sustainable cohesion policy. However, I woul

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! A T-shirt for three euros, a jacket for seven or a children's plush toy for a few cents: E-commerce retailers like Temu or Shein flood our markets with aggressive marketing strategies and dumping prices. In 2023 alone, Shein and Temu together exported 9,000 tonnes of freight to Europe every day. With their unfair practices, they put enormous pressu

Madam President, Commissioner, honourable Members! With today's report, we are setting a first important milestone for the future of cohesion policy, and we are making it clear: In the European Union, we leave no one behind, no village, no city, no region. Firstly, we stand for a cohesion policy that strengthens all regions, whether in Eastern or Western Europe, whether in the city or in the count

Mr President, Commissioner, honourable Members! First of all, I would like to thank the rapporteur and the other shadow rapporteurs for their good cooperation. This report has a good structure, covers all the important points and addresses the problems of EU citizenship from different perspectives. In this report, we have remained close to the original spirit of the Treaties. What do I mean by tha

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. When we discuss the Markets in Financial Instruments dossier today, we cannot avoid the threat of a ban. This reimbursement was the foundation for the business models of numerous German and European start-ups. Only in this way has commission-free saving gained momentum on the capital market.  To ban it now, I think it is wrong and I reject it. It jeopardizes the

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen! Yes, we need to fight climate change. That is why it is right that we no longer use fluorinated greenhouse gases by 2050. These so-called F-gases are damaging the climate, and that is exactly what we want to prevent. But switchgear, fire extinguishers, refrigeration systems and heat pumps require F-gases. Good alternatives are usually still in development. That'

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. When we talk about wastewater treatment in our cities and communities, it affects every single citizen of us. Good water status is crucial not only for environmental protection, but also for the health of our citizens. That is why it is right that, after 30 years, we update this directive again and adapt it to the current challenges. However, when revising the M

Dear colleagues, thank you very much. I will not do a long speech now. I will just ask, pursuant to Rule 59(4), for the immediate referral back to committee so that we can start interinstitutional negotiations.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, The European construction industry is currently under severe pressure: Rising interest rates, shortages of raw materials, supply bottlenecks, shortages of skilled workers all weigh on the European construction industry. In order to achieve our ambitious climate targets in the construction sector, we need to focus on the essentials. Now is not the time for add

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, How much can the state, how much can our local communities financially support? Das ist die Kernfrage dieser Debatte. The European Union has taken a lot of action in the areas of digitalisation, social affairs, the environment and climate change. We all know that our local communities in particular, with important investments on the ground, are indispensable

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, Cohesion and support are important for the cohesion and development of our regions. As regional policy spokesman for the CDU/CSU Group, I am committed to our regional policy on a daily basis in technical policy. On our joint work on the report entitled ‘Border Regions in the EU: European integration regulatory sandboxes’, I think we can be proud

Dear President, Vice-President of the European Commission, ladies and gentlemen, We have a unique opportunity: Europe can become the first continent to become climate neutral. As pioneers in green technologies, we can create jobs in Europe. We can preserve quality of life and the environment for future generations. But, and this is unfortunately too often not considered, all this cannot be done wi

Mr President, Madam Vice-President, Mr Logar, ladies and gentlemen! Today's discussion is just in time. Only two weeks ago we discussed rising energy prices in this House. It is true that the Commission is resisting the call from Member States for market intervention. The continuing rise in prices makes it clear: The long-term course must be right. It is incomprehensible to me that the Commission

Dear Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Today it's time: We are finally voting on the revision of the Aarhus Regulation. This is an important day for public participation in Europe, for transparency and also for the economic recovery in Europe. For with all the zeal to extend the challenge to legal acts based on apparent threats to the environment, we should not forget one thing: An increase in l

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, 83.3% higher prices for solid wood, 44.3% higher prices for reinforcing steel and almost 40% more for lumber, to name just a few examples. The dynamic is rapid. If you build now, you have to expect high prices and a low supply of materials. Many craft businesses are unable to fulfil their orders despite a good order situation. Construction proje