What Anna-Michelle spoke about.

This is the first European Parliament report dedicated to the EU’s relations with Taiwan, and it is both important and timely. I believe it embodies a very balanced approach, and one that seeks to be proactive rather than provocative. There has always been a tacit understanding that the Bilateral Investment Agreement with Taiwan would follow once the China Agreement on Investment had been conclude

The increase in electricity prices, due to the rapid increase in gas prices, as well as in the prices of pollutant rights, within the European Emissions Trading System, puts at the centre the issue of energy poverty in Europe and in the world. This phenomenon not only affects European energy consumers and especially the most vulnerable social strata, but also jeopardises the objectives of the Euro

Madam President, I will choose to ignore the dismissive and insulting undertone of your last comment, Ms in ‘t Veld. And yes, I can imagine, because I look at one in the mirror every day when I wake up and I care about truth and European values, and I care about my country and its reputation. And I can imagine, because I see it happening in this Chamber, that there are there is a minority in here,

Madam President, this is the sixth time that we are discussing the rule of law in Greece here in plenary, when it has been thoroughly answered on all issues, when answers have been given by us, by the Greek Government before the Commission, by the Prime Minister of Greece himself in this Chamber and when no new evidence has emerged. There are times when you have to say things by name. The first fi

Mr President, 100 days have passed since 7 October, when unspeakable atrocities were committed by the terrorist organisation Hamas against innocent Israeli civilians. But as our attention moves today to the risks of regional escalation and broader conflict in the region, we risk forgetting the plight of the victims, forgetting the need for accountability and justice. We must not let this happen. W

Mr President, in July China announced a partial ban on gallium exports. China produces 80% of the world's gallium. For many critical raw materials, such as rare earths and magnesium, China supplies almost 100% of the European Union's needs. Critical raw materials are crucial for realising the green and digital transitions. They are essential for the production of batteries, electric vehicles, wind

Mr President, ‘bring them back home’ – that was the desperate cry of the families of the hostage that were brutally abducted by the terrorist organisation Hamas when it launched its heinous attack on Israel on 7 October. Today, it appears 50 hostages are going to be released as part of a deal that includes the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners in a four-day humanitarian pause. And of course, we

Mr President, Commissioner, the 2024 budget of the European Union sends a clear signal about the priorities of the European Parliament. At a time of global instability and conflict, we have secured an additional EUR 400 million for humanitarian aid and foreign policy priorities. To strengthen Europe's competitive edge, we secured an additional €100 million for research and technological investment

Mr President, after four and a half years in this House, we know each other’s positions on Israel and Palestine quite well. In this moment, we need to rise above these positions, and we need to speak in one voice to condemn the despicable attack on Israel by the terrorist group Hamas, to recognise Israel’s unequivocal right to self-defence. And Israel has my vote of confidence that this will be do

Mr President, negotiations between the European institutions on the annual budget are an ordinary exercise, but this is no ordinary year: we’re in the midst of a major revision of the MFF to deal with the challenges of migration, climate change, competitiveness and a war in Ukraine. Today’s compromise package is an effective and balanced way to tackle these challenges. We have included additional

Madam President, the one and only trade deal we’ve done this term is Vietnam. Hopefully we’ll be able to add New Zealand to the list. This landmark deal will deliver economic value, including ambitious commitments on environmental and labour standards. Two trade deals in five years, that’s not what I’d call an ambitious trade agenda. There is still time to make meaningful progress on a number of t

Madam President, this report is a good report for Europe, it is a good report for Greece and I am pleased that today's report includes a proposal to further increase the budget by EUR 10 billion, of which EUR 2 billion for the solidarity and emergency aid reserve to tackle, among other things, natural disasters. As you know, the recent catastrophic floods and fires that have affected my country, G

Madam President, Commissioner, the anti-coercion instrument is a valid and necessary response to the changing nature of global trade. The rules we once took for granted in a globalised trading environment are no longer universally respected. An increasing number of countries, including leading economic powers, are more inclined to weaponise trade to serve their political goals. China cut trading t

Mr President, Commissioner, today critical raw materials are at the forefront of the political debate. Rightfully so – they are key to delivering the Green Deal, they’re at the centre of our trade deals and they will influence the geopolitical balance in the decades to come. It is therefore imperative that we simplify onerous and lengthy permitting procedures, secure financing for CRM projects and

Mr President, Commissioner, the European Parliament's annual report on Turkey contains extensive references to the deterioration of the human rights situation, freedom of speech, the functioning of the rule of law and democratic institutions in the country. As far as Greece is concerned, it clearly condemns the casus belli, condemns the questioning of the sovereignty of the Greek islands, as well

Mr President, here in the plenary of the European Parliament we have discussed the accession of the Western Balkans many times and Greece has been an accelerating country. However, the recent decision of an Albanian court rejecting the request for the release of the elected mayor, Freddie Beleri, constitutes a serious development in Albania's accession course, because the decision is in direct con

Mr President, like so many other critical raw materials that we rely on for our green and digital transition, China is the world’s leading producer of natural graphite and the EU’s top supplier. The EIB recently backed a EUR 150 million loan for a graphite mine in northern Sweden, and projects like this will be key to ensuring our autonomy, building our value chains and greening production. This p

Madam President, Commissioner, this report was supposed to be about the relationship of the Union with the Palestinian Authority, yet it contains about 40 references to Palestine and the Palestinian Authority, and almost 75 to Israel, which is undeniably imbalanced. It’s also disappointing that major issues of importance in our engagement with the Palestinian Authority have been completely overloo

Mr President, Commissioner, Madam Minister, it’s been nearly three years since the EU-US Privacy Shield was invalidated, leaving European businesses in an extremely difficult position, forcing them to rely on individual legal agreements with little explicit guidance on how they should operate. This has jeopardised the very data protection that we are seeking to secure for our citizens. The EU and

Madam President, Commissioner, year after year, a number of us in this House have called for partial conditionality of funding to the Palestinian Authority in order to secure the removal of anti-Semitic content from the school textbooks. Year after year, a majority in this House refuses to do so. The EU—commissioned Georg Eckert Institute study was very clear that Palestinian textbooks contain ant

Mr President, I have repeatedly spoken to you from this podium about lies and slanders about my country, Greece. Accusations about supposedly dead children in Evros, even about the rule of law, about pushbacks, which have proven to be hollow, false and slanderous and have been all shot down. One of these accusations concerned the failure to clarify the murder of the Greek journalist, Giorgos Karai

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, it’s just over a year since the Commission put forward its communication on the European growth model, and one figure that stands out in that communication is EUR 520 billion. Yes, EUR 520 billion is the estimated level of investment that will be required annually until 2030 to deliver the Green Deal. Private investment will of course deliver part of th

Mr President, Commissioner, the fence in Evros is a shield to protect the borders not only of Greece, but of the whole of Europe. And it is regrettable that at the initiative of, among others, Mr Papadimoulis, today's report with the guidelines includes paragraph 48, which proposes that the fences at the external borders should not be financed by Community funds. After all, this was the immigratio

Mr President, High Representative, there can be no doubt as to the level of feeling that the proposed judicial reforms have unleashed in Israel. Emotions are very high, and this is obviously a very polarising issue for the country. But colleagues, we as outside observers should tread very carefully before jumping to any conclusions. Labelling a country’s democracy as ‘deteriorating’ is, after all,

Madam President, Commissioner, the real question today is why? Why does S&D insist on discussing Greek wiretapping again in this Chamber after resignations and inquiry in the Hellenic Parliament, a PEGA mission, the strictest legislation in all of Europe banning spyware and ongoing judicial proceedings. Why are we discussing the rule of law in Greece when the Economist Intelligence Unit Democracy