What Joachim spoke about.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner! In 2021, Commission President von der Leyen planned a budget with payments of around €166 billion. For next year, says von der Leyen, it needs 45 billion euros more. This is not an austerity budget, this is the sheer incompetence, while the Court of Auditors also notes that billions flow into black holes. And the next pocket player trick from th

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, dear Vice-President! First of all, I would like to thank all the shadow rapporteurs and the political groups for their constructive cooperation. The negotiations were intense, but I am convinced that we have found a balanced compromise that takes due account of the different political positions. Today's debate underscored once again the importance

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, dear representatives of the European Investment Bank and the Commission! The European Investment Bank plays an increasingly important role in Europe’s competitiveness, resilience and security. The compromise text therefore strengthens in particular the focus on competitiveness, innovation, technological leadership and industrial resilience. It expands support

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! What is the EU's business model at this time? I recall the Montanunion, the European Coal and Steel Community, which should bind France and Germany together so that Germany does not go to war again; the Treaties of Rome, which prepared the common market; then the 1960s, the expansion into the European Community, the customs union; the Single Act 19

A German TV channel is called ZDF – and ZDF means numbers, data, facts. And figures, data, facts don't lie. I myself have been the mayor of a county town in rural areas for twelve years and a district councillor for twelve years. And I can say that only through the participation of all groups can rural areas be maintained and further developed. I believe in rural areas, and the coronavirus epidemi

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! The Renew Group strongly supports this report, as figures speak for themselves. Every third company in the EU is founded by a woman. However, they receive only one to two percent of the risk capital. And yet women generate more sales in their companies. This means: Money does not flow to founders where the best return would be, it is misguided b

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! It is not all gold that shines – and so is the Multiannual Financial Framework. The task of us is not to spend more and more money, but to deal better with taxpayers' money. Therefore, first of all, as the Court of Auditors also says: We have to save. In second place: We need to set priorities. Energy, investment, rural areas – these are the three

Madam President, When you look at the relationship between the European Parliament and the Commission, you have to look at the figures: We are 720 MEPs here in the European Parliament, the Commission has 30,000 employees. Therefore, the balance of power is fixed. We need three things. Firstly: Full transparency. It cannot be the case that a Commission President does not disclose her SMS

Madam President, time for summertime to stay. Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, We turn the clocks, but what's the gain? Twice a year, the same old pain. Politics can talk for hours on end, yet time itself refuses to bend. We call it progress, but let's be fair: this policy is stuck in yesteryear. Summertime, wintertime, what a loss: whoever thought this up wasn't thinking of us. Sav

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to thank Sandro Gozi for his really excellent report and may add the following comments: The idea of introducing a right of initiative for us MEPs, for the European Parliament, is essential. Because only that makes up the free mandate of a member of parliament, that he can also change things himself, where he realizes that laws are going badly. That

Madam President, Commissioner! If cohesion funds account for one third of the EU budget, then that is a very important point to which we are allowed to speak today, and it also impresses me as a member of the Committee on Budgets. It is very, very important that we bring together the multitude of funds and make it easier – easier for those with local responsibilities. That is why I am glad, Commis

Madam President, This citizens' initiative offers us the opportunity to highlight the treasures of our regions, our cultural and geographical heritage. Just think of the wine route in the Palatinate, the Moselle, the Nahe, the Lahn region, the Westerwald and the Eifel and many more – these are our treasures, which are sustainable destinations. We need more of it. We need other EU-supported destina

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank the rapporteur for his report. The European Investment Bank is a key instrument for achieving European objectives. Your AAA rating is the basis for cheap and long-term financing and must be maintained. I support the strategic roadmap focusing on competitiveness, innovation and security, but new tasks need to be tackled in an e

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, The EU is at a crossroads: Do we want a Union of Responsibility or do we want a Union of Permanent Debt? The attitude of the free voters is very clear here: We say no to the debt union. The Corona Fund was a one-time exception in a historic crisis and not a free pass for ever new joint loans. What began as an exception must not become a habit. Ever

Mr President, Mr Fitto, Executive Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen! What better way to say about cohesion policy than by being a local politician yourself? There are three keys for me, and they all have three to do with responsibility. First, responsible action. Second, responsible decision-making, and third, responsible management. If you see that 5.6 % of the money is simply flowing away in

Madam President, Dear Commissioner, Ladies and Gentlemen! From 25 years of experience as mayor and district administrator, I know what it's like to work with people with disabilities, but also their families and relatives. There is always a lot to do, and what we do is always too little – whether it is about recognising the degree of disability, whether it is about the European Disability Card, tr

Mr President! Dear colleagues, Trust is the currency of democracy and that trust is at stake. If allegations of corruption in the civil service are not relentlessly clarified, then our political order is in danger. No one is above the law – not national governments, not public institutions, nor the European Union. The unpublished text messages from Commission President von der Leyen on vaccine pro

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen! The Russian Shadow Fleet is estimated to have at least 600 tankers. And I voted in favour of this resolution today. Because the Russian Shadow Fleet are old ships that often sail without insurance and often change their name and flag registration. These ships are therefore a major threat to the environment and the seas – I am thinking in particular of Germany

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen! With the recent election of Donald Trump, it is more important than ever to close the investment gap in security in Europe, strengthen productivity and further strengthen climate action to sustainably consolidate the EU's strategic autonomy. Against this background, I would like to present to you today the proposed amendment to the Statute of the European Inv

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, dear President Murphy! I am very concerned about the recent results of the Court of Auditors' report. An error rate of 5.6% is well above the acceptable threshold and poses a threat to sound financial management. These figures show that European policies can no longer follow the ‘more money helps more’ principle. The error rate for the RRF is even