What Ton spoke about.

Mr President, today there is a debate on the evaluation of the common fisheries policy. When you took office, at the end of 2024, the landing obligation was already discussed: an obligation that is not workable in practice for many fishermen. You said then that this should be re-examined, but now, almost two years later, we have to conclude that no visible concrete action has yet been taken. In De

Mr President, Commissioner, in an increasing number of Member States, children are being recruited for all kinds of serious criminal, even cross-border, activities. In December 2024, another Dutch drug dealer in Spain was liquidated by a Belgian teenager, on behalf of a criminal organisation. It is attractive for organised crime to recruit minors because they receive a lighter sentence or in some

Mr President, there is laughter here and it is very sad that there is laughter here. It may be a nonsense story for you, but I can tell you that there are farmers in the Netherlands, and also in Belgium, who have to deal with this serious form of stray current, as a result of which cows have less milk production and also suffer the management. There are reports on the basis of this, supported by s

Mr President, in the Netherlands and Belgium there are livestock farms that are not so much affected by animal diseases, but suffer from the consequences of the energy transition by wind farms in the vicinity of dairy farms. Dairy cattle also have a chance to be confronted with stray current: current that inadvertently flows away via alternative roads, such as the ground. There is strong evidence

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, European agriculture is stuck. The Green Deal has shut down the sector. And what farmers need is not more ideology, but room for food security, earning capacity and freedom to farm. The idea of one large agricultural fund with more centralisation is not a solution. What is needed is to reduce the overregulation that blocks innovation and stifles en

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, after years of imposing rule by rule – one stricter than the other – after years of pressure on the agricultural sector with green objectives, often pushed by green lobby groups, the European Commission is finally talking about simplification. The common agricultural policy has been completely derailed and is now far from the reality of our farmers

Mr President, the agreement between the EU and Mercosur offers opportunities, but it also entails risks. Our farmers are squeezed and faced with strict rules, while cheap imports from South America enter without any problems. As far as food safety is concerned, the Commission's report shows that Brazil uses banned growth hormones. Nevertheless, the Commission continues to claim that everything is

Mr Smit, I look forward to your proposal. I have already put forward a number of solutions, but we are always ready for constructive consultation. I would therefore like to respond to your invitation and I am very curious about your proposals. I will also explain our vision on that occasion. However, if you have listened carefully, it is more than clear.

Mr President, Commissioner Bruner, the latest UN report on human trafficking paints a sad picture. Human smuggling continues to increase and is driven by global criminal organisations. Illegal migrants lured to Europe by Europe's open borders policy and our hospitable welfare states are easy prey for these types of criminals. These criminals are ruthless and are the direct cause that these illegal

Mr President, juvenile delinquency is a major and serious problem. In 2023, more than 16,000 minors between the ages of 12 and 18 were registered as suspects of crime in the Netherlands. Between the ages of 18 and 23, there were more than twenty-three thousand. Minors are therefore increasingly used by internationally operating gangs to carry out their criminal activities. What helps these gangs i

Mr President, I have noticed that Mrs von der Leyen has not been able to look to the right in recent months, but I promise you that I will also look to the left today. International drug crime is a growing problem and, according to Europol, more than EUR 31 billion of illicit drugs are trafficked in the EU every year. More than 70% of the cocaine entering Europe passes through the ports of Antwerp