What Daniel spoke about.

9

Jul

2025

DE Speech

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Alleged misuse of EU funds by Members of the far-right and measures to ensure institutional integrity (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. It seems to me that a criminal organisation has been set up in the European Parliament. The AfD, the FPÖ, the representatives of Le Pen and other right-wing extremists have joined forces and not to create a few euros here and there on the side, but to systematically abuse all the funds available to them, to make fraud, to enrich themselves and friends, party col…

9

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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Lessons from Budapest Pride: the urgent need for an EU wide anti-discrimination law and defending fundamental rights against right-wing attacks (topical debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, 250 000 people in the streets of Budapest – it was a historic moment. I'm glad that I was there. You could smell the wind of change in the air. I think the end of Viktor Orbán is coming. This was good. But despite all this, we cannot forget that the freedom of assembly is still restricted in Hungary. Commissioner, when in March, the Hungarian Government put this l…

19

Jun

2025

DE Speech

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Institutional and political implications of the EU enlargement process and global challenges (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. Between Trumps America First and Putin’s attacks on civilians in Ukraine – it shows: We need a stronger Europe. On all the major issues of our time, whether in the fight against climate change, to ensure that even the largest corporations pay their fair share of taxes, and unfortunately again on the question for which the European Union was once founded – the qu…

18

Jun

2025

EN Speech

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Freedom of assembly in Hungary and the need for the Commission to act (debate)

Mr President, this is actually part of the police evidence to ban a Pride protest in Hungary. I don't know about you guys, but I don't think about what other people do in the bedroom all day. But you guys seem very concerned about that. Maybe it has to do with the fact that Viktor Orbán basically doesn't really meet women all day. There are 18 men in his cabinet – all-male cabinet. All his advisor…

18

Jun

2025

EN Speech

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Freedom of assembly in Hungary and the need for the Commission to act (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, Mr Commissioner, particularly for all the men here on the extreme right, I'm now going to make you all gay. Look! Two men holding hands. (The speaker held up a picture)

17

Jun

2025

EN Speech

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The Commission’s 2024 Rule of Law report (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, Mr Commissioner, soon you are going to launch the sixth report on the rule of law in the European Union. What we're seeing is that the rule of law is under attack. Actually, some of the countries in the world where the rule of law, democracy and press freedom are declining the fastest in international rankings are EU Member States. But just publishing a chronicle …

21

May

2025

EN Answer

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The Hungarian government's drift to Russia-style repression: legislative threats to freedom of expression and democratic participation (debate)

Well, I had a couple of meetings talking with USAID and other officials of the then US administration about the situation in your country: that you, your party, your political allies, the family of Viktor Orbán, are stealing billions. And where is this money going? You're taking private jets to the Maldives, you're buying luxury yachts, you're turning old kings' palaces into golf courses. You're s…

21

May

2025

EN Speech

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The Hungarian government's drift to Russia-style repression: legislative threats to freedom of expression and democratic participation (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, Commissioner McGrath, I think this is a decisive moment for the rule of law. What Trump is doing in the US, unfortunately, is emboldening dictators around the world, including Orbán. Your Commission froze funding for Hungary two and a half years ago. You had negotiated 27 reforms that are necessary – not a single one has been delivered in these two and a half years. …

7

May

2025

EN Question

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Malta's Golden Passport scheme circumventing EU sanctions against Russia (debate)

Dear colleague, I mean, two arguments that have been made by you and also your party colleagues. First one, that the Commission somehow authorised the scheme, but the Commission went to court against Malta over the scheme. So I don't understand – it's illegal, as the court said. And the second question I have is there seems to be a confusion between a passport and a residency scheme. I mean, I hav…

7

May

2025

EN Speech

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Malta's Golden Passport scheme circumventing EU sanctions against Russia (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, Malta is selling something that doesn't belong to them alone. EU citizenship is bigger than any Member State because it allows holders to freely travel, live or work in any of the 27 Member States. So selling EU passports for EUR 600 000 is a disgrace. But selling EU passports to criminals, oligarchs and, as the Financial Times showed, to those evading Russian sancti…

6

May

2025

EN Speech

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Discharge 2023 (joint debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, dear Commissioner Serafin, from my point of view, the biggest issue with the Commission budget discharge for 2023 is that your predecessors gave EUR 10 billion to Viktor Orbán to get rid of one of his vetoes, EUR 10 billion that was previously frozen because of his rampant corruption and his attacks on the independent judiciary in Hungary. It's pretty clear that the …

5

May

2025

EN Speech

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Protection of the European Union’s financial interests – combating fraud – annual report 2023 (debate)

Mr President, 228 bottles of champagne, turning a former royal palace into a private golf club, yachts, private jets, Ferraris, vacations in the Maldives – dear colleagues, these are all things that have been purchased by the French Rassemblement National and by the Hungarian Fidesz with money that they stole from the European Union. EU funds that were meant to improve the lives of ordinary Europe…

2

Apr

2025

EN Question

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Recent legislative changes in Hungary and their impact on fundamental rights (debate)

Mr Lopatka, you just said that Orbán probably shares the corruption and stealing with Marine Le Pen. Are you aware that, if you look into how much Orbán has stolen, he actually manages to steal almost every day the amount – the EUR 4.6 million – that it took, I think, Marine Le Pen 12 years to amass? So the problem is slightly larger. I have another question. The Fidesz people have spoken about in…

2

Apr

2025

EN Speech

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Recent legislative changes in Hungary and their impact on fundamental rights (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, just last week, I was in Budapest with thousands of demonstrators on the Freedom Bridge, because another fundamental right is being stolen from Hungarians: the freedom of assembly. Orbán has taken freedom from Hungarians time and again – press freedom, academic freedom, the freedom to marry whomever you love. But whenever Orbán is taking freedoms away from Hungari…

31

Mar

2025

DE Question

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Need to ensure democratic pluralism, strengthen integrity, transparency and anti-corruption policies in the EU (debate)

Mr Simon, you have just spoken a lot about the rule of law. Is it not also part of the rule of law to adhere to an agreement between eight EU institutions that has been concluded and ratified? Is it not also part of the rule of law that an invoice resulting from this agreement should also be paid? In the rule of law, isn't the way, if you don't like an agreement, to make an application to leave th…

31

Mar

2025

DE Speech

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Need to ensure democratic pluralism, strengthen integrity, transparency and anti-corruption policies in the EU (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Again, doors have been sealed, offices have been searched, and again there is suspicion that MEPs have allowed themselves to be smeared. Luxury travel here, football tickets there and then favors for Huawei. You have a certain déjà vu – we have seen it all very similar at Kartar-Gate, and we wanted to prevent that. We wanted the anti-corruption, lobby control…

31

Mar

2025

EN Speech

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Order of business

Madam President, just today, the court in Paris ruled on what has been so far the biggest fraud case in the history of the European Parliament. EUR 4.6 million were embezzled. This was not the doing of an individual, but the court actually speaks of an organised system, so things that you usually read in Mafia case rulings. I am sick and tired that those that scream the loudest about the corrupt E…

12

Feb

2025

DE Speech

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Collaboration between conservatives and far right as a threat for competitiveness in the EU (topical debate)

Mr President! Dear colleagues! Mr Caspary, the breach of the dam that your party leader made two weeks ago in the German Bundestag, we have known about it here in the European Parliament for a little longer. But even if you have become increasingly accustomed to it, let me make it clear once again with which factions you are increasingly building majorities here. We have three very right-wing grou…

22

Jan

2025

DE Answer

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EU financing through the LIFE programme of entities lobbying EU institutions and the need for transparency (debate)

So, the EU lobby register or the transparency register is for all organisations that lobby the EU. There are enough organisations that are funded for research projects, I know, but have never interacted with the EU institutions in terms of legislation, decisions or anything else. To force them all into the lobby register – so no idea, you can talk about it. I would rather hope that all recipients …

22

Jan

2025

DE Speech

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EU financing through the LIFE programme of entities lobbying EU institutions and the need for transparency (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen. Environmental organisations fight for clean rivers, biodiversity and climate change – and they do not do that badly to the EU. And I'm afraid a little bit: This is precisely why conservatives and right-wing extremists now want to make their work more difficult. Companies spend six times more on lobbying here in Brussels and Strasbourg than NGOs. For good reas…

21

Jan

2025

EN Question

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The Hungarian government’s illegal espionage of EU institutions and investigative bodies (debate)

Colleague, you said that the director of the Integrity Authority had been selected by Brussels. I don't know if you're not aware, but the selection procedure was entirely run by the Hungarian Government, who appointed this director. You are saying this is somehow a Brussels plot, that someone who you yourself, or your government, selected. And then the second question: it seems that in that invest…

21

Jan

2025

EN Question

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The Hungarian government’s illegal espionage of EU institutions and investigative bodies (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, since Viktor Orbán has taken power in Hungary, mysteriously, his closest friends and family have become unbelievably rich – millionaires, sometimes even billionaires. And when now the extreme right here in the House uses a mix of what-aboutism or talking about other scandals, what they're trying to hide is that there is a serious corruption problem in Hungary, and an…

18

Dec

2024

EN Question

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Need to ensure swift action and transparency on corruption allegations in the public sector to protect democratic integrity (debate)

Thanks, colleague. I mean, you're one of many Spanish speakers that has appeared in the debate here today, and particularly from the EPP there has been lots of criticism on corruption in Spain. Anything you have to say about corruption outside your own Member State? I mean, we're not in the Spanish Parliament here, but the European Parliament. So, I would love to hear what you have to say about th…

18

Dec

2024

DE Speech

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Need to ensure swift action and transparency on corruption allegations in the public sector to protect democratic integrity (debate)

Mr President! Dear colleagues, Qatargate has been two years now. After that, we improved the rules here in the house, including the rules for side income. So let's take a look at what exactly is going on in the side activities of MEPs: First of all, one notices that among the top German earners, the members of the CSU are in second place and in third and fourth and fifth and sixth place. The CSU i…

23

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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Seven years from the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia: lack of progress in restoring the rule of law in Malta (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, when Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed with a car bomb seven years ago, it was a shock. A journalist murdered for her work and her investigations into corruption and organised crime right in the European Union. And while I'm still deeply disturbed by that, there was always a little bit of hope that at least the international outcry, the attention, would bring abou…