What Gilles spoke about.

21

Nov

2023

FR Speech

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Proposals of the European Parliament for the amendment of the Treaties (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, this report proposes to amend the European Treaties in a federalist way. He thus draws the logical conclusions from the principle of primacy, the claims of which I now wish to denounce. The principle of primacy could be acceptable if it ensured the superiority of European law only over national laws, but it also claims to take precedence over national constituti…

19

Oct

2023

FR Speech

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European protein strategy (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the Wiesner report has the merit of pointing out that proteins are an essential component of our diet and deducing from this that the EU must produce them rather than import them. Our food security is in jeopardy, as we import 70% of plant proteins for animal feed, and even more so for soybeans. I therefore support the proposal to develop the cultivation of p…

18

Oct

2023

FR Speech

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Presentation of the Court of Auditors' annual report 2022 (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the European Court of Auditors’ report on the 2022 financial year of the European budget is a matter of doubly serious concern. First, it notes a significant increase in irregularities in EU budgetary expenditure. Their overall level has indeed increased from 3% in 2021 to 4.2% in 2022. This has never been seen since 2014. In some sensitive areas, the balance sh…

17

Oct

2023

FR Speech

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Urgent need for a coordinated European response and legislative framework on intrusive spyware, based on the PEGA inquiry committee recommendations (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, spyware is useful in protecting national security, particularly against terrorism. But they also pose a great danger to the privacy of citizens. Therefore, they should only be used within a clearly identified legal framework. Unfortunately, this is not yet the case in Europe. The European Parliament’s Committee of Inquiry found that 14 out of 27 EU Member States…

3

Oct

2023

FR Speech

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European Media Freedom Act (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, freedom of the media is a fundamental principle that everyone sincerely committed to liberal democracy must uphold. For three reasons, however, I disagree with the text proposed by the Commission to protect it. First, freedom of the media falls within the exclusive competence of the States. The legal basis used to justify the European Union’s interference, Ar…

14

Sep

2023

FR Speech

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Parliamentarism, European citizenship and democracy (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, this report, co-led by a centrist from Renew and a Green, is totally unacceptable. Under the pretext of improving the arrangements for European democracy, he proposed speeding up the transformation of the European Union into a supranational federal state. Its main objective is to demote the Council, the last bulwark of the sovereignty of the Member States, by tr…

13

Sep

2023

FR Speech

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Reviewing the protection status of wolves and other large carnivores in the EU (topical debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the wolf is no longer an endangered species in Europe. For example, it is estimated that there are now more than 1 100 wolves in France, whereas there were none at all at the beginning of the 1990s. More than 10 000 farmed animals, the vast majority of which are sheep, are now killed by them every year. It is no longer possible to continue on this path withou…

11

Sep

2023

FR Speech

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Geographical indication protection for craft and industrial products (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the protection of agricultural products by geographical indications has made it possible to enhance the know-how of our terroirs. Let's put it bluntly: it is a great European success. It was time to extend this remarkable system of protection to craft and industrial products, and that is precisely what the Walsmann report proposes, which I fully support. Thanks …

11

Jul

2023

FR Answer

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Nature restoration (debate)

Dear Mr Biteau, I have never said that more pesticides are needed. I agree that there should be measures to take better account of environmental requirements. But let's turn instead to industries that pollute massively. Let us turn instead to the countries that have decided to replace nuclear power with coal. Let’s start by doing this and then we can talk about agriculture.…

11

Jul

2023

FR Speech

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Nature restoration (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the European Green Deal continues to amaze us with unrealistic and dangerous legislation. After the amendment of the Industrial Emissions Directive, which wants farmers to pay the climate bill, the Commission is attacking agriculture as a whole, with its draft regulation aimed at – nothing less – restoring nature. She is attacking our land, the land that generat…

10

Jul

2023

FR Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, there were serious riots in France from 27 June to 3 July, following the tragic death of a young man killed by a police officer in circumstances that justice will have to clarify. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has denounced France’s handling of these riots, as has the European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders. They crit…

10

Jul

2023

FR Speech

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Protection of journalists and human rights defenders from manifestly unfounded or abusive court proceedings (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, SLAPPs are legal proceedings whose sole purpose is to intimidate journalists or human rights defenders in order to discourage and silence them. When they are cross-border in nature, the European Union considers that it is up to it to combat them. At first sight, the intention seems laudable, as the stated objective is to protect freedom of expression and ensure …

14

Jun

2023

FR Speech

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Investigation of the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware - Investigation of the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware (draft recommendation) (debate)

Colleagues, the decision to set up a parliamentary committee of inquiry into the use of spyware in Europe was a good idea. I supported it because I believe that Europeans have a right to know to what extent they have been spied on, where and by whom. I was therefore hopeful about the success of this committee when I volunteered to be part of it, and even to become its coordinator on behalf of my g…

13

Jun

2023

FR Speech

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Ensuring food security and the long-term resilience of EU agriculture (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, ensuring food security and the long-term resilience of European agriculture: This is the lifeblood of the Mortler report. In the EU, 33% of farmers are over the age of 65, and only 12% are under the age of 40. These figures speak for themselves: If we fail to attract young people to agriculture, our food security will be at risk. We must therefore act, and I ful…

31

May

2023

FR Speech

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Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the idea of requiring companies to ensure that their partners respect the environment and human rights throughout their supply chain is attractive. It corresponds to the ambitious goal of a kind of moralisation of capitalism. But it also means putting new and heavy administrative burdens on businesses. This should therefore only be done with caution, after ensur…

10

May

2023

FR Speech

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Ukrainian cereals on the European market (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, in solidarity with Ukraine, the European Union decided in 2022 to welcome its agricultural exports without restriction. The result was not long in coming: Five neighbouring states, including Poland and Hungary, were overwhelmed by Ukrainian cereals. This was foreseeable but, as usual, the Commission did not anticipate anything. Fortunately, she has just react…

10

May

2023

FR Speech

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The role of farmers as enablers of the green transition and a resilient agricultural sector (continuation of debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, European farmers are major players in the green transition. They have already made a lot of efforts to reduce the use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides. Technological progress also allows them today to use virtuous processes, such as local methanisation or precision farming. The new Common Agricultural Policy is designed to encourage them to diversify thei…

20

Apr

2023

FR Speech

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IPCC report on Climate Change: a call for urgent additional action (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, in its latest report, the IPCC denounces the powerlessness of world leaders to limit global warming to +1.5°C, a target set by the 2015 Paris Agreement. Half-measures are no longer an option, he warns. But as he himself points out, the answer must be provided at the global level and not at the level of a single continent. It is therefore necessary to prepare for…

19

Apr

2023

FR Speech

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EU Global Health Strategy (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, according to the European Treaties, public health is a matter for the Member States and not for the European Union. Unfortunately, an ambiguous article of the TFEU, Article 168, still allows the EU to, I quote, ‘complement national policies’. It is on the basis of this article that the Commission is today proposing an EU strategy on global health. There are a…

16

Mar

2023

FR Speech

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European Citizens’ Initiative "Save bees and farmers! Towards a bee-friendly agriculture for a healthy environment" (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, in the ideal world described by the European petition entitled 'Save bees and farmers', our agricultural production could be completely free of synthetic pesticides. But reality rarely corresponds to the dream. The aim of the petition, which is to eliminate 80% synthetic pesticides by 2030 and 100% by 2035, is unrealistic. Such a programme might save bees, bu…

15

Mar

2023

FR Speech

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Cross-border adoptions from third countries (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, last month eight Croats were accused of child trafficking in Zambia. They were arrested while trying to leave the country with four African children they claimed to have legally adopted in Congo. This case highlights the potential abuses of international adoption. Admittedly, intercountry adoption must continue to be accepted because it allows a child without a …

14

Mar

2023

FR Speech

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EU-Armenia relations (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region must be resolved by diplomacy and not by arms. Azerbaijan must put an end to its acts of blockade and harassment and give priority to the negotiations proposed by Armenia. A peace treaty is within reach if Azerbaijan agrees to provide reasonable guarantees to ensure the security and rights of Armenians…

14

Mar

2023

FR Speech

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Implementation report on the Agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU - The Windsor Framework (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the right of peoples to self-determination is a fundamental right. We cannot, without contradiction, as the European Union has done, defend its principle while prohibiting the British people from benefiting from it. The British people decided in 2016 by referendum to leave the European Union. It is his sovereign choice that must be respected. I regret that, l…

16

Feb

2023

FR Speech

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Availability of fertilisers in the EU (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, fertilisers are essential for ensuring sufficient agricultural production and food security. The increase in their cost, due to war and speculation, puts European farmers in a critical situation, which requires finding solutions in the short and medium term. In the short term, the absurd Farm to Fork target of reducing fertiliser use by 20% by 2030 must be aband…

14

Feb

2023

FR Speech

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Response to the situation in Tunisia (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the revolution of 2011 gave Tunisia the hope of becoming a prosperous democracy. Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed when the Islamists of Ennahdha came to power. It is in this context that President Saïed decided on 25 July 2021 to take full powers and suspend the Tunisian Parliament. This was a matter of concern to the European Parliament in its resolution …