What Gilles spoke about.

1

Feb

2023

FR Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, in its judgment of 19 January, the Court of Justice of the European Union prohibited the use of neonicotinoids by the process of coating beet seed. This decision places French beet growers in a very worrying situation. One in four beet growers has already shown a willingness to throw in the towel and switch to other crops. In the short term, therefore, French su…

18

Jan

2023

FR Speech

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Terrorist threats posed by far-right extremist networks defying the democratic constitutional order (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the debate before us today is quite astonishing. It addresses the terrorist threats of far-right networks. Of course, all terrorist threats must be condemned and combated, wherever they come from. But it is clear that in Europe the main attacks have been carried out for several years by radical Islam. In France, we are well placed to know this. The…

18

Jan

2023

FR Speech

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Protection of the EU’s financial interests - combating fraud - annual report 2021 (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the 2021 report on the fight against fraud is based on a worrying observation: the amount of irregularities exceeds EUR 3 billion, compared to 1.5 billion in 2020. It therefore proposes several measures to try to remedy this situation. Some are interesting, such as the suggestion to oblige the Commission to produce an annual report on corruption. Given the Qa…

17

Jan

2023

FR Speech

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Implementation of the common foreign and security policy - annual report 2022 - Implementation of the common security and defence policy - annual report 2022 (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the European Parliament's report on the common security and defence policy is based on a lie. He would like to make believe that a European Defence Union is possible and desirable, but in reality it is an anthem to NATO, which he quotes 60 times. Therefore, its objective as a European Defence Union is only a decoy intended to support a new embarkation towards a …

15

Dec

2022

FR Speech

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The 30th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, for France, freedom is the right of every individual to extricate himself from his biological and cultural determinisms. For this reason, it does not recognise the existence of any minority or community that would constitute an obstacle between the individual and the nation. Conversely, the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic …

14

Dec

2022

FR Speech

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Defending democracy from foreign interference (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the discovery by the Belgian judiciary of a corruption system organised by Qatar is discrediting the European Parliament. This "Qatargate" should prompt us to make three decisions. First, to demand the resignation of Mr Raphaël Glucksmann from the Chair of the Committee of Inquiry into Foreign Interference. Blinded by his prejudices, he accused me by name and wi…

14

Dec

2022

FR Speech

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Defending the European Union against the abuse of national vetoes (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, unanimity is a fundamental principle of European integration. It is the weapon that allows each EU Member State to block a decision that would harm its vital interests. General de Gaulle recalled this, on behalf of France, in 1965, when he practised the empty chair policy to force Europe to give up imposing a reform that he did not want. Its victorious resistanc…

12

Dec

2022

FR Speech

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A long-term vision for the EU's rural areas (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the report before us today makes a fair observation: there is a worrying decline in rural areas; they are deserted by public services and neglected by the younger generations. Symptom of this disaffection, the expected disappearance of 62% of farms by 2040 is dramatic, as it is a direct threat to our food autonomy. The solutions proposed to us reflect a sadly…

22

Nov

2022

FR Speech

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Gender balance among non-executive directors of companies listed on stock exchanges (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, equality between men and women is a fundamental principle of European civilisation. That is why I am in favour of this directive, which calls on EU Member States to achieve a better gender balance on the boards of large companies. From that point of view, the objective, together with adjustments, of reserving at least 40% of non-executive director posts to th…

21

Nov

2022

FR Speech

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Assessment of Hungary's compliance with the rule of law conditions under the Conditionality Regulation and state of play of the Hungarian RRP (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, in the name of respect for the rule of law, the European Union now has the exorbitant power to exercise ideological tutelage over its Member States. When the Conditionality Regulation, which gives it this power, was voted in December 2020, I protested against this authoritarian drift. The facts now prove me right. The EU is threatening to deprive Hungary of t…

10

Nov

2022

FR Speech

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Racial justice, non-discrimination and anti-racism in the EU (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, racism and anti-Semitism are unacceptable. Each of their manifestations must be sanctioned with the utmost severity. French republican universalism and EU values require that all individuals be treated equally, regardless of their ethnicity and skin colour. Equality between men and women is also a fundamental principle, which must be defended without weakness. A…

9

Nov

2022

FR Speech

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Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the globalisation of capitalism promotes the violation of human rights and the degradation of the environment. Large companies in the European Union, like those in the United States, rely on supply chains that are sourced in poor and therefore vulnerable countries. Everyone remembers the tragedy of the Rana Plaza in 2013, a dilapidated building in Bangladesh …

9

Nov

2022

FR Speech

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Communication on ensuring availability and affordability of fertilisers (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the exponential increase in the price of fertilisers puts European farmers in a very worrying situation. The Commission seems to have taken stock of the severity of the crisis, but its reactions are disappointing. It has, of course, just enabled EU Member States to provide EUR 250 000 in financial support for agricultural holdings. This is a wel…

19

Oct

2022

FR Speech

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Outcome of the first meeting of the European Political Community (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the European Political Community met for the first time on 6 October. It brought together in Prague the presidents or heads of government of 44 European states, including the 27 members of the European Union, but also states such as the United Kingdom, Armenia and Ukraine. This new body could have been a good idea if it had foreshadowed the creation of a conf…

19

Oct

2022

FR Speech

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Political situation in Tunisia (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the construction of democracy is not a tranquil river, but rather a path fraught with pitfalls. We French people know something about it. It took the revolution of 1789, the terrible episode of Terror, and then a long succession of more or less authoritarian regimes, for us to finally succeed, in the 1870s, in stabilizing our democracy. Tunisia is living this…

19

Oct

2022

FR Speech

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Presentation of the Court of Auditors' annual report 2021 (debate)

Madam President, Mr President of the European Court of Auditors, ladies and gentlemen, the report of the European Court of Auditors reveals an increase in suspicions of fraud in EU spending: Fifteen cases in 2021 compared to only six in 2020. This is a worrying finding. More generally, the report also notes a significant increase in the percentage of errors: 3% vs. 2.7. However, this increase seem…

6

Oct

2022

FR Speech

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The urgent need for an EU strategy on fertilisers to ensure food security in Europe (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I agree with the Commission on the urgent need for a European fertiliser strategy. It is indeed urgent to help our farmers get them at an affordable price. This is important for them, but also to ensure our food security and that of third countries. However, I regret the errors made by the Commission on this file. On 10 August, it published guidelines by which i…

6

Oct

2022

FR Speech

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An EU approach for Space Traffic management - an EU contribution addressing a global challenge (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, thanks to France, the European Union is a great space power. This gives him responsibilities, including participating in the international management of space traffic. I therefore welcome these efforts to try to address the problem of space debris, the increase of which jeopardises the security of space operations. The sustainability requirement should not be li…

5

Oct

2022

FR Speech

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Russia’s escalation of its war of aggression against Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, in the face of war, international law requires the aggressor to be denounced and the aggressor to be defended. I therefore strongly condemn the aggression against Ukraine and Russia's annexation of four Ukrainian regions. This is an unacceptable attack on the territorial integrity of a sovereign State. Refusal of armed conflict resolution is a fundamental rule o…

15

Sep

2022

FR Speech

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Statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the report by Mr Goerens and Mr Wieland seeks to strengthen the role of European political parties. In particular, it aims to make it easier for them to participate in European campaigns as well as national campaigns on European themes. I am, of course, hostile to this, as it would be an additional means of spreading Europeanist propaganda at the heart of nat…

13

Sep

2022

FR Speech

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Renewed partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood – a new agenda for the Mediterranean (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, our partnership with the countries of the Mediterranean must be strengthened. This is necessary to address the consequences of the health crisis and the war in Ukraine that have hit our partners on the other side hard. It is in our interest to provide them with financial assistance and to develop our economic and cultural exchanges with them in …

12

Sep

2022

FR Speech

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New EU Forest Strategy for 2030 – Sustainable Forest Management in Europe (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, forests cover 43% of the surface of the European Union. Their sustainable management is therefore a major challenge, both economically and ecologically. But contrary to the Müller report, forest management is a national competence and not a competence shared with the EU. I therefore do not agree with the EU interfering. France is perfectly capable of managing it…

7

Jul

2022

FR Speech

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Better regulation: joining forces to make better laws (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, there is a need to improve the European legislative process, which lacks transparency and clarity for citizens. The Wölken report has the merit of indicating several avenues for improvement, which is why I support it. Among the good recommendations of this report, I will mention in particular the respect of multilingualism against the omnipotence of English, the…

6

Jul

2022

FR Speech

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The relations of the Russian government and diplomatic network with parties of extremist, populist, anti-European and certain other European political parties in the context of the war (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, this debate on the alleged relations of the Russian government with the populist parties of the European Union is nothing more than a web of defamation intended to mislead public opinion. This process of low politics is doomed to failure. We saw it in France: its use by President Macron did not prevent the Rassemblement national from achieving a historic resu…

6

Jul

2022

FR Speech

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Facilitating export of Ukrainian agricultural products: key for Ukrainian economy and global food security (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, facilitating the export of Ukrainian agricultural products is vital for the Ukrainian economy, but also for global food security. According to a report published on 29 June by the FAO and the OECD, an additional 19 million people could suffer from hunger as early as 2023, mainly in Africa, if the situation remains stalled. This would cause serious humanitaria…