What David spoke about.

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EN Written Statement

State of play of the EU-Moldova cooperation (debate)

In the context of the Russian war against Ukraine, the security situation in the Republic of Moldova has become increasingly tense. The country has been disproportionally affected by the recent events. I condemn all provocations and attempts to involve Moldova in actions that could endanger peace in the country. The EU must be ready to provide more humanitarian, security and socio-economic assista…

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DE Written Statement

The outcome of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) (debate)

Last week, the United States and the European Union finally settled the years-long dispute over special tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. After various recent developments had recently weighed on the fundamentally positive relationship between the EU and the US, this was further positive news. The United States is and will remain our most important strategic ally. It is also positive that the…

7 Oct

2026

EN Speech

Attempts by the ruling party Georgian Dream to ban opposition parties in Georgia

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, a candidate country in name only – that is how the Commission depicted Georgia during the presentation of the 2025 enlargement report. Unfortunately, almost a year later, the regime in Tbilisi was once more proving that this assessment was correct. In pursuing a ban on every major oppositional party, the regime has taken another callous step toward…

6 Oct

2026

DE Speech

Recommendation on EU-China political relations (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen! As Commission President Ursula von der Leyen put it three weeks ago right here in Parliament: Relations between the European Union and China are at a critical juncture. Chinese overcapacity, government subsidies and an uneven playing field are putting pressure on our companies. At the same time, dependencies on critical raw materials and key enabling technolo…

15 Sep

2026

EN Speech

Hybrid attacks against the EU Member States (joint debate)

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Mr President, Madam High Representative, ladies and gentlemen, Europe stands together and we are united in solidarity. That was the crucial signal sent out by the HR/VP and the foreign ministers of all 27 EU Member States, plus trusted partners, just two weeks ago at our informal meeting in Ireland. It was the appropriate reaction to the attempted Russian drone attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport. Thi…

7 Jul

2026

EN Speech

EU-Mexico (joint debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the modernised global agreement is more than just a trade agreement; it is a comprehensive and strategic renewal of the relationship between Mexico and the European Union. As such, I am sure it will provide an updated framework for political dialogue, economic cooperation and sectoral engagement across a wide range of policy areas. Against the b…

16 Jun

2026

EN Speech

An EU future for the Western Balkans (joint debate)

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Madam President, I want to say something completely different. As Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, I would first of all like to thank all the rapporteurs and all the shadow rapporteurs and all the others in this House involved in carefully drafting and presenting these five reports. That's hard work. Well done! But as Chair of our Committee on Foreign Affairs, I would also like to state …

16 Jun

2026

EN Speech

2025 Commission report on Türkiye (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, Türkiye is the bridge between Europe and the Middle East. Türkiye is a crucial NATO ally and remains a key partner in many areas, ranging from trade to migration, as we have heard this afternoon. However, and indeed for the past eight years, the EU accession negotiations with Türkiye have remained at a standstill. Unfortunately, Türkiye has not yet addressed our concern…

19 May

2026

EN Speech

Political repression and humanitarian situation in Cuba (debate)

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Madam President, Madam High Representative, dear colleagues, more than six decades the people of Cuba are suffering under the continuous repression of the authoritarian regime, and I would like to underline many things High Representative / Vice-President Kallas just mentioned. In light of this worrying situation on the island, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, jointly with our Subcommittee on Hum…

11 Mar

2026

DE Speech

Building Europe's clean, independent and secure energy following the 2026 North Sea Summit (debate)

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10 Feb

2026

EN Speech

Building a stronger European defence in light of an increasingly volatile international environment (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the European Union has achieved decisive progress towards taking more responsibility for its own security over the last decade. We have created some necessary tools to do so. Initiatives such as PESCO, the European Defence Fund, EDIRPA or SAFE, to name just a few, have put us in a stronger position to develop and strengthen our own security and defence capabi…

20 Jan

2026

EN Speech

CFSP and CSDP (Article 36 TEU) (joint debate)

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Mr President, colleagues, I have listened very carefully to the entire debate. I believe it is a strong signal that most of the political groups in this House act in concert towards a stronger common foreign and security policy. I would hope to see this reflected during the final vote tomorrow noon. European citizens desire a strong and confident Europe that can do both: defend our values and asse…

20 Jan

2026

EN Speech

CFSP and CSDP (Article 36 TEU) (joint debate)

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Madam President, thank you for giving me the floor to kick off this debate on the annual CFSP and also the annual CSDP report. The first days of this year, 2026, have certainly already demanded our full attention. If we step back from the daily headlines, we see a double epochal shift. The international order forged after the Second World War based on law, institutions and cooperation is unravelli…

20 Jan

2026

DE Speech

Brutal repression against protesters in Iran (debate)

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Mr President, Madam High Representative, ladies and gentlemen! As my previous speakers have already mentioned, I would also like to underline that since the so-called Islamic Revolution was proclaimed in 1979, the mullahs' regime has established a system of repression and terror. The human rights situation in Iran has been catastrophic for years. The number of executions is among the highest in th…

17 Dec

2025

EN Speech

The deepening democratic crisis in Georgia (debate)

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Mr President, madam Minister, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, yesterday the European Parliament honoured Mzia Amaglobeli, a courageous representative of Georgia's pro-democracy movement, as one of the two Sakharov Prize laureates of this year. That Georgians are fighting to defend their democracy speaks volumes. The country was once a frontrunner of the Eastern Neighbourhood Policy. Colleagues…

16 Dec

2025

EN Speech

EU Defence Readiness (joint debate)

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Mr President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, the European Union thrives on the free movement of people, goods, services and capital. Yet a soldier in uniform cannot cross a border without official permission. When heavy equipment is being moved across borders, weeks of planning, permits and slots in crowded rail networks are needed. In future, our defence readiness, as previous speakers have …

26 Nov

2025

EN Speech

Post-election killings and the deteriorating human rights situation in Tanzania, including the case of imprisoned opposition leader Tundu Lissu

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Mr President, dear colleagues, what happened before, during and after the elections in Tanzania was regrettably no surprise. This was not an irregularity, but the systematic destruction of democratic competition. These elections were marred by state‑sponsored political repression, targeted abductions and manipulation. The outcome was decided well before 29 October. It began with the suffocation of…

26 Nov

2025

EN Speech

Implementation of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (debate)

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Madam President, dear Commissioner, this second implementation report on the Trade and Cooperation Agreement shows indeed that EU-UK relations have entered a more stable and more constructive phase. I thought this was also evident at last week's meeting of the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly in London, when exchanges were substantive and serious on both sides. Economically, the fundamenta…

25 Nov

2025

EN Speech

EU’s diplomatic strategy and geopolitical cooperation in the Arctic (debate)

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Madam President, Madam Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the Arctic is no longer a remote periphery. It has rapidly turned into a geopolitical frontier. Climate change is accelerating competition for resources, opening new sea routes and drawing global powers into a region that was once defined by cooperation. With Denmark, Finland and Sweden – three of our EU Member States, our Arctic nations a…

21 Oct

2025

EN Speech

Stepping up funding for Ukraine’s reconstruction and defence: the use of Russian frozen assets (debate)

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Madam President, as we have just heard, the debate on the use of Russian frozen assets requires a very careful balance between political responsibility, legal feasibility and financial stability. In my view, the new proposal on the table is both bold and necessary. We can provide Ukraine with an interest-free loan of nearly EUR 140 billion, using assets of the Russian central bank that have been f…

21 Oct

2025

EN Speech

Recent peace agreement in the Middle East and the role of the EU (debate)

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Madam President, Madam Commissioner, for one week there is renewed hope for a genuine, lasting peace in the Middle East. But hope alone will not sustain peace. There are many actors determined to sabotage this process; first and foremost, the terror organisation Hamas itself. Indeed, Hamas attacks on Palestinian civilians and its refusal to disarm make the ceasefire increasingly fragile. What the …

7 Oct

2025

EN Speech

New Strategic EU-India Agenda (debate)

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Mr President, Madam Commissioner, it is indeed now three weeks ago that the European Commission presented the joint communication on a new strategic EU-India agenda. It entails more than 60 concrete deliverables. This is welcome. I can underline what the Commissioner said: India is indispensable to Europe's global reach and resilience. However, dear colleagues, let us be cautious. The European Uni…

9 Sep

2025

EN Speech

Strengthening Moldova’s resilience against Russian hybrid threats and malign interference (debate)

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Mr President, Madam Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, as we have heard from so many speakers tonight, and rightly so, as the Republic of Moldova approaches parliamentary elections later this month, the stakes are high – not just for the country, but for Europe as a whole. These elections on 28 September are not only about the future political direction of Moldova. They are a tes…

8 Jul

2025

EN Speech

2023 and 2024 reports on Albania (debate)

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Madam President, Madam Commissioner, dear colleagues, since becoming a candidate in 2014, Albania has indeed made progress. Yet major reforms remain imperative. The 2023 and 2024 reports on Albania have highlighted persistent challenges. The parliamentary elections in May this year took place in a deeply polarised environment. There were frequent parliamentary boycotts, constant confrontations and…

8 Jul

2025

EN Speech

Situation in Belarus, in particular the release of political prisoners (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, as colleagues have already mentioned, the recent release of a number of political prisoners in Belarus indeed offers a glimmer of hope amid a dark reality. Yet over a thousand remain unjustly imprisoned still. Belarus remains a battleground for truth. Journalists and dissenters face brutal repression, but their courage shines as a beacon for change. I recall …