What David spoke about.

1

Apr

2025

EN Speech

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

Madam President, High Representative/Vice‑President, ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, our Interinstitutional Agreement stipulates in part two, section G, paragraph 43, that each year, the Council Presidency will consult the European Parliament on a forward‑looking Council document, which will be transmitted by 15 June for the year in question, setting out the main aspects and basic choices o…

11

Mar

2025

EN Speech

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White paper on the future of European defence (debate)

Madam President, dear Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I can echo a lot of things that have been said already in this debate, but not a single word of my previous speaker. After numerous wake-up calls we have discussed here, Europe's moment of truth has finally arrived. We're not starting from scratch. In March 2022, the 27 heads of state or government adopted the Strategic Compass. A year late…

10

Mar

2025

EN Speech

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Establishing the Reform and Growth Facility for the Republic of Moldova (debate)

Madam President, Madam Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, two weeks ago, I had the privilege of leading the three-day AFET mission to Chișinău. It was indeed a timely visit, just a few days after the provisional trilogue agreement on the Moldova Reform and Growth Facility, which previous speakers have already explained. In Chișinău my impression was – and I felt – a profound sense of optimism sur…

12

Feb

2025

EN Speech

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US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, the World Health Organisation and the suspension of US development and humanitarian aid (debate)

Madam President, dear Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the American retreat from international institutions and agreements was in many ways a move to be expected from President Trump. These reckless decisions have far‑reaching risks and repercussions. Specifically, I want to shine a spotlight on just one of the most devastating impacts, which hasn't been mentioned yet this evening: the suspensi…

11

Feb

2025

EN Speech

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Wider comprehensive EU-Middle East Strategy (debate)

Madam President, Madam Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, geography dictates that developments in the Middle East are always of key interest to the European Union. Yet things are as they are. Our influence in the region is at a low. A fragmented patchwork of strategies has failed to account for the political realities of the region, and internal divisions amongst our Member State…

21

Jan

2025

EN Speech

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Need for actions to address the continued oppression and fake elections in Belarus (debate)

Mr President, dear Commissioner Kubilius, ladies and gentlemen, as a number of speakers previously have already pointed out, it is actually for the seventh time that Belarus is staging the ritual of electing Mr Lukashenka as President, in a climate of fear and repression against free media, civil society and genuine opposition. Over 1 300 political prisoners – including nearly all of Lukashenka's …

21

Jan

2025

DE Speech

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Need to detect and to counter sabotage by the Russian shadow fleet, damaging critical undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea (debate)

Mr President, Madam Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen. With NATO's Baltic Sea summit in Helsinki earlier last week, the issue of the Russian shadow fleet has arrived at the highest political level, and that was also overdue. Because with a really terrible flood of marauding oil tankers, whose ownership is unclear and whose risks are also underinsured, Russia is deliberately circumventing intern…

21

Jan

2025

EN Speech

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Geopolitical and economic implications for the transatlantic relations under the new Trump administration (debate)

Madam President, dear Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, as we have heard today during this debate, the United States is and remains our most important NATO ally and our biggest trading partner. This means, if we want or not, we need to proactively explore common interests with the new Trump administration, even when our priorities don't always align. And indeed, we witnessed yes…

17

Dec

2024

EN Speech

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Toppling of the Syrian regime, its geopolitical implications and the humanitarian situation in the region (debate)

Mr President, thank you for giving me the floor. Madam High Representative / Vice-President, great to see you here sitting in the plenary. As we have heard this morning, the reaction to the fall of Bashar al-Assad has been relief, also at yesterday's Foreign Affairs Council, and rightly so. This dictator and his regime are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, far more tha…

13

Nov

2024

EN Speech

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Georgia's worsening democratic crisis following the recent parliamentary elections and alleged electoral fraud (debate)

Mr President, thank you for giving me the floor, Vice‑President, dear Margaritis Schinas, ladies and gentlemen. Last December, the European Council decided to grant the status of EU candidate country to Georgia on the understanding that necessary reforms will follow. The historic decision was an enormous opportunity for the Georgian Government. Unfortunately, recent developments in Georgia have ra…

13

Nov

2024

EN Speech

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EU-US relations in light of the outcome of the US presidential elections (debate)

Madam President, dear Vice President / High Representative, dear colleagues, for decades, the transatlantic alliance has been the cornerstone of European security, and that means also of European freedom. The United States is a rock-solid NATO ally. The United States is by far our most important international trading partner. That is why it is in our key interest to develop further the transatlant…

8

Oct

2024

DE Speech

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Strengthening Moldova's resilience against Russian interference ahead of the upcoming presidential elections and a constitutional referendum on EU integration (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! Europe is ubiquitous in the Republic of Moldova. Anyone who travels in the country feels: Throughout the country, roads are decorated with EU stars, at bus stops, as flags in small towns or even on signs on rehabilitated trunk roads. There is even a stamp with the outline of the country in our European colors. Visitors to Moldova may even have the …

24

Apr

2024

DE Speech

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Iran’s unprecedented attack against Israel, the need for de-escalation and an EU response (debate)

Mr President, Mr High Representative, ladies and gentlemen! Two weeks ago, the mullahs broke all taboos. Israel is under acute threat. A new era has begun in the Middle East. Iran has finally stepped out of the shadow of its proxies. The only democracy in the region is struggling for its existence, and the danger of regional war is palpable. Worse things could only be prevented because Israel has …

28

Feb

2024

EN Speech

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Implementation of the common foreign and security policy – annual report 2023 (A9-0389/2023 - David McAllister) (vote)

Madam President, I would like to raise to move oral amendments to two amendments, number 44 by the S&D and number 58 by the EPP, tabled to paragraph 77 of the annual CFSP report. Both oral amendments are factual updates taking stock of the fact that the Hungarian Parliament has now also ratified Sweden’s NATO membership. First, on Amendment 44, tabled by the S&D, it would say, ‘welcomes, in this r…

28

Feb

2024

DE Speech

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Strengthening European Defence in a volatile geopolitical landscape - Implementation of the common foreign and security policy – annual report 2023 - Implementation of the common security and defence policy – annual report 2023 (joint debate - European security and defence)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you all for this open and constructive debate. This morning it was not only a question of security and defence policy, but also of the European Parliament's annual report on the implementation of the common foreign and security policy and of Mr Sven Mikser's report on the implementation of the …

28

Feb

2024

EN Speech

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Strengthening European Defence in a volatile geopolitical landscape - Implementation of the common foreign and security policy – annual report 2023 - Implementation of the common security and defence policy – annual report 2023 (joint debate - European security and defence)

Mr President, Madam President, Minister, ladies and gentlemen, since we adopted our previous report on the implementation of the common foreign and security policy on 18 January last year, the world has changed significantly. While Mr Putin is relentless in his war of aggression against Ukraine, the horror terrorist attacks launched by Hamas against Israel on 7 October have set the Middle East on …

6

Feb

2024

EN Speech

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State of play of the implementation of the Global Gateway and its governance two years after its launch (debate)

Mr President, in a globalised world, trans—regional infrastructure projects have become an integral part of international relations, and we all know billions and billions of euros are lacking annually to meet the United Nations Development Goals. Indeed, it was Commission President Ursula von der Leyen who recognised the signs of the time and launched the prestige project Global Gateway in Decembe…

6

Feb

2024

EN Speech

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The need for unwavering EU support for Ukraine, after two years of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, late in the evening yesterday – actually just before midnight – we concluded the Trilogue on the Ukraine Facility. We can now provide Ukraine with predictable financing throughout 2024 and beyond. This is good news, and I would like to thank all colleagues – one of the co-rapporteurs Michael Gahler is present – engaged in these procedures. With a total of EUR 50 billion, to be comple…

12

Dec

2023

EN Speech

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EU-US relations (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, transatlantic cooperation has been tried and tested over time, but our bond has proven itself time and again, most recently in the response to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Here we have shown remarkable unity, not least by coordinating our military support within the Ukraine Defence Contact Group. The United States of America is and will be our most …

21

Nov

2023

EN Speech

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EU/New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, this free trade agreement negotiated over the course of four years and signed on 9 July indeed marks a significant milestone in our bilateral relations. It reinforces New Zealand Aotearoa as a valued trade and investment partner and it strengthens the European Union’s presence in the Indo-Pacific. All in all, as many colleagues have mentioned…

3

Oct

2023

EN Speech

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Taking stock of Moldova's path to the EU (debate)

Mr President, as we have heard tonight, President Maia Sandu and her pro-European government are operating in constant crisis mode. And yet, they have succeeded in introducing key legislative initiatives tailored to the nine conditions set by the European Commission. These are tremendous efforts. Soon, the Commission’s upcoming enlargement package will testify to these reforms. It is now up to us …

11

Sep

2023

EN Speech

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European Defence Industry Reinforcement through common Procurement Act (EDIRPA) (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, as we have stated so often in this plenary, to this day, 80 % of defence equipment is procured at purely national level. Not only do we need to invest more in defence but we definitely need to invest better, and better means, of course, more European. Together we get better prices, profit from faster delivery times and avoid a r…

13

Jun

2023

EN Speech

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Situation in Nicaragua (debate)

Mr President, dear High Representative / Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen, look, we have all heard very good arguments from previous speakers. Most of us, apart from a few exceptions, will agree that the authoritarian regime of Mr Ortega and Ms Murillo has systematically undermined Nicaragua’s democratic structures, including the separation of powers, the electoral system and the respect for h…

13

Jun

2023

EN Speech

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Situation in Lebanon (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, for months now, the current situation in Lebanon is extremely alarming. Lebanon has the largest per capita number of refugees in the world. The state is nearly collapsing due to the political, economic, social, financial and health crisis and in the end, a state of institutional breakdown. Since the last general elections in May 20…

18

Apr

2023

DE Speech

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EU Rapid Deployment Capacity, EU Battlegroups and Article 44 TEU: the way forward (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, Three weeks ago, the Foreign Affairs Committee discussed the lessons learned from 20 years of deployment in Afghanistan. And one thing was, I think, clear across factions: In the future, the European Union must be able to carry out an evacuation operation such as the one in Kabul itself in 2021. This is precisely the purpos…