Speeches

Madam President, We are writing in 2023, and since 2015 when the migration crisis began with the so-called Arab Spring, the European Union has not yet proved competent in any area to solve this problem accordingly. We had one million asylum applications in the European Union last year. We know that more than half of them will not be granted protection status – neither under the Geneva Convention nor under subsidiary or humanitarian titles – but that migration is taking place here. In truth, the important right to asylum here has degenerated into a history of migration and is overburdening Europe in a way where it must be said that something must finally happen here. But nothing happens, even if it is again up for debate in the Council. The British and the Americans are at least doing something, and I say now that it is a good way to make it clear that those who enter illegally have no way of obtaining asylum here. The European Union would be well advised – also in the interest of upholding asylum as an important right – to finally make such rules, to prevent illegal migration from being instrumentalised as asylum, and thus to restore social stability and to finally stop this ever-increasing crime in Europe.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, It's nice, it's nice, it's cute, if you cheer here the beneficial effects of the EU measures on the Inflation Reduction Act. The fact is: In real life, inflation is completely out of control. In my home country Austria it is officially around 11 %, in real terms, if it had been calculated on the basis of an actual shopping cart, probably in the direction of 20 %. People can no longer afford to live in many areas. This is, of course, a direct effect of a completely misguided sanctions policy, which does not affect the aggressor Russia, but the Europeans who lead the way in imposing these sanctions on Russia. From my point of view, it is already a bit of a reminder of the film ‘And eternally greets the marmot’, as you repeatedly invoke a completely misguided attitude on the question of Russia and Ukraine. From my point of view, it can only be the right way to probe everything here that can lead to a dismantling of weapons. This isn't me, and these aren't the evil right-wing parties that you're constantly criticizing here. They are very weighty voices, from the pope to the United States of America, where this war is being questioned here and where people are trying to look for a solution that will bring peace. Therefore, I can only once again appeal to you to stop calling for heavy and increasingly heavy weapons, for more and more money, also in Ukraine. This war is a war where people are dying, where many are suffering here in Europe, and where we need to look for peace as soon as possible.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I also listened to Mr Zelensky's speech last week in Brussels here in plenary, and I have two comments on that. The first one: I find it somewhat strange that no debate has taken place on this, because a parliament is the place of the culture of dispute, where argument and counter-argument should meet and the attempt to find out the best somewhere should take place. And the second is that, according to media reports, Mr. Zelenskyy went around and gave out lists of what he would like from which state: There are a few fighter jets, there are a few tanks, now there are also submarines on the order list. In my opinion, this is the wrong way. War is and can never be a solution. I know you condemn anyone here who raises the voice for peace somewhere, but I do it again and raise my voice for peace. This Europe is built on the principles of peace, freedom and prosperity. If you want to be taken halfway seriously, then you are now playing an active role in peace negotiations. It is about preventing death in Ukraine. Every day we carry more guns, more people die. Please stand up for peace!

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, What I do not understand is the fact that all those speakers who work for peace-building measures, for peace negotiations, trigger such an ice storm of outrage among you. As of November of last year, we have about 200,000 soldiers killed or injured. This figure, which is not so easy to figure out, comes from the US General Staff. If you add two-and-a-half months, we would now be 250,000 - perhaps more - killed or wounded in this area. I say: This must be stopped. We must make every effort to initiate peace-building measures and peace negotiations here. Their policy of sanctions and supplying weapons in this area – there are tanks, now it is on Mr Zelensky's bucket list that we also need submarines and jets and God knows what: I think that's the wrong way. I would like Europe, which was founded to create peace, freedom and prosperity for all people, to stand up for peace negotiations here and finally put an end to this death.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, First of all, I would like to express my joy at the fact that in Sweden there is now a government at the helm that has renounced the left-wing course, which has brought Sweden into a real problem for many years, and that good development is now also guaranteed here with Sweden as chairman of the Council. I have known the Sweden Democrats for many years as a party that makes good and just policies, advocates for its own country and its own culture. And thus they also correspond to a trend that dominates in more and more areas in Europe. I would just like to mention Hungary and the brilliant election that Prime Minister Orbán won. I would like to address the development we are seeing in Italy, with a Prime Minister Meloni and her partner Matteo Salvini. I would like to address the situation in Poland with Prime Minister Morawiecki. I would like to address the situation in my home country of Austria, where we, as the Freedom Party, now have the lead in all surveys and thus a policy is increasingly coming to a breakthrough in Europe that wants to work in a positive way for diversity on our continent, which wants to bring cultures together in friendship and on an equal footing and wants to turn away from a policy of mass migration, from a policy of social abuse, of asylum abuse, and to lead Europe into a good future, because the diversity of cultures is the indispensable prerequisite for our continent to be well off, that this European Community and Union can do well and that we do not have a great mixed-mashing situation, where all cultures are losing and thus people are increasingly turning away from Europe.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, They are debating the Council meeting for the 15th. December, and there is also the question of Ukraine-Russia and the possible aid payment here in the room. You have strongly criticised the Hungarians here who have blocked this because, it has been said, corruption may be prevalent here in Hungary. I feel that during the debate today you completely deny the current accusations, namely that over 20 searches have taken place in the area of the Social Democrats, in private homes, in offices, that over 1.5 million euros have been found here in various plastic bags, that this house and Europe is in the midst of one of the biggest corruption scandals ever. This should be a discussion here: The credibility that has been completely lost. On the other hand, you have it not only with the Social Democrats, you also have it with the Conservatives – keyword Pfizer, here the Commission's secrecy policy. I can say what this European Union can still lead to a good future here: Prefer the elections, shape Europe in such a way that all the problems we have now can be eliminated as far as possible, and do not negate what is currently manifesting in scandals here in the European Union.

Mr President! Ladies and gentlemen, I can no longer hear the complaints of the political Greens and leftists, who have been lobbying for mass migration for many years and are really causing the problems that Europe is facing today. I have been a member of this House since 2014, and in 2015 we experienced the strongest year of migration problems to date, and it has gotten worse every year. Today, 2022, we are faced with the situation that it is the worst ever – more than in 2015. Since 2015, six million people have sought their way to Europe, two-thirds of whom do not have Convention refugee status and three-quarters of whom are not eligible for subsidiary or humanitarian protection. But they all stay here in Europe, and that's what makes up the problem. This is where Europe fails; it fails the Schengen Agreement, it fails the Dublin Agreement. What we need is effective external border protection. What we need is to shut down Schengen until the problems are solved. And we need help for the local people to help them in the region instead of bringing them all to Europe.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, It has been almost a year since Putin attacked Ukraine in a manner worthy of condemnation. And within this year it has not been possible to implement peace-building measures here, but the EU has heard the call for heavy weapons and money towards Ukraine accordingly, and this conflict has also been fuelled. In my view, this is an absolutely wrong path. Today, even the U.S. administration, in the person of U.S. President Joe Biden, is making the call for peace negotiations loud and public. I also do not understand why the Ukrainian side, Zelenskyy, comes in response to the fact that they do not want these peace negotiations, and on the other hand calls for the European Union to pump EUR 2 billion per year into Ukraine and to provide the cost of EUR 750 billion of reconstruction aid to Ukraine from the European side. I appeal to the EU decision-makers to force peace here, to bring people to the table and to guarantee that people in Europe can go to peace, go to a winter here where energy prices do not explode and the European currency also finds stability again.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, First of all, let me express the joy that in Italy a centre-right alliance is now entering the target straight of a government and that our political friend Matteo Salvini, who is regarded as one of the patrons of European identity in Europe, is also on board here. I am equally pleased that in the north of Europe, in Sweden, a centre-right alliance can now form a government with the support of the Sweden Democrats and also in the north of Europe normality, just as Viktor Orbán is now in Hungary. I know you don't like to hear all this, but it's a reality caused by democracy in Europe. As in Hungary with a Viktor Orbán in an absolute majority there politics can be pursued, which is directed against many mistakes, as they arise here, and with a strengthening of the AfD in Germany or the VOX party in Spain: Europe is moving more and more in a turning direction here, and that is a good thing. I wonder why, at the meetings of the Council, where Ukraine and Russia are always the subject here, another issue is so under the table here, and that is illegal migration. This year we have more than 400 000 asylum applications here on the ground of the European Union, 68% more than in the previous year. Since 2015, more than 6 million people have applied for asylum, which is more than the population of Ireland, although we know that two thirds of them will not be granted refugee status, nor are they eligible for humanitarian or subsidiary protection, and yet two thirds simply remain here on European soil. I think that's a danger. With the emergence of the European legal alliance, there is an opportunity to close Europe's gates and help the people on the ground, instead of leading Europe more and more towards collapse.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, With the madness of sanctions, which is once again evoked today by a left-conservative majority here in the House and the Commission, consisting of Greens, Social Democrats, Conservatives, this continent is also being driven to the wall train after train. Why don't you open your eyes to how the people outside are doing with record inflation, with bankruptcies, with bankruptcies, with poverty? People don't know how to get through the winter. The advice to these people is: Stop heating, do not shower anymore and still freeze through the winter. I think this is an abysmal path, not only from the economic point of view, but also from the human point of view. There are voices calling for peace in these difficult times – and it is not the evil right, as you mean here. They are quite illustrious voices like those of probably the most successful entrepreneur at the moment, Elon Musk. There are voices in favour of peace, such as the Pope, who here urges us to return to the table and finally find a way to end death, to ensure prosperity in Europe as well, so that we have an energy supply this winter, so that people do not have to freeze or are afraid of losing their jobs, putting their wealth in the sand, losing their savings through record inflation and maneuvering this continent into ever greater problems. I can therefore only appeal once again to you to plead here with a strong European voice to bring the warring parties to a table and to work together on a solution that everyone can live with.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I have met many Hungarian politicians in the course of my international political activity and I can say that the bank is a very cultured, educated and above all friendly people who do not deserve the way you treat them – number one. Point two: I have often been a guest in Hungary, and Hungary is an excellent country, and Budapest in particular, a crystallization point of Central European culture, of which we should be proud, instead of arguing in this direction with these words. I was also allowed to act as an observer in the last parliamentary elections, and without anyone having influenced me, I was able to see that these elections were held to high standards and certainly without any manipulation. This is not about the rule of law in Hungary, nor about Poland. The point is that two countries which have a centre-right government, which are conservative, which do not want to play a part in this madness of migration, which do not want to play a part in transforming this continent into a central European Union, should be disciplined with funds from the European Union. And that's double and triple shabby. What's wrong with a politician wanting to protect his borders against illegal migration? What is wrong with a politician like Viktor Orbán, who was elected by a majority of his electorate, prioritising the interests of his electorate? I say: It is the duty of every politician to act in this way. Therefore, please stop this Hungarian bashing and treat Hungary as a worthy member of the European family of nations.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, It is good that today we can talk about the state of Europe. Because it hasn't been so bad, so pathetic, so foreign-shameful, as European politics currently presents itself for a long time. And I thought, after Jean-Claude Juncker, things can only get better. But we are being taught every day how bad politics can actually be. One almost has the impression that here a majority of the European nomenclature deliberately wants to drive this continent to the wall, as politics currently presents itself. I'll give you two examples. The first one: the corona madness, I would almost say, where continent-wide lockdown and lockdown policies have destroyed wealth, where unemployment has been produced and where bankruptcies and insolvencies have been produced. And the current: the madness of sanctions in Russia's war against Ukraine, where they do not push for peace, but send money and weapons and drive European citizens into an emergency situation with an energy crisis, where they are told: No more bathing, no more showering, no more heating. I can only hope that with the coming European elections, the majority will change in such a way that Europe will once again find a way to create peace, freedom and prosperity – I will conclude – for as many European citizens as possible.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, In view of what happened at the last Council meeting, the parallel events in the Commission and also the majority here in the House give the impression that you are navigating this European Union towards the iceberg more or less like the Titanic. Just as the rules of navigation were obviously disregarded at the time, today all the rules of the European Union are left aside somewhere. They have long since buried Maastricht, the important question of budget discipline. They have long since buried Schengen and Dublin, where anyone can travel around and enter this European Union without proper control mechanisms. And now the Copenhagen criteria with the fact that Ukraine and Moldova are coming into the candidate status here. The same is true of sanctions policy: six packages imposed here and the fact that the sanctioned person is then far less affected than those who impose the sanctions. Because the sanctioned sells oil and gas to India and China and sells it back to us expensively. I can only appeal to you: Observe the rules of this European Union accordingly and stop sanctions that only hit us and are a shot in the knee.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, In preparation for the forthcoming Council meeting, I ask for some self-reflection. You can make mistakes in your political life here and there. This is human. But what is happening here on the part of a majority of the European nomenclature makes this majority of European politicians serial perpetrators of political wrong decisions. They have now imposed six sanctions packages, with an embargo on oil, and are also considering gas. Is it really surprising if the aggressor, the person affected, also makes backlashes here and slowly turns the gas tap towards Europe? Is it any wonder then that the gas and oil sells towards India and China and we have to buy it back expensively again? This policy is a shot in the European knee and a wrong policy. Putin laughs at what is being done here. I can only appeal to stop turning this sanction screw. I can only appeal to you to make every effort here to bring about peace, a policy that ensures the security of supply on our continent with energy for European citizens, and that you finally put an end to this escalation screw.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Since the Ukrainian-Russian conflict is once again the subject of a special meeting of the Council and the general situation is not improving, but only worsening, I can only once again appeal to the prudence of all to pursue all efforts aimed at peace and no longer aim at fuelling this belligerent conflict. It is, in my view, a wrong way to sustain this war with the help of the Americans or the EU with more and more weapons. From my point of view - and this must also be said - it is not really useful for the whole matter if Ukrainian President Zelenskyy enters the debate with a rhetoric that does not correspond to the situation, if he makes threats, if he says that the European Union should have no future without Ukraine. That's the wrong way. Hungarian Parliament President Kövér is right when he says that normally the person who asks for help does it politely and prudently, and not in such rhetoric. Therefore, please show all prudence, do not jeopardize the security of supply in Europe, end the dying in Ukraine and put everything on track towards peace.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, It is always said that the European Union is not very effective, the European Union does not achieve anything, the European Union fails because of the great things. But that is not true at all, because if you look at the European Union's sanctions policy in this current conflict Ukraine-Russia, then the European Union is master at shooting itself in the knee. It is not primarily the aggressor – namely Putin – that is harmed, since the own population is put in a correspondingly detrimental situation. We are already talking about the fact that the liter of fuel can climb up to three euros, maybe four euros. Gas prices are exploding accordingly. With the price of energy, the price situation for the entire goods chain explodes. They produce poverty, they produce a wave of inflation. And that is certainly the wrong way to go here. The right way would be to stop this madness of sanctions and do everything possible to de-escalate the situation, to finally bring about peace and not to pour more oil into the fire and to burden the European population in such a way.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, In advance: What Putin is doing here is unacceptable in any form and condemnable in any form. As a representative of a party that many years ago also had a so-called Memorandum of Understanding with the United Russia Party, which served cultural exchange and economic revival, I can only say today: This friendship is over. It is unacceptable what is happening here on the part of Putin. The question, however, is: How do I respond to this? Do I have a de-escalating effect or do I pour oil into the fire and turn on the sanctions and embargo screws? I think one of those who will not be affected by this sanctions policy is Russian President Putin, who will not care about the energy price. I also think that President von der Leyen will not be affected if she flies by private jet from Vienna to Bratislava, for example. I also don't think the U.S. president will be affected if he is in the vehicle of the U.S. president. Beast, or the Air Force One It will be on the way. However, those who are very much affected by this, and on a large scale, are the broad masses of people outside who no longer stem the energy price, who no longer stem a price of more than 2 euros for the liter of fuel, who no longer stem the strongly increased gas prices and so on and so on. Therefore, it is the wrong way, because it is a shot to the knee. In my view, the question ‘what should be done instead?’ is also easy to answer: Anything that de-escalates. It does not help if von der Leyen flies to Kiev, or the Austrian Chancellor, who has said to fly to Kiev for a PR action. No, it would make sense if we did everything that would bring about peace again. It would be a good idea if, for example, in Austria, which is committed to neutrality, a tripolar peace conference starts - but without the Americans, who have their own interests - and the Ukrainians, Europeans and Russians here do everything they can to put together a package that secures peace and also serves the people outside.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, What my previous speakers have read from the papers taken with me is far too much saber rattling for me and also not useful for the current situation. Let me make one thing clear: What the Russian regime and Putin have done here, namely to wage a war of aggression, where there is also a blood duty on the civilian population, must be condemned in every form. War can and should never be a solution. But as this House has reacted to this with a resolution, for me it is also an oil-in-fire and the wrong way. I would like to explain this to you with a few examples. Example 1: The further involvement of NATO is also a sign that we do not have peace in mind here, but perhaps allow an escalation. Another example: Bringing Ukraine into the European Union in the express process is also the wrong way. How many of the European criteria do you want to throw overboard? You threw Dublin overboard, you threw Schengen overboard, you threw Maastricht overboard and now Copenhagen with the Copenhagen criteria. Does nothing count anymore of this European rulebook here? And the third case is the history of sanctions, where, in my view, the von der Leyens and the Bidens and the leaders of the states do not suffer much damage here. No, it is the people outside who have to pay over 2 euros, sometimes 2.50 euros for the liter of fuel. I am in favour of doing everything here to de-escalate. I am in favour of a proposal by Ukraine, which is now on the table, to declare itself neutral, being a right way forward. ... (The President withdrew the floor from the speaker.)

Mr President! Ladies and gentlemen, when we discuss the Ukraine-Russia issue today, I think it would also be helpful to recall 2003 – 2003, when then-US President Bush, then-US Secretary of Defense Powell and British Prime Minister Blair lied to the world public and drove them into the Iraq war. Let us also remember the year 2014 after the Maidan, where Ukraine was reorganized here and the son of the then US Vice President Biden, namely Hunter Biden, was promoted to the supervisory board of Burisma, one of the largest Ukrainian energy companies, and the US-American Jaresko, I believe, was relocated in the express procedure and on the evening of the same day was Ukrainian and became Minister of Finance. It's always about business interests, and here too, in my view, the current conflict has the smell of veritable business interests. As an Austrian, I would like to add that I come from a country that is committed to neutrality, and I like Russians as well as Americans and have only one goal in mind: to secure peace in Europe in the long term. But I don't think that if we, as Europeans, become a plaything between US and Russian interests here, it will really be beneficial for the European continent and this Union and this European Community. In my view, it would be helpful to resolve this conflict without the involvement of the Americans, who have certainly – and I am addressing the two administrations – set one provocation after another, where it was clear that NATO's eastward enlargement is not taking place in this form and that NATO has nevertheless been expanded from 15 to almost 30 Member States. I propose a tripolar conference between the Europeans, the Russians and the Ukrainians in order to secure lasting peace here and no longer make us the plaything of geopolitical financial interests.

Mr President! Ladies and Gentlemen, In the German-speaking world, there is a saying: In the evening, the lazy gets busy. And that could be the motto of this week's Council meeting. Because in view of the flood of topics that are being dealt with here on the one hand, and on the other hand the inability to achieve corresponding successes in the central areas, this seems to be the right saying. From these many issues, I would like to highlight two issues that are of particular importance. The first is the so-called coronavirus crisis – the issue of vaccination or non-vaccination. This is where the European Union has failed from day one. You ordered too late, you put on the wrong vaccine horse, you kept the contracts secret. Now many things are still under wraps, and now we are moving on to one thing that, in my view, is really catastrophic, namely to impose a vaccination obligation across Europe. Austria, the country I come from, is unfortunately even further where the Austrian federal government wants to impose a vaccination obligation on all people in Austria. For me, this is something that a European community cannot stand for. And since the EU already likes to bring Article 7 proceedings against Hungary or Poland because of its fundamental values, it would be an idea for the European Union and Mrs von der Leyen to initiate an Article 7 procedure against themselves, because that certainly does not correspond to the fundamental values of a European community. Second topic: Rising energy prices. Now, in winter, there is a need for action. The only thing I hear about the European Union is discussions. They don't agree. Nothing happens. Fuel prices are skyrocketing, electricity and gas prices are skyrocketing. I want to see solutions here. This can go from joint procurement, long-term contracts, a maximum tax rate to ensuring a package of measures so that people in Europe do not fall victim to these enormously rising energy prices.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, If you want to debate the Council meeting on 21-22 October, you can't help but highlight the burning issues that are now dominating Europe. One is the debt situation, which is becoming increasingly precarious – with 12 trillion in debt and, on the other hand, individual countries that are increasingly out of control, such as Greece with 200% indebtedness, relative to GDP. And the criteria that would actually be necessary to bring stability into it – the 3 percent new debt, 60 percent total debt – are forgotten. And what happens? The fact that we are trying here to achieve a communitisation of debts with new funds, and with the communitisation of debts in the final consequence, is that net-paying countries, such as the country from which I come – Austria – are asked to pay even more here and this path must be rejected, because stability must be ensured in the countries themselves. Second important point: migration. We have an increase of 40 percent in asylum applications compared to August last year. I welcome the fact that twelve countries in the European Union have launched a call for help here, and that Community funds must be used to secure the borders accordingly. That would be a smart thing to do in a joint action to protect Europe's borders and the other, Push-backsFinally, to realize and not to be hostile to them. Since 2014, there has been a European Union regulation that makes it possible to make corresponding rejections here. If you do nothing else, if you keep watching and the problem gets worse and worse, then you are leading Europe into an ever-greater crisis. I ask you to wake up, to act, to orient yourself to those things that are important, that are essential for this Europe.

Mr President! Ladies and gentlemen, this is the eleventh anniversary of the State of the Union report. And it is no coincidence for me that the speech on the state of the nation of the US President is copied from the title here from the USA, because it is clear that here, unfortunately, a majority of the House wants to develop this European Union towards centralism, similar to the model of the United States of America, in order to transfer this to Europe. In my view, this is a wrong concept, because Europe feeds on its diversity and enjoys its wealth. And again and again the same pillar saints are worshipped. On the one hand, on the subject of climate, where the European automotive industry is driven to the ground and massive increases in prices for the broad stratum are accepted. On the other hand, the issue of migration, where the mistake has been made here since 2015, to bring more and more people into the country under the title ‘asylum’, although we know that three quarters really have no need for protection at all. I'll summarize: State of the Union, bankruptcies, bad luck and mishaps, a certain degree of climate hysteria and a migration policy that increasingly deprives Europe of its identity. I can only say: Change your policy, then it will be better again with the report on the subject State of the Union.

Madam President, Ladies and Gentlemen, When I look at the thematic setting and the results of the Council meeting in June, it reminds me strikingly of the famous film of the 1990s: ‘And every day the marmot greets’. You may know the majority of the movie with Bill Murray, in which a person was also caught in a time loop and experiences the same thing every day. And many are probably similar here, where for many months – if not years – the same topics have been addressed over and over again, but the corresponding solutions are not presented. On 24 and 25 June, the topics of migration and Turkey were discussed again. Again, there are no satisfactory solutions. We know from current research that up to five million people from Africa and the Middle East are pushing for Europe. At the same time, we know that two thirds, if not more, will have neither the status of a Convention refugee nor that of a beneficiary of subsidiary protection. And it will be the case that of those who have come here and do not have this status, the vast majority – two-thirds to three-quarters – will also stay here. No solutions from the European Union. The next one: Turkey, where we know that Turkey does not want to join the European Union and there is no real room and consensus for it. Nevertheless, they continue to pay. Wrong topic setting. Against this background, I am very, very happy that an alliance of 15 different countries has recently formed: 16 parties that want to bring Europe into a good future, signal the light at the end of the tunnel, bring Europe away from centralism back to pluralism and more democracy.