Speeches

Mr President, first of all, congratulations to Mr Fidanza on his report. He tells us that for this sector, which is essential for our food sovereignty and the preservation of our landscapes, we must turn our backs on the policies pursued for years in Brussels. We must put an end, for example, to absurd standards, those which, for example, equate livestock buildings with industrial installations. This desire to tighten the rules on the transport of animals must be rejected. We must put an end to these unfair free trade treaties that compete with our farmers. Let me remind you once again here: our breeders, no matter how displeased by some, are the most virtuous in the world in the field of animal welfare. The enemies of animal husbandry and meat consumption are numerous in the corridors of Brussels. I stress that there can be no future policy for the livestock sector tomorrow without breaking with the ideology of degrowth, carried by the enemies of our agriculture, carried by the enemies of our way of life and our identity. More than ever, support for our breeders.

Madam President, this international crisis once again highlights the flaws in the European Union's energy policy. As Germany has demanded – is it not, Mr Weber? – relayed by some Heads of State such as Emmanuel Macron in France – isn’t that right, Mrs Hayer? – you have sabotaged and weakened the role of nuclear power, which is a stable and decarbonised source of energy. You have therefore increased our dependence on imported fossil fuels, including gas, exposing us more to geopolitical tensions. Mme von der Leyen herself recently acknowledged that sacrificing nuclear power had been, I quote, "a strategic mistake." One more. Today, our fellow citizens pay dearly in their daily lives for this strategic mistake. Tensions in the Middle East are, of course, also exacerbating the fertiliser crisis, which is also being created by the European Union's declining policy. Carbon taxation significantly increases production costs by putting many farms at risk. In the face of international crises, the European Union's policy is limited to watching trains pass. It is high time to work for our energy independence, our sovereignty, the return of European power. Are you capable of that? I doubt it.

Madam President, in the conclusions of the European Council of 19 March, it is stated that we must, I quote, 'reduce our dependencies'. Who are we kidding? After the disastrous Mercosur treaty imposed by a coup de force on 1 ᵉʳ May by the European Commission, the free trade treaty with Australia was signed on 24 March. As in the treaty with South America, it is our agriculture that will pay a severe bill. 30 000 tonnes of beef, 25 000 tonnes of sheepmeat, 35 000 tonnes of sugar, milk powder and butter will be imported. Methodically, the European Union organises the death of our agriculture. The cumulation of these free trade treaties, the constraints imposed on our farmers and the announcement of a collapse of the future CAP budget confirm this. A few days ago, the European Commission acknowledged that reducing the share of nuclear power was, I quote, open the quotation marks, "a strategic mistake". How long, how many years will it take for the European Union to recognise the major mistake of making us lose our food sovereignty and thus worsen our dependence? Beware, anger is raging in campaigns against your deadly policies. We'll have warned you.

Mr President, the reduction in the share of nuclear power was a strategic mistake on the part of the European Union – statement byme von der Leyen, President of the Commission. Definitely, backpedaling seems to be the norm, it is the case to say, in the corridors of the European Union, because we have the same exercise today with administrative standards. Indeed, who has covered our companies and wealth creators with norms, technocracy and constraints? Of course, the European Commission, with the complicity of complicit and docile European parliamentarians. And in my country, France, a French government championing overtransposition. So much wasted time, so much wasted billions. In these two areas, it is the ideology of degrowth that has guided these disastrous choices. Yes, the European Union today makes a farmer spend more time on his computer than on his tractor. Yes, the European Union has made it take longer to obtain a permit to build a plant than to build the plant itself. And yet, the Draghi report in 2024 had already alerted to this normative madness. We must return to a principle of reality. For Europe to catch up, which European technocracy has caused, it is necessary to reconnect with the idea of power. This implies a definitive break with the ideology of degrowth. Yes, producing is not a dirty word. Put an end to the Green DealTo technocracy. Stop harassing our industry, our farmers and our fishermen. Is the European Commission up to this challenge? I doubt it. A pyromaniac firefighter never permanently extinguishes the fires he has caused.

Yes, of course, I agree with you. And that's why I say stop these free trade treaties. I say stop this madness that makes us open all our borders to countries that do not have the same social and environmental rules as our companies. So yes, you are right, I think it would make our deficit worse. This does not prevent European states from cooperating bilaterally with this major country, which is very important in Asia, particularly in order to compete in part with the Chinese economy.

Madam President, utterly ignoring the anger and emotion caused by the Mercosur Treaty among our farmers, among the people of many European states, Mrs von der Leyen is not even waiting for this Mercosur Treaty to be really decided to announce new free trade treaties with India, Malaysia, etc. While the major powers of the world, such as the United States or China, are protecting their economies, the European Union is still embarking on this crazy policy of free trade. So, of course, India is a great country that we have to respect. It is the country that produces the most engineers in the world, but it is also a country where we have oceans of low-cost labor that can compete with our economies. I think it's time to stop this madness of free trade treaties. Every European state has to negotiate bilateral agreements with India, because it is a country with which we obviously have to cooperate and trade. But stop! Stop the free trade treaties that are destroying our economies, our jobs and our way of life.

Mr President, this ‘2030 Agenda’, supposedly intended to strengthen consumer protection, is in reality only a new technocratic construction of the European Commission – as it has the secret – and an additional attack on the sovereignty of nations. Your ambition – I quote – is to ‘complete the single market’, that is to say, to launch a new offensive against national borders, which will only aggravate unfair competition between Member States and increase competition between workers, between French and Polish workers. You also state that you want to combat dangerous or non-compliant products from third countries. However, it is because of your policies, which have been followed for many years, that European consumers are now flooded with Chinese and other products that are dangerous for their health and safety. These massive imports, harmful to consumers, you are still preparing to amplify them with the impending vote, in the Council, of the disastrous treaty with Mercosur, which will increase imports of hormone-treated meat and GMO sugar. Moreover, today, with the Association Agreement with Ukraine, we are importing very poor quality agricultural products – I am thinking in particular of poultry. The problems you claim to solve today are precisely the ones you yourself have created.

Madam Speaker, the footage we saw this weekend on TV is unacceptable. The French government's response to a serious crisis is unacceptable. While this government is unable to restore order in the suburbs and around the Eiffel Tower, it is sending armoured vehicles and helicopters in the face of suffering people, in the face of a world of livestock in distress, already overwhelmed by the bad news of Brussels – Mercosur, future reduction of the CAP, constraints, Green Deal. Systematically slaughtering a herd is not only a financial loss, it is also a deep trauma for a farmer. Only those who are familiar with livestock farming can understand it. Each breeder knows each of his animals: She has a name, they know her, they know her story. They're suffering, and we're sending them armored vehicles. There is an urgent need to reduce the health protocol. First, we need to talk to our farmers, not send them strength. The sick animal must be slaughtered, of course, and the rest of the herd must be quarantined under veterinary protection – veterinarians will provide an appropriate response depending on the course of the disease. Of course, we must fight these insects that transmit the disease, and we need a large vaccination plan, which we do not have. Finally, the European Union must make an effort to ensure that products, including products derived from vaccinated animals, can be freely exported in the future. Our farmers are in great distress. They're waiting for an answer. We expect the European Union to respond to this enormous distress as well.

I have the impression, dear colleague, that you are an ambassador of the Chinese economy. That's not my case. Let me remind you that China emits 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, the European Union 7%. And you continue, with your policy, the one you support, to penalize our companies that suffer unfair competition. So, yes, you defended China, I defend the European Union and France.

Madam President, until some time ago, the supporters of happy globalisation, the supporters of ultra-liberal globalisation who sit on the European Union's bodies, told us that we had to open our borders with China. They would sell us t-shirts, bad toys, but we would keep high technology, planes, cars. Where are we today? It is the bankruptcy of the software of the European Union. The European Union's annual deficit with China is 300 billion. Today, in addition, China protects its market, puts taxes on our exports. We, at the head of the European Union, have given up being a great power. China opens coal-fired power plants every month and we impose the Green Deal on our producers. What are we doing, for example, to defend our exporters of pork and pigs – I am thinking of my Brittany – in China, which are going to be taxed now? In reality, you refused to defend our producers. You are incapable of defending our interests.

Madam President, Europe has been the cradle of democracy. From Archimedes to Einstein, she invented the great scientific discoveries. From Aristotle to Voltaire, she irrigated the world of her philosophy. It was the cradle of the Industrial Revolution. It has always been at the forefront of the pioneering spirit. Today, Mrs von der Leyen's Europe is nothing more than a technocratic machine that produces climate norms, punitive norms. That is the only thing that this Europe, this European Union, is producing today. This European Union is subject to the dictates of climate conferences, which function as a moral scene where the most virtuous countries, i.e. the European countries, are required to do more and more. You've given up power. You bring out, to give you a good conscience, the Europe of history. You make the instruments of our erasure every day. It's time to turn your page.

Madam President, immigration will once again be on the agenda of the European Council. But do its leaders listen to the peoples of Europe? They say it everywhere. The peoples of Europe no longer want mass immigration, they can no longer do so. This massive immigration threatens their freedom, their identity, their portfolio of course, and especially their security. Because this is the trial in France today, I would like to mention the ordeal of the 12-year-old girl, Lola, who was tortured to death by an Algerian immigrant whom the French government was unable to expel. And I, when I think of Lola, think to myself that in the end, the real criminals are the immigrationists, those who organize this immigration. We must put an end to the asylum and immigration pact, which wants to impose even more immigration on us. This immigration asylum pact demonstrates one very clear thing: for the European Union and its leaders, immigration is not a problem but a project.

Mr President, two years ago, in this Chamber, a majority of Members voted to end thermal cars in 2035. In an outpouring of collective blindness inspired by the Khmer Greens, Europe was actually sealing the fate of its industry and denying one of the most vivid expressions of its genius: the automobile. Two years will have been enough to measure the extent of this suicidal choice. The visible and often irreversible consequences are undermining our economies, foremost among which is France, where serious studies predict the disappearance of more than 100,000 industrial jobs in the decade. It is actually a real social, economic and therefore political disaster. The camp of the nationals, to which the Patriotes pour l'Europe group belongs, has constantly warned of the ravages of this decaying policy. Today, it is clear that the German Chancellor himself is calling for the ban of 2035 to be lifted. Proof that, as always in politics, realism ends up triumphing over chimeras. It is now more than urgent to lift this ban and give our manufacturers the freedom to produce. It is a question of sovereignty and, dare we say the word, survival.

Mr President, we must defend the farmer's place in the supply chain; On this point, of course, we fully agree. But it is a tree that hides the forest, a very hostile forest for our farmers. They ask us and they ask you, Commissioner: Why are you abandoning them? Why are you weakening the future CAP budget and future direct aids? Why do you continue to impose on them the disastrous Green Deal, unique in the world? Why are you multiplying free trade treaties, with Ukraine today and Mercosur tomorrow? Why do you do it? To finance a war the Europeans don't want? To fund even more immigration that Europeans don't want? Commissioner, do not abandon our farmers. They do the most beautiful job in the world: They feed us, they maintain our landscapes. Do not abandon them, Commissioner, because Europe cannot live without them.

Mr President, the collapse of the CAP budget, the disastrous Mercosur Treaty, the capitulation to US wine and spirits taxes, the inflation of standards and constraints on our farmers and now, as we have just seen, a soft reaction to Chinese taxes on our pork exports. I am originally from Brittany, where I live, the main French pig farming region, and our breeders are excessively worried. They are worried because the Chinese market is indispensable for them. So what is the Commission doing? Nothing. It is once again abandoning our farmers and ranchers. Why is she abandoning them? Because agriculture has become an adjustment variable on other issues. We prefer to defend German interests. We prefer to defend German industrial and automotive interests, including with China, than to defend our agriculture. Our breeders and farmers understood that the European Commission was abandoning them. We do, too.

Madam President, the agricultural crisis is deep, and it is getting worse. The current CAP, which broke with the spirit of 1962, is the main cause. We must therefore turn our backs on our choices, which are often guided by ideology. Farmers will never live off their jobs as long as you organise unfair competition, as illustrated by the disastrous deal with Mercosur. They will never live off their trade as long as you stifle them with the diminishing rules of the Green Deal. Commissioner, our farmers are asking you for an increased budget, an inflation-adjusted budget and a sanctified budget for the future CAP. Not only does this not seem to be on the agenda of your future choices, but your willingness to bring Ukraine back to the European Union also promises a collapse of aid for our farmers. Europe needs a powerful agriculture, capable of ensuring its food sovereignty with quality products. Our farmers ask us: you ask – to protect them and make sure that they can produce – everything that you do not seem to want to assure them.

Mr President, the European Commission's software is has been, cheesy, overwhelmed. Clinging to the dogma of free trade and open borders, the European Union does not see that the world has changed. Great powers, such as China and the United States, have ended liberal globalization and are protecting their economies. Meanwhile, the Commission is negotiating free trade treaties with Ukraine and Mercosur, which will kill our agriculture. All this is of course in addition to the free trade agreements with Morocco, New Zealand, South Africa, etc. Selling German cars seems to be the only objective of the European Union, which has sacrificed French wines and spirits. Ms. von der Leyen is disqualified to lead the fight with the United States and protect our economy. We must write a new page in European history, without Ms von der Leyen.

Madam President, the offshore wind farm of Saint Brieuc, in Brittany, France, has been entrusted to the multinational Iberdrola, which charges EDF the megawatt hour at €155 while production by a French nuclear power plant is €65 per megawatt hour. To this must be added the connection, the network, which costs a fortune: 20 € per megawatt hour. France also announced a $37 billion multi-year plan to connect offshore platforms at sea. These offshore platforms disfigure our landscapes and are a real challenge for our fishermen. So we are indeed paying dearly for the dogmatism and destructive green ideology of the European Union. Because we lose our food sovereignty, we put users at risk. As we saw earlier, we are making big profits for multinationals and exorbitant costs for the citizens of the European Union. We are fighting this policy. She's a crazy politician.

Madam President, the European Commission gives grades, good grades, bad grades. Its members are judges, jurors and why not executioners? But does the European Union not violate the rule of law when it stifles the scandals of Pfizergate, Qatargate that affect its highest authorities? Does the European Union not violate the rule of law when it intervenes illegally in the electoral processes of Romania and Poland? Doesn't the European Union violate the rule of law when it funds NGOs to corrupt MEPs' votes? Does the European Union not violate the rule of law when it excludes the third group of this House from the positions of responsibility to which they are entitled? The European Union cites Hungary 32 times in its report, but nothing, not once, about the violations of the rule of law of the Spanish socialists of the Socialist Sanchez. So yes, we must respect the rule of law everywhere. But the European Commission should start sweeping in front of its door with a very big broom.

Madam President, it is the fault of others, it is Putin's fault, it is the fault of COVID, it is Trump's fault, it is China's fault if food prices rise. In reality, the European Union refuses to look at its own responsibilities. If many food prices soar, it is also due, for example, to this inefficient and dramatic European energy market, which means that electricity is indexed to gas and that all producers, in the end, are affected and must increase their prices. If the price of bread baguette increases, it is because our bakers, of course, are experiencing an explosion in their electricity bill. We owe this to the European Union and its dramatic energy policy, and then, of course, to the Green Deal, which imposes a punitive ecology that significantly increases production costs and which our producers in industry or agriculture, in all areas, pass on to consumers. We in France propose one thing: lowering VAT, or even abolishing VAT, on basic necessities, because food is an absolute necessity.