What Tom spoke about.

4

Jul

2022

NL Speech

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Digital Services Act - Digital Markets Act (debate)

Mr President, Commissioners, ladies and gentlemen, we must not underestimate the historical importance of the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act. This is the world's first jumbo package of legislation to regulate big tech. This will give our online world a solid foundation in the 21st century to make it fairer and more transparent from now on. We can be proud as a Parliament, because…

4

May

2022

NL Speech

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Use of the Pegasus Software by EU Member States against individuals including MEPs and the violation of fundamental rights (topical debate)

Mr President, the recent revelations about Pegasus are staggering. And the simple fact that we have to have our phones checked here is actually frightening. Indeed, the Spanish government has confirmed that Prime Minister Sánchez is being tapped. In Hungary journalists and activists and students were targeted, in Poland the opposition members are being monitored. Even citizens are found to be vict…

6

Apr

2022

NL Speech

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Ongoing hearings under Article 7(1) TEU regarding Poland and Hungary (debate)

Mr President, despite the war in Ukraine, our concerns about the rule of law in Poland and Hungary remain, of course, legitimate. Poland still does not meet the conditions set by the European Commission on the abolition of the controversial Polish Disciplinary Chamber. Moreover, we see that the situation has deteriorated even further since the start of the war in Ukraine. Recently, another judge h…

5

Apr

2022

NL Speech

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Question Time with the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy - Security and the EU's strategic compass

Mr President, High Representative, thank you for your reply. You referred to the guidelines that the Member States will hopefully follow as unitedly as possible. In mid-May, together with the European Defence Agency, you will put proposals on the table. May we hear some more details about the proposals you expect to make there?…

5

Apr

2022

NL Speech

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Question Time with the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy - Security and the EU's strategic compass

Mr President, High Representative, I am right in front of you, thank you for being here at Question Time and for being able to speak on a topic as important as the Strategic Compass. It has come a long way and just at the end it was completely overshadowed by the war in Ukraine. But now it is finally adopted and the real work begins. The first concrete objective set out in Chapter 3 of the Compass…

16

Feb

2022

NL Speech

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The Rule of Law and the consequences of the ECJ ruling (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, State Secretary Beaune, the European Commission must immediately trigger the conditionality mechanism and use it against Hungary and Poland. The European Court of Justice has given ready-made wine; There are no more excuses for further delay. The longer the European Commission waits, the more illegally obtained money flows into the pockets of corrupt accomplices and rel…

15

Feb

2022

NL Speech

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Tackling non-tariff and non-tax barriers in the single market (debate)

Mr President, the single market is and remains the jewel in the crown of European integration. We can be proud of it. Meanwhile, the focus is shifting to the digital single market, while the single market for goods and services is far from finished. As a member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, I come into contac…

15

Feb

2022

NL Speech

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Implementation of the common foreign and security policy – annual report 2021 - Implementation of the common security and defence policy – annual report 2021 (debate)

Mr President, cyberattacks are being carried out on the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence and on Ukrainian banks. The conditions and pressure to take the necessary steps quickly in the area of our common security and defence policy have never been more palpable than they are today. Understanding of the need for a strong self-defence is on the rise. Today's crisis, which is the result of Russian aggres…

15

Feb

2022

NL Speech

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EU-Africa relations (debate)

Mr President, our relations with our southern continental neighbour are of immense importance, indeed a priority in our foreign and security policy. The spirit of which these relations must be imbued is that which is also reflected in our Group's Africa Paper, namely to invest more in a partnership, with a balance of interests and values, for the benefit of equal partners. I have repeatedly called…

19

Jan

2022

NL Speech

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Digital Services Act (continuation of debate)

Mr President, Commissioners and colleagues, many platforms such as Facebook are actually working as a factory without windows at the moment. No policymaker, no social organisation, let alone the individual citizen, actually knows exactly what is going on behind the walls of that factory. We do not get a grip on the algorithms and we are unsuspectingly pushed in a certain direction. Abuse is not pr…

16

Dec

2021

NL Speech

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Barriers to the free movement of goods (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, since 1993, the internal market has been the cornerstone of our European cooperation. And today, almost Christmas 2021, we are still discussing barriers in that single market. It shows that we have to make every effort to keep those markets open, day in and day out, and that we have to prove to each other that we think it is worth keeping that mark…

14

Dec

2021

NL Speech

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Situation at the Ukrainian border and in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Mr High Representative, developments at the Russian-Ukraine border actually confirm what we have known for a long time: we need united and effective action in our foreign policy and our security and defence policy is about much more than the military aspect alone. As disturbing as these developments are, we must never give in to those who do not respect the sove…

14

Dec

2021

NL Speech

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Digital Markets Act (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, do you remember where you were when you first went online? The modem that cracked and stopped. But the world has changed in the meantime. I'm glad you did. Google searches 5.6 billion times a day. There are 1.6 million Amazon packages sent every day. It shows that our digital economy is running at full speed and that people have indeed found their …

25

Nov

2021

NL Speech

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Human rights violations by private military and security companies, particularly the Wagner Group

Mr President, we cannot stress enough the strategic importance of the Sahel in European Africa policy. But our commitment – be it in the field of security, humanitarian assistance or development and state-building – in this region and in Mali in particular is severely affected by destabilising factors, such as the operations of the Wagner Group, which certainly require more of our attention. The U…

23

Nov

2021

NL Speech

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Common agricultural policy - support for strategic plans to be drawn up by Member States and financed by the EAGF and by the EAFRD - Common agricultural policy: financing, management and monitoring - Common agricultural policy – amendment of the CMO and other regulations (debate)

Mr President, we are finally reaching the end of a long negotiation. But what did we actually learn in those years when we negotiated agricultural policy? For me, it can't be clearer: The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that we were short of masks, but never lacked food. That the British have had to deal with empty shelves since Brexit, but we never had to fear shortages! In those years it has beco…

19

Oct

2021

NL Speech

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The Rule of law crisis in Poland and the primacy of EU law (debate)

Mr President, Madam President, Prime Minister, by declaring articles of the EU Treaty incompatible with the Polish Constitution, Poland was put on the path to polexit. That is not just an attack on the Poles, it is a threat to Europe as a whole. European subsidies cannot and should not flow to countries where governments mock and even openly deny the club's rules, as you here today, Prime Minister…

7

Oct

2021

NL Speech

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The case of Paul Rusesabagina in Rwanda

(NL) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, following the verdict in the trial of Rusesabagina and the sentence imposed on him, the European Union – and not only the European Parliament – no longer has any reason to be shy or reluctant towards Kigali. The trial does not pass the test of international law in any way, and the sentence that was handed down only adds to the injustice. The very way in wh…

7

Oct

2021

NL Speech

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European Union Agency for Asylum (continuation of debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we are taking an important step forward with this agreement on a new fully-fledged European Asylum Agency. The signal that we give with this creation is not misunderstood. On the one hand, we show solidarity with the Member States on the front line, but on the other hand, we also show solidarity with those in need of protection. For the EPP, creati…

5

Oct

2021

NL Speech

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Humanitarian situation in Tigray (debate)

. – President, Commissioner, colleagues, The ongoing humanitarian crisis and Tigray, Afar and Amhara is shameful for the international community. Also for us. The EU presents itself internally and externally as a Union of values. That is very important, but if we really want to do it credibly, then we need to act quickly and effectively. That's the only way to make an impact. global actor and to d…

5

Oct

2021

NL Speech

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The situation in Belarus after one year of protests and their violent repression (continuation of debate)

Mr President, Lukashenko seems to surprise us again and again: his hijacking of planes, his repression of the opposition, yes, of his own people, his use of migrants as a weapon of hybrid warfare. We stand there and we look at it. Or so it seems. Lukashenko not only attacks borders, he also pushes boundaries. His maneuvers represent the rigor and decay of norms and rules of international politics.…

4

Oct

2021

EN Speech

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Artificial intelligence in criminal law and its use by the police and judicial authorities in criminal matters (debate)

Mr President, AI will shape our future. It will change how we work and live, whether it is in health care, agriculture or, yes, law enforcement. The question isn’t whether we like it or not, the question is how Europe will deal with this change. And one thing is clear: AI is here to stay. Already today, criminals are shifting their operations. Whether it is in organised crime, terrorism, child por…

15

Sep

2021

NL Speech

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EU contribution to transforming global food systems to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (debate)

The world's food systems are under pressure. Next week's UN summit should be a catalyst for healthier, more sustainable and fairer food systems. However, we also need to look at ourselves and come up with a credible food strategy. First of all, we need to create a resilient food economy. The pandemic has shown that the EU food sector is a strategic sector. For example, we need to come up with a Eu…

15

Sep

2021

NL Speech

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Media freedom and further deterioration of the Rule of law in Poland (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, today the European Commission promised in its State of the Union that next year there will be a Media Freedom Act to guarantee the independence of journalists. This is urgently needed because the situation in Poland is becoming increasingly acute. The intolerance of the current government towards the free media actually continues to increase every …

14

Sep

2021

NL Speech

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Brexit Adjustment Reserve - Draft amending budget No 1/2021: Brexit Adjustment Reserve (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, five years after the UK's naive referendum, we are still debating Brexit. And rightly so. The impact of the divorce is inconceivable. Trade between the European Union and the United Kingdom has suffered enormous blows, especially in those countries that are particularly dependent on trade with the United Kingdom. Think of my own country, Belgium. T…

14

Sep

2021

NL Speech

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Situation in Lebanon (debate)

Mr President, the crisis in Lebanon is a deep-rooted, dangerous crisis with detrimental consequences for society and risks to stability in the region. Lebanon is a crucial partner in our southern neighbourhood and deserves more attention and concrete commitment from the EU. Our commitment must be felt as humanitarian assistance for the people in need. Our help to ensure the stability, security and…