What Hilde spoke about.

7 Feb

2024

NL Speech

Empowering farmers and rural communities - a dialogue towards sustainable and fairly rewarded EU agriculture (debate)

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Mr President, I am actually very happy that yesterday morning and this morning we have given priority to what the citizens are asking for. The farmers took to the streets and said: “Listen to us. Our farm stockpile is no longer livable.” I am very pleased that the Belgian Presidency, together with Alexander De Croo and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, took immediate action in Brussels la…

6 Feb

2024

NL Speech

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

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the message sent by the European Council last week was very clear: long-term financial support to Ukraine is crucial. But the most important thing, of course, is that weapons and ammunition are supplied so that Ukraine can win the war. After almost two years of war, some countries have delivered more speeches than weapons. The political will to continue supplyin…

6 Feb

2024

NL Speech

Conclusions of the European Council meetings, in particular the special European Council meeting of 1 February 2024 (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, Mr President, it is very good that we have shown unity about our support for Ukraine. It is crucial for our European security. Our pressure has clearly paid off, for, Council and Commission, you have not yielded to Orbán's blackmail. I am also very happy that you have listened to the needs of our farmers. Europe is clearly assuming its responsibilities here. Today, too,…

18 Jan

2024

EN Speech

Humanitarian situation in Gaza, the need to reach a ceasefire and the risks of regional escalation (RC-B9-0068/2024, B9-0068/2024, B9-0069/2024, B9-0071/2024, B9-0073/2024, B9-0075/2024, B9-0077/2024) (vote)

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Madam President, it is a nice storytale to start with a ‘boo’ from you guys over there. We’re talking here about a very big humanitarian catastrophe and a very big conflict. You all remember in October this Parliament stood strong. We made it, we put forward – almost with unanimity – a strong resolution, in which the Council and the Commission didn’t succeed. On Tuesday evening, I negotiated, we n…

16 Jan

2024

NL Speech

Humanitarian situation in Gaza, the need to reach a ceasefire and the risks of regional escalation (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, Minister, this terrible conflict lasts more than a hundred days. For more than a hundred days, families of the hostages are waiting for a sign of life. More than 10,000 children have been killed by bombing, by lack of care, by famine. This suffering has to stop and I've been hearing that for a hundred days now. It can only be stopped by a permanent ceasefire. Yes, Europ…

16 Jan

2024

NL Speech

Presentation of the programme of activities of the Belgian Presidency (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, Prime Minister, Alexander, Minister, good morning. My best wishes, also here in Strasbourg. Prime Minister, this is the thirteenth time that our country has held the presidency. And we love that, we Belgians. Why? It gives us a moment to show what we are good at. We can revisit our proverbial art of compromise, as you have just done, and I think we have all followed …

13 Dec

2023

NL Speech

Preparation of the European Council meeting of 14-15 December 2023 (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Madam President of the Commission, Minister, this European summit is about our security, our continued support for Ukraine. Ukraine must not lose the war. Where does Putin end up if he wins in Ukraine? Viktor Orbán, elected with an anti-European programme, has been casting his shadow on this summit for weeks now. One man on the brakes is holding the entire Europ…

12 Dec

2023

NL Speech

EU-China relations (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen – thank you for staying until the end with the few colleagues who are still here – Mr High Representative, I think I will be brief. I very much welcome the support – from colleagues, from the political groups and from the different countries – for this recommendation. I think it is a good thing that the House is following the China report with this recommendation…

12 Dec

2023

NL Speech

EU-China relations (debate)

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Mr President, Mr High Representative, ladies and gentlemen, let me start by thanking all my colleagues at this late hour tonight for the very nice and good cooperation with this report and And when I entered, Reinhard, I said, is this a debate to do at this time of the day? And you said to me, yes, we will do it because the text is very good. So I think maybe I've said everything then, but I will …

12 Dec

2023

NL Speech

Need to release all hostages, to achieve a humanitarian ceasefire and prospect of the two-state solution (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Mr High Representative, Commissioner Borrell, in two weeks' time we will be celebrating Christmas, the Feast of Peace, in Europe. Especially in the region where this festival has its origins, a conflict has been raging for more than 75 years. Certainly the images of the past few months are horrific. Naked Palestinian men being taken away, children dying in hospi…

11 Dec

2023

EN Speech

Order of business

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Madam President, we really had a very good debate here last October, and this Parliament has been very united. We voted a resolution with more than 500 votes out of 540 here. And exactly, we can have a vote every month. Every month we are confronted with these horrific crimes that have been taking place there. But for me, it is very clear we do not need to vote resolutions every time. I want actio…

22 Nov

2023

EN Speech

Destruction of judicial independence and the persecution of democrats in Hong Kong (debate)

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Mr President, colleagues, Commissioner, millions: millions of brave demonstrators took the streets in Hong Kong and demanded for democracy, civil rights and freedoms. The national security law has stopped any protests and oppressed fundamental rights. Instead of the principle of one country with two systems, we now see one country imposing its system. Anyone who resists could face a lifetime in ja…

22 Nov

2023

NL Speech

Humanitarian situation in Gaza, the need for the release of hostages and for an immediate humanitarian truce leading to a ceasefire and the prospects for peace and security in the Middle East (debate)

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Mr President, we woke up this morning with the best news of the week. A temporary ceasefire is finally in place and 50 hostages are already being released. Let this be the beginning of a permanent ceasefire and of the release of all hostages of this conflict, which has been dragging on for far too long. For it is a true humanitarian nightmare, the greatest murder of the Jews since the Second World…

21 Nov

2023

NL Speech

Proposals of the European Parliament for the amendment of the Treaties (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we have already heard it here today: Europe is under pressure and our weight on the international stage is shrinking as great powers emerge. If we want to be a player, we have to act as one European bloc. A geopolitical Europe is only possible if we reform our decision-making. Certainly with more than 30 Member States, this will be much needed. To …

8 Nov

2023

NL Speech

Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 26-27 October 2023 - Humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the need for a humanitarian pause (joint debate - Conclusions of the European Council and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the need for a humanitarian pause)

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Mr President, Ms von der Leyen, Mr Michel, colleagues, the images of the conflict in Israel and Palestine are unbearable. Young Jewish children murdered by Hamas. Palestinian children wandering around orphaned after yet another bombing. There is a threat of a real humanitarian catastrophe with hundreds of thousands who do not have access to water, to food, to care and to security. This abomination…

19 Oct

2023

EN Speech

The despicable terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, Israel’s right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law and the humanitarian situation in Gaza (RC-B9-0436/2023, B9-0436/2023, B9-0438/2023, B9-0442/2023, B9-0444/2023, B9-0445/2023, B9-0447/2023, B9-0448/2023) (vote)

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Madam President, colleagues, I want to call for a humanitarian pause. The text is to replace ‘ceasefire’ by ‘humanitarian pause’.

19 Oct

2023

EN Speech

The despicable terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, Israel’s right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law and the humanitarian situation in Gaza (RC-B9-0436/2023, B9-0436/2023, B9-0438/2023, B9-0442/2023, B9-0444/2023, B9-0445/2023, B9-0447/2023, B9-0448/2023) (vote)

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Madam President, colleagues, politics is also daring to speak out loud and clearly about what we really want to ask. Look at the images, look at what is happening: the people are asking for a humanitarian pause. It is what our Member States asked at the UN Council yesterday. Please, I want to ask you to vote in favour and to not stand up on this oral amendment for this humanitarian pause. There ar…

19 Oct

2023

EN Speech

The despicable terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, Israel’s right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law and the humanitarian situation in Gaza (RC-B9-0436/2023, B9-0436/2023, B9-0438/2023, B9-0442/2023, B9-0444/2023, B9-0445/2023, B9-0447/2023, B9-0448/2023) (vote)

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Madam President, I really would ask you, we only ask for a humanitarian pause: who can be against that?

19 Oct

2023

EN Speech

The despicable terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, Israel’s right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law and the humanitarian situation in Gaza (RC-B9-0436/2023, B9-0436/2023, B9-0438/2023, B9-0442/2023, B9-0444/2023, B9-0445/2023, B9-0447/2023, B9-0448/2023) (vote)

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Madam President, dear colleagues, as I led the difficult negotiations yesterday, I really want this House to be united and voting with a strong voice. That’s the reason why I really would like to propose another oral amendment, like our Member States just called for a humanitarian pause at the UN Security Council yesterday. Consequently, I would like to make the amendment to Amendment 71 and Amend…

18 Oct

2023

NL Speech

The despicable terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, Israel’s right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law and the humanitarian situation in Gaza (debate)

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Mr President, colleagues, Mr Borrell, what is happening in Israel is appalling. The hundreds of deaths at the music festival and in the kibbutz. What happened in Gaza last night: bombing a hospital – nurses, doctors, children, patients – defies all imagination. We in Europe feel it too. The murder of Dominique Bernard in Arras and then the cowardly murder of the Swedish football supporters in my o…

17 Oct

2023

NL Speech

Effectiveness of the EU sanctions on Russia (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, we are on the 11th package of sanctions. It is good that we are taking sanctions, but eleven packages of sanctions clearly show that we have not been strict enough. Still, not all individuals on the Navalny list are on the sanctions list. Russia is still circumventing sanctions by third countries and earning billions from oil and gas exports, even to European countries.…

17 Oct

2023

FR Speech

Effectiveness of the EU sanctions on Russia (debate)

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Mr President, I can still ask you to think a little about the attack that took place last night in Brussels, the two Swedes who lost their lives in that attack. I would like to see a minute of silence this afternoon.…

16 Oct

2023

NL Speech

Establishing the Ukraine Facility (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, Victor Hugo once said: ‘Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise’. Well, the darkest night Ukraine is going through now will have an end. And with this proposal, we are once again showing our support for Ukraine. Our financial support for reconstruction and reforms is guaranteed until 2027. Of course – as Mr Van Overtveldt has said – we will con…

4 Oct

2023

NL Speech

Need for a speedy adoption of the asylum and migration package (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, ten years after Lampedusa, it is painful to see that we still do not have a genuine European asylum and migration policy. It's gotten much worse. Member States are reintroducing national border controls. Women and children still walk on rickety boats every day and still drown on our seas. And thousands of unaccompanied minor asylum seekers are miss…

3 Oct

2023

NL Speech

Situation in Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan’s attack and the continuing threats against Armenia (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, ethnic cleansing is taking place on our continent and I really feel that Europe is there and that we are looking at it. Is this really the geopolitical Union we are aiming for? And is Azerbaijan really such a reliable partner from which we can buy gas? Those horrible images cut through our hearts. Almost the entire Armenian population has left the …