What Hilde spoke about.

6 Oct

2021

NL Speech

European solutions to the rise of energy prices for businesses and consumers: the role of energy efficiency and renewable energy and the need to tackle energy poverty (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, everyone is concerned. “Can we still pay our energy bills for the winter?” And high energy prices are putting things on edge. It is about the core of our European way of life, about our families. That's what we need to protect now. How are we going to ensure that energy does not become a luxury product in the short term? Only if we ensure a genuine European Energy Union…

5 Oct

2021

EN Speech

The future of EU-US relations (debate)

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Mr President, Mr Borrell, dear colleagues, I have to tell you very honestly that I am disappointed by President Biden. He claims America is back; fair enough, but does that mean – in his perception, in his mind and in his strategic approach – that Europe is also back? No. On the contrary, he did not consult us when he withdrew from Afghanistan. He completely side—lined us in the AUKUS pact between…

16 Sep

2021

EN Speech

The situation in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya

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Madam President, Madam Commissioner, colleagues, may I have your attention, because what we are discussing here today is really awful. Today, at this very moment, around 300 LGBTIQ refugees are staying in Kakuma camp in Kenya. They fled their African countries and homes. They fled because, according to the ruling laws, they love somebody they cannot love. They fled to a country where they hoped to…

15 Sep

2021

NL Speech

State of the Union (debate)

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Mr President, Madam President of the Commission, Mrs von der Leyen, you have given us a fine speech today. A speech with hope that does not shy away from the challenge. I heard a passionate woman with a heart for Europe. But there's one thing I really missed in your speech that I expected from you. You are a former Minister of Defense. You stand and go for the security of Europe. You are talking a…

14 Sep

2021

EN Speech

A new EU-China strategy (debate)

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Madam President, let me first thank my colleagues for their good cooperation on the report. We stand here as a united parliament. United in our belief that we must put our naivety aside when dealing with China. A united parliament that is very clear in its rejection of the investment agreement, as long as our colleagues are sanctioned and human rights violations are ongoing in China. In our report…

14 Sep

2021

EN Speech

Situation in Afghanistan (debate)

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Madam President, the scenes of the Taliban carrying around coffins covered in American and NATO flags were devastating. And the fact that after 20 years, women are not allowed to work alongside men and do not dare to go into the streets without a burka, is heart breaking. The most horrible consequence of the withdrawal is the imminent danger Afghans are in. But this crisis also concerns us. Let us…

14 Sep

2021

NL Speech

Natural disasters during the summer 2021 - Impacts of natural disasters in Europe due to climate change (debate)

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Mr President, Joseph and Annie drowned in their own home when their bungalow was completely flooded. Paulette and Arlette fought together against the water currents in the house and died when the house broke through the pounding water. Yannick tried to save his daughter, but was dragged along by the swirling water. These are just a few of the many horror stories that have taken place in my own cou…

8 Jul

2021

EN Speech

Hong Kong, notably the case of Apple Daily

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Mr President, let us be very clear: China has killed democracy in Hong Kong. And Xi Jinping has made it very clear that Taiwan is the next station. With our resolution, we give a very clear message: a China that tramples on human rights cannot be a close partner to the EU; a China that is exporting its authoritarian model is a threat to our way of life. It is our duty, colleagues, to defend the ru…

8 Jul

2021

NL Speech

The case of Ahmadreza Djalali in Iran

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Mr President, we are voting in urgency today. I have to tell you, it's a real urgency. It is about our Swedish-Iranian doctor and guest lecturer at the VUB, Ahmadreza Djalali. He has been unjustly imprisoned in an Iranian prison for five years and was sentenced to death in 2017. And since then – when you see the photos, emaciated, skinny – his medical condition has deteriorated enormously. That's …

6 Jul

2021

NL Speech

The repression of the opposition in Turkey, specifically HDP (debate)

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Mr President, Mr High Representative, putting members of the opposition behind bars on the basis of vague and unfounded accusations, banning opposition members from politics, replacing elected mayors with faithful members of the regime, attacking independent media: That is what is currently happening in Turkey, with the HDP as the biggest victim. And this is confirmed by Reporters Without Borders.…

5 Jul

2021

NL Speech

Use of technologies for the processing of data for the purpose of combating online child sexual abuse (temporary derogation from Directive 2002/58/EC) (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, it took eight months for the Council and Parliament to reach an agreement to better protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse on the internet. This was by no means Parliament's fault. Online platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have not been allowed to use tools to detect child sexual abuse for almost seven months with the entry into force of the ePrivacy Di…