Speeches

Mr President, Mr Minister for Foreign Affairs of Europe, yes, indeed, the European Union is being criticised all over the world for its double standards. On the one hand, because we never criticise, for example, American war crimes, but actually also Israel and the European Union's association with Israel. So I find it difficult to understand and I find it difficult to understand because indeed we have an Israeli government today that declares, that openly confesses to violating international law, that wants to annex the Palestinian territories. We see a minister who calls for erasing and razing a village like Huwara. And that actually adds up to bulldozers destroying Palestinian homes, child murders, etc. I think to myself that if another state had done half a quarter of what Israel is doing, we would have already called for sanctions. We would certainly not have concluded an association agreement with that State. But here, for Israel, you already seem to be apologizing for a rather loud statement. So today, let us be consistent, let us take sanctions or at least suspend the Association Agreement. We cannot remain associated with such a government anyway!

Mr President, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the European Union, here is a question. You know that the credibility of the European Union in the world depends not only on how we treat other countries, but above all on what interactions we have with our allies. You have been a great defender, precisely, of not allowing Russian war crimes in Ukraine to go unpunished. But today we are 20 years after the US war against Iraq, a criminal war, in violation of international law, that has left around half a million dead, and still no US government official has been held accountable. So, in our transatlantic relations and for the credibility of the European Union, not to have a European Union that has double standards, as Latin America, Africa, etc. often accuse us of, are you going to put this question on the table, and how?

Madam President, I think that when we talk about industry, we have to go and see the workers. And the workers, when you go to talk to them, Commissioner, you will see that they will tell you that belly dancing, in front of multinationals, does not work. The belly dance means: try to seduce them with state aid, tax advantages, anything you want. Because everywhere in Europe – you can go to Belgium, France, Italy – there are companies that have received state aid and still have closed or dismissed workers. So it doesn't work: We must break with this logic and move towards a public logic. A public logic where public investments are given to public companies and certain sectors are withdrawn from the market. Because today, what is a massive obstacle for industry? This is the difference in energy prices between the United States and the European Union. While taking control of the energy sector can lower prices for industries and citizens and, indeed, guarantee here, publicly, the green transition, as Denmark has done through a public company, Ørsted.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Kitchanga, Bambo, Rutshuru, Kishishe, Nyiragongo: How many territories in the Democratic Republic of Congo still need to be hit, occupied or suffocated – such as Goma, currently – before the EU reacts? When Russia invaded Ukraine, the European Union and the United States mobilised. Ukraine is receiving weapons, tanks, probably soon fighter jets, and Russia is being severely punished, with the aim of completely collapsing its economy. But when the Democratic Republic of Congo has been attacked – for years – by the M23 movement, nothing. Some nice words to deceive, to evade, but no real sanctions against Rwanda, which supports this movement. So is the life of a Congolese, ladies and gentlemen, worth less than the life of a Ukrainian? Worse: Rwanda remains a partner of the European Peace Facility, which is actually used to deliver weapons. Twenty million for Rwanda! But what hypocrisy! What a discrepancy between words and deeds here! Why is Europe doing this? Clearly, there are interests behind: Europe needs the cobalt, coltan, resources, wealth and raw materials found in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Therefore, a weakened or even balkanized Congo is very suitable for some European governments. Rwanda is thus playing into the hands of Westerners by facilitating the looting of the Congo, particularly in the East. It has to stop now.

Mr President, we are risking a new de-industrialisation in Europe. That risk is aggravated today by the policy of the United States, which, through all kinds of subsidies, tries to delocalise European industry and also adds phone calls to say: “Please come and invest with us and not in Europe anymore.” So we are in crisis and the United States is trying to push us even further. Les États-Unis n’ont ni amis ni alliés, ils n’ont que des intérêts. Et si nous voulons construire une Europe autonome, nous ferions bien de ne plus être aussi naïfs et aussi suivistes vis-à-vis des États-Unis. Alors, quelle sera la réponse européenne? Pour l’instant, je vois surtout des vieilles recettes qui ont échoué et des avantages fiscaux et des subsides pour les multinationales dans l’espoir que celles-ci seront gentilles avec nous et qu’il restera des miettes aux travailleurs. Ce modèle a échoué. Nous avons besoin d’un changement de cap public pour vraiment reprendre en main les rênes de la politique industrielle en Europe. Osons penser à la renationalisation de certains secteurs et obligeons les entreprises à intervenir, à investir dans l’énergie verte.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, The Economist – your magazine, the liberal and capitalist magazine of the European Union and Europe, which you are all reading – calculated that, this winter, up to 185 000 more people could die of cold, not only because of the cold, but also because of your inaction. Your inaction on blocking energy prices: You've been asked to freeze the price of gas for a year. How do you want people to trust the European Union, if they have to wait a year and potentially die at home because they cannot pay the bill? Your inaction on the overprofits of multinationals: Ah, taxing your friends multinationals is always too complicated, even when they make overprofits and even when people don’t make it anymore. But aren’t you ashamed to let that happen? Do not be surprised when people go out on the street, go on strike and mobilize to put you in front of your responsibilities. Because that is what you have to do today, put pressure on yourself, otherwise you will never listen.

Mr President, dear colleagues, this weekend, a 16—year—old girl was sitting at home in Jenin, Palestine. When she heard people scream outside, she went to the roof to see what was going on. And on the rooftop of her own house an Israeli soldier shot and killed her; two bullets to the face, one to the neck, one to the shoulder. Jana Zakarneh, an innocent child, another one killed. This year, Israeli forces have assassinated several tens of Palestinian children, continue to destroy Palestinian schools and homes, and steal, occupy ever more land. But what does the European Union do? Nothing! Worse, it intensifies relations with Israel. You speak of human rights, but you let Israel kill with impunity. That hypocrisy disgusts me!

Mr President, Commissioner, a million and a half euros recovered and many offices searched, under seal, in this Parliament – probably the tip of the iceberg. Indeed, the problem is structural. I remember that every time we proposed to reduce Members’ incomes, you would tell us: “No, Members, you have to pay them, because otherwise they will get corrupted.” You have been singing it to me for years, and clearly it hasn’t worked. MEPs illegally corrupted by Qatar would be extremely serious. But it is also serious that MEPs are legally influenced by lobbies, multinationals, revolving doors and board mandates. In dat is een probleem yesterday puts geldcultuur. Te weinig, nauwelijks, geen transparantie, een cultuur van total straffeloosheid: daar spreekt Transparency International over. Met die hoge lonen verliezen parliamentleden hun realiteitszin. De meesten flirten liever met de bourgeoisie dan te leven zoals de gewone mensen. Het is hoog tijd dat politici het volk leren dienen in plaats van hun eigen zak of multinationals.

Madam President, Prime Minister, welcome to a CEO, to a business owner who becomes Prime Minister directly. This is obviously something! As a result, I will discuss with you one element that was absent from your intervention, namely the issue of social dumping. Mijnheer de eerste minister, kent u het concept van social dumping? Dat gaat over werknemers, vakmensen, die – vaak via Ellenlange onderaannemingsketens, via detachering, interimagentschappen, nepbedrijven – naar een ander land gestuurd worden om daar vaak aan slechtere voorwaarden, minder brutoloon, tewerkgesteld te worden. Dat kadert allemaal in wat men in de Europese Unie het “vrij verkeer van diensten” noemt. And social dumping today includes differences in social security contributions and gross wages. Social contributions are then paid in the country where the contract was signed, rather than in the country where the work is performed. Voor bedrijven is dat vaak interesting, want zij krijgen veel hogere winsten en ze betalen lagere socialzekerheidsbijdragen. Voor werknemers is dat een drama. Het Borealis-schandaal in Antwerpen toont dat dit ook steeds vaker gaat over niet-Europese werknemers, werkkrachten die schaamteloos worden uitgebuit, die dan via Hongarije naar Portugal worden gestuurd om in Antwerpen of België terecht te komen. There is social dumping, as you know, in different sectors: transport, construction... Too many sectors. In uw land speelt daar vaak een grote rol in, zodanig zelfs dat een Europese vakbondsfederatie klacht Indiende tegen Slovenië. Misschien gebeurt dat onder druk van grotere landen of andere landen die by Sloveense regering daartoe aanzetten, maar toch. I looked at the numbers. Almost one third of construction workers in Slovenia are sent abroad, the highest percentage in the European Union. Six out of ten posted workers from Slovenia are nationals of non-European countries, or at least not members of the European Union. That is, companies based in Slovenia will look for workers abroad, not because they need them, but to send them right away to other Member States, exploit them to the fullest and make more profit, quite simply – and in the process, destroy labour law. This system exempts €128 million in social security contributions. It is a veritable heist on social security, let’s be honest, and we are still only talking about one country. Ik was in uw land, in Slovenië, ongeveer een jaar geleden, onder de vorige regering. Ik had daar een ontmoeting met Sloveense vakbonden en zij toonden mij iets dat mij serieus geschokt heeft. In een gebouw van een ministerie – hetzelfde gebouw als een ministerie – had je een lijst met postbusbedrijven. Dat wou zeggen dat je due één postbus hebt met een Ellenlange lijst van bedrijven die daar official gevestigd zijn, maar die natuurlijk niet daar werken, maar wel elders hun activiteiten ontwikkelen. Dus in het gebouw van een ministerie! So, Prime Minister, social dumping, whether by posting or subcontracting, is a problem in Europe today. The solutions exist, as we know. This includes making the free movement of services conditional on guarantees on working conditions, the principle of ‘equal pay for equal work’, the rejection of discrimination between employees depending on where the contract was signed, and, I am also thinking, the drafting of a European directive on the limitation of subcontracting chains, which only serve social dumping. So a question, Prime Minister: What will your government do to change Slovenia's fundamental role in social dumping?

Mr President, it has been proven for years now, even by the United Nations, that the Rwandan government supports the M23 rebels in Rwanda. Rebels sow terror and death in the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly in the east, where this conflict has already claimed millions of lives. So we know the entire responsibility of the Rwandan government. So what is the European Union doing? What are European countries doing? Sanctions would be expected. This is the answer that the European Union often has when we see this kind of action by one country against another. But no, no. European governments are today deciding to step up their military cooperation with Rwanda. France, in particular, announces a strengthening of its military cooperation. The European Union will give Rwanda 20 million for its participation in Mozambique. And the United States, as you have known for a long time, is a very important partner of Rwanda. While you know that today, if a state wants to sell arms to the Democratic Republic of Congo, it must notify the United Nations, which slows down, if not obviously prevents, the delivery of arms to a country that is too often and so often attacked. This policy – where we say in words that we respect Congolese sovereignty, but in reality our policy hinders and undermines it – is unacceptable. We need to stop this right now because we need, and the Congolese need, peace today.

Mr President, in Antwerp a mother and daughter died from CO poisoning because they heated their house with a barbecue. Also in Brussels, capital of the European Union, a mother and two children with CO poisoning were taken to the hospital because they used a barbecue for heating because of the high prices indoors. What do I hear from the European institutions, from representatives of the Council, from the Commission? That we should not let prices fall too much, because otherwise that could encourage people to consume too much, to consume more. No, it's not! What world do you live in? Seriously, what is that? Are those salaries of EUR 32 000 that make you no longer realize what is going on in the world? Close bakeries, close butcher shops... People are desperate! We now need to bring down prices and make the multinationals – who pay for your sacred multinationals – pay. That is the issue now!

Madam President, just quickly, dear colleagues, what’s the difference between a garden and a jungle? A garden is a nice place where civilised human beings walk around. A jungle is the heart of darkness where wild animals live. Now, many people in Africa, Asia, Latin America remember very well how in the name of civilisation, European colonialism treated them like wild animals, enslaving them, torturing them, and even exhibiting them in human zoos. Therefore, when the highest diplomat of the European Union compares Europe to a garden, but especially the rest of the world, to a jungle, the message these people hear is that Europe is still driven by neocolonialism. We cannot let that message pass. Therefore, I would ask you to put this topic on the agenda for discussion on Wednesday.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, 2021: two coups in Mali; 2022: Two coups in Burkina Faso. The military government is obviously never a solution, but these coups in the Sahel region do not fall from the sky either. And it is really, I think, too easy to say that it is all the fault of the Russians. It would then be necessary to explain why this Russian propaganda, very real, is so successful and seduces. These coups, and this must be said, come amid deep popular anger. Anger directly linked to the disastrous consequences of the military intervention in Libya, which destabilised the entire region. An anger that also stems from European military interventions, which, from Barkhane to Takuba, have all failed. Anger over being poor in countries that are rich but being robbed by European multinationals. Finally, anger linked to the impact of the CFA franc on living conditions and the social dimension of these countries. In short, anger at European neocolonialism. After a French military convoy was blocked a few months ago, a student from Burkina Faso explained it well – and I read: The people of Burkina Faso and the youth are not against France, but against the French system. We are told about win-win agreements, but what we see is a master-slave relationship, even if it is a bit abusive language, at least from boss to proletarian.” This is the attitude that African peoples no longer accept, and it is with this that we must break. It is really time to listen to Africans themselves.

Mr President, last week I was in Antwerp and I met workers there who built a new factory at Borealis. They were recruited by an Italian company, IREM. They are proud people, skilled people with experience and people who help build our country and our continent. They came from Bangladesh, Turkey, Ukraine. Before they came here, they were seduced with all kinds of false promises and sometimes even with false contracts through a chain of subcontractors; then they went via Hungary – without a job, without a salary – to Portugal. No work, no wages, hardly any money to eat. Then in Antwerp: exploited and threatened. Eleven hours a day, six days a week! Yes, completely inconceivable that this can be done within the European Union, and certain rules within the European Union facilitate that! For example, why not limit the number of subcontracting levels to one level? Or why don't we make the principal responsible for wages and working conditions? You should be able to do that now, right?

Madam President, what I notice, ladies and gentlemen, is that you have succeeded this morning in talking about industry, not to mention workers. Yet it is workers who create wealth and without workers there is simply no industry. But besides, it is your lucky day because across Europe, workers and trade unions offer alternatives to the current European industrial policy. Because what does this current European industrial policy do? Basically, its philosophy is to give maximum incentives, support and subsidies to large multinationals by praying, hoping that in return they will invest, maintain jobs, etc. Hope often disappointed because multinationals pocket and then close, they still leave and relocate in the name of the market and competitiveness. Dat kan anders, collega’s, laten we even naar Nederland kijken, naar IJmuiden. From fabriek van Tata Steel, waar de vakbond er dankzij een 24 dagen lange staking in geslaagd is om het bedrijf te dwingen niet alleen jobs te behouden, maar ook te investeren in de klimaattransitie door te zeggen: “We gaan bijvoorbeeld kool vervangen door groene waterstof voor de productie van ijzer en staal.” Goed voor het klimaat, goed voor de jobs en voor de toekomst van deindustrie in Europa. In dat soort voorbeelden zijn er in heel Europa. Het gaat om krachtverhoudingen. So rather than each time giving in to the whims of employers who only think of flooding their shareholders with billions, rather than selling for industrial policy what is actually a policy of subsidies from big business, let us try to take this into our own hands publicly and seriously and take over the reins of industrial policy in Europe.

Madam President, a year in which prices are skyrocketing! One year that people are afraid to see their bills arrive at home and one year that it blables to the European Union without it changing absolutely nothing to people’s bills. And even today, you are not ready to propose a gas price freeze, you are not ready to block people’s bills and you are proposing a cap on electricity prices that is so high that multinational companies will continue to make overprofits. It is still too crazy! Clearly, you are not picking up on people’s urgency. And I understand: What do you earn? From 10 to 20 000 euros per month? For you, a bill is nothing, but for people it is a nightmare every day. And we must not try to deny the responsibility of the European political world because everyone, from the right to the environmentalists, said: We have to give all this power to a few multinationals. So we liberalised the market, it was going to guarantee low prices, it was going to guarantee everything we wanted. Well, in the end, today we see it: Your market is a failure and people pay the bill every day. So back, let's take back public control over this sector.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, in a single month, Israel was responsible for 46 deaths in Gaza, including 16 children, and 360 injuries. The situation of 1,200 people in Masafer Yatta in the West Bank who are threatened with eviction from their homes. From this NGO in Ramallah, which was attacked and shut down while defending, among other things, children’s rights. Air attacks, bombing of airports in the Syrian cities of Damascus and Aleppo, and confessions of repeated violations of Iranian airspace. And how does this Parliament react? Silence, he's silent. Yet he likes to talk so much about international law, human rights, etc. Nothing, when it comes to Israel. Israeli crimes are not even on the agenda, imagine! While if another country had done half a quarter of what Israel did, sanctions would have been demanded right away. So, ladies and gentlemen, a question: How far must Israel go before you have the courage to condemn and sanction these acts and violations of international law?

Mr President, my question is simple: Can we tell people what it is? Because what we are witnessing today, it must be said, is a robbery, a heist on the wallet. The wallet is emptying, prices are skyrocketing, but where's that money going? Where are we gonna find him? It will be found in the coffers of multinationals that make overprofits, i.e. additional profits in addition to the profits they already make normally. So they obviously make over-profits on energy, but also on our caddies, on food, et cetera. This is billions of overprofits in the pocket. Bingo, like every crisis. That is capitalism! In the face of disaster, there are the people who hide and there are the multinationals who strip us. That's enough, basta! Let's give this money back to the people, tax these overprofits. And the European Commission should not come up with a Canada Dry or Coca Light proposal: any overprofit is unacceptable. We cannot accept to take advantage of the misery of the crisis. We won't let it pass.

Mr President, thank you to the European Commission. In fact, the report complains of a loss of influence, an erosion of influence by European countries and the European Union around the world. I think he will be applauded in the house, but I think outside he will make a little laugh. First of all, when I read that the European Union should have a permanent seat in addition to the seats that European countries already have on the United Nations Security Council, I think that India, which has a population of 1 billion, is going to laugh a little and say ‘why not us?’. Secondly, when you talk about a loss of influence and the fact that there is not enough influence in the world, I am thinking of the people in West Africa who are fighting against French imperialism or the imperialism of European countries to liberate themselves. They will also laugh a little yellow when reading this report. I think that rather than talking about influence, we should talk about respect, we should listen to the other: This is multilateralism. It is not imposing one’s will on others, but listening to the other and having equal relationships. This is how we will build a world of peace, solidarity and cooperation, not by imposing our influence and role.

Mr President! You are talking about the state of emergency and the importance of care in Europe. And that's right, of course. But let us not be blind, let us not be silent here that this is the result of concrete policy. First and foremost, the austerity policies that you have imposed on the Member States for years. And today the market forces that are increasingly being introduced in healthcare. Market forces are at odds with good public care, because this is about saving costs and maximizing profits. Then the staff must do it with less and less resources and with less and less staff. And then the people who need to be cared for can only take a shower once a week and they do not get enough hygienic material and so on. So we have to break with that market. The solution to this is more public investment and clearly breaking with the policy you have pursued so far. This is what I expect from every European care strategy: break with the privatisation logic and ensure massively good public care.

Mr President, I am going to put a question to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Commission, Mrs von der Leyen. The prices are skyrocketing. People can no longer pay their bills. Food, indeed, but also electricity. And since October, you've been playing ping-pong between the different institutions about who's going to block when the prices, because that's what people want. People say: “These prices are too high. Block them.’ In October, the Commission told Member States: "You could block the prices." Then there will be a summit in Versailles of all the Heads of Government and they will play the ball back to the Commission, saying: ‘Make a proposal!’ The Commission is playing the ball again: “You could do something about those prices.” When are you going to block those prices? When will this finally happen? People are waiting for that. When it comes to helping multinationals, it's always fast. But for the people, it's waiting... Ping, pong, ping, pong! I would like an answer to that.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, in your opinion, the Africans have not understood anything, the Indians are picking up and the Chinese are not talking about it! What you want to vote for is a text that, in fact, infantilizes half the world. You see that much of the world does not agree with European policy on Ukraine and Russia, so you say that you are going to explain to them that the Russian war in Ukraine is really serious. No, but... explain... as if they were children. No, they got it right. It is just that, on some points, they disagree. In particular, they reproach you for your lack of diplomatic efforts to stop the war, they reproach you for the negative impact of sanctions on workers all over the world, and, finally, they reproach Europe for ‘double standards’. When Russia attacks Ukraine, Europe sanctions, of course. But when the US bombs Iraq, no sanctions, when Saudi Arabia bombs Yemen, no sanctions, when we, the European Union, bomb and destroy Libya, no sanctions, and when Israel colonises Palestine, no sanctions. This is double standards. This hypocrisy is what the peoples of the world reproach you for. If you want their support, just listen to them. That would be an alternative.

Mr President, Commissioner, a great European energy plan, and who is forgotten? Workers. Again, not a strong measure to bring down prices – not a strong measure! No major price suppression, no lifting of excise or VAT minima... no, nothing. On the contrary, you are even saying that your policy will further increase energy prices. But this is not possible, workers can no longer do so. And why? Because you say you no longer want to finance the Russian war in Ukraine. OK, but don’t you mind financing the Israeli occupation of Palestine by buying Israeli gas or financing the Saudi war in Yemen by buying Saudi oil? This is not a policy. You sacrifice workers for geopolitical goals. In addition, you sacrifice the climate. You have decided to release millions of tons of CO2 as part of the carbon market. This is tantamount to sacrificing social and climate. In the name of what? For what result? The time has come to change the course of things. We really need to invest massively and publicly in renewables, otherwise we will not succeed. In addition, prices must be blocked at their pre-crisis level.

Mr President, every time the European Parliament meets, we talk about human rights, we vote resolutions, often with sanctions. Russia, of course, China, Belarus, and so on. But what strikes me is that since I became a Member of the European Parliament, we have not yet voted a single resolution condemning Israel. Not once a resolution on sanctions against Israel. Even now, after the murder of that Palestinian journalist, the attack on the funeral, the taking of Palestinian homes by Israeli settlers, the confinement of children: Even then, no traditional group calls for sanctions against Israel. That's taboo here, tackling Israel. This, of course, means that the European Union loses credibility in the fight for human rights. That is totally unbelievable, because then we say that if a country does not do what we want, we will complain about human rights, about democracy. But if a country does what we want, if a country blindly follows us and serves our geopolitical interests, then we are silent and that country can afford everything. That is not defending human rights, that is abusing human rights for our own geopolitical agenda. And that is unacceptable.

I am not surprised that there are Members who worry about their own money. And I will tell you, Mr MEP, it is very easy: I, since the beginning of my mandate, live with an average salary of Belgian worker. Perhaps you should take an example and vote for better texts. Secondly, in relation to your absolutely shameful insinuation, you know that we have nothing to do with Putin. We are on the other side of the House. You should be ashamed of this insinuation.