What Marc spoke about.

8

Jul

2025

FR Speech

Watch

Situation in the Middle East (debate)

Madam President, Minister, Commissioner, as you have read, Israel wants to concentrate at least 600 000 Palestinians in a camp in Gaza. It would be like gathering three times the population of Charleroi or three times the population of Liège in a camp. The ultimate goal, in the Israelis’ own words, would be to actually see the expulsion, emigration, deportation of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.…

8

Jul

2025

NL Speech

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Need for the EU to scale up clean technologies (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, the contrast with what you are saying and the outside world is sometimes great. You are talking about a leading role of the European Union for the green industry. After we however Audi in Brussels a CO2-Having seen a neutral factory close, ArcelorMittal is now threatening to give up its Steelanol factory in Ghent. Despite the support of the European Investment Bank: a E…

8

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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Financial activities of the European Investment Bank – annual report 2024 (A10-0112/2025 - Francisco Assis) (vote)

Mr President, I propose to push the European Investment Bank to align its activities with the recent report of UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese regarding the role certain corporations play in violations of international law. The text of the amendment would be the following: 'urgently calls on the European Investment Bank to stop providing support to companies involved in sustaining the ill…

7

Jul

2025

FR Speech

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Financial activities of the European Investment Bank – annual report 2024 (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, for centuries we have been trying to turn lead into gold, because obviously that would make a lot of people very rich. But today, even if you are given gold, you can turn it into lead. Worse still: By giving yourself a good wine, you are able to make acid out of it. Today we have – and you hide it from the people – the largest multilateral financial institution in the w…

19

Jun

2025

FR Speech

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Institutional and political implications of the EU enlargement process and global challenges (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, when I hear you talk about the enlargement of the European Union, it sounds nice as an idea, but I think you are passing a little quickly on the real consequences that this can have on workers. Because the minimum wage in Ukraine does not come to 200 euros, I think, in Moldova, it is a little more than 300 euros. In the context of the current rules of the European marke…

18

Jun

2025

FR Speech

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Upcoming NATO summit on 24-26 June 2025 (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, NATO is still, it must be said, led today by someone who behaves a bit like an international gangster. Mr. Trump threatens to destroy Iran, occupy Greenland, invade Panama. And now they are also demanding a war against our own people by breaking our pensions and social security to put 5% of our GDP in the war. 5% would be in Belgium 6,000 euros per family per year. I…

17

Jun

2025

FR Speech

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Situation in the Middle East (joint debate)

Mr President, Mrs Kallas, Yaran Ghasemian, a two-month-old baby who has just been killed by an Israeli bombardment of Iran. Parnia Abbasi, a young poet, 23 years old, her little brother Parham, barely 16 years old. A life ahead of them, dreams of hope, but Israel decided to kill them, in Iran, in Tehran. Where their bombs are now also hitting journalists and hospitals. You call it targeted bombing…

16

Jun

2025

EN Speech

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Order of business

Madam President, now we insist on having a vote on a resolution as well on this because Israel illegally and criminally attacked Iran this weekend. Illegally because you cannot just attack another country. I know Israel is in the habit of doing it, but it's still illegal. Criminally because a lot of civilians, including children, were killed and nuclear power plants were deliberately targeted, cre…

7

May

2025

FR Speech

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High levels of retail food prices and their consequences for European consumers (debate)

Madam President, more than one in four Europeans is forced to skip a meal for financial reasons. Nearly 39 million Europeans cannot even afford a piece of meat, fish or vegetarian equivalent every other day. The price of our food does not increase because there would be too many mouths to feed, no, it increases because it is absolutely necessary to feed the purse. That is the problem. Families the…

7

May

2025

FR Answer

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EU support for a just, sustainable and comprehensive peace in Ukraine (debate)

But you're wonderful, you, really, you're wonderful! Firstly, you do not care whether the President of the European Commission is here or not. What kind of MP are you? Aren't you interested in the Commission's responsibility? What are you doing here? Secondly, in relation to weapons for Ukraine: My point is that today we are sending weapons to Ukraine, but we are not even sending humanitarian aid …

7

May

2025

FR Speech

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EU support for a just, sustainable and comprehensive peace in Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, Mrs Von der... Oh, no, she's gone? Really? The President of the European Commission is asked to be there for two hours this week and she leaves after half an hour? What kind of contempt is that? A worker should try: be paid full-time and get out after half an hour at work. Frankly, congratulations! Today, I heard you say that the occupation, we do not like – (reacting to non-micro wo…

6

May

2025

EN Speech

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A unified EU response to unjustified US trade measures and global trade opportunities for the EU (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner Šefčovič, I read your remarks in the press and I sometimes wonder: is there a Eurovision contest for being Washington's best lapdog? Because, honestly, Trump threatens us and your reaction is: well, we might import more shale gas. Yes, that's going to cost us very, very dearly, our workers will pay more, it's going to pollute our planet, but we'll do it. Please be nice t…

3

Apr

2025

FR Speech

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Targeted attacks against Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – defending religious freedom and security (RC-B10-0211/2025, B10-0211/2025, B10-0212/2025, B10-0213/2025, B10-0214/2025, B10-0215/2025, B10-0216/2025, B10-0217/2025) (vote)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to request the postponement of this resolution on alleged discrimination or attacks against Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for various reasons. First, the title gives the impression – we can see the inspiration of the extreme right – that if a Christian is killed by a terrorist group in Congo, it is serious, on the other hand,…

2

Apr

2025

NL Speech

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Energy-intensive industries (debate)

Mr President, the Commissioner must keep his feet on the ground. In Belgium, both ArcelorMittal and BASF have suspended green investments for the future of our industry. One of the main reasons for this is, and will continue to be, energy prices, which are still skyrocketing. Nevertheless, the European Commission has still not come up with real solutions to the high prices. The solutions are being…

1

Apr

2025

FR Speech

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Targeted attacks against Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – defending religious freedom and security (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I am ashamed of the title of this resolution. In eastern Congo, the entire population is risking their lives on a daily basis because of Rwandan-backed rebels. There are 10 million victims, and the Congolese are angry, not least because the European Union continues to cooperate with Rwanda. What are you trying to do here, right and far right? Blurring tracks,…

1

Apr

2025

EN Speech

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Dramatic situation in Gaza and the need for an immediate return to the full implementation of the ceasefire and hostage release agreement (debate)

Madam President, High Representative Kallas, you speak about a balanced approach, but balanced on what? On war crimes? On genocide? On the killing of 15 humanitarian workers? On mass graves? On the killing of children? And what would that balance be, exactly? Some nice words for the Palestinians. More weapons for Israel. Nice words for the Palestinians. Weapons for Israel. That is not balanced. Th…

1

Apr

2025

FR Speech

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CFSP and CSDP (Article 36 TUE) (joint debate)

Madam President, dear leaders, High Representative, first of all, you're the minister of foreign affairs – a little bit – of the European Union. You know that the International Criminal Court asked for the arrest of Israeli leaders, yet you go to Israel and your first words are: We are very good partners. Ms High Representative, what 'very good partners'? In crime, in genocide, in ethnic cleansing…

31

Mar

2025

FR Speech

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Guidelines for the 2026 budget - Section III (debate)

Mr President, I am going to touch on something that has not been discussed and that has made headlines in the various newspapers: it is the fact that, as every year, there is a salary increase for the European Commissioners, and in particular for the President of the European Commission, Ms von der Leyen. I remember when I landed here a few years ago, it was around €30,000 a month. When I told peo…

11

Mar

2025

FR Speech

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Deteriorating situation in Gaza following the non-extension of the ceasefire (debate)

Madam President, can I first ask the Council to stop laughing? You are laughing here, while we are talking about the death of I don’t know how many Palestinians, of a starving population, and you are laughing and making jokes! It’s not funny! Palestinians are human beings, too, and you should be ashamed! This is the hallmark of this European Union today: a contempt for the lives of Palestinians! B…

11

Mar

2025

NL Speech

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Clean Industrial Deal (debate)

Mr President, the Commission comes up with its Clean Industrial Deal and then claims that the solution is for everything. Let's look at three crucial factors: Firstly, energy prices. Energy prices remain high and you do not come up with a mechanism that guarantees that there will be a stable, low price for all companies. You will not come up with a massive public investment package that we say "we…

11

Mar

2025

FR Speech

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White paper on the future of European defence (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, dear representatives of the Council, ladies and gentlemen, 800 billion is not to increase Europeans’ wages, nor to increase pensions, nor to guarantee quality healthcare for all Europeans without waiting lists, nor even to have one-off buses or trains in every city and village. No, you're in love with the madness of war. Congratulations! Let's say it, though: We are …

11

Mar

2025

FR Speech

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Presentation of the proposal on Critical Medicines Act (CMA) (debate)

Madam President, listen, it is indeed mind-blowing to imagine that, on a continent as rich as ours, the most essential medicines, from paracetamol to amoxicillin, are lacking, and that last year, in my country, Belgium, 1 in 3 families faced such shortages and were unable to access certain medicines because they were unavailable. It is not so much the fault of the Indians or the Chinese, no: It is…

11

Mar

2025

NL Speech

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European Council meetings and European security (joint debate)

Mr President, EUR 800 billion: not to increase salaries or pensions, not to remove waiting lists in health care, nor to finally guarantee punctual buses and trains in every village. No, for guns. Let me give you some figures. We already spend 2 to 3 times more on war than Russia. This week the German press stated that we have four times as many warships, three times as many battle tanks, three tim…

12

Feb

2025

EN Speech

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US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, the World Health Organisation and the suspension of US development and humanitarian aid (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, I am a bit surprised no one mentions here that the United States have also withdrawn from the Human Rights Council of the United Nations. This makes the world a more dangerous place for all Europeans. I am not surprised, of course. I mean, we are speaking in the end of a country whose governments have illegally abducted people and tortured them in secret prisons thro…

11

Feb

2025

FR Speech

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US AI chip export restrictions: a challenge to European AI development and economic resilience (debate)

Madam President, listen, I see that today the United States is behaving more and more like an international bully, first of all because they are coming to tell Europe that we should no longer invite Chinese researchers, that we should no longer do business with China. Then, at the moment when we have this technological backwardness, they tell us: "Listen, our semiconductors, the ones you'll need f…