Speeches

Madam President, The time change not only annoys many people like me, it is also a health risk. Short-term sleep deprivation leads to more suicides and more heart attacks, especially in the first three days. Further consequences are circulatory problems, inflammatory immune diseases, depression and concentration and attention problems. Numerous studies prove this. Experts talk about social jet lag. In addition, there are economic costs in the billions. No wonder, then, that 84 percent of Europeans reject the time change. It's time to finally get rid of them. The European Parliament has already voted in 2019 for the end of the time change until 2021. We are now in 2025. The time change still exists. It can't be. Yes, there are some technical problems with the elimination of the time change. A patchwork of different time zones in Europe must be prevented. But that must be possible. It would be in the interest of our health. It would be in the interest of our economy. It would be in people's interest.

Madam President, Again and again it goes against Hungary. Why? Because Orbán defends what you fight: Christian values, family, national sovereignty and peace. His peace efforts have torpedoed you because you prefer war. They exclude Hungarian students from the Erasmus programme, but open it to students from Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco. They cover Ilaria Salis and the left-wing terrorists of the ‘Hammerbande’, only to wipe out Orbán one. And you want to explain something about the rule of law? About morality? This is ridiculous – just as ridiculous as this debate here today. Hungary had a spy network in Brussels until 2017. This is standard – many states have. EU counterintelligence officials said: We do not consider the case serious – no security threat. Eight years ago, this espionage network flew open, and we are talking about it today – after eight years? Yes, for one reason: There will be elections in Hungary in six months. Elections in which you interfere again, only to prevent Orbán. But I guarantee you won't succeed. Hungary's current head of government is Viktor Orbán and the next one is Viktor Orbán.

Madam President, What do you want from Serbia? Do you want to make Serbia a second Ukraine? Do you want one Regime change? You have to have the impression by now. Legitimate student protests against corruption are being misused for geopolitical purposes. They instigate thugs who beat Serbian policemen. They are destabilizing a country that has had very, very bad experiences with Western intervention policies. Why all this? Because Serbia has pragmatic relations with China and Russia. This is Serbia’s right, because Serbia is a sovereign state and the Serbs are a proud people – a proud people who do not want your arrogant teachings. And if you have any doubts about your own unpopularity, just take a look at the latest figures from Eurobarometer: Only one in three Serbs is still in favour of EU accession – a record low. At the same time, 60 percent of Serbs are in favor of joining the BRICS. They drive Serbia out of Europe. They are driving Serbia into the arms of Asia. A fatal mistake, because we need Serbia as a strategic partner, for example in the fight against illegal migration, but in Europe only Fico and Orbán understand this. Stay away from Serbia!

Madam President, Escalating gang violence, economic collapse due to corruption, millions of expulsions, over 5 million hungry Haitians and, moreover, a completely misguided US and UN intervention policy over decades. Haiti is an Failed stateIn which criminal gangs are in charge. Our room for manoeuvre to change that is very limited, because we are a non-space power there. The almost 20 million euros in budget support that we only transferred to Haiti in February are unfortunately kicked out tax money that only strengthens corrupt structures on the ground. We can only do one thing: Encourage actors and states in the region to work more closely together to choke off resources for criminal gangs, for example by combating drug trafficking and trafficking in human beings. But as a moral authority, this Parliament is certainly not good here. Because those who cover left-wing terror of the ‘hammer gang’ have no right to get upset about gang crime in Haiti. Whoever makes himself an accomplice of left-wing terrorists does not need to tell the rest of the world about human rights. The left half of this House, and unfortunately also parts of Christian democracy, finally reached their moral low yesterday.

Mr President! The situation of women in Afghanistan is dire, no doubt about it. And strengthening women's rights there is certainly a noble thought. However, extreme caution is always required in such projects in order not to be perceived as neo-colonial. According to an analysis of the renowned Conférence Sciences Po This interventionism, especially in Afghanistan, only leads to further radicalisation. One wants to improve something, but only aggravates it – ethically comprehensible, often devastatingly ethically. So the question is: What do we want to achieve and how do we want to achieve it? The approach of the last decades has failed. Between 2001 and 2020, the EU transferred around €4 billion in development aid to Afghanistan. A significant part of this was earmarked for strengthening women's rights. But has the situation of women in Afghanistan improved since then? Hardly. So we need to completely rethink our development aid and our Afghanistan policy. And this also implies that we enter into dialogue with the ruling forces on the ground, whether we like them or not.

Mr President! Gaza is hell on earth. Tens of thousands of civilians dead, children starving, the city flat-bombed, the humanitarian situation catastrophic. This is Israel's brutal response to Hamas' terror, which is absolutely inexcusable. More than 1,000 people have been massacred, hostages continue to suffer unimaginable torture, pure terror – perpetrators and terror on both sides. Trump's plan could bring peace: A ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the disempowerment of Hamas, not the expulsion of the Palestinians, but the prospect of a two-state solution. That's right! For us Europeans, one thing counts above all else: stability in the Middle East. Because we are the ones who have to drown out the consequences of foreign wars over and over again – flight, mass migration, terror. We don't want that. Palestinians should not be expelled. We demand a right to a homeland for our people. In this sense, we also stand for the right to a homeland for the Palestinians, in Palestine, not in Europe. This also calls for Trump's peace plan. Make sure it is realized. Unfortunately, a geopolitically impotent Europe cannot do more.

Madam President, Antifa is called terror, and it is shameful that large parts of this house cover this terror. Left and Greens stand in solidarity with Maja von der "Hammerbande", the Committee on Legal Affairs votes against the waiver of the immunity of Ilaria Salis, Christian Democrats still cover this. And after the murder of Charlie Kirk, there was only grim laughter from the left – Kirk was supposedly a fascist. Leftists claim that anti-fascism is simply an opposition to fascism. Everyone has to be antifa if they don't want to be fascists. These are cheap semantic tricks, because the left defines itself as fascism: All that is normal is fascism. Family? The nucleus of fascism! Nation and home? Fascism! Only two genders? Fascism! This makes every normal person a potential fascist to be tapped or shot – see Charlie Kirk. Stop it! Stop the leftist terror! Stop the trivialization of Antifa! Trump has banned them, Orbán has banned them. We should finally do it!

Mr President! The arrest of Victoire Ingabire is a cause for concern. Ingabire is in opposition to President Kagame; The fact that her arrest is politically motivated can hardly be doubted. We should work within our means to ensure that state institutions in Rwanda are not misused for political show trials – we cannot support such a thing. At the same time, we must – and this is what Phil Clark, Professor of International Politics at the University of London – rethink our access to Rwanda if we want to improve the situation on the ground. We often lack an understanding of the social dynamics in Rwanda after the brutal genocide in the 1990s. It is difficult to measure Rwanda by our standards. Of course, Rwanda is not a democracy, nor is it in Kagame's focus. The focus is on economic development and a certain stability inside. And, as stated in the Commission’s report, Rwanda has been very successful. Good governanceEspecially when compared to other African countries. We should take this into account in the resolution, despite all the legitimate criticism of Rwanda that I share here, because we still share common interests, for example in raw materials or in the area of migration.

Madam President, Serbia threatens to become a second Ukraine. It started with student protests against corruption; The majority of Serbians supported the cause. Now foreign forces from outside are interfering, the protests are being misused for geopolitical purposes. Why? Serbia maintains pragmatic relations with Russia and China. This is Serbia’s right, as Serbia is a sovereign state, but this does not suit some here – hence the escalation. It's about destabilization, Serbia's western ties, the fall of Vučić and chaos. Chaos that you are fueling, you and masked thugs who are beating Serbian policemen. Don't do that! Stop this pseudo-imperialism! They only achieve the opposite, because the Serbs are allergic to foreign interference. The West has a miserable reputation there anyway. NATO bombed the country in the 1990s. The wounds remain deep to this day. Only one in ten Serbs today wants a pro-Western orientation; Only one in five feel emotionally connected to the EU, and even the majority of Serbs are now refusing to join the EU. You have no right to interfere in Serbian affairs.

Mr President! Fifty-five thousand Afghans now live in Germany, half of whom collect citizens' money. In the case of rape, they are over-represented by a factor of ten – as perpetrators, not as victims. Chancellor Merz doesn't seem to care. We continue to pay 150 million euros for an admissions program that brings even more Afghans to us. Merz continues where Merkel left off. Our welfare state is being plundered, our women are becoming wild game. Stop it! We finally need order; Order through deportations, deportations of Afghans. Of course, this also requires pragmatic relations with the Taliban, not arrogant teachings. We don't have to like the Taliban. I don't, in any case. But they are now the new old rulers in the country, and they have agreed to take back their compatriots. Come on, we shouldn't turn this offer down. It's time for realpolitik! Let's talk to the Taliban, let's reactivate the migration agreement with Kabul to make Europe safer again.

Commissioner, Mr President! I know people who suffer from endometriosis – in their family and friends. And the first time I dealt with this disease more intensively, I was quite shocked. Up to 15% of women in Europe suffer from it, i.e. one in seven women. And yes, it is real suffering: severe pain in the pelvic area, intestinal discomfort and a massively increased risk of infertility. Many women want to become mothers, but they can't because of endometriosis. Is there anything better in the world than having children? As a proud father of a little daughter, I can assure you: No, definitely not. Many women’s unfulfilled desire to have children often turns into psychological pain – I really do not wish for a woman to do so. In addition to individual suffering, endometriosis causes enormous economic damage. A loss of about 30 billion euros is caused by sickness throughout the EU. It is all the more astonishing that so little has been invested in endometriosis research for decades. In Germany, for example, it was just 500,000 euros for decades until 2022. €500,000 over decades – that's nothing, really nothing. After that it became a little more, but still far too little. Especially when you consider what nonsense the German government spends its money on otherwise. Brussels, by the way, does not do much better either. Only 0.02% of funded projects concern endometriosis – far too little. This is simply wrong prioritisation – wrong prioritisation at the expense of real problems for women, at the expense of health, at the expense of democracy and at the expense of the economy. So here a rethinking must take place, and indeed across all political divides. That is why I also tabled a resolution here in the European Parliament in June, which was supported by MEPs from different political groups. I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks. And probably this pressure was also necessary for Parliament to finally put this debate on the agenda. That's right! Endometriosis research is chronically underfunded. We need stronger financial support, more research, more awareness, more education. It is in the interest of all of us, and especially the women concerned deserve it.

Mr President! In Syria, minorities are systematically slaughtered – Christians, Alawites, Shiites. Churches are being bombed, the new jihadist rulers are cementing their claim to power with terror, and what is the EU doing? She's sending more money to Damascus. It condemns those who do not bow to bloody terror. It takes the side of the Islamist terror regime and ennobles the new ruler al-Dschaulani. Yesterday still Al Qaeda fighters, today already presentable Westminster model Democrat. What a moral declaration of bankruptcy! Yes, we have to deal with the new realities in Syria, but not in the way that is happening right now. Syria has been gagged with the toughest sanctions for 15 years, regardless of the population. Now that Assad is gone, the EU lifts all sanctions. Even if the new rulers go to genocide. Are only Christians, Alawites and Shiites who die there – just shabby! We need to put pressure on Damascus to demand two things: Firstly, the protection of religious minorities, secondly, the millions of withdrawals of Sunni Syrians from Europe.

Thank you for allowing the Blue Card. I have a question. Have you ever considered that there are also many homosexuals who actually do not want the whole thing to be celebrated so publicly, because this is also met with rejection by many people, even people who actually have no problem with it? How do you explain that if European rights are supposedly so homophobic, the AfD is the strongest force among homosexuals in Germany at 28%?

Mr President! Hungary is a sovereign state, Hungary defends traditional values, and Hungary has every right to ban the Pride, because it is right to protect children from sexual exhibitionism. They are organising a tribunal against Orbán to distract from their own problems. Because it is not in Budapest that women are raped in groups, it is not in Budapest that terrorist bombs explode, it is not in Budapest that the caliphate is proclaimed, but it is in our cities, in Berlin, in Brussels, in Paris. Keep your mouth shut. But if Orbán does something that doesn't suit you, you go crazy. You do not respect Hungary, you expect obedience. Those who do not obey will be sanctioned. It's like a social credit system at the supranational level. In countries that were under Soviet knuckle, that brings back bad memories, but you don't get that. You do not understand how humiliating and arrogant your words must be in Hungary because you lack any cultural sensitivity. Their diversity is simple. Their tolerance applies only to like-minded people. They behave like value-imperialist colonial masters, and you don't even realize it. Leave the fingers of Hungary!

Mr President! The everyday life of white farmers in South Africa is the bare horror: They have been persecuted for years, they can hardly tear them out, violence against them is tolerated, laws discriminate against them. Some of them have now fled to the United States. The South African government then insulted them as cowards who evaded racial justice. What exactly does that mean? Trump showed South Africa's President Ramaphosa in the White House what this means, namely genocide: Countless dead – murdered for their European ancestry, again and again. All over the world, the EU sees human rights violations, but it is silent on the persecution of the Boers. And why? Because the Boers are of European descent, because they are white. In addition to the US, it should be the EU that offers them a safe haven. But instead, Brussels is swinging the postcolonial moral club to justify genocide of diaspora Europeans. That's incomprehensible, that's a shame!

Madam President, Germany has been paying around 160 million euros for good governance in Tanzania for four years. The EU put 107 million euros on it over the same period – a lot of money. When Socialist President Samia Suluhu Hassan took over government in 2021, we became more generous. Too generous, because too naive. Opposition figures in Tanzania are kidnapped, arrested, tortured and murdered – with the help of our taxpayers’ money. In September, the body of opposition politician Mohamed Ali Kibao was found. She was burned by acid, he himself was kidnapped before. Now the leading opposition politician Tundu Lissu is also in prison. He even faces the death penalty. Does it look like good governance? Is this good governance? Stabilising the situation on the ground is also in our interest. Otherwise, there is a risk of greater poverty, unrest and waves of refugees. That doesn't stop in front of us either. Therefore, we should push for talks between the government and the opposition and also for the release of Tundu Lissu. Our means of pressure is the cancellation of completely misguided development aid. We must not pay for the murder of opposition activists in Tanzania.

Mr President! Turkey is not a liberal democracy, nor does it have to be. It is a sovereign state with remarkable national strategy, and it goes its own way between tradition and modernity. We respect that. You don't respect that. They criticize Turkey because it rejects gender ideology. But that's her right. They criticise Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, but even six EU Member States have not ratified it. They criticize Turkey for its role in the war in Ukraine, but Ankara has acted wisely: pragmatic relations with all sides, the role of the mediator, the grain deal – that is how diplomacy works. They criticize Turkey for not sharing our values, but what values are they supposed to be these days from a European point of view? Annulled elections like in Romania, political show trials like in France, spying on the opposition like in Germany? The EU's motto is "United in diversity", but only those who give up their own values and sovereignty can participate. This is value imperialism. We do not interfere in Turkey's internal affairs, and we criticize Turkey when it does so with us. The influence of Islamist organizations such as DITIB must be stopped, but there is not a single word in the report about it. We reject Turkey's accession to the EU, but not for technical reasons, but because of billions of euros in pre-accession money, which we are paying and which are worth nothing, which have been worth nothing for decades. Nevertheless: We need to strengthen our partnership with Turkey, on energy, on security, on migration, on geopolitics, but outside the European Union.

Madam President, I also refer to Rule 188 of the Rules of Procedure. You declared my amendment 2 inadmissible on the grounds that Lukashenko's use of migrants against the EU's external border and Poland had no direct link with the text. I see it differently, and I ask for verification. If we are allowed to decide in this text to counteract operations by Belarusian intelligence services and Belarusian disinformation campaigns, then we must still be able to decide that we are protecting ourselves from Lukashenko's migration weapon. And I also note: The voting list was already ready last night and my amendment was taken into account. The fact that it was cancelled this morning irritates me. Obviously, my amendment has brought some to the brink - especially the colleagues from the EPP, who would actually have to agree with it. So I really appreciate Mrs Metsola and the Bureau, but I still have to remind you: Ms Metsola is President of the European Parliament and not President of the EPP – and this decision is biased.

Madam President, In Germany, a ban on the AfD is being considered. In Romania, democracy has just been buried. In Poland, Mr. Tusk hunts oppositionists. In France, a political death sentence is imposed on Marine Le Pen. But you're not interested in all this. You're bothered by Hungary again. Why? Because Viktor Orbán wants to protect children from the woke virus and therefore prohibits Pride parades. That's right! This is Hungary's right. Because what some organize on the Pride there may still belong in the bedroom, but certainly not on the street. If under the guise of sexual freedom is publicly copulated in front of young children, then this is child sexual abuse. That's what's happening there. That kind of thing is forbidden. Parents who don't do anything about it are bad parents. Good parents protect their children from this woken madness. Instead of attacking Viktor Orbán, you should follow his example. Yes to the protection of our children and no to the sexualization of all areas of life. Your children will thank you.

Madam President, 400 million Christians are persecuted worldwide. Christians are the most persecuted religious community in the world. Hardly anyone knows that. Christians are often second-class victims. This is no different in Congo. Only in February more than 70 Christians were beheaded there. Their bodies were found in a Protestant church, and this is unfortunately not an isolated case. Christians in Congo are murdered, expelled, or fleeing violence. The perpetrators are known: The Islamic State and its offshoots in Central Africa, but also the M23 militia, which loots raw materials together with Rwanda in eastern Congo. How is it possible that Rwanda has become the largest coltan exporter in the world, even though it has hardly any coltan deposits? The answer can be found in eastern Congo. The EU can do three useful things: First, push for Rwandan troops to finally leave eastern Congo. Second, clear edge against Islamist Christian murderers. Third, help our persecuted Christian brothers in the faith rebuild their communities. The Hungarian Government’s Hungary Helps programme could serve as an example.

Mr President! The Armenians are a proud people who can only feel sorry for you: Poorly governed by Nikol Pashinyan, attacked by Azerbaijan and abandoned by the EU, but also by Russia. In recent years, Baku has created facts: Attack on Nagorno-Karabakh, dissolution of the Republic of Arzakh, hundreds of dead, over 100,000 Armenians fleeing, many prisoners, many hostages – to this day. In addition, there is the systematic destruction of the cultural heritage of the world's first Christian state. Why do you hear so little about it? Perhaps because European politicians play a shameful role in all of this. Politicians of the CDU were charged. The allegation: Bribery by the Azerbaijani government, 4 million euros bribe, so that German Christian Democrats look away when Armenian Christians are expelled. This is what caviar diplomacy is called – a shame! Europe-wide, more than 30 million euros should have flowed. This must be the value-driven foreign policy that is constantly being talked about here. Stability in the South Caucasus is also in our interest. Diplomacy, peace talks and respectful treatment of the Armenian hostages, the Armenian people and their Christian heritage are the prerequisites for this.

Mr President! I am a Christian believer. And as a Christian believer, I reject any form of blasphemy. It doesn't matter who it's targeting, whether it's Christians or Muslims. Blasphemy is wrong. Blasphemy is disrespectful. At the same time, freedom of expression requires that blasphemy, or what one considers blasphemy, is not punishable by death. This is exactly what is happening in Nigeria. Yahaya Sharif-Aminu was sentenced to death by a Sharia court. His offense: He is said to have written lyrics directed against the Prophet Muhammad. In some parts of Nigeria, Sharia law supersedes national legislation. The Islamist terrorists of Boko Haram are doing their mischief. This threatens the stability of the country. This also exacerbates internal conflicts. And this leads to mass migration, which we too are suffering from. The death sentence is unacceptable. But is it really consistent to stand up for Yahaya's freedom while being with us because of people? hate speech Arrested? Laws on hate speech are nothing more than a secular equivalent of blasphemy laws. We should really be credible.

Mr President! Socialism always fails. It destroys private property, tradition, family, religion and culture. Various thinkers such as Igor Schafarevich and Friedrich August von Hayek have already worked out this decades ago. The story proved them right: The black books of socialism now fill entire libraries. And it is terrifying how many Members in this House still haven't understood this. This is no different in Nicaragua: An autocratic socialist system – misery, loss of freedom, dictatorial tyranny, persecution of Christians. This is the way to bondage, and we firmly reject it! At the same time, the question arises as to whether our approach to Nicaragua is the right one. Deletion of development aid? Yes, because it flows into corrupt channels. Sanctions against representatives? Yes, because they also enrich themselves in a way that is against the people. But we should reject sanctions against the people, because such interventionism leads to nothing. This only increases chaos, poverty and migration. It's a vicious cycle. This has now reached the point where Nicaragua is using its own population as a weapon of migration against the US. 80% of illegal border crossings are literally accounted for by criminal gangs of smugglers. They now earn up to $12 billion a year. And now remittances make up about a third of Nicaragua's gross domestic product. Such an economic system, which relies on human smuggling in order to survive, is doomed. In Nicaragua, therefore, a socialism from within and a partly misguided interventionism from without meet. The worst of both worlds. That can't go well! Everyone – and most of all Nicaraguans – suffers from this.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, The EU has transferred billions in development aid to the Congo for decades. This money was used, among other things, to improve the judicial system there – this improvement has clearly not been achieved. 37 people were sentenced to death by a military court for an attempted coup. Among those convicted is Jean-Jacques Wondo, a Belgian citizen who previously taught at the Royal Military Academy in Brussels. Evidence against him? Misrepresentation. A photo with the mastermind of the coup attempt serves as the strongest proof of Wondo's guilt. Another piece of evidence is allegations made by a receptionist who disappeared for months before testifying against Wondo under torture. I am basically not an interventionist, I respect other countries and other customs. But what is happening in the Congo requires a reaction on our part, especially since it is also about a citizen of an EU member state. It can't be: We are paying billions of dollars to a foreign judicial system whose military court sentences our citizens to death. This form of development aid has clearly failed.