What Bernd spoke about.

21 Jan

2025

DE Speech

Geopolitical and economic implications for the transatlantic relations under the new Trump administration (debate)

Watch

Mr President, Mr Minister, dear Maroš, ladies and gentlemen! Now the cat is out of the bag, as they say in Germany. We have here the America first trade policy, a letter from the President to his ministers on economic relations with other countries – and, ladies and gentlemen, there are, of course, many things that cause us concern: In other words, the question of further tariffs – quite explicitl…

22 Oct

2024

DE Speech

Establishing the Ukraine Loan Cooperation Mechanism and providing exceptional macro-financial assistance to Ukraine (debate)

Watch

Mr President, Commissioner! First of all, Commissioner, thank you very much for the kind words that we have acted quickly in the Trade Committee and in Parliament as a whole. I believe that this also shows very clearly once again that we are able to act quickly and clearly when necessary, without resorting to Article 122 or to urgency procedures. And in this case, it is really necessary that we st…

21 Oct

2024

DE Speech

A stronger Europe for safer products to better protect consumers and tackle unfair competition: boosting EU oversight in e-commerce and imports (debate)

Watch

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! The Temu headline ‘shop like a millionaire’ would probably have to be reworded as ‘sell like a billionaire’. We have heard that four billion packages are coming this year from the online platforms Temu, Shein and AliExpress, and I wonder, Commissioner: Why do we not have equal treatment with sales within the European Union? I don't want to close th…

8 Oct

2024

DE Speech

The crisis facing the EU’s automotive industry, potential plant closures and the need to enhance competitiveness and maintain jobs in Europe (debate)

Watch

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! I think it is good that we are talking about industrial policy today, because for a long time that was a word that was not so well-liked. Because: Together, we want to take measures to secure structural employment in the automotive industry. And that's where we need clarity. When you look at yourself: In Norway last year, 82 percent of new vehic…

22 Apr

2024

DE Speech

Prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market (debate)

Watch

Madam President, Mr Executive Vice-President of the Commission, ladies and gentlemen! We all know these blue disposable gloves: We all did that during the coronavirus pandemic. 70% of them come from Malaysia, and three companies have been proven to use forced labour to produce these disposable gloves. I believe, ladies and gentlemen, at a time when we are living, when we have had the ILO ban on fo…

13 Mar

2024

EN Speech

Temporary trade-liberalisation measures supplementing trade concessions applicable to Ukrainian products under the EU/Euratom/Ukraine Association Agreement (A9-0077/2024 - Sandra Kalniete) (vote)

Watch

Mr President, I would ask the House to refer it back to the committee to start negotiations with the Council.

29 Feb

2024

DE Speech

EU/Chile Advanced Framework Agreement - EU/Chile Advanced Framework Agreement (Resolution) - Interim Agreement on Trade between the European Union and the Republic of Chile (joint debate - EU-Chile agreements)

Watch

Mr President, Commissioner, Ambassador of the Republic of Chile, ladies and gentlemen! I find it astonishing in this debate that the extreme right and the extreme left are defending themselves against trade policy with the same arguments. When I'm abroad, I find French Camembert and French wine everywhere. It should be noted that we export more processed food to the countries with which we have tr…

8 Feb

2024

DE Speech

Multilateral negotiations in view of the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi, 26-29 February 2024 (debate)

Watch

Mr President! Glad to see you in this role now. Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! When I talk to people about the WTO, they always say: There's hardly anything moving, that's kind of yesterday. Ladies and gentlemen, this is not true – 75% of global trade is still governed by WTO rules. The European Union is extremely intertwined in imports and exports. Without the stable rules of the WTO, we wou…

21 Nov

2023

EN Speech

EU/New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (debate)

Watch

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, you see today a really proud Chair of the International Trade Committee because, in this global world of fragmentation, of a lot of troubled waters, we managed to agree on the most progressive and sustainable trade agreement of the European Union ever. This is a big success. Thanks a lot to the Commission, to the negotiator Peter Berz, and to all col…

9 Nov

2023

DE Speech

Outcome of the EU-US summit (debate)

Watch

Mr President, Commissioner! The summit was not a success in the area of trade policy: We don't have an agreement on steel and aluminium, we don't have an agreement on raw materials. This is because the US sets its interests in absolute terms – this must be seen so soberly – as well as under the Inflation Reduction Act. But I believe that, given the geopolitical situation, we also have no interest …

4 Oct

2023

DE Speech

Need to complete new trade agreements for sustainable growth, competitiveness and the EU’s strategic autonomy (debate)

Watch

Madam President, First of all, I would ask you to write to the Council. This is the second debate today, where the Council is not present, on a matter where the Council actually has a very decisive responsibility. I would also like to tell the Council that it is a scandal that there is usually a year between the conclusion of an agreement and the signature – and thus the start of our ratification.…

4 Oct

2023

EN Speech

Energy Charter Treaty: next steps (debate)

Watch

Madam President, everybody knows the story; the Commissioner explained it quite rightly. The only question, of course, is how to convince the Council to stop the blockade. That’s the only question. And this was my question to the Commission: what is the strategy to unblock the situation in the Council? The position of the Parliament adopted in November last year is totally clear. The majority of M…

2 Oct

2023

DE Speech

Economic coercion by third countries (debate)

Watch

Madam President, Commissioner! That was short and crisp, thank you very much! Ladies and gentlemen, we have now filled the toolbox with defensive instruments that we do not necessarily want to use. But if it's necessary, we can do it. This is also a big difference to instruments from other countries that trigger such instruments offensively on their own. We only do this defensively when it matters…

2 Oct

2023

DE Speech

Economic coercion by third countries (debate)

Watch

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! If you look at the global world today, you have to realize that what we used to think of each other – there is a global trade context, we reduce tariffs and non-tariff barriers, and all countries play with the same rules – that this narrative is over. It is completely clear: The Washington Consensus of 1994 is gone. Today we have a fragmented gl…

13 Sep

2023

DE Speech

Opening of negotiations of an agreement with the United States of America on strengthening international supply chains of critical minerals (debate)

Watch

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! Thank you very much for allowing me to introduce the question. And that, of course, comes after the discussion we just had. We want to strengthen the supply of critical raw materials in the European Union. And now we are negotiating with the United States a possible agreement on critical raw materials. Of course, there are some questions. But maybe…

18 Apr

2023

DE Speech

The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations (debate)

Watch

Mr President, Commissioner, Mr High Representative! If we look at the coherent strategy, I think we should let theatrical thunder but define our interests. Let me mention four points: First, we need to look at where trade with China is actually in a situation that is critical. 95% are uncritical and 5% are critical. We need to strengthen our possibilities to process raw materials ourselves, for ex…

14 Mar

2023

EN Speech

Implementation report on the Agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU - The Windsor Framework (debate)

Watch

Madam President, the famous movie Belfast and the music of Van Morrison is really giving a wonderful impression of feeling about the situation in Northern Ireland. You know from this movie, but also from the discussion we had so far, how important it is to de-escalate. Thanks a lot, Maroš, for de-escalating, for your patience, for engagement, because a trade war is really not in the interest of an…

15 Feb

2023

EN Speech

Access to strategic critical raw materials (debate)

Watch

Madam President, Commissioner, Minister, indeed, we need a new quality in our raw material policy, sustainability instead of pure exploitation. We did in the past. Therefore, I guess you are quite right. First, we have to mobilise our own resources inside the European Union. Sweden did move in the right direction on lithium, but I guess there’s a lot of more potential. Secondly, we have to do more…

14 Dec

2022

EN Speech

EU response to the US Inflation Reduction Act (debate)

Watch

Madam President, Madam Executive Vice—President Margrethe, I guess, there’s no doubt about it, we need a partnership with the United States in this time of trouble all round, on the green transition, on the war in Ukraine, as Margrethe said. But, of course, partnerships need also trust. And my feeling at the moment, and I’m really sad about that, that the behaviour of the United States in the last…

5 Oct

2022

DE Speech

Outcome of the Commission’s review of the 15-point action plan on trade and sustainable development (debate)

Watch

Mr President, Mr Vice-President of the Commission, ladies and gentlemen! I believe it is now clear to everyone that trade policy in itself is not an end in itself. Trade is not. Trade policy must contribute to strengthening sustainable development. Trade policy has to help ensure that local people have added value through trade policy. Clearly: Trade stimulates growth, but if the rules are not rig…

9 Jun

2022

DE Speech

A new trade instrument to ban products made by forced labour (debate)

Watch

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! In recent months we have worn masks and often gloves, these beautiful blue disposable gloves. Around the world, 65% of them come from Malaysia, where they are produced with forced labour by companies. People there have to pay a lot of money to get a job and are then held in forced labour – one can almost say. In other words, a situation that is bas…

8 Jun

2022

DE Speech

International procurement instrument (debate)

Watch

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! For a long time, perhaps too long, our toolbox to defend ourselves against unfair trading practices was empty. We have waited over ten years to finally have a tool in the field of public procurement to protect our political and economic interests against unfair trade practices. 12% of the European Union’s gross domestic product is generated by p…

6 Apr

2022

DE Speech

The situation of the rule of law and human rights in the Republic of Guatemala

Watch

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! We have discussed a lot today about the application of the law within the European Union. But, of course, we must also take care of the application of the law outside the European Union. There is a country with which we are very closely connected – Guatemala – with an association agreement and an agreement on political dialogue and cooperation. In …

5 Apr

2022

DE Speech

Outcome of the EU-China Summit (1 April 2022) (debate)

Watch

Madam President, Mr High Representative, ladies and gentlemen! Three comments: It was right to have the EU-China summit and to show a clear edge there, as one very clearly described it. That's right. So just diplomacy and nice words, that doesn't help. The question of human rights, the question of Taiwan, the question of the trade embargo against Lithuania are evident. That was really clear edge. …

24 Mar

2022

DE Speech

Update from the Commission and Council on the state of play of the Energy Charter Treaty modernisation exercise (debate)

Watch

. – Mr President, Mr Vice-President, Mr Commissioner, Mr Minister! The question of the Energy Charter Treaty is, of course, directly linked to the debate we have just had. In 1994, we tried to create a stable framework for energy supply within the European Union with other countries, by the way, with an attempt to integrate Russia as an important supplier of fossil energy sources. And the importan…