Speeches

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to congratulate my colleague Christel Schaldemose on a good text, a very good text that will bring forward rights and security for citizens. And I think it is a good thing that the European Parliament is always so strongly committed to citizens. Yes, it's a good text. However, there are a few amendments that I also like. And I would simply like to ask, dear colleagues, that we take a closer look at whether we should not decide on the ban on personalised advertising. What does personalized advertising mean? Personalized advertising means forming a profile, collecting data about people, ensuring that their preferences are brought together on the Internet, through many, many channels. And I think that's not good, because that's the beginning of manipulation – and we don't want manipulation. And that is why I would like us to actually accept these amendments, which have been tabled to ban personalised advertising. I am also very surprised by these amendments, which come from the ranks of the EPP and which prohibit dark patterns Want to collect again. This is irresponsible. This is one of the great achievements. That shouldn't happen either. Mr President, please allow me a few seconds to say goodbye. This is my last speech here in this European Parliament. At the end of this month, I will be leaving my mandate – a mandate that I was allowed to carry out for 28 years. It's a great thing – I've always enjoyed doing it. I could have imagined doing it again for 28 years. But at some point you also have to clear the place for the younger ones. And I think it's good. It is a good thing, and I hope that this European Parliament will continue to work for the citizens, for the people, for democracy and for the development of this European idea. Because that is the greatest thing we can give ourselves in history, this friendship between the peoples of the European Union. And thank you, Mr President, for giving me the opportunity to have that extra minute. (Applause)

Madam President, Dear Tiemo, thank you very much for the kind words you have found for me. In fact, it is my last major project in this European Parliament, and I am very happy that it has succeeded in achieving something really positive, something very good. Even if I could not enforce everything I had imagined as a Social Democrat, it can still be shown what we have achieved, what we have enforced – even against the will of a part of this House, the right-wing part of this House. And I also very much hope that in the negotiations with the Council and with the help of the European Commission, which hopefully – unlike in other areas – will also stand on the side of the European Parliament, what we have enforced will prevail. Thanks to the new rules, big tech companies will no longer be able to use their market power in the same way as before. In recent years, the influence of tech giants has increased rapidly, but not to the benefit of consumers or smaller businesses. Large digital platforms, known as gatekeepers. Gatekeeper – favour their own offers vis-à-vis competitors, determine access to the online world and create dependencies. I am particularly proud of one point, in addition to what Tiemo has already stated about interoperability: We have succeeded in making the so-called Targeted ads – on personalised advertising – to find a good wording, even if I would have liked to have enforced an entire ban in this area. Because profiling about the way people live, what they are, is the last thing we can let go of. And to ensure that the most vulnerable in society, namely minors, are protected, and a ban on personalised advertising for minors is something that is very, very close to my heart. And I very much ask you, Mr Schwab, as rapporteur, to ensure that this is actually enforced in the future. Because we know that both the European Commission and the majority of the Council do not quite agree. However, I would see this as one of the very important basic conditions for ensuring that we actually enforce protection for the most vulnerable in our society, the minors. That's very important. We have reached many other points that I cannot name all of them here. But also that there is the possibility for the European Commission, Killer acquisitions banning – temporarily or entirely – is one of those issues that has been hotly debated, but also enforced. Yes, we, as a Parliament, have put forward a good, very good proposal. We worked well. We are happy to be able to do this now. And we must now make sure that the best of it is for the future of our society, for freedom, for what we have always set out to do: create a good policy for people, for citizens.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, and also dear citizens! More and more of you are living this Europe: You go on vacation, you travel, you visit friends, you move and of course use the car. It is, of course, very important that we take into account the new realities of citizens' lives by amending the directive that already existed and making it even better than it has been. That is why I am pleased that we have this vote today and can ensure that, should an insurance company go bankrupt, citizens can still benefit from their insurance coverage – and without very great difficulties – and that they can thus also exercise their rights. I am also very pleased that we can ensure that citizens, if they move to another country, can take their bonus points with them if they have driven accident-free by then, and do not have to take out quite expensive insurance again. This, too, is something that we must very much welcome, because it is really a service to the people, to the citizens. Last but not least, it is very important that we also ensure greater transparency by creating tools with which citizens can compare insurance policies, adapted to their circumstances. This is what Europe means. That's the good thing about it. I think that if we can make such legislation, then we can be proud of the work we have done.

Mr President, Commissioner! These are the things that happen when you don't understand the president's language. But I don't think that's that bad. Human rights, civil rights, democracy, these are the values that make up us, which are actually the basis for our coexistence in our society, in the European Union. Yes, these are the values with which we can form a joint partnership in Taiwan. These are the values with which we can also ensure in this region that freedom is also a possibility for the future, even in a region where this is not a familiar history. Yes, we need to worry – very much worry – about the aggressive way the Chinese government has been performing in this region lately. We must use all the means at our disposal, Commissioner, to ensure, through diplomatic channels, that peace, freedom and democracy prevail in this region and that we can contribute to ensuring that citizens in Taiwan can really continue to live in freedom.

Madam President, Commissioner, dear friends, friends of freedom! Some will say: Yes, China, again China on the agenda. Why actually? I also say: I would much prefer that we do not have to discuss the human rights situation, civil rights, freedoms in China so often, if I do not have to discuss it so often at this point in the context of the urgency. There would be much nicer topics to talk about. However, the forced closure of Apple Daily will go down in history as another dark milestone in the progressive dismantling of Hong Kong democracy. Media freedom is a cornerstone of a way of life, of our society, of democracy. Without freedom of the press, we have no freedoms for citizens. Without freedom of the press, we have no information to rely on so that we can actually have the information we need to make right, good decisions. Yes, I welcome today's bipartisan decision, and I very much hope and expect that we will get a very large majority. The Member States of the European Union must immediately adopt sanctions against those responsible in the administration of Hong Kong and mainland China and strengthen the back of the democratic movement in Hong Kong. The protection of journalists and democrats must be a high priority. That is why we call on the Member States to also issue emergency visas to ensure their protection. Yes, we also call for the rejection of diplomatic visits to Beijing at the 2022 Winter Olympics if the human rights situation does not improve significantly. Unfortunately, we still have to demand this over and over again.