What Marieke spoke about.

8

Sep

2025

EN Speech

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Announcement by the President

Madam President, the rules are clear: Rule 169 clearly states that a debate can only be rejected by a four fifths majority. The left has been complaining since Friday about this debate. They should have raised it in the CoP. They didn't. They know they do not have a four fifths majority to have it removed from the agenda, and now they raised three separate points of order to still try and captivat…

9

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 26 June 2025 (debate)

Madam President, colleagues, the Council conclusions are clear. We need to do everything in our power to improve cooperation on returns. But the current proposal is silent on the external dimension. And this is more than a missed opportunity. It is a strategic mistake. Without securing cooperation by third countries through visa, trade and aid conditionality, any return system will fail. Now, many…

19

Jun

2025

NL Speech

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

Mr President, once again there is a call for more European Union. More countries, more bureaucracy, but less participation for the countries that have built this Union. The Eurocrats see enlargement as a necessity and see the right of veto as an obstacle. As the system cracks at its joints, Brussels rushes forward, as if enlargement is a moral duty and not a political choice. Enlarging the EU furt…

17

Jun

2025

NL Speech

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The Commission’s 2024 Rule of Law report (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, the rule of law is the foundation of our democracies. But what does the term actually mean? Rule of law, Rule of law, l’état de droit — Every country does this differently, and that's fine. United in diversityDo you remember? However, the Commission uses its own understanding of what the rule of law should mean. And she also uses this view as a stick to beat with. Selec…

21

May

2025

NL Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Mr President, a year and a half ago, Yuval Raphael survived the massacre of Hamas at the Supernova music festival. It didn't matter much whether this young woman was either horribly murdered or still trapped in a dark tunnel in Gaza. Last week she was on the Eurovision stage. A strong woman who sang an inspiring song of hope. Despite weeks of negative campaigning against her and Israel, Yuval fini…

21

May

2025

EN Speech

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Order of business

Madam President, on Wednesday last week, the Court of Justice ruled that the European Commission failed to provide sufficient justification for withholding communications between President von der Leyen and the CEO of Pfizer. The Commission has since made it abundantly clear that it has no intention of actually releasing said information. Instead, it will focus on improving its justification for r…

8

May

2025

NL Speech

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80 years after the end of World War II - freedom, democracy and security as the heritage of Europe (debate)

President. Millions of people have paid the highest price for our freedom. Most of us do not know what war is and let us all hope that we will never find out. Nie wieder ist jetzt! This is not a wish, but a promise. A promise that anti-Semitism would never again gain a foothold in Europe. And yet Jew-hatred is on the rise again. Not in uniform, but in slogans. Synagogues that need to be protected,…

7

May

2025

NL Speech

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

Mr President, Commissioner, rising food prices are making it impossible for more and more citizens to make ends meet. But these sky-high food prices are not a natural phenomenon. They are the result of a toxic cocktail of overregulation, green daydreaming and Brussels patronage. The results of last year's European elections almost suffocated the Eurocrats. matcha latte with fair oat milk. And then…

1

Apr

2025

NL Speech

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Presentation of the New European Internal Security Strategy (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we are living in a time when threats come not only from the outside, but also from the inside. Safety is more than a strategy. It guarantees the right to feel at home in your own country, in your own city and in your own street. The U.S. Vice President is right: Any security strategy, whether internal or external, will only succeed if we know not o…

11

Mar

2025

NL Speech

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Presentation of the proposal on a new common approach on returns (debate)

Mr President, I would also like to thank the Commissioner for presenting the new Return Regulation. This proposal does not come a moment too early and I am cautiously positive. The migration policy of recent years has been a real disaster and the Return Directive in force is no exception, as the current policy does not ensure return and it is a goldmine for asylum lawyers. Half a million people in…

12

Feb

2025

EN Answer

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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)

I think it's a very naive argument to think what we're doing in Africa and the rest of the developing world is actually helping them at the moment. We do not see significant improvements because of the projects of the EU. We spend billions and billions of dollars buying them blenders for schools where they don't have electricity, funding transgender craziness in developing countries. We are not pr…

12

Feb

2025

NL 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)

Mr President, Commissioner, the reorganisation of the US government by President Trump and Elon Musk is a nightmare for the left-liberal elite. They're finally cutting back on one of their favorite projects, USAID. But our citizens also have nightmares, because they can no longer make ends meet, partly because of the EU policy that has been imposed on them in recent years. Expensive and short-sigh…

22

Jan

2025

NL Speech

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Addressing EU demographic challenges: towards the implementation of the 2023 Demography Toolbox (debate)

Mr President, the Netherlands is jam-packed. The roads, the public transport, the schools, the housing market, our concern: It's busy everywhere and everything gets stuck. The country is bursting at the seams. Nevertheless, the Commission wants to tackle labour shortages and ageing populations by attracting more migrants. This is not only short-sighted, but simply absurd. After all, migrants are a…

18

Dec

2024

NL Speech

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Preparation of the European Council of 19-20 December 2024 (debate)

Mr President, migration is again on the agenda of the European Council. And today, on the so-called Day of the Migrant, I have to conclude that there are no real solutions. The EU's unwillingness or inability to deal effectively with uncontrolled migration to our beautiful countries has led many of us to feel like strangers in our own villages and cities. The EU acts as if migration is inevitable.…

27

Nov

2024

EN Speech

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Presentation by the President-elect of the Commission of the College of Commissioners and its programme (debate)

Madam President, the hearings of Commissioners‑designate have veered into the troubling territory of politicisation. Instead of concentrating on qualifications and vision, they are increasingly influenced by partisan rivalries and secret political deals. This not only undermines the integrity of the process, but also the trust of our citizens and the very principles of democracy we seek to uphold.…

26

Nov

2024

NL Speech

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Full accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen Area: the urgent need to lift controls at internal land borders (debate)

23

Oct

2024

NL Speech

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Managing migration in an effective and holistic way through fostering returns (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, the European Union's migration policy has for too long put the rights of migrants first, while the safety and rights of European citizens have been shamelessly neglected. Last week wrote The Welt that the much-acclaimed migration pact is far from sufficient. It will not lead to a significant reduction in the number of migrants in Europe. An EU top diplomat said aptly: "…

22

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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State sponsored terrorism by the Islamic Republic of Iran in light of the recent attacks in Europe (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, Iran has a long track record of organising and funding terrorist attacks in Europe. The Iranian regime uses Islamic extremists who live in our countries to carry out these crimes. We have allowed them into our cities like a Trojan horse. The 2015 nuclear deal gave the regime even more resources to advance the scope and aggression of their malicious activities. The Is…

10

Oct

2024

NL Speech

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The rise of religious intolerance in Europe (debate)

Mr President, the Netherlands has long been known as one of the most tolerant countries in the world. And yet we cannot ignore the fact that anti-Semitism has also increased in our country in recent years. When we talk about the growing religious intolerance in Europe, we must dare to name the facts as they are. This intolerance does not come from Christians, Jews or Hindus. We do not see images f…

9

Oct

2024

NL Speech

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Strengthening the security of Europe’s external borders: need for a comprehensive approach and enhanced Frontex support (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, the strength of a country lies in its ability to protect its citizens. It starts with guarding the borders. The right to determine who may enter the territory of a state is the cornerstone of sovereignty. But this sovereignty is under pressure because the European external borders are as leaky as a basket and once inside, Schengen is eagerly used. The migration crisis, …

16

Sep

2024

NL Speech

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Need to prevent security threats like the Solingen attack through addressing illegal migration and effective return (debate)

Mr President, first Mannheim, now Solingen. Nine years ago, Angela Merkel said: "Wir kopen das", and She set the boundaries Open to millions of fortune seekers. We are now experiencing the consequences of this, not only in Germany, but throughout Europe. Think of Samuel Paty, who was beheaded four years ago by a Chechen refugee, and the Swedish football supporters who were shot last year in Brusse…