What Peter spoke about.

4 Apr

2022

DE Speech

Sixth Assessment Report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, We are now formally discussing the second part of the IPCC report. For this reason, I would like to take a brief look at climate change adaptation: I believe it is extremely important that we support our foresters in reforestation in a climate-friendly way, that we maintain and support sustainable forestry in Europe. In my view, this is a central idea, a cent…

15 Feb

2022

DE Speech

Strengthening Europe in the fight against cancer(debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, When we talk about cancer, each of us has a person in mind – someone from the family, from the circle of friends – who has cancer or has even died of it. With me it is one of my best friends: Hans-Jörg. A few years ago – at the age of 46 – cancer died painfully, and I think that each of us, when we have the pictures in mind, has the goal of avoiding this fate…

15 Dec

2021

DE Speech

Preparation of the European Council meeting of 16-17 December 2021 - The EU's response to the global resurgence of Covid-19 and the new emerging Covid variants (debate)

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Mr President! Dear colleagues! At the weekend I helped again in my home country with the vaccination campaign, and it was very gratifying that many people let themselves be encouraged. And when asked why they are only now coming to the first vaccination, some have said: Yeah, you can't get in anywhere else. That is, medically justified benefits for vaccinated also help to increase the vaccination …

13 Dec

2021

DE Speech

Health technology assessment (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to stress in particular the importance of the present legislation for cancer patients in Europe. First of all, you will benefit from the fact that we become more efficient in the benefit assessment. When the EPP asked systematically for the first time in 2018 how we can better help patients suffering from cancer, one of our demands was: HTA must …

24 Nov

2021

DE Speech

Outcome of the COP26 in Glasgow (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. This glass is more than half-full, and I also evaluate the results of the Glasgow climate conference in such a way that the glass is more than half-full. Much has been achieved. When we were in Madrid two years ago, the EU was the only major economy committed to climate neutrality. In the two years leading up to Glasgow and Glasgow, practically the whole world h…

20 Oct

2021

DE Speech

An EU strategy to reduce methane emissions (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, First of all, thank you very much to Maria Spyraki and congratulations on the report she has presented. Methane is a huge problem: It is the second most important climate gas. Although it has a shorter lifespan than CO2, it has a significantly higher greenhouse gas potential. Precisely the next ten years – we do not know exactly, but the next few years – will…

20 Oct

2021

DE Speech

UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, the UK (COP26) (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. During the last COP in Madrid, the European Council - later than the European Parliament, but at least - advocated climate neutrality by 2050, and this is now the law in Europe. We spoke to many members of parliament and representatives of other nations in Madrid and encouraged them to follow this path. Japan, South Africa, the US and Canada and many others have…

6 Oct

2021

DE Speech

European solutions to the rise of energy prices for businesses and consumers: the role of energy efficiency and renewable energy and the need to tackle energy poverty (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, We are facing a serious challenge due to high energy prices in the European Union. We need to react very wisely now. It is a popular reproach to politicians that they always think only of the next election and never of the next generation. And, Commissioner, there is pressure on you from the Member States, now, for example, to weaken emissions trading and not…

5 Oct

2021

DE Speech

EU Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority: ensuring a coordinated EU approach for future health crises and the role of the European Parliament in this (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, The European Union is now doing very well in the fight against the pandemic. We have the highest vaccination rate in the world, and we have been successful together. But we experienced three difficult months earlier this year. There was too little vaccine and too late for many citizens in the EU. This was due to export bans from other countries. It was becaus…

14 Sep

2021

DE Speech

Natural disasters during the summer 2021 - Impacts of natural disasters in Europe due to climate change (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit with the mayor of Altenahr, which is in my constituency, the place where the first person died on 14 July: A firefighter who just saved someone else and then died in an accident in the floods himself. And I've seen people who have lost everything, who have tried to renovate their house without knowing if the buildin…

14 Sep

2021

DE Speech

Presentation of the Fit for 55 package after the publication of the IPCC report (debate)

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... this summer and the IPCC report were a wake-up call. We need to turn on the climate protection turbo in Europe and worldwide. As an EPP, we say yes to the European Commission's proposals. Nor do we say: yes, but – we say yes, and we see potential to make it even better. For example, we see the possibility of opening up a way for cars that use synthetic fuels, so that we use all the possibiliti…

13 Sep

2021

DE Speech

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control - Serious cross-border threats to health (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. We need more cooperation in the European Union to tackle pandemics and other challenges. And we need more independence from China and others in order to act as Europeans and protect our citizens. And contrary to what has been said here in part, the European treaties allow us to go further than before. There is a good proposal from the two rapporteurs here, and I…

7 Jul

2021

DE Speech

General Union Environment Action Programme to 2030 (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. We need to act decisively, but also wisely, to protect our environment. I would like to thank all those who have contributed to this report, especially Agnès Evren, for the EPP. The first priority in the new Environment Action Programme is rightly the objective of achieving climate neutrality in the European Union. We are the first generation to suffer the conse…

7 Jul

2021

DE Speech

European Medicines Agency (continuation of debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, The EPP will support the report. It ensures that we can better tackle drug shortages, that we are better prepared for future pandemics and similar challenges. I would like to thank the rapporteur, Cristian-Silviu Buşoi as EPP shadow rapporteur, and everyone else, including the Commission, who contributed to this result. Above all, however, I would like to use…

7 Jul

2021

DE Speech

State of play of the implementation of the EU Digital COVID Certificate regulations (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. Unfortunately, the pandemic is not over yet, so we now need to ensure that as many people as possible get vaccinated as soon as possible. The vaccine is now available. In a few days as the EU, we overtook the United States of America in vaccinating. But now it's about persuading skeptics. And there are many who say: But when I'm vaccinated, I'm still not 100% pr…