What Christophe spoke about.

12

Mar

2025

EN Speech

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Frozen Russian assets (debate)

Mr President, honourable Members, thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this debate on Russian frozen and immobilised assets. As you may well know, the restrictive measures on these assets are a key element of the sanctions adopted by the EU in close cooperation with Western partners against Russia. Let me first clarify upfront that Russian assets are subject to different restrictive meas…

12

Mar

2025

EN Speech

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Adoption of the proposal for a Parenthood Regulation (debate)

Mr President, honourable Members, as mentioned earlier, with this proposal, the Commission aims to ensure the continuity of parenthood status between Member States so that all children can fully enjoy their rights in all Member States for all purposes. By requiring the recognition of parenthood, Union law does not interfere with the Member States substantive family law, which is a competence of th…

12

Mar

2025

EN Speech

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Adoption of the proposal for a Parenthood Regulation (debate)

Madam President, honourable Members, let me start by thanking the European Parliament for its positive opinion on the Commission proposal on the recognition of parenthood between Member States. And let me also thank the European Parliament for its continued interest in the ongoing legislative discussions on the proposal in the Council, as shown by this oral question on the matter. Member States ar…

18

Dec

2024

EN Speech

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Challenges facing EU farmers and agricultural workers: improving working conditions, including their mental well-being (debate)

Mr President, honourable Members, I believe that your interventions have confirmed the worries and the interests of this Parliament for working conditions and farmers mental health at work. I want to thank you for that, because this is, for me, a very valuable input to me and my services related as well to other services, because it is not only agricultural policy we are talking here about, we are…

18

Dec

2024

EN Speech

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Challenges facing EU farmers and agricultural workers: improving working conditions, including their mental well-being (debate)

Mr President, honourable Members, I am very glad that my first plenary debate as Commissioner for Agriculture and Food immediately gives me the opportunity to exchange with you on such a crucial topic: working conditions in agriculture. And I think it is closely linked to the discussion we just had before. Farming indeed is a very demanding job, both physically and mentally, and farming can be a v…

4

Oct

2023

DE Speech

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European green bonds (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, European green bonds are not just a financial instrument; close the gap between capital markets and the urgent need for climate and environmental action. These bonds facilitate the transition to a sustainable and clean economy, finance the European Green Deal and at the same time provide investors with the assurance that their portfolios…

19

Apr

2023

FR Speech

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This is Europe - Debate with the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel (debate)

Madam President. Prime Minister, it is a pleasure to see you here in this plenary for the third time in a year. I think this is a sign of your respect for our institution. Some have not necessarily shown the same respect for you by attacking the policy of Luxembourg, our country, and I regret that, because we are here to discuss also the future of the European Union, and I think that the European …

18

Apr

2023

DE Speech

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

Mr President, Vice-Presidents! A coherent EU strategy in our relations with China – yes, we need it, and therefore we need to speak with one voice. Madam President von der Leyen has outlined a tougher course towards a more aggressive China. I think that's the right way to go. And we must take this path together with those who share our values. The appearance of Emmanuel Macron, however, is counter…

17

Apr

2023

DE Speech

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Deforestation Regulation (debate)

Mr President! I would like to thank all the Members who have taken the floor here today, because it is also a strong sign of the importance of this issue and that we at least fully share the objective between the different groups. I think that was also the consensus, because we kept the six groups that worked on board until the end. I think this is a very, very strong sign of how one we are here i…

17

Apr

2023

DE Speech

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Deforestation Regulation (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner! 10 million hectares – this corresponds to the area of Portugal, and this is the area around which our global forests shrink each year. More than 10 percent of these ash deserts are used to fill our shelves – regardless of the fauna and flora, regardless of the indigenous populations who have lived in perfect harmony with and in our forests for centuries. 1.2 million peo…

15

Mar

2023

EN Speech

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More Europe, more jobs: we are building the competitive economy of tomorrow for the benefit of all (topical debate)

Mr President, I am glad that we are finally addressing the competitiveness elephant here in this room, even if Ms Jongerius doesn’t agree on that point. Europe’s cutting—edge green industry is our biggest ally in the green transition, but we cannot ask them to complete the mission with their hands tied to their backs by excessive regulatory burden. And here I think, Mr Commissioner, we clearly hav…

15

Feb

2023

DE Speech

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Access to strategic critical raw materials (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner! Yesterday in this House we voted for the end of the internal combustion engine. I was against it and could have lived much better with a target of 90%. Now, however, it is important to ensure that this green and digital transition succeeds. And for that, we need the critical raw materials such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, just to name a few. If Greens, who are absent …

18

Jan

2023

EN Speech

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An EU strategy to boost industrial competitiveness, trade and quality jobs (debate)

Madam President, Mr Vice-President, on Monday we celebrated the success of our 30th anniversary of the single market. Today, unchecked state largesse threatens its continued existence in the form of undue subsidies. Picking winners and losers fragments the internal market. It is divisive internally when smaller Member States like Belgium and my own, Luxembourg, see their spending power eclipsed by…

14

Dec

2022

EN Speech

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EU response to the US Inflation Reduction Act (debate)

Madam President, Executive Vice-President, Minister, the Inflation Reduction Act could have the unintended consequence of increasing our dependency on China as our companies might turn to less reliable alternatives if they are cut out of the American supply chains. This is a reality that President Biden and his administration also needs to acknowledge. But we have alternatives to a subsidy race to…

10

Nov

2022

FR Speech

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Distortive foreign subsidies (A9-0135/2022 - Christophe Hansen) (vote)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, for too long European companies, subject to strict State aid control, had to compete with foreign companies that had unhindered access to foreign subsidies. The instrument we are about to vote on gives the Commission the power to act against these inflated offers with money from foreign governments. It will protect European competitiveness and avoid the leaka…

9

Nov

2022

EN Speech

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Order of business

Madam President, indeed, this whole modernisation process has been launched in 2018 on a mandate by the European Council. So a lot of Member States now putting that in question have indeed mandated the Commission. And now, as the Commission has delivered, I’m a little bit surprised that many want to drop out. I think it’s important that we state clearly the modernisation is going to help us to get…

13

Sep

2022

EN Speech

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Deforestation Regulation (A9-0219/2022 - Christophe Hansen) (vote)

Madam President, I would first of all like to thank all the colleagues that have voted in favour of this very important instrument. This will make us serious about our combat not only against global deforestation, but also against biodiversity loss and our fight against climate change. So therefore I would like to ask you, Madam President, to request the matter be referred back to committee for in…

12

Sep

2022

FR Speech

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Deforestation Regulation (debate)

Mr President, while I regretted the absence of the Czech Presidency at the beginning of the sitting, I am reassured that you are here. I know that traffic here in Strasbourg is not much better than in Brussels. I was surprised to see Members from the ID Group taking the floor, because they simply did not appoint shadow rapporteurs on the file. So I'm surprised to say the least. I am also very plea…

12

Sep

2022

FR Speech

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Deforestation Regulation (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, since 1990, 500 000 hectares of forests have disappeared and they have disappeared forever. And although this disaster affects EU countries only to a lesser extent, we are responsible for more than 10% of global deforestation. In particular through our consumption and import of goods such as soybeans, palm oil or coffee, for the production of which, all too often, tropi…

5

Jul

2022

FR Speech

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Objection pursuant to Rule 111(3): Amending the Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act and the Taxonomy Disclosures Delegated Act (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, the vote on the delegated act to be voted on tomorrow will not be a vote for or against nuclear power, it will not be a vote for or against gas. Both energy sources will certainly be part of our mix for the next ten years. However, I am of the opinion that it is wrong to say that this delegated act will reduce energy prices and consumption amounts, because it is in fact…

8

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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International procurement instrument (debate)

Madam President, dear Executive Vice-President, the openness of our EU economy is one of our biggest assets, but are our companies met with the same open arms in all of the third countries to which we grant access to our internal market? The answer is clearly no, and that is why the International Procurement Instrument is more important than ever if we want to deliver on our open strategic autonom…

7

Jun

2022

DE Speech

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Revision of the EU Emissions Trading System - Social Climate Fund - Carbon border adjustment mechanism - Revision of the EU Emissions Trading System for aviation - Notification under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) (joint debate – Fit for 55 (part 1))

Mr President, Madam Minister! My group is firmly committed to the common goal of making our continent climate-neutral by 2050. However, we must do this together with those who are responsible for the production of the goods that we need and that we will need. We must ensure that production and innovation continue to take place in the EU. The carbon offset mechanism at our borders is a set screw th…

4

May

2022

EN Speech

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Distortive foreign subsidies (A9-0135/2022 - Christophe Hansen) (vote)

Madam President thank you and thank you to all the colleagues for the great support for this report. Madam President, I would like to request referral back to committee for interinstitutional negotiations pursuant to Article 59(4).…

4

May

2022

EN Speech

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Distortive foreign subsidies (A9-0135/2022 - Christophe Hansen) (vote)

Madam President, dear colleagues, today we have the opportunity to finally put an end to the regulatory free fall that is pitting European companies that are subject to rigorous state aid control against competitors in the single market from third countries who are benefiting from distortive foreign subsidies. It is high time to close this regulatory gap once and for all. Europe remains open for b…

16

Feb

2022

EN Speech

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EU-Russia relations, European security and Russia’s military threat against Ukraine (debate)

Madam President, the situation on the EU’s eastern borders, especially at the Ukrainian border, is far from being resolved. Let’s not get fooled by the Potemkin retreat of his troops that Putin is or is not staging while we are speaking. Let’s not be fooled while the online networks of Ukraine’s defence ministry and two banks are knocked out by cyber-attacks. This is not a coincidence, and my coll…