What Karin spoke about.

28 Feb

2024

SV Speech

Deepening EU integration in view of future enlargement (debate)

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Madam President, thank you very much. We must never forget what Russia's war against Ukraine is all about. Putin does not accept that Ukraine has repeatedly chosen the European path. They have deposed a president, carried out a revolution and fought a war for almost ten years to become part of the European family. Ukraine is not only fighting for its own existence; They fight for us too. It defend…

8 Feb

2024

SV Speech

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

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Mr President, thank you very much. It's hard to be a free-trader today. Although more than ever we need to work together and trade with more people, we have only achieved two free trade agreements – with New Zealand and with Vietnam – during this mandate. That's not enough. Prosperity for billions of people is lost and we are missing out on important collaborations on climate and environment, tech…

7 Feb

2024

EN Speech

New wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members

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Mr President, Commission, colleagues. Three and a half years ago, the people of Belarus took to the streets demanding democracy and human dignity. They displayed immense courage, standing up against the regime. Thousands of Belarusians paid for their bravery with their freedom. On 23 January this year, at least 200 citizens were arrested by Lukashenka’s security forces, most of them family members…

7 Feb

2024

SV Speech

Automated data exchange for police cooperation (“Prüm II”) (debate)

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Mr President, thank you very much. It is time for a European police force that can also conduct preliminary investigations in EU countries. In fact, 70% of serious criminal networks operate in three EU countries – at least three EU countries – at the same time. Crime and terrorism have never stopped at national borders. But the EU's work to combat crime is extremely neglected, because there are fo…

16 Jan

2024

SV Speech

Empowering consumers for the green transition (debate)

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Mr President, thank you very much. The Commission, colleagues and listeners! The threat of climate change must be taken seriously. Using the market and consumer power is one of the strongest drivers of change. As a consumer, you have to be able to make informed choices. Many of us want to take responsibility for climate change, but it's not always that easy. One thing that may be good from a clima…

14 Dec

2023

SV Speech

Outcome of the UN Climate Change Conference 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (COP28) (debate)

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Mr President, thank you very much. Since 1970, the year I was born, temperatures have increased faster than ever in the last 2,000 years. It depends on us humans. This is due to our use of fossil fuels – coal, gas and oil – and it has made us richer and given us the growth we have today. But COP28 was a great success, with an agreement finally reached on the elimination of fossil fuels. The fossil…

12 Dec

2023

SV Speech

Environmental consequences of the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the need for accountability (debate)

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Mr President, thank you very much. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is not only a humanitarian disaster; Putin is also guilty of a complete environmental catastrophe that will affect generations to come. Russia shows total contempt for all living things. The Kakhovka dam was blown up, groundwater and sewage systems collapse, dangerous toxins spread, valuable nature is wiped out, ecosystems …

12 Dec

2023

SV Speech

EU-Taiwan trade and investment relations (debate)

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Mr President, thank you very much. The EU and Taiwan have a lot in common. Together we believe in liberal democracy, the importance of free and rules-based trade and respect for human rights. Similarly, Taiwan is an important ally in the fight against Russia and in support of Ukraine. In a troubled world where more and more countries are turning their backs on democracy and liberal values, Europe …

12 Dec

2023

SV Speech

Framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials (debate)

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Mr President, thank you very much. In Europe, we consume about a quarter of the world's raw materials, but produce only 3%. We are therefore largely dependent on imports, especially from China. Trade creates wealth, but if we are naive, it can cost us dearly. Now we are changing the climate, but electrification requires critical metals and minerals in huge quantities. Large deposits are found in S…

11 Dec

2023

SV Speech

Small modular reactors (debate)

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Madam President, thank you very much. Europe's energy needs are increasing. CO2 emissions need to go down. It's an equation that doesn't go together without nuclear power. Europe's use of renewable energy is advancing, but it must not lock us in a situation where gas is used as a backup when the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing. Europe also needs stable nuclear energy production as th…

22 Nov

2023

SV Speech

Destruction of judicial independence and the persecution of democrats in Hong Kong (debate)

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Mr President, thank you very much. Commission, colleagues and audience. From the crowd in the tear gas cloud can be heard the sound of terror and slogans. The strong vocal cords of the demonstrators create synchronized chants. It is the sound of devotion and stubborn proof that Hong Kongers are prepared to die for their freedom. This is how the Swedish liberal and author Simona Mohamsson writes in…

21 Nov

2023

SV Speech

EU/New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (debate)

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Madam President, thank you very much. Commission, colleagues and audience. I would like to begin by thanking former Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström, who launched the negotiations on this agreement in June 2018. I am very proud and happy to be able to help bring it to life here in the European Parliament. In a time of war and crisis, we need to get closer to our allies, and that is exactly wha…

20 Nov

2023

SV Speech

Common rules promoting the repair of goods

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Madam President, thank you very much. Commission, colleagues, listeners. It wasn't better before. But one thing is for sure: previous generations would not have been happy with our throwaway society. In the past, things had a longer lifespan, it was self-evident to repair and repair, and it was not uncommon for gadgets to be handed down from generation to generation. Quality came before quantity. …

20 Nov

2023

SV Speech

Framework of measures for strengthening Europe’s net-zero technology products manufacturing ecosystem (Net Zero Industry Act) (debate)

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Madam President, thank you very much. The Commission, colleagues and listeners! The key to the green transition lies in northern Sweden. With natural resources, climate-smart electricity and expertise, there is the future of the green industry in Europe, if we safeguard global competition. But when the US and China choose to pump billions into their industry, the EU needs to show that there are be…

2 Oct

2023

SV Speech

Economic coercion by third countries (debate)

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Madam President, thank you very much. Commission, colleagues and audience. Cohesion is our strongest weapon to push back Putin's war economy, but also to hold Europe together when an aggressive China tries to dictate how and with whom we should cooperate. When brave Lithuania allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in Vilnius, the regime in Beijing became furious. And to punish Lithuania, C…

14 Sep

2023

SV Speech

Violence and discrimination in the world of sports after the FIFA Women’s World Cup (debate)

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Madam President, thank you very much. The Commission, colleagues and listeners! Sometimes we hear that what happens on the football field or in the boardrooms, or at home in the bedroom for that matter, is not politics. But that's it, isn't it? Violence and discrimination against women is a social problem. It requires leadership from everyone who has the power to change. What should have been the …

12 Sep

2023

EN Speech

Relations with Belarus (debate)

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Madam President, Commission, colleagues, unity is our strongest weapon to defeat dictators like Putin, like Lukashenka. We must continue to stand firm and together support Belarus and respect sanctions until time changes. It does not matter if you represent sports or business, politics or research, we have to ask ourselves: what can I do to stand with the people of Belarus? Recently, the highly pr…

14 Jun

2023

EN Speech

Torture and criminal prosecution of Ukrainian minors Tihran Ohannisian and Mykyta Khanhanov by the Russian Federation

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Madam President, Commission, colleagues, this could be a wonderful summer for Tihran Ohannisian and Mykyta Khanhanov, who were both born in 2006, but instead they are in prison, tortured by the Russians. I believe some of you have children of the same age yourself. So do I. It’s with a heavy heart that I read the reports of brutal interrogations, beatings and electric shock torture that the teenag…

13 Jun

2023

SV Speech

Batteries and waste batteries (debate)

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Madam President, thank you very much. The Commission! Colleagues! How many batteries do you have at home? I've lost count, because they're everywhere. It's phones, computers, headphones and speakers, smoke alarms and soon, hopefully, in my next car. When we leave the internal combustion engine and the fossil fuel-driven society behind, it is the battery that replaces us. With the new Battery Regul…

12 Jun

2023

SV Speech

EU Day for the victims of the global climate crisis (debate)

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Mr President, thank you very much. The Commission, colleagues and listeners! Since 1970, the year I was born, the Earth's temperature has increased faster than ever before in the last two thousand years. Today my daughter turns 20. During the two decades she has been around, we have known that the world is in a climate crisis, but yet we have not managed to turn the curves in the right direction. …

10 May

2023

EN Speech

Belarus: the inhumane treatment and hospitalisation of prominent opposition leader Viktar Babaryka

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Mr President, Commission, colleagues, there is still no information about Viktar Babaryka’s condition after the news that he was taken to hospital with severe injuries last week. His location is unknown. But what we know is that the situation for political prisoners in Belarus is horrific. And we know far too well about Lukashenko’s brutality and contempt for life and human dignity. But, one day, …

9 May

2023

SV Speech

Empowering consumers for the green transition (debate)

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Madam President, thank you very much. It should be easy to do the right thing. We are very many who want to get away from the throwaway economy, and who want to take a stand with the wallet. But we all know it's easier said than done. Today, it is far too easy to mislead consumers with fine words about sustainability, which in reality means nothing at all. This proposal will make it easier. There …

20 Apr

2023

SV Speech

IPCC report on Climate Change: a call for urgent additional action (debate)

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Mr President, thank you very much. Since 1970, the year I was born, the temperature has increased faster than ever before in the last 2,000 years. No one can read the latest IPCC report and continue to deny that we are facing a climate crisis. We only have ourselves to blame. It is no longer enough to talk in small groups, to brainstorm ideas. We need to act now. Adapting to climate change can red…

18 Apr

2023

EN Speech

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

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Mr President, Commissioner, Council, colleagues, this debate has been very much anticipated, especially since President von der Leyen and President Macron’s recent visit to China. This is not the first time the EU appears divided on matters of foreign policy. Who is the spokesperson for the EU? Is it Borrell, Michel, von der Leyen, Macron? Or is it Scholz? This underlines the need for a renewed an…

17 Apr

2023

SV Speech

Deforestation Regulation (debate)

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Mr President, thank you very much. The EU is the best environmental organisation in the world. By saying yes to the world's first legislation against imported and exported deforestation, we are further strengthening that role. The combined strength of the single market makes the EU a force to be reckoned with. Our trade policy is one of the main tools to influence other countries, to protect rathe…