What Hildegard spoke about.

6 Oct

2026

DE Speech

Affordable Housing Act (debate)

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Mr President, Dear Commissioner, sorry, but that was not enough. At the beginning of the legislature, I welcomed the fact that Ursula von der Leyen put the housing crisis on the agenda. Especially in big cities like Berlin, the topic worries people a lot. And we, as Parliament, have worked intensively on this for two years and have made good recommendations. Unfortunately, not much of these can be…

15 Sep

2026

EN Speech

Escalation in the Middle East (debate)

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Mr President, High Representative, colleagues, the Houthis are advancing again in Yemen. They have taken new territory near the Bab al Mandab Strait, one of the world's most important shipping routes. This is not just a local conflict. It is a movement with an anti-American, antisemitic agenda hitting strongly our economy, and it is gaining ground. Washington is stepping back. Saudi Arabia asked t…

9 Jul

2026

DE Speech

Joint communication on humanitarian aid (JOIN(2026)0025) (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! Humanitarian aid is an expression of our European values. It saves lives, it relieves suffering, and it must reach those who need it most. But that is precisely why we must not be naïve; Humanitarian aid is never completely apolitical. After a natural disaster, this may still be the case, but only the question of who gets humanitarian aid in wars a…

8 Jul

2026

DE Speech

Harnessing the potential of a competitive and sustainable EU Bioeconomy Strategy for EU strategic autonomy (debate)

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8 Jul

2026

EN Speech

The EU’s role in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the accountability of Israel under international law (topical debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, Europe has been engaged for decades in providing humanitarian aid and basic social services to the people of Gaza. Recent initiatives by Commissioner Šuica, including the convening of donor conferences, demonstrate Europe's continued strong commitment, even at a time when equally devastating humanitarian catastrophes in Sudan, Yemen and Afghanistan demand ou…

16 Jun

2026

EN Speech

Question Time (Commission) - State of play on the European Commission’s pledge to reduce the reporting burden, in particular for SMEs

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Commissioner, the Commission has rightly committed itself to reducing unnecessary burdens for European businesses. However, many companies are concerned about the implementation of the Empowering Consumers Directive. While they support the objective of combating greenwashing, the current interpretation appears to require even products that were lawfully placed on the market before September 2026 t…

29 Apr

2026

EN Speech

Situation in Lebanon: implementation of the ceasefire, support peace efforts and humanitarian access (debate)

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Mr President, dear colleagues, a ceasefire without enforcement is not stability. It is a pause before the next escalation. This is the risk we are facing today in Lebanon. While diplomatic talks between Israel and Lebanon are taking place in Washington, Hezbollah refuses to stop aggression. For Israel – this is a well-known fact since its foundation – security is not negotiable. After 7 October, H…

29 Apr

2026

DE Speech

The need to combat antisemitism and protect Jewish life in Europe, following the recent attacks against the Jewish community in the Netherlands and Belgium (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Moritz said it, it was on the house walls in Berlin: ‘Only a dead Jew is a good Jew’, ‘Kill all Jews’ – not hidden, not in secret, but in the middle of our cities. Jewish institutions resemble high-security zones, and yet protection and a clear attitude from the state and also from the civil society side is too often omitted. Particularly frightening is anti-…

29 Apr

2026

EN Answer

EU strategy in response to the ongoing Middle East crisis, its implications on energy prices and the availability of fertilizers (joint debate)

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Sorry, I didn't fully get it, but I hope my Spanish is enough. But I said that we want to become more independent from fossil fuels, I think that was very clearly said by Manfred Weber, he said that we have to rely on renewables. It was also said by the President of the Commission. But we cannot do this from one day to the other. We will rely for our kerosene a long time still on oil, and this is …

29 Apr

2026

DE Speech

EU strategy in response to the ongoing Middle East crisis, its implications on energy prices and the availability of fertilizers (joint debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. For 61 days there has been an exceptional situation in the Middle East and the oil markets. However, the reasons for the now escalated situation are deeper, and that is where, in my view, the lessons that we as the EU must learn from the current crisis must start. Fortunately, we are not affected by the military conflicts, but massively by the economic ones. I t…

26 Mar

2026

DE Speech

Global Gateway – past impacts and future orientation (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for this exchange for being productive. I would like to inform you that I am also invited to report on the initiative in the European Council. It is very, very important that we do this in cooperation with the Member States as Team Europe. But let me say one more word to the right side of Parliament, because they simply did not understand …

26 Mar

2026

DE Speech

Global Gateway – past impacts and future orientation (debate)

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Mr President, dear Commissioner, dear Chloé, dear colleagues! What could South African President Ramaphosa, Congolese President Tshisekedi, President of Colombia, Prime Minister of Armenia and Prime Minister of Grenada have in common? anyone? They all, and a few other Heads of Government and Ministers more, attended the second Global Gateway Forum in Brussels last October and met …

25 Mar

2026

EN Speech

Imminent death penalty threats in Iran in the light of the latest executions, including on 18 and 19 March 2026, by the Iranian regime (debate)

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Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, the main concern of European and Western leaders and the focus of the media is the economic impact of the war between Israel, the United States and Iran. When and how the Strait of Hormuz will reopen and when oil and gas production will resume. The Iranian regime, in contrast, is waging war abroad and using the death penalty as a tool of terror …

25 Mar

2026

EN Speech

Order of business

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Madam President, no, I would like to stick with the very clear focus of the debate. I propose that we put the urgent human rights situation in the middle of our debate.

25 Mar

2026

EN Speech

Order of business

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Madam President, dear colleagues, I would like to request the urgent inclusion of a Commission statement on the imminent use of the death penalty in Iran. This matter cannot be postponed until April. Executions are not a distant risk; they are happening now and they are targeting the brave protesters of February. Only last week, the 19-year-old wrestler Saleh Mohammadi was executed. He was subject…

25 Mar

2026

EN Speech

Order of business

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Madam President, dear colleagues, let me be very clear from the outset: the EPP Group fully supports the objective of the proposal of colleague Bert-Jan Ruissen. The recent attacks in the Netherlands and Belgium are deeply alarming. These incidents occur more and more often. They are more and more violent. In the meantime, many Jewish citizens in the Netherlands and in Belgium fear for their lives…

10 Mar

2026

DE Speech

Recommendation on enhanced EU-Canada cooperation in the current geopolitical context, including the threats to Canada’s economic stability and sovereignty (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to draw attention to the extraordinary momentum that our cooperation with Canada in the field of raw materials policy could take if we do it right. Canada has announced its strategy these weeks, which can only be described as maximally offensive in terms of defense and raw materials. The current government is doing nails with heads with a clear comm…

20 Jan

2026

DE Speech

Brutal repression against protesters in Iran (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. Three things about Iran. Firstly: credibility. It cannot be the case that there are only ten Member States in the Council that want to list the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization. In the face of more than tens of thousands of murdered people, other arguments such as benevolence for nuclear talks must be left behind. I find it really regrett…

16 Dec

2025

EN Speech

Condemnation of the terrorist attack against the Hanukkah celebrations in Sydney and solidarity with the victims and their families (debate)

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Mr President, dear colleagues, first and foremost, I would like to offer my deepest condolences to anyone who has lost a family member, a friend, a brother or sister in faith at Bondi Beach on Sunday. My prayers also go out to those who were injured and who are still struggling for their lives, and to all those whose memories of Hannukah celebrations will, from now on, be tainted by the sentiment …

22 Oct

2025

DE Speech

First anniversary of the DANA floods in Spain: improving EU preparedness (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! The 232 deaths in Valencia due to massive rains and floods were unfortunately not a single phenomenon in Europe, but they are a new reality, which in their cruelty can now strike everywhere at lightning speed and from which we urgently need to protect our citizens. In an emergency, crisis mechanisms must be reliable. There is no question that th…

21 Oct

2025

DE Speech

Renewing the EU-Africa Partnership: building common priorities ahead of the Angola Summit (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, No more development aid from the watering can, but real cooperation through long-term and strategic partnerships between Europe and Africa – this is the new offer that the EU makes to African countries as the main trading partner. To this end, the President of the Commission has taken the initiative to: Global Gateway started. As the European Parli…

21 Oct

2025

EN Speech

Recent peace agreement in the Middle East and the role of the EU (debate)

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Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, what if Hamas refuses to lay down its arms? That's what I asked in the last plenary, referring to the frequently mentioned notion of High Representative Kallas: that there is no military solution. And this is exactly the situation we face today. Hamas has released the living hostages and Israel has withdrawn to the agreed yellow line, enacted a …

7 Oct

2025

EN Speech

The EU’s role in supporting the recent peace efforts for Gaza and a two-state solution (debate)

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Mr President, Madam Commissioner, dear colleagues, now or never. A genuine diplomatic breakthrough is on the table, shaped by President Trump and broadly backed by the Arab and Muslim world, including those with the most influence on Hamas. The plan demands something from both sides, even if it is hard to accept that terrorists sit at the table at all. The plan puts strong emphasis on what matters…

9 Sep

2025

DE Answer

Gaza at breaking point: EU action to combat famine, the urgent need to release hostages and move towards a two-state solution (debate)

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I would now reply in German. This is what I stand for: We recognize that the Israelis are a democracy in which they choose their government, in which they make their decisions. And so I also find it difficult – as many in the room do – to criticise the military action in Gaza, in Gaza City, because we have no better advice, militarily, from any defence minister. They say that the crisis cannot be …

9 Sep

2025

EN Speech

Gaza at breaking point: EU action to combat famine, the urgent need to release hostages and move towards a two-state solution (debate)

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Madam President, dear Vice‑President, dear colleagues, after more than 700 days of war, Israel and Gaza may be entering the final phase: the complete defeat of Hamas's military wing, and hopefully the liberation of the last 20 hostages, including at least 7 Europeans. The EU has no boots on the ground, no role in the ceasefire talks and no seat at the table for Gaza's political future, but we do h…