Speeches

Thank you, Mr Colleague, and for all interested Members, for pointing out that the pigeon has been captured and will be released into freedom.

Mr Cañas, I will not give you the floor. It’s not a point of order and this is not a debate – no, no. You want to make a point of order? Colleague, do you want to make a point of order as well? Mr Cañas. Jordi. Listen to me. Jordi, listen to me please. If you want to take a point of order as well, you have the right to make a point of order. You do not have the right to answer a point of order, but you can make a point of order yourself. So, I give you the floor for a point of order – a short one.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on a topical issue (Rule 162) on the attack on climate and nature: Attempts by the extreme right and conservatives to smash the Green Deal and prevent investment in our future. I would like to point out to colleagues that this debate does not accept spontaneous interventions or blue cards, as it is a debate under Rule 162 of the Rules of Procedure.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, For us as the European Union, Egypt has historically been an important partner in the region for a long time. And it is right that we make agreements with such strategic partners, which are all-encompassing and affect all policy areas. However, it is particularly important to me to stress that it is stipulated that financial support for Egypt is conditional on compliance with conditions. The conditions mentioned there are concrete steps towards effective democratic mechanisms. And it is just right that there are such conditions, ladies and gentlemen. Unfortunately, it is too little concrete, as it is written here, from my point of view. It is clear: Today, there is virtually no way for a civil society in Egypt to speak openly and critically about the current government. In my view, structural reforms for more human rights and a functioning rule of law are urgently needed in Egypt. And for migration management, I think it must also be completely clear that human rights are not negotiable, ladies and gentlemen. The documented ill-treatment that also exists in Egypt, for example of refugees from Sudan, must be enlightened and must not be the basis for cooperation between the European Union and Egypt.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the statements by the Council and the Commission on the activities of the Chinese police in Europe (2024/2684(RSP)). I would like to point out to colleagues that there will only be one round of speakers from the political groups and that no spontaneous interventions or blue cards will be accepted in this debate.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the statements by the Council and the Commission on "A new suspicion of Russian interference in the European Parliament in view of the upcoming European elections and the impact on the Union" (2024/2696(RSP)).

Dear Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, For years we have had a blockade in asylum and migration policy in the European Union, and today – today – we have the opportunity to resolve this blockade. And I call to you all: It is, of course, easy to find something that does not suit you in this pact; A point that displeases you where you could say: Okay, then I don't agree. But do we really want to make it that easy? We've been working on it for years, and we've found a compromise. A compromise that, in my view, is sustainable; which, on the one hand, upholds humanitarian standards and, on the other hand, ensures more order in migration policy. Ladies and gentlemen, do not vote against this pact! Because anyone who votes against this pact will make sure that it remains as it is. And as it is, it can't stay. That's why I tell you: Give yourself a jolt, agree with this pact, because it responds to what citizens expect us to do – to finally act on migration policy.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the report by Victor Negrescu, on behalf of the Committee on Budgets, on the general guidelines for the preparation of the 2025 budget – Section III – Commission (2023/2220(BUI)) (A9-0068/2024).

The joint debate is thus closed. The vote will take place today, Wednesday 13 March 2024, in the late afternoon. Written declarations (Article 171)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, To put it in front of you: I firmly believe that we need agreements with third countries outside the European Union to talk to them about migration, economic cooperation, etc. But it is also clear: Human rights must always be a basis for cooperation. The Commission has just delivered a nice speech here, but unfortunately it has not answered the questions we have asked at all. And for me it is quite clear that the condition for a payment of 150 million euros to a country where human rights are trampled on cannot be in the interest of the European Union at all. Because one thing is clear at this point: We have a president who not only abolishes democracy, but also immediately arrests the opposition, who is in prison – without trial. And with such a one, we make a contract? That can't be true! And I really have to say that this procedure for urgent decisions within the Commission with an alleged examination of the conditions does not at all meet the standards that we should have set in the European Union, apart from the fact that, of course, Parliament, as the budgetary legislator, should have been consulted. You have to do it differently in the future!

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, especially the rapporteurs! We need to move away from irregular migration and towards regular migration. The new Pact on Asylum and Migration is important for this, as the Commissioner has already said; It is important that we reduce irregular migration. But at the same time, we need a framework in the European Union that also enables regular migration into our labour market. With the dossier on the unification of the legal framework for residence permits to take up work, which we are discussing today and on which we are voting this week, we are taking an important step in this regard, because in fact our companies are desperately looking for qualified workers, and with this law we are enabling these workers to be recruited more easily abroad. The aim is to set up a faster and more uniform procedure in the European Union that is more flexible with the rules, allowing, for example, for a sector change to take place, allowing an application to take place not only from outside the EU, but also within the EU. I think that we are taking an important step forward in making it easier for companies in the European Union to recruit workers. That's why I'm asking you all to agree to this law.

The next item on the agenda is Question Time with questions to the Commission (Rule 137). I welcome Mrs Jourová, Vice-President of the Commission, to this Question Time. The theme of Question Time is: “The readiness of EU governments to combat foreign interference, including from Russia”. The question time will take about 60 minutes. As usual, the speaking time is one minute for a question and two minutes for the answer. During the first round of speakers, there is the possibility to ask a supplementary question; You have 30 seconds to answer this question and two minutes to answer it. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that a possible supplementary question is admissible only if it is closely related to the main question and is not a new question. If you would like to ask a question, I would ask you to register your request now by using the function of your voting device for spontaneous interventions after inserting your voting card. During Question Time, interventions will be made from your seat and I ask all speakers to respect the speaking time allocated to them. Members may need a few moments to register their request to ask a question via their voting device. I therefore ask you again to submit your request now so that we can begin with the first question.

The minutes of yesterday's meeting and the texts adopted are available. Are there any objections? That is not the case. The minutes have thus been approved.

Thank you very much, Mr. Colleague. For an explanation: I have given more speaking time to the speakers of the political groups, indeed, after Commissioner Breton has clearly exaggerated, and I have announced that I will do so. But I have also announced that we are lagging behind in time. We have five minutes for the spontaneous interventions and it is up to the President to decide who to give the floor to. We have had a number of colleagues who have asked for the floor and I can understand your dissatisfaction. I know you've been there all along, so have the other colleagues. We have heard five speakers speaking spontaneously in the five minutes set aside for this item on the agenda. Now Commissioner Breton has the floor for two minutes.

I know that you have called for catch the eye, but we had five minutes, we had five speakers, so you don’t get the floor. (End of catch-the-eye procedure)

Please note: We are now closing the Catch the Eye. We have far too many interventions under Catch the Eye, so we will have to make a choice, and I will now also become stricter, because we are lagging behind in time.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, We are at a turning point in history. We are at a turning point in history, because at the moment the question is whether the Member States of this European Union have understood the seriousness of the situation. We are at a turning point in history because the question now arises as to whether we can make the Member States of the European Union leap over their shadows. I believe that we in Parliament are very, very quickly in agreement that we need to take the next steps urgently now, because we have been discussing this for so long, ladies and gentlemen! Common development in the field of defence policy, common procurement – of course these are the steps we need to take. But I call on the Member States to: Stop talking about what can't be done! Start talking about what you want to do! Because that is what is driving the European Union forward now. We have arrived at a new time, a new time where we have a threat from the outside; At a time when we, as Europeans, need to be even closer together, especially in the field of defence. Let's finally live the turn of the century!