Speeches

At the end of the debate, a motion for a resolution was tabled in accordance with Rule 142(5) of the Rules of Procedure. The debate is closed. The vote will take place tomorrow, Tuesday 10 March 2026.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Democracy is precious, and democracy is fragile. The U.S. is one of the mother countries of democracy, and it is precisely there that we see what happens when democracy scorners come to power. No matter what political agenda they have, they all have one thing in common: They are the first to attempt to disempower democratic institutions and destroy the separation of powers. This can be illustrated particularly well in the USA. Why? Because the president makes no secret at all of the fact that he does and wants to do this, because he is passing over the powers of Congress, because he wants to make the independent courts and other institutions his vicarious agents, because he is silencing critical media. Trump and this Project 2025 Hungary in particular, where all this has been going on for 16 years. What is the knowledge for everyone in Europe? No matter where the differences between the anti-democrats lie and what they promise you for blue from the sky: When they come to power, they will do just that: Destroy democracy to prevent it from ever being re-elected. Then they will show their true face. The AfD Bayern is already saying that it wants ICE on German roads – and it is applauded, I ask to take note, it is applauded on the right – i.e. masked, unidentifiable people who arbitrarily arrest others from the streets on the basis of skin color and hold them without trial. Therefore: Democracy is precious, and it is fragile. Not only does it fail at the extremists, it fails at those who remain indifferent to it. We all need to be strong enough against these extremists.

So the bug is up here, too. There is a rule that there are no blue cards for the same group. I'm sorry we didn't realise that in time. So please do not put blue cards for speakers of the same group. Thank you. You can have your discussion outside, please, because we will continue with colleague Tegethoff. Please, have your discussion outside.

The minutes of that meeting shall be submitted to Parliament for approval at the beginning of its next meeting. If there are no objections, I will forward the resolutions adopted at today's sitting to the persons and bodies referred to in those resolutions.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the Commission statement on the common approach to the increased use of the death penalty (2026/2570(RSP)).

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

Madam President, SAFE – this means ‘safe’. It is therefore downright ironic to unconditionally allocate funds to Viktor Orbán from the SAFE programme, which is actually intended to promote defence and security projects in the EU. And this also amounts to an incredible €16 billion, because with Viktor Orbán, these European funds are certainly not safe. We all know, you all know, the people of Hungary also know that Orbán is corrupt and thinks little of transparency and the rule of law. For good reason, other payments are discontinued. However, rule of law and anti-corruption standards must also apply to SAFE. Orbán is also a security risk in other respects. It is he who repeatedly throws himself at Vladimir Putin, who blatantly threatens Europe. He is also the one who is constantly undermining EU support for Ukraine. And it is he, too, who is a buddy with Donald Trump, who is reaching for European territory. This behaviour shows that Orbán is willing to undermine and sacrifice European interests if it serves its own advantage. SAFE funds are intended to strengthen the Union’s defence capacity and not to fund political campaigns or leak into the pockets of school friends – you have to say yes in this case – or family. Any disbursement must be subject to strict conditions – full transparency, independent control and binding guarantees that EU funds will be used exclusively for agreed purposes. It is only under those conditions that the SAFE programme can fulfil its proper purpose.

Mr President! For decades, people have been risking their lives in Iran for freedom, self-determination and dignity. The origin of these protests was the courageous struggle of women for their fundamental rights. On January 8, Iranian authorities shut down the internet amid nationwide protests. Since then, the truth has only reached us filtered, delayed or dampened. But one thing is clear: Thousands of demonstrators are killed and injured. Police, Revolutionary Guards and civil servants chase, mistreat and kill peaceful protesters and even the uninvolved. We need to act politically. Sanctions are not enough. We must listen to the people of Iran and also here in Europe and must not hesitate any longer in the face of this brutal action. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard must be classified as a terrorist organization. That would be more than a symbol. It would have economic consequences, very concretely, and would significantly limit the power of this violent regime. And we have to act humanly. Talk about it! Give the Iranians a voice. Make them visible! Women, life, freedom.

The next item on the agenda is the brief presentation of the report by Leire Pajín, on behalf of the Committee on Development, on humanitarian aid in a multiple crisis – reaffirming our principles for a more effective and ambitious response to humanitarian crises (2025/2085(INI)) (A10-0257/2025).

The next item on the agenda is the brief presentation of the report by Johan Van Overtveldt, on behalf of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, on safeguarding and promoting financial stability in times of economic uncertainty (2025/2051(INI)) (A10-0232/2025).

The debate is closed. At the end of the debate, a motion for a resolution B10-0063/2026 was tabled in accordance with Rule 131 of the Rules of Procedure. The vote will take place on Thursday 22 January 2026.