Speeches

Dear colleague Vautmans, I'm usually totally on your side, but already in normal debates we don't accept blue cards from speakers on the list – and now we have 80 speakers. So there is an exchange, there is someone from this side, there is someone from that side. Not every individual. We've already had five. We are in the European Parliament, and already that we only have 1 minute speaking time – for me, it is not a real debate. But we cannot change all of the rules according to every individual who wants to speak this time. I completely understand what you're saying, but with 80 speakers on the list, if every one of you then also takes blue cards, we will sit here until midnight. I really apologise. I completely get your point, but we have a back and forth of opinions and of political positions. It's the line of Parliament in general, and in this debate all the more.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the Commission statement on the outcome of the UN Biodiversity Conference 2024 (COP 16) in Cali, Colombia [2024/2909(RSP)].

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the Commission statement on the outcome of the G20 Summit of Heads of State or Government [2024/2939(RSP)].

The next item on the agenda is the debate on. – the oral question to the Council on the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, by Antonio Decaro, Lídia Pereira, Javi López, Emma Wiesner, Lena Schilling, Nikolas Farantouris, on behalf of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (O-000010/2024 - B10-0104/24) and. – Oral question to the Commission on the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, by Antonio Decaro, Lídia Pereira, Javi López, Emma Wiesner, Lena Schilling, Nikolas Farantouris, on behalf of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (O-000009/2024 - B10-0105/24).

The next item is the debate on the Council and Commission statements on the Hungarian ‘national card’ system and its impact on the Schengen area and the area of freedom, security and justice (2024/2800(RSP)).

The next item is the debate on the presentation by the Council of its position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2025 – all sections (2024/2713(RSP)).

There is a blue card from colleague Al-Sahlani. We have the rule that because the speakersis also extremely long, no one gets a blue card, which is also on the list of speakers. The same is true of Mrs Miranda Paz.

Colleagues, please do not exceed your speaking time in this way. Please take your scarf off, Ms Hassan. We talked about it. Thank you. Please, we are a House of speech here and not of symbols, etcetera. Thank you. We've always done it that way. Could you please take it? Thanks.

I would just remind colleagues of the rule that there is no blue card when you are on the speakers list. We have an extremely long debate. So there was one blue card by Özlem Demirel, but there was another card that was apparently withdrawn. Is that correct or is there another blue card for Mr Mandl still? No? Okay, thank you.

Colleagues! In accordance with Rule 251(4) of the Rules of Procedure, I would like to inform you that no request for a vote has been made on the 20 corrections announced to plenary yesterday at the opening of the sitting. The corrections are therefore deemed to have been accepted.

Mr President! Only this morning did news reach us again of how Russia is systematically trying to unsettle our continent by spreading fake news. A Moscow-based company called the Social Design Agency is tasked with spreading false information directly from the Kremlin, on Telegram, Instagram, X and Facebook, on TikTok, in order to increase the fear of the future of the Germans and thus also to strengthen right-wing parties, because these parties live by spreading fear. Social media as a catalyst for spreading fake news and hatred and hate speech – this has a serious impact on society and democracy, and it has nothing to do with freedom of expression; It is targeted disinformation. We must not stand by with a sighted eye. The Internet is an important space for exchange, and it must remain so, and it must not become a swamp of lies and threats in which democratic values perish. The DSA has been an important step: We need international standards that ensure respectful cooperation on social media to protect our human rights.