Speeches

Madam President, In geopolitically uncertain times, there are many things that Europe can no longer afford. At the forefront of this is a semi-finished single market. If partners like the US are becoming increasingly unpredictable, if more and more regions of the world are massively relying only on their own economy, then Europe must finally use its greatest strength and not just talk about it: our common market. And I say it quite honestly: it's as incomprehensible as we get in our own way. Member States defend national rules, national exceptions, national selfishness. It is this protectionism that prevents a genuine single market. Our goal must remain: a product, a service, the same rules, a market. If we now finally expand the single market in services, in the digital, in the energy union or in the capital market, if we now reduce bureaucracy instead of constantly building new hurdles, then we will create what we need: a strong single market that strengthens Europe economically and geopolitically, instead of a fragmented single market that weakens us both internally and externally. Commissioner Séjourné, I wish you every success in the fight for a strong internal market.

So, Mr Sieper, you are also on the Trade Committee, so I am a bit surprised by these statements. The European Commission, and I am really someone who often criticises the European Commission – but at this point one really has to say that hardly anything is as transparent as our trade talks, such as agreements, the documents are public, accessible to everyone, there are briefings, public briefings, even unofficial briefings on the status of the negotiations, which are not yet public. There are really close agreements. At best, it cannot be said that the EU Commission operates in a black box and bypasses the European Parliament. That's just not true.

Thank you, Mr Sieper. I think you have to take people's concerns very seriously. That is why, for example, I also negotiated very strong safeguard clauses for our agriculture, because I think this is very important. But you also have to be honest. What happened here today is fear-mongering. The accusations that were there to push the Mercosur trade agreement to the European Court of Justice are all advanced. Of course, the EU Commission has the right to negotiate trade agreements. Trade is the EU's primary competence. No member countries are circumvented. Our food standards are not lowered. There will continue to be food controls, and we do not give out of hand the right to shape our own policies. These are false arguments put forward today to scare people of free trade and to stop the free trade agreement. And Democrats, in particular, have to oppose such a thing. It must never be that fears are stirred up. We have to offer solutions.

Madam President, Donald Trump is the demolition bulb for rules-based trade. Russia is putting us militarily and China is putting us under economic pressure, and the European Parliament is putting Mercosur on hold with the right, left and Greens. This is such an incredible sabotage of our economy and an absolute geopolitical embarrassment. One can only hope that other trading partners such as India will not feel pushed to the head, because you have to say it: Whoever blocks trade blocks Europe's future. Our geopolitical strength lies in our economic strength. We now need more trade, more partners, more European self-confidence, and our companies deserve it. They are innovative, they are competitive. They deserve us to open up new markets to them, rather than just come up with new regulations all the time. The EU-India Summit is now an opportunity to finally conclude the trade agreement with India. The EU is already India's largest trading partner. Let us make more of it now, because foreclosure makes Europe smaller, makes us poorer and, above all, makes us irrelevant. The trade agreement with India is now the strategic step for our future. Let us finally act with India – for Europe, for our future!

Madam President, so many colleagues shared examples today of how AI is used to harm women. But I still believe in AI making our lives better, making our work days easier, or helping us live healthier lives. But instead, there are too many people choosing AI to humiliate women, to undress women without their consent, to create pornographic deepfakes, to sexualise, to harm and to silence female public voices like politicians, journalists, or attack their colleagues, their neighbours or ex-partners. Let me be clear – AI is just the tool. The real perpetrators are behind the screen and most of the time they are men. Yet creating new deepfakes is hardly ever punished, so women live in fear – we will change that. Women should not be afraid. It should be the perpetrators that are afraid. We will not accept technology being used to roll back decades and centuries of female empowerment, because our digital rules in Europe are worth nothing if we don't seriously enforce them, because AI will only be beneficial to all if we defend all our citizens' rights.

Madam President, dear colleagues, the Mercosur trade agreement will boost our economy, it will create new opportunities for our small businesses and it will protect and create jobs. It will diversify our supply chains, particularly on critical raw materials. The Mercosur trade agreement will strengthen Europe's geopolitical position. It will make us less dependent on China, on Russia and the moods of Donald Trump. It is the clear signal to the world the EU is a reliable partner. This agreement will also create new opportunities for the farming sector. But I do understand that some farming communities are worried. Politics is about listening and finding balanced solutions and that is why the Mercosur safeguards were created – a safety net for our farmers for the unexpected case of market disruptions. But let me be clear: supporting the safeguards means strengthening Europe and delivering solutions for a worried community. Voting against the safeguards means weakening Europe's geopolitical and economic future.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. Europe is losing out in global competition and the reason is clear: The regulatory wave of recent years is slowing down our companies. While China and the US are moving forward with speed, capital and pragmatism, Europe is captivating itself. We don't need to simplify our digital rules for Chinese or American tech giants. I don't care what Trump, Musk or Zuckerberg demand. As a liberal, I am always ready to challenge monopolies – but that is what we are doing through competition law. Because the truth is, our overregulation hits the wrong ones: small European companies. And meanwhile, the big tech giants are still grateful that we are regulating the competition away from them. Reducing regulation means creating economic strength, securing jobs and enabling AI based on our European values. The digital omnibus is now the opportunity for real departure, for innovation, for growth and for competitiveness. At the AI Act The following shall apply: Protecting civil rights and eliminating everything that innovates Made in Europe handicapped. Because if innovation does not come from Europe, then Europe will indeed become a digital vassal, and we must not allow that to happen.

Madam President, Create dependencies and then use them as a political weapon against us: This is China's clear strategy. And this is exactly what is happening due to China's technological dominance and the ever tighter export controls for rare earths. At the same time, China's structural overcapacity, specifically produced for export, is flooding us, not for our own market. This depresses prices, distorts competition and endangers our industry and our jobs. Europe must resist these dependencies. We need more trade with more partners. We must now ratify the Mercosur Agreement and reduce our vulnerability. And yes, we also need to use targeted safeguards – where Chinese overcapacity is flooding our market, putting our companies under pressure. Above all, however, we must make our own companies' lives easier and consistently free them from unnecessary regulation. Instead of more state intervention, we need courage for a market economy again. The EU can no longer be blackmailed.

Madam President, dear colleagues, I am not sure if you are aware, but today actually more than half of the trade services between the EU and Singapore are delivered digitally. We have a trade agreement with Singapore, so it is more than necessary that we update what we have – the rules for digital trade – and that is what we are voting on today. The EU-Singapore Digital Trade Agreement is the first ever standalone digital trade agreement by the European Union. It provides binding digital trade and sets standards for digital trade, data flows, data protection and consumer rights online as well. I know there have been worries, concerns raised by civil society and the European data ombudsman. We addressed all of these concerns in the resolution, and the Commission has specifically explained that they will pay attention to those concerns in the implementation. So we have been repeatedly ensured that there are no worries that we should have no worries that there are loopholes by the Commission. Our rights are protected and this agreement is not a risk to our data standards. Quite the opposite – it is a huge opportunity to set new digital trade standards in the world. So, dear colleagues, please make history today and support the first ever digital trade agreement between the EU and Singapore. Thank you very much.

Madam President, colleagues, we see democracy slipping through our fingers in Bulgaria. The EU is on the brink of losing yet another country to state capture, and I'm shocked by the blind eye the colleagues from the EPP and S&D are turning on this. According to civil society reports, key institutions – like the judiciary, security services, parts of the media – are under the influence of a Magnitsky-sanctioned oligarch, Delyan Peevski, with former Prime Minister Borisov and his GERB party allegedly acting as the political front. And while the EPP – his political family – looks away, the ALDE party acted. When Peevski took over our former Bulgarian member party, literally that same day the ALDE bureau decided to end their membership. Because defending democracy means taking action, not making excuses. So when will the EPP take action? The arrest of the Mayor of Varna is the clearest sign yet that the rule of law is failing. A democratically elected mayor detained without due process is a signal to everyone in Bulgaria: stay silent or face consequences. Bulgarian civil society calls on Europe, and I call on the European Commission: act now. Send a fact-finding mission, investigate the case of Mayor Kotsev and be ready to freeze EU funds if needed – because if Bulgaria loses democracy, Europe will lose Bulgaria.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. Made in Europe We need to stand for excellence instead of bureaucracy. It is good that the Commission is finally taking up ideas from the Draghi report. The 28th The regime is overdue. Initiatives to strengthen innovation are also important. We need speed in artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure or quantum computers. I think it is a pity that Mrs von der Leyen does not seem to be able to listen to the whole plenary debate, but I would like to say it very openly to her: Mrs von der Leyen, I would have liked more courage from you, more courage for the market economy and more courage for the red pen. They want to add 38 new proposals to 111 open ones, but delete only 25 proposals and one law and plan only three new omnibus simplifications. If Europe is serious about competitiveness, it should be the other way around. We need more dismantling than setting up regulations, because the existing omnibus laws are hardly making any progress. And it would be fatal if they became a symbol of Europe's inability to reform. Mrs von der Leyen, you have the courage to think big for competitiveness, energy independence and a real internal market. Because only an economically strong Europe is a strong Europe in the world.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. China is expanding its authoritarian influence. The US protects its interests with its elbows. And Europe wonders: What place do we find in this world disorder? We need more trade with more partners. Cooperation with India is an important step for the future of Europe. We need to be clear: Geopolitical strength starts with competitiveness. Without growth, there is no sovereignty – quite simply. Every trade agreement is a step towards European strength. If we want to remain relevant as Europe, we must act and not just negotiate endlessly. The EU is already India's largest trading partner. Let's expand this with the free trade agreement. For cooperation instead of protectionism, for partnership instead of isolation. Our companies deserve that we finally open new markets for them. If Europe wants to grow, it must again believe in itself, in its ideas, in its companies and in its people. That is why I say very clearly: Blocking more trade is blocking Europe's future. Those who are afraid of competition will end up losing prosperity in Europe and influence in the world. That is why, ladies and gentlemen, let us not talk any longer. Let us act literally – with India, for Europe, for our future.

Madam President, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen likes to talk about competitiveness, but hinders it when it really matters. Supply Chain Act, Deforestation Ordinance, Taxonomy: With bureaucratic ballast, Europe is not saving the world, it is only ruining our businesses. The single market must once again become the engine of our prosperity, not the brakes of over-regulation. If we want to be strategically sovereign, we can only do so if we finally abolish this miserable national protectionism – a real market, especially for services and workers. Sovereignty comes from strength, not subsidies. Competition creates innovation, not the Commission's planned economy. Chancellor Merz and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil talk about less bureaucracy in Germany. But in Brussels, the Union and the SPD are pushing for more and more regulation. In Europe, only the Free Democrats consistently stand for freedom, growth and less regulation. Europe can once again become an economic power if we finally have confidence in the power of our single market.

Mr President, dear disciples, sometimes you think: How do you counter this misogyny? And then you think: Maybe just continue and show them how strong women are in this house. Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. The deal with the United States is a bad deal. Ms von der Leyen did not dare to negotiate harder because we are dependent on the US for economic and security policy. Europe has a choice: Not a deal or a bad deal. Above all, Europe must pull itself together in order to finally get from the cat table to the negotiating tables of the world. We cannot talk about geopolitical relevance; we have to fight for it in trade agreements and with economic power. Mrs von der Leyen would have to set all course for economic growth. Instead, it buried the market economy today in the State of the Union address. Leading political markets; Buy European, Subsidies are supposed to come, but unfortunately, to strengthen the internal market and cut red tape, there were only hollow phrases instead of deeds. Weakening our economy weakens Europe. Without growth, we will not become a world power, we will remain a plaything. Blocking the Mercosur agreement blocks growth and destroys jobs. We will only be strong in the world with more trade and more partners. Let's take advantage of the moment! Minister Bjerre, I am building on you and the Danish Presidency. Ratify as many trade agreements as possible!

Mr President! We now need pragmatic solutions with the US and a framework agreement that opens the roadmap for further negotiations. The following shall apply: No deal at any price! We must be prepared to impose counter-tariffs at any time. We must be clear: Donald Trump insists unrestrainedly on the right of the strongest. He wants Wild West trade policy. But just as dangerous are those who oppose it on principle. We just heard it again: The leftists who sabotaged TTIP and still celebrate today as if less trade with the US was a victory. It was a gift to China. But that's exactly what they want. Foreclosure instead of freedom, communism instead of capitalism, although it was capitalism that made us so strong. Preventing trade deals means more expensive products, fewer jobs, less wealth and more influence for autocrats. Europe needs to be a designer again, not a driving force. Blocking free trade strengthens the wrong people – Trump, Xi and populists from the left and right. We now need more trade with more partners for freedom, prosperity and a strong Europe.

Madam President, China is flooding our single market with subsidised overcapacity – from toys to steel. I expect Ursula von der Leyen to find pragmatic solutions for fairer competition for our industry at the EU-China Summit. But above all, Europe must not become so naive towards China again. For years we have struggled to free ourselves from these asymmetrical dependencies. We have let ourselves be lulled by China as Germany, as Europe. With restrictions on exports of heavy rare earths, China is showing that it is ready to use our dependencies as a weapon. In the conflict between autocracy and democracy, we must not forget that China is an autocratic regime that only disturbs democracy and human rights. Let us think of the oppression of the Uyghurs, of Hong Kong, of the threats against Taiwan. Now is not the time for appeasement, neither to Trump/USA nor to China. Now is the time for clear edge and closed strength. We need more trade with more partners. I am counting on the Danish Presidency of the Council, Minister Bjerre, to gather the Member States for an offensive for more free trade. We open up new markets and sources of raw materials.

Mr President! We as European consumers, our environment and our companies that comply with the law are suffering from the flood of cheap Chinese products. If research shows that well over half of toys from third countries such as China are dangerous, then parents are quite rightly afraid that toys will fall apart on which their babies may even swallow or suffocate. Small European designers suffer because their designs are copied and squandered at cheap prices. People who like to shop online suffer when the new clothes from questionable production are contaminated with toxic chemicals. With this own-initiative report, the European Parliament sends a very clear signal: Illegal and unsafe products have no place in our internal market. We do not need new laws. The Commission and Member States must enforce rigorously applicable law, such as the Digital Services Act or the laws on product safety. We need to strengthen market surveillance, digitalise customs, abolish the €150 free border and ensure that illegal products do not enter our market in the first place. We must take the responsibility of the Chinese platforms to collect taxes and levies as well. Let's make online shopping safe again, that it is also fun and does not serve the exploitation of people or the environment and that the competition is fair.

Mr President! The bureaucratic hurdles in the single market cost jobs and cash because they keep our companies artificially small. Two examples alone: The posting of workers causes more paperwork than turnover, and all the national rules for product packaging or disposal are simply petty state-owned. It is still easier for small businesses to put their ideas on the shelves outside Europe than it is here at home. This must finally end. That is why I am so grateful to Commissioner Séjourné for the impetus provided by the Single Market strategy. With the Single Market Omnibus, the first step towards cutting red tape in the single market is finally being taken. Now comes with the definition for SMEs also a small mid-capDefinition, and there should be a direct facilitation in the implementation of some laws for these small businesses, as in the case of the General Data Protection Regulation. But that can only be the beginning. I would really like to encourage the Commission: Don't stop with this one omnibus law. Adapt all internal market laws to this new definition. Adapt them better for small and medium-sized businesses and themall mid-caps. Our goal must remain: Innovation must not only be conceived in Europe, innovation must be made in Europe. Let's tackle it, let's finally unleash the single market and the potential for our businesses!

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. In geopolitically uncertain times, we need to radically expand our single market. Our economic strength makes us an attractive partner. And if partners like the USA are no longer reliable, we must make our home market more attractive, also for our own companies. There must finally be an end to this regulatory micro-statery – a product, a service, a market according to the same rules. We must rigorously cut red tape and put all single market laws to the test. Above all, I would like to remind you: Competitiveness comes from competition. I'm a bit skeptical of disproportionate government interventions like lead markets. This is not a guarantee that in the end the best product will prevail at the best price, but the politically desired product. And I am really counting on the Commission and Commissioner Séjourné to have the courage to make the single market great. Think big of the strategy, don't just think about small things. We need to strengthen our internal market now so that we become stronger in the world. Conversely, the following applies: Those who do not strengthen the single market now weaken us in the world.

Mr President! Heads, capital and AI – that must be our triad if we are to finally put the EU at the forefront of innovation. Let's train the best minds and become a talent magnet. But the smart minds Trump is driving out of the U.S. right now, they're not coming to us. Language barriers, high regulation of research and too high income taxes in many countries make it simply unattractive for highly qualified professionals to come to us. We need to do better. Let's finally create the Capital Markets Union, let's make it easier to invest in Europe, let's make it easier to scale ideas, and let's see failure not as a disgrace, but as a learning curve. Innovation must no longer be stifled by red tape and costs. We need a mindset change: Regulation not out of fear, but only where there are real problems. And we have the courage to simplify our digital laws as well. Tomorrow's prosperity depends on our power to innovate and advance technology. I wish so much that Europe no longer only talks about innovation, but also burns for it and finally acts.

Mr President! Our goal must clearly remain free trade. But the EU must also be ready to fight back with full force in the trade war. Because only from a position of strength will there be a solution with someone like Donald Trump. We must be open to pragmatic solutions, but above all we must finally seize the opportunities that lie openly before us. Trade policy must finally become more pragmatic, rather than a substitute for a lack of EU foreign policy. We must conclude the trade agreement with India later this year, ratify the agreement with Mexico, and above all: Any EU country that has not yet ratified the CETA agreement with Canada must finally do so. Above all, I no longer understand this mythical but fact-free blockade of the Mercosur agreement. While Trump is shinning every partner in the world, the EU must send a signal to old and new partners in the world: We want more trade with you! This makes us and our partners stronger economically and geopolitically.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen. It is simply frustrating when we see how small the steps of the EU countries are, while Trump and Putin and the autocrats are tearing our world apart in the sprint – and meanwhile the associations of democracy within the EU are blocking any progress. At the same time, the world cannot wait for us until we have poured money on Orbán again, so that he at least does not say no. It is crazy that Europe is still feeding the enemies of democracy with its own money. And meanwhile, President Macron is at least trying to build a coalition of the willing – above all, we need a coalition of the doers. Europe must act, otherwise, in the conflict between autocracy and democracy, at best, we will be irrelevant, at worst, we will be shattered. The EU must now become the third world power alongside China and the US – a security power that can defend itself jointly and independently, an economic power that is home to innovation and growth rather than bureaucracy, and a diplomatic power that is a reliable partner worldwide and defends our interests and values. The EU can now take the torch of freedom from the US and itself become a beacon for all those who strive for freedom and democracy.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. 100 days of new Von der Leyen Commission – and once again we are talking about competitiveness and cutting red tape; I could do the same with my speech a month ago. I am convinced that Europe must finally get out of the talk and deliver results. That's why the first bus can only be the beginning. We need to remove strictly superfluous regulations and reporting requirements. That is why I appeal again to the Commission: Please withdraw the open and still superfluous legislative proposals from the last mandate, because autocratic regimes are putting us under economic pressure, tech oligarchs do not want to comply with EU laws, and Trump's customs whims are poisonous for trade. Europe's economic strength will determine our future in the world. But when I hear here again today how many rely on zombie growth through subsidies and the state economy, I can only say: We need a social market economy. The Commission and capitals must now cut red tape, break down the artificial hurdles in the single market, enter into pragmatic trade partnerships and finally make Europe a hotspot for capital and innovation.

Mr President! I am relieved that Mrs. von der Leyen is willing to correct the birth defects of her own ill-made laws. Especially with regard to the Supply Chain Act, we as the FDP had already said at that time that the scope of application and the scope of liability had to be limited – so it is good that it comes. I would go even further and say it would be better for the Commission to withdraw the supply chain law, because there is still a lot of unnecessary bureaucracy in it and not enough effective protection of human rights. Nevertheless: The Omnibus Act must come, because it is a minimum to reduce bureaucracy and strengthen competitiveness. That's why I honestly ask myself: Have some colleagues from the Social Democrats and the Greens not yet noticed how bad the European economy is? I find it really irresponsible how some people refuse to simplify and cut red tape. And unfortunately, when I look at Berlin, the black and red exploratory paper does not give me much hope that the Union is actually serious about real reforms beyond the election campaign. Therefore, my absolute appeal to the Commission: We need much more simplification, we need to reduce unnecessary laws and regulations, and that's why we need a lot of new buses. And the next one must be a digital omnibus, because we have to simplify the excessive digital laws. We need to be at the forefront of innovation, not regulation.

Madam President, Dear colleagues! To be honest, I find it irresponsible how fact-free and populist some in this Parliament stir up fears, fears of free trade. Of course, we need to take concerns like those of our farmers seriously. That is why there are also very low import quotas in sensitive areas, such as beef, where it accounts for one and a half percent of total EU consumption. That's about a 200-gram steak per person. This is not a market distortion, and should there be any, the Commission is even planning aid payments. The real problem is the EU-made bureaucracy – not trade – that is hampering the competitiveness of our farmers. Protectionism will not solve this problem. Climate change mitigation will not be weakened either; It is even strengthened. Compliance with the Paris Climate Agreement is an essential basis for this agreement. Therefore: Let's look at the numbers! Then we see that 800,000 jobs in the EU alone depend on trade with the Mercosur countries. From my home country of Germany alone, more than 12,000 companies export to Mercosur, 70% of which are small and medium-sized enterprises. We have just heard from Commissioner Šefčovič: The reduced tariffs alone mean savings of EUR 4 billion for our companies. The real opportunities arise only through this market opening, such as access to critical raw materials. This helps our economy, our climate goals, and most importantly, it reduces our dependence on autocracies like China. Let me tell you quite honestly: I am not ready to watch the autocrats of the world stand shoulder to shoulder – and we in the European Union should not even be able to trade with other democracies? I am not prepared to accept this, because in times of impending tariff spirals and trade wars, we need more trade with more partners, above all trade with Mercosur. There is no need for de-globalization and Degrowthfantasies. We need the Mercosur agreement for our jobs in the European Union, for economic growth and, above all, for international cooperation.