What Rasmus spoke about.

31 Mar

2025

DE Speech

Guidelines for the 2026 budget - Section III (debate)

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Mr President! For us Greens, strengthening our democracy and democratic civil society is one of the key themes for the 2026 budget. That is why we are watching with concern how the legitimacy of democratic civil society is now being attacked by large parts, not only here in the house, but also globally. We see Donald Trump cracking down on companies and universities that hold different values than…

11 Mar

2025

DE Speech

White paper on the future of European defence (debate)

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Madam President, I believe that after more than two hours of debate, it can be said that a large majority here is willing to do more for our security and, yes, to invest more together. But I think our role as a European Parliament should not only be to nod off what the European Commission is proposing, with the ReArm Europeprogram, but to go beyond it. And I want to say very clearly: If we want to…

10 Mar

2025

DE Speech

Cutting red tape and simplifying business in the EU: the first Omnibus proposals (debate)

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Madam President, This is not a cut in bureaucracy, but a clear-cut. It is correct: The EU has a bureaucracy problem and EU regulations are far too complicated for businesses; There are also differences between national and European legislation. But simply closing your eyes and pretending that the climate crisis, overexploitation of nature or forced labor are not taking place cannot be an answer. C…

13 Feb

2025

DE Speech

Cross-border recognition of civil status documents of same-sex couples and their children within the territory of the EU (debate)

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Madam President, I want all Europeans to have equal rights, regardless of where they live and who they love. No one deserves hatred and hatred; Everyone deserves respect and equal rights. It is absurd that people in the EU can move freely, but they themselves and their families are not recognized everywhere. There have been several cases in the past where same-sex couples have had to sue for their…

10 Feb

2025

DE Speech

European Central Bank – annual report 2024 (debate)

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Mr President! The monetary policy debate in this House is partly dishonest and also marked by contradictions. Financial stability in 2025 is different from what it was in the 1990s or 2000s. Therefore, the work of central banks must also evolve. For example, if you want inflation to fall and prices to become affordable, you have to deal with the causes. And the reasons for the high inflation in re…

23 Jan

2025

DE Speech

Cryptocurrencies - need for global standards (debate)

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Madam President, It has been in existence for almost a week Trump meme coin – Economically worthless and for Trump fans, above all, an emotional bond with their great idol. The TrumpCoin is a fraud machine, which partly also foreign money goes into the coffers of the Trump family. While former US President Jimmy Carter had to sell his peanut farm at the end of the 1970s when he was elected, Trump …

18 Dec

2024

DE Speech

Need to ensure swift action and transparency on corruption allegations in the public sector to protect democratic integrity (debate)

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Mr President! Not even three days after Mr Reynders, former Commissioner for Justice, left office, the Belgian investigative authorities were at his doorstep. The allegations of money laundering by buying lottery tickets have it all. They are the responsibility of investigative authorities, as they are now investigating and, in the concrete case, ensuring that the allegations are clarified and Mr …

26 Nov

2024

DE Speech

2025 budgetary procedure: Joint text (debate)

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24 Oct

2024

DE Speech

Closing the EU skills gap: supporting people in the digital and green transitions to ensure inclusive growth and competitiveness in line with the Draghi report (debate)

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Mr President! A million! One million skilled workers will be missing from the German labour market by 2030 alone, and this is no different in many other European countries. More than 60% of small and medium-sized enterprises say they are already struggling to find skilled workers. The shortage of skilled workers is one of the biggest problems we face in the European Union in the coming years, and …

22 Oct

2024

DE Speech

General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2025 – all sections (debate)

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Mr President! Imagine we wake up in two weeks and Donald Trump is president again. Who among us seriously believes that the European Union is prepared for such a scenario? And as a budget politician, I can say: In budgetary terms, we certainly aren't. Instead of investing more, which we urgently need, the heads of state and government have even given us cuts in the past – cuts in research, cuts in…

10 Oct

2024

DE Speech

World Mental Health Day - need for a comprehensive EU strategy on mental health (debate)

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Mr President! Politics has mental health Ignored for too long. Nearly half of all Europeans have had mental health problems in the last 12 months. In young people, it is even more than 60 percent who suffer from depression, anorexia or simply self-doubt. High demands at school, at university or at work are cited as the most common reasons for this. But the global situation with climate change, war…

9 Oct

2024

DE Speech

Ensuring sustainable, decent and affordable housing in Europe - encouraging investment, private property and public housing programmes (debate)

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Mr President! Retirees who are expelled from their homes after decades, students who cannot find a room at their place of study, or young families who are stuck in apartments that are far too small. Housing policy is the social issue of our time. And it is a scandal that more and more people have to deal with rent increases of 15, 20 percent or even higher rent increases, while the big housing com…

9 Oct

2024

DE Speech

Taxing the super-rich to end poverty and reduce inequalities: EU support to the G20 Presidency’s proposal (topical debate)

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Mr President! The club of the super-rich is getting bigger. There are now 249 billionaires living in Germany. That's 23 more than before. Lidl boss Schwarz and the BMW heirs Klatten and Quandt get new friends. The new billionaires can only be congratulated, because once you become a member of this club, it is hardly possible to fly out. Rich people get richer and the majority of people look into t…

19 Sep

2024

DE Speech

The historic CJEU ruling on the Apple state aid case and its consequences (debate)

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Mr President, I think Apple is rotten right to the core, or at least it seems clear that Apple has cheated European taxpayers out of EUR 13 billion. This is just the latest example of big tech companies trying to exploit our society through tax dodges, or by leveraging their market power. The recent court ruling against Apple sends a clear message to big tech companies if you want to do business i…

17 Sep

2024

DE Speech

Outcome of G20 ministerial meeting in Rio-de-Janeiro and fighting inequality (debate)

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Madam President, We can no longer afford the super-rich. Wealth inequality is seriously damaging our democracy. It is not fair that the richest 10% own just under 60% of the wealth. Worse still: While the majority of people could afford less and less, a small elite has continued to accumulate their wealth in recent years. For example, the total wealth of the five richest Germans has grown from 89 …

24 Apr

2024

DE Speech

The sixth Anti-Money Laundering Directive - Anti-Money Laundering Regulation - Establishing the Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (joint debate - Anti-money laundering)

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Mr President! What does FC Bayern Munich have to do with the EU's new money laundering rules? Whether through player advisors, sponsorship or ticket sales, investigations in the environment of football clubs take place again and again, and professional sports is one of the hotspots for money laundering. This is also the case with Bavaria, where at least one Russian oligarch has shown himself more …

23 Apr

2024

DE Speech

Effective coordination of economic policies and multilateral budgetary surveillance - Speeding up and clarifying the implementation of the excessive deficit procedure – amending Regulation - Requirements for budgetary frameworks of the Member States – amending Directive (joint debate – Economic governance)

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Mr President! More than 100 million Europeans live in poverty, and investment needs for climate objectives and competitiveness alone in the European Union amount to over 600 billion euros per year. These are not figures that I have come up with or that come from any think tanks, these are the official figures of the EU Commission. And yet here today, Social Democrats, Conservatives and Liberals wa…

13 Mar

2024

DE Speech

Guidelines for the 2025 Budget - Section III (debate)

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Mr President! Extreme heat, droughts and forest fires in southern Europe, floods in the north – no continent in the world is warming faster than Europe. The climate crisis is a security risk: It will lead to more wars, migration and social conflicts in the future. That is why good climate policy is active security policy, and there can be no good security policy without active climate policy. That…

13 Mar

2024

DE Speech

European Semester for economic policy coordination 2024 – European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social priorities for 2024 (joint debate – European Semester)

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Mr President! Over 100 million Europeans living in poverty, a broad majority of the population that has lost real income in recent years and struggles to pay their bills at the end of the month, and, on the other hand, a small elite of super-rich people who have only had to watch their fortunes increase in recent years. At the same time, the EU Commission describes that we have an investment need …

27 Feb

2024

DE Speech

Multiannual financial framework for the years 2021 to 2027 - Establishing the Ukraine Facility - Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (‘STEP’) (joint debate - multiannual financial framework revision)

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Mr President! Europe is firmly on Ukraine's side. We are in solidarity and we are also organising the financial assistance needed with the Ukraine Facility in a very concrete way. It is particularly important to me to focus on this at a time when we are seeing that there is still no agreement in the US for more financial assistance to Ukraine and, unfortunately, some national governments are no lo…

26 Feb

2024

DE Speech

Need to overcome the Council deadlock on the platform workers directive (debate)

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Mr President! Peeling breaks, which must be approved individually by the Hamburg-based shuttle company MOIA. Amazon employees treated like robots and monitored with cameras. Delivery messengers who deliver food for tens of hours without breaks and are monitored by apps: This is the reality of millions of platform workers here in the European Union. These working conditions are really crappy, and I…

7 Feb

2024

DE Speech

Implementation report on the EU LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025 (continuation of debate)

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Madam President, Depression, anxiety, loneliness – too many LGBTIQ people know exactly these feelings. Many young people are afraid to be themselves – in 2024. It is very clear to all young people: You're not a problem. Love whoever you want! It's totally okay to love the same gender and rediscover your identity. Do not be persuaded otherwise; Do not be persuaded otherwise, for example by the fasc…

6 Feb

2024

DE Speech

Conclusions of the European Council meetings, in particular the special European Council meeting of 1 February 2024 (debate)

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Madam President, Last Thursday was undoubtedly a good day for our European Union, for our European security and, of course, for Ukraine. Europe is firmly on Ukraine's side, and we will not let this dissuade us. It was a bad day, and the big losers of the last few days are Viktor Orbán, who did not make it, even though he inflated his cheeks to achieve anything of his demands. It has been a bad day…

17 Jan

2024

DE Speech

Improving the socio-economic situation of farmers and rural areas, ensuring fair incomes, food security as well as a just transition (debate)

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Madam President, The frustration has been felt in recent weeks, and also in my homeland, in Schleswig-Holstein, many farmers have taken to the streets or have paralyzed our country a bit with tractors and breathed their anger. I have a great deal of understanding for this, because a lot of things don't work in agriculture. But contrary to what the political right here in the House claims, it is no…

17 Jan

2024

DE Speech

Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 14-15 December 2023 and preparation of the Special European Council meeting of 1 February 2024 - Situation in Hungary and frozen EU funds (joint debate - European Council meetings)

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Mr President! Two days ago, former U.S. President Donald Trump won the first primary of the U.S. Republicans in Iowa. And the bitter truth is that he could possibly be U.S. president again in a year. And we have to prepare for that, and we don't. The preparation also includes an EU budget that is able to act and with which we can invest. According to the Commission, we need 620 billion euros of ad…