What Hannah spoke about.

21 Jan

2025

EN Speech

Need to detect and to counter sabotage by the Russian shadow fleet, damaging critical undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea (debate)

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Mr President, dear colleagues, for too long have we treated the Baltic Sea as a tourist destination, a quiet periphery of Europe. Well, it turns out it's not. Hundreds of vessels of Russia's shadow fleet pass through the Baltic, lacking proper insurance and sailing under ever‑changing flags. These worn‑down, uninsured tankers are creating the conditions for an environmental disaster of unimaginabl…

17 Dec

2024

EN Speech

Toppling of the Syrian regime, its geopolitical implications and the humanitarian situation in the region (debate)

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(The speaker starts her speech in a non-UE language) 'Get out, Bashar!' That's what Syrians shouted in 2014 and now he is a refugee in Moscow. No one knows exactly what this new time will bring for Syria, but for the first time in decades, my Syrian friends have hope – hope to rebuild their country – and I want the European Union to support them with humanitarian aid, with their fight against impu…

27 Nov

2024

EN Speech

The increasing and systematic repression of women in Iran

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Madam President, Ahoo Daryaei, like so many women in Iran, was harassed by agents of the regime. They tore her clothes, claiming she was dressed too loosely, and to expose the absurdity of these actions Ahoo stood her ground in public in her underwear. The regime's response? They declared her mentally ill. Now they even plan to open clinics to treat women – to 'treat' women – who refuse to comply …

27 Nov

2024

EN Speech

Critical infrastructure vulnerabilities and hybrid threats in the Baltic Sea (debate)

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Madam President, two critical data cables destroyed in the Baltic for the second time, with the Chinese vessel nearby navigating incognito – what we are witnessing here is a textbook example of grey‑zone tactics, attacks too small to trigger a full military response, yet too significant and frequent to ignore. And this is a tactic our friends in the South China Sea know all too well. Now, China is…

26 Nov

2024

EN Speech

Reinforcing EU’s unwavering support to Ukraine against Russia’s war of aggression and the increasing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia (debate)

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Madam President, 12 000 North Korean soldiers are fighting for Russia, sent in exchange for advanced military technology, gaining battlefield experience they might use against South Korea. Russia is buying Shahed drones and missiles from Iran, providing Su-35 fighter jets and support to Iran's nuclear program in return, directly threatening Israel and global security. Russia is recruiting soldiers…

14 Nov

2024

EN Speech

Enhancing Europe’s civilian and defence preparedness and readiness (debate)

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Madam President, dear colleagues, floods, droughts, pandemics, cyberattacks, a war at our borders: crises are the new normal. And we can keep fixing problem after problem after problem – leading to collective exhaustion – or finally strengthen our preparedness and resilience. President Niinistö, you wrote an excellent report on how to get there, with 80 proposals all boiling down to: let's do it t…

13 Nov

2024

EN Speech

EU-US relations in light of the outcome of the US presidential elections (debate)

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Madam President, if I ever hear again that we have to be careful that mediocre women don't rise too high, I will only say 'Donald Trump'. This man is not merely mediocre: he is a misogynist, a racist, and a convicted criminal. His behaviour and his policies are nothing short of a declaration of war on women, and he seeks alliances with right-wing men around the world, even here in Europe, in this …

22 Oct

2024

EN Speech

State sponsored terrorism by the Islamic Republic of Iran in light of the recent attacks in Europe (debate)

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Madam President, countries export what they know best: cars, champagne, sausages. The Iranian regime exports terror and repression. From the moment refugees set foot in Europe, Iranian agents seek to intimidate them. They smear dissidents with lies and death threats, kidnap journalists and even plant bombs in public spaces and these attacks are happening here on European soil. And they don't just …

22 Oct

2024

EN Speech

Urgent need for a ceasefire in Lebanon and for safeguarding the UNIFIL mission in light of the recent attacks (debate)

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Madam President, dear colleagues, we are safe and free from repression here, and this is a privilege. I said this last session and I might have to say it again next session: we all have a choice to make about how we use this privilege. Will we continue to play into the hands of terrorists and warmongers, accusing each other of anti-Semitism or double standards, using symbols and rhetoric merely to…

9 Oct

2024

EN Speech

Iraq, notably the situation of women’s rights and the recent proposal to amend the Personal Status Law

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Madam President, dear colleagues, forcing a girl into marriage at the age of nine. This is not tradition. This is not religion. This is a crime. Iraq has a proud history of women fighting for equal rights. The Personal Status Law of 1959 was once among the most progressive in the region. Iraq's constitution guarantees that a quarter of parliamentary seats are reserved for women, and women played, …

8 Oct

2024

EN Question

Escalation of violence in the Middle East and the situation in Lebanon (debate)

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Madam President, dear colleagues, as we speak here, we represent nations with deep historic ties to both Israel and Palestine. I'm German. I feel a profound responsibility for the security of those whose parents and grandparents were exiled or murdered by my ancestors. And sitting beside me are colleagues who share close cultural ties to the Palestinian people, burdened by the feeling that for the…

18 Sep

2024

EN Speech

The deteriorating situation of women in Afghanistan due to the recent adoption of the law on the “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice”

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Mr President, imagine having just given birth to a child in Afghanistan. If this child is a boy, you will have to send him to madrasa, where he will be taught to look down on women, wage war against infidels and be moulded into yet another soldier of the Taliban. If this child is a girl, she'll be forced under a veil by the time she turns six or nine, banned from going to school, disappearing into…

17 Sep

2024

EN Speech

Continued financial and military support to Ukraine by EU Member States (debate)

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Madam President, dear colleagues, we need to support Ukraine as long as it takes, but also as much as it takes so that this war doesn't drag on forever. I was in Kyiv last week, and it was the words of a Ukrainian woman soldier that impressed me most. 'Time is different for us,' she said. 'Every hour that you debate sending weapons more of our friends die. Every day your sanctions are not fully im…

24 Apr

2024

EN Speech

Iran’s unprecedented attack against Israel, the need for de-escalation and an EU response (debate)

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Mr President, Mr Borrell, last week, the Iranian regime celebrated its first direct strike on Israel, and it continuously violates vital provisions of the nuclear agreement. ‘Sit and wait’ is no option and more diplomacy alone will not be enough. We urgently need to work on a plan B: a regional security architecture which addresses the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and preparedness …

12 Mar

2024

EN Speech

Question Time with Commissioners - Preparedness of EU governments to combat foreign interference, including from Russia

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Thank you for your answer, Commissioner. Would you mind to clearly name some of these domestic perpetrators, so that our citizens are very aware, when they hear them speak, what their message is, and who stands behind those messages?…

12 Mar

2024

DE Speech

Question Time with Commissioners - Preparedness of EU governments to combat foreign interference, including from Russia

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. If you want to know what foreign information manipulation and disinformation look like, take a look at the EUvsDisinfo database. There are now 16,000 narratives, mainly sprinkled by Putin's trolls, that have only one goal: Dividing and weakening our society. What you can see very easily when scrolling through this database is, some of it sounds pretty much like …

12 Mar

2024

EN Speech

Council and Commission statements - Preparation of the European Council meeting of 21 and 22 March 2024 (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, Minister, dear colleagues, yes, defence is national responsibility. ‘Responsibility’, the Treaties say, not ‘narcissism’. So why do Member States still compete with each other on the defence market instead of procuring together? Why do they still develop and produce duplicating structures, rather than streamlining the scarce resources? And why the hell is the defence in…

27 Feb

2024

DE Speech

Human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter – annual report 2023 (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, At every turn we are aware of the attacks on freedom and democracy. Sometimes brutal and visible to all, as in Ukraine, where Putin is waging his barbaric war, sometimes secretly, silently and quietly, as in disinformation campaigns by the Iranian regime designed to sow fear and discord. The enemies of democracy and freedom unite across all ideological bounda…

27 Feb

2024

DE Speech

War in the Gaza Strip and the need to reach a ceasefire, including recent developments in the region (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. What is happening in Israel and Palestine right now is incomprehensible man-made suffering – every loss of life, every family torn apart. Therefore, the call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire is right to allow the unconditional release of all hostages and the provision of humanitarian aid. I expect that everyone in the European Union will continue to put p…

26 Feb

2024

DE Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. In Germany, hundreds of thousands of people remind us of our responsibilities as parliamentarians. On the weekend, at one of the demonstrations against the deportation plans of the right-wing extremists, an elderly woman with a looking look stood next to me and asked me: “How do you do that now? Just run away? I've never been to anything like this before.” That …

16 Jan

2024

EN Speech

Humanitarian situation in Gaza, the need to reach a ceasefire and the risks of regional escalation (debate)

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Mr President, dear colleagues, the beginning of this year mirrors the tragic end of the last one, with people in Gaza suffering and Israelis fearing for their loved ones. What are we doing? Wearing flags or scarves, accusing each other of being loyal to the wrong side. But, colleagues, let’s not lose sight of what is at stake. Hopes for lasting peace in the region are shattered again. Palestinians…

15 Jan

2024

EN Speech

The need for an EU and international response to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and for continued support to the Yemeni peace process (debate)

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Madam President, dear colleagues, it is crucial that we have a joint European response to the Houthi attacks in the Red sea, but at the same time, it is our duty to safeguard the progress that peace efforts have made in Yemen recently. The European Union indeed needs to play its part to secure a safe passage for commercial ships, to prevent a further increase in commodity prices in the region, and…

13 Dec

2023

EN Speech

European Defence investment programme (EDIP) (debate)

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Madam President, with EDF, EDIRPA, ASAP, EDIP, EDIS frankly said I’m a bit tired of these acronyms trying to disguise the main problem: Member States are simply not willing to move towards a truly European defence industry and market. The communication on EDIP in February surely won’t change that. But I haven’t given up on EDIS, the strategy, yet. Here is what needs to be done. One, let’s pool nat…

13 Dec

2023

DE Speech

One year after Morocco and QatarGate – stocktaking of measures to strengthen transparency and accountability in the European institutions (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. Qatar was not the first country to use illegal methods to influence European politics, and it will not be the last. Today, more and more decisions are being taken at European level that are of particular interest to third countries – financial and investment policy, trade policy, visa policy. And just as our responsibilities here are increasing, attempts to infl…

22 Nov

2023

EN Speech

Humanitarian situation in Gaza, the need for the release of hostages and for an immediate humanitarian truce leading to a ceasefire and the prospects for peace and security in the Middle East (debate)

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Mr President, as we debate, families in Israel are mourning children, parents, spouses barbarically killed by Hamas terrorists on 7 October. They fear for the lives of hostages, and they are seeking shelter from ongoing Hamas shelling. In Gaza, people are mourning their children, parents, spouses who have become victims of Israel’s shelling of civilian infrastructure. They fear for those who remai…