What Joachim spoke about.

14

Mar

2024

DE Speech

Watch

Healthy lifestyle and active ageing in the EU (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! The health of our people should be one of the main tasks and priorities of our Member States. Getting old is a privilege that not everyone enjoys. This is precisely why it would be important to make elderly care affordable and accessible again. A healthy lifestyle – which can of course look different for everyone – can contribute preventively to…

13

Mar

2024

DE Speech

Watch

Financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (recast) (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. When I attended a meeting of the Committee on Budgets for the first time almost five years ago, we have already discussed a fundamental revision of the Financial Regulation. Frightened at the time by the sheer scope and complexity of this set of rules, this project seemed more than plausible and necessary to me. Today, almost at the end of the l…

27

Feb

2024

DE Speech

Watch

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)

Mr President, Commissioner Hahn, ladies and gentlemen, Mr Secretary of State! This painstakingly negotiated and scaled-down revision of the seven-year financial framework will also fail. How do I fix this? Well, if you have to send Mr. Orbán to drink coffee so that all negotiators agree, then everyone recognizes: There's something wrong. Is that a bad compromise? Secondly, if about two thirds of t…

8

Feb

2024

DE Speech

Watch

The case of Dentsu tracking and the lack of transparency of the European Commission with regard to the tobacco industry (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. Since I'm not a smoker, I didn't know at all what Dentsu is and didn't know this track-and-trace system where apparently every pack of cigarettes in the EU is given a code that registers where the cigarettes are made and how they have moved through the supply chain. When I think about it, I am stunned: Now Big Brother is watching what cigarettes yo…

18

Jan

2024

DE Speech

Watch

Recent EU-Audits identifying that Uruguayan and Argentinian meat from horses with unreliable sworn declarations and unknown drug history is entering the EU (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. I don't know about you, but I don't really want to eat horse meat. Whether from Argentina or Uruguay. I want to eat meat from animals coming from German farms. And when I'm here in Strasbourg, I want to eat meat from French agriculture. Instead of discussing here whether or not we should ban the import of horse meat from Uruguay and Argentina, w…

16

Jan

2024

DE Speech

Watch

Transparency and accountability of non-governmental organisations funded from the EU budget (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner! Dear Mr Pieper, I welcome your report on transparency and accountability of NGOs. It is an important step towards reviewing these organisations, a sector that has been operating without sufficient oversight for too long. In its current form, however, the report has crucial gaps. We are trying to close this at least in part with our amendment. But we must not stop there.…

14

Dec

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Improving the strategic approach to the enforcement of EU Law (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. To want to improve something is honorable, but I have the impression that here again the wrong priorities are set. Instead of subsidiarity, i.e. less EU, there is once again more EU. Or you could say very roughly: The little ones you hang, and the big ones you let go. My colleague Joron has already pointed out that: These are the violations of the …

23

Nov

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Young researchers (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. Yes, wouldn't it be great if Europe attracted many highly intelligent young people who were looking for a career in research here? But instead of these intelligent people, we are attracting immigrants from North Africa and Islamic countries who, firstly, do not have the qualifications for young researchers and, secondly, do not intend to work he…

9

Nov

2023

DE Speech

Watch

System of own resources of the European Union (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. This topic of the new own resources also drives the blush in my face. Because with this new financing plan, you are accelerating on the wrong path to servitude a few years ago. Since you introduced the system of new own resources into the overall package three years ago, NextGenerationEU, seven-year plan and rule of law mechanism and miraculousl…

18

Oct

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Presentation of the Court of Auditors' annual report 2022 (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, dear President of the European Court of Auditors Tony Murphy! Thank you for ringing the alarm bells again this year – and it is more urgent than ever. Because, ladies and gentlemen, the recent report by the Court of Auditors should actually trigger shockwaves in the Commission. Because the auditors have found that the errors in expenditure have now increased significant…

17

Oct

2023

DE Speech

Watch

General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2024 - all sections (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. This household puts shame in my face. Not just because he's bloated unbelievably. In the meantime, we are reaching the 200 billion euro mark. And, ladies and gentlemen, let's be honest: That's only half of the total money we plan to spend in the next financial year. All the money from the beautiful sounding facilities, such as the Reconstruction Fa…

5

Oct

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Poor sanitary conditions, low levels of security and lack of parking places in rest areas for truck drivers (debate)

Mr President, dear Commissioner! We have seen each other many times today – in a different capacity – but from time to time on Thursday afternoon we always have nice topics that we deal with, on which we also usually agree, so there is little dissent. Truck drivers are in short supply. If I only think of Germany, there is a study from 2022 that assumes a driver shortage that 60,000 truck drivers a…

3

Oct

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Interim report on the proposal for a mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 (debate)

Madam President, dear Commissioner Hahn, dear Minister, dear colleagues! Every year, the ambition of the Commission increases and the sovereignty of the Member States decreases. Each year, the Commission spends more money than in the previous year and demands more money for the following years. Of course, this money does not grow on a money tree, but this money is contributed by the taxpayers in o…

14

Sep

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Segregation and discrimination of Roma children in education (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. We need to fight segregation and discrimination – of course. But I'd like to put my finger on another wound that's opening up here. When it comes to Roma, especially their children, my heart opens. I have been involved with children in Romania for over 30 years. ‘Hope for a new generation’ is the name of this association. And hope is what I want…

13

Jul

2023

DE Speech

Watch

10th anniversary of the EU Guidelines on Freedom of Religion or Belief (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. Ten years ago today, the Guidelines for Freedom of Belief and Confession were adopted. That's a reason to celebrate. But if I see that correctly, there has not been a public assessment of these guidelines yet. How were they actually implemented? This does not seem to interest anyone, even if I look at the list of speakers today. Or is it just a pap…

15

Jun

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Call for a European strategy to counter hostage diplomacy (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. It is, of course, terrifying that there have been multiple incidents in countries like Iran where citizens of Member States have been held hostage and imprisoned or even killed. I think everyone here, as usual on Thursday afternoon, can agree with this assessment. However, I do not believe that it is the task of the EU to take action against these …

31

May

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Breaches of the Rule of law and fundamental rights in Hungary and frozen EU funds (debate)

Mr President! Ladies and Gentlemen! Let's be honest: When we talk about the rule of law in this House, most of you automatically think of Hungary and Poland – and it still comes to mind today – and how we can sanction them even more effectively. When it comes to the rule of law, this is primarily about the fact that it is we who have exposed our citizens, for example, to experimental vaccines, whi…

11

May

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Prohibiting chick and duckling killing in EU law (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. Today, on Thursday afternoon, we will once again discuss with the familiar faces a topic on which we are pretty much in agreement, because none of us find the killing of day-old chicks beautiful or meaningful. But in all harmony on Thursday afternoon, Madam President, please allow me to make a brief comment on these debates on Thursday afternoon…

9

May

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Discharge 2021 (continuation of debate)

Madam President, Commissioner Hahn, dear President Murphy, ladies and gentlemen! Today, as every year, we perform one of our noblest tasks: We are debating the budgetary discharge of the now over 50 EU bodies for the financial year 2021. Incidentally, have you ever noticed that every year we have more institutions for which we have to carry out this discharge process? I find this development very …

20

Apr

2023

DE Speech

Watch

EU Action Plan against Trafficking in Cultural Goods (debate)

Mr President! Thank you very much, especially for your generous conduct of the negotiations this afternoon. I'm not going to strain her, don't worry. Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. As usual on Thursday afternoon, when we exchange views today on the Commission's plan to better regulate trade in cultural goods and combat excesses, we are broadly in agreement. We agree on the importance of detec…

18

Apr

2023

DE Speech

Watch

The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations (debate)

Mr President, Mr Borrell, ladies and gentlemen. While we focus on finding a common strategy on how to deal and work with China, one of the EU’s strongest representatives – at least according to most of us here in the House – is throwing sand by calling the EU the US vassal. Macron also criticises the EU for interfering too much in China’s foreign policy and in the conflict over Taiwan. And, Mr Web…

16

Mar

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Long term commitment to animal welfare (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. The wise King Solomon said in the Bible: ‘The just man takes care of his livestock.’ At that time, 3,000 years ago, it was also easy. There everyone had his cow, his sheep and his goat in the stable, and it was every farmer's own interest to take care of the welfare of his animals. What Mr Rzońca said is very important. Otherwise, he would have had…

16

Feb

2023

DE Speech

Watch

European initiative to promote civic engagement to protect and better support European volunteers (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. I believe that today, once again, we are quite in agreement – which is very often the case on Thursday afternoons – that things are presented very well and that the initiatives that are in place are also in principle in order. However, some colleagues have already mentioned this: We can never maintain a voluntary nature by pushing it into the encru…

19

Jan

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Investment practices of sustainable investment funds (debate)

. – Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! Today, they want to talk about the practice of sustainable investment funds. I would like to take a more fundamental approach and move forward and talk about sustainable investments in general, because the most sustainable investment is in our families and in our Christian values. However, this Union no longer invests in its people and in it…

18

Jan

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Control of the financial activities of the European Investment Bank - annual report 2021 (debate)

. – Madam President, Vice-President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! The only good thing I can get from this very demanding and detailed report, Mrs Tinzig, is the inclusion of our Committee on Budgetary Control's repeated request that the EIB grant the Court of Auditors more extensive audit and information rights. Thanks for that. Otherwise, the report shows that the EIB has less and less to …