What Nikolaj spoke about.

2

Oct

2023

DA Speech

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Protection of workers from asbestos (debate)

Mr President! We are finally getting better protection against asbestos in the EU. It's a huge victory, but let me be honest. It's been a tough fight coming here. At first, the European Commission did not believe that there was a need for new asbestos rules. That is why we gathered a massive majority here in the European Parliament behind the call for a comprehensive asbestos reform. Then the Comm…

13

Sep

2023

DA Speech

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State of the Union (debate)

Madam President! Dear President of the Commission, I'm sorry, but reality is calling! This should be about the state of the European Union, not about a conservative campaign. It should be about ordinary people in Europe who are being pushed by rising prices, while energy speculators are shoveling money in. It should be about a planet burning under our feet, about the acute climate crisis. Instead,…

12

Sep

2023

EN Speech

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2022 Report on Türkiye (debate)

Mr President, human rights and democracy must be the cornerstone for our relationship with Türkiye. In these terrible war times, it is more important than ever to stand up for our values. Let us send a clear message to Erdoğan that we do not accept his oppression. The attacks against the democratic opposition, as we see it, with the false removal of elected mayors and imprisonment of the former HD…

12

Jul

2023

DA Speech

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Tax the rich (topical debate)

Madam President! Now I have listened to the debate and politicians from the right. And you know what? I'm tired of bad excuses. I'm tired of the whining of one of the richest percent. They swim in ridiculous abundance while children grow up in poverty. It makes me angry! Angry, because the money is there! The problem is that they are so unevenly distributed. Inequality is growing and growing. The …

11

Jul

2023

EN Speech

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Commemorating the 28th anniversary of Srebrenica (statement by the President)

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues. Today we remember the thousands of innocent victims of the Srebrenica genocide. Men and boys were executed, women raped, children traumatised, and the whole Bosniak community forced from their homes. We remember the victims and we say ‘never again’. Never again shall the international community turn a blind eye to mass murder, ethnic cleansing and ge…

11

May

2023

DA Speech

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Protecting and restoring marine ecosystems for sustainable and resilient fisheries - Agreement of the IGC on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (High Seas Treaty) (debate)

Mr President! If we are to have a living ocean in the future, if we are to ensure biodiversity, if we are to have sustainable fisheries, then there is one thing we must do: protect and restore our marine waters. Not just with good words, but with action. It's crucial. Just take my own country, Denmark. Here the government speaks loudly about protecting parts of our seas. That's fine. But it sounds…

19

Apr

2023

DA Speech

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Repression in Russia, in particular the cases of Vladimir Kara-Murza and Alexei Navalny

Madam President! 25 years in a Russian penal colony, it is now the consequence for the brave Russians who dare to condemn Putin's illegal and brutal invasion of Ukraine. It is now what awaits Vladimir Kara-Murza after a farce of a trial. His only crime is to use his freedom of speech to speak out against the war and Putin's regime. Putin and his henchmen fear that sort of thing. Ladies and gentlem…

19

Apr

2023

DA Speech

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Dieselgate: suspected widespread use of defeat devices in cars to reduce effectiveness of pollution control systems (debate)

Madam President! Dieselgate is the story of automakers who lie to their cars greener and less polluting than they are. It is a story that repeats itself. In March of this year, it emerged that 77 percent of diesel cars may still pollute more than manufacturers claim. In the coming months, we will have to negotiate new emission standards for cars and trucks. Here we must make sure to guard against …

19

Apr

2023

DA Speech

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Keeping people healthy, water drinkable and soil liveable: getting rid of forever pollutants and strengthening EU chemical legislation now (topical debate)

Madam President! Across Europe, the health-damaging perpetuality chemical PFAS is found in more and more places. In the wild, in the eggs, on the breakfast table and in our drinking water. But instead of acting quickly and effectively, we see that the long-awaited and much-needed update of the EU chemicals legislation REACH has long prospects. That is simply not good enough. When it comes to both …

29

Mar

2023

EN Speech

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Fluorinated Gases Regulation - Ozone-depleting substances (debate)

Mr President, Hello? Hello? Are you aware that there is a climate crisis? Frankly, I’m just asking because tomorrow we are voting on the extremely climate-harmful F-gases. But the right wing in this House are trying to undermine the compromise agreement we made in the committee. We agreed on a complete phase-out of F-gases. This agreement is now in danger. We all know that F-gases are up to 24 000…

15

Mar

2023

EN Speech

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Combating discrimination in the EU - the long-awaited horizontal anti-discrimination directive (debate)

Mr Present, no one should be discriminated because of their age, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief. But they are today, according to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 43% of LGBT people in the EU feel discriminated in their daily life, 53% of Muslims feel discriminated because of their name when they look for housing, 60% of transgender people feel discriminated. A…

15

Feb

2023

DA Speech

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The situation of human rights defenders in Eswatini, notably the murder of Thulani Maseko

Madam President! Thulani Maseko fought for democracy and for the right to think, speak and write freely. He did so in one of the world's last absolute monarchies, Eswatini. The king does not allow freedom. Trade unions and pro-democracy activists are being persecuted. Thulani Maseko was murdered in front of his family. No one should be killed because they want democracy. The cold-blooded murder mu…

14

Feb

2023

EN Speech

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Establishment of an independent EU Ethics Body (debate)

Mr President, does the EU need an independent ethics body? Yes, of course it does. In fact, we should ask ourselves why we don’t already have one, especially given the scandals we have seen, even before Qatar— and Moroccogate. Given the size and the regulatory power of the EU, it is clear that we do need an entity that can advise, monitor and act on potential misuse, fraud and corruption facing us…

13

Feb

2023

EN Speech

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EU response to the humanitarian situation following the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria (debate)

Madam President, there is no words for the suffering the people of Türkiye and Syria are living through right now. So many have lost their lives, so many have lost their homes, so many have lost their loved ones; they need our support and solidarity. What is the most heartbreaking to me is that not everyone is getting the help they need. Both Erdoğan and Assad are exploiting this crisis. Right now…

2

Feb

2023

EN Speech

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Preparation of the EU-Ukraine Summit (debate)

Madam President, let us stand in solidarity with Ukraine, the brave train and truck drivers, the nurses, the municipal workers, the miners, the farmers. They keep the country running, often unnoticed and poorly paid, and they bleed and die because of Putin’s war of aggression. Their courage and that of civil society and trade unions is amazing. They need our help now. They will also need our help …

17

Jan

2023

DA Speech

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Presentation of the programme of activities of the Swedish Presidency (debate)

Mr. Prime Minister. The Swedish EU Presidency faces many challenges. War, energy crisis, climate war and a grotesque, growing economic inequality also here in Europe. They're all important. But today I want to focus on something that is all too often overlooked: working conditions for the most people. Your presidency will negotiate both the Platform Directive and the new EU rules on asbestos. In b…

21

Nov

2022

DA Speech

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Situation of human rights in the context of the FIFA world cup in Qatar (debate)

Madam President! The World Cup in Qatar is a scandal. Behind the glittering facades hide the blood, sweat and tears of thousands of migrant workers who have worn out in the desert sun. They died in the thousands, while the world has watched passively. This subservience to the brutal dictatorship of the desert must end. The EU should make it clear that it is not participating. Don't hide behind exc…

9

Nov

2022

DA Speech

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Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 20-21 October 2022 (debate)

Mr. President! Can you afford Christmas gifts? Can you afford food and heat? Is there money for medicine? That is the concern of millions of Europeans. A concern that EU leaders have not yet taken seriously. Rising prices are pushing the economy too many, and for some the burden has already become unbearable. While people are freezing, while people are walking from house and home - yes, companies …

6

Jul

2022

DA Speech

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Taxing windfall profits of energy companies (debate)

Mr President! Right now, the price of energy is exploding in Europe. For many, this puts a lot of pressure on the economy. The single mother looks anxiously at the electricity bill. Every penny is turned by the low-wage earners, and for more and more people the economy is not connected at all. While we are experiencing acute energy poverty around the small homes, the profits of the energy companie…

7

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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The rule of law and the potential approval of the Polish national Recovery Plan (RRF) (debate)

Mr President, I say to the President of the European Commission: when I heard the Commission decided to give more than EUR 30 billion to Poland I was surprised. Surprised because there is no clear confirmation that Poland now fully complies with the rule of law. Surprised that several relevant commissioners clearly were not involved in the process. Surprised to see that the Commission President ig…

7

Jun

2022

DA Speech

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Binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States (Effort Sharing Regulation) - Land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) - CO2 emission standards for cars and vans (joint debate – Fit for 55 (part 2))

Mr President! When we vote on how long we want to allow the sale of cars running on fossil fuels, we decide whether we want to stand on the side of the past or the future; Whether we want to stand on the side of the automotive industry or on the side of the climate and future generations. Unfortunately, in the climate committee, the planet lost several votes with just one vote. Dear colleagues, we…

4

May

2022

DA Speech

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The social and economic consequences for the EU of the Russian war in Ukraine - reinforcing the EU’s capacity to act (debate)

Mr President! The war in Ukraine is appalling. We have to do everything we can to stop it. To help the Ukrainians. It is important that the EU has imposed sanctions, but they are clearly not tough enough to get Putin to withdraw his soldiers. That is why we must increase the pressure. We must stop importing Russian oil and gas. It must hit Putin and the oligarchs where it hurts. The war and solida…

6

Apr

2022

DA Speech

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Violations of right to seek asylum and non-refoulement in the EU Member States (debate)

Madam President! All asylum applications must be examined, and they must be examined thoroughly and honestly. It is about human life. It's never okay to reject people on the run. That is why it is wrong for Greece to illegally push refugees back again and again. It is inexcusable that Frontex should help with this. It is frightening that Denmark, my own country, is trying to force a Kurdish woman …

23

Mar

2022

EN Speech

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Address by Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

Madam President, I should like to welcome Prime Minister Trudeau back to Brussels. It is dark times, as you rightly said. In my housing block we have now new neighbours. I met them the other day when I was at the playground with my eldest daughter. Here we met Misha and Roma, two small boys from Ukraine at the ages of eight and four. Together with their mother they have fled Putin’s invasion. Like…

9

Mar

2022

DA Speech

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A new EU strategic framework on health and safety at work post 2020 (debate)

Madam President! No one gets sick from going to work. Unfortunately, this happens all too often. Cleaning assistants, industrial workers, painters and nurses often encounter dangerous chemicals that can make them ill or harm their chances of having children. Building workers risk losing their lives when they renovate our houses because they encounter the deadly asbestos. Too many people suffer fro…