What Nikolaj spoke about.

8

Mar

2022

DA Speech

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The deterioration of the situation of refugees as a consequence of the Russian aggression against Ukraine (debate)

Madam President! Millions of Ukrainians have fled Putin's brutal war crimes. Some are internally displaced, some have fled across the border into the EU. We need to make sure they're all helped. From food to medicine, from school to roof over your head. We cannot leave this task to the neighbouring countries alone. Let us join forces through a solidarity-based distribution of refugees in the Europ…

17

Feb

2022

DA Speech

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Protection of workers from the risks relating to exposure to carcinogens, mutagens and reprotoxins at work (debate)

Mr. President! Commissioners! Colleagues! No one should get cancer from going to work, but unfortunately it happens all too often. Every year, around 100,000 people lose their lives due to work-related cancer in the EU. Others lose the opportunity to have children because they are exposed to hazardous chemicals in their workplace. It shouldn't be like that. That is why we on the left and the Europ…

16

Feb

2022

EN Speech

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The Rule of Law and the consequences of the ECJ ruling (debate)

Madam President, are violations of human rights and breaches of the rule of law acceptable? Certainly not. Are human rights violations and breaches of the rule of law by EU Member States acceptable? Of course not. That is why the EU should have taken action years ago when the violations in Hungary and Poland started. Dear Commissioner, you have hesitated before. I now see that you are hesitating a…

16

Feb

2022

DA Speech

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EU-Russia relations, European security and Russia’s military threat against Ukraine (debate)

Madam President! The people of Ukraine deserve peace and freedom. The current Russian aggression, the annexation of Crimea and the occupation of Eastern Ukraine are completely unacceptable. Putin exploits EU countries' dependence on Russian gas. If we want to be able to say no to Putin, then it is crucial that we strengthen the green transition and make ourselves independent from fossil fuels. It …

24

Nov

2021

DA Speech

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Outcome of the COP26 in Glasgow (debate)

Mr President! Less than necessary, but better than nothing. This is how the conclusions of COP26 in Glasgow can be summarised. The world's countries confirmed the one-and-a-half-degree target and promised climate plans in 2027. But what we need is to close the gap between the planned and the necessary reductions. The world's countries recognized for the first time ever the need to reduce the use o…

23

Nov

2021

EN Speech

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Situation in Belarus and at its border with the EU and the security and humanitarian consequences (debate)

Madam President, right now there is an urgent humanitarian crisis at the EU border to Belarus. People are dying in the freezing cold. Even families with small children are being met with brutal force. Refugees are being denied their basic human rights. Is this the Europe we want? Do we want to compete with Lukashenko in a race to the bottom on human rights? No, we won’t. We need to evacuate the pe…

22

Nov

2021

DA Speech

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Introduction of a European social security pass for improving the digital enforcement of social security rights and fair mobility (debate)

Mr President! Right now we are experiencing a race to the bottom around the European workplaces. Foreign colleagues are cynically exploited, discriminated against and underpaid by greedy employers who want to squeeze wages and working conditions for all of us. That is totally unacceptable. Social dumping must and must be combated. Let us use the new digital possibilities to make it easier for the …

19

Oct

2021

DA Speech

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The Right to a Healthy Environment (debate)

Madam President! It was historic when the UN Human Rights Council last week recognised the right to a healthy and sustainable environment as a fundamental right for all people. The decision of the United Nations must, of course, have consequences in the European Union. We should follow the decision. Around us, the climate and biodiversity are rapidly collapsing. For the people of the Maldives, it …

18

Oct

2021

DA Speech

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Protecting workers from asbestos (debate)

Mr President! Thank you very much for your support for ambitious action against asbestos. I know that there are many construction workers, firefighters and asbestos workers who have followed today's debate. I am sure they welcome the broad support here in the European Parliament. We need action against asbestos. We owe it to Dan Henriksen. We owe it to all construction workers in Europe. We owe it…

18

Oct

2021

DA Speech

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Protecting workers from asbestos (debate)

Madam President! Asbestos is dangerous. Asbestos kills people. If in doubt, ask Dan Henriksen. Dan is 45 years old. He is the father of two daughters. He's a plumber. Twenty years ago, during his apprenticeship, he was exposed to asbestos. In recent years he has been mortally ill. He doesn't know if he lives long enough to see his youngest daughter graduate from primary school or to see her eldest…

5

Oct

2021

DA Speech

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The situation in Belarus after one year of protests and their violent repression (debate)

Mr President! Right now, refugees are dying on the EU-Belarus border. People desperately fleeing war and oppression are met with maiming barbed wire and push-backs. It is not only inhumane, it is a blatant violation of the right to seek asylum. While the Social-Democratic government in Spain has stopped the use of razor wire on the border with Morocco, the Social-Democratic government in Denmark g…

15

Sep

2021

EN Speech

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State of the Union (debate)

Mr President, President Ursula von der Leyen talks about the need for a socially just transition. But what is the reality? Tens of thousands of construction workers risk losing their lives in the green transition if protections against the deadly asbestos do not go hand in hand with the renovation wave of millions of buildings in Europe. I thought the Commission was committed to a vision of zero w…

14

Sep

2021

DA Speech

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Situation in Afghanistan (debate)

Madam President! Beatings of women on the open street. Violence against journalists. Political opponents disappearing into the hands of the Taliban. These are the pictures we see from Afghanistan. The Taliban's dark mullah regime has descended over the country. The war in Afghanistan has not only cost thousands of billions, but also caused death, destruction and scars to the souls of soldiers, the…

13

Sep

2021

DA Speech

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Fair working conditions, rights and social protection for platform workers - New forms of employment linked to digital development (debate)

Madam President! No right to unemployment benefits, no right to a pension, no protection in the event of an accident. This is the reality for millions of European employees working on digital platforms. That is the reality of Wolt's bids. That is the reality for the drivers at Nemlig.com. While owners have made billions and billions during the Corona crisis, messengers, drivers and cleaners have w…

8

Jul

2021

EN Speech

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Hong Kong, notably the case of Apple Daily

Mr President, the forced closure of is unacceptable. Media freedom, freedom of speech, as well as freedom of assembly and organising, are fundamental human rights, rights that the people of Hong Kong are being denied. Today our message from the European Parliament is clear. We stand in solidarity with the people of Hong Kong in their fight for democracy and freedom. We stand in solidarity with the…

7

Jul

2021

EN Speech

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Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 24-25 June 2021 (debate)

Madam President, I say to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, when the European Council criticises Russia for lack of respect of human rights it mentions Alexei Navalny, and we all agree that this is important. When the European Council criticises Belarus for lack of respect of human rights it mentions Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, and we all agree that this is important. But when the…