What Damien spoke about.

25 Mar

2026

FR Speech

Order of business

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Madam President, on the basis of Rules 164 and 72, could you explain to us on what basis you are accepting or refusing to take the floor before a vote on challenging a negotiating mandate, in this case the infamous ‘Return’ regulation? Political groups must assume their votes and alliances, however shameful they may be. Europeans have the right to know what lies behind these …

10 Feb

2026

FR Speech

One round of political group speakers for the Ciriani and Düpont reports

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21 Jan

2026

FR Speech

Restoring control of migration: returns, visa policy and third-country cooperation (topical debate)

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Mr President, the United States has violated international law in Venezuela for vile economic interests; Genocide continues in Gaza; Sudan is dying; in 2025 the 1.5 degree warming threshold was exceeded for the third time; the planet has entered the era of global water bankruptcy; floods, droughts and heatwaves in 2025 caused EUR 43 billion in losses for Europe; every year more than 3 200 European…

11 Mar

2025

FR Speech

Presentation of the proposal on a new common approach on returns (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, the far right dreamed of it; you did. In 2024, revelations about the AfD’s planned remigration scandalised and put one million Germans on the streets. Today, when all eyes are on the defence and rearmament of Europe, you are presenting us with a draft regulation that is nothing more or less than the legislative concretisation of this xenophobic delirium: deportation.…

9 Oct

2024

FR Speech

Strengthening the security of Europe’s external borders: need for a comprehensive approach and enhanced Frontex support (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, today the PPE imposes on us yet another debate on security at our borders and the strengthening of Frontex, as if migration were the mother of all evils in Europe. It shares this sickly obsession with the Commission and the Member States. So let's stop this unnecessary as well as inefficient overbidding. Instead, let us worry about what has become of Frontex in 20 years…

25 Apr

2024

FR Speech

Framework of measures for strengthening Europe’s net-zero technology products manufacturing ecosystem (Net Zero Industry Act) (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, in the European photovoltaic industry, bankruptcies follow one another. Austrian Energetica in December, Dutch Exasun in January, last week French Systovi shut down. The Swiss Meyer Burger is expected to close its Dresden plant in the near future. While European renewable deployment targets are expected to fulfil their purchase orders, European industrialists are suffer…

24 Apr

2024

FR 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, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, thank you for your feedback and contributions. I would also like to warmly thank my co-rapporteur, Eero, for this long-term work that we have carried out jointly, but also all the shadow rapporteurs for their very constructive discussions during these exchanges and, above all, our assistants and advisers, who deserve all the credit. The European Pa…

24 Apr

2024

FR 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, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, dear European citizens here, criminals, terrorists, tax fraudsters, football clubs and agents, oligarchs, arms traffickers or art lovers or politicians, here is the non-exhaustive list of money laundering enthusiasts, as many informed exploiters of the shortcomings of European legislation. No less than five European directives have succeeded each o…

10 Apr

2024

FR Speech

Screening of third country nationals at the external borders - European Criminal Records Information System - Third Country Nationals - Common procedure for international protection in the Union - Establishing a return border procedure, and amending Regulation (EU) 2021/1148 - Asylum and migration management - Addressing situations of crisis and force majeure - Establishment of 'Eurodac' for the comparison of fingerprints for the effective application of Regulation (EU) No 604/2013, for identifying an illegally staying third-country national or stateless person and on requests for the comparison with Eurodac data by Member States' law enforcement authorities and Europol for law enforcement purposes (recast) - Union Resettlement Framework - Standards for the qualification of third-country nationals or stateless persons as beneficiaries of international protection - Standards for the reception of applicants for international protection (recast) (joint debate - Migration and Asylum package)

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In 2015, I was mayor of Grande-Synthe, near Calais. I experienced the reception crisis – not ‘migratory’, Fabienne Keller – head on. I welcomed with the greatest possible dignity, in my municipality, the more than 2 500 Syrians who were arrested in that municipality. And at the same time, I lowered the score of the far right in the elections that followed. With this experience, as an MEP, I have t…

20 Nov

2023

FR Speech

Framework of measures for strengthening Europe’s net-zero technology products manufacturing ecosystem (Net Zero Industry Act) (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, this is a missed opportunity. This is the bleak future imposed on us by the dogmatism of the conservatives, liberals and social democrats, coupled with the powerful voices of the oil and gas industry, which, through fake NGOs and real lobbying, intend to carve out the lion’s share and reap new profits in the new market for carbon capture and storage. We were going to…

4 Oct

2023

FR Speech

Need for a speedy adoption of the asylum and migration package (debate)

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Mr President, yesterday we were celebrating here a sad anniversary, that of the sinking of Lampedusa. On 3 October 2013, the tragic death of nearly 400 exiles off this small Italian island led to a welcome surge in European solidarity and the establishment of Operation Mare Nostrum. That was ten years ago. What have we done since then? Mare Nostrum is no more. Frontex is responsible for the securi…

12 Jul

2023

FR Speech

The need for EU action on search and rescue in the Mediterranean (debate)

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Madam President, with every drama there is a debate and more and more shame. The European Union is now surrounded by marine cemeteries where relief is hampered. Its budget finances the Libyan mafias, accused of crimes against humanity by the UN. 2023 is a chilling example of the consequences of your deadly policies. 2 January: Italian decree, humanitarian action at sea hampered. 26 February: 86 de…

14 Jun

2023

FR Speech

Lessons learnt from the Pandora Papers and other revelations (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, $11,300 billion is the astronomical sum hidden in tax havens, according to the revelations of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. This 11 300 billion in tax evasion and money laundering must be put in parallel with the 17 000 billion GDP of the European Union in 2021. The numbers make you dizzy. The list of beneficiaries of these financial arra…

10 May

2023

FR Speech

Externalising asylum applications and making funding to third countries conditional on the implementation of return agreements (topical debate)

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Madam President, the far right shamelessly imposes this debate and its nauseating words on us, as we celebrated yesterday the values of Europe, and on Monday commemorate the heavy legacy on which our Union was built. How far will we push the boundaries of indecency? Instead of ignoring it, let’s measure the severity of the moment. Across Europe, the dangerous rhetoric of the far right permeates di…

17 Apr

2023

FR Speech

Revision of the EU Emissions Trading System - Monitoring, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions from maritime transport - Carbon border adjustment mechanism - Social Climate Fund - Revision of the EU Emissions Trading System for aviation (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, in 2021, the IPCC report was a red code for humanity, according to the UN Secretary-General. Two years of Fit for 55 negotiations later, this time the IPCC synthesis looks like a survival guide for humanity. There is therefore an urgent need to act. Yet, right here, some are pretending to ignore the catastrophe that is looming. They probably think they are safe from its…

1 Feb

2023

FR Speech

Need for urgent update of the EU list of high-risk third countries for anti-money laundering and terrorist financing purposes (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, Minister, criminals play by the rules of the game to finance terrorist attacks here or launder money there. Unscrupulously, they exploit our flaws. The Commission and the Council cannot stand by when a third country presents a specific and serious threat to the financial system of the European Union. Last example to date: United Arab Emirates. We know that this count…

18 Jan

2023

FR Speech

Criminalisation of humanitarian assistance, including search and rescue (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we should never again accept atrocities in Europe. Never again. This has never been embodied again in the construction of Europe, where we have raised the values of human dignity, freedom, equality, fraternity and solidarity to the highest level. It is shameful to see how all these founding values and European law are being flouted today. Women, ch…

23 Nov

2022

FR Speech

The need for a European solution on asylum and migration including search and rescue (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, Council representative, yesterday we celebrated here with great pomp the 70th anniversary of this European Parliament. It has been widely recalled that what has founded our community are European values, but in reality, in the Mediterranean, in the Channel, at all our borders, these values are trampled on. In the face of the plight of 234 exiles, France and Italy have s…

18 Oct

2022

FR Speech

Impact of Russian invasion of Ukraine on migration flows to the EU (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, the European Union and the Member States have shown exceptional solidarity since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine by hosting more than 7 million refugees. This welcome is mainly due to European citizens, as you stressed. This summer, 49% of people who fled Ukraine sought refuge with their families or volunteers. But as the war unfolds over time, long-term so…

7 Jun

2022

FR Speech

Revision of the EU Emissions Trading System - Social Climate Fund - Carbon border adjustment mechanism - Revision of the EU Emissions Trading System for aviation - Notification under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) (joint debate – Fit for 55 (part 1))

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– Mr President, Commissioner, it is true that what we are about to vote is a step forward in environmental and social terms. Thank you, therefore, to the elected environmentalists who, for years, have been calling in particular for the introduction of a carbon tax at the borders and actions towards the most disadvantaged. But EUR 25 billion is the profits made by polluting industries in Europe thr…

8 Mar

2022

FR Speech

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

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Madam President, last Thursday, as today, Commissioner, you said that it was really a time to be proud of being European. Of course, I welcome and congratulate you that the European Union has reached an agreement to trigger the 2001 Temporary Protection Directive and to give a dignified welcome to those fleeing this terrible war in Ukraine. Many argued here, not long ago, that this directive was o…

15 Dec

2021

FR Speech

The proposed Council decision on provisional emergency measures for the external border with Belarus based on article 78(3) TFEU (continuation of debate)

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Mr President, Mr Vice-President, while at the border innocent people are dying, you are triggering an emergency mechanism, but not to organise solidarity, no! An emergency mechanism to legalise, whatever you say, the violation of human rights and the right to asylum. It’s a shame! ‘Arbitrary and prolonged detention’, ‘accelerated procedures’, ‘return’: these words make no sense. What is the point …

23 Nov

2021

FR Speech

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

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Madam President, the biggest attempt to destabilise Europe since the Cold War, just that! This is how the Polish Prime Minister describes the presence of a few hundred exiles dying of hunger and cold on his border. Have we fallen so far into infamy that the aspiration of women, children and men for a better life threatens us? It is by stirring up fears of exiles, by talking about them as a problem…

20 Oct

2021

FR Speech

Pushbacks at the EU's external border (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, you recently said, as regards an anti-migrant wall at the EU’s borders: “I am not against it, but whether European funds should be used to finance the construction of fences instead of other equally important things is another question.” It is shocking for a member of the European Commission to say that she sees the construction of a wall at our borders simply as an …

20 Oct

2021

FR Speech

Global Tax Agreements to be endorsed at the G20 Summit in Rome, 30th/31st of October (continuation of debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, yes, the whole evening could be spent on this tax agreement, which sets a corporate tax rate of 15% worldwide. This is a first, it is true. But the reality is that this agreement sets an effective rate of 15% when it could have, when it should have been 21%. The reality is that this agreement concerns only a handful of multinationals. The reality is again that this agre…