What Cristian spoke about.

19

May

2026

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Research Fund for Coal and Steel: research programme and multiannual technical and financial guidelines (A10-0130/2026 - Borys Budka)

Mr President, I voted in favour of this report because I believe that the research fund for coal and steel can support the competitiveness of the European steel industry, innovation and the involvement of SMEs, universities and industry in concrete research projects. This fund is one of the few European instruments that directly support the development of industrial technologies, the modernisation of production and the preservation of jobs for Europe to produce competitive steel here, not to import it from outside the EU. In a world where China and other powers are investing heavily in industry and advanced technologies, Europe cannot afford to abandon steel research. There is no strategic autonomy without European industry, and without research and innovation we will become dependent on external actors. Steel research is not an expense but an investment in Europe's economic and strategic strength. However, I do not support the ideological direction of the report with regard to Green Deal and the forced energy transition, which is already negatively affecting European industry, jobs and energy security. Given that it is not enough, Europe needs energy addition, not an energy transition that reduces its current ability to produce energy before building viable alternatives.

19

May

2026

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Negative trade-related effects of global overcapacity on the Union steel market (A10-0012/2026 - Karin Karlsbro)

Mr President, I voted in favour of this report because protecting the European steel industry is essential for the economy and security of the European Union. Europe must defend its strategic industry, reduce external dependencies and ensure a competitive future for European steel production and jobs. But to succeed, Europe must abandon the ideological approach that is stifling its own industry. Forced decarbonisation policies have led to explosive increases in energy and gas prices, making steel production in Europe increasingly expensive and less competitive. We talked about green steel. There is no green steel or green energy in the ideological sense, there is quality steel and affordable and reliable energy. If we really want to save the European steel industry, we must give up slogans and over-regulation. To be competitive again, Europe needs deregulation, low energy prices and trade measures to restore economic freedom. Economic reality does not change for the better through beautiful words and slogans, but through decisions that give the chance to the private environment to generate prosperity.

19

May

2026

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Opportunities and challenges presented by a comprehensive artificial intelligence strategy for EU trade (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, this report speaks of competitiveness and strategic autonomy in the field of artificial intelligence, but it proposes exactly the recipe that has weakened Europe: more bureaucracy, more control and more state intervention. Europe cannot win the global AI race by suffocating its own companies with even more regulation. True technological sovereignty is achieved not through resolutions and strategies on paper, but through investment, affordable and affordable energy, economic freedom and support for European capital. You can't innovate by regulation. Show me a single innovative product created by the European Commission or the European Parliament. The report also discusses the promotion of the European AI governance model into a global standard. To believe that the world will copy the European model in an area where Europe does not lead is to get drunk on one's own self-praising propaganda. We have already seen this experiment with the Green Deal. How many countries in the world have taken up this suicidal economic model imposed by von der Leyen in Europe? If we turn artificial intelligence into a new bureaucratic maze, Europe will not produce the future, they will import it from others. For Europe to be competitive again, it needs economic freedom again.

19

May

2026

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Europe's response to reduced US military deployments in Europe, particularly at its Eastern flank in the light of the latest US decisions (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, the latest US decision to reduce military development and deployments in Europe, including the cancelled troop rotation to Poland and Romania, should be viewed as an opportunity, not a crisis. Since the Obama years, Washington has signalled its strategic shift away from Europe, yet most European countries fail to strengthen their own defence. It was President Trump's first term that finally forced Europe to take defence seriously and move towards higher spending commitments. While Poland and other countries on the eastern flank have dramatically increased their military capabilities and budgets, too many Western European countries continue to underinvest and delay meaningful defence action. We must stay committed to NATO and the transatlantic alliance. But friendship with America cannot mean dependency, as the Americans also said. To be strong again, Europe needs to rebuild its own industry, increase ammunition and air defence production, secure its border and achieve energy independence. The message must be clear: to Moscow, that Europe will not be intimidated; to Washington, that we will carry our own fair share; and to our citizens, that peace is protected by strength. Europe must and can stand on its own feet and protect itself.

19

May

2026

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Question Time with the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy - EU’s strategy to address the current crises in the Middle East

I'm just following up about the third question about the UNRWA schools in Israel.

19

May

2026

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Question Time with the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy - EU’s strategy to address the current crises in the Middle East

Dear Commissioner Kallas, the European Union's response to the crisis in the Middle East has too often projected hesitation, instead of leadership. Diplomacy without power, as you know, is merely empty words. So the first question that I have for you is: how is the EU engaging to help the United States and Israel defuse the situation and make sure that the Iranian people will be free again? The second question: the situation in the Middle East affected all the transit corridors in the region, mainly the Strait of Hormuz. Now more and more Europeans are realising the importance of the 'Middle Corridor'. But if the EU is not engaging with Georgia, and Azerbaijan just refuses recently to engage any more with the European Parliament, how are we going to ship stuff from Central Asia to Europe? Last but not least, I am sure you are aware that in the UNRWA schools many of the books used there are using materials that incite hatred towards Jews. Many of these books are printed with EU money. What is the European Commission doing to make sure that these books are not printed with such materials in the future?

18

May

2026

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Research Fund for Coal and Steel: research programme and multiannual technical and financial guidelines (short presentation)

Mr President, Commissioner, the European project was not conceived as an ideological project, but as an economic one, built around coal and steel, an essential resource for the reconstruction and security of post-war Europe. The pooling of these resources under supranational authority has created the basis for European prosperity and has maintained peace on the continent for more than 80 years. Unfortunately, however, the European Commission, under Ursula von der Leyen, is today undermining the very foundation of this project. Under the guise of green policies, Brussels is pushing Europe towards deindustrialisation, rising energy costs and impoverishment of European citizens, promoting the illusion that we are saving the planet. Not only is this not how the planet or Europe is saved, but Europe is losing its competitiveness, jobs and strategic independence. The mining and steel regions built this continent. They fed European economies and guaranteed prosperity and security in the post-war period. There is no European strategic autonomy without steel produced in Europe, and a Europe that no longer produces goods will inevitably become a Europe that can no longer decide for itself. For a free and prosperous Europe, the production of goods must be brought back to Europe.

18

May

2026

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Negative trade-related effects of global overcapacity on the Union steel market (debate)

Mr President, dear Commissioner, the European economy cannot survive with slogans. And that's what we heard today from many MEPs from the Left and even from you, Commissioner. We heard today being said that we need, and I quote, 'green steel'. What does that mean? In order to produce green steel, are we going to need 'green heat' or 'green coal'? How are you going to produce this green steel? Someone from the S&D just said, and I quote, 'We need a definition for low-carbon steel'. So instead of resolving the problem, we run into another debate about definitions. In 1946, after the Second World War, the Western world produced 26 % of the steel. In 2025, the European Union – with more countries – is producing 6.8 % of the world's steel. Now the question to you, Commissioner, is what are you going to do to make sure to make sure that the price of energy is lower and we bring back production of steel in Europe?

29

Apr

2026

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Discharge 2024: EU general budget – Court of Justice of the European Union (A10-0055/2026 - Pasquale Tridico)

29

Apr

2026

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Discharge 2024: EU general budget – Commission (A10-0085/2026 - Daniel Freund)

Mr President, I voted against the European Commission's discharge report because the European Parliament must not give a blank cheque to an institution in which fraud, abuse, corruption and the lack of transparency have become the norm. The European Court of Auditors had reported serious risks of fraud, corruption and conflict of interest that have influenced the allocation of billions of euros by the European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen. Furthermore, the European Commission has untransparently allocated funds to NGOs, which then carried out intense lobbying in the European Parliament to push through the absurdities of the Green Deal. The same corruption scandal goes for the contract signed by Ursula von der Leyen with the anti-COVID vaccine manufacturers. Just with Pfizer, Ursula signed in 2021 the purchase of 4.6 billion doses of vaccines for EUR 71 billion. And this is how the contracts were published so far. So I'm asking, is this the new rule for European transparency? I'm calling for the release of these contracts and for Ursula von der Leyen to publish all the contracts.

29

Apr

2026

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The need to combat antisemitism and protect Jewish life in Europe, following the recent attacks against the Jewish community in the Netherlands and Belgium (debate)

Madam President, the brutal attacks on Jewish communities in other lands and Belgium are not isolated tragedies. They are the direct consequence of years of failed education and policies, uncontrolled migration, cultural relativism and passivity in the face of hatred and antisemitic actions. Antisemitism adapts to every era. It may begin as mockery or vandalism, but it always ends in violence and death. In every case, antisemitism starts with words, words that demonise Jews and justify violence. We have seen despair before. The time for tough and uncompromising actions is now. First, we must implement education rooted in truth, because only truth defeats antisemitism at its source. Second, we must restore law and order in Europe, reassess immigration and asylum policies so that all who live here respect our laws, traditions and freedoms. If they don't, they must be deported. Every European-Jewish heritage is inseparable from Europe itself. Protecting Jewish life is essential to preserve who we are. We must draw a clear line. Zero tolerance for antisemitism. Zero excuses and zero hesitation to enforce the law.

28

Apr

2026

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Importance of consent-based rape legislation in the EU (A10-0047/2026 - Evin Incir, Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus)

Madam President, I voted against the report promoting European legislation on consent-based rape. Although the premise is correct, the lack of consent being a constitutive element of the rape offence, the provisions of the report are deeply problematic and ideological. The inclusion of consent in the definition of rape is welcome, and a number of countries, including Romania, are already doing so. The main problem is that the report focuses exclusively on male rape of women, but deliberately mixes biological terms of ‘male’ and ‘woman’ with self-declared gender identity. Statistics clearly show that most rapes are committed by biologically male persons on biologically female persons, i.e. by males on females. When I asked a Renew MEP how he defines the woman this law is trying to protect, the answer was, quote: “Let everyone be what they want. It is not for politicians to define what a woman is". It is precisely the job of politicians to enact clear and precise laws that punish the abuse of women. If a man sexually assaults a woman and then identifies as a woman, are we talking about rape committed by a man on a woman or a lesbian relationship between two women? Laws with confusing definitions undermine women's rights. That's why I voted against it.

28

Apr

2026

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Supporting democratic resilience in Armenia (debate)

Madam President, with this resolution on Armenia, we must send a clear and balanced message: the European Parliament is supporting peace, stability and reconciliation in the South Caucasus. The future of the region depends on the sustainable peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Türkiye. The European Union must remain a credible partner for dialogue, confidence‑building and long‑term regional cooperation. Our role is not to deepen divisions, but to encourage a peaceful and durable settlement that benefits all people and countries of the region. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reminded us exactly in this Chamber that Armenia's path towards closer relations with the European Union is closely connected to the EU's relations with Georgia. The road between Europe and Armenia literally passes through Georgia. Armenia and Georgia should both be seen as strategic partners of the European Union and essential pillars for connectivity, stability and cooperation in the Black Sea and South Caucasus region. Europe's engagement in the region must therefore be inclusive, forward‑looking and based on partnership. We are therefore fully supporting Armenia on its western and prosperous path towards closer integration with the European Union.

28

Apr

2026

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The Commission’s 2025 Rule of Law report (debate)

Mr President, Parliament's report on the rule of law is deeply ideological and excessively extends the concept of the rule of law to new socio-economic and cultural areas, such as the alleged right to housing, diluting the legal meaning of the term. The report then seeks to standardise concepts such as the recognition of same-sex marriages, disregarding the constitutional identity of the Member States. If in a country like the Netherlands, for example, marriage between a man and an animal is legalized, will it be imposed on other EU countries? There is talk of legal gender recognition. That is, if a man who claims to be a woman or self-identifies as a woman is recognized in the sense of the law as a woman. This will allow a perverted man who claims to be a woman to serve his criminal sentences in women's prisons or to enter women's showers and saunas. I ask the women in this room: Do you feel safe if such a provision will exist in European Union law?

28

Apr

2026

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Situation of fundamental rights in the European Union in 2024 and 2025 (debate)

Mr President, the report on the situation of fundamental rights in the EU 2024 and 2025, drawn up by a communist-left MEP, is a neo-Marxist ideological manifesto that undermines the national sovereignty and European values that underpinned the European project. The document mentions, for example, 32 times LGBTQI+, as if this were the biggest and most pressing problem of European citizens and society. At the same time, anti-Semitism is mentioned six times, in the context in which synagogues are burned in Europe. The document insists on gender-ideological indoctrination of children in European schools. You send your child to school in Europe, and instead of coming educated that he knows how to read and reckon, after this indoctrination, he ends up not knowing if he is a boy or a girl. Which society do you want? What future do you want in Europe? A future where a child doesn't know if it's a boy or a girl? Regardless of the sexual options one has at home, one can easily carry them out at home, but not in schools. Leave the kids in...

28

Apr

2026

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Enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (debate)

Mr President, DMA (Digital Markets Act) creates more problems than it solves for the European economy. Digital sovereignty, which you've been talking about here, means having, firstly, technology and, secondly, tech companies that allow you to claim that sovereignty. Since this was implemented DMAHow many tech firms have grown in Europe and how many new ones have come to Europe? On the contrary, data show that today's small and medium-sized businesses in Europe are suffering from this problem. DMA. A recent study, I quote, shows that annual losses in Europe as a result of this DMA, is EUR 114 billion annually. This DMA It makes the online user experience absolutely impossible. This Parliament ends up regulating even the buttons that users have to press on websites. Talk here and talk about American companies. Who is stopping Europe today from being in real competition with companies in the United States? I tell you, you, through these extensive regulations, reduce...

28

Apr

2026

Questions EN

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Enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (debate)

You were mentioning that through this Digital Markets Act, the European market was open, the digital market was open for more businesses. How many tech companies came into the European market? How many new tech companies were able to take off in the European market? Do you have any studies to see how much it is costing the European companies to implement all the provisions from the DMA?

28

Apr

2026

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Joint debate - Discharge 2024 (joint debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, I urge you to vote against the discharge of the European Economic and Social Committee so we can look in CONT into the recently uncovered fraud, abuse and conflict of interest allegations involving the EESC Secretary‑General, Isabelle Le Galo Flores. The European media is already talking about this for the past two days. We received recently a letter from a group of whistleblowers from this European institution that is alleging that the Secretary‑General tendered many projects, many contracts to some of her friends, and this letter is closing stating that EESC staff members urge us, the members of the CONT Committee, to conduct a full investigation into this matter and to evaluate who in Ms Le Galo Flores's circle was aware of, or involved in, this collusion scheme. So I am calling you to vote against so the report can go back to the CONT Committee so we can look into these allegations.

28

Apr

2026

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Interim report on the proposal for the multiannual financial framework for 2028-2034 (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, the new proposal on the Multiannual Financial Framework raises an extremely serious problem for the future of the European Union ‑ turning European funds into a political-ideological instrument, through the so-called rule of law conditionality. No one disputes the importance of the rule of law. However, the lack of clear, transparent and objective evaluation criteria that take into account the identity and constitutional tradition of each Member State opens the way for abuses and political-ideological arbitrariness by the European Commission. Article 7 of the report proposes to block European funds on the basis of rule of law reports. These reports have been shown to lack clear methodology, are based on questionable or obscure sources, and are drafted by anonymous bureaucrats whose expertise is not public. When we talk about the rule of law, we are primarily talking about transparency. It is aberrant, therefore, to accept that in a totally non-transparent way, European funds should be due and given to the Member States on the basis of opaque criteria. European funds must serve the development of states and citizens, not become political-ideological weapons in the hands of the European Commission.

27

Apr

2026

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Madam President, the Georgian Christian nation suffered in March 2026 a profound and painful loss: the passing of its spiritual leader, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. In an era of trials and spiritual drought, he became the living embodiment of faith, courage and paternal love. Becoming Patriarch in 1977, during Soviet darkness, he furiously revived the Georgian church and lit the flame of Christ in millions of Georgian hearts. A profound theologian and tireless shepherd, Ilia II defended the Georgian spiritual identity, language and ancient traditions in time of struggle. His wisdom guided the Georgian nation through independence and hardship alike, uniting all Georgians in prayer, action and hope. His presence brought peace, and his words carried the power of scripture. As a Member of the European Parliament, I evoke the memory of Patriarch Ilia II here today, so that his shining example of faith and courage will remain eternal here. May the Lord grant him eternal rest, and may the Georgian nation keep his eternal memory. Amen.

27

Apr

2026

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Protection of the European Union’s financial interests – combating fraud – annual report 2024 (debate)

(the beginning of the intervention was not done on the microphone)... fraud or corruption – abuse of power and lack of transparency. If we talk about the fraud of European funds, we cannot ignore the huge fraud caused by the European Commission, both as a result of the abuse of power and the lack of transparency. An example: in 2021, the European Commission signed contracts to procure 4.6 billion doses of vaccines, totalling €7.1 billion, 10 vaccine doses per capita in the European Union. To this day, the European Commission has not published the contracts for the purchase of these vaccines to see exactly what clauses they contain and who responds if vaccinated people suffer adverse effects. The second example, media reports that the European Commission has allocated billions of euros in funding to lobby the European Parliament through various NGOs, to support Green Deal -ul. You have two examples of fraud and I call on the EPPO, OLAF and the European Ombudsman to investigate these frauds.

27

Apr

2026

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Importance of consent-based rape legislation in the EU (debate)

Mr President, the notion of rape must encompass not only the use of force, but also the lack of consent of the victim. The resolution, however, is full of references to gender identity, which, according to the neo-Marxist social construct theory of the Istanbul Convention, holds that a man who claims to be a woman must, within the meaning of the law, be recognized as a woman. Such a provision is an aberration which, first of all, will affect biological women subjected to abuse. If a man who claims to be a woman sexually assaults a biological woman, are we talking about a lesbian relationship or a man's abuse of a woman? If a man beats a biological woman who claims to be a dog, are we talking about aggression against animals or against a woman? Women must be protected from rape and assault. We clarify that woman is not an elastic notion that allows a man who claims to be a woman, but a biological reality different from a man, which must be defended and protected.

27

Apr

2026

Questions EN

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Importance of consent-based rape legislation in the EU (debate)

I love debates, too! You are claiming that we should move away from so‑called legal jargon. But laws are defined in two words: objective realities. You just claimed right now – an outrageous claim – that men are violating women. But I'm asking you to please clarify, what is a woman? Because people in your group are claiming that a man who pretends to be a woman should, in the eyes of your law, be acknowledged as a woman. So I restate my question: what exactly is a woman that a man violates?

26

Mar

2026

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Global Gateway – past impacts and future orientation (A10-0045/2026 - Chloé Ridel, Hildegard Bentele)

Madam President, I voted in favour of the Global Gateway report out of geopolitical realism. In order to count globally, the EU must abandon its role as an actor, which only regulates and teaches others, and invest in infrastructure. While the EU was teaching different countries how to regulate that men can give birth, China was Belt and Road Initiative, invested billions of euros in digital transport and energy infrastructure. Europe cannot afford the luxury of naiveté or passivity. If we don't offer an alternative to these countries, they won't run out of infrastructure; if we don't get involved, other countries will. Global Gateway is right because it protects concrete European interests – access to critical raw materials and safe trade routes. It is fundamental to diversify trade routes and reduce dependencies. Connecting with Central Asia and development Middle Corridor They need to become clear priorities. At the same time, Global Gateway must not become a vehicle to advance the ideological agenda of the European Commission. We need to invest in infrastructure, not social engineering. Invested in partnerships, not political conditioning. Europeans' money must serve Europe's interests, not the experiments of bureaucrats.

26

Mar

2026

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Combating corruption (A9-0048/2024 - Raquel García Hermida-Van Der Walle)

Madam President, I voted against the Anti-Corruption Directive because it violates fundamental European values that have made the EU different from the Soviet Union in the past. 1. The Directive falls within the competences of the Member States, in breach of national sovereignty and the principle of subsidiarity. 2. Certain crimes are defined vaguely or even absurdly, which creates serious risks of abuse, something that NGOs have already pointed out. For example, articles on bribery and influence peddling criminalise the mere promise to provide undue benefits to a public official, even if this promise is followed neither by the offering of benefits nor by any concrete action by the public official. Basically, words unfollowed by any deed are criminalized, which is absurd. Here, too, the improper influence on the official is criminalized, without defining which influence is proper and which is improper. The Directive also imposes obligations on Member States, but exempts EU institutions from binding transparency rules. In short, the EU legislates for others, while Ursula will be able to continue and exercise her discretion without being sanctioned.