What Andreas spoke about.

16 Sep

2026

EN Answer

State of the Union (debate)

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I think we have to invest more in affordable housing, which makes housing available also for the middle class. But we also have to see where there's a market failure, such as short‑term rentals or empty vacant houses for speculation, the overlooking of secondary homes. And this is also what we're trying to tackle with the Affordable Housing Act. You are invited to vote in favour, by the way.…

16 Sep

2026

DE Speech

State of the Union (debate)

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Madam President, Madam President of the Commission! You mentioned last year in your speech: Europe is suffering from a massive housing crisis. More and more people, especially young people, are asking themselves: Can I still afford my home? Housing has become one of the great social issues of our time, and we must finally act − also at European level. The Affordable Housing Act Commissioner for Ho…

8 Jul

2026

EN Speech

The EU’s role in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the accountability of Israel under international law (topical debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, stability in the Middle East is of utmost importance. For European security and stability but, most importantly, of course, for the people who have been suffering too much and for too long. The only viable way to long-term stability is the two-state solution. What does this mean, a two-state solution? It means two fully democratic states holding…

7 Jul

2026

EN Speech

2025 Commission report on Serbia (debate)

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Mr President, Madam Commissioner, I think it is important to say it again: we all want to see Serbia and especially the Serbian citizens in the European Union. But there is one problem on this way, and the problem has a name. It's Aleksandar Vučić – because under his presidency, the country is going backwards – going backwards on democracy, on media freedom, on transparency, growing corruption is …

16 Jun

2026

DE Speech

An EU future for the Western Balkans (joint debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! Again with Albania. A decade ago, Albania dealt with the rule of law in a fundamental and thorough way, more than any other Member State of the European Union through which vettingProcess, where 500 out of 800 people failed, through the establishment of the independent investigative authority SPAK, which now conducts investigations regardless of…

16 Jun

2026

DE Speech

An EU future for the Western Balkans (joint debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. Enlargement policy is one of the most important foreign policy instruments of the European Union, because it creates stability, it creates security, it creates prosperity on our continent, and it also gives people a future perspective. And it is precisely this European perspective for the future that is the strongest incentive for democratic reforms and social p…

21 May

2026

DE Speech

Decision of the Azerbaijani Parliament on suspending cooperation with the European Parliament (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Azerbaijani President Aliyev has described the European Parliament's criticism as an obsession. This is a typical case when an autocratic leader does not understand what the fundamental democratic task of a parliament is, namely to push for human rights, the rule of law and compliance with international law and to address it openly – and also, yes, exactly wh…

20 May

2026

DE Speech

Repression and execution of protesters, dissidents, political prisoners and religious minorities in Iran

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Mr President! Dear colleagues, Never before has the rejection of the Iranian regime by its own people, by the Iranian people, been greater than it is now, and the price the people pay for this resistance is a very high one. Because the borderless brutality of the regime cannot stop the resistance of the population. Therefore, it is very important that we remember again from this place: We need the…

19 May

2026

DE Speech

Recommendation on the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (debate)

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Mr President! After New York and Geneva, Vienna is the only UN headquarters that is also located in the European Union. And just as there is a seat in the EU, there is also a need for an EU seat in the UN Security Council. The multiple crises of our time in particular show how important international law and multilateral institutions are. And you have to say one thing very clearly: We don't need l…

26 Mar

2026

DE Speech

Global Gateway – past impacts and future orientation (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Precisely in a world in which we are currently living, where stable partnerships are breaking apart at once for decades, it is all the more important to equip ourselves for the future with robust instruments for international cooperation and to be not only equipped for European interests and what the European Union has, but also well positioned gl…

10 Mar

2026

DE Speech

EU enlargement strategy (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. There is also great news from Iceland in the area of EU ‑ enlargement, as the Social Democratic Icelandic government has announced a referendum on EU ‑ accession on 29 August. Iceland is an important partner, a stable democracy and part of our European values ‑ and Economic Area. Accession would be a great asset for all of us – the European Union as a whole and …

10 Mar

2026

DE Speech

Housing crisis in the European Union with the aim of proposing solutions for decent, sustainable and affordable housing (debate)

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For example, I think it's primarily about distinguishing between private short-term rentals, where someone might put their apartment on a platform over the summer, where they themselves are on vacation, and the large commercial companies that do that. Secondly, we must also see, for example, that apartments in subsidised housing, such as municipal buildings and subsidised housing, are not made ava…

10 Mar

2026

DE Answer

Housing crisis in the European Union with the aim of proposing solutions for decent, sustainable and affordable housing (debate)

Watch

Thanks for the question. This gives me the opportunity to say one thing clearly: We do not want to ban short-term rentals. They are an important part of the tourism market. But what we must not allow is that the business model of temporarily renting an apartment to tourists is more profitable than providing housing to those who are so desperately looking for housing in cities. That's why we need r…

10 Mar

2026

DE Speech

Housing crisis in the European Union with the aim of proposing solutions for decent, sustainable and affordable housing (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner! I believe that the message of this report is very clear and unequivocal: Housing shortages must be tackled by all available means and at all political levels. People in Europe expect the EU to act and the housing crisis, you know, does not stop at national borders. Our report also shows that we can do a lot at European level. We call for the reg…

11 Feb

2026

DE Speech

State violence in Minneapolis and the rule of law in the United States (topical debate)

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Madam President, The famous artist Bad Bunny said at the Super Bowl: The only thing stronger than hate is love. It is shameful that such a quote is needed at a major sporting event in the United States; It is a terrible testimony to the situation. We must not be shaking our heads and pretending that racist, oppressive and excluding policies are only a problem of Trump policy and only a problem in …

10 Feb

2026

EN Speech

Situation in Northeast Syria, the violence against civilians and the need to maintain a sustainable ceasefire (debate)

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Mr President, peace and stability in Syria is not only essential for a stable Middle East, but it is also important for European security. And, right now, those who were our closest partners in fighting for this security, namely, the Kurdish communities in northeastern Syria, are living with an unstable ceasefire following weeks of persecution and dramatic killing. A long-term, stable Syria can on…

20 Jan

2026

DE Speech

Situation in Venezuela following the extraction of Maduro and the need to ensure a peaceful democratic transition (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, The European Parliament and especially the S&A/D Group have repeatedly criticised the murderous Maduro regime. This is precisely why we also have a moral obligation to criticise the actions of the US government and Donald Trump on 3 January. It's a breach of international law, what happened there, it's a breach of the United Nations Charter. Donald Trump is n…

16 Dec

2025

DE Speech

Presentation of the European Affordable Housing Plan (debate)

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25 Nov

2025

DE Speech

EU’s diplomatic strategy and geopolitical cooperation in the Arctic (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, The Arctic is not only a climate hotspot, but also a strategically important space that is becoming increasingly important for international security and geopolitical interests: Climate change, security policy, international trade, resource scarcity bring a seemingly remote location to the center of geopolitical dynamics. Russia's strong historical and geogra…

13 Nov

2025

DE Speech

Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 23 October 2025 (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! The conclusions of the European Council address a very important issue for Europeans, namely the question of affordable housing. There is an urgent need for the European Union to also address the issue of affordable housing. Many citizens can no longer afford the increased rent and basic costs. We need more access – not to housing, but to afford…

21 Oct

2025

DE Speech

Commission Work Programme 2026 (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, President Ursula von der Leyen spoke of affordable Europe and that in many areas life is no longer affordable for Europeans. Housing costs in particular have risen massively here, and affordable housing has become a scarce commodity for many Europeans. There are first successes, also at European level. We have our own Commissioner on this issue, we have our own …

7 Oct

2025

DE Speech

Situation in Afghanistan: supporting women and communities affected by the recent earthquakes (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner! Four years ago, the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, that is, four years of systematic oppression of Afghan women and girls. They are forced into private life and deprived of the right to independence and education. And they are also disproportionately affected by the devastating humanitarian situation in the country. And in recent months, this spiral of violence and …

10 Sep

2025

DE Speech

State of the Union (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, One of the biggest problems, if you ask Europeans, is the cost of living and, above all, the cost of housing. Housing must not become a luxury, housing is a fundamental right – this sentence must now also become a built, tangible, habitable reality for Europeans. The Affordable Housing Plan also gives us the opportunity to improve the lives of millions of peo…

9 Sep

2025

DE Speech

Strengthening Moldova’s resilience against Russian hybrid threats and malign interference (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, It is only two and a half weeks before this landmark election in Moldova on 28 September, and we see what we have seen in elections there in the past, namely that Russian influence on these elections is already increasing massively in advance. President Maia Sandu stressed today that what is happening in Moldova must be a serious warning for the whole of Europe,…

9 Sep

2025

EN Speech

Wave of violence and continuous use of force against protesters in Serbia (debate)

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Madam President, Madam Commissioner, since the tragic collapse of the roof in Novi Sad, too many peaceful protesters have been threatened, tear gassed, defamed as terrorists and beaten up. Too many heads of students have been beaten by police batons and commanded by Vučić, the President of Serbia, himself. Too many red lines have been crossed. Yet still Vučić is a member of the European People's P…