What Hannes spoke about.

3

Oct

2023

DE Speech

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EU-Switzerland relations (debate)

Mr President! Nothing better can happen to us than that we in the European Parliament not only talk about a people’s Europe, about education and opportunities for young people, but also act – and we do that when we address Switzerland’s and the EU’s relations. Since 2014, Switzerland has no longer been associated to Erasmus+, and following the failure of the negotiations on a framework agreement, …

13

Sep

2023

DE Speech

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Amending the proposed mechanism to resolve legal and administrative obstacles in a cross-border context (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Through the European cross-border mechanism, the European Union can be felt and experienced by its citizens. Therefore, its implementation is of fundamental importance. And not only because an economic gain of billions of euros is to be expected. We have already heard many examples of positive effects. Another example: Enabling children and young people to atten…

14

Jun

2023

EN Speech

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Humanitarian situation in Sudan, in particular the death of children trapped by fighting

Madam President, dear Commissioner, according to Unicef, at least 13.6 million children in Sudan are in need of vital humanitarian aid. Newly born babies and infants are dying through malnutrition, dehydration, lack of medical care and the consequences of power failures. Hundreds of children have been killed and thousands seriously injured and abused. Humanitarian aid organisations report that bas…

14

Jun

2023

DE Speech

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Investigation of the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware - Investigation of the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware (draft recommendation) (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner! When the PEGA Committee of Inquiry started its work 14 months ago, who would have thought to what extent politicians, journalists, lawyers as well as political activists will be intercepted and monitored in Member States of the European Union without legal foundations! The goal of using Pegasus and similar spying software in all these cases was to spy on, intimidate and…

9

May

2023

DE Speech

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Situation in Sudan (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner! Sudan is another country in a chain reaction in the region and obviously has the potential to turn into a huge disaster if we don't act. The influence of other countries and groups already present in Africa, such as Wagner, would also extend to Sudan. The lack of drinking water, food and medicine is triggering a huge refugee movement. UNHCR speaks of up to 800,000 pe…

16

Mar

2023

DE Speech

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Lack of actions taken by the Commission in the context of the duty of sincere and loyal cooperation (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner! The Committee of Inquiry into the use of Pegasus and similar surveillance and spyware has been working in this House, in the European Parliament, for a year now. Our task was and is clearly defined, namely to determine the extent to which Member States and third countries use surveillance measures against citizens and thus violate the fundamental rights and freedoms ens…

15

Feb

2023

EN Speech

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

Madam President, Commissioner, the two pro-democracy members of the Eswatini Parliament, Mthandeni Dube and Bacede Mabuza, have been in jail since July 2021. They were detained after the pro-democracy protests in Eswatini in June and July, in which, according to different sources, between 46 and 79 people were killed. Their immediate release must be the primary objective of our resolution. The cas…

15

Feb

2023

DE Speech

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The erosion of the rule of law in Greece: the wiretapping scandal and media freedom (topical debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, Minister! I will now give the answers that my previous speaker has asked for, namely: As early as September 2022, this Parliament’s PEGA Inquiry Committee dealt with espionage and wiretapping cases in Greece. I asked Greek journalists who had reported on the affair and provided information during this hearing: Is Greece on the road to autocracy in the face of these i…

19

Jan

2023

DE Speech

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The Global Gateway Initiative (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner! I was able to take with me from the last meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States and the EU that the European Union must regain confidence in these countries, mainly because it has not yet succeeded in signing the Post-Cotonou Agreement. And many of these countries are increasingly under the influence of China and Russia.…

18

Jan

2023

DE Speech

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Protection of the EU’s financial interests - combating fraud - annual report 2021 (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner! The consistent fight against crimes detrimental to the EU's financial interests is of paramount importance for the budget, but above all for citizens' trust in the European Union. The need to increase the financial and human resources of the Anti-Fraud Authority (OLAF) and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is more than clear from current figures. While t…

14

Dec

2022

DE Speech

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Military Junta crackdown on peaceful demonstrations in Chad

Madam President, Commissioner! One thing in advance: If we give a voice to the weak and disenfranchised here, it has to do with attitude and nothing else. Up to 150 people were killed in protests against the interim government in Chad. The number of injured remains unclear. More than 1,300 people have been arrested and tortured, and 200 are still missing. Most of the detainees are located 600 kilo…

13

Dec

2022

DE Speech

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Implementation of the New European Agenda for Culture and the EU Strategy for International Cultural Relations (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, Minister! 3.8% of all European employees work in the cultural and creative sectors and contribute a considerable 4.2% to European economic output. It is therefore high time to adapt the strategic framework of European cultural policy to the challenges and pursue ambitious goals. Culture as a driver of sustainable development and social justice must be an absolute priori…

23

Nov

2022

DE Speech

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Forced displacement of people as a result of escalating conflict in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Mr President, Commissioner! Since the armed conflict between the army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the militia ‘23 March’ has once again escalated, more than 262 000 people have been displaced – by far the majority of whom are women and children. 2.4 million children suffer from acute malnutrition. 7.5 million people currently do not have access to clean drinking water and basic san…

9

Nov

2022

DE Speech

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REPowerEU chapters in recovery and resilience plans (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner! REPowerEU has to solve the urgent problem of our energy supply, to lead us out of dependence on energy imports, to guarantee affordable, secure and sustainable energy for Europe. Thus, one of the most important tools for Europe is to achieve the goal of climate neutrality, drive the digital transformation, boost growth and create jobs. Although REPowerEU is in line with…

20

Oct

2022

DE Speech

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Cultural solidarity with Ukraine and a joint emergency response mechanism for cultural recovery in Europe (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner! Sigmund Freud wrote to Albert Einstein in a letter: Everything that promotes cultural development also works against war. The Russian war has attacked the culture of Ukraine. The consequences: Flight and expulsion, cancelled concerts and performances, destroyed museums, theatres, concert halls, cultural sites and cultural monuments. Nevertheless, culture plays a big …

19

Oct

2022

DE Speech

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Global food security as follow-up to the G20 Agriculture Ministers meeting (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, Minister! From 2019 to 2021, enough calories were produced to feed the world's population. There is even a 24% surplus. Nevertheless, the number of people suffering acute hunger is increasing rapidly and further. The latest data from the United Nations is alarming. Food insecurity has reached a 10-year high, driven by rising food and energy costs and also by the consequ…

19

Oct

2022

DE Speech

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Political situation in Tunisia (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner! The economic and social crisis in Tunisia has reached a dramatic peak in recent days. The state bankruptcy could be prevented on the weekend only by a 1.9 billion IMF loan. And the IMF is calling for unpopular reforms, such as freezing salaries in the bloated public sector and cutting subsidies for energy and food. It is precisely these austerity plans that will once…

5

Oct

2022

DE Speech

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The situation of human rights in Haiti in particular related to gang violence

Mr President, Commissioner! I never thought that, as an Austrian Member of Parliament, I would give a speech on the plight of the people of Haiti three times. However, it is absolutely necessary. In recent months, the already hopeless situation has risen to a dramatic climax. The Haitian authorities are powerless against the dimension of gang crime. This year alone, about 800 people were killed an…

4

Oct

2022

DE Speech

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The situation in Burkina Faso following the coup d'état (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Putin's war on democracy, freedom and European values is taking place in Ukraine. However, another location can also be seen on the African continent. Russia is stretching its disinformation network across West Africa with the aim of denouncing the European presence, emphasizing and expanding Russia's supposedly positive influence. Military coup follows military…

14

Sep

2022

DE Speech

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Economic, social and territorial cohesion in the EU: the 8th Cohesion Report - EU border regions: living labs of European integration (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner! Cohesion is a fundamental idea of the European Union. Cohesion policy is at the heart of European policy and it must be successful, because the future of Europe is decided in rural areas and in those regions that feel left behind, that are de-industrialised. This is also clear from the fact that there is greater EU scepticism than in other regions, that nationalist i…

14

Sep

2022

EN Speech

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Violations of human rights in Uganda and Tanzania linked to the investments in fossil fuels projects

Madam President, dear Commissioner, when huge oil fields were discovered on the shores of Lake Albert in Uganda in 2006, it was hoped that this would lead to a significant new source of foreign investment for economic uprising. But the hope is offset by the great potential danger of the plans, which have been marred by allegations of human rights violations, slow payments, disruption of children’s…

13

Sep

2022

DE Speech

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The new European Bauhaus (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner! The New European Bauhaus is an opportunity and actually has potential, like its historical role model, to become a cultural movement and create new awareness. But it will only be successful if it reaches the people of Europe, if it does not become an elitist project, if Europeans can imagine something of it, if there is no contradiction between urban centres and rural a…

12

Sep

2022

DE Speech

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The impact of COVID-19 closures of educational, cultural, youth and sports activities on children and young people in the EU (short presentation)

Mr President, Commissioner, one of the most pressing concerns raised by young people in the Conference on the Future of Europe. It is therefore regrettable that there is no full debate here in the plenary of the European Parliament, that we are discussing this topic at a time when the visitors' gallery is empty and young people cannot hear and see when this Parliament is dealing with a topic so im…

12

Sep

2022

DE Speech

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Surveillance and predator spyware systems in Greece (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, Minister! Where is Greece going? The handling of this eavesdropping affair will show it. And the Greek prime minister has to accept the question of whether Greece is heading towards autocracy. However, he has the power to answer and refute this question. Yes, if nothing is to be concealed, then I ask: Why is the Committee of Inquiry not public? If there is nothing to hi…

12

Sep

2022

DE Speech

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Order of business

Madam President, One Member of this House, one Member of the European Parliament, was spied on. Nikos Androulakis' phone was tapped. To this day he does not know – and to this day we do not know – why. It is therefore essential that we deal with these events here in plenary and that we give it the opportunity to talk about them. It is a question of democracy, of freedom and the rule of law when mo…