What Robert spoke about.

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NL Written Statement

The role of development policy in the response to biodiversity loss in developing countries, in the context of the achievement of the 2030 Agenda (debate)

At first glance, this is not a bad report. It stresses the importance of biodiversity for human health, rural development, fisheries, agriculture, etc. Land grabbing, deforestation, degradation of marine ecosystems and the like must be avoided. However, I must say that Parliament is failing when it comes to solutions. More financial support for developing countries, more control over land grabbing…

14 Mar

2024

NL Speech

Deterioration of living conditions in the EU (debate)

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Europe is impoverished. Here in this House it is pretending to be a natural phenomenon, a kind of hurricane that is happening to us. That is not the case. Bad policy is the cause. Bad policy, often made here. I say it loudly: the established parties – you – are responsible for that – greens, socialists, liberals, Christian Democrats. What people know very well at home, politicians do not know: You…

12 Mar

2024

NL Speech

Council and Commission statements - Preparation of the European Council meeting of 21 and 22 March 2024 (debate)

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Mr President, the European citizen is trapped in a prison, in the climate dungeon of Frans Timmermans and Diederik Samsom. Chained up. “The Green Deal is a framework from which European citizens can no longer escape.” These last words are not mine, but from Greenpeace militant and Green-Deal Cabinet Chief Diederik Samsom. I quote Samson: “I had to put the package together in such a way that it bec…

7 Feb

2024

NL Speech

The fight against hate speech and disinformation: responsibility of social platforms within the Digital Services Act (topical debate)

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Mr President, disinformation, the latest stop word from the left-liberal establishment. Originally, this was about the fight against foreign interference. Now it is about fighting against the unwelcome opinions of its own citizens. Do you notice that the population composition in Europe has changed quite a bit over the past fifty years? Disinformation. Do you notice that spending thousands of bill…

7 Feb

2024

NL Speech

Empowering farmers and rural communities - a dialogue towards sustainable and fairly rewarded EU agriculture (debate)

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Mr President, the farmers' protests are continuing everywhere in Europe. That's right. With the Green Deal, Frans Timmermans has tried to make the work impossible for farmers in Europe. The crowning glory of his work was the law of nature restoration. The Netherlands-on-slot law. Now the farmers are taking to the streets, and the Christian Democrats are waking up, because the elections are coming.…

6 Feb

2024

NL Speech

EU2040 climate target (debate)

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There is change in the air. Everyone in this House knows: In June, people will vote for change. For more money in the wallet, for Fort Europe and for more sovereignty. The majority for radical climate policy is evaporating. For five years, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals have followed the Greens, but that will come to an end after June. The polls don't lie. People don't want more climate …

17 Jan

2024

NL Speech

Improving the socio-economic situation of farmers and rural areas, ensuring fair incomes, food security as well as a just transition (debate)

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Mr President, farmers are protesting all over Europe. The reason is different. In the Netherlands it is nitrogen, in Germany higher excise duties, but the reason lies deeper and is the same everywhere. In Brussels and in our capitals, regents have decided that we are living wrong and that everything must be different. A huge gap has emerged between the vast majority and the urban academic regent c…

17 Jan

2024

NL Speech

Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 14-15 December 2023 and preparation of the Special European Council meeting of 1 February 2024 - Situation in Hungary and frozen EU funds (joint debate - European Council meetings)

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Mr President, in life there are three things for sure: You're going to die, You pay taxes, The EU always wants more power and money, like a Caterpillar Never Enough. Belgium has been President of the European Union for six months. Immediately Prime Minister De Croo shot in the typical euro reflex – more money. He wants to increase the EU budget even further by raising taxes. How strange are you wh…

16 Jan

2024

NL Speech

Transparency and accountability of non-governmental organisations funded from the EU budget (debate)

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– Mr President, in the EU you often hear terms that are contradictory. This debate is about non-governmental organisations funded from the EU budget. That doesn't exist. Organizations that are financially dependent on government subsidies are not non-governmental. No, they're the long arm of that government. The European Union gives hundreds of millions of euros of taxpayers’ money to organisation…

21 Nov

2023

NL Speech

Proposals of the European Parliament for the amendment of the Treaties (debate)

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Mr President, the Netherlands is in the middle of the elections to the House of Representatives, but today the EU is in the process of eroding the power of that House of Representatives. Because the vast majority in this House wants to revise the Treaties of the European Union. In no less than 65 policy areas, it demands the abolition of national veto rights, not only on foreign policy, but also o…

20 Nov

2023

NL 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, this regulation for a net-zero industry is a plaster on a stinking wound. Why is this new legislation being introduced? Because European competitiveness is being destroyed by Frans Timmermans' Green Deal. Since its introduction, we have seen deindustrialisation in European countries. Towering energy prices mean that companies in Europe can no longer compete with the rest of the world…

8 Nov

2023

NL Speech

State of the Energy Union (debate)

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Mr President, former climate pope Frans Timmermans has sabotaged nuclear power here for four years. In the Netherlands he is going to talk with a strangely high voice when it comes to nuclear energy. He then says that there are no studies that prove that nuclear energy is profitable. There are. I had one done by myself. This study has been peer reviewed by climate economist and Nobel Prize winner …

18 Oct

2023

NL Speech

Outcome of the SDGs Summit (18-19 September 2023, New York) – transformative and accelerated actions leading up to 2030 and beyond (debate)

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Mr President, today we are talking about the Sustainable Development Goals and I do not understand that. Terror is raging in Western Europe. Due to the skyrocketing inflation, people can no longer afford the groceries. An energy crisis created by the EU puts SMEs in need. Our competitiveness is evaporating and our industry is disappearing. People have lost faith in the institutions. Not surprising…

13 Sep

2023

NL Speech

State of the Union (debate)

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Mr President, I am optimistic. Last year I was full of pessimism. Towering energy prices due to the ill-considered energy transition, disrupted supply chains due to senseless lockdowns, wokism to undermine our Western values and hyperinflation by the ECB's money press. But the shore turned the ship. People are making themselves heard. It can't be like this any longer. The polls are changing. Reali…

11 Sep

2023

NL Speech

Renewable Energy Directive (debate)

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Mr President, this law imposes requirements on countries for more wind turbines, solar panels and biomass. ‘To save the planet’, of course. But trees absorb CO2 and create a living environment for biodiversity. Biomass destroys it. Complete forests are being burned. In addition, more toxins and more CO2 are released than during the combustion of coal. Why does this law promote biomass? Wind turbin…

12 Jul

2023

NL Speech

Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 29-30 June 2023, in particular the recent developments in the war against Ukraine and in Russia (debate)

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Mr President, my beautiful country, the Netherlands, has been represented in the European Council for 13 years by Prime Minister Mark Rutte. This book will be closed soon. I respect the commitment and optimism with which Prime Minister Rutte did his work every day. But the Netherlands and Europe are worse off after these thirteen years, not better. Unfortunately, that is the harsh reality. Who wil…

11 Jul

2023

EN Speech

COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned and recommendations for the future (debate)

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Mr President, COVID has led to the greatest restriction of fundamental rights in over 70 years. If we think lightly of this, our rights are at risk of eroding. All seems forgotten, but political reflection remains necessary because a crisis is the ultimate stress—test for democracy and the rule of law. Only when they are under pressure do we see their true strength. But the European Commission has…

14 Jun

2023

NL Speech

Implementation and delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (debate)

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Mr President, no poverty, no hunger, clean water: You can't be against that, can you? This is the marketing behind the 17 SDGs that the United Nations wants to impose on countries and companies. The objectives sound good in themselves. However, the policy that is linked to this is controversial. For example, SDG 13 on climate action leads to radical climate policy, SDG 10 on less inequality anchor…

13 Jun

2023

NL Speech

Ensuring food security and the long-term resilience of EU agriculture (debate)

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Mr President, ensuring food security in the long term. Strengthen the agricultural sector in the long term. It is the title of this debate and it sounds like music to my ears. Unfortunately, it also goes completely against the policy of the European Commission, because that European Commission urged the Dutch government to reduce livestock in particular. To turn our farmland into a death house con…

10 May

2023

NL Speech

The role of farmers as enablers of the green transition and a resilient agricultural sector (continuation of debate)

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Mr President, farmers belong to Europe, farmers belong to the Netherlands. For centuries it has been farmers who produce our food. Companies often go from father to son, from mother to daughter. It's not just a profession: It's a tradition, a way of life. But if it is up to the EU and the UN, this will soon be a thing of the past. Trade agreements are flooding our market with products from half th…

17 Apr

2023

NL 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, in times of monster inflation, the European Union wants to increase the CO2 tax. There's a lot to be said about that. For example, about the fact that this will affect poor citizens. Or about the immeasurably small effect this has on the climate. But today I want to talk about the damage to our competitiveness. It has only been two months since we expressed our concerns in this House…

16 Mar

2023

EN Speech

Decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations: European Digital Identity framework (A9-0038/2023 - Romana Jerković) (vote)

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Mr President, on 9 February ITRE adopted its position on the European digital identity. ITRE also adopted a mandate to enter into interinstitutional negotiations. This means the digital identity would go straight to the trilogue without a plenary vote. The European digital identity is controversial in many Member States. People are worried about data protection and privacy rights, and I think this…

15 Mar

2023

NL Speech

Deaths at sea: a common EU response to save lives and action to ensure safe and legal pathways (debate)

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Mr President, in this debate there is always a false contradiction. As if it would be harsh to want border protection. As if it were humane to continue allowing mass human smuggling to Europe. This is both completely untrue. Borders are necessary to protect the prosperity and security of the people in our countries. Mass smuggling is inhumane. Because the only reason people sit on rickety boats is…

15 Mar

2023

NL Speech

Conclusions of the Special European Council meeting of 9 February and preparation of the European Council meeting of 23-24 March 2023 (debate)

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Mr President, in the real world, more and more people are unable to pay the bill. Inflation is driving people into poverty. People are trying to survive. But the thinking world of the EU – I call it Planet Strasbourg – looks very different. The Commission passes one coercive law after another. Take the Nature Restoration Act, which threatens Dutch industry and employment. Or take the new building …

15 Feb

2023

NL Speech

Access to strategic critical raw materials (debate)

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Mr President, if I want to renovate my house, I first look at what materials I need. Whether it is for sale and affordable. And what risks there are. Only then will I cut the knot. The EU is doing it backwards. First, a grand plan is put into effect. Only then are feasibility, affordability and risk assessed. Until 2010, EU countries produced more gas than Russia exported. But all reliable energy …