What Bert-Jan spoke about.

20

Jan

2026

NL Speech

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Human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter – annual report 2025 (debate)

Mr President, the human rights situation in the world is crying. I think we'll soon agree on that tonight. But the question is: What can we do about it? Military intervention, as Trump recently did in Nigeria, is not really obvious. But what is? I have three concrete recommendations for the Commission and for the High Representative: 1. Be more assertive in trade agreements. For example, in the ca…

17

Dec

2025

NL Speech

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Mass kidnapping of children in Nigeria, including from St Mary's Catholic school in Papiri

Mr President, kidnapped by heavily armed groups. Untraceable. It'll just be your kid. This is not an incident, but the daily reality in Nigeria. The attack on the Christian St Mary school symbolizes the structural violence that plagues northern and central Nigeria. Christian schools and communities are repeatedly targeted by kidnappings and attacks by armed groups. That some of the children have b…

16

Dec

2025

NL Speech

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Recent developments in Palestine and Lebanon (debate)

16

Dec

2025

NL Speech

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Condemnation of the terrorist attack against the Hanukkah celebrations in Sydney and solidarity with the victims and their families (debate)

16

Dec

2025

NL Answer

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European Citizens’ Initiative ‘My voice, my choice: for safe and accessible abortion’ (debate)

16

Dec

2025

NL Speech

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European Citizens’ Initiative ‘My voice, my choice: for safe and accessible abortion’ (debate)

16

Dec

2025

NL Question

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European Citizens’ Initiative ‘My voice, my choice: for safe and accessible abortion’ (debate)

15

Dec

2025

NL Speech

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Amending certain CAP Regulations as regards the conditionality system, types of intervention in the form of direct payment, types of intervention in certain sectors and rural development and annual performance reports, data and interoperability governance, suspensions of payments annual performance clearance and controls and penalties (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, if we want to preserve agriculture in Europe, the regulatory burden on farmers will have to be drastically reduced. The simplification package we are voting on this week is a step in the right direction. This will increase the scope for Member States to adapt or suspend rules in the event of unforeseen circumstances. Member States may also grant co…

26

Nov

2025

NL Speech

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Fishing opportunities 2026: ensuring the sustainability of fish populations, marine ecosystems and coastal communities

26

Nov

2025

NL Speech

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The situation of Christian communities and religious minorities in Nigeria and the Middle East, and Europe’s responsibility to protect them and guarantee freedom of conscience (topical debate)

25

Nov

2025

NL Speech

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Political situation in Myanmar including the humanitarian crisis of the Rohingya (debate)

Mr President, the people of Myanmar are suffering so much and you hear and read very little about it. It's sad! The military junta has a real reign of terror against its own population. Known are of course the stories about the Rohingya, who sought a safe haven in surrounding countries and now reside in the overcrowded camps under often very degrading conditions. Less well known is that among thos…

23

Oct

2025

NL Speech

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Combating violence against women and girls, including the exploitation of motherhood (debate)

Mr President, I must tell you that I am very disappointed with the input of both the Council and the European Commission, because they have not at all addressed the exploitation of motherhood, in particular surrogacy, when that is indeed on the agenda today. Look at the exploitation of vulnerable women, which often involves surrogacy. A lively trade has developed in babies. And that's not okay, of…

22

Oct

2025

NL Speech

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Presentation of the Court of Auditors' annual report 2024 (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, this time too, the European Court of Auditors flawlessly puts its finger on a number of sore spots: the huge indebtedness (EUR 900 billion by 2027), rising interest payments (EUR 30 billion per year), but also the still too high error rate and the very poor supervision of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). Often it is not even known who the final benefi…

21

Oct

2025

NL Speech

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Recent peace agreement in the Middle East and the role of the EU (debate)

We were able to see them all: the images of hostages coming home, the intimate embraces, the intense joy. Life was celebrated there. However, we also saw other images, those of kneeling Gazans who were summarily executed by Hamas. A frenzied crowd around it, cheering at death. It's chilling. And what a contrast! Once again it became poignantly clear how evil the Hamas ideology is and how it still …

20

Oct

2025

NL Speech

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Order of business

Mr President, it is indeed a request from the ECR Group on the initiative of our French colleagues and our group. Monday morning there was a break-in at the Louvre. Invaluable French national treasures were stolen after a series of malfunctions and questionable decisions that endangered the museum's security. This is not the first time that European museums have been broken into. The Netherlands w…

7

Oct

2025

NL Speech

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Rising antisemitism in Europe (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, on a day like today, we cannot ignore it: Growing anti-Semitism has everything to do with October 7th. And especially with the wrong attitude that the West has adopted in response to this. Europe should have stood around the Jewish community as one man. Instead, activists were given ample jobs to shout the most terrible things about the Jews in stations, squares…

7

Oct

2025

NL Speech

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Common agricultural policy (joint debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, today we are discussing two very interesting topics: the simplification of the common agricultural policy and adjustments to the market organisation. Both proposals are important in order to improve the profitability of farms. It is good to see that more attention has been paid to this under the new Commission. However, there are two caveats. Note …

7

Oct

2025

NL Speech

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The EU’s role in supporting the recent peace efforts for Gaza and a two-state solution (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, anyone who really wants peace for Jews and Palestinians – and that is what we all want – must embrace Trump’s peace plan. After all, all the ingredients to achieve a lasting peace are in it. Israel already agrees, while Hamas still agrees. Are they finally ready to release the hostages? Everything stands or falls with that. If this door doesn't open, the road to…

6

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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Motions of censure (joint debate)

Madam President, I would like to refer to Rule 150 of Parliament's Rules of Procedure. As we speak, Nigerian singer Yahaya Sharif-Aminu is facing a death penalty for sharing a song on the Prophet Muhammad. During a recent hearing, the public prosecutor spoke explicitly about the intention of the state to publicly execute Sharif-Aminu. This is now in the hands of the Supreme Court, but the situatio…

10

Sep

2025

NL Speech

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China’s unjustified decision to impose duties on imports of pork products from the EU and the need to support European farmers and workers (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, last week China announced that it would introduce import duties on pigmeat from the European Union as of today. The levies will have a serious impact on European pig producers and the internal market. I am particularly concerned about the cooperatives that appear to be subject to extra high levies. I would therefore like to make an urgent appeal to the European Commissi…

10

Sep

2025

NL Question

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State of the Union (debate)

I have a question for Mr Bellamy. He is undoubtedly aware that we are still waiting for the reappointment of the EU Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion. Ms von der Leyen recounts and promises every time that the EU Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion will be appointed, but no one has yet been appointed. What do you think of that? Do you agree that the European Parliament should exert maximum p…

9

Sep

2025

NL Speech

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Gaza at breaking point: EU action to combat famine, the urgent need to release hostages and move towards a two-state solution (debate)

Mr President, I would like to ask anyone who again places all the blame on Israel today: Have you forgotten October 7th? And what preceded it: the years of rain of rockets and incendiary balloons from Gaza on Israel? What about Hamas's mission of total destruction of Israel? I am not saying that Israel does not make mistakes, but if we lose sight of the murderous nature of Hamas, we risk making wr…

8

Sep

2025

NL Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Mr President, I would like to remind the Commission and colleagues that the European Union has nothing to say about abortion. This is a matter for the Member States. I say that because a citizens' initiative – My Voice, My Choice – has been tabled asking us to make abortion accessible to all women in Europe, namely by making budgets available to women from countries where abortion is still banned,…

10

Jul

2025

NL Speech

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Post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, in a debate like today, it is good to realise that agriculture is a unique sector. After all, she works in and with nature and we all know how erratic that nature can be. And she takes care of our daily food. The founding fathers of the European Union realised this very well and therefore included a separate article on agriculture in the Treaty for…

9

Jul

2025

NL Speech

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Urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the Christians in Syria are frightened, very frightened. This also applies to other populations, such as the Alawites and the Druze. Al-Julani, who nowadays is called al-Sharaa, may now wear neat suits and be received as a hero by many Western leaders, that does not make Syria a country where it is good for minorities. The horrific attack on the Mar Elias church…