What Bert-Jan spoke about.

18 Oct

2023

NL Speech

The despicable terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, Israel’s right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law and the humanitarian situation in Gaza (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, Minister, ladies and gentlemen, the horrific acts of Hamas have deeply shocked us all. They have once again confronted us with the harsh reality. Israel is facing a nothing-and-nobody-forgiving terrorist organization. What we have to do is therefore crystal clear: Support Israel unconditionally in its fight against Hamas. But the hand must also be in its own bosom. Has …

16 Oct

2023

NL Speech

Fisheries control (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I regret to say that I cannot agree with the agreement on fisheries control that is now before us. For me, the pain point is mainly with the mandatory camera surveillance. A measure with which we place an entire sector in advance in the suspects' bank. In addition, with this camera surveillance you try to improve compliance with a measure that is s…

3 Oct

2023

NL Speech

Situation in Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan’s attack and the continuing threats against Armenia (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, the Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh suffered historically from Azerbaijan last week. 120 000 Armenians who had to leave everything behind. A crime right outside the door of the European Union. And what did the Member States do, what did the Council do, what did the European Commission do? They let it all happen. The European External Action Service continues to spea…

13 Sep

2023

NL Speech

Reviewing the protection status of wolves and other large carnivores in the EU (topical debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, 30 years ago, the wolf was undoubtedly an endangered species and there was every reason to give it the highest European protection status. However, the situation is now completely different. There are now more than 21,000 wolves in Europe. The wolf is no longer threatened. The wolf itself has become a threat to sheep, ponies, calves and grazers tha…

12 Sep

2023

NL Speech

Combating the normalisation of far-right and far-left discourses including antisemitism (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, antisemitism has many faces. We see it on the far right. We see it on the left. We see it in the BDS movement. We see it among those who present the State of Israel as a neocolonial product. Yes, anti-Semitism, we see it everywhere. And against all these different manifestations of anti-Semitism, we will have to continue to vigorously resist. Among…

12 Sep

2023

NL Speech

2022 Report on Türkiye (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the rapporteur's conclusion is clear: “As long as Turkey does not change course, the accession process cannot be resumed.” I understand that position, but after 20 years of waiting in vain for improvement, we really need to take a step forward. It is high time for the Council to deprive Turkey of its status as a candidate country, because Turkey co…

13 Jul

2023

NL Speech

10th anniversary of the EU Guidelines on Freedom of Religion or Belief (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ten years ago the Council adopted the guidelines on freedom of religion. The existence of these guidelines is, of course, a good thing. But what about its implementation? I have serious doubts about this and that is why I have requested this debate today. For example, Article 70 requires a three-yearly evaluation, but no implementation or evaluation report has ever been…

12 Jul

2023

NL Speech

India, the situation in Manipur

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Mr President, Commissioner, a debate on India is often about opportunities for trade. Today, unfortunately, we have to talk about human rights, about the situation in Manipur, where the ethnic conflict is becoming increasingly religious. The sad balance of the last ten weeks: 120 people killed, 50 000 displaced and 250 churches destroyed. Unfortunately, the issue is not an isolated one. Throughout…

11 Jul

2023

NL Speech

Relations with the Palestinian Authority (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, the Israeli army's invasion of Jenin has once again hit us hard: In the Palestinian Territories there are not only benevolent people. Unfortunately, there are also terrorists who speak only one language: the language of terror and violence. As long as that is the case, Israel has no choice. Then it'll have to act. In the meantime, the situation is getting more and more …

11 Jul

2023

NL Speech

Nature restoration (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, in Mariënheem, a village in the east of our country, they have a major problem: a busy, dangerous road through the village. The bypass that the village has to relieve, is not yet there. A major cause – in addition to lack of money – is tight Natura 2000 legislation that even subordinates road safety to nature. Mr President, if we agree to the Nature Restoration Act tomo…

14 Jun

2023

NL Speech

Surrogacy in the EU - risks of exploitation and commercialisation (topical debate)

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Mr President, we can agree that children are not commodities. However, a global surrogacy industry has emerged, accompanied by modern slavery and exploitation of vulnerable women. Childlessness can be very difficult. However, the use of surrogacy as a solution raises important ethical questions, such as agreements on aborting children, for example in the event of multiple pregnancies or because of…

13 Jun

2023

NL Speech

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

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, it is a good thing that we are talking about food security and the resilience of agriculture. Especially this week, which seems to be all about nature restoration. In any case, it ensures the much-needed balance in the discussion. It is only thanks to sufficient agriculture that we always have sufficient food. What is needed for this is space. Spac…

12 Jun

2023

NL Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Mr President, we are so grateful that we have left the COVID pandemic behind us and that we no longer have to show our QR codes all the time. Anyone who thinks that this marks the end of the era of digital health certificates is mistaken. Because if it is up to the European Commission, the COVID certificate simply merges into a broader digital health certificate from the WHO. I think that is very …

11 May

2023

NL Speech

Protecting and restoring marine ecosystems for sustainable and resilient fisheries - Agreement of the IGC on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (High Seas Treaty) (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I am increasingly wondering – despite all the fine words: Is the EU really there for our fishermen? Of course, measures are needed to protect marine ecosystems and our fish stocks: investment in more selective fishing gear, for example, continuation of TAC and quota systems. But what the Commission is putting on the table is really going too far. T…

9 May

2023

NL Speech

Discharge 2021 (continuation of debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, once again we managed to include a clear recommendation on the Palestinian textbooks in the discharge report on the Commission. We ask you to take a critical look at the European spending on these textbooks, because they are full of anti-Semitism. Once again, however, we are also dealing with the S&D, the Greens and The Left, who are trying to cove…

19 Apr

2023

NL Speech

The risk of death penalty and execution of singer Yahaya Sharif Aminu for blasphemy in Nigeria

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, there is a lot at stake in Nigeria in the Sharif Aminu case. I sincerely hope with you that the Supreme Court will declare the blasphemy laws unconstitutional and contrary to international treaties. The ruling can have far-reaching consequences, also for the many Christians who are threatened by Sharia law in Nigeria. In 2022, an estimated 13 Chris…

19 Apr

2023

NL Speech

Digital euro (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, criticism of the digital euro is growing from all sides. That is also very understandable. For what problem does this new concept actually offer a solution? Is there a problem? In any case, it is clear that the ECB will have a huge dominant position with this digital euro. For example, it could set negative interest rates. It could even make the euro programmabl…

18 Apr

2023

NL Speech

The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations (debate)

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Mr President, Mr High Representative, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, it has of course been known for some time that China is a dictatorship where human rights are being violated en masse. In the meantime, the situation in China is certainly not improving, and we are also noticing this in Europe. China intimidates and threatens journalists and engages in large-scale espionage activities. And w…

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, Fit for 55 has good and bad sides. I still have a lot of hesitation about the level of ambition. I foresee that we will soon come to the conclusion in 2030 that we have set an unachievable binding goal in the legislation. So from a legal point of view, we are totally stuck. We are already seeing that our energy network is approaching its limits. As far as ETS is concerned, it is posi…

17 Apr

2023

EN Speech

Order of business

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Madam President, I agree. I can support that, yes.

17 Apr

2023

NL Speech

Order of business

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Mr President, Commissioner Sinkevičius recently sent a letter to the Netherlands which caused a great stir. In this letter on nitrogen policy, the Commissioner seeks to impose on Dutch farmers and our entire economy targets and dates that are not enshrined in European legislation. This is, of course, highly questionable from an institutional point of view. The Commission has to monitor compliance …

16 Mar

2023

NL Speech

European Citizens’ Initiative "Save bees and farmers! Towards a bee-friendly agriculture for a healthy environment" (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the citizens’ initiative entitled ‘Save bees and farmers’ rightly draws attention to the importance of pollinators for agriculture and horticulture. More than a third of our food crops depend on pollination by honeybees and wild bees. When plant protection products are used, their effects on insects must therefore be carefully considered. This requ…

14 Mar

2023

NL Speech

EU-Armenia relations (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, as one of the oldest countries in the world, Armenia has a very rich history. With a population formed by Christianity. But also a population that suffers. After all, the conflict around Nagorno-Karabakh is drawing deep marks. The Armenians there are made life almost impossible. They live there in complete isolation, especially now that the only ac…

13 Mar

2023

NL Speech

Binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States (Effort Sharing Regulation) - Land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) - Revision of the Market Stability Reserve for the EU Emissions Trading System (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, this week we are voting on ‘Fit for 55’, but fit for purpose is by no means the package that is currently before us. Transitions take time. For truly sustainable policies, the goals must therefore be realistic, and unfortunately they are not in what is currently happening. I have called for more flexibility and greater commitment to cost-efficiency…

14 Feb

2023

NL Speech

Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence: EU accession (continuation of debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, slavery sounds like something from a distant past, but it is alive and kicking. I'm talking about modern slavery called prostitution. I find it incomprehensible that countries have come to regard this as a normal profession. Rethinking is really needed here, but also more efforts by the EU to combat trafficking in human beings. Criminalisation by the Member Stat…