What Mohammed spoke about.

10

Sep

2025

NL Speech

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State of the Union (debate)

Mr President, Europe is having a hard time. We are having a difficult time in geopolitics, in trade and in energy prices for industry. We have a hard time evolving with new technologies. Where we came a few years ago with great prospects in connection with the Green Deal, Our man-on-the-moon moment, it seems like we've lost that inspiration. With the conservative agenda of recent years, we will no…

9

Sep

2025

EN Speech

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Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism: simplification and strengthening (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, first of all, I very much welcome our swift trilogue agreement between Parliament, the Commission and the Council. This is not a small achievement, and we should really be proud of what we have done. It shows that within this Parliament, pro-European parties can work together and we are capable of moving fast and delivering when climate and industry and our credib…

9

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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The EU’s post-2027 long-term budget: Parliament’s expectations ahead of the Commission’s proposal (debate)

Madam President, a single mother from the Dutch region Twente is taking classes to finally realise her dream to start at the police academy. In Zadar, a coastal town in Croatia, a secondary school has been equipped with computers and tablets. And in Prague, victims of sexual violence have been able to receive support in a newly-built shelter since last year. The mother, the student and the victims…

8

Jul

2025

NL Speech

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Presentation of the Chemicals Package (debate)

Mr President, research shows that almost all Dutch people have too much PFAS in their blood. I am afraid that is also the case for many Europeans. Last year I did such a test myself and the results were worrying. Because if you say chemistry, then you say PFAS, then you say pesticides and microplastics. Two-thirds of Dutch citizens want the government to come up with stricter legislation. I hope t…

8

Jul

2025

NL Speech

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Need for the EU to scale up clean technologies (debate)

Mr President, when the new Philips was looking for a new home base at the end of the 19th century, they ended up in Helmond. A city, my city, with a lot of economic activity. The innovative Philips was eager to sell their light bulbs from Helmond. However, there was a problem: The established companies in Helmond did not like Philips. They convinced the city council that such a newcomer would only…

18

Jun

2025

NL Speech

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Electricity grids: the backbone of the EU energy system (debate)

Mr President, our energy market can be much more European. The price differences are large and the capacity is not the same everywhere. I dream of a Europe with improved connectivity between the power grids of different countries, where, for example, wind energy from the North Sea can be used in Spain and we can cook in winter on solar energy from Portugal. Our power grid is full, full. This means…

21

May

2025

NL Speech

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Russian energy phase-out, Nord Stream and the EU's energy sovereignty (debate)

Mr President, last year the EU imported 23 billion euros worth of Russian energy. That's more than we're spending on support for Ukraine. Anyone can see how crooked that is. We can't wait until 2027 to stop Russian oil and gas. Billions of dollars continue to flow to Russia every year, while European and Ukrainian security demands that we stop now. Because with every windmill and solar panel, Puti…

21

May

2025

EN Speech

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Amending Regulation (EU) 2023/956 as regards simplifying and strengthening the carbon border adjustment mechanism (debate)

Mr President, it's good to be here, let me first start by thanking the political groups, the EPP, the Greens and Renew, together with the S&D, who supported the swift adoption of the Parliament position on the CBAM simplification. I also want to compliment the Commission for their strong commitment to CBAM and to making it more effective, because this is a textbook example of what simplification c…

6

May

2025

EN Speech

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Discharge 2023 (joint debate)

Mr President, over the past few months, we've witnessed what some journalists have called the 'Trumpisation' of the EPP. EPP members have been actively tearing down structures of our civil society, and, let me be clear, this has been a deliberate strategy from day one and we've witnessed it also today. EPP members are claiming that they have seen secret contracts, and that these contracts show tha…

6

May

2025

EN Speech

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CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and new light commercial vehicles for 2025 to 2027 (debate)

Mr President, with today's decision, we are asked to add flexibility for the 2025 target for the European automotive sector. There is no secret that my group has not been particularly fond of this proposal, but it is an urgent proposal. Tariffs on European cars, tariffs on steel, energy extortion from autocratic states: we cannot sit around and wait. That's why today I'm calling on all my colleagu…

2

Apr

2025

EN Speech

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European Steel and Metals Action Plan (debate)

Madam President, the steel produced in Ijmuiden, Lulea and Donawitz is not just for Dutch, Swedish or Austrian cars, or the Austrian market. It moves in German cars, it sails in French ships and it travels in Italian trains. It even forms our beautiful five cent coins and, of course, Dutch bikes. We're all connected in Europe, and Europe thrives on a strong steel and metal industry. The European C…

1

Apr

2025

EN Speech

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Improving the implementation of cohesion policy through the mid-term review to achieve a robust cohesion policy post 2027 (debate)

Madam President, for me, cohesion policy is not only about economic growth, it's about building a strong social Europe that works for all, where prosperity is shared and no one is excluded. The social or the Cohesion Fund is also one of the few connectivities we have with regions and cities. While we grant them direct access to European funds, we give Europe a social face. So now is not the time t…

12

Mar

2025

EN Speech

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Accelerating the phase-out of Russian gas and other Russian energy commodities in the EU (debate)

Mr President, every solar panel we place, every windmill we build, every heat pump we install weakens Vladimir Putin's war machine and should be seen as an act of resistance, because last year we imported Russian fossil fuels worth billions of euros. The sooner we step away, the better. Relying on fossil fuels, on imports from abroad only prolongs price shocks, the blackmail and the uncertainty. W…

12

Mar

2025

EN Speech

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Action Plan for the Automotive Industry (debate)

Madam President, we all have strong feelings when it comes to the car industry, we all have the same nostalgic feelings. But I must say that nostalgia is good, but not if it lets you stick in the past. Not if it blocks innovation, not if it blocks change. Today, I feel like I'm in the boardroom of Nokia when the iPhone was just released. The touch screen, the ability to browse on the internet and …

11

Mar

2025

NL Speech

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Clean Industrial Deal (debate)

Mr President, green industrial policy is all about creating demand. Demand for green products such as electric cars and, for example, recycled plastic. Because when we create demand, companies will innovate and invest. And that is how we can make a difference in Europe. Without demand there is no development and therefore no growth. We have to create that question ourselves. Governments, local, na…

10

Mar

2025

EN Speech

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Cutting red tape and simplifying business in the EU: the first Omnibus proposals (debate)

Mr President, I remember on this day, exactly four years ago, the Parliament adopted a resolution on WTO compatibility of CBAM. I remember my colleague Yannick Jadot from the Greens that did an extraordinary job. And that was quite some consensus here in the room. The same holds, actually, for the ambition that we had as Commission and Parliament. The Green Deal and the European climate law, those…

12

Feb

2025

EN Speech

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US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, the World Health Organisation and the suspension of US development and humanitarian aid (debate)

Madam President, when the US hesitates, China accelerates. We learned that before. When Trump pulled out of the Paris Agreement in 2017, he allowed China to become a global leader in sustainable technology. Today it's the world's top producer of renewable energy. Their economy is booming, and more than 40 % of their economic growth comes directly from their solar panels, the windmills, their heat …

12

Feb

2025

NL Speech

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Competitiveness Compass (debate)

Mr President, perhaps this is the problem with the Christian Democrats in this Parliament. They think we can suddenly become much more profitable by removing some rules here and there. They think that if we allow all member states to operate individually, we can make a fist against geopolitical forces such as China and the United States. I really do not understand that we do not see the need to st…

12

Feb

2025

NL Speech

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Collaboration between conservatives and far right as a threat for competitiveness in the EU (topical debate)

Mr President, we have come to a time when reality is subordinate to ideology. You have to scratch your head when you see that the right has a greater focus on oil than Saudi Arabia, which is currently building the largest hydrogen plant in the world. Even there one sees that fossil fuel is a dead end. While China produces the most renewable energy and owes more than 40% of its economic growth to s…

12

Feb

2025

EN Speech

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Commission Work Programme 2025 (debate)

Madam President, the sky was the limit with the Green Deal. People spoke of the 'Brussels effect' – we were inspiring people, we led by example in the global climate agenda. I fondly remember President von der Leyen talking about our 'man on the moon' moment. Are we now aborting the mission and reversing all our achievements? Because landing on the moon is a very complicated matter – we cannot cut…

22

Jan

2025

NL Speech

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EU financing through the LIFE programme of entities lobbying EU institutions and the need for transparency (debate)

Mr President, when the Commission orders something to be done towards parliamentarians, we have to get to the bottom of it. To the right of this house I want to say that in a pluralistic society you make sure that there are different sounds to be heard, even if something is said that you do not like. This is how it is in a democracy. This is especially true for civil society organisations. The hyp…

21

Jan

2025

EN Speech

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Geopolitical and economic implications for the transatlantic relations under the new Trump administration (debate)

Mr. President, we don't correct for the speed limit of the speed differences and languages. Maybe we should. But I will speak Dutch. (NL) Mr President, America is, believe it or not, fortunately more than just Trump. A few years ago, when America left the Paris Agreement, companies and many states decided to continue with it. Trump's will, however, seems increasingly law; Too many people are blind…

20

Jan

2025

NL Speech

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Heat record year 2024 - the need for climate action to fight global warming (debate)

It's always funny: We need to tackle climate change, but with less bureaucracy. That's very important. Let me make a small prediction: I really don't think it's the last time we're debating the hottest year ever. Climate change is a fact. Looking away is dangerous and actually just stupid. It is dangerous for our vulnerable communities, for people who live near rivers, on the coast or in wooded ar…

18

Dec

2024

NL Speech

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Restoring the EU’s competitive edge – the need for an impact assessment on the Green Deal policies (topical debate)

Mr President, not far from my house is the old Philips factory, the company that owes its growth to the rise of the light bulb. The success of Philips shows that embracing innovation creates growth, jobs and new inventions, new innovation. The light bulb that Philips has brought so much success was not invented by making a candle more efficient. Why do we still have that tunnel vision in Europe wh…

16

Dec

2024

NL Speech

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Right to clean drinking water in the EU (debate)

Mr President, in the past we only knew this from the campsite in southern Europe: Use the water sparingly in the summer. Now it is almost every summer also in the Netherlands hit. Four countries now suffer more from water stress, as it is called, an annual shortage of water. Four European countries and I'm really afraid that number is only going to increase. It's hard to guess why. What I am also …