What Eero spoke about.

15 Sep

2026

FI Speech

Defence (joint debate)

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Mr President, this package of laws will strengthen Europe's defence capabilities. The European defence market can develop. Oh, that's good. What is particularly important here is that we also allow SMEs to participate in the creation of a European defence market, including for operators in small countries. Our strength is that European know-how will flourish with this legislative reform. It is als…

15 Sep

2026

FI Speech

The recent hybrid attacks and instrumentalisation of migrants in Ceuta and the need for a coordinated response to protect EU’s external borders (debate)

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Mr President, I come from a country that has also faced instrumentalised entry. Our great neighbour Russia has on several occasions directed people from far beyond their own borders to come to the borders of Finland. The purpose of these operations has become clear. It is the cause of confusion, the stirring up of internal disputes, and the stirring up of unrest. In Finland, we are pleased that th…

16 Jun

2026

FI Speech

Russia’s unacceptable provocative actions and drone incursions into Romania, the Baltic states and Finland (debate)

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28 Apr

2026

FI Speech

Joint debate - Discharge 2024 (joint debate)

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Mr President, first of all I would like to thank my fellow Members for their good cooperation. Thank you also to the European Court of Auditors. The budget error rate remains far from the target. For the sixth year in a row, the auditors gave a negative opinion on the use of expenditure. A major problem is that the control of EU funds does not work in the Member States: errors can be found in both…

10 Mar

2026

FI Speech

Tackling barriers to the single market for defence - Flagship European defence projects of common interest

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Mr President, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has forced Europe to look at its own security with new seriousness. The unpredictability of the United States also reminds us that we cannot build our defence on others. We need to build our own, credible ability to defend ourselves. This is a common task for the Union, but specifically for the Member States along the EU's eastern border. Today, the Easte…

10 Mar

2026

FI Speech

Guidelines for the 2027 budget - Section III (debate)

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Mr President, the war in Iran shows how vulnerable we are in the world. Rising energy prices – an increase in oil prices of more than $100 per barrel – are an everyday reality. This should awaken us, not to give up, but to continue the transition towards renewable and clean energies. It will also be a big task for next year. We need to invest in the future of energy networks. Energy needs to move …

22 Jan

2026

FI Speech

Drones and new systems of warfare – the EU’s need to adapt to be fit for today’s security challenges (debate)

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Mr President, the war in Ukraine has shown in a harsh way how warfare has changed. Drones are no longer the technology of the future; They are today's reality. They affect the battlefield, the security of civilians, the defence capabilities of Europe as a whole. The Union must take this development seriously. We need to quickly strengthen our own expertise, our own ability to fight. Common counter…

20 Jan

2026

FI Speech

Territorial integrity and sovereignty of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark: the need for a united EU response to US blackmail attempts (debate)

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Mr President, Denmark and Greenland now need the full support of all Europeans, including every Member of the European Parliament. The status and life of Greenland can only be decided by the Greenlands and Denmark itself. The final document of the OSCE meeting in Helsinki, which turned 50 last year, is still valid. It recognised national borders and territorial integrity. The document was signed n…

17 Dec

2025

FI Speech

Implementation of the rule of law conditionality regime (debate)

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Mr President, this week marks five years since the European Parliament adopted the historic decision on the conditionality mechanism. It was an important decision, as for the first time access to EU funds was tied to the rule of law. Experience in recent years shows that respect for democracy and the rule of law are also not self-evident within the Union. The same goes for today's debate. Unfortun…

22 Oct

2025

FI Speech

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

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Mr President, I would like to begin by thanking the Court of Auditors and President Murphy for their important work. With an unprecedented volume of EU funds in circulation, the importance of independent auditing is highlighted. Congratulations on a good annual report that gives us a lot to think about. The 2024 annual report highlights a very serious problem, namely that controls in the Member St…

21 Oct

2025

EN Speech

General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2026 – all sections (debate)

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Madam President, a more competitive Europe means investing in the digital and climate transitions and fostering more industrial production in Europe. It means also investing for quality jobs and strategic autonomy. A competitive EU industry also needs a strong focus on research and innovation to develop new technologies and to bring new solutions to the market. More resources for Horizon Europe an…

8 Oct

2025

FI Speech

United response to recent Russian violations of the EU Member States’ airspace and critical infrastructure (debate)

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Mr President, the European Union is at the most dangerous time in its history. War is a reality in Europe. Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine continues for the fourth year. Russia's aggressive actions are increasingly spreading across Europe. Our airspace is repeatedly violated. Our flight connections are being disrupted. Drones are a reality, especially on the EU's eastern border. The Commi…

10 Sep

2025

EN Speech

Taxation of large digital platforms in the light of international developments (debate)

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Mr President, dear colleagues, with an effective paid tax much below 15 %, digital platforms do not pay their fair share in the European Union, despite the profits being made here. This is totally unacceptable. Try to explain this to your local bakery, entrepreneur or teacher. People and companies who pay much more than the big technical giants. We have tried to tackle this multilaterally. However…

18 Jun

2025

FI Speech

Upcoming NATO summit on 24-26 June 2025 (debate)

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Mr President, Europe has learned a great deal from the importance of security and defence. First, Russia rejected the OSCE documents it had signed and all its previous commitments and attacked its neighbours at the border. In violation of international law, Russia announced the annexation of Ukraine's independent and sovereign bordering territories. This was, of course, an attempt to replicate the…

17 Jun

2025

FI Speech

Implementation report on the Recovery and Resilience Facility (debate)

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Mr President, five years ago, the European and global economy was threatened with a total halt. Corona had hit our societies with a force that had never been seen before. Strong action was needed and the EU Recovery Instrument responded to this need. However, five years after the stimulus decision, we are still in a situation where more than half of the money is unused. The transition to renewable…

5 May

2025

EN Speech

Protection of the European Union’s financial interests – combating fraud – annual report 2023 (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, I also would like to thank our rapporteur and the shadows for excellent cooperation in preparing this report. Combating fraud is about protecting the EU budget. Equally much, it is about protecting European citizens and businesses. Through European cooperation, we have managed to combat trade in faulty protection equipment during the pandemic, prevented unsa…

31 Mar

2025

EN Speech

Savings and Investments Union (debate)

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Mr President, the lack of a real internal market for financial services equals a tariff of more than 100 %, as calculated by the IMF. This is a tariff we Europeans put on ourselves. It makes the EU citizens remain champions in sticking to savings with low returns. To turn this around, we need three main changes: firstly, CMU, SIU, the name does not matter. What matters are real structural changes.…

31 Mar

2025

EN Speech

Guidelines for the 2026 budget - Section III (debate)

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Mr President, for ITRE, a more competitive Europe means investing in the green digital and climate transition and fostering more industrial production in Europe for quality jobs and strategic autonomy. It means investing in resilient digital and energy infrastructure, green steel chips, ambitious electrification, net-zero solutions, grids, interconnectors and energy storage. A competitive EU indus…

11 Mar

2025

FI Speech

White paper on the future of European defence (debate)

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Mr President, it is now, if ever, important for Europeans to come together and defend their own values. Russia's barbaric invasion of Ukraine forces us to invest in security. The response to the new US administration's policy, on the other hand, also requires strengthening Europe's own capabilities. The Commission's White Paper on defence is only the beginning of the necessary conclusions. Defence…

13 Feb

2025

FI Speech

EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement (debate)

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Mr President, the new US administration is once again turning to protectionism and the use of trade policy as a political weapon. In these circumstances, it is of particular importance that the EU acts as a defender of free trade and opens up new opportunities for fair trade agreements that recognise environmental and social responsibility. If implemented, the EU-Mercosur agreement would create th…

12 Feb

2025

FI Speech

Need for targeted support to EU regions bordering Russia, Belarus and Ukraine (debate)

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Mr President, Russia's barbaric invasion of Ukraine is causing great suffering to millions of Ukrainians. At the same time, Russia's actions create a large economic, social and also security bill, especially for the residents of the EU's eastern border and the countries on the eastern border. Today's joint parliamentary debate recognises the development needs of this eastern border and sends a str…

12 Feb

2025

FI Speech

Competitiveness Compass (debate)

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Mr President, we want to make Europe more competitive. In addition to economic competitiveness, social competitiveness must be fostered: well-being of societies and people. There is no sustainable competitiveness without natural boundaries and human well-being. The United States is dismantling environmental standards, withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on climate change, and is likely to be dise…

23 Jan

2025

EN Speech

Cryptocurrencies - need for global standards (debate)

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Madam President, despite the hurray mood in parts of the crypto world since the election of Trump, it's important to look at the facts. I see at least three reasons to remain concerned about this bubble. Firstly, despite all the measures adopted, crypto seems to remain the favourite tool for sanctions evaders and gangsters, including cocaine cartels, North Korean hackers, Iranian and Russian spies…

21 Jan

2025

FI Speech

Need to detect and to counter sabotage by the Russian shadow fleet, damaging critical undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea (debate)

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Mr President, there are now far too many breakages of vital cables in the Baltic Sea for all of this to be regarded as coincidence. The EU can only succeed if it contributes to ensuring uninterrupted cross-border connectivity for telecommunications and electricity. Therefore, repeated breaches of the Baltic cables are a matter for the Union as a whole. Baltic Sea countries have already taken steps…

18 Dec

2024

EN Speech

Human rights situation in Kyrgyzstan, in particular the case of Temirlan Sultanbekov

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Mr President, the European Union is a community of shared values. And these values must be respected not only by our own Member States, but also by our partners around the world. Countries that want to cooperate with the Union must commit to respecting fundamental values like democracy and human rights, which include also respect for the political opposition. The developments in Kyrgyzstan are con…