What Eero spoke about.

15

Feb

2023

FI Speech

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The erosion of the rule of law in Greece: the wiretapping scandal and media freedom (topical debate)

Mr President, it is hard to believe that we really do have to discuss in the European Parliament the reality of democracy in one of the Member States that is important to us. The right to free exchange of views and also the right to encrypted communication without the state listening – the big brother supervises – is an important part of our European values. Now we have heard that in Greece, journ…

13

Feb

2023

FI Speech

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REPowerEU chapters in recovery and resilience plans (debate)

Mr President, Russia brutally attacked Ukraine. It gives Europe a reason to stop all imports of energy from Russia. This is where the REPowerEU project is doing a really important job. It will allow us to switch to renewable energy sources – zero-emission energy sources – faster than we had thought. In this respect, Europeans' safety, climate and environment are holding the same hand and cooperati…

1

Feb

2023

EN Speech

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Need for urgent update of the EU list of high-risk third countries for anti-money laundering and terrorist financing purposes (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, 2022 was a record year at international level in terms of AML fines. Financial institutions paid more than EUR 5 billion in fines for breaching AML rules – an astonishing figure. It is clear AML rules need to become stricter, better enforced, and loopholes need to be closed. Therefore, we have to look into the procedure to identify high-risk third countries. Although…

18

Jan

2023

FI Speech

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Control of the financial activities of the European Investment Bank - annual report 2021 (debate)

Mr President, the European Investment Bank has a key role and a good history in achieving the Union's objectives. Today, it is stepping up investment in the green transition, digitalisation, infrastructure projects and research and innovation. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EIB supported the development of vaccines and facilitated the situation of SMEs. Now the Bank is demonstrating it…

17

Jan

2023

SV Speech

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Presentation of the programme of activities of the Swedish Presidency (debate)

Madam President, thank you very much. Sweden has played an important and constructive role during its previous presidencies. Swedish foreign policy is well known and respected. Sweden has also always stood up for democracy, human rights and equality. What will the new government's approach look like? Will it be different from the previous one? Mr Prime Minister, it is worrying that a government is…

9

Nov

2022

FI Speech

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REPowerEU chapters in recovery and resilience plans (debate)

Mr President, REPowerEU is an absolutely important and truly worthy initiative. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine requires quick responses from the Union as a whole and we really need a whole new kind of energy independence. All dependence on Russian fossil energy must be stopped. The phasing out of Russian imported energy, on the other hand, requires action from all Member States. Invest…

18

Oct

2022

FI Speech

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General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023 - all sections (debate)

Mr President, next year's budget is certainly not normal. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has put both the European Union and its citizens at an extraordinary challenge. The Union must support Ukraine for as long as necessary. At the same time, we know that the consequences of the war – high inflation, higher energy prices and security of supply risks – are also reflected in Europe. Thi…

4

Oct

2022

FI Speech

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Commission proposal for measures under the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation in the case of Hungary (debate)

Mr President, the EU must defend its own values. The Union is not just about money and the economy. It is also a community of values where democracy, human rights, the free press and the rule of law are protected. Parliament has been consistent in this regard. It has ensured that we have new legislation that allows us to deal with abuses. The Commission has finally taken action. It has stopped the…

7

Jun

2022

FI Speech

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The rule of law and the potential approval of the Polish national Recovery Plan (RRF) (debate)

Mr President, Europe is not just an economy and an internal market. Europe is also about values and equal rights for citizens. Commitment to common values, democracy, the rule of law, a free press and human rights is particularly necessary today when we see what has happened outside the Union, especially in Russia. Europe must live as it teaches. Recovery grants to Poland cannot be disbursed as lo…

6

Jun

2022

FI Speech

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2021 Report on Turkey (debate)

Mr President, we have cause for concern about developments in Turkey in recent years. The problems of democracy, the restriction of media freedom, the concentration of power and also Turkey's foreign policy positions raise serious questions about where the country is going and whose friend it wants to be. Today, the Turkish leadership is insulting Finland and Sweden by blocking the progress of the…

2

May

2022

FI Speech

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Election of the Members of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage (debate)

Mr President, I would like to thank the rapporteur, Domènec Ruiz Devesa, for his thorough work. There are a lot of things in the show that you can be happy about. This is the case, for example, with respect to gender equality in the selection of candidates for elections. Alongside the European idea, another important principle should be kept in mind when reforming the electoral law, and it is the …

15

Feb

2022

FI Speech

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Implementation of the common foreign and security policy – annual report 2021 - Implementation of the common security and defence policy – annual report 2021 (debate)

Mr President, everything we experience in Europe today advocates that the Union should strengthen its own capacity to act, both in foreign policy and in security policy and defence. The Union is also a security community and citizens expect membership to meet their security needs. In the field of security and defence policy, it should be noted that the Member States include both NATO members and n…

20

Oct

2021

FI Speech

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Increased efforts to fight money laundering (debate)

Mr President, 30 years have passed since the adoption of the first money laundering directive. Since then, four other directives have been adopted. Yet the recent report by the European Court of Auditors is a sad read. Anti-money laundering measures in the Member States have been implemented in a fragmented manner and without clear priorities. Money laundering continues to be a real billion-dollar…

6

Oct

2021

FI Speech

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Reforming the EU policy on harmful tax practices (including the reform of the Code of Conduct Group) (debate)

Mr President, the fact is that our European taxation is still like Swiss cheese – with very large holes. The Lalucq report before us is an attempt to reduce these tax loopholes and deserves the strong support of all of us. I would like to thank the rapporteur and the other negotiators for their good work. Member States are finally required to be determined and committed to building a fairer tax sy…

6

Oct

2021

FI Speech

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Pandora Papers: implications on the efforts to combat money laundering, tax evasion and avoidance (debate)

Mr President, the new revelations of investigative journalists, these Pandora Papers, open up a world of incomprehensible secrecy. It is worth thanking journalists and the free press – once again. What do I have to do now? There is a need to increase the transparency of corporate ownership. The actual beneficiaries of complex corporate structures must be made public. The practices of blacklists in…

5

Oct

2021

FI Speech

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The Arctic: opportunities, concerns and security challenges (debate)

Mr President, the Arctic region faces a wide range of geopolitical interests, but the most important thing for the European Union is to promote regional and practical cooperation. It is in the interest of all the northern Member States and of the Union as a whole that military tensions in the Arctic are kept to a minimum and that peaceful exchanges and cooperation are promoted in the region. The E…

6

Jul

2021

FI Speech

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The creation of guidelines for the application of the general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union budget (continuation of debate)

Mr President, it should be self-evident that all EU Member States are committed to the democratic rights of citizens and the rule of law. That is not the case now, however, and that is why we are again discussing this issue here. Democratic elections, a free press and an independent judiciary are all necessary to be accepted by every Member State and also by anyone who wants to join the EU. At the…