What Mick spoke about.

13

Jun

2023

EN Speech

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Situation in Lebanon (debate)

Mr President, Lebanon is screaming out for stability. Inflation has spiralled out of control, access to imports, fuel, machinery, food, education, medicine and health care is and has been at crisis level for a long time. And this is the country with the world’s largest refugee population per capita. For historical and geographical reasons, the Lebanese political system is set up so external player…

13

Jun

2023

EN Speech

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Establishment of the EU Ethics Body (debate)

Madam President, the Commission’s proposal paper for the newly announced ethics body describes the new body in the following terms: ‘With the establishment of the Ethics Body there will, for the first time, be a formal mechanism for coordination and exchange of views between institutions and for the establishment of common standards for the ethical conduct of members’. Now the fact that the Commis…

13

Jun

2023

EN Speech

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Humanitarian and environmental consequences of the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam - Sustainable reconstruction and integration of Ukraine into the Euro-Atlantic community (debate)

Mr President, the damage to Ukraine is devastating. Towns and cities that endured for hundreds of years do not exist anymore. We must recognise that these towns, cities and surrounding lands were long being stolen by local oligarchs colluding with global financial capital. This theft quickened with the onset of the war in 2014. The pro-Western government opened the doors wide for massive structura…

12

Jun

2023

EN Speech

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Implementation of the Regulations on the European citizens' initiative (short presentation)

Madam President, the European Citizens’ Initiative, in theory, is a democratic, participatory instrument at EU level that has faced many hurdles in addressing the democratic deficits of the EU. Revisions of the initiative remove some of the bureaucratic obstacles which had been previously riddled with legal and practical issues. But the discretionary powers of the Commission are certainly a major …

12

Jun

2023

EN Speech

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European Union Drugs Agency (short presentation)

Madam President, the amendments are much stronger than the Commission’s proposals for a wider mandate on creating an EU drugs agency by extending the powers of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. The 2022 European Drug Report highlights alarming trends in illicit drug use, which demands the need for better harm-reduction mechanisms. The development of this would be a step …

12

Jun

2023

EN Speech

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Large transport infrastructure projects in the EU (debate)

Madam President, the report touches on the issue of the fund implementation and the EU control on large infrastructure projects. As good infrastructure is critical to regional development and transport networks, the funding of projects is critical to this development. But the text provides little detail as to whether there is adequate control over fund implementation and there is also a lack of de…

12

Jun

2023

EN Speech

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Competition policy - annual report 2022 (debate)

Mr President, this year’s report focuses on market competition and the fostering of competitiveness, competitiveness in the European industry and consumer welfare. However, it leaves many concerns about workers and the challenges faced under existing competition policy. With the cost of living crisis rampant across Europe, the statements within the text on market concentrations and market interven…

12

Jun

2023

EN Speech

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EU Day for the victims of the global climate crisis (debate)

Mr President, the people who have lost their lives due to extreme weather events are the victims of climate inaction – decades of climate inaction by the richer nations of the Global North. Too many people in Europe have died, and we should remember them, but any memorial day must also remember those in the Global South who have died as a result of Europe’s climate colonialism. The EU has consiste…

12

Jun

2023

EN Speech

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Electronic evidence in criminal proceedings: legal representatives directive - Electronic evidence regulation: European production and preservation orders for electronic evidence in criminal matters (debate)

Mr President, this proposal for an e-evidence regulation in criminal matters in European production and preservation orders does not provide adequate respect for fundamental rights. The existing system of judicial cooperation would be effectively bypassed through this proposal, undermining criminal procedure laws and the sovereignty of the targeted countries. Direct legal cooperation with the priv…

1

Jun

2023

EN Speech

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Foreign interference in all democratic processes in the European Union, including disinformation (A9-0187/2023 - Sandra Kalniete)

Madam President, we talk an awful lot about foreign interference in this place. But do you know something? How come we never talk about the actual influence of the US empire on the European Union? They have invested heavily in our media. They’re invested heavily in our universities. They’re trying to influence the curriculum in the universities. How can we say we have democracy when the Americans …

1

Jun

2023

EN Speech

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Breaches of the Rule of law and fundamental rights in Hungary and frozen EU funds (B9-0257/2023)

Madam President, the rule of law should be the rule of law and not a weapon to trouble countries when someone deems them to have stepped out of order. The rule of law issue is only used when it suits the Commission. People like Orbán will get away with anything as long as he’s doing the bidding of the EU, but then when it doesn’t suit will have a go at him. His position on the war is not suiting e…

1

Jun

2023

EN Speech

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Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (A9-0184/2023 - Lara Wolters)

Madam President, the directive has arrived decades late, after so much exploitation, environmental degradation and abuse by European companies has occurred with zero or inadequate consequences for those responsible. The text agreed by the European Justice Ministers in December was watered down and toothless. Now we have a chance to make this important directive fit for purpose. And the same groups…

1

Jun

2023

EN Speech

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Foreign interference in all democratic processes in the European Union, including disinformation - Election integrity and resilience build-up towards European elections 2024 (debate)

Madam President, we are exceptional in both our victimhood and in the righteousness of our actions. When the EU backs military and right—wing coups in Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Sudan, this is not interference in democratic processes; it’s a defence of democracy. When the Council imposes crushing sanctions on disobedient countries, killing tens of thousands of men, women and children and displacing…

31

May

2023

EN Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Mr President, last June, the EU refused candidate status to Georgia, not because it didn’t meet the criteria, but because they weren’t anti-Russia enough. We’ve had MEPs calling for the release of Saakashvili as a condition of EU entry. This is a man who oversaw a reign of terror in Georgia. He was their Pinochet. Over 300 000 opponents were imprisoned. Many were tortured. Several were murdered. M…

31

May

2023

EN Speech

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Social and economic costs of climate change in light of the floods in Emilia Romagna, Marche and Toscana and the urgent need for European solidarity (debate)

Madam President, how many debates this week has Parliament played a destructive role in? Both the Nature Restoration Law and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Regulation are being attacked by the big groups in here so as to ensure that biodiversity is destroyed and fossil fuel companies continue to get a free hand to cause global warming. Yes, we say we’re concerned about the people and t…

11

May

2023

EN Speech

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Towards a strong and sustainable EU algae sector (B9-0233/2023)

Madam President, production of algae in Europe in 2019 accounted for less than 1% of global production. So the EU algae sector has huge potential. The algae strategy is especially important for my own Member State, Ireland. Ireland is one of the top three countries in the EU in terms of turnover, employment and numbers of algae companies. There are some fantastic seaweed companies in Ireland: Pure…

11

May

2023

EN Speech

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Adequacy of the protection afforded by the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (B9-0234/2023)

Madam President, the resolution is rightfully critical of the Data Privacy Framework. It rightly concludes that, as happened with the Schrems I and II cases, the Framework would not survive the criminal justice of the EU. The problem, of course, for the CJEU in the Schrems case, as revealed by Edward Snowden, was the mass surveillance of non—US citizens by the US intelligence services. However, gi…

11

May

2023

EN Speech

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Empowering consumers for the green transition (A9-0099/2023 - Biljana Borzan)

Madam President, the Commission proposals for the Green Claims Directive and the Carbon Removal Certification Framework Regulation were both very disappointing. The Green Claims Directive had a chance to ban climate neutrality claims and failed to do so. The carbon removal certification framework proposal has absolutely nothing to say in terms of how the certificates that would be generated can or…

11

May

2023

EN Speech

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Prohibiting chick and duckling killing in EU law (debate)

Madam President, the welfare of farmed animals is a key part of the farm to fork strategy, improving food quality and ensuring better biodiversity, central to the EU Green Deal. But the mass killing of day-old chicks and ducks in the millions is not carried out by small farmers, but by big agri-producers. This agricultural industry lobbying power has resulted in an unambitious report passed by thi…

10

May

2023

EN Speech

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The role of farmers as enablers of the green transition and a resilient agricultural sector (continuation of debate)

Mr President, last week, at the EPP’s party conference in Munich, the party passed a resolution to kill the sustainable use of pesticides regulation and the nature restoration law. We talk a lot about disinformation in here. The EPP thinks that the nature restoration law has the aim of taking 10 % of agricultural land out of production. We wish it had. That’s what scientists are begging us to do. …

9

May

2023

EN Speech

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2022 Report on Serbia (debate)

Madam President, Serbia entered the new century in ruins. The GDP was half what it was in 1989. Civilian industrial capacity and public works were devastated and an estimated 600 000 jobs lost. NATO’s bombing had been brutal. Economic reforms and privatisation in the early 2000s saw the riches of the country go into the hands of a small group of corrupt war profiteers and international investors. …

9

May

2023

EN Speech

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Situation in Sudan (debate)

Madam President, when Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in April 2019, the democracy that the people were calling for was replaced by the continuation of military rule by two key members of Bashir’s regime: Burhan and Hemedti have been murdering pro-democracy protesters ever since. The opposition to Burhan and Hemedti is widespread, well organised, and their demands are clear: they want civilian rule …

9

May

2023

EN Speech

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Discharge 2021 (continuation of debate)

Madam President, there are a number of EU institutions and bodies not covered by the Parliament’s discharge process. However, what’s particularly concerning, but not surprising, is that the three agencies related to defence – the European Defence Agency, the European Union’s Institute for Security Studies and the European Union Satellite Centre – are not covered. These agencies are audited by inde…

9

May

2023

EN Speech

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Revision of the Stability and Growth Pact (debate)

Mr President, the EU Commission’s redesign of the EU fiscal rules is very disappointing. The new fiscal rules, if agreed, allow more leeway to individual Member States in how to spend their national budget. But there is a serious price to be paid. It’s worrying to read in the Commission’s proposed document, delivered to Parliament in November 2022, that one of the reasons for the easing of the rul…

8

May

2023

EN Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Mr President, independent media is almost non-existent in Europe today. How can we claim to have a functioning democracy if we don’t have an independent media? We have a mainstream media that protects the status quo, that protects vested interests – morning, noon and night. And speaking of the state of our democracy, in Denmark if you are not part of an established party, you need over 70 000 digi…