What Mick spoke about.

9

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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Parliament’s right of initiative (A9-0142/2022 - Paulo Rangel)

Mr President, it’s a bit mad that the only body that’s directly elected in the EU is not allowed to legislate, but we should still question what we do when we get here. This week we continued the long legacy of neo—colonial interference in the democratic processes and internal affairs of sovereign states like Nicaragua, who try to break with the abuses of white supremacist elites and the most brut…

9

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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The rule of law and the potential approval of the Polish national Recovery Plan (RRF) (B9-0316/2022, RC-B9-0317/2022, B9-0317/2022, B9-0320/2022, B9-0321/2022, B9-0322/2022, B9-0323/2022)

Mr President, I agree with the last speaker that it should be 100% the choice of the Polish people to elect the government that they see fit. Now the release of the Recovery and Resilience Facility Fund to Poland is an interesting one for the EU, because one day they are telling us about the rules and the regulations and what you have to do and what you don’t have to do. And the next day it doesn’…

9

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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Illegal logging in the EU (debate)

Mr President, the European Court of Auditors released a report recently linking logging rates to an increase in the consumption of solid biomass for energy purposes. Now, to meet renewable energy targets, burning biomass is the cheapest alternative, so many countries are effectively forced to do so to meet their targets. Sixty per cent of the EU’s renewable energy is coming from biomass, which con…

8

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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Global threats to abortion rights: the possible overturn of abortion rights in the US by the Supreme Court (debate)

I agree with the gentleman. I mean, what he’s actually saying is that we actually are entitled to have an opinion. We have the right to choose; the same as a woman should have the right to choose. And we shouldn’t be telling other countries how to run their affairs. There’s a serious lack of respect for other nations. There’s a serious failure to actually just take other people’s position on board…

8

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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Global threats to abortion rights: the possible overturn of abortion rights in the US by the Supreme Court (debate)

It just so happens that we actually have a foreign affairs department in the European Union, and we actually question how everybody else runs their affairs. We’re never done talking about China. We talk about Syria, Iraq. We talk about Venezuela, Nicaragua. We talk about everybody. I mean, what’s your idea? I mean, this idea. I mean, what is democracy anyway? What is it? Is it having a vote every …

8

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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Global threats to abortion rights: the possible overturn of abortion rights in the US by the Supreme Court (debate)

Madam President, a woman’s right to choose is a human right. Why are we so quiet about challenging the US when they threaten human rights? Some people have said in here, ‘how dare we talk about the US?’ We talk about everybody else. Is the US a functioning democracy? Well, let’s have a look at it. It cost 2 billion to become president. They have 25% of the total prisoners in the world. They spend …

7

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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Binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States (Effort Sharing Regulation) - Land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) - CO2 emission standards for cars and vans (joint debate – Fit for 55 (part 2))

Mr President, in light of Europe’s historic responsibility and its capacity to act, the EU must reduce its domestic greenhouse gas emissions by at least 65% by 2030 as compared to 1990 levels. To meet this, the effort sharing regulation needs to achieve at least 50% emissions reduction by 2030 compared to 2005 levels. The 40% reduction target for the effort sharing regulation proposed by the Commi…

7

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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Revision of the EU Emissions Trading System - Social Climate Fund - Carbon border adjustment mechanism - Revision of the EU Emissions Trading System for aviation - Notification under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) (joint debate – Fit for 55 (part 1))

Mr President, firstly, well done to Mohammed, the rapporteur for the carbon border adjustment mechanism. I thought the Commission’s proposals lacked ambition in terms of its timelines for phasing out free allowances and in terms of its scope. It also lacked fairness in its treatment of the least—developed countries. Mohammed has done well to address some of these problems. Least—developed countrie…

6

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Madam President, last week, President von der Leyen said the only reason why we're certainly now at a full crisis is because of this brutal, unjustified war against Ukraine. The war is brutal and all war is never justified, but it is not the cause of the food crisis. Hunger and famine have been on the rise long before the current conflict. The war certainly hasn't helped. And now EU sanctions and …

6

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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Article 17 of the Common Fisheries Policy Regulation (short presentation)

Madam President, Ireland’s share of fishing quotas under the common fisheries policy is a scandal. But this report is specifically with how Member States themselves allocate the shares they receive from the EU under the CFP. Article 17 of the CFP was introduced in the 2013 reform. It requires that Member States allocate fishing opportunities using transparent and objective criteria, including thos…

6

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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Question Time (Commission) Reducing the use of pesticides and strengthening consumer protection

Commissioner, the European Chemicals Agency’s Risk Assessment Committee on glyphosate said last week that it is not justified to conclude that it causes cancer. However, these findings contradict those of other institutions, including the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which classified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic to humans as far back as 2015. In an opinion published on 10 Ja…

6

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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The EU and the security challenges in the Indo-Pacific (debate)

Mr President, the anti-China policy proposals coming out of the US State Department in recent years are alarming. There are a growing number of influential policymakers who are openly planning a war with China. The report before us calls for the EU to copy the US and NATO and support the creation of a new anti-China alliance with Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea. The Council on Foreign R…

6

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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The EEAS’s Climate Change and Defence Roadmap (debate)

Mr President, the climate change and defence roadmap calls for increased spending in research, technologies and capabilities that would supposedly allow the armed forces to reduce their carbon footprint. Yet the text allows for the voluntary setting of carbon emissions reductions targets – a weaker position than that contained in the original roadmap. The language in the text centres on efficiency…

6

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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2021 Report on Turkey (debate)

Mr President, Turkey is a NATO member and is a partner of many EU Member States. So why does the EU actually tolerate what Turkey gets up to? Turkey has been breaking international law on a regular basis for a long time and we put up with it. Now we complain, and rightly so, about their illegality with Cyprus and Greece. But you know what? I actually think Turkey must be confused because we never …

19

May

2022

EN Speech

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Social and economic consequences for the EU of the Russian war in Ukraine – reinforcing the EU’s capacity to act (RC-B9-0267/2022, B9-0267/2022, B9-0271/2022, B9-0273/2022, B9-0278/2022, B9-0279/2022, B9-0280/2022)

Mr President, I drove through Switzerland last weekend and diesel was 2.29 a litre. The Swiss franc and the euro are at parity at the moment. The US dollar is almost at parity with the euro. The impact of the war on European citizens is going to be dramatic. We know that the sanctions are not stopping the war and they’re not going to stop it. Diplomacy and dialogue will eventually stop the war, th…

19

May

2022

EN Speech

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The fight against impunity for war crimes in Ukraine (B9-0272/2022, RC-B9-0281/2022, B9-0281/2022, B9-0282/2022, B9-0283/2022, B9-0284/2022, B9-0285/2022)

Mr President, war is a crime and wars create war crimes. The Parliament rightly condemns war crimes in Ukraine, but does very little to stop the war. The Parliament condemns the illegal invasion and occupation of Ukraine by Russia, but says nothing about the illegal occupation of Palestine by the Israelis or the illegal occupation of Syria by Israel, the US and Turkey. The Parliament condemns the …

19

May

2022

EN Speech

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Prosecution of the opposition and the detention of trade union leaders in Belarus (B9-0269/2022, RC-B9-0270/2022, B9-0270/2022, B9-0274/2022, B9-0275/2022, B9-0276/2022, B9-0277/2022)

Mr President, the resolution on the detention of trade union leaders in Belarus welcomes the Commission proposal for a six—sanctions package on Russia and Belarus, and calls on the Council to ensure its comprehensive and swift implementation. The resolution also calls for a strict mirroring of the sanctions issued against Russia to Belarus and their appropriate application also in the case of all …

19

May

2022

EN Speech

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The REPowerEU Plan: European solidarity and energy security in face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including the recent cuts of gas supply to Poland and Bulgaria (debate)

Mr President, the REPower EU plan in March set an additional 50 billion cubic metre LNG import target, but that’s just 28% of the existing total import capacity. During the 2021 calendar year, only 42% of the EU’s total annual LNG import capacity was used. Europe does not need a new LNG infrastructure. Yet yesterday, President von der Leyen committed EUR 10 billion to gas, LNG and oil infrastructu…

18

May

2022

EN Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Madam President, Sweden and Finland making moves to join the most aggressive military bloc on Earth is a sign of how rotten and corrupted the political class in Europe has become. We all know exactly what NATO is: a post—war mechanism designed to maintain US dominance and control over Western Europe, advance US geostrategic interests and violently suppress socialism. To pursue these aims, NATO has…

18

May

2022

EN Speech

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Minimum level of taxation for multinational groups (debate)

Madam President, our Irish Commissioner, Mairead McGuinness, will be well aware of the fact that the corporate tax rate in Ireland has been 12.5% for a good while. But sadly, some companies get away with paying 2% and some actually get away with paying less. So if it’s increasing from 12.5% to 15%, will the likes of Google be paying 4.5% or will they be paying 15%? Because if we don’t do away with…

5

May

2022

EN Speech

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The impact of the war against Ukraine on women (B9-0219/2022)

Madam President, many aspects of this report are commendable. It comprehensively captures the extent of the challenges faced by women and children either trapped in or fleeing a war zone. In every war both sides engage in some kind of brutality and horror against women and children. So it is all the more necessary that we do everything in our power to achieve peace now. We must question, as the Po…

5

May

2022

EN Speech

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State of play of the EU-Moldova cooperation (RC-B9-0240/2022, B9-0240/2022, B9-0241/2022, B9-0242/2022, B9-0243/2022, B9-0244/2022, B9-0245/2022)

Madam President, Moldova has made it clear that while it wants to join the EU and, therefore, is politically west-facing, it wants to remain militarily neutral. Neutrality is enshrined in Moldova’s Constitution. The Prime Minister recently reaffirmed Moldova’s neutrality. He said in an interview with Euronews in relation to the Russian-backed separatist area Transnistria, ‘We are a neutral country…

5

May

2022

EN Speech

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Ongoing hearings under Article 7(1) TEU regarding Poland and Hungary (B9-0262/2022, B9-0263/2022, B9-0264/2022)

Madam President, Poland and Hungary, of course, have some massive rule of law problems. It’s very easy to throw rocks at Poland and Hungary, but people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw rocks. Rule of law problems proliferate all over the EU, and hypocrisy is widespread. You lecture certain countries about human rights and the rule of law when it suits the geopolitical agenda. But where was…

5

May

2022

EN Speech

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Building of a wall on the Polish – Belarus border in the Białowieża primeval forest (debate)

Madam President, during the first months of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Polish Government opened its borders to two million Ukrainian refugees. For this generosity and openness, they should be commended. Yet 100 kilometres to the north, the same government is building a wall made of steel, concrete and razor wire, 186 kilometres long, more than five metres high, all to stop refugees from …

4

May

2022

EN Speech

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Threats to stability, security and democracy in Western and Sahelian Africa (debate)

Mr President, the foundation of the situation in Sahel is European colonialism. In Sahel, this primarily means French colonialism. Today, the principle aggravating feature is financial imperialism – the economic straightjacket of the French colonial franc, sanctions and the structural economic violence of the IMF and other Western development banks. The other aggravating feature is the endless mil…