Speeches

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 brutal excesses of capitalist exploitation. When the US and its allies pull off their coups through organised violence, lawfare, election—rigging and the influence operations orchestrated through the likes of the National Endowment for Democracy and USAID, then all is well – the complete undermining of the democratic process that ushers in Western—business—friendly comprador ready to gut social services, rip up environmental protections, sell off state assets, rip up environmental protections, and drive the general population into poverty. According to the logic of the liberal ideology, this has when democracy has won. And when the people vote for those ready to stop capitalist plunder, we call them authoritarian, so sanctions must be imposed to punish them. Who’s being authoritarian?

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’t seem to matter quite as much. And I also find it interesting that Hungary haven’t had their money released. I mean, are things that much different in Hungary and Poland? Have Poland become the best boys in the class overnight? Or is it just that this actually suits the geopolitical agenda and Poland has to be rewarded for being seriously anti-Russian, and also being very helpful towards the refugees? I think that this could come back to bite the European Commission.

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 continues to rise. This leads to the burning of even more wood and the creation of more emissions in a vicious circle. How is this a sound environmental practice? Forest biomass should not be considered a renewable energy source: it actively harms forests by creating a cash—crop forestry plantation industry, which of course makes space for the illegal logging industry in Europe. We seriously need to reconsider the inclusion of forest biomass under the EU Renewable Energy Directive. It is damaging European forests.

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. We give out about countries with cultures older than our own. I mean, there’s a serious lack of tolerance, and one of the reasons there’s war is because there’s a lack of tolerance. We need to tolerate each other more and be more accepting of each other and stop fighting with each other and put an end to war.

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 four or five years? No, it’s not. It’s your people having a say in the society they live in. And most of the American people have no say in the society they’re living in. Their country is run by oligarchs. They’re run by big business: oil, coal, big pharma and the arms industry run the place. They elect a president and it costs them 2 billion to get into the place and he serves them when he does. They haven’t got democracy.

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 over 800 billion a year on arms, which is more than most of the world put together. They’ve been at war for 250 years since their state was formed 275 years ago. But they can’t afford universal health care. They can’t afford a 1.7 trillion debt forgiveness for students. They can’t afford for a programme for the 17 million children that go to bed hungry. Is this a functioning democracy? What’s your idea of a democracy? Bernie Sanders wasn’t even allowed to win the nomination for the Democrats. The Americans couldn’t spell democracy. (The speaker agreed to respond to two blue-card speeches)

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 Commission is too low, and crucially, there is no post-2030 framework or targets. Well, Commissioner, listening to all the debate in here today, I realise your job is not easy. The world is on fire. Scientists have just told us plastics are in our blood. The UN has warned of total societal collapse due to climate breakdown. Yet President von der Leyen and Commissioner Simson met with CEOs of six fossil fuel companies recently, including Shell, BP and Total, on the same day that REPowerEU was released. We should understand that fossil fuel companies are terrorists.

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 countries are the least responsible for the climate crisis, yet the worst impacted by it. The two most widely discussed options to protect producers in these countries from the effects of the regulation are exemptions from the scope of the regulation and recycling of revenues generated by the regulation in order to help producers to decarbonise. I did find it incredible that the Commission’s legislative proposal included neither option. Exemptions on their own would risk leaving them stranded with carbon—intensive production methods. The use of CBAM revenues therefore is crucial to allow LDCs to decarbonise their supply chains. The Commission’s proposal suggests that the idea of just transition should stop at the EU borders, which is disappointing.

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 blockades have made things worse. Colonialism, international trade rules and agriculture and IMF structural adjustment programmes have forced countries in the Global South towards export-driven agriculture, leaving them totally vulnerable to shocks. The roots of this crisis run deep. The EU countries steal trillions from the Global South each year through tax evasion, transfer mispricing, exploitative debt and aid arrangements, and France's colonial currency doesn't help. The EU continues to have such a devastating role in under developing the Global South. It's reasonable to ask what has the most impact on vulnerable populations in so-called developing countries? Climate system breakdown or having trade relations with the EU? As Jason Hickel keeps reminding us, the only thing developing countries are developing is the Global North.

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 those of an environmental, social and economic nature. This report highlights most Member States have failed to implement Article 17 in any form of a good way. In Ireland, the allocation of pelagic quota is hugely unfair on the inshore fleet. Just 2% of Ireland’s mackerel quota is assigned to vessels under 15 metres, while 98% is assigned to only 50 large boats. This is not a failure of the EU, but of the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Very modest increases could make a massive difference to an awful lot of boats and families and communities around the coast of Ireland.

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 January, the French National Commission on Ethics and Alerts in Public Health and the Environment recommended a review of the process used to arrive at the expert opinion on the re—authorisation of glyphosate. The President of that Commission has told Le Monde that the renewable assessment report made a drastic selection, excludes most of the studies on glyphosate published in international scientific literature and mainly retains those provided by the industry. Are you concerned that the European Chemical Agency’s Risk Assessment Committee has ignored scientific advice by independent scientists on glyphosate’s carcinogenic dangers?

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 Relations, the Carnegie Endowment, Heritage Foundation, Hudson Institute and the Brookings Institution have all been promoting similar policy proposals in recent months. One recent book written by a CFR member openly calls for military attacks on the Chinese mainland with the aim of countering Chinese economic influence in south—east Asia. This report before us is further evidence of the dominance of the US and NATO over policy formulation in the EU. We should be cooperating with China, not planning another war to protect the interests of Western financial capital. And keep in mind that China’s military spend is still only one third of that of the US, and China hasn’t bombed anyone in 40 years.

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 gains rather than absolute reductions that would be achieved by less activity on behalf of the armed forces. The report repeatedly maintains that these reductions efforts should not affect the performance of the armed forces. In effect, the report is advocating for a massive transfer of public wealth to private arms manufacturing companies to supply innovations and equipment that would not guarantee overall reductions in carbon emissions from the activities of the armed forces. To achieve these reductions, the EU must scale down military operations. We need to break our link with NATO, we need to look for debt cancellation in affected countries and we should go back to the path of diplomacy to avoid so much military activity.

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 said bugger all to them about their illegal occupation of Iraq or their stealing oil, their illegal occupation of Syria, along with the Americans and the Israelis, where oil and food has been stolen. The inconsistencies of this place makes a mockery of our notion of the rule of law, of fundamental values and European values. Come on, why don't you apply the same rule every day? Are you okay with Turkey continuing to illegally occupy Syria? And now they're threatening to move further into it and take more of it, and you’re saying nothing to them. Is it because you basically prefer Erdogan to Assad? Bring in some consistency and you shall have some credibility. Until then, you shall have no credibility.

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, the sanctions won’t. But the sanctions are hurting European citizens themselves to a terrible degree in time. We are in for a very tough time. We’re introducing sanctions that are not bothering Putin, but are designed to obviously punish Russia, but we’re also punishing our own. Instead of buying off Russia now, we’re going to buy off the Americans and we’re going to pay through the nose for it. They will take advantage of our position. ′Tis little wonder that NATO and the US are happy to escalate the war rather than to try and stop it.

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 indiscriminate shelling of Ukrainian towns and cities, and rightly so, but does not want to talk about the 400 000 that have been killed in Yemen by the targeted destruction of food, water and health infrastructure by US and EU—made bombs – bombs that are dropping as we speak. While we are investigating Russian war crimes in Ukraine, can we also investigate French war crimes in Mali, Saudi, the UAE and French, US, UK war crimes in Yemen, Israeli war crimes in Palestine, US war crimes in Iraq and Syria and NATO war crimes in Afghanistan and Libya. International law selectively applied makes a mockery of international law.

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 future rounds of sanctions. Well, so much for solidarity with Belarusian workers! Sanctions don’t work. US sanctions on Cuba have failed to deliver regime change after 62 years. 400 000—plus people died in Iraq because of sanctions, and all for nothing. The sanctions achieved nothing, only death and destruction. Sanctions hurt ordinary people, they hurt the poorest people. Discrimination against trade union membership and the imprisonment of trade unionists should, of course, be condemned in Belarus and everywhere else. But calling for crushing sanctions is not an expression of solidarity with the working people and working class of Belarus.

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 infrastructure to stop shipments from Russia. Some 70% of global energy LNG supply is already under long-term contract. There will be very little extra coming online before 2025. So the EU will only be able to import more by drawing supplies away from other markets at sky—high prices. The real issue is global supply and price, not infrastructure. New LNG infrastructure will be built too late to address the current energy crisis. LNG will delay the just transition. LNG does not serve the energy poor and it will not fix Europe’s fossil fuel dependency.

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 partnered with right—wing terrorists and fascists to conduct long campaigns of bloody terror and destabilisation, both in and outside Western Europe. Everywhere it conducts operations, it leaves a trail of destruction and destabilisation behind it, and persists often for decades after the initial act of aggression. As the Pope has recognised, NATO sowed the seeds of conflict in Ukraine. Who will pay for its facilitation and the prolonging of the war? The US calls the shots, but it’s the EU and targeted states that have to deal with the fallout and the instability. NATO will do nothing for a peaceful Europe. It never has and it never will.

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 the loopholes, then it makes a laughing stock of this legislation. I’m amused to hear people talk about fair taxation for companies: ‘oh, will it inhibit their potential to employ workers?’ Listen: we’re not talking about taxing their turnover, we’re talking about taxing their profits. It’s outrageous that they wouldn’t be paying as much tax as your average worker, and workers are paying 25%, 30%, 35% and 40%. Why aren’t companies who are making too much money not prepared to pay the same money as individuals do? That’s beyond me!

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 Pope has done, the wisdom of sending arms to Ukraine. We must stop executing the war on Yemen. We must stop the use of sanctions as a weapon of war in Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Venezuela, Yemen and elsewhere. These medieval weapons are killing women and children, the sick, the old and the vulnerable the most. We must end Fortress Europe and extend the compassion we rightly have for the Ukrainian women and children to all refugees and internally displaced people. Selective humanity is not humanity at all.

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 and we expect all international partners to act in line with a principle of neutrality.’ Moldova has asked the world to respect this neutrality. It doesn’t want to be a pawn in anyone’s proxy war. It doesn’t want to be interfered with. It seeks security through a policy of neutrality. Now, that might be an alien concept to some people around here, but it’s the only true path to peace. All sides should respect Moldova’s request – Russia and the West. NATO has nothing to offer the people of Europe, and it certainly has nothing to offer the people of Moldova. It’s just an instrument for war, not for peace.

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 the outcry when the protesters in Barcelona – the Catalans – were being brutally suppressed by Spanish police and the government? Where’s the outrage over the treatment of the yellow vests in Paris? We’ve been to the court twice in Lithuania, where Algirdas Paleckis is facing several years in prison. He is accused of being a Russian spy, and the only evidence that they’re supposed to have against him, even the judges can’t see it! So no evidence has been presented against him because they’re saying it’s a state secret. Mother of God, is this the rule of law of a Member State of the European Union? The Algirdas Paleckis case puts shame on the European Union.

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 crossing the Polish border with Belarus. These people are also fleeing war zones – from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Ethiopia. What’s the difference between these and the tens of thousands of Ukrainians coming to Poland every day? According to the Polish Government, these refugees pose a threat to national and EU security. More than 20 of them have died of cold, starvation or whatever, in this Polish forest. Instead of helping these people, President van der Leyen wants to send them back to the war zones from which they have fled. Where’s our care about human rights when it comes to other nationalities? What’s wrong with us?

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 militarisation of the region. Hillary Clinton’s emails showed us that France wanted Gaddafi gone when they saw him as a threat to the colonial franc. And in the process of bombing Libya back to the Stone Age, NATO-empowered military extremist forces have gone on to contribute to the problem we’re discussing here today. The EU’s short-sighted response has been to go to war all over the Sahel and to set up dubious training missions whose graduates keep overthrowing civilian governments and committing more war crimes than the supposed enemy. Until France gives up leeching from its former colonies, until the Sahel stands together against the imperialists, the security situation will continue to deteriorate.