What Maria spoke about.

18

Jun

2026

Questions FI

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Joint Declaration on ‘Culture for Europe - Europe for Culture’ (debate)

18

Jun

2026

Speeches EN

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Joint Declaration on ‘Culture for Europe - Europe for Culture’ (debate)

Mr President, colleagues, right now we are surrounded by a mood of darkness that is difficult to put into words – maybe dystopia is not too far‑fetched. The international rules‑based order is crumbling; ecological crises are accelerating; democracies and the rule of law are being systematically dismantled. Threats are being sought out deliberately: the far right finds them in immigrants, in arts, in science, in the media. But culture has always been a space for free thinking, and that is precisely why it provokes fear in the authoritarian regimes and leaders. Because culture is a political act. Participation is resistance. Every time you go to the theatre, a concert, an art exhibition, every time you play, dance, read or watch a film – you are part of something bigger. The challenges we face today require imagination to be solved, and the ability to envision a world that does not yet exist. We need a vision, a dream of a better tomorrow. And for that, culture, in all of its forms, is humanity's strongest and oldest tool. That is why I warmly welcome this shared European vision, recognising that culture holds a strategic role in building European security, cohesion, economic strength and well‑being. Therefore, we need to support those who create culture, ensure funding for culture, support quality jobs with fair pay, backed by social security and housing, and make sure that artists' rights are protected, even in the age of artificial intelligence and the rise of authoritarian regimes.

16

Jun

2026

Speeches EN

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

Mr President, dear Commissioner Kallas, colleagues, Russia’s goal is not to simply breach our airspace, it is to conquer. It is to conquer by occupying our attention, our confidence and our sense of security. This starts at an individual level, and that is why resilience also starts and begins with people. We need stronger societal preparedness: security literacy – which is similar to media literacy – crisis awareness and civil preparedness, so that people know how to respond when threats arise. But this requires proactive, up-to-date, clear and accessible communication from the authorities. Also, before we are in a crisis, when official channels are silent or slow, disinformation will fill in the gaps. And this is again where Russia lurks. Resilience is built across society, in schools, in communities, public authorities and civil society, not only in barracks. The stronger and more resilient our people and societies are, the weaker Russia’s provocations become.

21

May

2026

Questions FI

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European Citizens’ Initiative ‘Stop destroying videogames’ (debate)

Thank you, my colleague, for your good speech. As you said well here, it really is about culture and cultural products, and we should, as Europeans, together respect and export them to the world and make Europe the best gaming continent in the world. We should be able to create a harmonised European approach to prevent market fragmentation and consumer protection. How do you feel, for example, that museums have a stronger role to play in this preservation of games? They are part of culture, games are part of culture. What can game museums do here?

21

May

2026

Speeches EN

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European Citizens’ Initiative ‘Stop destroying videogames’ (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, I love video games. I've been collecting them since I was a little girl. All the memories, the friendships, winning and losing together. And here's the thing: I can still play those games, those old console games from the 90s, but many newer ones? Gone. Not because they broke, but because a publisher decided to shut down a server, sometimes without even telling the players. We're talking about an industry bigger than movies; esport draws more viewers than traditional sports right now. This is real culture and it is being deleted. If you buy something, shouldn't you then own it? That's the idea behind the 'Stop destroying videogames' initiative, supported by over 1.3 million Europeans. And we're not asking for everything. We cannot place the entire financial burden of preservation on developers, of course, especially on the smaller ones. But at the very least, games should be allowed to survive when their servers don't. That's not radical. That's the bare minimum, and I hope the Commission will follow the initiative.

20

May

2026

Speeches FI

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Recent proposals to fight poverty in the EU (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, in the happiest country in the world, people are queuing for food, unemployment is the highest in Europe and homelessness is on the rise – this is the case in Finland. The EU is one of the richest regions in the world. So how can it be that 93 million people are at risk of poverty and social exclusion, that more than one million people, including 400 000 children, live homeless, that one in five people cannot afford a decent meal? It's not that we can't afford to fix this. It is about the level of action thoughts and prayers, unfortunately. They are not enough when children live without a home in the streets hungry. They're not enough. The EU did not tackle COVID-19 or the defence crisis without joint decisions, and the same logic applies to the fight against poverty. We need binding legislation. We need more resources. Poverty is not a law of nature. It requires political will to resolve it, and the Commission must now show it.

28

Apr

2026

Speeches EN

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World Day for Safety and Health at Work (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, one life lost every minute. Globally, the ILO estimates that work‑related psychosocial risks are linked to 840 000 deaths a year, making psychosocial risks at work now one of the leading causes of death, disease and distress for workers worldwide. High workloads, extended hours and limited autonomy present critical challenges in every workplace, and we spend an average 37 years of our lives at work. Particularly in the changing world of work, where the digital transformation, climate change and the fragmentation of work poses new challenges every day, it is high time that the EU wakes up to this reality. We must put forward legislation to protect workers from psychosocial risks, too, like we've done on physical and health risks for a long time now. So let's make European workplaces the best workplaces in the world.

10

Mar

2026

Speeches EN

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Housing crisis in the European Union with the aim of proposing solutions for decent, sustainable and affordable housing (A10-0025/2026 - Borja Giménez Larraz)

Madam President, colleagues, in this report, housing is not considered primarily as a human right and as a cornerstone of dignity, but as a tool that can be used for speculation. Therefore, I would like to put forward an oral amendment at the beginning of paragraph 1, which reads as follows: 'Emphasises that speculation on housing must be eradicated as a matter of priority; underlines that adequate housing is a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of human dignity'.

10

Mar

2026

Questions FI

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Housing crisis in the European Union with the aim of proposing solutions for decent, sustainable and affordable housing (debate)

I hope that the millions of people across Europe who are currently suffering from high housing costs will read this Parliament's report and find that the big problem with this report is that it says that there is a greater right to own housing than that housing is a human right for every single person. This is a huge problem, and this tells the story of the EPP in this report. I therefore also wonder why the Social Democrats are going to vote on this report. Deregulation will not help, additional construction will not help. Only more affordable construction will help.

10

Mar

2026

Speeches EN

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Housing crisis in the European Union with the aim of proposing solutions for decent, sustainable and affordable housing (debate)

Madam President, dear Commissioner Jørgensen, dear colleagues, housing is a human right and we in this House have the responsibility to make sure every single person in the EU has a place to call home. The report we are going to vote on today fails to recognise this right. Some of the solutions the report proposes are exactly those that have created the current housing crisis all across Europe. Instead, we must put an end to housing speculation. We must invest in public, green, safe and affordable housing. We must end homelessness by 2030. We must stop short‑term rentals from pushing up rents. We must make renovations fair and accessible to everyone. Homes should be for the people, not for profit.

10

Feb

2026

Speeches EN

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Extreme weather events in particular in Portugal, southern Italy, Malta and Greece: European response in strengthening readiness, preparedness and solidarity mechanisms (debate)

Madam President, Commission, first of all, my condolences to all affected. As the climate crisis intensifies, extreme weather events are becoming a norm, not an exception. Droughts, wildfires, heat, flooding – while the financial cost is high, the human cost is staggering and no one is safe here. We cannot escape these effects in European workplaces either. Intense conditions cause accidents, illness and loss of productivity, loss of lives. Work-related accidents and illnesses already cost EUR 475 billion a year, and a growing share of it is due to extreme weather. Commission, if you really want to live up to the idea of solidarity, the European Union must start protecting all workers equally from extreme weather conditions and it is high time to propose legislation against this escalating threat.

16

Dec

2025

Questions FI

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Presentation of the European Affordable Housing Plan (debate)

16

Dec

2025

Speeches EN

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Presentation of the European Affordable Housing Plan (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, tonight, 1.3 million people in the European Union do not have a place to call home – not because they chose it, but because politics has failed to provide it. And home is a human right. Yet hundreds of thousands of fellow human beings are living in the streets of our Union – a union that preaches about human rights and equality. In its affordable housing plan, the Commission has acknowledged the graveness of the problem of homelessness, and I want to thank you for that, but it actually does not provide very concrete measures on how to solve it, so let me help a bit. The 'housing first' principle must be implemented across the European Union, and for that we need a real shift in mindset. We need to put people in the centre, and we need to give them more control over their housing and related support. We need more housing counselling to prevent evictions, more coordinating policies across sectors and investment in professional expertise. And finally, we do need simply more affordable housing, not speculation, but homes for human beings.

6

May

2025

Speeches FI

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A revamped long-term budget for the Union in a changing world (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, nothing is more important than a viable planet, and it is therefore absolutely crucial that the EU's multiannual financial framework should pave the way for the gradual phasing out of all fossil fuels and environmentally harmful subsidies. This has been a clear and long-term goal of the Greens, for which we have been fighting for the last few months, including with regard to this report. Disengagement from the fossil economy is central not only to climate change, but it is also a huge security issue. The EU cannot continue to hang on to fossil energy and put our security in the hands of dictators like Putin. I am therefore looking forward to an ambitious proposal from the Commission that demonstrates that this necessary step is possible.

2

Apr

2025

Speeches EN

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Topical debate (Rule 169) - Social Europe: making life affordable, protecting jobs, wages and health for all

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, to be able to provide accessible social and health care, affordable housing, education and other services. we collect taxes. But while most people contribute towards this common good, there is one group that avoids its duty and this is the ultra-rich people. A small group of them sit on billions of euros and do not pay their fair share. If the top 0.5 % of super wealthy were to play by the same rules as others, EU countries could have almost EUR 273 billion more to invest in services. In practice, this could mean, for example, increasing education budgets by 39 %, employing 7.4 million additional hospital nurses, or covering all of the housing development initiatives and extend them by more than eight times. So, colleagues, let's start taxing the ultra rich to finance the well-being of Europeans.

12

Mar

2025

Speeches EN

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Social and employment aspects of restructuring processes: the need to protect jobs and workers’ rights (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, for years we've known that governments and companies must be able to innovate and plan for the needed green and digital transitions. Still, we have almost a million jobs lost in manufacturing in only four years, proving that they haven't. The green and digital transition has a huge impact on work and the lives of workers. Now, honourable Commissioner, you really have the possibility to make a difference in millions of people's lives. By giving a voice to the workers and social partners, embracing social dialogue – there is a way to make this transition a just one. While we welcome the Commission's plans aimed at preparing workers in a rapidly changing labour market, the Commission must put forward a proposal for a just transition directive now. This needs to happen sooner, not later, in order for us not to leave anyone behind.

12

Feb

2025

Speeches EN

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Collaboration between conservatives and far right as a threat for competitiveness in the EU (topical debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, the far right is on the rise and the conservative centre-right is enabling this all over Europe. Nazi salutes and bizarre culture wars every day. They are not any accidents. They divert people's focus from painful political decisions restricting workers' rights, making access to healthcare and education harder, cutting from social security, reducing the capacity of civil society, science and arts, feeding misogyny, racism, homophobia, transphobia – and all in the name of freedom of speech. All in the name of the richest getting even richer. The economy and competitiveness – they also suffer from this kind of instability. They need certainty. So people, let's not be fooled. Let's not get numb and quiet. Let's raise our voices and let's fight back.

11

Feb

2025

Speeches FI

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The need to address urgent labour shortages and ensure quality jobs in the health care sector (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, the shortage of nurses is an acute threat both in Finland and in the European Union as a whole. At worst, the risk of violence against healthcare workers can be as high as eighty per cent. Wages are running in place, occupational safety and health is not sufficient, and the workload has increased. The price is high. Failure to invest in workers reduces the well-being of workers, reduces the quality and availability of care, increases inequalities, leaves problems unresolved and increases costs. But we have solutions. Address violence experienced by workers, strengthen OSH, invest in training and skills. Better wages and safer working conditions are required. It is estimated that by 2030, there will already be a deficit of four million workers in the whole of Europe, and even in Finland, there will be a deficit of twelve thousand workers in the social and healthcare sector. But we still have a chance to prevent a catastrophe that is about life and death.

22

Jan

2025

Answers FI

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EU financing through the LIFE programme of entities lobbying EU institutions and the need for transparency (debate)

As I said in my speech, we see all over the world how democracy and the rule of law are now being trampled down. Here, many colleagues have well said that part of a functioning democracy is a functioning civil society, and civil society will not work if it is not also supported in some places by the political forces. What we demand is the same criteria for everyone. The same transparency must apply to everyone. Do we currently see the same openness applying to all those corporate lobbyists, to all those actors that are currently receiving EU funding? This is my question.

22

Jan

2025

Speeches EN

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EU financing through the LIFE programme of entities lobbying EU institutions and the need for transparency (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, we are witnessing in real time how countries after another fall into autocracy. And I want us all to think for a moment: is this really the time we want to see the civil society in the EU suppressed? The Commission wants to stop environmental NGOs receiving EU funds from doing advocacy work. This attack has been pushed by EPP, their far-right allies and corporate lobbyists against NGOs and citizen participation. Every resilient democracy needs an active civil society, and civil society requires resources to represent the voices of the silenced – unlike corporations, whose financial resources are incomparable. Those who wish to ban advocacy of environmental NGOs receiving EU funds, I ask you: following your logic, should we also ban lobbying of all companies, cities and other organisations which are receiving the same EU funding?

20

Jan

2025

Speeches FI

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Heat record year 2024 - the need for climate action to fight global warming (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, year 24 was the first calendar year in which the average global temperature exceeded an aspen and a half degree. Efforts to halt climate change and biodiversity loss are not only too limited, but also literally deadly slow. As climate denier Trump regains power and the West breaks through, the EU must reclaim its role in global climate leadership. And now is not the time to be discouraged; now is the time to fight harder than ever before. I now expect a binding plan from the Commission to end fossil fuel subsidies and phase out fossil fuels as soon as possible. It is time to stop hanging onto a deadly fossil economy for people, climate and security and to direct investment towards a green and just transition.

19

Dec

2024

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Need to update the European strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, none of us without us. This principle must be reflected in the update of the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. European disability organisations have already made good concrete proposals, of which I would like to highlight housing in particular. Home is the foundation of a good life, and home is a human right. During this period, we will decide on a European plan for affordable housing, which must also address the accessibility and accessibility of the housing stock. There is a lack of accessible and affordable housing and this is often the reason why institutional housing is not being phased out towards independent and supported housing. People with disabilities have the right to choose where, how and with whom they want to live and live, just like all other people. This must be reflected in our strategy.

18

Dec

2024

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Urgent need for EU action to preserve nature and protect biodiversity to avoid the extinction of species (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, what is the link between fell owl, red mud, naal, sea trout and eel? They are all classified as endangered species. According to the latest report of the International Panel on Nature, biodiversity is depleting all over the world and on all indicators. The reasons for this are overconsumption of climate change. The reasons for the threat are similar in Finland and around the world: habitats of species have shrunk and deteriorated. In Finland, forests are the most important habitat for endangered species. And can you imagine that map data on old-growth and natural forests are not collected? Comprehensive and consistent information on the state of EU forests is essential to halt biodiversity loss. This is exactly what the Forest Monitoring Regulation aims to address. And can you imagine that this important regulation, too, is being opposed in this house?

18

Dec

2024

Speeches FI

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Promoting social dialogue and collective bargaining and the right to strike in the EU (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, the world would look very different without workers' organisations, but now the right, with the support of the extreme right, is breaking down workers' rights and the conditions for trade unions across Europe. The culture of agreement has shifted to dictation and squatting. Finland alsossa The government is pushing down workers' rights by restricting unemployment protection, the right to strike and freedom of contract. In Finland, it was also decided to restrict the work and independence of wage negotiators, thereby strengthening the pay gap in female-dominated and public sectors. When the state of mediation is restricted, only industrial action remains. As the far right pushes on and faces a huge transformation of the world of work, workers need even more defenders. And all of us in the EU need more of a path of agreement and trust.

27

Nov

2024

Questions EN

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Rise of energy prices and fighting energy poverty (debate)

Relying on Russian fossil energy is the stupidest thing to do, during these times especially. And the EU has actually put more money into buying Russian fossil fuels than into supporting Ukraine. So my question to the speaker is, are you willing to support people in the European Union in this transition, rather than continuing to support Russia's brutal war against Ukraine?