What Roman spoke about.

16 Jan

2023

DE Speech

Shipments of waste (debate)

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Mr President! In 2021, more than 130,000 tonnes of plastic waste were shipped abroad from Austria alone for recycling. In February 2021, Austria had to take back 100 tonnes of plastic waste contaminated with chemicals from Malaysia. This scandal was not only a disgrace for the Austrian Green Minister for the Environment. This scandal also shows how problematic the export of waste can be. The shipm…

23 Nov

2022

DE Speech

Protection of livestock farming and large carnivores in Europe (debate)

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Mr President! There are now more than 20,000 wolves in Europe, more than a favourable conservation status. Accordingly, the number of wolf cracks in Austria alone has more than doubled to almost 700 cracks within one year. On the other hand, the EU rules are from 1992, when there were almost no wolves in all of Europe. It is therefore high time to take account of the changed situation. Alpine past…

21 Nov

2022

DE Speech

Borrowing strategy to finance NextGenerationEU (debate)

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Madam President, The main purpose of this bond program is not the targeted promotion of promising economic sectors, but only the taboo break to finally be able to make debt. Under the pretext of fighting the crisis, the EU simply continues to expand its powers in the area of the budget – and that is what it is all about. In addition, the funds are also allocated in a non-transparent manner and wit…

17 Oct

2022

DE Speech

Sustainable maritime fuels (FuelEU Maritime Initiative) - Deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure (debate)

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Mr President! There is so much to criticise about the EU's current transport policy that I really don't know where to start. So on to the main problem right from the start: The plans to eliminate fossil fuels are a real catastrophe for the economy and everyday life of citizens. And the expansion of alternative fuels infrastructure is completely pointless as long as a fundamental problem is not sol…

5 Oct

2022

DE Speech

Outcome of the Commission’s review of the 15-point action plan on trade and sustainable development (debate)

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Mr President! First, two points on the general nature of trade agreements. Firstly: Trade agreements primarily serve free trade for mutual benefit. Trade agreements should not serve to unilaterally impose one's own world view on the trading partner. This total overload of trade agreements with ideological desires is a dead end and is driving the EU further and further into isolation. Secondly: San…

12 Sep

2022

DE Speech

New EU Forest Strategy for 2030 – Sustainable Forest Management in Europe (debate)

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Mr President! In the midst of the energy crisis with exploding energy prices, the EU Commission wants to restrict and reduce energy production from wood, which is precisely the result of this forest strategy. The use of the only renewable raw material for energy production, which is also readily available in Europe, is to be massively restricted and reduced. And citizens are rightly wondering if t…

4 Jul

2022

DE Speech

Digital Services Act - Digital Markets Act (debate)

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Mr President! This is a very good example of the increasing restriction of freedom of expression and freedom of the press in the EU. Critical opinions are branded as hate speech or misinformation, and under this pretext a relic from bygone times is now being revived – censorship. Precisely where resistance to the anti-citizen policy of the EU is increasing, this EU now wants to censor and suppress…

7 Jun

2022

DE Speech

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))

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Mr President! If, in my home country of Austria, 1 tonne of CO2 is emitted in the production of a good, and if the production of that good is then transferred to a third country, for example because of excessive requirements, then statistically 1.9 tonnes of CO2 emissions are generated there, i.e. almost twice as much. Of course, it would make sense to continue to produce this product in Austria. …

2 May

2022

DE Speech

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

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Mr President! In these times of crisis, when everything is becoming more expensive, this Parliament could send a signal of austerity and simply save the parliamentary seats that have been vacant due to Brexit. You can do that, just don't do it. After all, what are the four bloc parties here in this Parliament demanding – large sections of the People’s Party, the socialists, the so-called liberals …

6 Apr

2022

DE Speech

Cooperation and similarities between the Putin regime and extreme right and separatist movements in Europe (topical debate)

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Madam President, Today's debate is hypocritical and a low point for the European Parliament. A brutal war is being used shamelessly as a pretext to discredit the only real opposition in this Parliament. At the same time, it is also trying to hide its own close relations with Russia. But every time you point your finger at another, three fingers point back at you. And so it is here. Let's take a cl…

4 Apr

2022

DE Speech

Revision of the Market Stability Reserve for the EU Emissions Trading System (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner! Energy costs increase many times over within a very short period of time. And there are also substantial price increases in other vital areas such as food or housing. Europe is facing massive inflation. The economic recession is looming, and entire industries are now on the brink of extinction. Now one might think that the EU would do everything possible to counterac…

23 Mar

2022

DE Speech

Need for an urgent EU action plan to ensure food security inside and outside the EU in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (debate)

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Ms. President! With Russia and Ukraine, two of the world's largest agricultural producers are de facto failing. There is a threat of global food shortages. What is the EU doing in this situation? She stubbornly adheres to her completely absurd farm-to-fork strategy. It maintains an agricultural strategy that would reduce agricultural production in Europe by at least 13%. I have to ask myself: In w…

8 Mar

2022

DE Speech

The situation in Bosnia Herzegovina (continuation of debate)

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Mr President! With regard to the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, two aspects are important to me. On the one hand, Bosnia and Herzegovina remains an extremely fragile state, which is held together mainly by external pressure, despite efforts that have lasted for more than two decades. Some even talk about one. Failed State, and it would be downright irresponsible to want to cancel this arduou…

15 Feb

2022

DE Speech

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

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Mr President! These reports make it clear once again where the EU is suffering. Claim and reality are simply worlds apart. The EU would like to be the global guardian of freedom, democracy, peace and human rights. But it is not even taken seriously in its own neighbourhood. In the current Ukraine conflict, the EU is only listened to out of courtesy, if at all. In Syria, the EU was just a zaungast,…

19 Jan

2022

DE Speech

Digital Services Act (debate)

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Mr President! The corona crisis in particular has clearly demonstrated the profound economic and social change brought about by digitalisation. Therefore, a clear legal framework for the provision of online services is also useful, so that both traders and consumers have legal certainty. On some points, such as the problem of illegal short-term rentals, I could have imagined even stricter rules. O…

23 Nov

2021

DE Speech

Multilateral negotiations in view of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva, 30 November to 3 December 2021 (debate)

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Madam President, Free and fair world trade and the removal of unjustified barriers to trade are of particular importance and importance, especially for smaller countries such as my home country Austria. I firmly believe that free and fair trade always brings far more advantages than disadvantages for all partners. In order to enable this free trade, we need a fixed set of rules and an efficient di…

11 Nov

2021

DE Speech

The outcome of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) (debate)

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Mr President! First of all, I am pleased that we are finally dealing here once again with one of the EU’s core issues, namely international trade – this is not always the case here. It is about strengthening the transatlantic partnership between the US and the European Union in very broad fields – technology exchange and trade. And this is to be welcomed in principle, especially in view of the inc…

19 Oct

2021

DE Speech

The Rule of law crisis in Poland and the primacy of EU law (debate)

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Mr President! Obviously, ladies and gentlemen of the European Commission, you have forgotten what the European Union is. The European Union is a confederation of sovereign nation states, and this confederation of sovereign nation states is based on treaties – on treaties and not on the arbitrariness of some Brussels would-be autocrats. According to these treaties, it is not at all the case that EU…

5 Oct

2021

DE Speech

Implementation report on the EU Trust Funds and the Facility for Refugees in Turkey (continuation of debate)

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Madam President, The agreement between Turkey and the EU on the withdrawal of migrants is working. It even works well. And it works well for Turkish President Erdoğan. He has a loaded weapon in his hand that he can use to blackmail the EU – at any time. And he is also ready to use this weapon – as in February 2020, when Erdoğan opened the border with Greece. And in Europe they have also shown an u…

4 Oct

2021

DE Speech

EU Road Safety Policy Framework 2021-2030 – Recommendations on next steps towards "Vision Zero" (debate)

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Mr President! ‘Vision Zero Road Death’ is the bold title of today’s report. The reduction of road deaths is, of course, a goal that all members of parliament can join. But, to put it bluntly: It is, of course, a utopian goal. As long as there is traffic, there will be deaths. We must take note of this, as sorry as we are. Therefore, there can always be only one approach to this goal. Improving roa…

14 Sep

2021

DE Speech

Presentation of the Fit for 55 package after the publication of the IPCC report (debate)

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Mr President! This "Fit for 55" climate package is the insanity of this EU Commission, which is expressed in words and figures. This climate package is not just ill-conceived, it shows the complete seclusion of the EU elites – and the whole thing under Commission President von der Leyen. And to conceal this madness, the European citizens are deliberately misinformed by the Commission. The flourish…

6 Jul

2021

DE Speech

Connecting Europe Facility - Streamlining measures for the realisation of the TEN-T - Railway safety and signalling: Assessing the state of play of the ERTMS deployment (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! The coronavirus crisis in particular has made us all aware of the particular importance of an efficient, modern, environmentally friendly and pan-European transport network. Although I am generally a critic of this permanent presumption of competence by the EU, which also contradicts the principle of subsidiarity, intensive cooperation between the …