Preparation of the European Council of 19-20 December 2024 (debate)
Madam President, Mrs von der Leyen, who unfortunately left the Chamber a moment ago, we have seen that she met with Erdogan yesterday. And what did he tell us? He told us he's an important partner. He told us that he wants to improve the relations that the European Union has with Turkey and told us that he wants to give him an additional 1 billion for hosting refugees. I want to ask Mrs. von der Leyen. Does he know that Erdoğan has blood on his hands? Is it aware that it occupies European territory in Cyprus? Does he know that Erdogan is committing a genocide against the Kurds? Is he aware that in collaboration with the Azerbaijanis he invaded Nagorno-Karabakh? Does he know that in cooperation with the jihadists in Syria they murder Christians every day? Is it aware that it violates the sovereign rights of Greece on a daily basis? So instead of Mrs. von der Leyen taking smiling pictures with Erdogan, she should already have imposed severe sanctions on him.
Strengthening the security of Europe’s external borders: need for a comprehensive approach and enhanced Frontex support (debate)
Madam President, an obsession with illegal immigrants has been created in a minority part of our society and our political system. It's like Stockholm Syndrome. We live in the real world, we sympathize with our fellow citizens and we want our homelands back. We don't want an Islamabad in the center of Athens. And when we say not one illegal entry, we mean not one illegal entry. Europe must become an impregnable fortress. This is the only way to avoid genocide against us. If you read international refugee law, you will understand that it is impossible to have refugees in the Aegean. So you obsessives keep your obsessions and let border security do its job. We should finally start talking about de-Africanisation and de-Pakistaniisation. The time has come for effective ways to reduce the number of illegal immigrants in our country.
Preparation of the European Council of 17-18 October 2024 (debate)
Mr President, there is no much-vaunted European social market economy in Greece. Every sector of Greece is controlled by a few friends of the government, and the Greek government has handed over the billions of the Recovery Fund to these friends, when they should have gone to the Greek small and medium-sized. Unfortunately, the so-called competition committee, or rather the "pretext committee", does not do anything to break these oligopolies. These practices do not create national champions, but state-owned and intertwined oligarchs who live at the expense of the many. Oligarchs in food, supermarkets, milk, energy, banking and transport. Citizens' complaints must finally reach the European courts to break these cartels. Until when will the European Commission whistle indifferently about this situation in Greece?
The devastating floods in Central and Eastern Europe, the loss of lives and the EU’s preparedness to act on such disasters exacerbated by climate change (debate)
Madam President, five millennia ago, on the Nile, sound irrigation systems were developed to deal with drought and flooding. Floods such as those of Eastern Europe do not honour the Europe of 2024. It happened last year in Thessaly, the most fertile Greek region. This happened in parallel with a 50% reduction in rainfall compared to the previous decade and a 30% reduction in Mornos water this year compared to last year. The Recovery and Resilience Fund should first and foremost strengthen resilience against floods, droughts and fires. Unfortunately, in Greece this fund went elsewhere. In addition, the new Rural Just Transition Fund should approach €60 billion and focus on preparedness projects. Finally, we have proposed a bold reduction in agricultural taxation in weather-affected rural regions, as a minimum state concern for the resilience of our producers, and we expect our proposal to be accepted.
The sixth Anti-Money Laundering Directive - Anti-Money Laundering Regulation - Establishing the Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (joint debate - Anti-money laundering)
Mr President, the biggest money-laundering scandals are very often located at the point of contact between the deep wealth and the supposedly charitable work carried out by some NGOs. The geopolitical role played by Soros NGOs, for example, in both Eastern Europe and Central Asia, is well known. These NGOs affect both our national sovereignty and our institutions. In the Aegean, we are clearly talking about smugglers. We are talking about smugglers carrying either illegal immigrants or even drugs. It is also no coincidence that there are NGOs in the Aegean that express the positions of Turkey in their own right, from which they are paid. For us, what is required is the immediate cessation of the activity of all these NGOs, especially in areas where there are sensitive national interests.
Closer ties between the EU and Armenia and the need for a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia (debate)
Mr President, Europe is a union of values: The big lie. If it were a union of values, the reaction that existed for Ukraine would also exist for Armenia, but also for our Cyprus. We would have the same reaction in Crimea, Nagorno-Karabakh and Kosovo. President Pashinyan listened to the Euro-NATO sirens and at first two-thirds of Artsakh was lost, then the remaining one-third, and now lands of Armenia are occupied daily until the Zangezur corridor that will unite the so-called "Turkish world" is formed. With the energy agreements between Europe and Azerbaijan and the ongoing Turkish-Azerbaijani military attacks, we have three facts: first, Europe is not a union of values, but a union for business; second, the aggrieved states retreat for the sake of peace; and third, their leaders receive personal promises of future security.
Implementation report on the EU LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025 (debate)
Madam President, since the beginning of the world and over the centuries, having a family requires a man and a woman. The biological connection between the fetus and the mother is deep, multi-layered and irreplaceable. Mother is a sacred person to us. In our Orthodoxy, the importance of the Virgin Mary reflects the importance of the mother in our lives. It's sad to talk about a paradigm shift. It is obvious that it will lead to more and more children growing up without a mother. It is clear that the planned blow to the family as the fundamental core of society hides other things behind it. We insist until the end. Children need a mother and a father. The normal family is irreplaceable. We say a strong NO to having children by same-sex couples. Adoption only by normal families. The European Parliament must stop producing unnecessary reports. There is no European competence in family law matters. Let us all look at Article 81 of the Treaty of Lisbon and let this joke end here.
Need to fight the increase of antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred (debate)
Madam President, the theory of so-called Islamophobia is being promoted by specific centres, Turkey, Qatar, the Muslim Brotherhood. In other words, the same people who finance the illegal invasion, the replacement of our population in Europe, the guilt that we are Christians. Unfortunately, they find fertile ground. This Parliament has refused to condemn the use of the headscarf, even in campaigns by the European Commission. This is a disgrace, but the weather is near. And, of course, there are Christianophobic persecutions in Europe, degradation of the institution of the Church and its teachings, attacks against Christians, especially women and children, desecrations of our churches. Europe is committing suicide. For almost two millennia, it relied on Christianity, mainly our Roman Empire, Byzantium. We are proud descendants of those who repelled Islam over and over again. Be proud of the French for the Battle of Poitiers and the Austrians for the Battle of Vienna. Today, we are grateful for the brave choices of the Hungarians and the Dutch. Europe is waking up. Our lands must be saved and they will be saved. The smugglers won't get through.
Implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy and future perspectives (debate)
Mr President, the Greek Government, our report explicitly calls for this. Member States to step up efforts to fight illegal, unregulated and unregulated fishing and to ensure that fish consumption in Europe does not support illegal fishing. Regulation 1005/2008 is a European weapon to block imports of illegally caught fish from Turkey in the Aegean Sea. So far with the Turkish fishermen who thresh in the Aegean ignoring the borders and always with the support of the Turkish coast guard that attacks the Greek fishermen! We would also like the Commission to stress that our report calls for 'safety conditions on board European fishing vessels', as there are shortcomings. This does not have to be done with extra costs, but with savings. The less money goes to the Turkish coastguard and more generally to the Turkish budget, the greater the security for Greek and all European fishing vessels.
Madam President, with regard to the rule of law in Greece, it would not be excessive to say that Greece has turned into Colombia in Europe, not because we produce good coffee or cocoa, but because the Greek mafia is in charge, going so far as to murder with Kalashnikovs in the centre of Athens. Also, journalists trying to highlight this regime, in the worst case they are subjected to murderous attacks and in the best case tax audits. There is, of course, no pluralism in the media. Systemic instruments are controlled by entrepreneurs who benefit and benefit from the government, and usually they randomly run even the biggest football teams. On the other hand, the independent authorities that must control this landscape are only independent. Typically, the ESR, while responsible for media pluralism, does nothing. All it does is punish and fine those who criticize the government. It should be noted that in the report of this independent authority, the Greek Solution seems to have zero presence on the long-range channels or else on the channels of identification with the government. New Democracy on the other side was over-projected at a rate that far exceeds its percentage and reaches 62% for the years 2020 and 2021. Finally, the polling companies also play a key role in the government's propaganda operation, the percentages of the parties that bother are clipped in their cooked surveys. It is funny, then, to talk about the existence of the rule of law in Greece.
Activities of the European Ombudsman – annual report 2022 (debate)
Madam President, this report highlights the European Ombudsman's complaints about the secret Bourla and von der Leyen agreements. It is time to admit that the European Union with its compulsory and fascist vaccination has deceived European citizens. Here in the European Parliament, Pfizer's spokeswoman told us that they did not know if vaccines were effective. With the definitive end of the von der Leyen Commission, we demand an investigation into the waste of billions of euros by European taxpayers on inadequate and harmful vaccines, much of which has either expired or been transferred as a gift to third countries to enrich pharmaceutical companies. Those responsible for the biggest health and economic scandal in the history of the European Union must be held accountable before the courts.
Humanitarian situation in Gaza, the need for the release of hostages and for an immediate humanitarian truce leading to a ceasefire and the prospects for peace and security in the Middle East (debate)
Mr President, arguably the main culprit for the situation in Gaza is the US, which financed the Taliban in Afghanistan and Hamas to hit Fatah and Arafat. Also the main culprit is Erdoğan, who does not hesitate to openly support the Hamas terrorist organization. We too wonder, Mr Borrell, how the European Union supports, talks about and funds this dictator. Coming to the present day, the European Union should not pick up any Muslim extremists on its territory, especially when no Arab country does so. It is a shame that instead of talking about deportations, some people are planning the arrival of other illegal immigrants in our neighborhoods.
Islamist terrorist attack on French schools and the need to protect people and promote social cohesion (debate)
Mr President, the terrorist attacks by Muslim jihadists have plunged the once wondrous land of light into the Muslim darkness. All those European citizens who have been murdered in recent years might have been alive if you had heard our message about deportations. Deportations, then, mean humanity for Europeans. But you are afraid of being labeled as Islamophobic by our murderers of tomorrow. The asylum application of the Brussels Islamist terrorist had been rejected, but the Belgian authorities have never deported us and today they are asking us to lock ourselves in our homes so that they do not murder us. Of course, there is a similar risk in Greece with all these illegal immigrants circulating uncontrolled. So we envy the safe Hungary of the xenophobic, for you, Orbán, because there the citizens can move freely without fear of being beheaded by an Islamic terrorist.
Towards a more disaster-resilient EU - protecting people from extreme heatwaves, floods and forest fires (debate)
Mr President, let us be procured and not persevered. European satellite systems predict weather hazards and increased fire risk and the likelihood of flooding. Unfortunately, due to the result, no correct information was obtained. We need to prevent rather than cure. Early information is required. The prevention system needs to be redesigned. We demand brave decisions for firebreaks, planting zones with less flammable trees, sustainable use of forests, cleaning and many firefighting drones. We demand appropriate flood protection projects and control of the contribution of cities and regions. We demand to defend the life and the life of the Greek farmer, breeder, beekeeper, small businessman. These investments would cost less than the destruction we suffered in Evros and Thessaly. Outrageously high spending to contribute to Ukraine's war follows Europe's policy of expanding when Europe needs consolidation. We demand a European interest for our people, now that we need more than ever to heal our wounds for the good of Greece, but also of Europe in general. We need a new plan to prevent disasters, transforming Europe into a model of functionality. Brave funding in Evros and Thessaly will show that Europe cares and can heal its wounds. Dynamic funding from the Solidarity Fund, relaunch for farmers through emergency aid from the CAP and finally interest-free loans for small entrepreneurs in the affected areas.
Madam President, Northern Epirus has been Greek land since ancient times. Himara, despite the Grecophobic attacks of Albania, is part of Northern Epirus. The crime of Fredis Beleris was that he proved the self-evident, that Himara is also a Greek land. The Protocol of Corfu never applied, it was never cancelled and yet. Albania should treat the Greek ethnic minority in Northern Epirus with respect. Let some people understand it well. Albania's road to Europe passes through Korca, Saranda and Himara. We listen to our Northern Epirots and say "not Albania in the European Union". Until Fredis Beleris is released, they should not even think of Europe. Until he takes full office as mayor, we call on Europe to impose severe economic sanctions on Albania, because it is now closer to Turkey than to Europe. Thank you very much.
Madam President, Islamist terrorist attacks are constantly taking place in both Israel and Europe. These attacks are a continuation of years of murderous jihadist action against those they call infidels. Extremism is the result of many factors. It is based primarily on the beliefs of radical Islam. Unfortunately, Palestinian children, like Turkish children, are learning how to become martyrs. Listen up, listen up! Witnesses in the 21st century! Thus, according to these extremist teachings, one becomes a witness when one kills and dies for one's religion, that is, when one carries out a terrorist attack. We need to make sure that no child undergoes training to become a terrorist. Europe and Israel must work together to develop a multi-layered international strategy to counter Islamist terrorism. Clearly, tackling education in extremism paves the way for a solution to the Palestinian problem, as well as for security for all our citizens.
The erosion of the rule of law in Greece: the wiretapping scandal and media freedom (topical debate)
Madam President, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. There were good European intentions when independent authorities were proposed. They were eventually disproved, especially for the Greek minor opposition. Appointment by a majority of the House leads to control by the major minority called the majority and overall control by the mainstream parties when a two-thirds agreement of the national parliament is required. We do not see the emergence of prestigious individuals in Greece who ensure the rule of law, and we denounce the control of the game by the ruler and his associates. We denounce controlled administrations that execute the requests of their nominees, looking forward to subsequent rewards. And, yes, we denounce the obvious. The controlled administrations of the independent authorities in Greece cannot easily control the government that appointed them. The National Broadcasting Council is such a blatant bad practice. It stifles those who disagree with the government by keeping the game under systemic control. If we really want democracy, let the Greeks decide freely.
Humanitarian consequences of the blockade in Nagorno-Karabakh
Mr President, if there had been natural phenomena – fires, earthquakes, floods – there would have been a rescue air bridge. We are witnessing the inhuman torture of 120,000 people. We need a rescue initiative. I am glad that the majority of this House recognises and denounces the Azerbaijani plan. The Azerbaijani dictatorship imprisons or silences the Azerbaijani dissidents. If there was a democratic regime that respected the rights of Armenians, perhaps the historical development would have been different. Azerbaijan gives the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh three options: either abandon their ancestral homes or surrender to Azerbaijan and abandon their identity or surrender and have the fate of the Armenians of Turkey of 1919. If we want to call ourselves people, rescuing Armenians through a humanitarian air bridge is the minimum we have to do by the end of the week.
Criminalisation of humanitarian assistance, including search and rescue (debate)
Mr President, we are talking about an organised plan to slander our institutions, to erode our states and – ultimately – to replace our nations. The accusers of the Greek Coast Guard should be ashamed and their sponsors should be investigated – and more so. Twenty-four NGO workers on Lesvos were arrested for espionage, forgery and illegal listening to radio frequencies to inform Turkish smugglers of the location of the Greek Coast Guard vessels. Shortly before the announcement of the Greek court's decision, there was an intervention by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) asking for the charges to be dropped. We are talking about setting up and supporting a criminal organisation, smuggling and fraud. NGOs are trying to alter the rule of law in Greece. The networks of exploitation of human misery, together with the NGO branch, are a deadly cancer for democracy and our homelands.
Implementation of the New European Agenda for Culture and the EU Strategy for International Cultural Relations (debate)
Mr President, we need a moral European conception of culture based on law. Directive 60 of 2014 was structured restrictively so as not to oblige Member States to return the cultural objects stolen before 1993. This ensures that Greek cultural treasures remain in foreign museums. Admittedly, the Commission states that the Directive can be applied on a voluntary basis. An unconvincing argument, unfortunately. Respecting Article 167 of the Treaty requires a system of recognition and reward by the Commission to any State which repents and returns cultural treasures. Let's call 2023 the year of cultural justice, with the first step being the apology of European states to the states that wronged themselves by stealing their treasures. Thus, relations with India and Egypt, indicatively, but also intra-Europeanly, with Greece, will be structured on a basis of justice.
Madam President, the Greek ethnic minority in Northern Epirus is being persecuted. Houses are confiscated and churches and tombs are demolished. And Europe is silent. After the horrific persecutions of Hoxha and the unacceptable and even murderous attacks since 1991, today we have legal obstacles for our Northern Epirus. Let's say it openly: The Albanian government is a Turkish actor. If the same agreements he has made with Turkey had been made with Russia, we know that NATO would have bombed it as it did with Serbia. And the most grotesque thing is that the European Commission's office in Albania finds everything rosy. Talk to the North Koreans to find out the truth. The road from Tirana to Brussels must pass through Gjirokastra, Korca and Himara. Otherwise, let's drop the Copenhagen criteria and just talk about the Washington line.
Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 20-21 October 2022 (debate)
Mr President, recently, the impoverished Greek people have seen their incomes shrink even further as a result of inflation. At this difficult juncture, it was decided to stop buying cheap Russian gas because Russia is attacking Ukraine. Seeing, however, that this gas is being replaced by Azerbaijani gas, I would like to ask you, about Azerbaijan attacking Armenia, why is nothing done? Iran is also being sanctioned for selling offensive drones to Russia. Let us assume that we agree with this decision. In Turkey, which has been selling Bayraktars to Azerbaijanis for so long, why are there no sanctions? We therefore call for an immediate end to this policy of selective humanism. We call for the immediate imposition of sanctions on Turkey.
Renewed partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood – a new agenda for the Mediterranean (debate)
Madam President, lately Mr Michel has been trying to convene a Mediterranean summit, which will only put Turkey into practice. Let us remind Mr Michel that, as in Europe Finland is famous for its education system, Germany for its industry and France for its culture, Turkey is famous only for its genocides. After it wiped out a third of its Christian population, the Kurds are next. And I want to be a little more specific. On August 19, in the city of Hasaka in northeastern Syria, the UN organized a volleyball match between young girls. A Turkish drone bombed the area where the fight was taking place, killing four little girls. The only mistake these girls made is that they were born Kurdish in a neighborhood that Turkey considers its own. Julius Caesar said that ‘man, by nature, believes what he wants’. So is Europe; They want a "normal" Turkey. So let us remind the European Union that Turkey is not only not "normal", but is a terrorist state and a key funder of ISIS.
This is Europe - Debate with the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis (debate)
Madam President, Prime Minister, thank you very much for your presence. For my part, as a young Greek who is given the floor, I would like to refer to the specific problem of brain drain, a phenomenon of young scientists fleeing abroad to find work and a better future, with of course very negative results for our country. Having recently completed my studies at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, I found that going abroad is an attractive option for 8 out of 10 of my colleagues. Indicatively, during the eight-year period from 2008 to 2016, it is estimated that about half a million young Greek students and graduates left at a cost of about 15 billion euros, according to the National Higher Education Authority. But what is it due to? First, unemployment. According to Eurostat's monthly survey, Greece ranks first in youth unemployment with a rate of more than 30%. We are in the last positions of OECD countries in the employment of young graduates aged 25-34, fourteen percentage points from the average. Second, low wages make it difficult to earn a living. Unfortunately, often young Greeks in order to stay in our country are forced to do something completely different from what they studied. Education is not free. The cost to the Greek state is estimated at 33,000 euros per graduate, but they are eventually used by another country. We can understand that Greece comes out of this situation only damaged. So our young people are forced to leave Greece to find a job well paid for and on what they know and what they studied. Universities, therefore, are not sufficiently interconnected in Greece and the European Union with the labour market. There is no ecosystem that drives young people to try and innovate and, above all, to use their knowledge. As we know, however, work can make our young people truly independent so that they want to stay in Greece – not be customers, but citizens – and, of course, be able to start a family, so that we can tackle the huge demographic problem. So, in addition to not using our outstanding scientists, we must also consider a subsequent problem. This is none other than demographics. Now, for every two adult Greeks, there are about 1.2 children, and we need more than 2 to maintain ourselves as a nation. Our nation, however, is fading and the Greek family is lost. Our young, brilliant minds, excellent scientists and indispensable for our country, must come back. We often see young Greeks in the news innovating, operating and excelling in foreign countries, but we wonder why this is not the case in Greece. In your pre-election speeches, you talked extensively about dealing with the brain drain. Post-election, you defined the root of the problem in universities, and in fact very little was done. So I would like to ask you two main questions on this issue: firstly, whether Greece can bring back all those Greeks who left in the last decade of the crisis and, secondly, how you plan to reverse this phenomenon.
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, according to Eurostat, Greece has 37% youth unemployment. This is linked to the more expensive megawatt-hour costs in Europe, costs that reduce production, are passed on to more expensive goods and are obviously pushing down wages. Provoking unemployment and granting benefits are a modern form of enslavement. With the resulting energy poverty, we are losing another generation. We see the reduction of unemployment as a strategic political objective. With self-respect we must be adaptable to the facts. Coronavirus and new disruptions in supply chains should be a capable factor for brave readjustments of further designs. The non-adjustment of policy to the accumulation of problems is self-obsessed and certainly does not pamper the price of Europe. It approaches social analgesia. Politics usually hides something else behind it. Thousands of citizens live off their lignite mines and ecosystems. There is a clear need for more gradual rehabilitation and a socially more sensitive target than the closure of lignite plants by 2025.