What Riho spoke about.

9

Mar

2022

EN Speech

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Debate with the Prime Minister of Estonia, Kaja Kallas - The EU's role in a changing world and the security situation of Europe following the Russian aggression and invasion of Ukraine (continuation of debate)

Madam President, Madam Prime Minister, dear Kaja, thank you very much for being with us in this Hemicycle today. And I also want to join the people who have thanked you for your leadership in these very difficult times. I certainly agree with the assumption that we are in there in this for a long haul. That makes us responsible of making the right decisions today. That demands from us committing a…

16

Feb

2022

EN Speech

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EU-Russia relations, European security and Russia’s military threat against Ukraine (debate)

Madam President, there is no need to remind you of the severity of the ongoing crisis. Putin’s Russia is working according to the plan: a strategic plan that has no less a goal than challenging the West and changing Europe’s security architecture. Building up a military presence and tightening the noose around Ukraine, day by day, is not just a military drill. It is Russia getting ready to attack …

15

Feb

2022

EN Speech

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

Madam President, Europe is on the brink of war – closer to a major escalation than we’ve ever been since the peak of the Cold War. The next days and weeks will tell if we were successful against bullying and threats from Russia and Putin. Europe faces Russia and China as the two main aggressive competitors wherever we look in the world. It is very important for us to stand our ground globally, def…

14

Dec

2021

EN Speech

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Situation at the Ukrainian border and in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine (debate)

Madam President, the tensions around Ukraine are escalating day by day. In addition to the build-up of a large military presence on the borders of Ukraine, Russia has switched into full information warfare mode. This is meant to target the home audience, ordinary Russian people, and to create a symbol of the enemy. This is meant to establish casus belli, so to speak. Following the Biden-Putin meet…

23

Nov

2021

EN Speech

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Situation in Belarus and at its border with the EU and the security and humanitarian consequences (debate)

Madam President, we are discussing a situation at the European borders today that continues to be extremely serious. This aggressive pressure where migrants are used as weapons continues to threaten the EU, our way of life, our values, our solidarity. I want to thank Poland for standing its ground. I also want to emphasise the solidarity this crisis has created among European countries. It is of t…

10

Nov

2021

ET Speech

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The escalating humanitarian crisis on the EU-Belarusian border, in particular in Poland (debate)

Dear Mr President, Last week, two dictators, Putin and Lukashenka, met to confirm a joint Russian-Belarusian military doctrine. Today, it is clear that Lukashenka, who swore eternal allegiance to Putin, has been particularly eager to implement this doctrine. Attacks against the external borders of the European Union are part of a broader strategy aimed at attacking the Western value space. Breakin…

5

Oct

2021

ET Speech

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The Arctic: opportunities, concerns and security challenges (debate)

Dear Mr President, I thank my fellow Members for the report on the Arctic and I strongly recommend voting in favour of it. Arctic issues are of a strategic nature and have a significant impact on the future of Europe. We are talking about environmental, economic and security impacts. The race to the Arctic has gained new momentum with the retreat of the ice sheet and the opening of the North-East …

5

Oct

2021

ET Speech

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State of EU cyber defence capabilities (debate)

Dear Mr President, I thank my good colleague Urmas Paeta for carrying the report on cyber defence. This is a topic that touches almost every area of life very closely, because the threats and vulnerabilities that come with the development of information technology are universal for us. I am convinced that today we are not contributing enough to raising awareness and countering cyber threats. It is…

6

Jul

2021

ET Speech

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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)

Dear Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, It is extremely positive that an agreement was reached on the Connecting Europe Facility, and I call on all colleagues to vote in favour of approving the agreement. It is an important tool to support the connection of peripheral regions with the rest of Europe through the development of infrastructure networks. The competitiveness of the Europ…