What Thijs spoke about.

14

Jun

2023

NL Speech

Watch

Torture and criminal prosecution of Ukrainian minors Tihran Ohannisian and Mykyta Khanhanov by the Russian Federation

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, month sixteen of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine with continuous and deliberate attacks on civilian targets. Pure terror. Putin's rocket rains also hit hospitals, residential towers, bridges, roads, schools. Everyone is affected, including children. Deliberately. We can already be sure of 488 children who have been killed by Russian viol…

14

Jun

2023

EN Speech

Watch

Extension of the mandate of the EPPO with regard to the criminal offence of violation of Union restrictive measures (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, dear Minister, sometimes I wonder how a Russian oligarch or a human rights violator experiences being under sanctions, under restrictive measures – as a mere nuisance, I guess, and as something to work around. With 27 Member States implementing EU sanctions at their own discretion we facilitate circumvention in a way, and criminals on our sanction list eagerly take a…

14

Jun

2023

NL Speech

Watch

Investigation of the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware - Investigation of the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware (draft recommendation) (debate)

Mr President, journalists in Hungary, lawyers in Poland, a Member of the European Parliament from Greece: a laundry list of testimonies from spyware victims who just do their job and stand up for their ideals. This made an impression on me. Anyone who denies that this is a European problem has not paid attention. Indeed, the web of espionage and spyware trafficking crosses borders and is spreading…

31

May

2023

NL Speech

Watch

Breaches of the Rule of law and fundamental rights in Hungary and frozen EU funds (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, Minister, colleagues, last week I visited the Hungarian Parliament in Budapest. Beautiful building. And yet I was sad. It is a parliament in an autocratic country where opposition politicians cannot even do their job, do not speak in the Orbán-controlled media. And the Hungarian prime minister thinks he can use the EU as an ATM, while curtailing the Hungarians and putti…

10

May

2023

EN Speech

Watch

Belarus: the inhumane treatment and hospitalisation of prominent opposition leader Viktar Babaryka

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, again we are speaking about the Lukashenko regime and rightfully so, because we will not stop until this relentless dictator stops throwing his best people in jail and responds for his crimes. Viktar Babaryka was beaten into hospital just because he stood up for what Belarusians long for – freedom. We should have been more decisive back when Lukashenko …

10

May

2023

NL Speech

Watch

Externalising asylum applications and making funding to third countries conditional on the implementation of return agreements (topical debate)

Mr President, Commission, Council, colleagues. Yes, I too, like many colleagues, am ashamed of the fact that even population theories are brought into the debate here. It is a disgrace to this House. But we, the reasonable forces, are with much more. Examining a Danish asylum application in Rwanda: It's so bizarre that I'm not even going to discuss it. We have known for a long time – and you know …

9

May

2023

NL Speech

Watch

2022 Report on Kosovo (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, thank you to the rapporteur and colleagues for the good report and also for the necessary updates by the rapporteur, whom I wholeheartedly support. Of course, I am also happy, incredibly happy, that Kosovars will finally be able to travel visa-free from 2024. A long-awaited historic milestone, but the route to it was embarrassing. We have abandoned…

19

Apr

2023

EN Speech

Watch

Repression in Russia, in particular the cases of Vladimir Kara-Murza and Alexei Navalny

Madam President, colleagues, Commissioner, we could dismiss this as just another manifestation of universal truth. Dictators jail democrats they fear. So Putin, a genocidal dictator, jails Vladimir Kara-Murza, a towering lighthouse of democracy for a quarter of a century. Normal procedure: strongly worded statement and move on. But that would so miss the mark. It would ignore Kara-Murza’s humanity…

19

Apr

2023

EN Speech

Watch

Universal decriminalization of homosexuality, in light of recent developments in Uganda (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, Council, you, I, each of us here – also there – has the duty to stop this global authoritarian onslaught on LGBTQ rights fought so hard to win. These rights to be treated as a human being, to be who you are, to love who you want. Is that too much to ask? For the 387 Ugandan lawmakers who voted for this extremist bill, the answer is clearly ‘yes’. President Museveni: vet…

29

Mar

2023

EN Speech

Watch

Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 23-24 March 2023 (debate)

Madam President, Commission, Council, colleagues, we have a war criminal to defeat and, following the leadership of the Commission and the High Representative / Vice President in particular, the Council is also increasingly getting the message. It seems that the historic artillery deal gives the brave defenders of Europe’s democracy something to actually defend themselves with. But the truth is, w…

15

Mar

2023

EN Speech

Watch

Iran: in particular the poisoning of hundreds of school girls

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, they can’t breathe, President. Imagine the horror: 7000 Iranian girls thinking school is safe and then suddenly gasping for air. We may not yet know who is behind these atrocious attacks, not for certain. But we do know one thing, the Islamic Republic always comes after women first. Khomeini and his IRGC have never hesitated to kill Iranians, especially…

15

Mar

2023

NL Speech

Watch

Deaths at sea: a common EU response to save lives and action to ensure safe and legal pathways (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, Council and colleagues, Torpekai Amarkhel was an Afghan journalist, a nice, strong woman with a passion for her profession that she has not been able to practice since the Taliban took power. And she only had one option: Flights to Europe. Two weeks ago, she drowned off the coast of Calabria. Torpekai is one of the five relatives who drowned at the same time, one of the…

14

Mar

2023

EN Speech

Watch

Implementation report on the Agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU - The Windsor Framework (debate)

Mr President, colleagues, first off, congratulations, Commissioner Šefčovič, for an agreement that fully respects the red lines set out by our Parliament. And I appreciate that Mr Sunak also seems to have broken with the past. For seven long years, his Tory predecessors milked Brexit for cynical political purposes to the very last drop, and floating more illegal ‘Braverplans’ won’t help them now. …

14

Mar

2023

EN Speech

Watch

The challenges facing the Republic of Moldova (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, Moldova has my greatest admiration because, let’s face it, with Russia breathing down Chișinău’s neck, choosing the EU was incredibly courageous. And today our Union needs to show that very same courage to halt Russia’s hybrid war, because this alliance of Kremlin agents and exiled oligarchs who cruelly prey on the most vulnerable to foment insurrection…

14

Mar

2023

EN Speech

Watch

Situation in Georgia (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, let’s call this exactly what it is: a pro-Russian government parroting Russian propaganda to defend a Russian law. The Georgian people won this round, but the threat is far from over. Prime Minister Garibashvili says he wants EU candidacy. Wonderful! So do the Georgians, so do I. But make no mistake, Prime Minister: if you kill your former president, no EU c…

16

Feb

2023

EN Speech

Watch

The further repressions against the people of Belarus, in particular the cases of Andrzej Poczobut and Ales Bialiatski (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, I’m holding back my anger. We should be debating free Belarus’s European future today. But we can’t because Belarus isn’t free yet. Putin’s lapdog is still throwing the country’s very best people in jail, people like my friend Ales Bialiatski, an absolute beacon of human rights. He should be released immediately. But the question is: are we doing enough…

15

Feb

2023

NL Speech

Watch

The erosion of the rule of law in Greece: the wiretapping scandal and media freedom (topical debate)

Mr President, Greece has dropped from 70th to 108th place in the World Press Freedom Index in a year. Nowhere in Europe is freedom of the press as bad as in Greece. This is a bad thing. The vast majority of Greek media is owned by wealthy owners who have close ties to the government. Journalists who are still independent face intimidation, smear campaigns and lawsuits. In fact, Predator software i…

15

Feb

2023

EN Speech

Watch

One year of Russia’s invasion and war of aggression against Ukraine (debate)

Mr President. Thank you, High Representative Borrell, for your leadership on this and for your personal commitment in the past years. We have to stop giving Ukraine just enough not to lose. We need to give Ukraine what it needs to win as soon as possible. That’s our task. Not after the summer. Not next month. Now! We have to stop the incrementalism on both the sanctions and the military support. N…

18

Jan

2023

NL Speech

Watch

Situation of journalists in Morocco, notably the case of Omar Radi

Mr President, today we are writing a little bit of history. For the first time in decades, the European Parliament is debating Morocco’s human rights violations. Especially after Morocco cracked down on the peaceful Hirak protests in the northern Rif region, the list of human rights violations has become long. Omar Radi, a fantastic journalist who denounced the corruption of the Moroccan governmen…

17

Jan

2023

EN Speech

Watch

Implementation of the common foreign and security policy - annual report 2022 - Implementation of the common security and defence policy - annual report 2022 (debate)

Madam President, dear High Representative, thanks also to the rapporteur of the CFSP report. This year was the year in which Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine forced our Union to reach geopolitical maturity because the assault of autocrats against global democracy and freedom is stronger than ever. But so are we. We stand united in our resolve, and under your decisive leadership, in our actions.…

17

Jan

2023

EN Speech

Watch

Presentation of the programme of activities of the Swedish Presidency (debate)

Madam President, Presidency, Commission, security, effective management, operational and strategic cooperation. Do not be misguided. These words are not about enhanced cooperation on defence. These come from the Swedish Presidency intentions on the Asylum and Migration Pact. And I’m aware of the political background of the Swedish government and I did not expect many nice words. Nevertheless, I th…

14

Dec

2022

EN Speech

Watch

Chinese government crackdown on the peaceful protests across the People's Republic of China

Thank you for that question dear colleague. I think it’s of great importance that we continue to do our work despite what’s happening and despite the terrible circumstances that we find ourselves here in this House. And my colleague, Mr Repasi, already referred to that, we need to stand together as Parliament as a whole, together to defend our values in the European Union and to support everyone w…

14

Dec

2022

EN Speech

Watch

Chinese government crackdown on the peaceful protests across the People's Republic of China

Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, yes, the greatest gift that we can do to autocrats all over the world is to stop doing our job in here defending human rights. I will continue in my mother tongue, Dutch. Heel China gingen ze door, de beelden van de gruwelijke brand in het Oeigoerse Ürümqi. De Chinese bevolking ging de straat op, verenigd tegen het bewind van Xi Jinping. Dit had het momen…

23

Nov

2022

EN Speech

Watch

The continuing repression of the democratic opposition and civil society in Belarus

Mr President, Commissioner, a pro-Kremlin group just took down the website of the European Parliament because we called Russia and Lukashenko’s regime exactly what they are. Russia is a state sponsor of terrorism and Lukashenko is its eager accomplice. Let me make this very clear. The voices of freedom will not be silenced. Lukashenko can throw 1400 peaceful democracy activists in jail, including …

22

Nov

2022

NL Speech

Watch

EU response to the increasing crackdown on protests in Iran (debate)

Mr President, the Iranian people are an unstoppable wave of pure courage led by women. As legitimate government criminals disguised, hundreds of peaceful protesters have been killed, 58 of them children, and thousands imprisoned. But cruelty cannot break the determination of the Iranian people. Commissioner, I have three questions. 1. When will the EU impose sanctions on all 227 Iranian Majlis MPs…