What Reinhold spoke about.

13

Nov

2025

DE Speech

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Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 23 October 2025 (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, It is good that migration policy is so clearly addressed in the Council conclusions. The course is now clearly defined – external partnerships are strengthened, irregular migration is massively tackled, returns are intensified and smuggling crime is also effectively tackled. We are not yet at the destination, but the way is right. This has already been shown …

12

Nov

2025

EN Speech

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Addressing transnational repression of human rights defenders (short presentation)

Mr President, I take the floor because we have to give human rights defenders a voice here in our Parliament. Three years ago, I met a group of Iranian women protesting in Austria against the mullah regime. Following their activism, they faced intimidation tactics, including being filmed and threatened, in an attempt to silence their voices. This is one of many examples of how Iran has escalated i…

22

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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Allegations of espionage by the Hungarian government within the EU institutions (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, accounts of foreign espionage are unfortunately nothing new, but espionage contacted by a Member State of the European Union, targeting its own institutions to which it belongs – this is alarming. It strikes at the foundation of trust and cooperation that must underpin relations among Member States and within our institutions. These revelations come at a time when…

22

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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Situation in Belarus, five years after the fraudulent presidential elections (debate)

Madam President, five years ago, the people of Belarus stood up with extraordinary courage against the stolen election. They demanded democracy and were met with brutality. Since then, Lukashenka and his regime have systematically destroyed the foundation of democracy, imprisoning more than 1 400 political activists, silencing independent media and turning repression into a tool of state control. …

22

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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Preparation of the European Council meeting of 23 October 2025 (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, the European Council this week must demonstrate unity. For me, this is the most important thing. Europe cannot afford indecision; we need determined action. First, Ukraine: our support must continue politically, financially and also through reconstruction. Europe must stay united here to help Ukraine, and we have to do everything to secure a just and lasting peace…

21

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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Polarisation and increased repression in Serbia, one year after the Novi Sad tragedy (debate)

Madam President, colleagues, it is in the hands of President Vučić to take Serbia towards Europe. Their neighbour Montenegro is showing the path, or – like Georgia – take the opposite direction. Serbia's European future remains open, of course, but it depends on respect for our common values. That means an independent judiciary, free media and political pluralism. It is crucial to have much closer…

21

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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Recent peace agreement in the Middle East and the role of the EU (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, at this moment, there is a chance for peace in the Middle East, but not more. Thanks to President Trump, there is significant momentum, with a ceasefire and hostage-exchange deal, as well as commitments to humanitarian access and reconstruction in Gaza. At the same time, the situation remains extremely fragile. Violations of the truce have already occurred, and th…

8

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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Humanitarian and security situation in Haiti, in particular the rising power of criminal gangs and the recent massacre in Cabaret

Madam President, dear colleagues, on 11 September, not one month ago, in the Haitian town of Cabaret, the gang coalition Viv Ansanm perpetrated a brutal massacre of over 40 innocent people, among them children, elderly people and entire families. This is not an isolated event – in the last three years, 16 000 people lost their lives, and more than 1.3 million people are displaced. Half of Haiti's …

8

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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EU strategy with regard to Iran’s nuclear threat and the implementation of EU sanctions resulting from the snapback mechanism (debate)

Madam President, Iran has crossed every red line by enriching uranium to 90 % weapons‑grade levels and advancing its ballistic missile programme in blatant defiance of UN Security Council Resolution 2231. Iran is not sending any signals that it is for de-escalation. It is doing the opposite. It is escalating a grave threat. Here it is absolutely the right way – the full reimposition of UN sanction…

7

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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EU political strategy on Latin America (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, Latin America is a key partner in many areas like trade, natural resources, the fight against organised crime or tackling climate change. We also share a large common culture, history, religion, values and strong people-to-people ties, like in Spain or Portugal, and Mercosur countries are already our biggest export market – even bigger than the USA and China. Yet …

7

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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New Strategic EU-India Agenda (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, India is one of the world's fastest‑growing major economies, with GDP growth of more than 7 % in the first half of this year. Their demographic strength, rising technological capabilities and also their big economy show how important this country is. For the EU, a new strategic agenda with India can offer opportunities in trade and investment. As India's global in…

7

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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Situation in Afghanistan: supporting women and communities affected by the recent earthquakes (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, we must keep at the forefront of our minds the immense suffering of the people in Afghanistan. The devastating earthquake has compounded an already dire humanitarian situation and, of course, the Taliban's restrictions have severely hampered aid delivery, with bans on women working, internet blackouts, as was mentioned before, and obstructive administrative burdens. …

7

Oct

2025

DE Speech

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This is Europe - Debate with the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Luc Frieden (debate)

Madam President, Mr Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen! Smaller and medium-sized countries in Europe can do far more than their size. Luxembourg is a prime example of this. Economically very strong, above-average European commitment – this is what Luxembourg has been doing for decades. In the midst of the turn of the century, we must now do everything we can to strengthen Europe as an economic a…

10

Sep

2025

EN Speech

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Case of Victoire Ingabire in Rwanda

Mr President, the case of Victoire Ingabire is a prime example of the ongoing challenges to freedom of expression and political participation in Rwanda. As a member of the Delegation to the Africa-EU Parliamentary Assembly, I am aware of how important it is to strengthen democratic principles and human rights in Africa. The EU has a responsibility to share its values and standards by supporting no…

9

Sep

2025

EN Speech

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Situation in Colombia after the wave of recent terrorist attacks (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, the horrible terrorist attacks in Colombia must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. These acts of violence not only claim innocent lives, but also represent an attack on our shared values, and here we have to support the government of Colombia in its fight against terrorism. As Vice-Chair of the Eurolat Committee on Political Affairs, Security and Human Rig…

9

Sep

2025

EN Speech

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Wave of violence and continuous use of force against protesters in Serbia (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, the recent events in Serbia remind us that European integration is much more than technical negotiations. Respect of our common values and fundamental human rights is crucial. The ongoing protests started peaceful, but the reaction at the same time was the wrong one. We have received many reports of disproportionate use of force by security services, and we must s…

9

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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Case of Ryan Cornelius in Dubai

Mr President, dear colleagues, as Chair of the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with the Arab Peninsula, I feel compelled to address the ongoing detention of Ryan Cornelius in the United Arab Emirates. I work for strengthening our relationship, but we have to be honest with our friends in the United Arab Emirates. Mr Cornelius was convicted in 2008. He served 10 years – a 10‑year sen…

9

Jul

2025

DE Speech

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Alleged misuse of EU funds by Members of the far-right and measures to ensure institutional integrity (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. As far as my previous speaker friend, I would not go to call the patriots a criminal organization. But it is a well-known pattern – that is true. Right-wing populists are rattling against the European Union and, at the same time, using it illegally to an extent that is incomprehensible – that must be said. Le Pen has already been convicted with a dozen of her fe…

9

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 26 June 2025 (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, the European Council conclusions send a clear and resolute message. The European Union remains steadfast in its commitment, firstly, to enlargement. We had the last one in 2013. The time has come for the next enlargement. Secondly, a clear message that we defend Ukraine's sovereignty, and it is a good signal. Also, the United States now said that they will continu…

8

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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2023 and 2024 reports on Bosnia and Herzegovina (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, I want to mention at the beginning that I think we have to see the reality. Bosnia and Herzegovina has only made limited progress in the reform agenda. When we compare this report with other reports from the region, we see there big, big differences. Yes, on the one side, Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to align with EU foreign and security policy – very importan…

8

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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Situation in Belarus, in particular the release of political prisoners (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, the situation in Belarus remains one of the most critical challenges facing Europe today. Nearly four years after these fraudulent presidential elections, as my colleague Ms Strack-Zimmermann mentioned, 1 160 Belarusians remain imprisoned not for crimes, but for bravely standing up for their fundamental rights of democracy, dignity and freedom. These political pri…

8

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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Situation in the Middle East (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, I want to reiterate when we talk about the Middle East, we have always have to remember the most significant threat in the region stems unmistakably from Iran and its network of proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. While Israel's pre-emptive strikes disrupted Tehran's operational capacity, the mullah regime, of course, will seek ways to continue destabil…

18

Jun

2025

EN Speech

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Dissolution of political parties and the crackdown on the opposition in Mali

Mr President, dear colleagues, Europe has played an active role in supporting all the Sahel countries and mobilised more than EUR 600 million for Mali alone since 2014. This has included support for development, humanitarian aid and efforts to stabilise the region and fight and combat terrorism. But we see in Mali, if we fail in our engagement, there is dissolution of political life, the erosion o…

17

Jun

2025

EN Speech

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Assassination attempt on Senator Miguel Uribe and the threat to the democratic process and peace in Colombia (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, with 181 member parliaments out of 193 countries in the world, expresses each year more and more concern over the growing number of human rights violations against parliamentarians. The number of cases brought before the IPU has more than tripled within one decade, from 311 in 2014 to 956 in 2024. The assassination attempt against Colom…

17

Jun

2025

EN Speech

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Situation in the Middle East (joint debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, we must always have in our mind that the big danger in the Middle East stems unmistakably from the mullah regime of Iran and its proxies, Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. It is not Israel which is the aggressor. These groups – enriched, equipped and directed by the mullah regime – present a unified front of existential threat to Israel an…