Speeches

Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen! Thank you very much for joining us this week. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the services for their work, to the interpreters, to the interpreters, to DG PRES. When you get out, you'll see that the Strasbourg Christmas tree is already ready. We have the longest possible Advent season; Next Sunday is 1. Advent. The Christmas tree is ready, it will be decorated now, and tomorrow the Strasbourg Christmas market will be opened. I wish you a good and healthy journey home and a happy beginning of the Adent period. (The meeting closed at 15.48)

The minutes of this meeting will be submitted to Parliament for approval at the beginning of the next part-session. If there are no objections, I will forward the resolutions adopted at today's sitting to the persons and bodies referred to in those resolutions.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the oral question to the Commission on "Revision of the Medical Devices Regulation – how to ensure the availability of medical devices?" by Angelika Niebler and Peter Liese, on behalf of the Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) (O-000043/2022 – B9-0030/22) (2022/2960(RSP)).

The competent Hungarian authorities have sent the President a request for the waiver of the parliamentary immunity of Ms Anna Donáth. That request shall be referred to Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on six motions for resolutions on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, in particular with regard to the deterioration of women's rights and the attacks on educational institutions (2022/2955(RSP))*. _______________ * See Minutes

The Renew Europe Group has sent the President decisions on changes to appointments to committees and delegations. These decisions will be recorded in the minutes of today's meeting and will enter into force on the day of this announcement.

I have two announcements before we move on to the agenda. The competent authorities of Denmark informed the President of the election of Mr Bergur Løkke Rasmussen, Mr Erik Poulsen and Mr Anders Vistisen as Members of the European Parliament with effect from 22 November 2022. They replace Mr Søren Gade, Ms Linea Søgaard-Lidell and Mr Peter Kofod respectively. I welcome these new colleagues and remind them that, subject to the examination of their mandates, they now participate with full rights in the meetings of Parliament and its institutions.

Thank you very much, Commissioner Lenarčič! Allow me to make a personal comment. I am very annoyed, even personally, that I have to withdraw the floor from colleagues who have a lot to say, who exceed the speaking time, because speaking time is not a proposal, but a rule, but these colleagues are there from the beginning to the end of the debate, like Mr Bullmann, while other colleagues only come in here for their speech, then immediately go out again and behave inappropriately if they really exceed the speaking time excessively and they are deprived of the floor. I am very annoyed by this and it is not appropriate for the dignity of this House.

Colleague, you had one minute, I gave you almost one and a half minutes. I interrupt all colleagues. I have the same judgement to everybody. You do not have the floor anymore, I am sorry. You do not have the floor and the microphone is off.

I'll call you to order, Mrs. Colleague. I can't do that. (The President responded to an interlocutory call made by Mrs Gancia without a microphone) No cause.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the report by Charles Goerens, on behalf of the Committee on Development, on the future European financial architecture for development (2021/2252(INI)) (A9-0270/2022).

Mrs in 't Veld, I have listened to everyone throughout the debate and I personally have decided that I am not calling on colleagues to do so because I did not consider that to be a homophobic statement. Since your assessment is different, we are happy to present it to the President. The debate is thus closed.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on EU-China relations (2022/2900(RSP)).

Thank you very much, Commissioner. Mr Andrews has no question. So, we are not a hundred percent slavishly adhering to the requirement here, but I advise every colleague who wants to address a related topic, so to speak: Of course, this Question Time is based on the surprise effect, and of course everyone would like to put the Commissioner to the test; but especially if you have such marginal issues that do not necessarily belong to it, then it would certainly be helpful if you would give the Commissioner a hint that this is the subject of the question. It certainly does the quality of the answers good. Question time on this subject is thus closed.

Mr Comín i Oliveres, this is about the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The Commissioner has already politely pointed out to you in the first reply that this is about Ukraine; They are now evading oil and Turkey. I cannot accept this additional question.

Well, the third question, the colleague can still formulate it as a demand, if he wants to. But, of course, I would like to point out that if a 75% question consists of a statement, then the road for the questions we actually had will of course be a bit short. That is why, Commissioner, you are welcome to focus on the first two questions.