What Michael spoke about.

6 Oct

2026

EN Speech

Recommendation on EU-China political relations (debate)

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Well, the Chinese have their production and their technology developed. Whether we do it or not, I think we should compete on a fair basis, and then we have a good chance to withstand the competition.

6 Oct

2026

EN Answer

Recommendation on EU-China political relations (debate)

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Well, I think, first of all, those who are responsible for competitiveness are the car producers who have good quality. And if they have good quality and react to the demands of a given market, and the demands may be different in China and in the US or elsewhere, so I think that is the basis. And then when the companies do their job, it's for us politicians to see to it that our market access in C…

6 Oct

2026

EN Speech

Recommendation on EU-China political relations (debate)

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Madam President, colleagues, China is de facto an indispensable factor in global politics, in global trade and global stability. Our preference is to have the best possible relations and have China as a partner in upholding the international rules‑based order. Yet the reality is different. On trade we are interdependent, so the WTO rules should apply in the same way. To counter bad practice, such …

16 Sep

2026

EN Speech

Urgent need for EU support to Ukraine against Russia’s escalation of its war of aggression (debate)

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Mr President, colleagues, High Representative, (the speaker spoke in a non-EU language). Today is a very symbolic date. Exactly 12 years ago today, the Verkhovna Rada and the European Parliament voted simultaneously – connected by live video link – to ratify the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. It was a unique moment of parliamentary solidarity and a strong political commitment that Ukraine and E…

7 Jul

2026

EN Speech

2025 Commission report on Ukraine (debate)

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Madam President, colleagues, thank you for all the contributions. The message to Ukrainians is clear: the commitment for your country stands firm from a large majority in this House. That is also because Ukraine has already achieved so much on the reform path. There is no comparison to 2014. I regret that the focus of the debate was partly diverted from the accession-related issues to the designat…

7 Jul

2026

DE Speech

2025 Commission report on Ukraine (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! Ukraine and Ukrainians are on their way to the European Union. This path is irrevocable because the Ukrainians want it and because we want it too. It is in the mutual interest of this European nation to find its place in the community of the free peoples of Europe. Imperialist Russia, led by a man who, after Hitler and Stalin, commits the third-lar…

16 Jun

2026

EN Speech

Russia’s unacceptable provocative actions and drone incursions into Romania, the Baltic states and Finland (debate)

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Mr President, colleagues, High Representative, I think that what Russia does in these circumstances fits well into their strategy of testing us out. That is what is happening: they look how we are reacting, and if we are not reacting adequately, they will go further. As a consequence, apart from working on our next sanctions package – where I hope, for instance, that we will include Russian touris…

21 May

2026

EN Speech

Repression and execution of protesters, dissidents, political prisoners and religious minorities in Iran (RC-B10-0260/2026, B10-0259/2026, B10-0260/2026, B10-0261/2026, B10-0262/2026, B10-0263/2026, B10-0265/2026, B10-0266/2026) (vote)

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Mr President, colleagues, among the many repressed groups in Iran, there has been one group that has been particularly persecuted and prosecuted since the mullahs took over, and that is the Baha'i community. In order to highlight this fact we asked to name two imprisoned persons by their name, to give them protection by making this fact public, and the short amendment reads: 'Highlights how the ar…

28 Apr

2026

DE Speech

Ensuring accountability and justice in response to Russia’s continued attacks against the civilian population in Ukraine (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, The criminal character of the Russian regime is expressed in many ways when we look at all that is happening in the context of the war of aggression against Ukraine in violation of international law. I now omit all the aspects that concern the Russians themselves, i.e. the totalitarian dictatorship inwards and the merciless heating up of their own soldiers on…

25 Mar

2026

DE Speech

Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 19 March 2026 (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen. As has so often been the case recently, this European Council, which was supposed to focus primarily on improving competitiveness, has been caught up in reality. If an American president is what he is, if goals, methods and arguments are changed on various foreign policy issues, such as the daily shirt, then this must not be a reason for us t…

10 Mar

2026

EN Answer

EU enlargement strategy (debate)

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What we have seen was a tit-for-tat reaction on what had been said from Hungary earlier. I wouldn't have personally said it in this way and it is also not a requirement for membership. But you know what happens in Hungary as we speak – especially with regard to the seizing of this money transporter, which was legally on the way from Austria through Hungary to Ukraine and not the other way around –…

10 Mar

2026

EN Speech

EU enlargement strategy (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, just to the previous speaker, if the Ukrainians think that the president does not fulfil his purposes, in Ukraine, you can change your president, contrary to Russia. That's the reality. It is in our strategic interest, if not to say geopolitical interest, to enlarge the area of peace, stability, prosperity, rule of law and democracy in Europe. So, credible w…

24 Feb

2026

EN Speech

Four years of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and European contributions to a just peace and sustained security for Ukraine (debate)

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Madam President, colleagues, this is a day of collective mourning, outrage and resolve. We commemorate all Ukrainian victims of this senseless war: the soldiers defending their country, the aid and relief workers, and railway staff who kept the country running. We mourn tens of thousands of civilians who were killed, abducted, raped by the aggressor's soldateska and the millions of refugees inside…

11 Feb

2026

DE Speech

Regulation implementing enhanced cooperation on the establishment of the Ukraine Support Loan for 2026 and 2027 (vote)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen. Russia is the aggressor, Russia must pay for its crimes. Russia has a lot of money, even in Europe. We would have liked to have secured a reparation loan with the frozen Russian state funds. (Applause) Since this was not possible, 90 billion were raised on the capital market. Above all, Ukraine needs two things: The means to be able to defend itself – 60 bill…

10 Feb

2026

EN Speech

Urgent need to address the humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan and to achieve a sustainable peace (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, we discuss this forgotten war: Sudan's unbearable humanitarian catastrophe – hunger, displacement, despair. I welcome, I acknowledge, that we, as the European Union, are doing what we are always best at: that is delivering humanitarian aid. It is the least that we can do and what the people expect from us. And it is good to hear the figures and all our effor…

10 Feb

2026

DE Speech

European response to the attacks on the Ukrainian energy system causing a humanitarian crisis (debate)

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9 Feb

2026

EN Speech

Order of business

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Madam President, colleagues, as I'm the Ukraine rapporteur, you can imagine that under normal circumstances, I am always in favour of discussing Russia's war of aggression and the situation in Ukraine. In these special circumstances, I ask you in this case not to vote in favour, and that is for three reasons. One formal reason is, I mean, these attacks have been ongoing for weeks, so it is nothing…

20 Jan

2026

DE Speech

CFSP and CSDP (Article 36 TEU) (joint debate)

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Mr President! Colleagues! High Representative! Of course, the current challenges that affect us require common answers if we want to be relevant. We know enough about the appeal. And yet many of our citizens in Europe and many of us MEPs have the impression that our executive should speak more clearly and act more concretely as a result. I think that's possible because we 27 actually have common i…

26 Nov

2025

DE Speech

EU position on the proposed plan and EU engagement towards a just and lasting peace for Ukraine (debate)

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25 Nov

2025

EN Speech

European Defence Industry Programme and a framework of measures to ensure the timely availability and supply of defence products (‘EDIP’) (debate)

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Madam President, colleagues, Russia's brutal war of aggression takes place in Ukraine, but the ultimate target is our way of life. Deterring Russia from further aggression beyond Ukraine and protecting our citizens requires us to take a more common, a more European approach to defence. And the current US Administration, unfortunately, gives more and more the impression that they are – mentally at …

24 Nov

2025

EN Speech

Order of business

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Madam President, you have said it all. I think it is obvious that we need to position ourselves given this American proposal, or the original one and the amended one. We have had, as Parliament, a broad majority in a consistent policy of supporting Ukraine. That has to go on and I think that is why we need to have not only the debate, but a resolution in this regard.…

22 Oct

2025

EN Speech

The need for a united support to Ukraine and for a just and durable peace concluded on Ukraine's terms, with Europeans and without surrendering to Vladimir Putin's conditions ahead of the foreseen Budapest summit (debate)

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Mr President, what has been said thus far by the Council and the Commission, I fully subscribe to. The large majority of this Parliament fully subscribes to it. It is indeed about a just and durable peace for Ukraine, as the title says, and nothing will be decided about Ukraine without Ukraine. But while Putin has always had the same maximalist positions, which are all unacceptable and infamous, e…

21 Oct

2025

DE Speech

Renewing the EU-Africa Partnership: building common priorities ahead of the Angola Summit (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner! I hope that we will use this EU-AU Summit – that we will use it to take stock, to take stock, and that we will once again make our extensive offers to the African friends and partners in our neighbourhood. You mentioned, Commissioner, where we are leaders in contacts with Africa compared to other continents. We need to build on that and make it bet…

21 Oct

2025

DE Speech

General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2026 – all sections (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, the Presidency of the Council! From the point of view of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, we must point out that the international situation is becoming increasingly complex and is characterised by geopolitical tensions, strategic competition and global challenges. The EU is increasingly called for in the immediate European neighbourhood. Howev…

21 Oct

2025

DE Speech

Stepping up funding for Ukraine’s reconstruction and defence: the use of Russian frozen assets (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, As we haven't seen in the last few days, Russia's activities extend beyond Ukraine. The idea that Vladimir Putin could direct his aggression towards countries of the European Union if he won his war is not a far-fetched theoretical possibility. This is an existential risk for Europe. Fortunately, there is another unique way to help Ukraine, in addition to the…