What Michael spoke about.

21

Jan

2025

EN Speech

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Need for actions to address the continued oppression and fake elections in Belarus (debate)

Mr President, colleagues, Commissioner, Presidency, Lukashenka again holds fake elections. And while there is large public focus on Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, or the manipulated elections in Georgia, or Russia's unsuccessful attempts to turn the majorities around in Moldova, we need to keep the Belarus dictatorship on the agenda and support the legitimate representatives like Svia…

21

Jan

2025

EN Speech

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Need to detect and to counter sabotage by the Russian shadow fleet, damaging critical undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea (debate)

Mr President, colleagues, Council Presidency, Commissioner, among the multifold wake-up calls that we are getting to assess the Russian threat to our countries – the Presidency alluded to some others – the demolition of critical infrastructure such as sea cables is just one further example. I think Putin would be disappointed if we discussed whether that was accidental or who was responsible. He w…

18

Dec

2024

EN Speech

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11th year of the occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation and the deteriorating human rights situation in occupied Crimea, notably the cases of Iryna Danylovych, Tofik Abdulhaziiev and Amet Suleymanov

Mr President, once upon a time there was an Autonomous Republic of Crimea in Ukraine. In 1991, during the independence referendum, also a majority of inhabitants of Crimea voted in favour of Ukrainian independence. Crimean Tatars could feel at home as much as Ukrainian and Russian speakers. Russian was an official language in Crimea. The Crimean Tatars had their majlis, their legal representation.…

17

Dec

2024

EN Speech

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Russia’s disinformation and historical falsification to justify its war of aggression against Ukraine (debate)

Madam President, colleagues, normally, one cannot change history because what happened just happened. And still it is typical for all kinds of dictatorships and autocratic rule – not only Russia – to instrumentalise a selective or distorted presentation of the past to justify today's aggressions. I stand here as a German and I feel free to accuse today's Russia of what it is: an utterly Stalinist …

17

Dec

2024

DE Speech

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Toppling of the Syrian regime, its geopolitical implications and the humanitarian situation in the region (debate)

Mr President, dear Vice-President and High Representative! First of all from my side, also on behalf of the EPP, all the best for the new function! They will also have our support on the big issues, where we have a broad consensus here. I think we have a situation here where we can really be relieved, together with the Syrians, that the end of one of the most brutal regimes the world has seen has …

26

Nov

2024

DE Speech

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Reinforcing EU’s unwavering support to Ukraine against Russia’s war of aggression and the increasing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia (debate)

14

Nov

2024

DE Answer

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Enhancing Europe’s civilian and defence preparedness and readiness (debate)

I'd like to tell you this: Russia has waged a war of aggression against Ukraine in violation of international law and this objective – I don’t know if it was the Ukrainians, you obviously know better, I don’t know, but even if it was them – has, in my view, been a legitimate objective in order to draw on Russia’s ability to create money from these revenues. I think that's very clear. The aggressor…

14

Nov

2024

EN Speech

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Enhancing Europe’s civilian and defence preparedness and readiness (debate)

Madam President, colleagues, honourable President Niinistö, thank you very much for this excellent report. The need to enhance Europe's civilian and military defence, preparedness and readiness is obvious. And he rightly described the facts: Putin sees the West as weak. And his logical conclusion is we must change this perception. This requires several things. First, as he formulated, the trust of…

13

Nov

2024

DE Speech

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EU-US relations in light of the outcome of the US presidential elections (debate)

Madam President, Dear colleagues! America has chosen. We take note of the outcome. The country remains an indispensable partner for us Europeans, especially in the areas of security and defence and in countering the spread of authoritarian rule. And we must, of course, continue to intensify economic relations with this most important trading partner. In dialogue with colleagues in both houses of C…

22

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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People’s Republic of China’s misinterpretation of the UN resolution 2758 and its continuous military provocations around Taiwan (debate)

Madam President, colleagues and comrades, tongzhi in the gallery and online, there are two issues that need to be addressed with this debate. One is the call on the PRC to stop their repeated military exercises around Taiwan and the military build-up and the increasingly assertive and aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea, not only towards Taiwan, to end the threat of any violent unilateral …

8

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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The democratic backsliding and threats to political pluralism in Georgia (debate)

Mr President, colleagues, I'm not anticipating at this stage a verdict on the qualities of the upcoming elections. For that, we have an OSCE long-term mission who are doing a professional job. I simply expect the competent authorities to apply the existing laws for elections in a proper, fair and professional way. The Georgians will, indeed, decide on their own which path they would like to procee…

8

Oct

2024

DE Speech

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Strengthening Moldova's resilience against Russian interference ahead of the upcoming presidential elections and a constitutional referendum on EU integration (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen! First of all, I would like to apologise for this embarrassing contribution by the previous speaker, who has learned nothing from history – obviously. We are confident that the Moldovan authorities will properly conduct the presidential elections and the referendum on EU integration. As was to be expected, we have been witnessing multifold ways and means initiate…

17

Sep

2024

EN Speech

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Continued financial and military support to Ukraine by EU Member States (debate)

(Start of speech off mic) ... to be one of the key phrases expressed by Ukrainians during last Friday's and Saturday's Yalta European Strategy conference, the 20th of its kind, held for obvious reasons in Kyiv and not in Yalta. While the European Parliament has always expressed with impressive majorities its unwavering support for the country and the people of Ukraine in their existential resistan…

17

Jul

2024

DE Speech

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The need for the EU's continuous support for Ukraine (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen! As the Ukraine rapporteur in the last parliamentary term and also as the co-rapporteur for the 50 billion Ukraine Facility, it is very important for me to say one thing at the outset: We must carry this broad consensus of political parties into this new legislature, this broad consensus of support for Ukraine. Because it is in our own interest that this count…

24

Apr

2024

DE Speech

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The proposed repeal of the law banning female genital mutilation in The Gambia

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. I was really horrified when I learned that there is an intention in The Gambia to lift the ban on female genital mutilation here. I think we should do everything we can to the government there and, of course, also call on the Commission and our External Action Service to intervene here. We have existing conventions to eliminate all forms of discrimination agains…

24

Apr

2024

EN Speech

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Azerbaijan, notably the repression of civil society and the cases of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu and Ilhamiz Guliyev

Mr President, colleagues, to end the debate, I have a suggestion to make. As I learned from Zhala, from his daughter, that apparently, President Aliyev is on Friday in Berlin meeting the Chancellor Scholz. Perhaps those who took the floor here, that we all send an email to the Chancellor’s office asking him, or asking his aides, to include in his speaking notes the reference to our case here, to D…

24

Apr

2024

DE Speech

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Iran’s unprecedented attack against Israel, the need for de-escalation and an EU response (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. The mullahs regime has launched a new level of escalation in the Middle East with the direct attack on Israel. This should be an occasion, but not the sole reason, to finally raise other strings against a regime that is repressive, internally against its own population, externally against Israel, but also a threat to other neighbours in the region. At the latest…

23

Apr

2024

EN Speech

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Attempts to reintroduce a foreign agent law in Georgia and its restrictions on civil society (debate)

Madam President, colleagues, Commissioner, if I had five minutes speaking time, we would indeed repeat one by one your speech because I fully subscribed to what you have said and you have said it all. Indeed, there are obligations that the Georgian Government has undertaken and which they are blatantly violating by introducing this law. Well, actually, my impression is if it is about foreign agent…

10

Apr

2024

NL Speech

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New allegations of Russian interference in the European Parliament, in the upcoming EU elections and the impact on the Union (debate)

Mr De Graaff, you are the last person to speak of Christian values. Herr Präsident, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Ich komme aus einem Land, das zwei Diktaturen erlebt hat. Mit der ersten haben wir fast ganz Europa und Nordafrika mit Krieg überzogen. Die zweite Diktatur beschränkte sich im Wesentlichen auf die Unterdrückung der eigenen Insassen. Und obwohl fast jedes Volk in Europa unter einer ei…

12

Mar

2024

EN Speech

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The adoption of the Special Measure in favour of Tunisia for 2023 (debate)

Madam President, colleagues, this oral question relates to a budget support measure to Tunisia amounting to EUR 150 million. What is at the heart of the oral question, as I read it, is not Tunisia as such or relations with that country. This oral question addresses a far more principled issue: the relation between the Commission and this House in its role as budgetary authority. It therefore relat…

28

Feb

2024

EN Speech

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Strengthening European Defence in a volatile geopolitical landscape - Implementation of the common foreign and security policy – annual report 2023 - Implementation of the common security and defence policy – annual report 2023 (joint debate - European security and defence)

Madam President, colleagues, on Ukraine I said yesterday what needs to be said. I welcome that there is movement to enlarge the scope of the activities of the European Investment Bank to defence that will hopefully also end the hesitance of private banks to engage in defence-related activities. I welcome the announcement of the Commission President that she intends to install a Defence Union Commi…

27

Feb

2024

DE Speech

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Multiannual financial framework for the years 2021 to 2027 - Establishing the Ukraine Facility - Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (‘STEP’) (joint debate - multiannual financial framework revision)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to remind you once again why we are also spending the €50 billion on Ukraine: because Ukraine is part of Europe, because Ukraine defends itself and us, because the Ukraine spirit will also strengthen the EU. He knows what values we are defending. It strengthens our resilience, fosters not only Ukrainian but also European creativity and dynamism, …

27

Feb

2024

EN Speech

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Multiannual financial framework for the years 2021 to 2027 - Establishing the Ukraine Facility - Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (‘STEP’) (joint debate - multiannual financial framework revision)

Mr President, dear colleagues, the European Union delivers on its promises on Ukraine. The EUR 50 billion Ukraine Facility is a clear marker for that. And when I was in Kyiv over the weekend, like many colleagues and other dignitaries from Europe and the world, amongst the tense discussions that we had on deliveries of arms, this was a positive highlight when you mention, yes, we are delivering, a…

6

Feb

2024

EN Speech

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The need for unwavering EU support for Ukraine, after two years of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, colleagues, shanovni Ukraintsi. Ten years of war, two years of full—scale war waged by a war criminal in the Kremlin. The Ukrainian nation stands united and refuses to be subjugated back into the servitude of a Russian gulag. The EU also stands united behind Ukraine, and we are not alone, if we look at the Rammstein format of almost 50 states that help in multifaceted ways. I am prou…

17

Jan

2024

EN Speech

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The ongoing persecution of Falun Gong in China, notably the case of Mr Ding Yuande

– Madam President, dear colleagues. As China is a one—party dictatorship, it is not a surprise that in order to stay in power, such structures need to repress multifold groups in their respective societies. When it comes to China, we have on many occasions discussed the fate of the Uyghurs, of Tibet and of the citizens of Hong Kong. Today we once again focus on the fate of those who practice Falun…