What Michael spoke about.

16

Jan

2024

DE Speech

Watch

Humanitarian situation in Gaza, the need to reach a ceasefire and the risks of regional escalation (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. We had a resolution here in October with a broad consensus. That was good, and I hope that once again we can decide something with a broad consensus here. Some things haven't changed since October. Hamas continues to shoot at Israel, and Israel continues to respond. And because Hamas is still shooting and the hostages have not yet been released, we are also in t…

16

Jan

2024

DE Speech

Watch

Keeping commitments and delivering military assistance to Ukraine (debate)

Mr President! I am, among other things, the co-rapporteur for the 50 billion Ukraine Facility. Colleagues, we can save ourselves the debates on their implementation if we do not enable Ukraine to adequately defend itself in our interest. The fascist aggressor Russia must be traced back to its borders. It is scandalous that we have still not increased our armaments capacity to the extent that we op…

15

Jan

2024

EN Speech

Watch

Order of business

Madam President, yes, not to speak against, but looking at our agenda that we have got this week and that we have added already, I’m afraid that we are overloaded. We would agree to have a debate, but if we could have it in February – unfortunately, probably, the attacks will be ongoing, so it will not be a done deal by February. So if the ECR could agree to have it in February, in order not to ov…

15

Jan

2024

EN Speech

Watch

Order of business

Madam President, on the Green proposal, I thought that the continued support for the Yemeni peace process goes without saying. But if you insist to say it, I could go along with the Green addition, which is added to our proposal. But I cannot agree with the Left formulation. It is definitely not a US-led attack on Yemen. Probably the Yemeni Government is even in favour, because it goes against the…

15

Jan

2024

EN Speech

Watch

Order of business

Madam President, colleagues, we can follow the news of attacks on our merchant ships. That is a huge challenge to our trade relations and to the security in the region. It is – as we see the talk ongoing and the discussion in the Council and the Commission side to have an EU mission in this area – it is good to have an update from the Commission, and that is why we suggest to add this point to the…

13

Dec

2023

DE Speech

Watch

European Defence investment programme (EDIP) (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner! For almost two years, the war criminal in the Kremlin has been waging a full-scale war in the middle of Europe. If we do not support Ukraine extensively, he will march through it and then he will not stop. We have to react, and we should have reacted from the outset, both at the national level, where the defence budgets are…

12

Dec

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Environmental consequences of the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the need for accountability (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, which is contrary to international law and inhumane, has various facets. We have repeatedly addressed and condemned them on previous occasions, from the debate on the kidnapping of children in Russia to the targeted destruction of vital infrastructure. All this is not directed against combatants, but against civilia…

22

Nov

2023

DE Speech

Watch

30 years of Copenhagen criteria - giving further impetus to EU enlargement policy (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! Thirty years of the Copenhagen criteria – I think they were right criteria in the political and economic spheres at the time, and they have remained so to this day. At that time, they ensured that the candidate countries were given a precise framework in which they could orient themselves. This is perhaps also the difference with the countries that…

22

Nov

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Humanitarian situation in Gaza, the need for the release of hostages and for an immediate humanitarian truce leading to a ceasefire and the prospects for peace and security in the Middle East (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. From the outset, we as Parliament have called for the unconditional release of all hostages. The Israeli government has now agreed to a deal where 50 hostages will be released on the condition that 150 Palestinian prisoners be released and there is a four-day ceasefire. I am happy with the releasers and their families. The regrettable thing is that, in the perce…

8

Nov

2023

DE Speech

Watch

EU enlargement policy 2023 (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! As the Ukraine rapporteur here, I think I can say that today we have a historic decision by the Commission in which it is proposing the opening of accession negotiations for Ukraine, and I am concentrating on this country. I think it is remarkable how, despite the Russian war of aggression, this country is still on the path of reform and thus ex…

18

Oct

2023

DE Speech

Watch

The despicable terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, Israel’s right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law and the humanitarian situation in Gaza (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. Hamas' attack on peaceful Israeli citizens was the largest attack on Jewish civilians since the Holocaust. Israel has the right of self-defense within the framework of humanitarian and martial law. I hope that it will be possible to free the hostages and that the main Hamas financiers, such as Qatar, will also be helpful behind the scenes. I hope that it will be…

17

Oct

2023

EN Speech

Watch

Establishing the Ukraine Facility (A9-0286/2023 - Michael Gahler, Eider Gardiazabal Rubial) (vote)

Madam President, thank you, colleagues, for the broad support as usual, and I ask the referral back to the Committee for Interinstitutional Negotiations according to Rule 59(4) of our Rules of Procedure.…

16

Oct

2023

EN Speech

Watch

Establishing the Ukraine Facility (debate)

Mr President, thank you very much, first of all, to the large majority of speakers here. Thank you for reconfirming our broad consensus. I need not go into any further details in this regard, but I would like to say to those who are closest to Putin in this House that they really have no right to claim that there is corruption in Ukraine. Who is the godfather of corruption, of kleptocratic structu…

16

Oct

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Establishing the Ukraine Facility (debate)

Mr President! I am pleased to present to you, ladies and gentlemen, and also to the Commission, the result of our joint work on the Ukraine Facility. I am proud to inform you that once again, at the joint meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Budgets, we succeeded in achieving a vote that reflects the broad consensus of this House since the beginning of Russia's criminal…

3

Oct

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Recent developments in the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue, including the situation in the northern municipalities in Kosovo (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. It is time for us to be honest in our efforts to regulate the relationship between Serbia and Kosovo: What was done with heavy weapons on 24 September by Serbian paramilitaries led by Milan Radoičić cannot have taken place without the knowledge and at least tolerance of the Serbian leadership. Radoičić too often sits on Vučić's lap. Fortunately, the Kosovar poli…

3

Oct

2023

EN Speech

Watch

Situation in Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan’s attack and the continuing threats against Armenia (debate)

Madam President, colleagues, we are where we are: Azerbaijan’s unilateral violent action has been widely condemned and rightly so. Let us now take a people-centred approach: helping Armenia to address the humanitarian challenges resulting from more than 100 000 refugees, demanding the establishment of an international presence of observers to reassure the remaining population of their safety – the…

14

Sep

2023

EN Speech

Watch

Resumption of the sitting

Mr President, it is with deep regret and outrage that I have to inform the plenary of the decision of the Tunisian authorities yesterday evening to refuse entry for a delegation of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee to the country. We should have left today and would have arrived in Tunis this evening. This conduct is unprecedented since the democratic revolution in 2011. We continue to be rea…

12

Sep

2023

EN Speech

Watch

Ukrainian grain exports after Russia’s exit from the Black Sea Grain Initiative (debate)

–Madam President, colleagues, I’m aware of the problems of our farmers and we need to address them. But I still expect more creativity from the Commission and the Member States primarily concerned. As the Ukraine rapporteur, I hope that the Commission does not prolong the measures blocking Ukrainian exports. It ruins Ukraine’s internal market, adding further difficulties to the country. But how ca…

12

Sep

2023

DE Speech

Watch

EU-Tunisia Agreement - aspects related to external migration policy (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner! If we look at the situation in Tunisia only from this point of view of migration, then indeed the description of what the situation is at the moment is correct on your part. But we have to see the whole picture, not just now, since today, when the situation is changing dramatically, but in the last two years since the presidential coup. And what di…

11

Sep

2023

DE Speech

Watch

European Defence Industry Reinforcement through common Procurement Act (EDIRPA) (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, There is a German proverb, that is: The most pious can't live in peace if the evil neighbor doesn't like it. We have a bad neighbor. He's not only evil, he's criminal. He kills men, women, children every day. And workers in Ukraine would also rather do their job than defend their country. But they don't feel like coming back to the Gulag. That's why they have…

11

Sep

2023

DE Speech

Watch

European Defence Industry Reinforcement through common Procurement Act (EDIRPA) (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, The Commissioner responsible is not here yet. Tomorrow's vote on EDIRPA, the regulation establishing the instrument to strengthen the European defence industry through joint procurement, marks a historic moment in European defence as, for the first time, EU budget funds will support Member States in jointly procuring defence products. But no EDIRPA without Pu…

11

Jul

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Relations with the Palestinian Authority (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. First of all, I would like to thank the rapporteur for the way in which this intergroup dialogue on this difficult report has been handled. The common starting point is the goal of a two-state solution, which we must also work towards with this recommendation. The report is difficult because it mainly criticizes, but one has to calibrate this criticism construct…

31

May

2023

EN Speech

Watch

Order of business

Madam President, the EPP Group would like to support the suggestion from Renew and the ECR. However, as already slightly indicated by colleague Auštrevičius, we would prefer to have it in June – also with one argument, which is that it is a bit closer to the debate that will be held anyhow ahead of the summit in Vilnius in July. So we think it’s better to have it then. I was also informed that the…

8

May

2023

EN Speech

Watch

Establishing the Act in support of ammunition production (debate)

Mr President, for 438 days already we have been witnessing Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Putin endangers the foundations of our international order, which, if successful, would set a dangerous precedent for other authoritarian regimes. Therefore, we are called upon to stand united and with resolve on Ukraine’s side. This Commission proposal is an urgent matter and a necessary step in…

8

May

2023

EN Speech

Watch

Order of business

Madam President, dear colleagues, I would like to bring to the attention of the House a not only unfortunate, but unacceptable incident last Saturday. My dear colleague Andrey Kovatchev, travelling on a diplomatic passport at the Zlatarevo - Novo Selo border crossing between Bulgaria and North Macedonia, was refused entry. There were also four other persons whom I don’t know, but he was refused en…