What Matthias spoke about.

11

Feb

2025

DE Speech

Watch

US AI chip export restrictions: a challenge to European AI development and economic resilience (debate)

Madam President, Executive Vice-President Virkkunen! Dear colleagues! This card is a card of shame. Because what you see here is that you want to share us as an EU. What's that, a new Iron Curtain? It is unacceptable that the US government divides the EU into two different levels of export control. We are a single market and we must work together to tackle it. But it also shows that it was right t…

10

Feb

2025

DE Speech

Watch

European Central Bank – annual report 2024 (debate)

Mr President! Madam President Lagarde! Dear colleagues! Euro area inflation rates have fallen from a record high of 10.6% to now close to 2%. This is an important signal of stability in Europe and good news for millions of people. Especially if you have a small or middle income, you have had to suffer from the cost explosion of recent years. Inflation is not only an economic issue, but also a soci…

18

Dec

2024

DE Speech

Watch

Continued repression of civil society and independent media in Azerbaijan and the cases of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu, Anar Mammadli, Kamran Mammadli, Rufat Safarov and Meydan TV

Mr President! Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! The name Qubad İbadoğlu is well known in my hometown Dresden. The scientist was supposed to be a visiting professor there, but he was arrested beforehand. Ibadoğlu's case has also made us generally aware of the human rights situation in Azerbaijan. We are also thinking of the cases of Anar Mammadli, Kamran Mammadli, Rüfat Safarov and the TV channel…

17

Dec

2024

DE Speech

Watch

Misinformation and disinformation on social media platforms, such as TikTok, and related risks to the integrity of elections in Europe (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen! We look into the mouth of a monster. The Brotherly Kiss of Donald Trump and Elon Musk. The authoritarian axis from Kremlin to TikTok. The Radical Connection of big money and authoritarian state power in the platform economy is a massive threat to our freedom and democracy. With the Digital Markets Act, we wanted to limit market power and regulate platforms so th…

16

Dec

2024

DE Speech

Watch

A European Innovation Act: lowering the cost of innovating in Europe (debate)

Mr President! Commissioner, it is nice to see you here today and I look forward to working together for an innovative Europe. The EU is a world-class location for innovation. We have excellent researchers, great corporate personalities who are courageous, and well-trained professionals in confident workforces – they all want to innovate together. But, of course, the potential is not yet fully expl…

27

Nov

2024

DE Speech

Watch

Promoting a favourable framework for venture capital financing and safe foreign direct investments in the EU (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! With a turnover of 2 billion euros, the payment service provider Klarna is exactly the kind of unicorn that we actually need here in the EU. But Klarna actually shows us our weaknesses quite mercilessly. In 2020, the company will sell a minority stake in Chinese tech giant Alibaba. Now Klarna goes public, but not in Stockholm, Paris or Frankfurt…

9

Oct

2024

DE Speech

Watch

Taxing the super-rich to end poverty and reduce inequalities: EU support to the G20 Presidency’s proposal (topical debate)

Mr President! The super-rich are rich and powerful like never before. The top one percent of the world today control more than half of the wealth and they are getting richer, despite the crises we have. An economy in the control of a few is inefficient. When a few super-rich dominate entire industries, innovation disappears and competition is suffocated. But it is of course also unfair for the ric…

8

Oct

2024

DE Speech

Watch

The crisis facing the EU’s automotive industry, potential plant closures and the need to enhance competitiveness and maintain jobs in Europe (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! The auto industry is in crisis. We agree on that. What we disagree on is: How did she get there, and more importantly: How does she get out of there? However, it is not true that terminating employment guarantees and terminating collective agreements is the right way to go. E-cars are not too expensive because wage costs are too high, but becaus…

19

Sep

2024

EN Speech

Watch

The historic CJEU ruling on the Apple state aid case and its consequences (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, the ECJ's ruling against Apple marks a milestone for tax and competition policy in Europe. It demonstrates that we can hold big corporations accountable for their aggressive tax planning. I am proud that in Europe, the law prevails over the power of billionaires. However, it raises a key question: should tax policy be left to competition law and courts? I do…

18

Sep

2024

DE Speech

Watch

The devastating floods in Central and Eastern Europe, the loss of lives and the EU’s preparedness to act on such disasters exacerbated by climate change (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen! The images of the flood disaster in Central and Eastern Europe are shocking, and the news of the many victims makes me deeply saddened. They also awaken in me bad memories of the flood in my own homeland, in Saxony, 2013 and 2002. This time we got away a bit more easily because we were lucky, but also because we took good care – less sealing, more floodplains, f…

16

Sep

2024

DE Speech

Watch

Need to prevent security threats like the Solingen attack through addressing illegal migration and effective return (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! The gruesome attack of Solingen fills us with pain, grief and anger. People rightly demand protection from violence, Islamism, radicalisation and terror. We protect ourselves best through cooperation at European level. To do this, it is necessary to facilitate the coordination of the security authorities, tighten gun laws, prevent terrorists fro…

25

Apr

2024

DE Speech

Watch

Framework of measures for strengthening Europe’s net-zero technology products manufacturing ecosystem (Net Zero Industry Act) (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! With this, we are now laying the foundations for an active green industrial policy. That's right, because the huge European Green Deal also needs a clean industry and investment here on the ground. The Net-Zero Industry Act This is an important step to ensure the competitiveness of our manufacturers. European manufacturers should also benefit more …

24

Apr

2024

DE Speech

Watch

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

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. Already in September last year, we called for the release of Qubad İbadoğlu in a resolution. He was released from house arrest on Monday, but only for a month. The charges remain and his health is extremely critical. He was detained for months without access to medical care and little contact with lawyers and family. Ladies and gentlemen, does this strategy of e…

24

Apr

2024

DE Speech

Watch

Forging a sustainable future together: economic, social and territorial challenges for a competitive, cohesive and inclusive Europe (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! Rarely have the tasks facing the EU been so great. How can we ensure that our EU continues to grow together and not break apart? How do we master the green and digital transformation, and how do we remain a competitive Europe? How can change be achieved justly? How do we become a geopolitical EU in times of multiple crises? These are issues that re…

13

Mar

2024

DE Speech

Watch

Cohesion policy 2014-2020 – implementation and outcomes in the Member States (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner! This report looks at the end of the 2014-2020 funding period, but it also allows us to take a look into the future. This is important because the next cohesion policy funding period will be one like no other. We are faced with the question of how, on the one hand, we can continue to grow together, how we can achieve social, territorial and economic cohesion. On the o…

13

Mar

2024

DE Speech

Watch

Allegations of corruption and misuse of EU funds in Spain during the pandemic (topical debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. The Spanish Koldo case joins a series of scandals in the procurement of masks. Italy, Spain, Romania, Germany – greedy people everywhere took advantage of the plight and urgency during the coronavirus pandemic. We only hear very selected criticism from the EPP. Where was her outrage in the Union's masquerade affair when Mrs Hohlmeier mediated her friend Andrea T…

11

Mar

2024

DE Speech

Watch

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. The European Pillar of Social Rights stresses the right to an adequate pension. Every person of old age has the right to the means to ensure a dignified life. But it is up to the Member States to ensure this, and that is why I would like to report to you here that the German government is pushing for exactly this goal with a pension package. Because none of us w…

27

Feb

2024

DE Speech

Watch

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, Mr Secretary of State, ladies and gentlemen! Yes, we are now discussing the STEP strategy platform on the budget, on the budget revision. Actually, this is a bit of nonsense, because from a – yes – financial point of view, it is quite disappointing what we have been presented with at STEP. The Innovation Fund, InvestEU, Horizon – all these programmes would have needed more funding fo…

7

Feb

2024

DE Speech

Watch

Need to fight the increase of antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, It hurts me when Jewish institutions in Germany still need police protection to this day, when Jews are threatened. This threat comes mainly from the right; In September, more than 80% of anti-Semitic crimes came from the right. Therefore: Do not shed crocodile tears, but keep these people in check! Since the barbaric attack by Hamas on 7 October, however, ma…

5

Feb

2024

DE Speech

Watch

State of EU solar industry in light of unfair competition (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner! I am not quite sure at the moment whether we have the same assessment of the dimension of the problem – if I have listened to your comments. Well, I'm from Germany. One in five solar panels in the world came from Germany some time ago. But then there was a black-yellow federal government that left the solar industry in the rain – that was many years ago. But now we a…

16

Jan

2024

DE Speech

Watch

Fight against the resurgence of neo-fascism in Europe, also based on the parade that took place in Rome on 7 January (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. Expulsions, deportations, ethnic cleansing – these are the secret plans of the fascists. In Rome neo-fascists march, in Potsdam neo-Nazis meet with representatives of the AfD in the Union of Values, i.e. parties that sit in this house. They devise plans for how to expel people from Germany. Plans against fellow citizens who are not native German. Plans against G…

16

Oct

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (‘STEP’) (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! At STEP I have a crying and a laughing eye. Weeping, because almost exactly one year ago, Mrs. von der Leyen stood here and talked about the challenges of the green and digital transformation. And we applauded at the time when it announced a Sovereignty Fund, also as a European response to the efforts and plans of other economic powers. As you k…

3

Oct

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Interim report on the proposal for a mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner! The report presented on the proposal for a mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 takes into account the new global economic situation. Flows of goods are exploited and supply chains are overloaded geopolitically. Those who only look for the cheapest price today will soon look into empty warehouses. The EU needs a new strategic autonomy in…

13

Sep

2023

EN Speech

Watch

Amending the proposed mechanism to resolve legal and administrative obstacles in a cross-border context (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, for eight years, the people in Pirna (Germany), Strasbourg (France) or Bratislava (Slovakia) have been waiting for better employment opportunities, better cross-border infrastructure and sometimes just healthcare protecting them. This is eight years too long. Firefighters can be forced to wait at the border before being allowed to go and help their coll…

13

Sep

2023

DE Speech

Watch

Framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. In my home region of Saxony, mining has a long tradition: Everything comes from the mine. This has shaped the country for centuries. Mountain parades pay tribute to this tradition, but in the meantime, local raw materials also mean a future for Saxony and for many regions in the EU. The European Critical Raw Materials Act, which we are advising today, is the rig…