Speeches

Mr President, Commissioner! As a young child, I once experienced how a dragon did not want to take off into the air, and then there was a strong gust of wind and then it went up and stayed up. This is the blow, this wind blow, which we now also have for our Clean techThe industry needs it. We have the minds, we have the vision, we have the technology – but there is also a lot missing. With the Net-Zero Industry Act If we have now simplified the procedures, we have given a push. We have created a new state aid framework that will finally enable these strategic industries to be promoted in a competitively neutral manner. But production is still lost. I see it with me in Saxony, a very strong solar location, which has been smeared in recent years, although the industry is growing substantially overall. We must take stronger action against cheap competition, against oversupply, especially from China. The Commission must make use of all trade policy measures. And we also need an EU budget that really promotes and supports our strategic industries. The new Competitiveness Fund must also provide precise information on these industries. We are not an oil state – the future of Europe lies in renewables. Don't let us lose our production here.

Madam President, Get Maja back! More than 100,000 people are asking for this in a petition. They demand a fair trial for Maja T., a non-binary person imprisoned in Hungary. Maja T. has been held in pre-trial detention for ten months, in isolation and in unworthy conditions. In protest, she is on a hunger strike and the situation is really serious and getting worse. Maja T. was transferred from Germany, although Hungary does not guarantee a fair trial, certainly not for queer people, against whom the Hungarian government continues to incite. This transfer was unlawful, and the Federal Constitutional Court also found that to be the case. The German government and the Hungarian government must correct this mistake. But the EU Commission must also act. She can't just say she's incompetent. It is the guardian of the treaties and if somewhere the rule of law is systematically violated, it must intervene. Maja T. has to go back to Germany. She will face a trial under the rule of law there, and this trial will also clarify the very serious allegations that are being made against her. It's not about impunity, it's about justice, but we're a long way from that right now.

Madam President, Get Maja back! More than 100,000 people are asking for this in a petition. They demand a fair trial for Maja T., a non-binary person imprisoned in Hungary. Maja T. has been held in pre-trial detention for ten months, in isolation and in unworthy conditions. In protest, she is on a hunger strike and the situation is really serious and getting worse. Maja T. was transferred from Germany, although Hungary does not guarantee a fair trial, certainly not for queer people, against whom the Hungarian government continues to incite. This transfer was unlawful, and the Federal Constitutional Court also found that to be the case. The German government and the Hungarian government must correct this mistake. But the EU Commission must also act. She can't just say she's incompetent. It is the guardian of the treaties and if somewhere the rule of law is systematically violated, it must intervene. Maja T. has to go back to Germany. She will face a trial under the rule of law there, and this trial will also clarify the very serious allegations that are being made against her. It's not about impunity, it's about justice, but we're a long way from that right now.

Mr President, colleagues, winning the global tech race is not just about speed; it is about direction. Technology needs a purpose – it is not a purpose in itself. We must be competitive, yes, but we must also define where we are heading. Europe's path should not be a simple replication of the hyperscaler tech giant model, relying on proprietary software and monopolistic structures. Instead, we must embrace open source, federated and decentralised approaches that ensure healthy competition and innovation. Our digital transformation must be built on a solid foundation of human rights, privacy and data protection. This is why I support the vision of a EuroStack, a European technology stack that secures our sovereignty and strengthens our position in the global tech race. I expect the European Commission to take a strong stance, proposing public procurement rules to prioritise those suppliers that align with our European values. We need substantial private and public investments in data centres, networks, chips, cloud services and software, and we also need a capital markets union providing the financial backbone for Europe's digital future. The global tech race is ours to win, but only if we stay true to our values and ambition.

Madam President, Yes, the automotive industry is an extremely important industry in Europe – a backbone for value creation, innovation and employment. And yes, it is currently in crisis – it is right to recognise that. And that is why it is good that the Commission is acting on this action plan. But it's not in crisis because of the Green Deal. It is in crisis because it has slept through key innovation in the industry in many areas, and that is why it is now important to maintain regulatory stability. 2035 must be maintained: the phase-out of the fossil fuel burner. At the same time, the Commission has now taken the right path with its pragmatic approach to penalties. But we need more; We need demand impulses. At the moment, e-mobility is still slightly more expensive than a combustion engine over its entire lifespan – this will change as fossil fuel prices rise with the ETS. But until then, there is still a need for impulses for demand, and that is something that I do not have in the Commission's plan. We need social leasingWe need premiums, we need support for the European car industry.

Mr President, Madam Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen! Investment and competitiveness, competitiveness and investment are closely linked. This report also reminds the Commission that it wants to be an investment commission. And this is also necessary because this Commission must be able to close the investment gap in Europe. Of course, this has to do with defence, and that is why it is right to use the escape clause. It is also about civil investment. It's about hospitals, it's about schools, it's about housing. After all, these completely broken housing markets in Europe are closely linked to the macroeconomic imbalances that we also have. That is why we must now act boldly to close the investment gap so that it no longer rains, Mr Ferber, into the common house of Europe, so that the roof is covered, even when stormy times come.

Mr President! Commissioner! The basis for our digital everyday life is now mainly determined by Chinese and American companies: 5G technology from China, satellites from the USA. This threatens not only our competitiveness, but also our security and, in principle, our way of life. Executive Vice-President Virkkunen said in her hearing that almost half of 5G communications are still through high-risk sellers. Only 12 Member States have forced their sellers to minimise the risk. More needs to happen! The Commission must also fill in the gaps. We need to strengthen European network equipment suppliers. We need to speed up the roll-out. We need to make diversification and risk minimisation a priority, for example by making it EU-wide. High-risk vendorIntroduce restrictions. And we also need a procurement policy that favours European suppliers safely and reliably, because the basic infrastructure in Europe must be reliable, open and accessible to all and must also come from Europe.

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 to launch and start a strategic industrial policy in the field of semiconductors. We have with him Chips Act Achieved partial success. We have settling successes in Dresden with TSMC, with Infineon. We have other projects that have not yet been realized, such as in Magdeburg. This is also a great success for the federal and state governments involved. But it's not enough. We have now seen at DeepSeek that there is a high level of volatility in this market, that these chips are suddenly worth less when you see that they do not have that power for you. AI Models need. That is why, I believe, we need a comprehensive approach, a whole integrated approach from raw materials to chips to software and AI Models. That's why we need something like one. EuroStackI look forward, Mrs Virkkunen, to what we can expect from the Commission. So far we have some drafts in the work programme, but the overall approach, I still miss a bit.

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 social one. And that is why it is right not to leave the fight against inflation to the ECB alone. The German government led by Olaf Scholz, for example, has recognised this and has done more to combat rising prices than any other government in the EU – with energy price brakes, relief packages and a cheap German ticket. That was wise and right. As social democrats, we also make it clear: Price stability is important, but it is not enough on its own. The ECB must also contribute to the economic and social development of the EU. I am therefore all the more pleased that our demands in this regard have now been heard and that the report has been adapted accordingly, which has led to theecondary mandate As far as I'm concerned. With Trump's policy of arbitrariness tariffs, however, we are now facing new price increases and crises. We expect the ECB to live up to its responsibility for Europe's economic development.

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 Meydan. We are not talking in this House for the first time about the human rights situation in Azerbaijan and also about the specific case of Mr İbadoğlu. We had high expectations, coupled with the public making the COP29 in Baku. We had expected that the world public, which is focused on this event, would bring an advantage for the people there. That hasn't happened, and that's why I think we should think very carefully about whether the idea that with big events, with media attention, with civil society mobilized, such dictatorships can be changed is not too far-reaching. Let's take a closer look in the future. Let us not expect that an event like COP29 alone will bring improvements there, but we must stick to these issues on a daily basis, in diplomatic exchanges and with pressure from the EU as well. That is why, ladies and gentlemen, in this situation, we should suspend further negotiations on a strategic agreement with Azerbaijan.

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 that their dominance could not be used unhindered for commercial interests. But the danger has grown. Today, platforms, political elites and authoritarian governments are closely intertwined. Instruments of power have emerged like weapons in order to gain political power of interpretation. And we have to counteract this concentrated power. Regulations alone are not enough; We need European alternatives. I remember that we federated Open sourceBringing networks out of their niche, that we can create a European platform based on Open sourceDevelop protocols or hybrid models that combine private innovation and public interests. Ladies and gentlemen, social media needs to change – we need European alternatives.

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 exploited by Europe as a location for innovation, and that is why the European Innovation Act, which you are proposing, is also very urgently needed. Of course, we need to strengthen the transition from research to market readiness. We need more venture capital from the private capital market, but also from smart public sources. And there should also be a better focus on practical answers so that innovations can be tested at an early stage. But, Commissioner, it is not just about making innovation easier and less bureaucratic. Because let's be honest: The people who innovate here in Europe could go anywhere. They choose Europe because it is also about their hearts. They are also concerned with contributing to the human challenges we face. They want to do something meaningful. Therefore: Innovation in Europe always means making people's lives better – that should be our thought that guides us.

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, but in the USA. Europe has a problem: While other regions of the world promote innovation with targeted investments, we often lag behind, not because of a lack of ideas – there are enough here – but because of a lack of funding. We are strong when it comes to research, but too weak when it comes to bringing the results of research to market. We often lack risk capital. We need an ecosystem that better links science, business and capital. Foreign direct investment can play a role here, but we must not be naive either. Where capital from abroad is still welcome now, it may create new dependencies tomorrow. That is why Europe itself needs more venture capital through a strong internal market, through the Capital Markets Union and also through targeted state instruments, so that the unicorns of the future may find the EU at the end of the rainbow.

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 richest to steal out of tax liability and thus turn their backs on our society. The ridiculous effective tax rates of multimillionaires therefore outrage people, and quite rightly so. That's why the world needs a tax on the wealth of the super-rich. The Brazilian proposal for such a tax is a good basis and the EU – the next Commission in particular – should play its part in making it a reality. A global solution also prevents tax evasion and generates revenue everywhere. The global minimum tax for companies shows that such multilateral tax cooperation also creates winners everywhere. Because the states must finally stop being played off against each other. That is why this proposal for a global tax on the super-rich is more than just a step towards justice. It is also a step towards the state's capacity to act.

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 because we lack cheap models from European manufacturers. I also don't think softening the 2035 targets is the right strategy. After all, our companies need planning security and not constant policy changes. On the contrary: They rightly expect smart, predictable framework conditions. Here we can, the policy can help to achieve these goals. On the one hand, I am thinking of sufficient charging stations. AFIR is simply not ambitious enough. Then I think about cheaper energy. We need to roll out cheap renewables more quickly and also reduce other energy cost components such as grid fees. And thirdly, we also need demand incentives for European e-cars, because they need to become more affordable. Ladies and gentlemen, let us stand with the companies and the workers, but with progressive ideas and not with backward sham debates.

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 not think that this is sustainable. We need the political will to create a fair tax system and to close loopholes. When companies like Apple play countries against each other, our societies lose out on essential investment, on healthcare, infrastructure, education. The global minimum tax, championed by Olaf Scholz and others, ensures that companies pay taxes where profits are made and not where their headquarters are. I think it's time that we go on that way, that the US follows suit. It's time for a fair global tax system.

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, flood protection buildings and good coordination between the authorities. European solidarity is expressed in the EU Solidarity Fund. That's good and right, but the fund is too small, and the funds are flowing too late. We need to make this fund less bureaucratic and better adapted to the challenges we face. Because we agree: Climate change will make these extreme weather events more frequent and devastating, and we need better preparedness, our infrastructure needs to become more resilient. The means of choice for this is also cohesion policy. If you want to weaken and centralise cohesion policy, you should really stop now, because with local knowledge – people know best how to protect their cities, villages, communities – and European solidarity, we can prevent such challenges. 'Build Europe back better.'

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 from entering the country and prevent locals from radicalizing. Protection against terrorism and migration policy are not the same thing and should not be mixed up as easily as this title, which was voted from right to far right here, suggests. Those who marginalise and defame migrants betray our values and promote radicalisation themselves. Nevertheless, there is also a need for order in migration policy, of course. That is why we adopted the reform of the asylum system four months ago, and it must now be implemented quickly. If you don't remember this reform over there on the right, it may be because you voted against it. It is significant that those who always blame migration for all maladministration then beat themselves into the bushes when it comes to solutions, because they do not want solutions. They see hatred, they cultivate fear, and they divide the country. We want a migration policy that works. One that welcomes professionals and provides shelter to those in need, takes quick decisions in fair procedures and implements them consistently, making internal border controls superfluous – as soon as possible, as foreseen in the Schengen system. We also owe the reform of the CEAS to an SPD-led federal government, which found an EU-wide viable solution in arduous negotiations. In contrast, Mr Merz is calling for blanket rejections from the CDU, which are now incompatible with EU law. This also shows why EU interior ministers have never managed such a reform: They are all about the headlines at home and not about sustainable solutions. Ladies and gentlemen, let us work together to deprive terror of its social breeding ground and to take up space. The goal is clear – to create security without inciting fear. Order yes, exclusion no!

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 from public procurement in the future. We want to create sustainable jobs and accelerate the transition to climate neutrality. Both are to be improved by this law. This will also make us more independent from imports in critical industries, because we need a strong solar industry here in Europe, for example, and not just in China. We can't just sit idly by and watch our manufacturers migrate to the United States or when Chinese panels flood the market here. It also costs jobs. For me in Saxony, there are prominent manufacturers who are considering deferring their investments or closing their factories altogether. But I think the Net-Zero Industry Act It can only be a beginning. We need more. We were hoping for a European Sovereignty Fund. Mrs. von der Leyen has announced this. Unfortunately, it has only become a small step. We now have it Net-Zero Industry ActWe've got STEP where there's not enough money in it. I think we need something bigger. We need public money, we need planning speed, we also need better public procurement policies, and thus we can also support people. Because we see: The people want the transformation, especially the people in the transformation regions, who want to tackle this transformation. The first Net-Zero Valley If we want to be born in Lusatia, in Brandenburg, in Saxony, there is a great enthusiasm. But we have to support them. That's why we're here. My Socialist Group supports this project, and it would be a pity if the Greens did not do so. Maybe you'll give yourself another jerk.

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 eliminating critics seem familiar to you? The same goes for the courageous whistleblower İlhamiz Quliyev, who continues to be imprisoned along with over 300 other political prisoners. Or Imran Aliyev, a journalist who worked for ZDF. Brave people who take the fate of their country into their hands, who want to enlighten and enforce freedom and democratic rights, die in the prisons of the autocrat Aliyev, who is in particularly bad society with these methods. We as the EU have several levers in hand to influence the Azerbaijani government – the Strategic Energy Partnership and the future Partnership Agreement. Let's use these levers. No agreement can be concluded without the political prisoners finally being released, and the energy agreement must be urgently reviewed.

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 require a strong EU with smart structural and investment instruments that also capture the reality and needs of European regions. That is why we need a genuine partnership principle. We really need shared management. And all these reflections, these dreams of centralization that you hear about right now, are phantasms. We don't need centralization. We need strong regions that are key players in European cohesion policy. Our cohesion policy must become faster and more flexible in the regions. Only then can we solve the challenges with this cohesion policy, also with the support of an industrial transformation fund, which is also what we need for structural change. Let's be honest, fellow Members: The challenges may be great, perhaps too great for individual nation states, but they are never too great for the EU, which creates momentum out of solidarity and which creates future out of community.

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 other hand, we have to cope with the comprehensive structural change, the transformation towards a climate-neutral economy. I am convinced that cohesion policy, which rightly accounts for one third of the EU budget, needs to change in order to meet these requirements. Cohesion policy must become a transformative instrument that captures the profound structural change that EU regions are facing. Everyone should have the same chance to develop, regardless of where he or she was born. No one should be forced to leave their region because life chances are too low and structural change leaves nothing but wasteland. In order to cope with all these tasks, cohesion policy needs to become more agile. It must become more territorially sensitive, better reflect the needs of our regions, more flexible and simpler. In short: We need a cohesion policy that enables change and does not slow it down. We need a cohesion policy that benefits all regions.

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 Tandler to health ministries in the federal and state governments? Contacts with which Tandler made millions of commissions and also hurled past the tax? Why did you remain silent when the MEPs Nüßlein, Sauter and Löbel received commissions for brokering such mask deals? We are now taking care in Germany that such behavior will be punishable in the future. And where was your clarity about the conservative mask scandal in Madrid? Ladies and gentlemen, if you were concerned with the matter, the really important protection of public funds, you would have said all this today. But you are obviously only concerned with Spanish domestic policy, with which you are constantly tiring this European Parliament. They still haven't endured the loss of the election in Spain.

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 wants the cashier to have to work until she is 70 years old. None of us want retirees to still have to collect bottles in their retirement to ensure their income, or not be able to buy a gift for their grandchildren at Christmas. But you have to do something about it. The German federal government is acting. It ensures the pension level of the general statutory pension; it prevents a further increase in the retirement age and creates generational capital so that the contribution remains stable in the long term. I think it makes an important contribution to the European goal of a secure pension – I would like to emphasise that here.

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 for strategic technologies than Member States were willing to provide. I think that's a mistake. And that is why, unfortunately, the MFF revision is insufficient from an industrial policy point of view. This is a pity, because STEP could actually have been a good answer to the industrial promotion of other regions of the world. If we look at microelectronics, solar and wind power, medical technology: All of these are industries that are to be promoted more unbureaucratically and better in the future. In the end, they will now do so with funds from the EU structural funds. We can now support up to 100 percent, which is definitely a big win, and funds are also pooled from other programmes. We are clearing the EU funding jungle, we are making everything a bit easier, we are providing a clear view. STEP does that, and that's good. Only: We have now also created a quality seal with STEP. And thus we put these projects in the shop window, also for private investors, so that we attract more private capital. Our group, the Socialists and Democrats, has insisted that we must also comply with high social and labour standards here. Because European money should only be spent on good jobs in Europe, ladies and gentlemen! STEP comes at the right time, but it's not enough. We need a forward-looking European industrial strategy, which is also adequately backed up financially. Be sure: We, as Social Democrats, will take this demand with us into the next legislature. We won't let go.