What Michael spoke about.

24 Apr

2024

EN Speech

The anti-LGBTIQ bill passed by the Ghanaian parliament with implications for human rights, freedom of expression and democratic principles (debate)

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Mr President, the Commissioner has said that Ghana is a stable democracy. It has indeed made a lot of progress in the last decades. As a student, I worked in a Ghana under military dictatorship, and I would never have thought that freedom of expression would be suppressed again in this country. It is not a stable democracy, if freedom of expression is facing imprisonment. It is not a stable democr…

23 Apr

2024

DE Speech

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

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen! When talking to young Georgians in Berlin, the motivation to come to Germany and Western Europe is not that they want more prosperity. It is above all that they want freedom, that they say: Russia is gaining more and more influence in our country; We don't want that. This policy, which is being driven there, leads to a brain drain in this country, and that is…

22 Apr

2024

EN Speech

Order of business

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the Ghanaian Parliament has passed a law which is really draconian not only on homosexual behaviour, but also about freedom of speech, about political debates on LGBT rights. All this faces up to ten years of imprisonment. It still requires the signature of the Ghanaian President, so there’s still hope that it is not finally passing. It is not only a question…

13 Mar

2024

DE Speech

Rising anti-LGBTIQ rhetoric and violence: recent attacks in Thessaloniki (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen! We have heard from many speakers how dramatic the situation is for many LGBTI people in Europe. I think we need to talk about it: What can we do? First of all, Member States are called upon to increase the punishment of hate crimes in their legal systems. The German Federal Government has submitted and implemented a corresponding measure; Hate crime in Germany i…

13 Mar

2024

DE Speech

The immediate risk of mass starvation in Gaza and the attacks on humanitarian aid deliveries

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen! Because I stand with Israel, I call on the Israeli government to immediately improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, to leave aid convoys in the region and to do everything possible to end hunger in Gaza, the dramatic undersupply of health. But what I have heard in this debate, especially from the political left, I find scandalous. This is a perpetrator-vict…

11 Mar

2024

DE Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen! At the end of February, the Ghanaian parliament passed an anti-LGBT law that provides for higher penalties for homosexual acts, but above all criminalizes LGBT supporters and punishes them even higher than the homosexual act itself. Therefore, the importance of this law goes well beyond the human rights of gays, lesbians and transgender people. These are already…

27 Feb

2024

EN Speech

Human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter – annual report 2023 (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, LGBT rights are under increasing pressure in large parts of Africa, the Arab world, Iran and Russia. They are facing imprisonment, suppression of free speech and even the death penalty. What is the answer of the European Parliament in this human rights report? We are concerned, we deplore, we call for improvement, but we do not call for consequences. The ‘mor…

27 Feb

2024

DE Speech

Unitary supplementary protection certificate for plant protection products - Unitary supplementary certificate for medicinal products - Supplementary protection certificate for plant protection products (recast) - Supplementary protection certificate for medicinal products (recast) - Standard essential patents (joint debate - Patents)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen! Today we are talking about standard essential patents on products without which certain innovations, especially in the field of 5G, cannot be produced. As liberals, we stand for the protection of intellectual property. At the same time, however, it is also important to limit unreasonable market power in key technologies that are central to innovation across the …

7 Feb

2024

DE Speech

Implementation report on the EU LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025 (continuation of debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, A queer political departure – that is what the whole of Europe needs. The German government has put an end to its standstill – increased criminalisation of hate violence, more protection for queer refugees and a self-determination law for trans people. Now also an ancestry right should follow with a better legal framework for rainbow families. In this context…

15 Jan

2024

DE Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Mr Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen! Let me begin with an unspeakable quote that reads: “I personally think that when we see such people in Burundi, we should put them in a stadium and stone them.” This hate speech about lesbians and gays was held by Burundi’s president in a public event broadcast on television. And he added: Homosexuality is like choosing between Satan and God – whoever choos…