Speeches

Madam President, 20 million children, 93 million people in the EU are directly affected by poverty. One in four children will feel the associated disadvantages for a lifetime. As a family politician, I say very clearly: This is a disgrace for Europe if we do not take an active part in tackling this maladministration. I have been thinking about this report for a long time. Similarly, my group and, as always, a major problem is subsidiarity and the effectiveness of European solutions in all the regional specificities. But I wonder: How much subsidiarity do we still need when families fail, when one in three single parents has to feed their children poorly because of poverty, when the minimum income for many families is not even enough to be above the poverty line? Unfortunately, social policy is often instrumentalised in this House. What we therefore need is real monitoring that shows us what works and where we can follow up at the end of the day. As long as we do not get reliable data on the impact of European social policy, we will not be able to actively shape and build a more social Europe. We must finally understand that a sensible social policy is not a cost factor, but an economic engine. Child poverty costs us more than 170 billion a year through lost productivity, higher health care costs and, ultimately, later transfers. Every euro we invest in families early on saves many times more later. Subsidiarity must not be a cover for inaction. For the children and families who are waiting for us.

Madam President, Madam Executive Vice-President Mînzatu! A social Europe decides on the situation of families. And this situation is serious. Almost one in four children in the European Union is at risk of poverty and/or social exclusion. Single parents, multi-child families and low-income households are particularly affected. This means: In the European Union, social inequality for millions of children begins at the start of their lives and is heritable. If we are serious about the European Pillar of Social Rights, the new action plan must clearly put families at the centre. This is the only way we can break the vicious circle. Only when parents have stable prospects can children grow up in safety, dignity and with real opportunities for the future. This requires sufficient and traceable funding. I therefore ask the Commission directly: How do you want to prove the effectiveness of European social policy? Because the greater the demonstrable effect, the easier we can justify and mobilize funds politically.

Madam President, Commissioner! Our companies are more demanding than ever and so, dear colleagues, especially us. We must always develop the best possible solutions in dialogue with each other in order to cope with the upheavals of the times as socially acceptable as possible. We must not burden our companies unnecessarily from Brussels. In particular, reliable legal frameworks are needed to create an investment-friendly climate in order not to fight capital in the end, because fighting capital has never created jobs at the end of the day. Behind every company are millions of workers who need their wages and bread at the end of the day in order to still be able to cover the cost of living in the present day, to found a family and ultimately to carry the future of Europe into the next generation. That is, strong workers' rights in line with strong companies are the future and form the future of Europe. A strong European economy and social protection are therefore not inconsistent.

Madam President, Commissioner! The original idea of cryptocurrencies to build a global and decentralized financial system already had its appeal and was slightly intriguing, but even Bitcoin is a giant mole pack today: 60 percent of all Bitcoins are stored by less than 18,000 addresses. Where is the decentralized idea? In the crypto market as a whole, there is also a Wild West mentality. The meme coins It's a scam with an announcement. From Hawk Tuah girl until TrumpCoin – there is simply a lack of substance everywhere. In the end, everyone tries to find someone dumber who is willing to pay more than you have invested. It is a game of losers and a modern example of tulip mania, driven by greed for profit and stupidity. In 2021, Trump himself said cryptocurrencies were a potential disaster, even fraud - at least until he could make a deal himself. Globally enforceable rules without the U.S.? Difficult. This requires them, and above all for technology and progress, we need global standards. At times of need...

Mr President, Commissioner! Families, young parents and those who still want to become them face ever-increasing challenges – with their backs on the wall at the end of the day. Falling birth rates across Europe are an expression of how bad family policy has been in recent decades. Donald Tusk summoned a strong Europe this morning. But with confidence: Without strong families, this strong Europe cannot exist. If the taxpayer of tomorrow, if the expert of tomorrow is not even born, where will the strong Europe grow up? I am therefore glad to hear that you, Commissioner, are willing to work out the greatest possible common denominator within EU policy and, ultimately, to attach a certain importance to demography, which is absolutely and absolutely necessary. We need to enable parents and families to effectively cope with the signs of the times, the challenges of the times, in order to lead a self-determined life in the first place. Only then will we have the chance to create a Europe that will also be competitive and strong in the future. Let's invest in the future of Europe and focus more on family benefits.

Mr President, Commissioner! It didn't really matter what was decided in Korea. The main points of the debate are: Who's going to produce all this shit? Unfortunately, we Europeans are at the forefront of this. Thanks to globalized business models, we produce in the world under the lowest standards for our home market and thus actively outsource many environmental problems. We're green, and it makes others dirty. And then we also export our garbage, which we have often heard about here, which we can no longer recycle or may not even want economically, to the world, especially to Asia. As a member of the Committee on Development, I can only condemn this. In spite of all international efforts, we must also return to our own doorstep and first of all replace the garbage in production as far as possible with reasonable substitute products that are degradable, where we can. And secondly, within a functioning circular economy, we must make effective use of it, even thermally if necessary. Because it is much more sensible to convert our waste into electricity and heat in waste incineration plants than to ship it around the world with dirty heavy fuel oil. In this respect: The polluter pays principle must apply to waste.

Madam President, Commissioner! The global structural change of the energy market is still in full swing. Oil and gas are simply looking for new ways internationally, and companies and people in Europe in particular are therefore facing enormous challenges. Many have already fallen by the wayside. Deindustrialization is ubiquitous. Every week, even every day, new horror reports about corporate insolvencies, job cuts, even the relocation abroad. Millions of people, especially families, have reached their limits. The highest energy prices in the world also mean energy poverty for the whole of Europe and an increased risk of losing one's professional existence. A shameful circumstance in the 21st century. The production costs of electricity must be reduced, storage concepts must be conceived and driven forward in a European way with all their might. Common energy networks, coordinated electricity market – yes, more Europe and less dependency, although not everyone here in this House wants to hear that. We need to understand affordable energy as a fundamental right, not a commodity. Let us work together with the new Commission to ensure that no one is in the cold.

Madam President, The seas are the largest habitat on earth and more threatened than ever: Climate change, overfishing, including our own fishing fleets, pollution, nutrient and plastic inputs – and we are harming ourselves as a result. If you have integrated fish into your normal diet, at the end of two weeks you will just consume this plastic card microplastics, i.e. a credit card microplastics, because the seas are polluted accordingly. Among other things, we should also take a more critical look at fishing quotas in order to give fish species a real chance of recovery in the first place and ultimately secure jobs in the longer term. Any action that is too late will have its consequences; see sturgeon, eel, cod, cod, herring, haddock, herring shark, dogfish, sole, salmon, sea trout – and these were only the North Sea and Baltic Sea. Currently, offshore wind farms offer one of the best shelters for many marine animals, such as the North Sea shrimp – a sad fact in itself. It would also be effective if we were to talk about the fact that shark fins are a big problem. If the shark as a whole had to enter a European port, the problem would probably not be so great. In this respect, simple regulation with enormous effect.

Mr President! A direct strengthening of cities and regions must have a very high priority for us European politicians. In addition to the parliamentary mandate, I am still rooted in local politics and continue to exercise my city council and district council mandate in my home country and can bring you closer to the concerns, fears and needs of local politics at first hand. It is really essential that we actively take the regions with us and promote them, so that the people on the ground see that the EU has a positive and visible impact on the lives of the people on the ground. Without local visibility, it is very easy for the extreme margins of our society to defame the EU and ultimately portray it as superfluous. If we lose touch with the regions, our regions, we may eventually lose the EU. A strong regional policy creates growth opportunities and markets and secures the future of millions of families and the perspective of future generations.

Madam President, Man-made fires – out of sheer selfishness and, of course, economic enterprise. The protection of our forests means the protection of flora and fauna and thus also a diversified conservation of species. We Europeans have already sacrificed large areas for economic reasons. Real primeval forests are very difficult to find on our continent. I voted in favour of the Nature Restoration Act in the past legislature. However, it is even better to advocate for the preservation of existing forests. Supporting regional authorities – such as in Brazil – through better monitoring techniques is essential to effectively protect the green lung. All measures that protect existing and still functioning forests must be discussed. Even with trade agreements, there must be no prohibitions on discussion, because our demand also causes the suffering of others. The preservation of still functioning forests is in our own interest.

Mr President! Ownership – not predatory capitalism. In the end, however, we need one thing above all else: Tender. We must first make property possible through an increased offer. This means more space for construction, tax-free first purchases, state first loans with child supplements, lower construction standards – there is a great need in many national states – and the promotion of urban housing. The age of expensive rents and property prices is destroying the existential foundation, especially of my generation. My generation cannot and does not want to wait for demographics to create the living space that we absolutely need now. And those who bought the now overpriced housing 25, 30 years ago may be financially ruined for lack of value before their pension, if we do not finally take countermeasures. If the nation states did not fail in the area, we would not have to worry about housing here. Now or never! Lack of housing is the cleft in our society.

Mr President, Commissioner! Regional policy is the main pillar for the effective integration of our regions and forms the basis for improving the quality of life of millions of people in Europe. I myself was on a cohesion mission in Romania in March, at the invitation of Mr Buda, and I was able to see the positive effects of regional policy live on the ground. The progress is enormous and a success for the European Union. We don't just invest in infrastructure or individual economies. We invest in people, in families, in children. At the same time, we strengthen and create growth markets in our own internal market. Especially for countries like Germany, this is of enormous importance at a time when we want and need to reduce economic dependence. Cohesion policy is a policy for the future. Let's strengthen them!

Mr President, Commissioner Schmit! It is and can only be a small step for the future of Europe. People in Europe also need a social perspective. Especially families in Europe. Especially as a family party, we see families threatened and therefore want to see minimum social standards in the future, also or especially for our children, from free lunches in schools and daycare centers to an institutional European child benefit. If tomorrow's taxpayer is not born, neither a generational contract nor a modern economy will work. The social future of Europe is still ahead of us. Only with a lot of courage and will have we managed to implement a good European minimum wage. Now it's time to stay tuned, think ahead and think outside the box. Only strong families can create a strong Europe for all people on this continent.