What Maria spoke about.

6

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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Role of EU policies in shaping the European Sport Model (debate)

Mr President, dear Commissioner, to begin with, I want to thank my S&D colleague Hannes Heide for his excellent work on this very important file. Thank you, Hannes. Athletes have been powerful role models for our youth throughout time. For example, our Finnish basketball team or the Special Olympics athletes I recently met; they inspire with their courage and strength. But there are unfortunately …

11

Sep

2025

EN Speech

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European strategy for addressing Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, as a daughter of a mother who suffers from dementia, I often ponder the essence of being human. The illness takes so much, leaving behind only basic needs. For us, the relatives, the gradual fading of a loved one's mind feels like a very slow, long goodbye. Each visit to my mother in the care home is a goodbye, as I never know whether she will remember me tomorrow, o…

9

Sep

2025

EN Speech

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Ukraine (joint debate)

Madam President, last weekend, Russia launched 818 drones against Ukraine. Meanwhile, President Putin is laughing in Moscow. President Trump sends mixed signals: one day promising peace; the next, praising the leader of Russia. In Beijing, President Xi gave Putin yet again a global stage and Europe were absent. Peace talks are shaped by others. The days when trade power gave us leverage is over. T…

7

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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Product safety and regulatory compliance in e-commerce and non-EU imports (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, I thank all the colleagues with whom we worked together on this file. I call it the 'stop the Chinese crap tsunami' file, because it is a crap tsunami that we are under. EU consumers waste EUR 19.3 billion per year buying low-quality, dangerous products that can lead to injuries and severe health problems. EUR 19.3 billion that are detrimental to European businesses. Bu…

17

Jun

2025

FI Speech

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Combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child sexual abuse material and replacing Council Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA (recast) (debate)

Mr President, the desire to protect children unites us in this house. What happens on social media has real-life consequences. This Directive improves access to justice and support for victims. Legislation must keep up with the digital reality. Parliament is proposing important clarifications to the directive, including on AI-generated content, and we will need tools to prevent crime and harmful c…

16

Jun

2025

EN Speech

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The human cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the urgent need to end Russian aggression: the situation of illegally detained civilians and prisoners of war, and the continued bombing of civilians (debate)

Mr President, war always has many dimensions and the cost of human fate is immeasurable. We Finns know this well. We fought against Russia decades ago, and the consequences of its war are still visible in our tombstones and in the human fates that pass through generations. With more than one hundred thousand Ukrainians dead, four hundred thousand wounded and tens of thousands of children forcibly …

11

Mar

2025

FI Question

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Roadmap for Women`s Rights (debate)

Mr President, I am very shocked when it is said here that women's rights and fighting for them are out of the hands of men. I don't understand such rhetoric at all. Where women are equal, societies thrive. Women, men and children are better off. You said just now that people are talking bum and subjugating men. How does the promotion of women's rights subjugate men? Not in any way. Answer me, what…

10

Feb

2025

EN Speech

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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: the need for the European Union to contribute to resolving the humanitarian crisis of persons missing in wars and conflicts (debate)

Mr President, right now, as we speak, thousands of Ukrainian children have been ripped from their homes, torn from the arms of their families, forcefully deported to Russia and Belarus, detained in Russian prisons, forced into adoption, stripped of their identities. These children are being erased. A grave violation of international law. Even in this room, I have heard Russian propaganda attemptin…

17

Dec

2024

EN Speech

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

Mr President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, in light of current developments, it is crucial that the EU strengthens its resilience against disinformation. Russia has announced that they are preparing a war against NATO in the next 10 years. Shame on those in this House that make way to Putin to gain a foothold across European societies. This is not a time to surrender. This is a time to demo…

28

Nov

2024

FI Speech

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Strengthening children’s rights in the EU - 35th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (debate)

Mr President, all children should have the right to a good and safe childhood, one in which they feel loved and accepted. There should be room to play, make contact, move and be creative, but the picture of this time is more loneliness and anxiety than ever before. According to studies, children's disordered behaviour has also increased, and various diagnoses related to this have increased. Instea…

26

Nov

2024

EN Speech

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Reinforcing EU’s unwavering support to Ukraine against Russia’s war of aggression and the increasing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia (debate)

Madam President, we all know that supporting Ukraine is also about defending European values and principles: peace, security, democracy and rule of law. We also know that eventually, if Europe is weakened, it affects the whole global balance. So, my words go to across the Atlantic to Trump. If Trump wants to make good deals, he should see Europe as equals and partners. And Trump should treat Putin…

14

Nov

2024

FI Question

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Enhancing Europe’s civilian and defence preparedness and readiness (debate)

Mr President, President Niinistö's speech in this Chamber was extremely wise. We need to be prepared, but we also need to be able to work together better. Now I would ask you, representative, how can we plant more of this Finnish spirit here in the European Parliament? In the light of these recent developments, there is division here, there is strife here, when we need more cooperation so that we …

21

Oct

2024

FI Speech

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A stronger Europe for safer products to better protect consumers and tackle unfair competition: boosting EU oversight in e-commerce and imports (debate)

Mr President, representatives of the Commission, the EU should be the safest place in the world to buy goods. We have strict standards for what kind of products can be sold here, so how on earth is it possible that, in recent tests, up to 80 per cent of toys sold, for example, in Chinese online stores, did not meet the safety requirements for toys. It is about the health of consumers, especially c…

9

Oct

2024

FI Speech

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Ensuring sustainable, decent and affordable housing in Europe - encouraging investment, private property and public housing programmes (debate)

Mr President, it is tremendously tragic that you see families on the streets of Europe, people sleeping on the streets. In Finland, the streetscape is different. In Finland, we have succeeded in reducing homelessness so that we have fewer than 3,500 people without a home. Less than 3,500. This is a miracle. But this has required the will of all parties. And yet it was only Sanna Marin's government…