Speeches

The EU has failed in a sad way with regard to Georgia. Now the people are on the streets because of election irregularities. The EU was unfaithful to its own principles and, in its mere greed for enlargement, did not act sufficiently, did not sting hard, and allowed situations to escalate to this point. Instead of addressing the erosion of democracy in a timely manner, the EU has behaved gently with the ruling party in Georgia. In Georgia, a Russian-style agent law has been blocked, and the country has even gone so far as to threaten the opposition with denial. When a candidate country moves in this direction, it is also a failure of the EU. The case of Georgia serves as a dissuasive example to the EU of how it should by no means operate in relation to other candidate countries.

Much like 30 years ago, an all-out war is being waged on European soil. Innocent Europeans are being killed at a scale not seen in decades. However, when Bosnians were being massacred, the West intervened and the bloodshed came to a halt. In Kosovo, the West intervened and the bloodshed came to a halt. Some might have learned to think that we in Europe would not tolerate war crimes inside our borders ‒ that we would always safeguard innocent life and human dignity within the confines of our home. Yet, for almost four years now, those thoughts have been proven hollow by our pathetic inaction on ending the war in Ukraine ‒ ending the massacring, the bloodshed, the horror. Have we truly forgotten what we stand for? Once upon a time, we still had the guts and the courage to intervene on behalf of the innocent. So I am glad that we remember the resolution of the Bosnian war here today, because we sure have a lot to learn from it.

Mr President, serious railway accidents are a tragedy. They remind us that safety is not a given. Every life lost is too much and we have to learn from accidents. However, it should be borne in mind that the maintenance of railways is primarily the responsibility of the Member States. The EU cannot be called to haste when the maintenance of rail networks has been neglected over the years. In my country, Finland, the same trains run over 30 degrees in winter and 30 degrees in summer. From winter to winter, tourists travel a thousand kilometres by rail to Lapland safely. National actors are working hard to achieve this. Security does not come from concentrating on the EU. It comes from ownership and a well-functioning national system. Now work gloves in hand and Member States work for a safer tomorrow.

Mr President, is there really an EU strategy for the prevention and treatment of obesity? If no one else here says this, I'll say: Where is the individual's responsibility? Excuse me, but the EU is not, and will not be, anything supranational about PT-Vata. No EU in the citizens' kitchen to decide what they put on the plate. Carnivore-Kake pulls meat, Riikka Bite green smoothies. If only body positivity could begin to mean valuing a healthy body instead of diabetes and vascular diseases. Less sugar, more exercise and also that spine. For this sedentary worker also got 20 pounds off. If every single problem is outsourced to the EU, then the €55 monthly card for EU membership for the citizen will rise all the time. Talipallo does not melt with new strategy papers, but with the fact that we humans take responsibility for our own lives. Now spring to the chest, up, out and jog.

Madam President, there is an existential threat on our borders. Behind the Mediterranean are masses of people trying to cross into Europe illegally. We can only assume that the scale of this issue will only grow larger in the future. If nothing is done, soon our cities will be overrun, and Europe capitulated without a single bullet fired. European people have called upon their leaders to act to combat this invasion. We are starting to see governments in this continent that take this seriously and implement stricter border policies. We see Frontex working to secure Europe's borders. But what we hear then from the left is the human rights concerns regarding these policies. Is that seriously the issue here? I hope this Parliament and the entire EU understand that access to Europe is not a human right.

Mr President, we need to talk about Georgia, a country on the coast of the Black Sea that is suffering from government oppression and growing Russian influence. It is a country where a leading opposition figure has been arrested for her political views, for denouncing the current government that follows Moscow's line. Georgia is an independent country and should follow the will of its people. We are talking about a nation that under the Soviet Union maintained a strong Georgian identity. Georgia was among the first nations to break free from the Soviet Union. What is happening today feels all too familiar – political oppression, intimidation and strong influence from Moscow that threatens the freedom of the Georgian people. The country escaped this once. The people of Georgia must not be trapped in this prison again.

Mr President, every month, this House calls for the immediate release of imprisoned African opposition figures and condemns atrocities on the continent. Don’t get me wrong: it is good that we condemn them. But the question we should ask is: why do so many of our calls have no influence? The answer is that Europe has been losing its significance. How do we turn this around? We must become militarily formidable, return to being innovators instead of regulators and stop boosting our rivals while they are trying to gain a foothold in developing countries. We should neither push our factories to China nor keep buying Russian energy. The world runs on power and leverage: if we have neither, we become irrelevant. Let’s make Europe matter again.

Mr President, Russia’s two-week 'special military operation' has turned into a four-year nightmare. It is fair to say that they have bitten off way more than they can chew: they’ve suffered over one million casualties. Replacing the endless Russian meat wave is proving difficult for the Kremlin. Being sent to the front lines is a death sentence. Not long ago, thousands of North Korean soldiers were sent to support Russia. But in Putin’s search for more disposable bodies, he’s turning to something very dark: human trafficking. There have been horrifying reports of people in Africa who were tricked into fighting for Russia. They were promised a job or an opportunity, only to find they had been deceived. Their lives had now become worthless and disposable to the Russian war machine. It is a war machine that needs to be stopped with force.

Madam President, Europe was built on the values of democracy and human rights, not on the values of China. European values include the right to privacy and the protection of personal communication. With the European Commission pushing for Chat Control in its different versions, this right has been under attack. Before, we used to send letters and engage in conversations, but the digital evolution has dramatically changed the idea of how we communicate with each other. It is imperative that conversations in the online space are protected just as strongly as traditional methods. We have technology that allows this, such as end-to-end encryption. These must be enforced, not weakened by the politicians. It is our job to make sure that privacy is protected. That is why I say no to Chat Control.

Mr President, it's hammer time: Antifa is a terrorist organisation and this House is a terrorist‑sympathising, spineless creature. You only need to ask MEP Salis, an Antifa activist from The Left. She's grateful for your votes to secure her immunity against charges of a violent hammer attack. Let's have a look at the facts. The Europol report states that EU countries faced 24 jihadist terrorist attacks in one year. Right after the jihadists, come the leftist attacks. Left‑wing and anarchist terrorism accounted for 21 attacks within a year. Then you see here these politicians calling for actions against right‑wing, 'intolerant' and 'extremist' speech. What a bunch of hypocrites you are. I call for action against these leftist terrorists. It is time to designate Antifa a terrorist organisation.

Mr President, the arrest warrant against the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, is beyond absurd. Even more absurd is the fact that the only country seemingly capable of acknowledging this fact is the United States. Leftists in this Parliament will again have their few seconds in the spotlight, waving their middle fingers at their two arch-enemies, the US and Israel. But the irony is that Israel and the United States have been capable of doing exactly what the International Criminal Court has not. The international community is unable to bring to justice criminals like Vladimir Putin and Haibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban. But when terrorist organisations like Hamas, Hezbollah and the IRGC cannot be brought to justice, Israel and the United States will bring justice to the terrorists. Let us not prevent justice being done.

Madam President, Europe must come up with policies that improve our relationships with our trading partners. But unfortunately, the leftists keep pushing for something else: diversity policies, anti-poverty regulations, Green Deal and other socialist fantasies. The leftists hate the reality we live in. The reality is that a strong Europe is Europe with strong trade relations with the United States. Let me tell you what the leftists want instead: The Left Group tried to change a text of this House by an amendment that stated that the EU should reinforce our trade relations with BRICS countries to reduce dependence on the United States. So instead of the United States, the leftists want stronger trade relations with countries like China, Russia and Iran. I ask you: have you lost your mind?

Madam President, Europe as we know it is dying. Try being a tourist in Paris, Rome, Berlin, even Brussels or Stockholm. Imagine someone buying a trip to Europe and in their imagination there is the beautiful, famous Old Continent. Tourists expect seeing world famous paintings, tonnes of history and stunning architecture. They will see all of that, that is for sure, but they will also see something else: barricades protecting Christmas markets, patrolling soldiers armed with automatic rifles and no‑go zones inside our famous capitals. 'What has happened to Europe?', the tourist asks. Mass migration happened. Have you leftists thought that with your catastrophic migration policy, you are also sinking one of the most vital industries we have in Europe: tourism. I have a suggestion to help the European tourism industry: let's deport all illegal migrants.

Mr President, Iranians protesting all over the world are pro‑Israel, pro‑USA, pro‑Ukraine, anti‑Russia, anti‑China, anti‑Hamas. Where does the EU stand? Sanctions on Israel, middle finger to the USA, 'monitors' Ukraine, buys Russian gas, ships factories to China, funds Hamas through UNWRA. Europe needs some serious self-reflection. Only a few get foreign policy right, but Persians do. They risk their lives for democracy and stand with the USA and Israel against dictators and terrorists. The moment the regime was hit, left‑wing pacifists screamed for 'immediate de‑escalation and resumption of diplomatic processes'. Sound familiar? Straight from Russia's Foreign Ministry. If you think the real problem is the strikes against tyranny rather than the tyranny itself, I'm sorry, not even a ...

Madam President, European defence should be our most important topic by far. Having said that, we must ask ourselves: does pooling EU funds automatically create strength? No, it does not. The EU cannot fire our bullets or fly our jets, and it certainly should not try replicating NATO. We already have NATO, we do not need replicas. The EU can complement the defence efforts made by Member States, but we must not forget: a missile funded by EU co-financing will not deter an aggressor if the Member State lacks the means of deploying it. The EU can help stockpiling our anti-tank missiles, but the Member States must have enough shoulders to carry those missiles. Europe's defence is not merely a project, it is a responsibility. And that responsibility starts at home.

Madam President, it is absurd that a company might have to wait for permits longer than it takes to build their factories. While the US and China are moving fast, Europe is drowning itself in procedures, forms and rules. What does the European Commission do? You set new binding climate goals for the EU. You set bans on combustion engines. You absolutely love your digital regulation that is so complex that companies do not even know how to follow it. Then you come here to say that we must decrease the regulatory burden. Damn sure we must! But at the same time, you want new EU legislation, you want new EU action plans and new EU regulation because they give you power. More Commission means more regulation. That is why Europe needs stronger Member States, not a stronger Commission.

Mr President, Canada is without question one of Europe's closest partners. Strengthening our cooperation should be an obvious priority. That is precisely why it is so disappointing to read this new EU‑Canada report. Instead of focusing on defence, economic resilience or strategic cooperation, this text reads like a catalogue of left‑wing talking points: climate slogans, green ideology and yet another round of finger pointing at the United States. Seriously, is this ideological signalling all we have to offer? This new report is more about leftist political messaging than real geopolitics. I cannot support such a report. EU‑Canada cooperation deserves a serious strategic partnership – not a lecture drafted through the lens of climate activism and anti‑American rhetoric. Europe should do better.

Mr President, money for the EU rope – this time EUR 10 billion. I wish it could have been used for something sensible, but do you know what the EU will use it for next year? To pay the interest costs of the unreasonable COVID-19 recovery package. It's just interest expenses. Let's take a little comparison. With this same amount, we would receive about 290 new Leopard 2A8 battle tanks. European-manufactured tanks shepherding in Ukraine's steppes would be 290 times better than the 10 billion-billion-billion-billion-billion-billion-billion-billion-billion-billion-billion-billion-billion-billion-billion-billion-billion-billion-billion-billion-billion-billion-billion-billion EU leaders, with your recovery package, you allow this leech to come onto your skin. You are now calling for EU programmes not to be cut to finance this interest-rate bomb. In other words, you want to open the taxpayer's purse even more so that your mistakes can be repaid. You've got a lot of work to do.

Mr President, many European countries are down to their throats in debt. In order to avoid Europe-wide debt crises, we have rules. Debt should not exceed 60% of the size of a country's economy. If you look at the debts of the large EU countries that flutter over 100%, you may legitimately ask where the credibility of this rule lies. In its special report, the European Court of Auditors describes the harsh reality of the EU. There are constant deviations from the recommendations. There is a lack of monitoring of implementation. Economic and labour market reforms are not being implemented. We have a serious pan-European ailment: It's a waster's disease. When you look only at the next election, where you will be more successful by wasting today, which government of a country in debt would like to save? Only a government that, instead of elections, cares about the future of its state.

Mr President, Ursula von der Leyen described Europe as driving the world's second largest economy with a handbrake. Ursula, you've driven your handbrake and you're still driving. Your green, over-stretched regulation has been a handbrake for Europe and an engine of growth for China. Then you wake up a little bit and want to make the economy recover. What are you doing? You are celebrating the Mercosur agreement, which opens up food imports from South America, even though European food producers are currently crying out. With regard to the regulations you have built up in the past, all you are proposing is deferrals, reductions and flexibilities. Aren't the bells ringing that perhaps your regulation has been unworthy in the first place if we have to use these methods to artificially reinvigorate the maintenance of regulation? As a regulatory principle, you now have one in, one out. This should also extend to the Commission itself: New in, old out.