Speeches

Mr President, today marks exactly nine years since the terrible terrorist attacks in Paris, in which hundreds of people were murdered and wounded in cold blood by ISIS terrorists. After the Paris attacks, it took only a few months for the Brussels metro and airport to be hit in the same shocking way. Just over a year ago, an illegal ISIS supporter shot dead two Swedish football fans in the middle of Brussels. The repeated attacks show that Islamist terrorism is not a distant threat, but a reality in our midst, in our Europe. Western Europe has failed completely to protect its citizens. Substantial changes are needed in immigration policy. Border controls must be tightened, asylum seekers must be outsourced outside the EU and those illegally staying in the EU must be returned to their countries of origin without delay. The memory of the victims of Islamist terrorist attacks obliges us to do so. Europe needs to be made a safe place again.

Mr President, let us be frank: Russia is a terrorist state. With its barbaric war of aggression, Russia is trying to subjugate the Ukrainian people to their will. Attacks on the civilian population, destruction of infrastructure, summary executions of civilians and prisoners of war and other serious human rights violations are appalling examples of Russia’s continued war crimes. Two years ago, the European Parliament, in a resolution, designated Russia as a state that supports terrorism and a state that uses the means of terrorism. Since then, Russia's war crimes have continued. The country has established unprecedented close ties with Iran and North Korea, both of which are blacklisted for terrorist financing. There should be nothing unclear here. The European Union should, as a matter of priority, designate Russia as a high-risk third country in terms of money laundering and terrorist financing.

Mr President, last week Israeli football fans were brutally hunted in Amsterdam and many were hospitalised. Eighty years ago, things were the same in Europe before the darkest hour. Just three weeks ago, in plenary, I urged the Left to look for the culprits for the explosion of anti-Semitism in its own Palestinian demonstrations. Now speeches and several acts of violence have been taken to the next level, as Jews have been systematically persecuted. Does the left already agree to admit who these barbarians who hunted Israelis are? We on this side of the Chamber know the truth, and for years we have been actively advocating for a policy to prevent such violent attacks, while the left, with its mouth round, is still wondering why the whole problem arises. The fact is that we cannot have any real debate on the problem of antisemitism in Europe as long as not everyone in this Chamber is able to acknowledge its greatest source, the Islamisation of Europe.

Mr President, while the Georgian people overwhelmingly support the country's European path, the ruling party has taken them further from this goal. It has introduced Russian-style laws, labelling NGOs as foreign agents and so-called gay propaganda. The oligarch behind the ruling party has even threatened to ban opposition parties. There have been widespread reports of voter intimidation, vote buying, double voting and incidents of violence during the recent electoral process. Georgia's President has called the election a 'Russian special operation'. These incidents must be thoroughly investigated. Election integrity is a core European value. Georgia stands at a crossroads. If it wants to honour its people's will for European integration, it must uphold democratic principles and reverse its course.

Mr President, last year China was responsible for 95% of the construction of all new coal-fired power plants in the world. While we are pouring our productive industries into the radical climate agenda, the actions of other countries will completely nullify any and all of the goals we can achieve in terms of reducing emissions. We cannot expect the industries we are driving out of Europe to disappear altogether. Instead, they are simply relocating to other, and most often more permissive, countries where they can make their products much cheaper and more emission-intensive. The current climate agenda will not lead to a reduction in emissions. Its result is, and only is, a reduction in the safety and competitiveness of European jobs. To the green ideologues who are pushing this agenda, I can only say: good luck. Your policies have made Europe less self-sufficient, less attractive to businesses and, ultimately, less secure in these times of global uncertainty.

Madam President, President Trump was once again elected, and he wants to make America great again. Because of our lousy politicians, Europe has managed to put itself in a situation where our supply of energy was at the mercy of Russia, our supply of goods is at the mercy of China, our population growth is at the mercy of Africa, and our defence is at the mercy of the USA. So, should we choose the next new motto for Europe to be 'Make Europe great again'? Yes! Now it's our turn. Whether you like this motto or not, you have to start living according to it. The time of weak men is over. Let us make our energy, goods, babies and weapons ourselves.

Mr President, hate speech, radicalisation and anti-democracy. This moment is reserved for the whole House to discuss these issues. In fact, this is a very topical issue, so it is good to discuss it. In fact, we have recently witnessed events that meet all of these criteria: hate, radicalisation and anti-democracy. Numerous Palestinian demonstrations, all the way to top universities, have sparked anti-Semitic screams. The only democracy in the Middle East, Israel, has been wanted to be destroyed, and the radical terrorist organisation Hamas has enjoyed the support of many demonstrators. Why haven't I heard from the left today? I want to remind you of this when you are looking for hate speech and radical speech everywhere, so sometimes go to the Palestinian demonstrations on the left. You may find what you are looking for everywhere else.

Mr President, I fully agree with the speaker that Nazi propaganda needs to be addressed. It's wrong, and you were worried about how it would increase anti-Semitism. I am surprised, however, that you do not mention the side that is currently the main cause of antisemitism, both on TikTok and in other channels. These videos, shouting "From the river to the sea," or Hamas sympathy, are spreading right now. Why did you not mention this?

Mr President, the EU does not only live in cities; sparsely populated areas are an important part of the success of the Member States. Especially at the EU's eastern external border, this is also a security issue. The decisions we make on climate policy, for example, have a direct impact on the conditions for living in Eastern Finland, for example. This needs to be understood. The fact that we are channelling new regional aid across Europe from one year to the next is not enough to keep regions alive. Especially for net contributors such as Finland, there is no point in the current system. We pay a huge amount as a membership fee, only a fraction of which comes back to our own regional development. Signs will then be erected on the various projects, explaining how the EU has made this project possible. It's not like this. The Member States have made this possible, and that is precisely why more matters must be decided in the Member States, not in Brussels.

Mr President, at the latest, everyone knows that. The EU is not only foolishly spending its money, it is also grossly misusing it. According to the report you presented, EUR 10.7 billion of last year's EU spending was clearly against the EU's own rules. This should be scandalous news, but here it is not. The money is being misused and it will continue and how many times we were assured that the money from the recovery package will go where it was intended. We are now being told that these funds are not even included in this report because they are impossible to monitor. Is anyone surprised? No, I'm not. The nation states need to know exactly where the money collected for the EU goes. This is not the case today, and it is a huge problem in the EU.

Mr President, in Finland, a single steel mill produces about 7% of our total emissions. It is a fact that should not be abhorred by any climate fanatic. Every European should be proud that we still have steel mills in Europe. China currently produces more than half of the world's steel. Anyone who wants to run down the steel mills in Europe will bow to China. If we do not produce steel in Europe, it will be produced elsewhere. In Europe, there is too much lulled into the idea that if Europe does not produce emissions, we will have solved the problem. Well, we're not. Transferring emissions to other countries will not help the climate in the first place. Instead, for us, it means losing jobs and increasing dependence on totalitarian states such as China. However, such a policy has been pursued in Europe – i.e. an absurd green policy.

Mr President, I am delighted to see how Europe, Europe's direction in terms of immigration policy, is changing. Poland rejects instrumentalised immigration following Finland's example. Germany reintroduced internal border controls, and now 17 EU countries are calling for tightening of the EU's return policy. However, these 17 EU countries did not take action unnecessarily, but precisely because there is a real amount of work to be done. Those who have received a negative asylum decision pose a high security risk to Europe, so it was only a matter of time before this change in direction took place. The EU's current, even looser, immigration policy has made Europe even more accessible to the migration of living standards to the southern Mediterranean, specifically migration. Or does anyone still think that a person in need will not pass through the first safe country on their way from the Middle East to Germany, Sweden and Finland?

Mr President, European airlines are doing the right thing when they are no longer flying in Russian airspace, but China is unscrupulously doing otherwise. By flying over Russia, Chinese planes use a shorter route compared to European airlines. This is not a fair competition. I therefore propose that Europe should now take action against its two biggest geopolitical opponents. What if, for example, we set a 48-hour cooling off period for the arrival in Europe of the Chinese aircraft currently in Russian airspace? This would have two significant benefits. First, from the point of view of our companies, the situation would become fairer as China would not be able to take advantage of this dirty competitive advantage. Secondly, Russia, and thus the military economy of the country, would stop receiving money from the Chinese for the use of their airspace. These, if any, should be our common goals.

Mr President, what is the greatest way to guarantee that a product is safe and responsibly made? These are the three key words: made in Europe. With Chinese e-commerce sites like Temu and Shein forcing their way into Europe by flooding our market with theor products, a 'made in Europe' tag has become harder to find. While we regulate ourselves more than ever, products that are being made far more unethically and emissions-intensively are getting shipped to Europe. But the EU can only blame itself for this situation. By driving our manufacturing away from Europe, we have created an opening for China to poach our industries and thus make us dependent on them. But unless we want to become an economic vessel of Beijing, we must significantly cut back our dependence on China, and we need to start doing it now.

Madam President, Mr Letta's report offers us the right diagnosis of the state of the single market. However, as with so many other EU proposals, the cure might be worse than the disease. Mr Letta states that the single market was never finished and now it needs profound reforms. These reforms would include public investments, investments for green projects on an EU level, the creation of a European degree, infrastructure projects in Africa, and so on and so on. Yes, the core message of Mr Letta's report seems to be the reduction of regulation. But does all of this sound like that to you? The single market didn't fail because it was not finished. It failed because the EU intervened with regulations that have started to suffocate the European economy. The solution to failed regulation cannot be more regulation and more EU control.

Madam President, I raise your attention to Rule 144 of the Rules of Procedure and more specifically to its paragraph 3. The rule stipulates that, as a general rule, the questions shall be answered by the addressee within six weeks of being forward to it, and that those designated as priority questions shall be answered by the addressee within three weeks of being forwarded to it. Although I am new in this House, I know I am not the only one who has experienced that these deadlines are often not met. Madam President, I would warmly welcome any means that would push the Commission to better stick to these timelines set in the Rules of Procedure and respect the rules of this House.

Madam President, whether acknowledged by them or not, the national card scheme presented by the Hungarian Government poses a severe security threat to Europe. In late June, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Austrian capital, Vienna, had become a hub for Russian espionage in Europe. Mr Orbán should not be so naive to assume that his friendly relations with President Putin will not result in Russia trying to use this visa scheme to make Budapest just another Vienna. Mr Orbán's initiative is on track to let the Russians establish another beachhead for its extensive espionage operations right in the middle of Europe. Good intentions or not, Mr Orbán, I think you should strictly reconsider this very dangerous policy. If not, other European countries will unfortunately have to start vetting the people coming from Hungary with extreme prejudice.

Israel is a multicultural society and within it a different population is able to live well with each other, but I can also say in Finnish what I just said here in English. 40% of Palestinian Muslims agree that suicide bombing is a way to defend Islam. We have seen this development, that all the time from the Gaza Strip and also from the West Bank, including the surrounding states, these attacks are coming on Israeli soil, and this October 7th was one good bad example of this, and therefore it is not safe at the moment to have a two-state model.

Madam President, for almost a year now, scores of hostages have remained in dark tunnels in the hands of Hamas. Although shocking, the horrific terrorist attack on Israel did not come as a surprise. In 2013, the world famous Pew Research Centre polled Muslims all around the world. One result in particular was quite shocking: 40 % of the Palestinian Muslims said that a suicide bombing in defence of Islam is often or sometimes justified. So is it any surprise that something like 7 October came to pass? The border wall between Israel and the Gaza Strip exists for a reason: so that the Israelis wouldn't constantly have to fear for their lives. Israel has offered the Palestinian Authority a two-state solution time and time again to no avail. The Palestinians simply don't want it. To them, the only solution seems to be an intifada. If Hamas came out of hiding and laid down their weapons, the fighting would cease in an instant and the humanitarian situation could start significantly improving. The whole world seems to want peace. The only question is, does Hamas?

Madam President, since the last time we discussed supporting Ukraine here in July, no major EU developments for ensuring Ukraine’s victory have taken place. It is quite bizarre that however later today we will be debating a plan that seeks to spend hundreds of billions of euros every year for things like decarbonisation. Actually, this is great news. It shows that if the European countries so choose, they already have the resources needed to help Ukraine to defeat Russia. In addition, not everything is about money. Last week, as a group of MEPs, we sent a letter to High Representative Borrell to increase pressure for allowing Ukraine to hit targets on Russian soil with Western weapons. Restricting Ukraine’s ability to hit strategically important targets is like forcing them to fight with one hand tied behind their backs. Russia is not pulling its punches. So we should not be telling Ukraine to do so either.

My fellow Members, the fact that the West has armed Ukraine in the fight against Russia, the fact that Ukrainians have died, it is not the fault of the West, it is Russia's fault that Ukrainians have died. You are suggesting that peace should be agreed now that Russia has invaded Ukraine. This is absurd talk! What if Russia attacked this war, for example, after winning Finland? Would it be your opinion that when Finnish children and women are killed, we start negotiating peace with Putin? Or should the West support us Finns?

Mr President, last month in Solingen, Germany, a supporter of ISIS stabbed three to death and wounded eight. The suspect arrived in Germany as an asylum seeker in 2022. The application was rejected and he had to be returned to Bulgaria, where he had already lodged an application, but the authorities could not find him. Everyone now sees what a foolish continent Europe has become. Macron, Merkel and von der Leyen, say their names! Your policies and your inaction have been life-threatening for Europe. In my hometown of Oulu, a series of dozens of sexual crimes against children was uncovered, in which the perpetrators were mainly men of foreign background. The authors came to Finland through Europe, through your countries! What kind of Union does not protect the most vulnerable? It's like this. External borders must be supported and abusers must be returned to their countries of origin. It must be our honorary duty this season. We've seen enough. We've had enough.

You often use this example to say that it is unfortunate what has just happened, for example, with regard to immigration. This should not be talked about, this can stigmatize and so on. But when will you start worrying about what will happen to European citizens, how people will be killed and killed? Charlie Hebdo attacks, in the theater people are murdered, priests are slit throats. Three people have been murdered with a knife. When can we begin to conclude that something is wrong with our immigration policy?

Madam President, during the recently concluded term, we approved a support instrument for Ukraine amounting to EUR 50 billion. But what does it say about us Europeans that the size of the EU recovery instrument was EUR 800 billion, with half intended for green and digital transition projects? Are our priorities in order? Should this House instead ensure that we transition safely back to the situation we were in before, respecting state borders and not allowing Putin’s predatory actions? Only then can we be sure that other worthy goals can be achieved. Every day that the suffering of Ukrainians continues, we should look at ourselves in the mirror and feel ashamed. We are helping Ukraine to fight, but not to win. This must change. Slava Ukraini!