Speeches

Mr President, what is the EU to China? It is a soft organisation for China that is not expected to cause any harm. At the same time, the EU is China's main trading partner. EU exports of goods and services to China last year amounted to around EUR 270 billion. The United States is a much smaller trading partner for China, but it is still the United States, whose levers China fears. We are not a tariff-loving people and believe in free trade, but we should be aware that we are sitting on a huge China lever. We must not submit to any kind of extortion from China. If we are mittens for China now, we can be mittens for it also in the future. A tougher China policy is Europe's key to a safer tomorrow.

Mr President, democracy is something we all believe in. But where we disagree is on who gets to decide what disinformation or hate speech is, and who defines what harmful content is. I was once in an election debate where I was told by a current EPP MEP that believing in God and posting about it on Facebook was misinformation. Unbelievable. Genuine immigration concerns can easily be labelled as extremism or hate speech, when in truth, millions of Europeans are concerned about the erosion of their cultures. Democracy depends on open and free debates, on hearing views you might not like and defeating them with better arguments if you can. Anything less than that turns the tool of safeguarding democracy into chains of authoritarianism. If we do that, we can no longer call ourselves democratic.

Mr President, no society will survive without defenders. If hardness is not found, someone will march in and destroy what we have built. Right now, it's Russia. Throughout its history, Finland has played its part in keeping our boundaries. Countries that have no border with Russia should understand that frontline countries are not any security guards behind whom you can take it more relaxed. Everyone in Europe must now take on the role of security guard. Everyone has to spend a lot of money to buy the hardness that Europe has been saving for decades. The alternative is to continue neglecting security, expecting the attacker to intensify and, when it strikes, to run all the way to the Atlantic coast. This is not even an option for us Finns.

Madam President, 239 000. This insane figure is the amount of irregular border crossings reported on the EU's external borders in 2024. Migrant smugglers are sneaking people into Europe and making unbelievable profit doing so. Leftist policy is often directed against the rich. But when I look at the naive leftist migration policy, I can't help thinking that these rich smugglers would all be voting for leftist European politicians. Why? Because politicians on the right would swiftly shut down their business by closing our borders. So, let's be honest. To save Europe, the rotten era of European leftism and migration smugglers must end now.

Mr President, democracy and the rule of law are the cornerstones that Europe was built upon. There should be no room in Europe for corruption. Judicial independence, free media and the right to assembly must be protected. While we are seeing signs that these values are under threat in Hungary, the European institutions have done a terrible job in addressing legitimate issues. Instead of fact‑based and objective evaluations, the EU keeps focusing on Hungarian healthcare systems, family policies and even Hungarian public transport. The EU is making a fool of itself. If the EU elite is so worried about Hungarian public transport, healthcare and so on, maybe you should resign, move to Hungary and try to fix these issues because, as an EU representative, these matters do not belong to your table.

Mr President, it is great that there has been a ceasefire in Gaza in accordance with the Trump peace plan. In the first phase of the plan, Hamas pledged to return every hostage to Israel, including the dead. The idea was to do this quickly and move quickly to the second phase, disarmament. The problem is that after more than a month, the bodies of four hostages are still in Gaza. Hamas has already been caught fooling around giving Israel the bodies of wrong people or just body parts. Playing with something like this is sick and reflects Hamas. The existence of Hamas in Gaza must not be forgotten, even though the ceasefire calmed the flames. On the contrary, we must now do everything we can to disarm and remove this barbaric terrorist organisation from Gaza. It is a prerequisite for lasting peace.

Mr President, the EU is falling behind global rivals in AI. I don't think we truly understand the urgency with which we need to act before it's too late. The exponential growth of AI is unlike anything we've ever seen in human history. The US created 40 foundational models in 2020, China 15, the EU only 3. Regulation on the use of data and the slow adoption of AI use in industry are major barriers in scaling. So is the price of energy. Power demand of AI data centres is estimated to rise 165 % by 2030. Falling behind in the AI race would be like missing out on the Industrial Revolution 100 times over. We either deregulate or risk losing all relevance on the world stage in just a few years.

Mr President, the construction of the Eurozone is progressing. The EU Commission is constantly threatening the right of Member States to decide on their taxes. This time, the monster's name is BEFIT, a common corporate tax base. For the socialists, this equalization and the killing of competition is one celebration, but for the coalition parties: Why are you back on the left? The proposal also mentions the term "Union tax policy". Excuse me, what? According to the Treaties, taxation is one of those matters for which the Union has nothing, so there should be no 'Union tax policy'. As proposals like this go through, it is only a matter of time before the EU, instead of nation states, finally both regulates and collects taxes, and countries can only hope that some scraps will be recovered. Unlike the Coalition Party, I am voting against the BEFIT monster.

Mr President, in its federal belligerents and greenheads, the EU is once again expanding a supranational agency. This time it is the Maritime Safety Agency. Judging by the name, one would think that the Agency's task would be precisely to promote maritime safety. However, this proposal will make the Agency a stronger climate actor. With the aim of securing shipping, it is now decided to start reporting also emissions from ships' barrels. The very core of maritime safety. Greetings to the Commission: Despite the climate emergency, the reality is that Finland's sea areas are freezing. When ships push through the ice, it causes emissions, whether we like it or not. But what we do not want is officials authorised by the Commission to blame the soot of our pipes.

Mr President, the persecution of rogue states knows no borders. Russia is also chasing exiled dissidents in the territories of EU Member States. Attempts to assassinate Sergei and Julia Skripal and the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in Great Britain and the murder of a Chechen commander in Germany: These are not isolated cases, but systematic state terrorism. China, on the other hand, has set up so-called "foreign police stations" to monitor and intimidate dissidents – Uyghurs, Hong Kong democracy activists and other human rights defenders. Rogue states such as Saudi Arabia, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey also use violent methods to oppress their critics abroad. We must defend those who defend freedom and oppose tyranny. Every voice that echoes here against the repression of Russia, China and Iran, for example, is a voice for a better tomorrow.

Mr President, a self-respecting Europe faces only one option: China trade has to be pushed down. The controversy that has recently risen to the headlines is a good illustration of the values of Chinese bullshit traders. Shein, a fast fashion company, had sex dolls that resembled children in their range of sales. It's a sick act. In the middle of the womb, France decided to suspend Shein's online store and, as a result, the company eventually withdrew the products from sales. May this be a small sign of success for us. There is a hard line against the Chinese. This same European determination would be needed to curb low-priced imports and break China's dependence. The more we ship here from China, the more we export jobs from Europe to China. The greater the cargo loads from China, the greater will be our dependence on communist dictatorship. It's time to wake up.

Mr President, the protection of the seas is important, but common sense and a sense of proportionality must be present. Here too, the EU should not assume the role of an arrogant conductor. But Mrs von der Leyen wants to save the world's oceans with our money. If we really want to influence the state of the seas, we should look to Asia, where pollution is the worst. Asia is responsible for more than 80% of the world's marine plastic pollution. But what does the Commission do? More cardboard straws and paperwork for Europeans. The most sensible thing would be to force the global culprits to act, and not always add new obligations to ourselves. The Commission's proposal, which is currently on the table, will increase bureaucracy and costs for Europe. Our treasury will soon be empty and the Gulf of Finland will be filled mainly with the Commission's paper heaps.

Mr President, it is terrible misery – this is how I would summarize this equality strategy of the European Parliament. Gender equality is a matter of course to be cherished. However, this paper does not pursue this objective. On the contrary, it is an excellent symbol of why things have gone pine-shaped in Europe. The text is swollen with the extreme left-wing agenda and ideology. The climate emergency and gender inequality are put in the same package. The Commission is called upon to address gender stereotypes. Prostitution is caused by a lack of legal immigration opportunities. Feminist foreign policy, gender budgeting, unemployment among trans women. This list could go on indefinitely, but guess how many times Islamization or the consequences of immigration are mentioned as a threat to equality? Not a single time. I would like to say to the authors of this paper: You should be ashamed.

Mr President, recently, Turkish soldiers entered the UN buffer zone in Cyprus. You may ask, what did they do there? Well, without any excuse, they tried to drive away the Greek Cypriot farmers from their own lands while they were peacefully farming their fields. The UN peacekeepers needed to intervene twice before the Turkish soldiers got the message of staying out. This kind of behaviour is completely unacceptable and Turkey needs to be held accountable. We must not remain silent in front of an aggressor. Turkish soldiers do not belong to the buffer zone, but they do not belong to the whole island either. President Erdoğan should know that his provocations will not change this fact. Cyprus won't be a part of Turkey. Not now, not ever.

Mr President, the 'eat as much as you can' buffet. That is what comes to mind when we discuss the EU's long-term budget today. A buffet where Finnish taxpayers bring food to the EU table without reaching the plate itself, when the EU rushes to empty the plates and at the same time invents new expenses. Once again, the Commission is planning to spend billions and billions of euros on inefficient projects outside Europe. It is completely idiotic that the EU, for example, hugs Africa's coffers open without demanding anything back. At the same time, Europeans are paying high taxes, companies are tightening their belts and more money needs to be invested in defence than ever before. Our citizens deserve to keep the future budget under control, responding to the basic needs and security of Europeans. The budget must reflect the needs of the citizens, not the passions of the European Commission.

Mr President, the devastating floods in Spain are reaching the end of the year. Many Spanish families were permanently devastated. It was a tragic moment for many, but it was also a national tragedy. Unfortunately, I have to say these difficult words: Federal development should not be promoted for any reason, even for good reason. The EU cannot and should not become a supranational insurance company for natural phenomena. Realism is that the most effective way of preparing for and responding to these phenomena is at national level. Each country has its own authorities and national budgets, which have to step into the game in these situations. Whether there is water coming from the sky or, as in our case, snow in Finland, which blocks cities, the Member State must respond. I mourn the victims, but let's not use their tragedy as a federal building block.

Mr. President, this conversation has been crazy. Mr Braun – or should we call you Mr Bean – you're kind of becoming like a joke in this House. Let me explain: You said it was Ukraine's fault that there was still no peace. You said, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, when territories had been taken from it, that a peace agreement would have been ready at the table if they had just signed. Would you accept, Mr Brau, that if a foreign power came to Poland to take possession of territories, you would be handed a paper, you would just write it? For the representatives of this position, we in Finland have a name of our own when our own country goes to cheat. My husband and I just bought our own house with a plot of land with borders. If my neighbor comes in and says we're pulling new boundaries, here's the paper signing, I'll call the cops.

Mr President, the figures are now on the table. According to the European Court of Auditors, almost €7 billion of EU funds were spent incorrectly last year. The most money was misused in the areas of cohesion policy and development aid, and I am not surprised. We shovel money both to southern Europe and beyond the seas and waste it. But now we have black on white. So tell us why on earth ordinary Finns should continue to feed this endless swamp when it shows year after year that nothing changes. And, ladies and gentlemen, how much of your fellow countrymen's money can be misused by Ursula and her partners before you intervene? 10 billion, 20 billion, 30 billion? It's just sitting here dumb as if nothing happened. It's a business!

Mr President, I shall now omit this speech I have written and react to this speech by the Coalition Party, which has just been heard. What really annoys me is that people here dare to suggest that the EU now needs to spend more money on housing in order to bring down the cost of living in Europe. The EU is completely lost if, even on the right, which are usually parties of strict economic discipline, such absurd things are being said. I see that this same theme is repeated all the time, when there are floods in Europe, or unemployment in Belgium, or so on, the EU is always called upon to finance these different types of expenditure. We have 27 nation-states in the EU. If cheaper housing is needed or unemployment needs to be tackled, then it is done through the nation-state.

Mr President, building strong relations with Africa is an undisputed strategic need for Europe. But we cannot build them unconditionally; Europe needs to respect itself. Our message to African leaders should be the following: you want to neglect democratic principles? OK, it has consequences. You want to support Russian aggression in Ukraine? OK, it has consequences. You want to refuse to accept the repatriation of your citizens? OK, it has consequences. Europe is sitting on top of a huge economic tool that we are not using. That is insane. The Finnish Government has decided that it will not give development aid to countries that are either supporting Russian aggression, or are not accepting repatriation of their citizens. Let's make this Finnish position a European position.

Mr President, the EU budget has grown to become an uncontrollable monster. Billions of euros are wasted for projects promoting gender mainstreaming, climate ambition, Creative Europe and so on. At the same time, European citizens struggle to make a living. Do Europeans really need more beautiful EU agencies and EU action plans? Instead of feeding this bloated bureaucracy, we should focus on serious topics, not ideological experiments. And most importantly: taking action now. If you need more green or leftist workshops, please pay for them yourself. Let's bring discipline, responsibility and realism back to this Union. The taxpayer's duty is not to fund every Brussels fantasy.

Mr President, it says a lot about the administration about how it deals with demonstrations. The example of Serbia illustrates this in its unpleasant language. In Serbia, the collapse of the railway station took the lives of 16 people and was the last trigger for gigantic protests against the regime. More than 10,000 demonstrations have taken place in the country this year. The government responded with a lot of violence. Beating, tear gas, the use of a vocal weapon, torture, even sexual violence. The government has applied for support from Russia. Serbia is also a candidate country for EU membership. If the way the protests are handled says a lot about the administration, in this case it also tells us that Serbia is far from EU-eligible. From the point of view of EU funds, this should mean that EU money faucets are pulled from such an administration.

Mr President, I tried to be as much in the Chamber as possible, but I had a group meeting. Bombing journalists to cover your criminal life – how disgraceful is that? In Italy, an explosive device detonated under investigative journalist Sigfrido Ranucci's car. If you end up committing a crime like this against a journalist, you have failed as a human, and you have even failed as a criminal. Violent attacks against media are attacks against our common values. I have a message to all the criminal networks and criminals out there: if you decide to live a criminal life, accept the consequences that officials and journalists will be after you. You don't shoot them, you don't bomb them, you don't try to cover your mess by hurting innocent people and their families.

Mr President, dear Commission, dear leftists, you still don't get it. None of you do. The fate of Europe will not be determined by your 'sustainability' or 'social models'. It will be built by a strong economy. It will be built with borders that matter. It will be built with tanks, ships and fighter jets. Sure, you pretend like you are trying, but in truth, you are not. Europe's security is not being prioritised enough. Our economy is lagging and our borders are wide open. Your methods of criminal neglect will destroy Europe. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it will happen if we continue along your path. Time to face the music. Europe will only start to prosper once your way of doing things is finally done.

Mr President, eight years ago Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered. He was known for his work in which he focused on investigating corruption within the Maltese regime. On the day of October, Daphne stepped into his car, and a moment later, a car bomb tore up a small Peugeot and Daphne. The anti-corruption voice went out. This is a shocking example of how strong corruption can still be in Europe today. Those who fight tirelessly and without fear against corruption are true defenders of the rule of law. In his work, Daphne investigated, among other things, Malta's most ruthless golden passport system, where EU citizenship would be traded for money. He was no longer in sight when it was finally condemned this spring as an illegal arrangement. Greetings to Daphne, the work against injustice will not stop.