Speeches

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.

Mr President, Russian troops have been halted on Ukrainian soil. They have not stopped because they were following orders from Putin. They have stopped because brave Ukrainian soldiers – with the support of the West – have forced them to stop. If he had his way, Putin would continue his march all the way through Ukraine. Behind Ukraine lies Moldova – Putin's next target. Russia is already conducting aggressive propaganda and other forms of interference in Moldova. Does this sound familiar? Ukraine faced the same onslaught before Russian tanks rolled in. Why? Because Putin wants a more Russian Europe. We can prevent this by supporting countries like Moldova on their European path. I want to see a more European Europe – Europe without Russian propaganda, without Russian interference and without Russian tanks.

Mr President, the Second World Summit for Social Development will be held in Qatar, in a country which still, in the year 2025, implements the Sharia law. Women under the Sharia law are like puppets to men. Women can't marry freely. They can't travel freely. They can't even say no to sex with their husband without a 'legitimate reason'. When a woman gets raped, she can get prosecuted for having sex outside of marriage. This is sick and insane. What message is sent to the women in the world by organising a summit for social development in a country like Qatar? Will gender equality be praised with the royal family, while women in the country are treated like slaves? To me, social development and Qatar don't belong in the same sentence.

Mr President, once again there is federalism in the air. Now we have a paper here in the debate with the message: equalising the taxation of Member States. Well, what if not? What if we accept that the Member States can indeed opt for different tax solutions? The same EU beanie doesn't fit everyone's head. And listen to me: this text declares the importance of curbing harmful tax competition and "the race towards ever lower tax rates". Why do we have to fight lower taxes? Well, the text says that in order to continuously raise the necessary public funds to improve the EU's competitiveness and social and economic cohesion. That is, if Member States decide to reduce taxes, that is a bad thing, because it threatens the EU's consumption agenda. Now there's a limit.

Mr President, why do we do this to ourselves? We are deliberately creating a European works council hummingbird, which is not even clear to the parties involved. That's just the starting point. Labour market policy is an area where the EU should have nothing to do, but it is only here that it is twisted. This is where the representatives of this Commission come in and talk wonderfully about how Europe is now starting to invest in competitiveness and simplifying. If so, why are companies saying this time too that this proposal is now increasing the administrative burden for the company? I've heard this before. There is so much regulation out of this house that companies are always allowed to copy a paragraph from their previous position: "This will add to our burden." Is it time to start dismantling it?

Madam President, we spend a significant amount of time on our phones every day. If this considers you too, you should be worried. Let me explain. The European Commission has made it clear that it is not truly committed in defending fundamental rights online. It once created legislation called 'the DSA'. It was a deliberate act to restrict the freedom of speech. Unfortunately, it succeeded in it. The right to privacy and protection of personal data are the next target. Soon we will have an EU-level vote on the infamous chat control proposal. Let me be clear: if this proposal ever becomes law, it will be the end of privacy as we know it. Breaking encryption will open the doors for mass surveillance and allow hackers to access our most private communications. This proposal must be stopped.

Mr President, Russia is engaged in a systematic hybrid war against Europe. Information operations, assassinations, cyberattacks, instrumentalisation of migrants, sabotage of critical infrastructure, electronic warfare and GPS interference. The recent airspace violations are even exceptionally arrogant by Russian standards. The airspace violation by Russian fighters against Estonia was the most serious in depth and duration during the country's NATO membership. A drone attack on Poland required military intervention. Drone sightings are also of concern in other countries. When Russia tests our borders, there is no room for hesitation. Russia is an offensive terrorist state that believes only in power. European countries must defend their borders resolutely. Enemy drones and destroyers must be shot down if necessary. And let's not forget: The best guarantee for peace in Europe is Ukraine's victory.

Mr President, the Taliban's Afghanistan is a living hell for women. Girls are banned from schools. Women are locked out of work. Faces of women must be covered with an Islamic face veil. These are not cultural traditions, they are calculated acts of oppression rooted in extremist ideology. Even after a deadly earthquake, Taliban monsters stick to their insane principles. The UN is trying to help, but Afghan women workers are banned from entering the UN compounds. Helping becomes difficult, while at the same time Afghan women are restricted from speaking to men. This is Islamist insanity. We cannot remain silent. We must refuse to legitimise the Taliban in any form. We are defending women and girls by opposing Islamist tyranny.

Mr President, if agriculture dies, we too will die. European food producers must now and in the future be guaranteed the necessary support to maintain production. But problems begin to fall into your arms when the bureaucrats in Brussels are allowed to decide where to put this support. Behind closed doors is lined all over the world with climate play money that doesn't really help that small Finnish farmer. It may well be that this small farmer's economy is going to collapse because of Brussels. For example, I find it absurd that, by means of an EU decision, 25% of direct agricultural payments have been earmarked for eco-schemes in the name of climate work. Is this really about maintaining security of supply in agriculture? No, it's not. The EU's agricultural policy must go back to why we support agriculture at all. So we can have European food. It's not because farmers are forced to make climatic changes.

Mr President, Trump did what the left would never have done. His peace plan for the Middle East brought the first concrete step to peace. Be honest, good left. Did the Palestinians benefit more from the symbolic and hasty recognition of the State of Palestine and the performance excursions of the left-wing Influencers or the concrete diplomacy carried out by Trump? It's painful for you, but Trump took this fight. The United States did not have to recognize a Palestinian state to promote peace. They did not start whining about sanctioning Israel, unlike the EU and von der Leyen. The United States knew there was only one way to end the war: pressured Hamas into peace. Europe must now give all its support to this plan. We need to get the terrorists out of Gaza.

Madam President, entire neighbourhoods of once great cities taken over by people who are neglecting our values. Women choosing not to go out simply because they want to avoid the gruesome fate of being assaulted or raped, or worse. Pedestrians mutilated by machete‑wielding robbers. Small children caught in the middle of a gunfight between rival drug gangs. Teachers beheaded by radical fundamentalists. Dear colleagues, dear Prime Minister, this is Europe. And the ugly truth is that these are the victims of the terrible mistakes the politicians in Europe have created. They have betrayed their own people, and they have betrayed those who built Europe. If we continue on the same path, Europe will be no longer.

Mr President, many Finns were tricked into voting in favour of joining the EU. For them, it was sold as a trade union, where prices fall and everything in trade becomes easier. Instead of developing the internal market and a free market economy, you started destroying Europe. You're going to cut off the backbone of our industry, the automotive industry, by banning internal combustion engine cars. Last season, you brought in more than 10,000 new laws, and now Ursula's regulation continues, and you will not withdraw your madness except in advertising terms: Omnibus and Simplification. You demanded green from our companies, and China passed. You didn't close borders, now immigration is stalling wages. It is a common joke in Finland that if you want to see a black man, order food at Wolt. You even managed to create a two-tier labour market. If we want to make it to China and the United States, you should be fired and replaced by people who care about Europe.

Mr President, did you know that half of the illegal immigrants come to Europe from countries with visa-free travel? You are concerned about the rule of law, but the illegality of it is like shoving across our borders. Legislation on immigrants in Europe is full of loopholes. At this rate, we will become a bankrupt caliphate. We have opened our gates to international migration, after which our suburbs have become enough for the Third World, where Sharia law prevails. Stabbings, gunmen and bombs are no longer exceptional, but have become the main news of every day in European capitals. I'm sorry for my conservatism, but I want to go back to the old days. The era of open-door politics is over. The tightening of immigration policy is not about curling up inside, as the left claims. It's about stopping the life-threatening experiment.

Mr President, help! Today, here, at the highest decision-making level in Europe, is the reading (direct quote): "The importance of EU policies in the design of the European Sport Model." Why do we take the time to do this? And look at this content. The report on this subject contains many beautiful words about equality, but not a single word about the fact that men's participation in women's series should be clearly prevented. Instead, the text, among other things, calls on the Commission and the Member States to guide sport towards "environmental responsibility and adaptation to climate change". Environmental education through sport is also mentioned. But now let's hear the EU machine: Member States do not need the EU to explain where a hockey bat is to be made or how a village club tournament is to be organised. Throughout history, European sport has been at the forefront of the world, so let's let it continue its success story and not start squabbling at EU level.

Madam President, the recent news of GPS jamming along our eastern borders is extremely alarming, but it is not a surprise. The recent suspected targeting of the aircraft of the President of the Commission demonstrates that Putin does not care who is on the receiving end. While Russia has been conducting its barbaric war in Ukraine, hybrid operations have also been detected across Europe. Anyone can be a target, and the message is clear: we must be prepared for every possible scenario. It is imperative that we work together with our allies to guarantee safe passage for both civilian and military air traffic. Failure to do so could have catastrophic consequences, and I urge Europe to act decisively.

Mr President, shouldn't this house respect democracy? When the season began, other party groups first isolated a large number of nationalist MEPs from the decision-making process. It is a trampling of democracy. Tomorrow, in this same Chamber, we will be voting on a paper on the European elections, which, when I read it, raised my hair again. This motion for a resolution of the European Parliament states: The European Parliament is very concerned about the rise and electoral success of anti-systemic and openly anti-EU parties in the 2024 elections. I understand that a left-wing politician would make such comments, but now we are talking about the text of the entire European Parliament. Ladies and gentlemen, if there is support for EU-critical, nationalist or immigration-critical parties, it is democracy. Closing them out of decision-making is not democracy.

Mr President, private messages are often used to share our deepest emotions, both of happiness and despair. In a democracy, it is absolutely necessary that they stay private and thanks to encryption, this is actually possible. Over the course of the summer, hundreds of concerned citizens contacted me saying that they are afraid of losing this privacy because of chat control and they are absolutely correct. Chat control would push us towards the systems of authoritarian regimes, towards systems where citizens know that they live in a surveillance state that can monitor them. Those who support this initiative are directly responsible for the destruction of our democracy. I will never accept this kind of legislation and I will stand against any proposal that would take our continent to this dark path.

Mr President, the internet is a wonderful invention. It allows everyone to communicate and share ideas. Even those who live under authoritarian regimes have the chance to use it to fight for democracy in their countries. This is why freedom of expression on the internet must be protected so that this can continue. The EU promotes this in its words, but it doesn't act accordingly. Calling for an open internet, where fundamental freedoms and human rights must be protected, is hypocritical while censorship laws like the Digital Services Act exist. We are seeing a worrying trend in Europe and the UK, where laws are used to silence opinions that are deemed politically incorrect. This must stop.

Mr President, public procurement accounts for up to 14% of the total size of the economies of EU countries. It is a huge number, and therefore it matters how public procurement is carried out. Inefficiencies, fraud and excessive bureaucracy – billions of dollars will ultimately be paid out of taxpayers’ purses. I can honestly say that there was a lot of good in this paper on public procurement: making things more efficient and standing on the side of European companies. What I want to remind all EU decision-makers is that the EU must not trample on the land of the Member States in the future, not even in public procurement. If, for example, we in Finland decide that we do not want to emphasise the climate impact of procurement up to green madness in public procurement, it is our right. That is how it has been, and that is how it must continue to be.

Mr President, if you thought that the time for gold-plating was over, you were wrong. May I present the following proposal from the Commission: the end-of-life vehicle regulation. They want scrap cars from corners to recycling, and they want to build more new cars from recycled materials. The Commission seems to want to whip the European car industry, which is already suffering in the wind, but at the same time threatens to smash the wheel of thousands and thousands of European car enthusiasts. Do we really want to give the faceless bureaucrats in Brussels the power to decide what kind of cars Europeans will be allowed to drive in the future? And do we really want to give them the power to decide what the word "scrap car" even means? For people who have barely changed their car oil in their lifetime? They don't recognize the debris from the treasure. So let's leave that job to the amateurs.

Madam President, if we are serious about European competitiveness, we must look in the mirror. The problem is not a lack of capital, but a suffocating web of EU micromanagement and EU federalism. Every new layer of reporting, every new 'sustainability' checkbox, drives the companies away from Europe. As we argue about paperwork, investments flow to the United States and Asia where businesses can actually breathe. Look at the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive: companies were given thousands of pages of obligations, costing them billions of euros per year. Is this competitiveness? Or is it self-sabotage? Commission: stop creating endless directives. Start tearing them down, and let Europe thrive again.