Speeches

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.

Mr President, what makes Europe? Is it a blooming Union, civil servants and their thousands of offices in Brussels? No, Europe is made by its peoples. Concerns about the preservation of small cultures, languages and traditions are fully justified, but their preservation cannot depend on federal money. It depends on successful states that are able to take care of peoples, cultures and traditions. EU cohesion funding is now moving in the right direction. The money will be increased, for example, for defence and support for areas along the eastern border. However, the Cohesion Fund must not be a bottomless shampoo. There is another way to support the preservation of European cultures: a stricter immigration policy, the prevention of the spread of Islamist culture and an end to federal development. Effective means that do not require any new EU funds.

Mr President, the EU's common agricultural policy should focus on making our vital food production more profitable. But what is the EU's priority in the texts? Is it food security or farmers' livelihoods? Well no, it's a "green deal": harnessing the agricultural sector as a tool for ideological climate action. The texts drawn up by the Commission cannot be read beyond a couple of sentences until the promised glorifications of the green transition jump to the eye. The demands of green development are not in the interests of the farmer. They are a burden, and this burden not only falls on farmers, but also on every European ankle in the form of reduced access to food and rising prices. The future post-2027 agricultural policy must set priorities. Let the tubers and livestock grow and keep the green frost away from European fields.

You talk beautifully about promoting the anti-corruption law, but at the same time I understand that your group is going to give its support tomorrow to Ursula von der Leyen, who has made transactions worth EUR 35 billion in text messages, and the court has decided that she must publish these text messages. He won't do it. Do you still think that, despite this, you are prepared to give him your support and that this is not a "big issue" for you?

You talk beautifully about promoting the anti-corruption law, but at the same time I understand that your group is going to give its support tomorrow to Ursula von der Leyen, who has made transactions worth EUR 35 billion in text messages, and the court has decided that she must publish these text messages. He won't do it. Do you still think that, despite this, you are prepared to give him your support and that this is not a "big issue" for you?

Mr President, proper stockpiling of food, water and supplies is essential for Europe. But before the Commission constructs yet another bureaucratic burden for the Member States, I first urge you to look at Finland. In Finland, with our long border with Russia, preparedness has never been an option. It has been a necessity. In a crisis, we can rely on what is close at hand. This is why preparedness and stockpiling must happen effectively at national, regional and even personal level. While EU coordination in security measures is not a bad thing, this must be underlined: preparedness starts from national level actions. Because when the water cut-off hits your home and your taps run dry, you don't wait for the EU's bucket to arrive. You pour a glass from your own reserve canister.

Mr President, proper stockpiling of food, water and supplies is essential for Europe. But before the Commission constructs yet another bureaucratic burden for the Member States, I first urge you to look at Finland. In Finland, with our long border with Russia, preparedness has never been an option. It has been a necessity. In a crisis, we can rely on what is close at hand. This is why preparedness and stockpiling must happen effectively at national, regional and even personal level. While EU coordination in security measures is not a bad thing, this must be underlined: preparedness starts from national level actions. Because when the water cut-off hits your home and your taps run dry, you don't wait for the EU's bucket to arrive. You pour a glass from your own reserve canister.

Mr President, Europe must be prepared for many threats. There is a great danger lurking in the east, our southern border is under migratory pressure from its connections, and our internal security is constantly being tested. Our resilience is at stake if we do not invest enough in it. But who's going to bet and what's going on is another question. At the moment, Finns pay, in addition to their own national defence, for the management of forest fires and floods across Europe, for example. The wages of the reserved country have therefore remained to be taken care of also by those who have not taken preparedness as seriously. Don't worry, I will always say yes to preparedness, but the fact that we are collectively prepared for major threats doesn't mean that we are collectively prepared for every single threat. The EU is a community of prepared countries, not a supranational fire brigade and a cash machine.

Mr President, Europe must be prepared for many threats. There is a great danger lurking in the east, our southern border is under migratory pressure from its connections, and our internal security is constantly being tested. Our resilience is at stake if we do not invest enough in it. But who's going to bet and what's going on is another question. At the moment, Finns pay, in addition to their own national defence, for the management of forest fires and floods across Europe, for example. The wages of the reserved country have therefore remained to be taken care of also by those who have not taken preparedness as seriously. Don't worry, I will always say yes to preparedness, but the fact that we are collectively prepared for major threats doesn't mean that we are collectively prepared for every single threat. The EU is a community of prepared countries, not a supranational fire brigade and a cash machine.

Mr President, even an imperfect deal is better than no deal at all. What do we have to gain by not fully trying to uphold the transatlantic partnership? The US Government has made it clear that being bystanders and free riders is not an option. This includes not only defence, but also economy. How can we ever reach a zero-tariff agreement if we are not ready to work for it? Europe is eyeing a critical choice: where to go to replace Russian energy and Chinese imports? Make no mistake: if the problem lies in the East, then the solution must be found in the West. We have an opportunity to make the Atlantic the most prosperous economic zone of our time. So let’s not throw this chance away just for petty political battles.

Mr President, even an imperfect deal is better than no deal at all. What do we have to gain by not fully trying to uphold the transatlantic partnership? The US Government has made it clear that being bystanders and free riders is not an option. This includes not only defence, but also economy. How can we ever reach a zero-tariff agreement if we are not ready to work for it? Europe is eyeing a critical choice: where to go to replace Russian energy and Chinese imports? Make no mistake: if the problem lies in the East, then the solution must be found in the West. We have an opportunity to make the Atlantic the most prosperous economic zone of our time. So let’s not throw this chance away just for petty political battles.

Madam President, the European Council has chosen words over courage. Conclusions of the European Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East dangerously ignores the very cause of that tragedy. Hamas – a terrorist group – that refuses to release innocent civilians whose only 'crime' in the eyes of Hamas is being Israeli. Where is the outrage over Hamas storing weapons under hospitals, or using children as human shields? It is deeply disappointing that the message of European leaders to Israel is about lifting blockades in Gaza rather than fighting terrorism that makes blockades necessary in the first place. Peace will never come from pressuring the only democracy in the region to lay down its weapons while its enemies are arming themselves. The European leaders forgot this once again, unfortunately.

Madam President, once a promising candidate for EU integration, Georgia is now on its way to a terrible direction. Democracy, human rights and the rule of law – the fundamental principles of the European Union. These are exactly the ones that are in alarming decline in Georgia currently. Georgia's EU integration cannot come to question now – not at the cost of our common values. However, the responsibility now lies in the hands of Georgian leaders who are betraying their own people. The fraudulent parliamentary elections, brutal repression by the authorities towards their own people and taking their country to a Russian-inspired path are proofs of this. The Georgian people have repeatedly shown their commitment to European future. While we are tough against the Georgian Government, the Georgian people we must not abandon.

Madam President, free speech must remain the bedrock of any democratic society, including those aspiring to join our Union. But we must also recognise the clear and present danger of foreign interference. In North Macedonia, coordinated malign influence campaigns by hostile third countries are actively undermining trust towards institutions, polarising society and targeting electoral integrity. This is strategic manipulation. North Macedonia must continue to bolster their cybersecurity, strengthening media literacy and building public resilience. By defending truth and transparency, North Macedonia would not only help their people, but the whole European security.

Madam president, Russia's aggressive interference in the Western Balkans, especially its direct support for Milorad Dodik and secessionist forces in Republika Srpska, is a calculated attack on European unity. The Kremlin's goal is clear: to destabilise Bosnia and Herzegovina through Dodik, fracture the region and undermine the EU's influence. Dodik's frequent meetings with Vladimir Putin, coupled with the adoption of anti-constitutional laws, are not isolated events – they are a hybrid campaign targeting our collective security. We must respond with strength. The EU cannot turn a blind eye to the Trojan horse of Russian intelligence on European soil. Peace, sovereignty and democracy in the Balkans are not negotiable – they are the bottom line of European values. We need to be stronger to block Russian influence.

Madam President, what would a better version of the Middle East look like? Hezbollah that is a shadow of itself. The Assad regime gone. Iran severely weakened. This is already a reality. For the first time in a long time, there is genuine hope. What else we would need for a better future for the Middle East is the end of Hamas. The EU must be careful to not undermine this goal. Israel is aiming for peace through strength. We cannot be pushing for a Palestinian state until the terrorist entity is removed from power. Recognising a Palestinian state now would be an endorsement of terror. The intentions might be good, but the result will be catastrophic. Instead, we must demand that Hamas disarms, releases the hostages and surrenders.