What Sebastian spoke about.

7 Jul

2025

FI Speech

From institution to inclusion: an EU action plan for deinstitutionalisation, family- and community-based care (debate)

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Mr President, the European Commission has once again had the impulse to intervene in the sovereign decision-making of the Member States, this time in the organisation of care services – the activities that the States themselves know best and know how to organise. This issue should not even be discussed here in the House of Representatives of the European Union. These discussions should take place …

7 Jul

2025

EN Speech

Product safety and regulatory compliance in e-commerce and non-EU imports (debate)

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Mr President, Europe cannot afford to be China's dumping ground. Last year, over 4.6 billion low-value parcels arrived in the EU – mostly from China – often unchecked, unsafe and unnecessary. This is twice the number compared to the year before; three times the amount of the year before that. This growth speed is shocking. We're not just importing products; we are importing dependence. And the pro…

7 Jul

2025

FI Speech

Financial activities of the European Investment Bank – annual report 2024 (debate)

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Mr President, financing development cooperation, acting as the EU's climate bank and all sorts of secondary targets. Is this what Europeans want from their European Investment Bank when the focus should be on these issues: defense, defense and defense. Are we really still so stuck in the green fantasies of over five years ago that we can't see what's going on around us? Our defence industry is des…

7 Jul

2025

EN Speech

Commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide

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Madam President, distinguished colleagues, 30 years ago, Europe witnessed some of the darkest days in its modern history. The people of Srebrenica were subjected to unimaginable horrors by soldiers of the Bosnian Serb army, who engaged in systematic execution of civilians. Over 8 000 men and young boys were killed. After all the violence, rape and killing, even more souls were shattered forever. T…

19 Jun

2025

FI Speech

Clean Industrial Deal (B10-0277/2025)

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Mr President, today we had a long list of amendments to the Clean Industrial Deal resolution to vote on and I was disappointed. I would have expected this to have been much more ambitious for the benefit of industry and for the return of industry to Europe. Last year we talked about the Green Deal. It was noticed that it went a bit in the wrong direction, especially from the point of view of indus…

19 Jun

2025

FI Speech

Electricity grids: the backbone of the EU energy system (A10-0091/2025 - Anna Stürgkh)

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Mr President, well-functioning electricity grids keep Europe safe. Without them, our security of supply and resilience would collapse. Cross-border electricity distribution also plays an important role here. However, this is always the responsibility of the Member States themselves – Member States that are even able to deliver with exemplary splendor. According to Fingrid's statistics, the reliabi…

19 Jun

2025

FI Speech

Protecting bees: advancing the EU's New Deal for Pollinators (debate)

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Mr President, access to food is one of the pillars of security that Europe must also awaken to. The EU’s common agricultural policy has a budget of almost €400 billion for 2021-2027. However, the EU has been plagued by a disease called green ideology. The focus is on everything that meets the hallmarks of ideological greening, including in the vital agricultural sector – at the expense of food pro…

19 Jun

2025

FI Speech

Institutional and political implications of the EU enlargement process and global challenges (debate)

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Mr President, the security of Europe is under serious threat: China is strengthening and taking over the world, Russia is cutting up new territories for itself, and in the Middle East the blocks are being rebuilt. There is a cold race for power in the world. In the midst of all this, we Europeans must look at our neighbourhood with new eyes. Russia is waiting in the water language for our neighbou…

18 Jun

2025

EN Speech

Rise in violence and the deepening humanitarian crisis in South Sudan (debate)

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Madam President, the further escalation of violence in South Sudan has plunged the country even deeper into a devastating humanitarian crisis. Civilians are experiencing the full force of intensified clashes, leading to mass displacement, food insecurity and even a cholera outbreak. South Sudan is already scarred with past civil wars. We do not want this young country to face another one. We must …

18 Jun

2025

FI Speech

Electricity grids: the backbone of the EU energy system (debate)

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Mr President, European countries must invest in the functioning of electricity networks. Access to electricity is a prerequisite for virtually everything from households to productive economies and for the security of the continent as a whole. The EU's motion for a resolution on electricity grids also contains good points, but, once again, unnecessary rhetoric has been inserted between the lines o…

18 Jun

2025

EN Speech

Safeguarding the rule of law in Spain, ensuring an independent and autonomous prosecutor's office to fight crime and corruption (debate)

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Mr President, it has been extremely disturbing to learn about the serious accusations of corruption and abuse of power on behalf of the leftist government in Spain. It is disgraceful that these kinds of acts still take place in Member states. Such actions should have no place in a democratic society. They pose a serious threat to the rule of law and undermine the legitimacy of democratic instituti…

18 Jun

2025

EN Speech

Freedom of assembly in Hungary and the need for the Commission to act (debate)

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Mr President, I am a conservative man, and that image Green MEP showed does not make me gay, I already am, but I cannot endorse everything that pride in the Western world has started to promote, including the idea that children should be taught they might be in the wrong body and that we should support the mutilation of their genitals. Insanity. I have chosen the conservatives because they have no…

18 Jun

2025

EN Speech

Stopping the genocide in Gaza: time for EU sanctions (topical debate)

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Madam President, if we dare to look at the facts, we will see that it's not Israel committing genocide. Let me be clear. Hamas, which launched a massacre on 7 October, is a jihadist death cult that is dedicated to erasing every Jew from the river to the sea. That is a genocidal agenda. And what did Israel do? It defended itself – as any democracy must. It is ironic how parts of this Parliament cry…

18 Jun

2025

EN Speech

Upcoming NATO summit on 24-26 June 2025 (debate)

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Madam President, for decades, NATO has guaranteed peace, security and stability on our continent. However, in today's world, raising our defence spending is more critical than ever. Europe has underinvested in its defence for far too long – we can't speak of autonomy, deterrence or a stronger NATO unless we are willing to pay for it. We must be ready to face it: NATO's 2 % of GDP target for defenc…

17 Jun

2025

EN Speech

Assassination attempt on Senator Miguel Uribe and the threat to the democratic process and peace in Colombia (debate)

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Mr President, democracy and safety from political violence are not self‑evident. They are the results of hard work, blood, sweat and tears. Still, the work is far from over. The recent assassination attempt of senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe in Bogota paints a horrifying picture of the democratic state of Colombia. In Colombia, the criminal networks have grown so large that they ha…

17 Jun

2025

EN Speech

Situation in the Middle East (joint debate)

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Mr President, the world cannot afford a nuclear Iran. A regime that openly sponsors terrorism, destabilises its neighbours, and calls for the destruction of Western democracies cannot be trusted with nuclear capabilities. Only the idea of such a regime with nuclear material – or worse, such a regime giving it to terrorist proxies like Hamas – sounds horrific. Israel's pre-emptive strikes against I…

17 Jun

2025

FI Speech

EU framework conditions for competitive, efficient and sustainable public transport services at all levels (debate)

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Mr President, public transport is a local issue that should not be steered from the European level. For example, it is not possible to move around in Lapland's frosts with the same solutions as in Brussels. Helsinki metro, Turku archipelago traffic or the sparsely populated areas of Kainuu require completely different systems. It is precisely for this reason that citizens choose their municipal de…

17 Jun

2025

FI Speech

Implementation report on the Recovery and Resilience Facility (debate)

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Mr President, anti-racism measures in the EU, 40 kilometres of new cycling routes to Belgium and window renovations in Italy. Among other things, this was offered by the recovery package. Can any of you with a serious face say that this has anything to do with the recovery from COVID-19? But this peak of your scams went through the Europeans, and that's why I'm not surprised that you seem to be tr…

17 Jun

2025

EN Speech

European Ocean Pact (debate)

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Madam President, over 400 poor condition vessels sailing with a heavy oil load, day after day. This is called the Russian 'shadow fleet'. It is a fleet that poses two types of massive security threats. But now it should be crystal clear for all of us that this fleet is funding Putin's expansionist policy and war crimes in Europe. But now, as we discuss the European Ocean Pact, we should not forget…

17 Jun

2025

FI Speech

Combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child sexual abuse material and replacing Council Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA (recast) (debate)

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Mr President, there is a special place in hell for those who harass, abuse and rape children. Many people repeat these crimes time and time again. We talk about monsters among us. Whether online, in the streets or in dark rooms, silk gloves and sensitivity must be thrown into the junkyard when considering penalties. The tighter the line against these criminals, the better. We do not need any new c…

16 Jun

2025

EN Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Mr President, military mobility is an area where the EU can have a crucial role. Without military mobility, Europe's defence capabilities go to waste. Currently, key transport infrastructure across EU territory is not certified for fast and heavy military transport. Bridge weight restrictions, customs formalities and a lack of common standards are key problem areas. For example, moving a single Le…

16 Jun

2025

FI Speech

Strengthening rural areas in the EU through cohesion policy (debate)

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Mr President, for every euro paid, Finland only receives about 20 cents back from the EU. This is the EU's cohesion policy for Finland. Does this make any sense? Whether it is a gigantic recovery package or cohesion funds distributed every year, Finland has a spike open. And other countries are laughing on the way to the bank. It's time to start demanding. I am pleased that the Commission is final…

16 Jun

2025

EN Speech

The human cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the urgent need to end Russian aggression: the situation of illegally detained civilians and prisoners of war, and the continued bombing of civilians (debate)

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Madam President, the recent prisoner exchanges have given us hope. Hope that it is possible to survive horrifying conditions, that many families will get their father, mother, sibling or child back alive. But dear policymakers, I remind you, Putin does not want peace. He wants to destroy the Ukrainian people and state. Russian invaders have kidnapped nearly 20 000 Ukrainian children. These childre…

16 Jun

2025

EN Speech

State of play and follow-up two years after the PEGA recommendations and the illegal use of spyware (debate)

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Mr President, protecting journalism and freedom of speech is a fundamental part of European democracy. It is our job to preserve it. But our democracy is under threat from hostile foreign countries such as Russia. Its agents are conducting hybrid welfare operations to destabilise our daily lives. They are using technology to attack our critical infrastructure and democratic democratic institutions…

16 Jun

2025

EN Speech

Signature of acts adopted in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (Rule 81)

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Madam President, referring to Rule 10(3) of the Rules of Procedure, I would like to bring to your attention to the fact that equal treatment of Members was not upheld during the last plenary session concerning the Israel‑Gaza debate. My ECR colleague Kristoffer Storm had a very small pin removed from his jacket – a pin calling for the release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas who had been tortured an…