What Yannis spoke about.

14

Nov

2024

EL Speech

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Enhancing Europe’s civilian and defence preparedness and readiness (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the report on strengthening civil and military preparedness comes at a time when our world is becoming even more unpredictable and more dangerous. We are in a constant sequence of geopolitical, economic and environmental crises, with the consequences of the climate crisis becoming more and more powerful, more and more frequent. We should be prepared so that w…

13

Nov

2024

EL Speech

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EU-US relations in light of the outcome of the US presidential elections (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the re-election of Donald Trump is bound to have a decisive impact on international political relations. If his first term in the White House is a foretaste of his second, then we should prepare for a Euro-Atlantic relationship that will probably not be at all calm. Contempt for international law and multilateral organisations – such as the United Nations, re…

22

Oct

2024

EL Speech

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Situation in Azerbaijan, violation of human rights and international law and relations with Armenia (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, in a few days Azerbaijan will host COP 29, the World Climate Change Conference. However, the Aliyev regime, instead of complying with its obligations, continues to violate both international law and human rights. Over 300 journalists, human rights defenders, academics and even protesters are imprisoned in inhumane conditions, without access to health services, l…

22

Oct

2024

EL Speech

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Urgent need for a ceasefire in Lebanon and for safeguarding the UNIFIL mission in light of the recent attacks (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, more than 42 000 people, mostly women and children, have died in Gaza. In Lebanon 2 500 people have been killed, 1.2 million have been forced to flee their homes, even seeking refuge in Syria. The problems are so great that the Lebanese government has asked for the assistance of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to address the increased medical needs due to t…

8

Oct

2024

EL Speech

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Escalation of violence in the Middle East and the situation in Lebanon (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, a year after the horrific terrorist attacks by Hamas, the risk of a generalised war in the Middle East is growing. The Netanyahu government's intention to change the reality of regional security, rather than closing fronts, opens up new ones and makes the wider region less safe for all. We all want a secure Israel, but constant escalation is not the solution.…

7

Oct

2024

EL Speech

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One year after the 7 October terrorist attacks by Hamas (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, a year ago we all woke up in a nightmare. News of Hamas' abhorrent terrorist attack in southern Israel has made its way around the world. More than 1,180 people from Israel and many other nationalities have died. More than 250 were kidnapped, including 30 children. The condemnation of this terrorist attack, without "yes but", but also without asterisks, is se…

17

Sep

2024

EL Speech

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War in the Gaza Strip and the situation in the Middle-East (debate)

Madam President, the news we receive every day from Gaza is unfortunately dramatic. Almost a year after Hamas' horrific terrorist attacks in Israel, the call for an immediate ceasefire and the return of all hostages to their homes is a necessary condition to stop the humanitarian catastrophe currently occurring. The civilian population of Gaza is the victim of both Hamas and Netanyahu's government…

17

Sep

2024

EL Speech

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State of the Energy union (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, I would like to raise the issue of increased energy prices and the phenomenon of energy poverty. We all see the significant problems of high energy prices in households and industrial consumers, where energy prices are up to six times higher than in the United States. In 2023, there continued to be an increase in households that cannot adequately heat their home. I am d…

17

Sep

2024

EL Speech

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Continued financial and military support to Ukraine by EU Member States (debate)

Mr President, it has been 937 days since Russia invaded Ukraine, starting a war of aggression aimed at occupying a country and changing borders by force. An act of aggression that violates every notion of international law. Our steadfast and unwavering solidarity with Ukraine – by providing humanitarian aid but also the necessary military equipment to effectively defend its borders and independenc…