What Sakis spoke about.

9

Jul

2026

EL Speech

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Evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy and follow-up (debate)

Madam President, last week, and more specifically on Sunday, I met with representatives of fishermen in Agios Rentis, Attica. They asked me to convey to you – both to the European Commission and to you personally – their voice and anguish; I think you know her pretty well. They talked to me about the high cost of fuel, the ageing fleet, the suffocating bureaucracy, the difficulty for young people …

8

Jul

2026

EL Speech

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Harnessing the potential of a competitive and sustainable EU Bioeconomy Strategy for EU strategic autonomy (debate)

Mr President, the European bioeconomy can of course be an important tool for Europe's green transition, innovation, industrial competitiveness and strategic autonomy. But we have to be very clear: Bioeconomy cannot become a new form of pressure on land, forests, water and biodiversity in general. It is not enough to replace fossil materials with biological resources if this leads to overexploitati…

7

Jul

2026

EL Speech

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EU-Mexico (joint debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, the Strategic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Mexico is certainly an important step towards stronger, democratic and resilient cooperation at a time of very great geopolitical upheavals. But it is not enough to just talk about more trade. Trade must be accompanied by strong guarantees on human rights, environmental protection, labour rights and t…

18

Jun

2026

EL Speech

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Circularity requirements for vehicle design and management of end-of-life vehicles (debate)

17

Jun

2026

EL Speech

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Electrification Action Plan (debate)

Madam President, electromobility, renewable energy and the decarbonisation of the economy cannot go ahead without strong, modern and resilient electricity grids. Today, however, in many parts of Europe the grids remain old and inadequate, while in Greece, especially during heatwaves and strong winds, the power grids are often associated with the occurrence of destructive and deadly forest fires. T…

15

Jun

2026

EL Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

12

Mar

2026

EL Speech

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Rail transport safety in the EU – lessons learnt from the Adamuz accident and three years after the Tempi tragedy (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, today we are discussing the safety of rail transport in Europe and the lessons to be learned from the tragic accidents. For us Greeks, this topic has only one name: It's Tempi. It has been heard many times: Three years ago, 57 people, mostly young people, died in an accident that should never have happened. Two trains on the …

11

Mar

2026

EL Speech

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Package travel and linked travel arrangements: make the protection of travellers more effective and simplify and clarify certain aspects (debate)

12

Feb

2026

EL Speech

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Cooperation among enforcement authorities regarding unfair trading practices in the agri-food supply chain (debate)

10

Feb

2026

EL Speech

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Extreme weather events in particular in Portugal, southern Italy, Malta and Greece: European response in strengthening readiness, preparedness and solidarity mechanisms (debate)

9

Feb

2026

EL Speech

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Amending Regulations on agricultural products as regards market rules and sectoral support measures in the wine sector and for aromatised wine products (debate)

21

Jan

2026

EL Speech

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Conviction and imminent sentencing of Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, in Hong Kong a 78-year-old publisher is about to be sentenced to life imprisonment for defending freedom of speech. Jimmy Lai has already spent more than five years in custody, much of it in solitary confinement, in conditions that endanger his life. His conviction under the so-called national security law is not justice, it is repression. This case marks ano…

16

Dec

2025

EL Speech

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Condemnation of the terrorist attack against the Hanukkah celebrations in Sydney and solidarity with the victims and their families (debate)

27

Nov

2025

EL Answer

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Outcome of the UN Climate Change Conference - Belém (COP30) (debate)

27

Nov

2025

EL Speech

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Outcome of the UN Climate Change Conference - Belém (COP30) (debate)

27

Nov

2025

EL Speech

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Development of an industry for sustainable aviation and maritime fuel in Europe (debate)

26

Nov

2025

EL Speech

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Fishing opportunities 2026: ensuring the sustainability of fish populations, marine ecosystems and coastal communities

22

Oct

2025

EL Speech

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Ending all energy imports from Russia to the EU and closing loopholes through third countries (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Europe cannot really talk about sanctions and at the same time tolerate loopholes. That's as far as I'm concerned. The end of any import of energy from Russia must be complete and non-negotiable. No more detours through third countries. Every euro paid for Russian energy fuels this war in Ukraine and turns against our own security. We need strict control mechani…

22

Oct

2025

EL Speech

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UN Climate Change Conference 2025 in Belém, Brazil (COP30) (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, in Brazil it will be a global test of Europe's credibility. Unfortunately, some have already failed here in Europe. The far right and its allies do not believe, they say, in climate change. You don't believe in climate change, but you don't believe because you don't believe in science. You don't believe in the green transition. You believe in short-term polit…

22

Oct

2025

EL Speech

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First anniversary of the DANA floods in Spain: improving EU preparedness (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, today, a year after the deadly floods, as has been said in Spain today, we remember the victims and consider our responsibility: to finally make Europe more ready, more resilient, more humane. DANA (the barometric low) showed us that delay in warning kills. If there had been an early warning system then, and I say this with pleasure, such as the new Civil Pro…

8

Oct

2025

EL Speech

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10th anniversary of the detention of jailed Swedish publisher Gui Minhai in China

Madam President, ten years ago Gui Minhai, a European citizen but also a Swedish publisher, was kidnapped in Thailand and illegally handed over to the Chinese authorities. He has since been arbitrarily detained, without transparent judicial process and without access to his family or independent doctors. His case, of course, is not isolated. It highlights a worrying pattern of restrictions on free…

11

Sep

2025

EL Speech

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Summer of heatwaves in the EU: addressing the causes and providing adequate housing and health policies to address record-breaking temperatures (debate)

Mr President, after 25 years of continuous and long-term preoccupation with weather forecasting on public and private television in Greece, I have still not stopped being negatively surprised by the rise in temperatures in recent years. This summer was indeed the hottest in modern history, with millions of people across Europe facing temperatures that threaten their health and lives. In Greece we …

10

Sep

2025

EL Speech

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China’s unjustified decision to impose duties on imports of pork products from the EU and the need to support European farmers and workers (debate)

Mr President, China's decision, we have heard today too many times to impose high tariffs on European pork, is really unfair. But let's look at the other side. These tariffs didn't come out of nowhere. I would say that it is also the result of the choices made by the Commission and Mrs von der Leyen which have opened a vicious circle of trade conflicts without a plan and without a practical strate…

9

Jul

2025

EL Speech

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EU Preparedness Union in light of the upcoming wildfire and droughts season (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, every summer the flames return and with them the embarrassment, the inadequacy and the same cheap excuses. Europe is already counting burnt areas and we are close to the middle of summer. The Commission is talking about a Readiness Union, but what is this readiness when rescEU is left without a permanent fleet and with resources that are not even sufficient for the e…

17

Jun

2025

EL Speech

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European Ocean Pact (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, the sea may not have a voice, but for those who live it – like me from Northern Greece – it starts shouting and, indeed, very loudly. It shouts through the nets that come out empty, from the fishing boats that rot on land, from the coastal communities that depopulate. Fishermen are now leaving the sea, young people are leaving – most of them at least. They are not le…