What Fernand spoke about.

21

Jan

2025

FR Speech

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Need to enforce the Digital Services Act to protect democracy on social media platforms including against foreign interference and biased algorithms (debate)

Madam President, we must defend democracy and fundamental rights. On the one hand, the European Commission censors and interferes in democratic elections, on the other hand, there are those who defend freedom of expression and the integrity of elections. The DSA needs to be fundamentally reformed. The best response to disinformation is not censorship, but freedom of expression. US Professor Michae…

18

Dec

2024

FR Speech

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Restoring the EU’s competitive edge – the need for an impact assessment on the Green Deal policies (topical debate)

Mr President, Europe has lost its competitiveness and its power of attraction. Its inability to innovate and overburdened bureaucracy combined with rising energy prices – largely due to sanctions against Russia – are the major causes. But the climate policy of our Union, this unrealistic ideology, this madness that Europe can save the world by ruining its economy, in a word this Green Deal is the …

17

Dec

2024

FR Speech

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Misinformation and disinformation on social media platforms, such as TikTok, and related risks to the integrity of elections in Europe (debate)

Mr President, the events in Romania are very worrying. On the pretext of possible foreign interference through TikTok, democratic elections were cancelled with the agreement of the Commission and in violation of the Romanian Constitution. However, interference via TikTok has not yet been established, while at the same time there has been a lot of Western political interference in the Romanian elec…

28

Nov

2024

FR Speech

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Resumption of the sitting

Madam President, my speech relates to Rules 174 and 210 of our Rules of Procedure. On 21 October, I tried to make a statement in Luxembourgish in this Parliament. I was immediately interrupted and invited to speak in English. I would therefore like to inform my fellow Members that, as a result of this, I have proposed to amend two articles of our Rules of Procedure to allow the use of the Luxembou…

26

Nov

2024

FR Speech

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2025 budgetary procedure: Joint text (debate)

25

Nov

2024

FR Speech

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The outcome of the G20 Leaders' Summit (debate)

Madam President, the final declaration of the G20 in Rio de Janeiro testifies to the impressive decrease in the diplomatic influence of the West on world affairs. Some passages, such as, in particular, the one on Ukraine or the one on the Middle East, show that, among the countries that represent the most important part of the world economy, the American and European theses on these wars are not a…

14

Nov

2024

FR Speech

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

Madam President, according to our treaties, the European Union is not intended to become a military alliance. Without the revision of the Treaties ratified by the Member States, the militarisation of our Union violates our legal bases. The introduction of a defence commissioner testifies to the will to create accomplished facts without consulting national parliaments or listening to the will of th…

23

Oct

2024

FR Speech

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Presentation of the Court of Auditors' annual report 2023 (debate)

Mr President, the Court of Auditors plays an important role in the institutional architecture of the Union. It must therefore have all the necessary means to be able to carry out its tasks – its reports, which are factual, are therefore highly interesting. It is all the more important that the Court of Auditors remains a politically neutral forum for analysis and does not succumb to the temptation…

21

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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One-minute speeches (Rule 179)

I will then make a short summary. I think, Mr President, that Luxembourg should have status in this Parliament in the same way as all other languages also. I wish that my language should not be discriminated against by this Parliament. And I would like to remind you, Mr President, that Luxembourgish has also been a founding language of the European Union. Robert Schuman, Konrad Adenauer and Joseph…

21

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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One-minute speeches (Rule 179)

Mr President, I respectfully request the same right for the people of Luxembourg as for everybody else in this Parliament, and I would kindly request you to let me speak in Luxembourgish.

21

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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One-minute speeches (Rule 179)

(The speaker spoke in a non-official language)

10

Oct

2024

FR Answer

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The rise of religious intolerance in Europe (continuation of debate)

Excuse me, my dear colleague, I do not know your name, but do not feel offended by that, please. First of all, I would like to tell you that, even in a context of war, I believe that freedom of religion must be ensured. It is religion that gives people hope and also offers a moral dimension, which must be respected in any war, perhaps even more than in other circumstances. Secondly, as far as Ukra…

10

Oct

2024

FR Speech

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The rise of religious intolerance in Europe (continuation of debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, it is regrettable that intolerance towards religions is on the rise. Even in Europe, Christians are persecuted and Christian churches are burned and desecrated. In Ukraine, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate, has just been banned. Due in part to massive illegal immigration, anti-Semitism is once again becoming a danger to Jewish co…

9

Oct

2024

FR Speech

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Presentation of the programme of activities of the Hungarian Presidency (debate)

Madam President, the Hungarian Presidency had already been criticised even before it began on 1 July, including in this Parliament. Prime Minister Orbán was then vilified for his efforts and initiatives to facilitate a negotiated peace for the Ukrainian conflict. Personally, I can only congratulate him for this courage. We need dialogue with all the belligerents to end this war as quickly as possi…

17

Sep

2024

FR Speech

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

Madam President, in this conflict the European Union has never tried to define a policy that corresponds to its own geostrategic interests. Instead of developing a capacity for analysis and autonomous action, it has poured into an absolute follow-up with the United States and the United Kingdom. Our Union will soon have to question its own responsibilities in the genesis and continued deterioratio…

16

Sep

2024

FR Speech

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Need to prevent security threats like the Solingen attack through addressing illegal migration and effective return (debate)

Mr President, those who have warned us since 2015 of the risks of illegal and uncontrolled mass immigration were entirely right. Such immigration creates, among many other problems, imminent security risks. Today, therefore, we reiterate our call: The many attacks on the lives and property of peaceful European citizens must stop. Those who do not enjoy the right of asylum or international protecti…

17

Jul

2024

FR Speech

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The need for the EU's continuous support for Ukraine (B10-0007/2024)

Madam President, the reality on the ground shows that Ukraine will not be able to win the war against Russia. Why then do a policy of prolonging suffering and waging war until the last Ukrainian? I support the mediation efforts of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. I note that, according to a dispatch from AFP yesterday, even President Zelensky believes that Russia must be represented at the n…