What Laurent spoke about.

8

Jul

2026

FR Speech

Watch

EU’s response and preparedness to protect people against recurring heatwaves and upcoming wildfires (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, in the face of heat waves, air conditioning is not a luxury, it is a public health issue. Since 2017, nearly 40,000 French people have died from the consequences of heat. However, only 24% of homes are air-conditioned, compared to more than 50% in Italy. When temperatures are soaring, schools, hospitals and nursing homes need to be effectively p…

17

Jun

2026

FR Question

Watch

Protecting children’s safety and mental health from the risks posed by social media – our duty to act now (debate)

21

May

2026

FR Speech

Watch

The Union’s preparedness for and response to health emergencies: the case of the MV Hondius and the hantavirus warning (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, Hantavirus reminds us that health crises are no longer exceptional events, but long-lasting challenges for which nations – our nations – must prepare. I want to salute the commitment of carers, researchers and health authorities mobilized all over Europe to protect our fellow citizens. But we must also learn from the past. The COVID-19 crisis ha…

28

Apr

2026

FR Speech

Watch

World Day for Safety and Health at Work (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, on this World Day for Safety and Health at Work, a reality remains. On burn-out, Europe remains in the dark. No harmonised definition. No recognition as an occupational disease. This void is no longer acceptable. Burnout in France costs nearly €15,000 per employee per year. Above all, it breaks lives. Clearly defining burn-out on a scientific basis means prot…

25

Mar

2026

FR Speech

Watch

Implementation of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD) and risks to the security of supply of medicines (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, not all treatments are always beneficial for the health of Europeans. The treatment of micropollutants in wastewater is now a worrying example. Yes, we must act and we all agree here that we must act. However, to impose up to 100% of the cost on the pharmaceutical industry, especially on generics, is in my opinion a fault. Can …

12

Mar

2026

FR Speech

Watch

Ban on the sale of nitrous oxide to the general public (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, there are issues on which we no longer have the right to simply observe, alert and then wait. Nitrous oxide is one of those. Behind what some continue to call, with a lightness that has become unbearable, hilarious gas, there is no amusement, no carelessness, no banality. There are dramas, there are broken lives, there are exte…

12

Mar

2026

FR Speech

Watch

Prevention and treatment of obesity (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to make a formal request here: let us make 2027 the European year for combating obesity. One in six adults is already affected by obesity in the European Union, and the prevalence will only increase in the coming decades if we do nothing. To treat obesity is to treat diabetes. To treat obesity is to act against cardiovas…

9

Feb

2026

FR Answer

Watch

World Cancer Day (debate)

9

Feb

2026

FR Speech

Watch

World Cancer Day (debate)

16

Dec

2025

FR Speech

Watch

Presentation of the EU Cardiovascular Health Plan (debate)

9

Oct

2025

FR Speech

Watch

Public health risks in a Europe affected by global warming: tackling the spread of mosquito- and tick-borne diseases (vote)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, a health alert has just been triggered in the Alpes-Maritimes, in Antibes, in Nice, my city. More than 300 cases of chikungunya have been recorded. A tropical virus that is no longer tropical. The tiger mosquito is now settling in Europe in a sustainable way. Chikungunya causes intense, often disabling joint pain, fever, rashes, headaches and so…

9

Oct

2025

FR Speech

Watch

World Mental Health Day - addressing the socio-economic factors (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, mental health is one of the great challenges of our century. One in six people in Europe suffer, often in silence, sometimes in shame. But this suffering is not equal, it unfortunately follows the social gradient. Precariousness, loneliness, loss of meaning at work strike above all the most modest. Too often, this distress leads to addictions – alcohol, tobacco,…

11

Sep

2025

FR Speech

Watch

European strategy for addressing Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, in France more than one million people suffer from Alzheimer's disease; In Europe, 9 million people are living with this horrible disease. Behind these numbers, there are lives turned upside down, families devastated, a future that worries us all. The rapid aging of our societies makes urgency evident. If we do not act, the burden will become unsus…

8

May

2025

FR Speech

Watch

EU action on treating and preventing diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular neurological diseases and measles (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, everyone is talking about prevention, but too few are implementing it. Why? Because its effects take time and too many elected officials prefer immediate results. Yet this is where it all starts: living better, decongesting hospitals, reducing costs. 1 euro invested in prevention is up to 6 euros in savings. To warn is to see far. If some states…

3

Apr

2025

FR Speech

Watch

European Action Plan on Rare Diseases (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, curing a rare disease is not enough. Too often, those who survived still face one final obstacle: that of the eyes of banks, insurers and society. I say it with emotion: as a surgeon, I accompanied children with rare cancers. I have seen their courage, their struggle, their resilience, but I have seen all too often that, even when they are cured, t…

11

Mar

2025

FR Speech

Watch

The need for EU support towards a just transition and reconstruction in Syria (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, men, women and children shot dead at close range because they are Christians or Alawites: barbarism once again marks Syria with its imprint. The European Union must not be naive. Let us not forget that President al-Charaa fought in the ranks of the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda. Wearing a tie does not wash the blood of innocent people. The EU must have no diffic…

27

Nov

2024

FR Speech

Watch

Recommendation on smoke- and aerosol-free environments (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, eight million people die in the world every year, 75 000 in France, the equivalent of cities like La Rochelle or Cannes, which are wiped off the map every year. This is the tragic death toll of smoking, the leading cause of preventable cancers. Yes, it is our duty to fight tobacco by helping those who smoke to get out and preventing new consumers f…

22

Oct

2024

FR Speech

Watch

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, by attacking Israel on 8 October 2023, Hezbollah was guilty of a war that plunged the Lebanese people into turmoil. Israel’s security is not negotiable, nor is Lebanon’s. As Chair of the Delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries, I wish to express my deep concern. The recent attacks on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which have…

9

Oct

2024

FR Speech

Watch

Urgent need to revise the Medical Devices Regulation (debate)

Madam President, Madam Vice-President of the European Commission, ladies and gentlemen, the regulation on medical devices, known as MDR, although aimed at increasing safety, imposes disproportionate burdens on small and medium-sized enterprises, so disproportionate that almost 50% of manufacturers would consider moving to other markets, in particular the US market. The result is sometimes dramatic…

18

Sep

2024

FR Speech

Watch

EU response to the Mpox outbreak and the need for continuous action (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, it has been said that the risk of an mpox epidemic in the European Union is low. While vigilance and preparedness for the virus are paramount, let us not worry our populations unnecessarily. For its most dangerous variant, all cases have been reported in African countries, with the exception of one in Thailand and another in Sweden more than a mont…