What René spoke about.

Madam President, The UN-led efforts to restart negotiations on the future of Cyprus are an important step. But while the nations involved are engaged in constructive talks, the EU has an unhelpful role to play. This is problematic because there is a lot at stake in the conflict. Cyprus is an external border of the European Union and its protection must be the core task of any European community. A weak stance on this issue threatens not only Greek sovereignty, regional stability, but the security of the whole of Europe and our citizens. And it increases Europe's blackmail potential at a time of increasing migratory pressure from the Third World. Reducing mass immigration outside Europe must be a top priority. That is why Cyprus is so important because illegal migration to the European Union takes place via the green line from north to south and via the sea route from Lebanon. That is why we need a sustainable solution for Cyprus for the benefit of all of us. I would therefore like to make one thing clear: Yes, we want good trade relations with Turkey, but on this issue it is also clear that we are supporting our Greek partners and not leaving them alone.

Madam President, In Germany and Europe, there is everything you need to make our industry successful: Skills, minds, technology and a centuries-old industrial tradition. But despite these strengths, our industry is falling behind. Not because our people would have gotten worse, but because Brussels is always putting new shackles on our economy: Bureaucracy, energy prices, obligations – made by people far away from practice. And now the EU Commission comes up with an action plan for the steel and metals industry. But like any plan of the EU Commission, this will not bring additional freedom, but new forms. No discharge, but new hurdles. We, who demand to fight for a strong economy, therefore demand: Stop walking and get rid of the blockages! CO2‐Border adjustment, Forced Labour Regulation, General Data Protection Regulation, Supply Chain Directive – all this sounds nice and well-intentioned, but steers our companies away from innovation and production towards control, paperwork and bureaucracy. More and more companies are thinking about emigration. Not because they want to, but because they have to. I want Germany and the whole of Europe to be places where industry is happy to invest and grow, where jobs are created in our homeland and not elsewhere. We have the potential, we have the minds, we have the diligence. What we don't have is a good European Commission. Let's finally give our industry the freedom to succeed.

Madam President, We mourn the victims of the war, and we condemn the war of aggression contrary to international law and the war crimes that go along with it. Our eyes must not stop at today. We need a lasting European peace strategy beyond the war in Ukraine. In recent weeks, there has been increasing talk of a major war in four or five years against Russia – a nightmare, because in the age of nuclear weapons, war is the enemy itself. That is why we now need a plan for a lasting future peace order in Europe. Firstly: Many states have reported fake armies to NATO for years – on paper, but not operational. These states need to make their troops reported by 2020 actually operational, but not upgrade beyond that, if Russia is willing in return to also bring its troop strength back to 2020 levels after the end of the Ukraine war. This is how we prevent a spiral of armor. Secondly: Europe must make it clear: No millimeter of an EU member state can be called into question. That is why a demilitarized zone on Russian territory is needed, especially for the protection of the Baltics. And also a clear message to Russia: We will not be pressured, not even by nuclear threats on Russian state television. Thirdly: Russia is in a war economy. It's easy to get into one, and it's hard to get out. Europe needs to show an economic perspective in return for a demilitarised zone: The end of sanctions and the resumption of import-export relations, not as a gift, but as an incentive to get out of the rearmament, also to give Russia the chance to get out of the war economy in the first place and not to be permanently dependent on rearmament to prevent the economic collapse. Negotiating 1,000 hours for free is better than shooting at each other for a minute. We have a duty now to take every diplomatic initiative to secure lasting peace in Europe.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, The European Semester aims to ensure stability in Europe. Indeed, it would be necessary for us to find stability again in Europe, but what you are planning in the European Union, in the European Commission, is the further disempowerment of parliaments, a further suspension of the will of the people. We want austerity to stop happening in Europe. We do not want European parliaments to be further disempowered. We want the will of the people to be fully realized. What we are currently seeing in Europe is: The disempowerment of the peoples themselves is destabilizing. Look at what's happening in Romania: A candidate who is wanted by the people, who is in the lead in all polls, is excluded from the candidacy. Take a look at what is happening in Bulgaria: A referendum on the introduction of the euro will be rejected. Look at what is happening in Germany, where there is discussion about whether a party should be banned, or where a recount of the result of the German Bundestag election is rejected, although a party may be denied entry into the Bundestag there. We must rediscover the will of the people throughout Europe. This ensures stability, not additional centralism by the European Commission.

Madam President, The EU Commission promises a bolder, simpler and faster Union. The Commission even wants to reduce the regulatory burden by 25%. But the announcements speak a different language. Because what sounds good at first is always implemented differently in reality: Maintaining the wrong course of the combustion ban, adherence to more reporting obligations and documentation tasks through climate policy. It would require less bureaucracy. Companies should produce, not fill out forms. Continue with the frightened technology policy, as you can see from the regulations of artificial intelligence and Bitcoin. In Brussels: If it moves, regulate it, if it breathes, tax it. Our companies are struggling with a flood of regulations, while China is subsidizing its industry with billions and the U.S. with the Inflation Reduction Act attract investments from abroad in a targeted manner. However, Europe will only become strong again if the European level concentrates on the core tasks: secure our external borders; promote cooperation between European states in defence and research; Strengthen the Single Market to increase prosperity. That is why I repeat my request from the debate on the Commission. It is necessary to restore the European Union to its core: Fewer skills, fewer tasks, fewer expenses. Better to do the little important thing well than to take care of everything and everyone, but then fail. Less is more! Europe can succeed, but for that we need the courage to become reality and the will not only to make announcements, but actually to act. The European Commission once again fails to recognise this will.

Madam President, Ladies and gentlemen, tariffs are taxes. I believe it is the first time in the history of the European Union that you are resisting higher taxes. But it is indeed true that those who want to harm our companies through higher tariffs abroad – that we must accordingly also defend ourselves in order to protect the interests of our companies. Not because we want to harm U.S. companies, but because we want to persuade the U.S. government not to harm our companies. But the problems we have on world markets are more than just impending tariffs, but the European Union itself is driving companies into losing competitiveness – prohibition policy, regulatory frenzy, reporting obligations, high tax and duty burdens. So anyone who believes that he can only react to the new situation of the world economy with higher tariffs will not do justice to the matter. We need a different, smart economic and trade policy. Businesses need to be relieved. A company has to produce instead of filling out forms. Taxes must be lowered so that these companies have more money to invest. We need a different, interest-based, partnership-based foreign policy that increases our trading partners in the world, rather than an instructive, better-known feminist foreign policy that isolates us in the world. We must also reach out to Donald Trump for cooperation. Ladies and Gentlemen, ...

Mr President! Ladies and gentlemen, our currency must be safe! Because only a stable currency ensures the prosperity of our citizens. A stable currency protects prosperity and purchasing power. It ensures that prices remain predictable, that work pays off and that everyone gets as much or more for their money tomorrow as before. The European Central Bank has a mandate to do just that. For years, however, she has pursued other goals: financing of public debt; intervened in the economic and social policies of nation states during the Troika period; And now she's even doing climate policy. We all feel the consequences: Savings are shrinking, investments are falling. Compatriots and citizens of Europe! We don't need the ECB to experiment with our money. We need reliability! Therefore, a clear course is now needed: The Eurosystem needs to be reformed; the voting weights in the Governing Council must be based on equity participation, Germany has a voice today, as does Malta – this needs to be changed; TARGET2 balances must be balanced annually with values such as gold, bitcoin or tradable securities; no debt policy through the back door, the ECB must not directly or indirectly finance sovereign debt. The ECB's mandate must apply again, and it must be true to the word! A sound monetary policy protects income and wealth, it gives people security, it keeps our economy strong. It needs clear rules and a central bank that adheres to its mandate! President Lagarde is wrong.

Mr President! Ladies and Gentlemen, At this difficult hour, I would like to express my condolences to the families and guarantee and assure them that at this difficult hour we stand with the Swedish people and express our solidarity with them. We would like to be grateful for those who were brave in the first few minutes when police officers went to this school and tried to prevent worse. And, of course, the rescue workers who immediately helped the injured so that there were no more victims. I can only hope that all the backgrounds of this act will be clarified and that potential connoisseurs will also be punished for it, if there are any. I would like to wish Sweden one thing: You have been known for decades for being one of the safest countries on earth, and I hope that Sweden will find its way back. In this sense: All the best to the bereaved, and our solidarity to the Swedish people!

Madam President, In recent years, the state's ability to monitor us citizens has grown worldwide. However, the desire to protect against this surveillance is also growing. This is why cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are experiencing such an upswing. During the coronavirus era, for example, we saw in Canada how unwelcome government critics had their accounts blocked. Some affected persons did not even have the opportunity to pay their rents after these account closures. Cryptocurrencies use encryption technologies to protect our citizens from invasive states. That's good! In addition, we want our money to be safe from government manipulation. More and more money printing by central banks is devaluing money worldwide. The euro has lost more than a third of its purchasing power since 2001. That's why many citizens want a tamper-proof currency. This is also what cryptocurrencies promise. For the rest: When talking about terrorist financing and drug financing being committed through Bitcoin: 90 percent of all terrorist financing still takes place through dollars or euros. We are committed to the sovereignty of our nations, but we are equally committed to the sovereignty of our citizens. We trust them to decide for themselves. That's why we want to continue to allow innovations such as Bitcoin and Co., in such a way that politicians who have no idea about these things do not manipulate them. The new Trump administration is doing it: Do not be afraid of innovation, but seize the opportunities. Openness to technology also in the financial sector.

Madam President, Ladies and Gentlemen, The world is changing. Demographic conditions are shifting towards population growth in Asia and Africa to the detriment of Europe. Europe's knowledge lead in science and technology has also shrunk over the past 30 years, and we have been partially overtaken. In addition: Europe itself is curtailing access to the world's resources, in particular energy, coal, nuclear power and gas, through a moralising foreign policy, through all too easily adopted sanctions. The world is changing, but the establishment, the established political forces, are making politics as always. This is reflected in the lack of economic ambition of the new President of the European Council, Mr Costa. In the invitation letter to his first meeting with the Heads of State and Government on Thursday, the word competitiveness, not even the word economic growth, is not mentioned once. On the agenda, the topic of the economy and innovation and investment location does not matter at all to Europe – at a time when France and Germany are in an economic crisis and growth in the EU is slower than in any other major economic area in the world. The EU establishment has still not understood the dramatic economic situation of Europe and its citizens. Wirtschaftspolitik müsste Chefsache sein! Instead, economic policy is not worth talking about for the heads of state and government on Thursday. That is why it is time for others, for patriotic forces in the governments of Europe; Patriotic governments that focus on the everyday lives of our citizens, not feminist foreign policy. As a reminder: The task of the European Council of the European Union is to provide the necessary impetus for the development of Europe. Let's look into the world, what economic impulses would be necessary. The aim is to create additional competition for farmers in Europe through Mercosur. But then you also have to prepare them for competition and make them competitive by relieving them of bureaucracy and relieving them of bureaucracy in the European Union. Artificial intelligence: There is no company of relevance in the field of artificial intelligence in the European Union, but the EU has already adopted extensive rules on it. Our continent needs freedom and a desire for innovation, not fear of new things. Automotive industry: In the next 50 years, more cars will be sold in the world than in the past 100 years. But the markets are in Latin America, in Africa, in India, and there will be no full electrification strategies there. Here, too, is the clear demand: Put an end to the ban on combustion! Steel industry: The tonne of so-called green steel costs 30 to 40% more than conventionally produced steel. We have to put an end to left-green transformation dreaming. Bitcoin: While the whole world is preparing for a new way forward, there are regulations and regulations from the European Union. Abolish it! MiCA Regulation afuera! You see, a different economic policy would be possible. Instead, the EU establishment continues as it has done so far. Under their leadership, Europe is becoming poorer, more insecure and left behind by the other regions of the world. That's why Europe needs to choose change in 2025 and that's what European citizens can do: For example, in the Czech Republic, by voting for Svoboda, for example in Poland, by voting for Konfederacja in the presidential election, for example in Germany, when voting for alternative for Germany in the Bundestag election.

Madam President, Europe can do more. Europe can do more than this EU Commission intends to do. Europe has the potential to play a leading role in the world – politically, economically and culturally. But in order to tap into this potential for the future, a clear focus on the central tasks of the European level is needed: strengthen the security of external borders, cooperation between European countries in external trade, defence and research, the internal market and competitiveness, thus preserving millions of jobs. Europe will only become strong if it focuses on its core tasks. Instead, the EU is wasting its strength on ideological projects. She takes care of trivialities, while important issues remain. That is why it is necessary to dismantle the European Union – fewer competences, fewer tasks, less spending. But this Commission stands for the opposite. Your program is: Keep it up! More constraints on our industries, more spending on gender and climate policies, more censorship, more centralism. In other words: This EU Commission wants more of everything we reject. And that is why we reject this EU Commission. Europe works when nation states maintain their sovereignty in the areas of cultural, social, immigration and budgetary policies, while working together on security policy, the protection of external borders and the internal market. Our Europe is the Europe of freedom and cooperation; A Europe that lives in the hearts of our citizens, in the fatherlands, not in the corridors of these bureaucrats. That's why we say no. No to this EU Commission, no to Mrs von der Leyen's policy and yes to the sovereignty of our nations in Europe!

Madam President, In recent decades, the European Union has failed to coordinate the security policies of the Member States in such a way as to ensure the highest level of security for our citizens. Whether it's defending airspace, ending mass migration, or protecting our raw material and distribution routes on the world's oceans, everywhere we depend on the structures of the United States of America. In none of these areas are we currently able to defend our security interests on our own. But the EU itself is to blame for this dependence. She invests a lot of money in ideological projects – from gender issues to climate action – she takes care of everything, but she doesn't really care about what's important. It is therefore necessary to dismantle the European Union: Fewer skills, fewer tasks, less spending. The European level should focus on fewer but crucial tasks for all. One of them would be a coordinated defence and security policy at European level. For example, fewer weapons systems – instead of more than 150 in the European Union today, fewer that are compatible across armies. But it must be clear: More security cooperation does not mean the creation of a common European army. It would be a nightmare if EU bureaucrats and Ms von der Leyen were allowed to decide on the deployment of German, French, Polish and other European soldiers. The further away decisions about war and peace are from citizens, the greater the risk of decision-makers going to war carelessly – and nothing is further from normal life, from us citizens, than Ursula von der Leyen. In summary: We say yes to more cooperation on defence and security issues, but a clear no to any fantasy of a European army.

Madam President, Rising energy prices, tougher global competition and increasingly stringent regulations threaten hundreds of thousands of jobs in the steel industry. Germany has the highest wages in the steel industry in the world, and it should remain so. But we also have the highest safety standards and the strictest conservation requirements – and many of these standards are adequate to protect our workers and nature. But one thing is also clear: In addition, we cannot afford the highest energy costs in the world. Germany's industry pays considerably more for energy and especially electricity than industry in other major nations such as the USA or China. This is another reason why thousands of jobs are currently being cut in Duisburg, Salzgitter or Eisenhüttenstadt. The steel industry is being pushed into the existential crisis by the policies of the European Union and the Federal Government in Germany. That's why we need a change of course now. No to the Green Deal, no to the artificial increase in energy prices, yes to modern nuclear power plants and yes to the growing industrial structure and industrial culture in Germany.

Madam President, The single market is one of the greatest achievements of European cooperation. It is a living example of how sovereign nations can collectively achieve their goals by pooling their forces in an important area. The Single Market has stimulated innovation and added prosperity in Europe. But today, unfortunately, we see that the European Union is moving further and further away from these central tasks. Instead of focusing on its few but crucial tasks, such as the internal market, the protection of our common European external borders or the coordination of a pan-European defence community, it is interfering in more and more areas of life in which it actually has nothing to look for. Instead of focusing on cross-border challenges such as trade, competition, innovation or common safety standards, the EU is increasingly becoming a convenience store that takes care of everything from the global climate to gender ideology, but neglects the essentials. This overstretching of EU tasks deters private investors and entrepreneurs, thereby harming the whole of Europe. But any criticism of this development is immediately denounced as anti-European and very quickly put in the corner of the enemies of Europe. In doing so, Europe needs a return to what is really important, and national sovereignty is a prerequisite for functioning European cooperation. That is why we patriots can also be entrusted with the future of Europe, because we have just understood that more is not always better. We want a community of European nation-states that is able to act, that develops the internal market, secures the external borders and protects our continent.

Madam President, In recent years, Hungary has shown time and again through its decisive action that it is ready to take responsibility for itself and for the whole of Europe. Years ago, Mr Orbán was one of the first European heads of government to address the challenges of migration. While many still cheered the mass immigration of 2015, Hungary made its contribution to the protection of Europe's external borders. Also in the Ukraine conflict, Mr Orbán proved that he is ready to move forward. While many rely on the same failed strategy for two and a half years, he strives for diplomacy. Surprisingly, even in Germany, calls for diplomacy are growing louder. It is time to show Viktor Orbán, and thus the entire Hungarian people, the respect they deserve, and you are not showing it here today. It is time to finally engage constructively with this EU Presidency. Maintaining our industry, ensuring the competitiveness of our economies and defending our homeland are at the heart of his programme. Mr Orbán, we support you in this. Prime Minister, let us build together a Europe in which free nation-states work together for the benefit of the whole continent. Let us build a strong Europe with sovereign nation states. I wish you every success in the second half of your Presidency.

Madam President, A year ago, 1,200 people of Jewish faith were victims of a horrific terrorist attack and pogrom. The State of Israel is the promise that people of Jewish faith will never again be defenseless. Therefore, Israel had the right and duty to ensure that such acts would never happen again. The reality of the Middle East conflict remains complex. The Gaza Strip is a region of high population growth. Therefore, many hundreds of thousands of children are growing up, who lost family members in the counterattacks. With each loss of siblings and parents due to the counterattacks, the risk increases that this generation is incited to thoughts of revenge. The Israeli government therefore faces an insoluble dilemma. It has a duty to protect its citizens. But the consequences of the counterattacks can be exploited to sow hatred. Our contribution to peace in Europe must be to refrain from teaching, but at the same time to ensure that no more funding from Europe flows into the terrorist structures of the Middle East.

Madam President, All of Europe longs for peace. There are different views on the path to peace. Once: More and more weapons and sanctions. This strategy has not brought us peace for 874 days. But this strategy has brought the Member States of the European Union closer to war. Initially, 5,000 safety helmets were delivered from Germany. Then battle tanks should bring the turn. Now, missiles are to be delivered that can be aimed at Russia. French President Macron is even calling for troops to be sent to western Ukraine. This strategy has not changed since November 2022. Despite several Ukrainian and Russian offensives, the course of the front in Ukraine is almost the same. The dying continues. Hundreds of thousands of fathers, sons, mothers and daughters have already died. Ladies and gentlemen, whoever expects a different result must do something different than before. If we want peace, we have to change strategy. The time is ripe for peace negotiations. That is why, dear colleagues from Hungary, I am grateful to Prime Minister Orbán for assuming leadership responsibility in Europe. Political leadership in a democratic society means standing up for the right thing, even if there is resistance. Political leadership in a democratic society means not chasing the comfortable and popular, but making the right thing popular. The right thing today is to change strategy and increase pressure to finally start serious peace talks. We support this approach to diplomacy, although this effort is tough and time-consuming. This is what Helmut Schmidt once said: "Better to bargain for 100 hours for free than to shoot for a minute".