What Ingeborg spoke about.

9

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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Urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, it is not that long ago that we negotiated a resolution for just transition for Syria. I continue to be hopeful, and we should give trust to the transitional government to create connections among citizens and groups and create a peaceful, democratic society – hence the conditional lifting of the sanctions, as well as diplomatic conversations with the t…

9

Jul

2025

NL Speech

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Democratic Republic of the Congo-Rwanda peace deal agreement (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the peace deal between Congo and Rwanda will hopefully lead to a reduction in fighting in the DRC, where thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands more have fled. These fights really have to stop. Within the peace deal, there is room for plans to trade Congolese minerals, possibly with the US as an investor. These mines would b…

9

Jul

2025

NL Speech

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EU-US trade negotiations (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, yesterday the deadline for the trade agreement with the EU was postponed to 1 August. Procrastination indicates that there is hope for a deal. These additional negotiations are important to come out together. If this indicates one thing, it is that we as Europe must stand on our own feet as soon as possible. The U.S. can't live without us, and we c…

18

Jun

2025

NL Speech

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Dissolution of political parties and the crackdown on the opposition in Mali

Mr President, the security situation in Mali is seriously deteriorating. The fighting between Malian authorities, rebels and jihadists is intensifying. It identifies gross violations of human rights. All opposition parties and opponents of the regime are eliminated. Democratic elections seem further away than ever. Political rights must be restored and elections must be called. Russia has used thi…

18

Jun

2025

NL Speech

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Rise in violence and the deepening humanitarian crisis in South Sudan (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, being kidnapped, abused and left for dead... This is the story of many child soldiers in Sudan. In the hope of avenging the death of a family member or getting some food, they end up with armed groups. Once inside, they are used as sex objects or human shields or are armed as soldiers. All of these children have been damaged for the rest of their lives. The human rights…

18

Jun

2025

EN Speech

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Upcoming NATO summit on 24-26 June 2025 (debate)

Madam President, I am proud the Netherlands will host the NATO summit in The Hague. It comes at a time when we need to commit ourselves to a growth path of the postponed 3.5 %, and an additional 1.5 % defence spending at NATO. We cannot continue to hide ourselves behind Trump's back for our security. Without further increase of our security budget we cannot expect ourselves to be able to defend ou…

17

Jun

2025

NL Speech

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European Ocean Pact (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, our ocean is the blue lung of our planet. Oceans give us more than 50% of our oxygen and take a quarter of our CO2 op. These oceans contribute to biodiversity, food and energy security and the climate. The ocean pact must be more than fine words. The sea gives us so much, it is only right that we deal with it responsibly. Less pollution, less illegal activities and more…

16

Jun

2025

NL Speech

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The human cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the urgent need to end Russian aggression: the situation of illegally detained civilians and prisoners of war, and the continued bombing of civilians (debate)

Mr President, the damage of war goes far beyond buildings, beyond infrastructure. The real scars are in people. Men, women and children in Ukraine are victims of unimaginable violence: rape, imprisonment, torture, kidnapping. They are men, women and children who want nothing but to live in peace. They see their futures being shredded away. Yet, in the midst of all this horror, we must not forget t…

21

May

2025

NL Speech

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Amending Regulation (EU) 2023/956 as regards simplifying and strengthening the carbon border adjustment mechanism (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, this report is a wonderful example of how climate policy and industrial strengthening can go hand in hand. With this simplification of the CBAM, we are taking an important step towards a system that is simpler, fairer and more innovative. This significantly reduces the administrative burden for our companies. 91% of companies will no longer have to…

7

May

2025

NL Speech

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Return of Ukrainian children forcibly transferred and deported by Russia

Mr President, Commissioner, imagine: You are less than ten years old and in the middle of the night you are taken out of bed. Not because you're being taken to safety, not because help is on the way, but because you're being kidnapped. Far from home, far from your parents, far from anything familiar. To the country that dropped bombs on your village, to the country that killed your parents. This i…

7

May

2025

NL Speech

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EU support for a just, sustainable and comprehensive peace in Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, under pressure from Trump, Ukraine has already had to make substantial concessions to maintain the support of the United States. A commodity deal in exchange for a sense of security, but without real guarantees, that's what it comes down to. There is no quick road to peace with Russia, but we will have to continue to work towards a just peace deal for Ukraine. Giving up…

6

May

2025

NL Speech

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The European Water Resilience Strategy (debate)

Mr President, if someone is very rich, we say in the Netherlands: He or she has money like water. Is it because we have so much water? Or because clean water is becoming increasingly rare? Is clean water in Europe still there for the happy few Or for everyone? Climate change is increasingly causing problems with our water: Too much, too little, too polluted. It is a growing problem, from Greece to…

6

May

2025

NL Speech

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A unified EU response to unjustified US trade measures and global trade opportunities for the EU (debate)

Mr President, since Trump's installation, the terms "import tax" and "trade tariff" have never been more popular. His protectionism and unpredictable policies have sharpened the global economy. The United States under Trump is no longer the stable partner that Europe was used to. We have to be honest: Trump is unpredictable and will remain so. Its tariff policy has no deterrent effect, but has now…

1

Apr

2025

NL Speech

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Targeted attacks against Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – defending religious freedom and security (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the humanitarian crisis in the Congo continues. In less than three months, more than one hundred thousand Congolese have fled to their neighbours due to the ongoing violence. The shelters where people lived were completely destroyed. Humanitarian aid is limited, also due to the lack of funding. There is a silent disaster. Conflict minerals, such as coltan, are s…

11

Mar

2025

NL Speech

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

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the fall of Assad offers hope to many Syrians whom I speak. It is difficult to trust the new de facto government, also given the history and the escalating violence of last weekend. We must realise that stability in Syria increases stability throughout the region. You want Syrians themselves to be ready for reconstruction. This requires space, oppo…

11

Feb

2025

NL Speech

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Escalation of violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, a city of more than a million people is being invaded and set on fire. Men are murdered, women are raped and children are forced into soldiers. Most people have never heard of this city. It is the tragic fate of the people of Goma, a city in Congo, on the border with Uganda and Rwanda. And this is the harsh reality of the situation in Congo. Russia would have supported …

11

Feb

2025

NL Speech

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Wider comprehensive EU-Middle East Strategy (debate)

President, Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria: The Middle East is upside down. War, conflict, tension. This threatens the lives of millions of people. All these terrible images affect us as human beings, while the consequences affect us as a society as a whole. Are you for one or against the other? In Europe, too, people are diametrically opposed to each other. And as if it's no…

22

Jan

2025

NL Speech

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Failure of the negotiations in Busan for a UN plastic treaty and the urgent need to tackle plastic pollution at international and Union level (debate)

Mr President, in Italy a sperm whale washes up with 20 kilograms of plastic in its stomach, including shopping bags, fishing nets and lighters. Every year we also receive thousands of microplastics through our drinking water and food. Plastic pollution harms the health of people and nature. The UN summit in Busan, South Korea, should have delivered a groundbreaking international treaty against mic…

21

Jan

2025

NL Speech

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Geopolitical and economic implications for the transatlantic relations under the new Trump administration (debate)

Mr President, the arrival of Trump creates a debate about how we should deal with America. After the inauguration, Trump's first pile of decrees has already been signed. These have international implications, such as withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, withdrawal from the WHO and the review of trade with Europe. These are developments that I am seriously concerned about. On the other hand…

17

Dec

2024

NL Speech

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Russia’s disinformation and historical falsification to justify its war of aggression against Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the anti-EU and anti-Ukrainian propaganda machine is running at full speed in Russia to justify the war in Ukraine. Putin is doing everything he can to break Ukraine's morale. Ukraine should not exist. It would not be a legitimate country. However, the truth is different: 92% of Ukrainians wanted to become independent. 92% of Ukrainians also do not…

17

Dec

2024

NL Speech

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Use of rape as weapon of war, in particular in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, what if rape in a conflict is normal and you have no way of arming yourself against it? Moreover, if you become a victim, you can't tell about your pain and sadness either. If you do, you run the risk of being rejected, of being excluded from your own community. This is what happens to girls and women in Congo and Sudan. Girls, children, they are s…

17

Dec

2024

NL Speech

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Toppling of the Syrian regime, its geopolitical implications and the humanitarian situation in the region (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, we cannot imagine the atrocities that have taken place in Syria. More than fifty years of dictatorship and a heavily traumatized country remains, which is still very divided. The minority has ruled the majority for years. This brings with it a lot of uncertainty and unpredictability. We do not know how the new regime will develop, but we must be ho…

16

Dec

2024

NL Speech

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Right to clean drinking water in the EU (debate)

Mr President, you turn on your tap in the morning and brown water comes out. Access to clean drinking water is a fundamental right. Yet polluted drinking water is the reality for more than 14 million Europeans. Bottled water is not always available, is not sustainable and is often expensive. You would think that in a water-rich country like the Netherlands we do not know this problem. However, not…

27

Nov

2024

NL Speech

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

Mr President, Commissioner, a smoke-free generation in 2040, that is what we are going for. But it doesn't happen by itself. And we know: see smoking, do smoking – see vaping, do vaping. This resolution, as part of the Beating Cancer Plan, helps us to achieve that smoke-free generation. And as a former alderman in the Netherlands, I have introduced stricter measures, such as this one, and have see…

27

Nov

2024

NL Speech

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The increasing and systematic repression of women in Iran

Mr President, beaten up, tortured and even raped, purely because you take off your headscarf as a 14-year-old girl. That is the reality for girls in Iran if they are arrested by the morality police. Since the protests two years ago and the death of Mahsa Amini, the situation for women and protesters has only worsened. In Iran, as a woman, you are a second-class citizen. Don't want to wear a hijab?…