What Lukas spoke about.

17

Jun

2025

Speeches EN

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Situation in the Middle East (joint debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, I am speechless, and you all know this almost never happens. I am speechless that so many seem eager to pick sides between a corrupt prime minister wanted by the International Criminal Court of Justice, and an Islamist ayatollah who kills young women for not wearing a hijab. I am speechless that some deliver weapons to an army guilty of countless war crimes, while others tolerate a terrorist group that murders anyone daring to challenge their rule over rubble. I am speechless that, faced with this unbearable human tragedy, the leaders of the world have nothing more to offer than the same tired talking points I heard as a teenager. I am speechless. And that, dear colleagues, tells you everything.

17

Jun

2025

Speeches EN

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EU framework conditions for competitive, efficient and sustainable public transport services at all levels (debate)

Mr President, dear people of Europe, I would like to touch on two things. One colleague said he likes the smell of petrol like a normal man. To this, I would just advise to not spend too much time next to the exhaustion of a car. Another colleague said that he wants to regulate public transport there where it happens. Therefore, I think that means – not at the EU level. I would advise this colleague to think how he travels from his home country to Strasbourg or from his home country to Brussels. We use trains, and also even a plane can be public transport at some point. I think there is a huge interest in cross-border transport in the European Union. So, when someone asks, where does public transport happen? It happens Europe‑wide. Mr President, I would also like to use this opportunity to apologise because in the last Plenary, I had a misunderstanding within the Rules of Procedure.

17

Jun

2025

Speeches DE

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2023 and 2024 reports on Moldova (debate)

Mr President, dear people of Europe! Mr Sell is afraid of Moldova joining the European Union. He is afraid of Moldova's faltering economy. As if we were admitting countries to the EU in order to take immediate advantage of it in the short term and not to build freedom, prosperity and the rule of law together in the long term. He is afraid of corruption in Moldova – here I can recommend him to look into his own party. He asks what the added value is for our people. Quite simply: That we lead together on this European continent, that we work together with all the peoples of Europe on the future of this Union, on a common path that will be better for all of us than what we have had in the past.

17

Jun

2025

Speeches DE

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2023 and 2024 reports on Montenegro (debate)

Mr President, dear people of Europe! Mr Valet has just presented Montenegro's accession as a risk, as if it were only corruption, drug trafficking and Chinese influence. I think that's cynical. If you read the progress reports, you will see that Montenegro is making real progress – not perfect, but honest – and that gives me hope. I belong to the first generation that only the European Union knows, and I want us to move forward together with all the peoples of Europe in peace, democracy and dignity. Extension is not a security risk; It is a pan-European responsibility.

17

Jun

2025

Questions EN

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Implementation report on the Recovery and Resilience Facility (debate)

Dear colleague, I was just wondering, as you said that there was no debate about this before, and then you said that now there is no oversight afterwards. In light of the fact that we speak exactly about these topics, about these funds in this European Parliament, the only directly-elected institution of the European Union, before and, now, also after, and you have the freedom to outline all your criticism – if that is not a democratic debate, in your opinion what is a democratic debate?

17

Jun

2025

Questions MT

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European Ocean Pact (debate)

Thank you very much Sir colleague, you as a child of an island, born surrounded by the sea. I would like to ask: what can we do more, beyond the current proposals?

17

Jun

2025

Speeches DE

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Combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child sexual abuse material and replacing Council Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA (recast) (debate)

Madam President, dear people of Europe! In my hometown Bergisch Gladbach there was a serious child abuse case a few years ago. For years, the perpetrator had commercially distributed terabytes of child pornography material, making his own daughter the main victim. What slowed down the reconnaissance? German federalism, but also the fragmentation of competences between the Member States of the European Union in the digital space. That is why I say, yes, European harmonisation of child protection means a transfer of responsibilities, but one that protects lives, ensures that perpetrators can no longer escape through the gaps in the federal and national thickets and that the protection of children no longer stops at the state border. If an offender thinks European, then so must we.

17

Jun

2025

Speeches EN

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Combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child sexual abuse material and replacing Council Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA (recast) (debate)

Madam President, I am basing my point of order – as so often before – on Rule 10(4) of the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament prohibiting hate speech. In this debate, in the speeches of our colleagues Susanna Ceccardi, Mary Khan or even Zsuzsanna Borvendég, we have seen rhetoric that automatically puts the mere existence or the knowledge of people of the LGBTQ+ community as a danger to children. We can, of course, have a debate about the point in the life of a child where it should get knowledge about sexuality, but phrasing the mere existence of a group as a danger to children – this is hate speech. Madam Vice-President, we have seen this in this Parliament over and over again, and I think there was a reason why Rule 10(4) explicitly mentions hate speech. So I ask the Bureau to step up against this, because I'm sick of hearing this talking point – that so clearly goes against our values – over and over again.

16

Jun

2025

Speeches EN

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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)

Madam President, dear people of Europe, three weeks ago, our colleague Fidias Panayiotou said in an interview that we just don't know how many of the abducted Ukrainian children actually like living in Russia now. As if a child taken from home, torn from their families, reprogrammed to forget who they are, could ever be happy. This is how far Russia's propaganda has reached, how it turns even Members of this House into willing or unwitting pawns. But I have bad news for Putin: he may lead some into the dark, but never Europe as a whole. We are free. We stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. Slava Ukraini!

16

Jun

2025

Speeches DE

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State of play and follow-up two years after the PEGA recommendations and the illegal use of spyware (debate)

Mr President, dear people of Europe! In the GDR, a suspicion was enough and the Stasi listened. Today it only takes a few clicks and Pegasus infiltrates the mobile phone of a journalist, a human rights activist, a member of parliament – including in EU countries. But what is almost as dangerous as this software is who decides who gets it – a single company. A company that does business with authoritarian governments, evades any democratic control, and has built a business model out of fear. Such companies do not sell software, they sell access to thoughts, to life, to strategies of people who are committed to freedom. They do this with a price list, but without transparency, without ethics, without remorse. If Europe allows it, we will soon no longer be monitored in spite of democracy, but because of it. Democracy needs protection, not espionage software, and not a free market for surveillance.

22

May

2025

Speeches DE

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Choose Europe for Science (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. I am very grateful to you for this debate, which has once again brought to my mind what the difference is between politicians and scientists. I think Choose Europe for Science This is a very important initiative, but it does not sufficiently address the real objective we are pursuing. Everyone knows that at the end of the day it is about the introduction of a fifth fundamental freedom: Freedom of Science. But this should be explicitly mentioned in this program. We should be able to create visions for the future with our freedom of science, and not just regulate the now in a fragmented way. The same goes for the smaller. It is right and important to specify the details of the recognition of research qualifications and the facilitation of visas. But we look too little at those who are not yet researchers, namely those who are currently in school. We need school subjects that are harmonised across Europe, such as digital literacy and media, so that those who can conduct excellent research in Europe in the future have all the necessary skills to do so.

8

May

2025

Speeches IT

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Old challenges and new commercial practices in the internal market (B10-0246/2025)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, dear peoples of Europe, the single market is one of the best things in the European Union, but the market must be fair to all. Today there are new challenges: digital platforms, unfair practices, unclear rules. This resolution is important. It serves to help small businesses, to protect consumers and to have a well-functioning market. A modern market must also be transparent and open to everyone, not just the big ones.

8

May

2025

Speeches ES

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The role of gas storage for securing gas supplies ahead of the winter season (A10-0079/2025 - Borys Budka)

Madam President, dear peoples of Europe, winter in Europe can be hard: Families need heat, businesses need safe energy. We need clear rules on stored gas because energy is part of social and economic security. Yes, the future is clean and renewable energy, but today we need practical solutions to protect people when it's cold and to avoid crises. More rules is not more bureaucracy, it's more security for everyone. As we change the energy system, we need stability.

8

May

2025

Speeches EN

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Ninth report on economic and social cohesion (A10-0066/2025 - Jacek Protas)

Madam President, dear people of Europe, cohesion is not charity. It is a political promise that no region, no person is left behind. This report reminds us that the gaps between European regions are still real in innovation, in jobs, in future prospects, and that's not acceptable. We need a cohesion policy that matches the challenges of our time, green transition, digital transition and demographic change. That means simpler access to EU funds, stronger roles for local and regional actors, and long-term thinking, not just emergency response. Because when we invest in cohesion, we don't just invest in roads or statistics. We invest in dignity, in democracy and in equal chances all across Europe.

8

May

2025

Speeches EN

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

Madam President, my personal statement will be quite short. I hope the colleague over there listens. I just want to tell you that I am, in fact, in psychological treatment, because you can go to therapy here in Parliament for free. I think, in this toxic work environment, with the long hours that we have, it's good for everyone. So, go to the medical service, go to therapy like I do. Highly recommended.

8

May

2025

Speeches DE

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

Madam President, dear people of Europe, Commissioner! I thank you and all my colleagues here for the important work. Finally, I would like once again to shed light on two aspects that have also been raised: One is education, and the other is psychological care, which can become relevant in the environment of diseases. We have just seen a shining example in the speech by Mr Mazurek, who obviously did not have the courage to carry out an important vaccination because of a lack of information, and was then forced to stay at home for a long time, torn from social life and to this day has visibly suffered serious after-effects. I think we all need to work together to give people in Europe the health they deserve, because health is something that concerns us all.

8

May

2025

Speeches EN

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Old challenges and new commercial practices in the internal market (debate)

Mr President, dear people of Europe, I always thought that we are actually fully united, until I moved to Belgium, because I became a Member of the European Parliament. And therefore the first time of my life I experienced the situation that you live in another country where you do not speak the language. So every time I get the invoice for my electricity, for my water, I have a big problem. I cannot read it, and I missed several of the payments already because I was not able to read the invoice. The internal market has several core components, and one of those core components is the freedom of mobility. But how are you free to move around to seek a home in a different part of Europe when there you cannot speak the language. So we need to motivate the Member States of the European Union to impose laws to actually give the right to communication to those Europeans who choose to live in another European country.

8

May

2025

Questions DE

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Old challenges and new commercial practices in the internal market (debate)

Thank you, Madame, for accepting the blue card. My question would be whether you also count yourself as part of this EU elite, as a Member of the European Parliament.

8

May

2025

Speeches DE

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80 years after the end of World War II - freedom, democracy and security as the heritage of Europe (debate)

Mr President, dear people of Europe! We Germans know our history. We know the crimes of our people under the National Socialists. And that's why we sometimes have a human but dangerous habit: We tell ourselves that our ancestors did not participate, did not know anything. We tell ourselves that we fought in the resistance. But the truth is: Most of the German families had members in the SS, and most of us would have been there. Look at me. My ancestors lived exclusively in Germany. I volunteered for military service after school. I love my country, my language, my culture. If I, Lukas Sieper, had been born 100 years ago, I probably would have believed the propaganda. I probably would have been another soldier in Hitler's armies. We are always just an election away from a dictatorship. "Never again" is not a reminder. "Never again" is now.

7

May

2025

Speeches DE

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Democratic legitimacy and the Commission’s continued authorisation of genetically modified organisms despite Parliament’s objections (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner! You are about to give a speech, and in this speech you will tell us a great deal about the importance of dialogue with Parliament and the Commission as a whole. They will talk about how much we need these genetically modified products to maintain our agriculture. You will tell us a lot about all these things. I bet you're not going to talk about one thing, and that's how your behaviour is giving a boost to the populists and extremists in this Parliament. It's really easy for those forces that want to destroy our democracy to go out there and tell people that the Commission is fooling them if you act like that. Why are you doing this? Why are you ignoring this Parliament's repeated expression of opinion? Why are you giving water to the mills of populism? If you could lose a word or two on this, I would be really interested.

7

May

2025

Speeches EN

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Violations of religious freedom in Tibet

With all due respect, colleague, I didn't misunderstand you wilfully. So I think if it's now being said that I wilfully misinterpreted him, that's also something about me that's wrong. Maybe my English is not good enough, but that's what you said for me. I meant you no harm, no disrespect. I hope you can just take to your heart what I said.

7

May

2025

Speeches EN

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Violations of religious freedom in Tibet

Madam President, dear colleagues, I would hereby say that I really support this motion, but I'm a little bit surprised about what my colleague Mr McNamara just said. You got the circle at the end a little bit better, but freedom of religion is not a Western idea. Freedom of religion is not something there are multiple opinions about, that you have to have a dialogue about. The oldest proof of religion is 100 000 years old. Even before humans were humans in the modern sense, they believed in something. They had religious practices. And every single death, every single act of violence, every single persecution since then because of religion was wrong. So that's something that is not negotiable, where we do not need to understand the other side. That is something where we have to be steadfast in every situation.

7

May

2025

Speeches EN

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Return of Ukrainian children forcibly transferred and deported by Russia

Madam President, this is 'To the mothers and fathers': 'They tore the children from the light and vanished them into the night; No final hug, no last goodbye, just silence where a mother cried; They took them far to foreign lands, with stranger words and strangers' hands; They cut their hair, they changed their names, and fed them guilt and fed them shame; But truth does not forget its home and blood remembers where its from; Though uniforms may hide the face, a beating heart won't lose its place; These children stolen, scared, alone, still carry Ukraine in their bones; They are not his, they won't be his – no matter what the tyrant does; Because beneath the ashen pain, the love of home will still remain.'

7

May

2025

Speeches EN

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Arrest and risk of execution of Tundu Lissu, Chair of Chadema, the main opposition party in Tanzania

Madam President, dear people of Europe, when I was a small child, I had a window to Tanzania. My father was there and helped the people with Magicians Without Borders and treated Tanzanians in the bush. He came home not with photos but with a way older technique, showing me the joyful people of Tanzania, their culture, the love that they have for each other. Tanzania itself has been an island of peace, of stability, compared to the region around it. But now Tundu Lissu, the opposition leader, is put in jail. He faces a death sentence. And that's always wrong. So with all my heart I support this urgency and thank the authors for their important work.

7

May

2025

Speeches EN

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The fine against TikTok and the need to strengthen the protection of citizens’ rights on social media platforms (debate)

Madam President, why exactly are we letting the Chinese keep TikTok? A fine is good. A fine is right. But why exactly do we give them access to our youth, access to our population in a way where they clearly misuse it? And don't get me wrong, I am normally not the guy who wants big enterprises to be taken away by the state. But if this enterprise, this platform is such openly misused to poison our democracy that the wifi of this Parliament even needs to block it, that the majority of the Members of this Parliament even decides to ignore this platform, even though there are millions and millions of citizens using it, then why do we let the communist regime of China that puts Uyghurs in concentration camps keep this platform? Take it away. Force them to give European TikTok to Europe.