What Reinier spoke about.

7

Jul

2026

EN Speech

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2025 Commission report on Ukraine (debate)

Madam President, colleagues, dear Commissioner, the EU is a unique geopolitical force: the only one that doesn't grow through conquest. We grow because countries freely decide to join. Ukraine chooses the EU for its promise of democracy, freedom and dignity. But sometimes this can create a wrong perception. Just because countries aspire to join our Union doesn't mean that we are the only side with…

7

Jul

2026

EN Speech

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Presentation of the Action Plan on Cybersecurity and AI (debate)

Mr President, the industrial revolution was a miracle. We now live longer, work less and live better today than kings did 300 years ago. But before we got here, we had child labour, colonial exploitation and a climate catastrophe we are still living through. The next industrial revolution is already happening. AI could unlock energy efficiency gains, design new cures for diseases, help fight world…

7

Jul

2026

EN Speech

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

Mr. President, Mr. President, the mirror is a good friend's eye. 'A friend's eye is a good mirror'. My eyes see a country a little too fond of selling aluminium to Russia and tax benefits to American tech. But I also see a country committed to peace, the best live music in Europe and a beacon of democracy. Pioneering citizen assemblies and referendums that were thoughtful and representative, inste…

6

Jul

2026

EN Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Mr President, Rutte said it clearly: Russia is not afraid of commitments but of capabilities. But the conversation about Europe's safety is stranded at money, percentages. We never even touched on capabilities, even when the US withdraws bombers, withdraws tankers and withdraws troops. We need a European defence union, but our national leaders can't seem to see beyond their nationalistic noses. Th…

17

Jun

2026

EN Speech

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Preparation of the European Council (joint debate)

Madam President, what's the definition of madness? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. According to that logic, the European Council is insane. Every time a wannabe dictator is finally voted out, another one pops up. And so we're held hostage by 27 national elections and national vetoes. The Council is kind of like the Greek myth of Sisyphus, who pushes a bou…

16

Jun

2026

EN Answer

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Achieving digital sovereignty and resilience for Europe, in light of recent developments affecting access to advanced AI technologies (debate)

Thanks a lot for this question. I think it is possible for Europe to create our own European tech stack and become entirely sovereign. For the first time in decades, there's actually more talented people coming from the US to Europe than there are going from Europe to the US, because Europe is simply a better place to live. Talent is an essential factor in creating our own European tech stack. Tha…

16

Jun

2026

EN Speech

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Achieving digital sovereignty and resilience for Europe, in light of recent developments affecting access to advanced AI technologies (debate)

Mr President, colleagues, in Star Wars, the most powerful machine in the galaxy is called the Death Star. AI may not be the Death Star yet, but it's definitely not a simple digital service anymore. It's infrastructure for our economy, our research and security. So Trump's decision to block our access to Anthropic's most advanced AI models is no surprise. But if Washington can cut us off, it means …

21

May

2026

EN Speech

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European Citizens’ Initiative ‘Stop destroying videogames’ (debate)

Madam President, (The speaker hummed the Super Mario Bros 'Ground Theme' tune) As a young boy 30 years ago, the most important decision for me was Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle. I loved playing Pokemon and wanted to be the very best. 30 years later, if I go to my mum's attic, pull out my old Game Boy and put in some new batteries, boom! Professor Oak is telling me to pick my starter: Charmande…

19

May

2026

EN Speech

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Europe's response to reduced US military deployments in Europe, particularly at its Eastern flank in the light of the latest US decisions (debate)

Madam President, Europe has been blindsided by Trump many times – threatening Greenland, betraying Ukraine. But for once, Trump is just doing what he said he would. The withdrawal of American soldiers from Germany and Poland should not come as a surprise to anyone who has listened to the US in the past years. At this point, I don't even blame Trump. I blame European leaders who are shocked – shock…

19

May

2026

EN Question

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EU governance under pressure – institutional responses to global challenges (debate)

Mr Smith, so you say, actually, that the veto in foreign policy is so important to us. But what successes have we had as Europe on a global stage with our current foreign policy? We are fragmented and weak. So how on earth are we going to have a positive impact on our environment and the world around us, if we stick to this unanimous decision-making in foreign policy?…

19

May

2026

EN Speech

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EU governance under pressure – institutional responses to global challenges (debate)

Mr President, there is a man living in a cave. He has a piece of paper saying this is his cave and that he has sovereignty. But what will he do when people enter his cave and threaten to kick him out? Europeans don't want a sovereign cave. They understand real sovereignty is only achieved when you can actually shape your surroundings. This debate is about the EU's institutional response to global …

19

May

2026

EN Speech

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EU cybersecurity and preparedness in view of advanced AI systems (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, dear Commissioner, the newest AI model from Anthropic, Mythos, is so effective at finding weaknesses in software that they decided to only give access to a few companies from the US. In the wrong hands, it can be used to exploit digital vulnerabilities, like attacking bank accounts or health records at a speed and skill never seen before. Another wake-up call for …

29

Apr

2026

EN Speech

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Danger of normalising relations with Russia, including its participation in major cultural and sports events (debate)

Madam President, it's remarkable that the far left and the far right use the same arguments about inviting Russia to sports and culture events. I will not give arguments but names. Oleksandr Pielieshenko, a European weightlifting champion, died on the frontline on 5 May 2024. Yurii Kerpatenko, a conductor, was murdered by Russian soldiers in 2022. Kateryna Diachenko, a talented gymnast killed in a…

29

Apr

2026

EN Speech

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The need to combat antisemitism and protect Jewish life in Europe, following the recent attacks against the Jewish community in the Netherlands and Belgium (debate)

Madam President, a family closes the curtains, afraid to be seen as they practice their faith. A woman hides her Star of David necklace as she walks down the street. A child sits in a classroom behind bullet-proof glass. This is unacceptable, but it is the sad reality for Jewish people in Europe. After centuries of persecution, Jewish people can walk down Amsterdam's streets full of memorials, but…

28

Apr

2026

EN Speech

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Enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (debate)

Madam President, are we going to AI heaven where we all live like Greek gods served by AI robots, or AI hell where we are ruled by techno‑feudal overlords? Probably neither, but we are witnessing the start of a civilisational shift. The rise of artificial intelligence will shape our economies, our societies, and our future. The question is, will Europe build this future or merely endure it? We can…

25

Mar

2026

EN Speech

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Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 19 March 2026 (debate)

Madam President, colleagues, Trump demands that we follow him into war. International law is ignored again. Groceries are more expensive. Businesses struggle with high energy prices. A tank of gas costs more than ever. And the profits are flowing directly into Putin's pockets. All because of another reckless war the US Government started. That same United States raises tariffs, threatens to invade…

11

Mar

2026

EN Speech

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EUCO and situation in the Middle East (joint debate)

Mr President, on Friday night, the first bombs fell on Iran. The Ayatollah was killed and we held our breath. What happens next? What will we do? Then, President von der Leyen announced that the EU will discuss this on Monday. Two weeks later, we still have not really found our course of action. Spain wants to go left. Germany wants to go right. And while we bicker about if this was a breach of in…

10

Mar

2026

EN Speech

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Tackling barriers to the single market for defence - Flagship European defence projects of common interest

Madam President, a German commander, a Belgian pilot and a Dutch engineer walk into a plane. No, this is not the start of a bad joke, it's what I saw last week at my visit to the Air Mobility Command in Eindhoven. This – multinational cooperation for transport and in-air refuelling – is great. It already works, but with EU leadership it could work even better. That is why I include it in this repo…

9

Mar

2026

EN Speech

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Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission (debate)

Madam President, I couldn't agree more, we need Treaty reform. But then if we reform the Treaties, what should the new Treaty look like?

9

Mar

2026

EN Question

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Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission (debate)

Mr Mandl, thank you for your intervention and for explaining that you envision a strong role for Parliament. This framework agreement contains some good elements that you also pointed out, but they are quite small – still baby steps. If you look further ahead in the future and have a bolder vision with larger steps that you could decide, what would that look like?…

9

Mar

2026

EN Speech

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Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission (debate)

Madam President, colleagues, the European Council has threatened to take the Commission to court because of this agreement – before we even voted on it. That's perhaps the only time I've seen the Council act this fast. War in Iran? Ah, that can wait till Monday! Europeans getting a stronger voice in Brussels? Quick, bring out the lawyers! This agreement gives a little more power to the European Pa…

11

Feb

2026

NL Speech

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Urgent actions to revive EU competitiveness, deepen the EU Single Market and reduce the cost of living - from the Draghi report to reality (debate)

11

Feb

2026

NL Question

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Urgent actions to revive EU competitiveness, deepen the EU Single Market and reduce the cost of living - from the Draghi report to reality (debate)

10

Feb

2026

EN Speech

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European response to the attacks on the Ukrainian energy system causing a humanitarian crisis (debate)

Mr President, apparently, some European leaders were offended by Zelenskyy's comments in Davos. Seriously? What about the following is untrue? 'In Europe, there are endless internal arguments and things left unsaid that stop Europe from uniting and speaking honestly enough to find real solutions. [...] Instead of taking the lead in defending freedom worldwide, especially when America's focus shift…

10

Feb

2026

EN Speech

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European response to the attacks on the Ukrainian energy system causing a humanitarian crisis (debate)

I agree, but another way to help them could be to, for example, protect western Ukrainian skies with European air forces so that Ukraine has more protection and more capacity to focus on the front line and for fighting off the Russians. What do you think about that idea?…