Speeches

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, no more free lunch or we will be the dinner. I will continue in Danish. Mr. President! We can no longer take for granted that others will solve our problems. We can no longer depend on others, and we can do it ourselves. Europe has something unique: some of the world's sharpest heads and some of the world's strongest societies. It is our responsibility as politicians to back it up and provide the best opportunities to succeed together, and it requires investment – large investments – in our energy independence, in our competitiveness, in our health and, above all, in security and defence. Because it's all connected. We will only succeed if we take it all in. The European Union must be able to do much more on its own, and with the next budget we have the chance to show that we are ready.

Thank you, Grégory, for accepting this. From time to time, we here in the Parliament have people who don't really respect science and numbers from the insurance industry. But we know that you, as a firefighter, you have been on the ground, you have seen this change. Can you just tell us in a few words what has happened during the last 10-20 years regarding forest fires and extreme events?

I really feel sorry for everything that has happened in your country. Now, your colleague – or our colleague – from ESN stated absolutely no facts in saying that it was not shown in data that climate is actually changing and that these severe weather events are going to increase. Is your group here in the Parliament also going to face up to that fact, or are you only going to talk about the need for money, the need for solidarity between us when the events happen? Are you going to face up to reality?

Mr President, dear colleagues, fellow Europeans, I speak with pride as one of the vice-chairs of the Committee on Public Health. In Europe, no one goes bankrupt because of a cancer diagnosis. In too many places in the world access to care depends on wealth or politics. In Europe, we take care of our people. And yes, despite what some may claim, this also applies to patients in Greenland. The EU has a plan to beat cancer and we are on track in a majority of countries, but we must, of course, do more. Every minute, five people in the EU are diagnosed with cancer. Two die, one of them could be saved. We need thorough actions against tobacco, vapes, ultra-processed foods and harmful consumptions of alcohol. We need much stronger cross-border cooperation in diagnosis, screening and treatment. The EU stands strong. We must become even better, together.

Madam President, dear colleagues, since the amendments for this report were tabled last week, the situation regarding Greenland has changed and is now even more serious. In light of this, I want to move the following oral amendment, on behalf of the Renew Europe Group, to be added after paragraph 34: 'Confirms its full and unwavering solidarity with Greenland as part of the Kingdom of Denmark; denounces the use of unilateral trade threats and economic intimidation against Denmark and other EU Member States as a form of coercion incompatible with international law and the core principles of cooperation between NATO allies; warns against attempts to instrumentalise security concerns in the Arctic to exert territorial or political pressure; fully supports the position of the Kingdom of Denmark, including Greenland, that Greenland is not for sale; stresses that Greenland must not be used as a tool to divide the European Union; calls on the Union to respond firmly, collectively and decisively, and to resist any such actions.'

Mr President, Commissioner, allow me to address our dear American friends. We have fought shoulder to shoulder, defending our shared values of democracy and freedom. The way your current administration treats us makes absolutely no sense and the claims being made are simply not true. Let me give you some facts: Greenlanders are proud, peace-loving people, but the 56 000 people of Greenland are scared. Greenlanders do not want to be Americans. They want to be Greenlanders, part of the Danish Kingdom and close to the European Union. There's not a single Chinese or Russian warship around Greenland as of now. Our defence agreement allows you wide military freedom in Greenland. You once had 10 000 troops in Greenland, today around 150. Denmark is investing more than USD 13 billion in new capabilities in Greenland. In 2026, we trade with people, we do not trade people. We share a responsibility as NATO allies to keep Greenland safe and the Greenlanders respected citizens. So, dear American friends, you have homework to do, and let me end by thanking all the colleagues here for all the great support – bar just a couple. To the rest, thank you so much.

Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, these are indeed turbulent times. Trump is shattering our trade ties and this is a shock also to our security. The task to build Europe's strategic sovereignty in medicines is more urgent than ever, as the stability we've long relied on is gone. Europe must now prepare for a harsher world. Our patients come above all. 'Solidarity' must be our slogan, ensuring equal access to lifesaving medicines for every citizen. This is the European way and our Europe must stand on protection of citizens. Let's say it clearly: the far right seeks to fracture this. They want to dismantle our hard-won environmental protections. It's time to show our citizens who truly stands on their side.

Mr President! You didn't have time to answer my second question, but I can do it on your behalf, because you're obviously smart on mine. You have never voted in favour of aid to Ukraine, and as a Dane and as a European you must deplore this.

Mr. President! Anders, I have two questions for you. The first question is a yes/no question. Was it Russia that was the aggressor and entered Ukraine and remains the aggressor and can stop the war we see in Ukraine by simply withdrawing? My second question is: how many times in this room has Mr Anders Vistisen voted for us to increase aid and support for Ukraine?

I just do not get that answer. I was asking you correctly just now – not back in history – just now: did you see that Russia was starting the war, entering Ukraine with an aggressive warfare? Easy to answer. Yes or no?

Thank you very much for accepting the blue card. I just want to ask you one question: do you see that it was actually Russia who started the war in Ukraine? That is one question. Second question: do you want us to give up one state by state? First Ukraine, then perhaps Hungary, then perhaps some of the Baltic countries? Where does this stop? Where are you going to put your foot down?

Mr President! I am both proud and happy. At a time when the media are talking about a pressured middle and a right-wing turn in the EU, we have managed to gather a broad majority for next year's budget with the responsible and pro-European parties. We can be proud of that. Europe is under pressure from global competitors such as the US and China, the climate is creating new threats, and war is close to our borders. Therefore, it is crucial that we stand united and strengthened in our resilience. With this budget, we have secured investments in defence, energy, education, green transition. A budget that makes Europe more secure, competitive and future-proof. And then it is a great personal victory and joy for me that the EU will continue to invest in health. We are boosting health to strengthen preparedness against pandemics and health crises, research into rare diseases and antibiotic resistance, mental health and develop the digital exchange of patient data. I am sure that many Europeans will benefit from this in the future. Thank you for your cooperation and thank you very much for speaking.

Madam President! You're just peeing! There's nothing wrong! We women all know it. Most women have experienced not being taken seriously when they go to the doctor, and perhaps therefore women are diagnosed on average five years later than men. Women's health is being systematically deprioritised. When it comes to breast cancer, we see the consequences. Every year, 140 000 women are affected in the EU and 30 000 lose their lives. We have to take that seriously. We know how to save lives. Early detection and better screening. It provides faster treatment and it saves lives. That is why I am fighting for the EU to invest massively in research, common screening standards and rapid access to diagnosis. Women's health is not a niche area. That's half of any population. Let us make it a priority and let us work more closely together across the EU.

Thank you very much for taking the blue card. I have a couple of questions. I spent 30 years in the insurance industry, and I saw these events piling up. I acknowledge the fact that you want to help, but your help will not bring lives back. Your help will not bring houses back for the people who are homeless. So what are you actually going to do about the fact that the climate is changing? And do you acknowledge that the change is made by our CO2 emissions and that we can actually do something about it? Thousands of actuaries within the insurance industry and also meteorologists acknowledge this completely and they show us the way forward.

Thank you for taking the blue card. I just want to ask you a couple of questions. One question, would you support Ukraine to become, after peace, part of the European Union? And do you know, probably before you were born or close to when you were born, when Hungary joined the European Union? In my country, a lot of people were worried and thought that they were going to lose on agriculture and other areas, but we were a lot of people who wanted Hungary to be exactly part of Europe. Did you know that?

Thank you for taking the blue card. Just two questions: Who, please, started this war? And are you going to call Putin together with the far left? Have you got his phone number? And thirdly, who are you then going to call when you've got Russian soldiers and troops in your backyard?

Mr President, Commissioner, Minister, the 2026 budget comes at a moment where Europe faces unprecedented pressure. We feel the competition from major global players such as the US and China, and we are confronted with migration and instability to the south. And we have war on our continent. In this context, the European Union must show what we stand for: freedom, prosperity and shared responsibility. I want to take the opportunity to thank my colleagues and to thank you especially, Mr Halicki, for the perfect stewardship. This budget is not just about numbers on a page. It is about Europe's ability to stay strong, to act swiftly and to protect the future of our citizens. We want to invest in research, innovation, green energy, health and defence because that is where Europe's strength and independence is built. Again, with this budget, we take a step towards an even more resilient and capable Europe – one that stands firm and defends its values and its model, strong businesses, access to education, healthcare and opportunities for all. These principles are under pressure, and that's precisely why this budget matters.

Thank you for taking the blue card. I just want to ask you, with the knowledge we have of all the information now sitting with big tech companies, driven – completely okay – by wanting to earn money and politically influenced, and also – an experience of my own – you're suddenly out, and you're not told why, you cannot get through to anybody. It's just 'you're out'. What are your concrete suggestions? How should we actually handle this? How should we protect you and I into the future?

Nice to see you here. I just wanted to ask you, can you name which countries in the EU have a larger gross national product than the two largest tech companies?

I actually do agree with the first two or three sentences that you had in your speech that we are living in completely different times, and there are many things that we have to get used to using these devices. But I want to understand, could you tell us, amongst the biggest companies in the world – because you said it's impossible for the companies to obey the rules that we set out here to protect our citizens – can you name how many of the 10 biggest companies in the world are tech companies?

I just want to put one simple question to you – or perhaps two. Are you the one who we should expect to call Putin? And who on earth is actually blocking the unanimity of this place? That is Orbán. It is your party's participant who is blocking that we cannot stand together. How are you going to solve that? Are you also going to call Orbán?

Europe is on fire. 10,000 square kilometers of forest have been burned away in southern Europe this summer. Corresponds to the whole of Zealand and Funen. Three times as much as a normal summer and the largest area since you started measuring. And that's no wonder, because Europe is the continent in the world that warms up the fastest. But while it does, the Danish People's Party and the so-called patriots are trying to completely sabotage the climate law, which is going to slow down global warming. Allow me to ask. Allow me to ask the Danish People's Party and the so-called patriots: How many actuaries from the insurance industry, how many firefighters, how many meteorologists, farmers with devastated harvests and victims of the flames must we gather in this Chamber before you see what is happening? Your provocations in the legislative work are a disgrace. Are you really looking for answers at the bottom of your coffee cup? Or do you just not want to know what's going on? Yes, it will cost us to change our habits and prevent disasters, but if we do not act, the price will be our prosperity and our well-being. Let's act together now.

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, our Preparedness Union is getting real. I could have spoken about viruses, threatening situations, but I will focus on the positive. We can be efficient in countering global health threats. As a Union, we must think together, innovate together, purchase together, stockpile together, and be ready to act together. Build on rescEU. It's time to leverage the public procurement to make joint purchases of much needed vaccines and other countermeasures. Innovation is about preparedness, too. Yes, we can ensure that we are ready to invent, see new products in the market and invest. How? With more Europe. A strong co-ordinating role for the Commission, for ECDC and for HERA. That's what we need. That's what we're finally getting.