What Regina spoke about.

7

Jul

2026

EN Speech

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

Mr President, Commissioner, for the first time, human activity has become the minority on the internet. More than half all of web traffic is now generated by bots, with almost 40 % of that traffic coming from malicious bots designed to scam, steal, manipulate or attack. Maybe the dead internet theory is no longer so far-fetched. AI-powered bots are mimicking human behaviour, spreading disinformati…

7

Jul

2026

EN Speech

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

Mr. President, Mr. President, you are welcome. Colleagues, our former Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald said that joining Europe completed Ireland's journey to independence and history has proven him to be so right. Every generation inherits moments that define the nation and for Ireland, one of those moments was in 1973, and Ireland chose Europe. And it was a choice about the kind of country that we wa…

18

Jun

2026

EN Speech

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Joint Declaration on ‘Culture for Europe - Europe for Culture’ (debate)

Mr President, colleagues, if you've ever had the opportunity to do Erasmus, you know exactly what kind of a life-changing experience it can be. You arrive in a new city, you know absolutely nobody, and a few months later you leave with friends for life, new skills, greater confidence and a completely different view of the world. It's an education in life itself. That's why I have to ask: how do we…

20

May

2026

EN Question

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Rights, support and protection of victims of crime (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, it's hard to believe that I and others are still standing here arguing for basic protections for victims of crime across Europe in 2026, and the last EU Victims Law was written in 2012. Since then, crime has gone digital, abuse has gone cross-borders, and parts of the online world have become a breeding ground for harassment, exploitation and intimidation, particular…

20

May

2026

EN Speech

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Recent proposals to fight poverty in the EU (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, across the European Union, we rightly take pride in being one of the most prosperous, educated and socially developed regions in the world. And yet, every single day, millions of our children are waking up in homes that are struggling to afford food, heating, school supplies or even a secure home, a roof over their head. That should be a shame on every single one of us.…

20

May

2026

EN Speech

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High time to deliver on the Single Market, providing certainty and predictability for EU businesses and quality jobs (continuation of debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, the 28th regime might sound like the name of a horror movie, but I think it's one of the most important things the Commission has done in an awfully long time. We say the single market is one of Europe's biggest success stories, but for so many of our smaller businesses, it is something that still seems hypothetical, something they hear about but actually never get t…

29

Apr

2026

EN Speech

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The need for targeted criminal provisions and platforms’ responsibility to effectively address cyberbullying and online harassment (debate)

Madam President, I want to speak directly to anybody who has ever been abused or attacked online – and unfortunately, there's far too many – but I want you to know that we see you, but we also clearly see the need to protect you. When I was a kid, when you got home, at least the bullying stopped. Now it follows you into your home, into your bedroom, into your pocket, into your thoughts. There's li…

12

Mar

2026

EN Speech

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Activities of the European Ombudsman – annual report 2024 (debate)

Madam President, Ombudsman, colleagues, I want to take a moment like my other Irish colleague to recognise the outstanding work of fellow Irishwoman Emily O'Reilly as the former European Ombudsman. Under her leadership, the Office has strengthened transparency, accountability and public trust right across the EU institutions. One area where her work has been particularly forward-looking is in the …

11

Mar

2026

EN Speech

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Savings and Investments Union: time to accelerate the process to deepen market integration (debate)

Madam President, colleagues, we know that Europe doesn't lack savers. What we lack is a system capable of putting those savings to work. European households have almost EUR 10 trillion worth of savings in low-yield bank accounts, often earning very little money and getting steadily eroded by inflation. Meanwhile, many of our most innovative companies still struggle to access the capital that they …

11

Mar

2026

EN Speech

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Child sexual abuse online: protect children, not perpetrators (topical debate)

Mr President, colleagues, I think it's very clear that artificial intelligence is now being used to generate sexual abuse material, and not just as a mother or a woman, I am absolutely horrified. We've all the warning signs. The reports of the recent Grok AI scandal showed that the system can be manipulated to generate explicit imagery, and I think this is really deeply disturbing, and I welcome t…

10

Mar

2026

EN Speech

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Single Market: how to move from an incomplete single market to one market for one Europe (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, for more than 30 years we have congratulated ourselves on the single market. We think it's the jewel on the crown of Europe. But we have to be honest, it's absolutely nowhere close to being truly single. We have 27 different energy markets, 27 digital rulebooks, 27 capital markets. In too many cases, we have 27 bureaucracies protecting national comfort zones. That is…

10

Mar

2026

EN Answer

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Housing crisis in the European Union with the aim of proposing solutions for decent, sustainable and affordable housing (debate)

I think there are many crises that have been caused by actions of the Member States. But what we've been trying to do, Michael, as you well know, for the last 12 months, is to address the issues that are causing delays and interrupting the building supply that come from here. We're not trying to interfere with Member States and the decisions that they make, but we're trying to recognise that some …

10

Mar

2026

EN Answer

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Housing crisis in the European Union with the aim of proposing solutions for decent, sustainable and affordable housing (debate)

Thank you for the question. I'm not really sure I agree with the sentiment that you've outlined. What I have seen for the last 14 months is collective parties trying to work together in order to solve a problem for all of the people in all of our Member States. It isn't about political ideology; it's about recognising that our young people can't afford to have a home, which they should absolutely …

10

Mar

2026

EN Speech

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Housing crisis in the European Union with the aim of proposing solutions for decent, sustainable and affordable housing (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, today we have an opportunity to change the direction of the lives of a generation of young people. In my own home town, Dublin, and in cities right across Ireland, young people who are working hard and are doing absolutely everything right cannot find a home that they can afford to buy. Many are still living with their mammies long beyond the age that they should hav…

11

Feb

2026

EN Speech

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Developing a new EU anti-poverty strategy (debate)

Madam President, child poverty isn't inevitable; it's the result of our choices, but we can choose differently. Right across the EU, more than one in four children are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. And this is not just happening in struggling economies; it's happening in some of the most wealthy, successful societies in the world. Countries with strong growth, thriving businesses and sol…

10

Feb

2026

EN Speech

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Presentation of the action plan against cyberbullying (debate)

Mr President, thank you Commissioner, there is probably a number of people in this room – and definitely lots watching – that were bullied when they were children, singled out for being different. But at least when you got home it was safe. Today there is no safe switch; you can't turn it off. Technology is supposed to open doors, not trap our children in a 24-hour cycle of abuse. But cyberbullyin…

21

Jan

2026

EN Speech

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Presentation of the Digital Networks Act (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, for too long, Europe has treated our digital comms as a tech matter; in truth, it's a political issue. We only ever notice our mobile phone network, our internet, when it falls. But our economies, public services and democracies rely on it every single day. Europe cannot be a global leader when every Member State plays by different rules, when investment is too slow …

16

Dec

2025

EN Speech

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Presentation of the European Affordable Housing Plan (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner Jørgensen, housing is now the single biggest cost-of-living pressure facing people across Europe. In Dublin, rents are at a record high. Young people can't afford to move out of their homes. Students are struggling to find digs. Even our nurses, teachers and Gardai can't live in the areas that they're serving. Whilst I recognise that housing has never been a European …

27

Nov

2025

EN Speech

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Development of an industry for sustainable aviation and maritime fuel in Europe (debate)

Mr President, the aviation sector is an absolutely vital part of our European economy. It provides countless jobs and huge investment. It is also a vital lifeline for peripheral parts of the European Union, like my own country, Ireland. In 2019, air transport supported approximately 14 million jobs and EUR 851 billion to GDP in Europe. But decarbonisation remains a really important challenge and o…

26

Nov

2025

EN Speech

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Defence of Democracy package (joint debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, people rightly expect high standards in politics, but the revelations about immoral or seemingly corrupt practices really do enrage people, and they damage the trust that we have in politics. And if people have no longer got trust in politics, well then democracy in itself is going to be undermined. We know that in the past there have been particular challenges when …

25

Nov

2025

EN Speech

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Protection of minors online (debate)

Madam President, as a parent, you can be sure that the recent data showing that more and more young people are turning to chatbots for friendship really stops me in my tracks. AI chatbots are perfectly mimicking the predatory behaviour of human groomers with absolutely devastating outcomes. Like most parents, my head tells me that I know about all of the opportunities that the internet gives, but …

22

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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Presentation of the Court of Auditors' annual report 2024 (debate)

Mr President, I want to welcome the presentation of the European Court of Auditors 2024 Annual Report and thank Tony, my fellow Irishman and his colleagues, for the work. The overall error rate in EU spending has fallen from 5.6 % to 3.2 %, and that genuinely is progress. But it is still materially above the threshold of 2 %, meaning there is a lot of work to do. But when it comes to the RRF, I be…

20

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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A new legislative framework for products that is fit for the digital and sustainable transition (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, consumers today are shopping with their feet. They have high standards and they're asking the market to meet them. They're looking to make more informed decisions on product standards, supply chains and production processes, and this report is about helping producers to respond. This is about making Europe's product framework fit for the clean and digital future. But to…

20

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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The decision to impose a fine on Google: defending press and media freedom in the EU (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, when it comes to tech innovation, Europe is playing catch up; I don't think that's a secret. We need regulatory reform and I'm really glad that the Commission is recognising this. We need to simplify our rules and lighten the burden on innovators. We need to adopt a real risk-based, proportionate approach, not more ex-ante regulation. And we need to put competitiveness …

20

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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Chemicals (joint debate)

Mr President, colleagues, these reports take us a real step towards a more joined up, science-based system for managing chemicals in Europe. A common data platform and stronger cooperation between our agencies can make regulation more efficient, more transparent and, ultimately, more effective. By establishing consistent assessment methods with a single shared data platform, I think we can make su…