What Mairead spoke about.

27 Nov

2024

EN Speech

Promoting a favourable framework for venture capital financing and safe foreign direct investments in the EU (debate)

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Madam President, thank you. I loved being in that chair and I love this Parliament and the fun and debates and the rows we've had, and I've been here 20 years, so I have some memory of that. I just need to clarify something to my colleague at the very back of the Chamber. In Ireland we have a phrase, 'the poor relation'. I am McGuinness, not Guinness, so I qualify as the poor relation, but a happy…

27 Nov

2024

EN Speech

Promoting a favourable framework for venture capital financing and safe foreign direct investments in the EU (debate)

Watch

Madam President, it's nice to see a little bit of celebration in the Chamber before I speak, so let's just give them a moment – well done! I'm afraid I'm not going to match the passion of the last debate. Commissioner Dalli may say 'we're all Mediterranean' and they may be Mediterranean, but the Irish are quite passionate, I can say! I suppose there's an air maybe, among the outgoing Commissioners…

13 Nov

2024

EN Speech

Fight against money laundering and terrorist financing: listing Russia as a high-risk third country in the EU (debate)

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Mr President, dear colleagues, I very much appreciate this debate. I hear your message loud and clear, and I just want to repeat some lines which are really important. First of all, we all agree that Russia's behaviour must be opposed by all available means. I want to point again to the reality that our sanctions against Russia already limit transactions. Many transactions are already impossible t…

13 Nov

2024

EN Speech

Fight against money laundering and terrorist financing: listing Russia as a high-risk third country in the EU (debate)

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Mr President, good evening colleagues. This is an important debate. We are looking and debating about the possibility of listing Russia as a high‑risk third country for money laundering and terrorist financing. Weakening Russia's ability to pursue its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine is an absolute priority for the European Union. I think you are all very well aware of our sanctions polic…

16 Sep

2024

EN Speech

Persistent problems of anti-Semitism in Europe and of other forms of hate speech and hate crimes (debate)

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Mr President, honourable Members, the fight against hate and anti-Semitism is a shared priority, critical for protecting and promoting our common values and our identity as EU citizens. Jewish life is an inextricable part of Europe's identity – it is part of Europe's DNA – and I really want to stress that the Commission is determined to put an end to anti-Semitism and allow Jewish life to thrive o…

16 Sep

2024

EN Speech

Persistent problems of anti-Semitism in Europe and of other forms of hate speech and hate crimes (debate)

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Mr President, honourable Members, it will soon be one year since the deadliest attack committed against Jews since the Shoah. And this attack and the war that has ensued in Gaza has ignited anti-Semitism at a level not witnessed since the foundation of the European Union. Hatred in any form is fundamentally against our values, so we have to mobilise all efforts to combat this scourge, for our Jewi…

16 Sep

2024

EN Speech

Outcome of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture (debate)

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Madam President, apologies if I jumped forward, but I was keen to respond to a comment about this report. I want to be very clear. This is not a report from the European Commission. This is a report produced by stakeholders who came together. It's a strategic dialogue, and I think we should remember also why it matters that we had this strategic dialogue because there was a problem: farmers were d…

16 Sep

2024

EN Speech

Outcome of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture (debate)

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Mr President, it's a pleasure to be here, and I think it's significant that this opening debate is about agriculture, food and the environment. And I can do no better than link my opening remarks to the debate in the opening of the session, where many of you commented on natural disasters, the horrors that are happening in many Member States with floods, the loss of life, the devastation, the impa…

24 Apr

2024

EN Speech

Forging a sustainable future together: economic, social and territorial challenges for a competitive, cohesive and inclusive Europe (debate)

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– Mr President, dear colleagues, the debate now has underlined the crucial role of cohesion policy, both to address today’s priorities and tomorrow’s challenges. While it is for the next Commission to propose a new legislative framework, reflections must start in good time – and they already have. This is vital because we see already certain trends emerging and impacting on Europe’s regions: issue…

24 Apr

2024

EN Speech

Forging a sustainable future together: economic, social and territorial challenges for a competitive, cohesive and inclusive Europe (debate)

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– Mr President, colleagues, dear Secretary of State Michel, you have certainly been working overtime today, taking so many debates. Thank you for your contribution to this and other debates this afternoon. The 9th Cohesion Report, published earlier this month, really does paint a very positive and rich picture of economic, social and territorial cohesion across the European Union. There is remarka…

24 Apr

2024

EN Speech

The European Parliament's right of inquiry (debate)

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– Mr President, as Shakespeare said, brevity is the soul of wit. Two comments I have to make in conclusion. The Commission is ready to engage in trilateral discussions to allow us to clarify all remaining points of concern before giving consent to any proposal. And secondly, let us resume this important work under the next Parliament with a solutions-orientated approach. Agreement is possible. You…

24 Apr

2024

EN Speech

The European Parliament's right of inquiry (debate)

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– Mr President, colleagues, time is of the essence, so I will be quick. I am here on behalf of EVP Šefčovič, but I want to state on his behalf and, indeed, on behalf of the Commission, that we recognise absolutely the importance of the European Parliament’s right of inquiry. I can speak of my own experience as an MEP, just how important that right of inquiry is. I chaired a committee of inquiry in…

24 Apr

2024

EN Speech

The sixth Anti-Money Laundering Directive - Anti-Money Laundering Regulation - Establishing the Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (joint debate - Anti-money laundering)

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– Mr President, I’m conscious of the time constraints, so just to appreciate the debate that we’ve had. From our side in the Commission, the next step is to make sure we have effective implementation of what we’ve agreed, particularly in setting up the new Anti-Money Laundering Authority. It needs to be adequately staffed and established so that it can do its work. I’m glad I was quoted by my coll…

24 Apr

2024

EN Speech

The sixth Anti-Money Laundering Directive - Anti-Money Laundering Regulation - Establishing the Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (joint debate - Anti-money laundering)

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– Mr President, thank you, I think today really marks a very significant moment for the European Union’s ongoing fight against money laundering and terrorism financing. And yet, I look to the galleries and I’m glad to see there are citizens listening to this debate, because this matters to you, your family and your society. And I hope you’ve listened to the colleagues who have already contributed,…

24 Apr

2024

EN Speech

Amending Directive 2013/36/EU as regards supervisory powers, sanctions, third-country branches, and environmental, social and governance risks - Amending Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 as regards requirements for credit risk, credit valuation adjustment risk, operational risk, market risk and the output floor (joint debate - Banking Union)

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– You heard it first in the European Parliament ! . Thank you all for your contributions. This is a really serious debate and all of you who have contributed are very serious players in this Parliament, and your work reflects that. But, of course, the next step is to implement and certainly, from our point of view in the Commission, we are already working with the European Banking Authority on the…

24 Apr

2024

EN Speech

Amending Directive 2013/36/EU as regards supervisory powers, sanctions, third-country branches, and environmental, social and governance risks - Amending Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 as regards requirements for credit risk, credit valuation adjustment risk, operational risk, market risk and the output floor (joint debate - Banking Union)

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– Mr President, thank you very much, and thank you for your words at the opening of this debate, because I worked with you on the Bureau and enjoyed very much our working relationship. So thank you for marking this occasion. I suppose it is the end for many and it is only the beginning for some. So it is good to be here. My colleague, Seán Kelly, used rather flowery language about kicking ass, but…

24 Apr

2024

EN Speech

Amending Directive 2013/36/EU as regards supervisory powers, sanctions, third-country branches, and environmental, social and governance risks - Amending Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 as regards requirements for credit risk, credit valuation adjustment risk, operational risk, market risk and the output floor (joint debate - Banking Union)

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– Mr President, colleagues, I just want to recall, before I go into my official remarks, that it is quite fitting that this debate is happening at the end of this mandate. It was a topic – Basel implementation – at my hearing in October 2020. So we’ve delivered, and we’ve delivered together – just to mark that. I certainly will not forget the challenge of delivering, but also the opportunity it pr…

27 Feb

2024

EN Speech

Geographical Indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products (debate)

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– Mr Vice-President, colleagues, I would like to thank you as I think this debate has been really positive, and the fact that so many colleagues spoke in the debate speaks to the importance of food and agriculture for Europe. Now, in these tumultuous times, with our farmers taking to the streets, delivering on geographical indications may seem marginal. Yet geographical indications have long playe…

27 Feb

2024

EN Speech

Geographical Indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products (debate)

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– Mr President, good afternoon, colleagues, and can I just pay a tribute to Paolo De Castro – whose eye I cannot catch, but there you are – for his work on this file and indeed all of those who contributed to it. Given that we do have farmers’ protests across Europe, I think this is a very good news story and sends a very strong signal, because our system of geographical indications helps to promo…

26 Feb

2024

EN Speech

European Central Bank – annual report 2023 (debate)

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– Mr President, colleagues, if I can just come back to the core of this debate, which is the report on the ECB, and I think it is positive that the views of the three institutions converge on most aspects of the ECON report. And also to remark that we are celebrating 25 years of the euro this year. We have 20 countries now using the euro. Bulgaria is likely to join and is making significant progre…

26 Feb

2024

EN Speech

European Central Bank – annual report 2023 (debate)

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– Karas, President Lagarde, colleagues, I’m very happy that we are discussing this draft report on the work of the ECB in 2023, and I want to particularly thank the rapporteur, Johan Van Overtveldt and members of the ECON Committee for their insightful reflections. Parliament’s assessment is an important part of the democratic accountability of the ECB, as the President has just referred to, and t…

6 Feb

2024

EN Speech

Amendments to the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) and to the Directive relating to undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITSD) (debate)

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– Mr President, can I just say I long for a day when this Chamber is full for debates like this. Because it should be. Because frankly, this matters to people, to businesses, small and large. But maybe I won’t live that long, but I had to put that on the record, because I want to thank those who are here for your contributions and for your work on this file. And as I said in my opening remarks, th…

6 Feb

2024

EN Speech

Amendments to the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) and to the Directive relating to undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITSD) (debate)

Watch

– Mr President, thank you to the rapporteur Benjumea, the shadow rapporteurs and colleagues who are interested in this debate. If you look at the title with the acronyms, maybe it doesn’t show what’s so important. So, for the record, what I want to do is read out what these directives are, because they are two key laws that govern the EU investment sector. One is the Alternative Investment Fund Ma…

5 Feb

2024

EN Speech

Measures for a high level of public sector interoperability across the Union (Interoperable Europe Act) (debate)

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– Mr President, thank you, colleagues, for this positive discussion on the Interoperable Europe Act, because this provides a practical blueprint for the future of Europe’s digital landscape. You are ensuring that our citizens and businesses will benefit from seamless and borderless digital public services. I want to thank you for your dedication and commitment, which I know will continue as we put…

5 Feb

2024

EN Speech

Measures for a high level of public sector interoperability across the Union (Interoperable Europe Act) (debate)

Watch

– Mr President, colleagues, the Interoperable Europe Act will make digital public services across the Union more efficient and more effective. Our goal is clear – the seamless interaction of digital public services across borders for citizens, businesses and public administrations. So the significance of this act cannot be understated. It lays the groundwork for a future where digital services are…