Speeches

Madam President, Cybersecurity is now indispensable in all areas of life and something that is absolutely necessary. This act, however, does not bring much certainty, but brings once again a lot of bureaucracy and a licensing regime, which is associated with numerous obligations. Market access is against fees, and that's the motto here. For SMEs in particular, this naturally means high costs and administrative burdens. Once again, without gaining much more security. A toothless bureaucracy monster with high costs for our companies. Once again, as we know it often and often from this house. Paper offers no protection, esteemed colleagues, that only technology does. And that's the only thing that can protect our companies from criminal activities.

Mr Sieper, this has nothing to do with me defending Putin or defending Russia. I defend Europe and I defend the people of Europe. That makes the two of us very different. This is not about Putin, it is about European interests that are not represented here.

Madam President, This strategy, which you drive here, has not been successful so far, and it will remain so. What we have here is certainly not a contribution to energy security in Europe. That's what you can expect. What we see here is rather the exact opposite of that. This is short-sighted and self-destructive. The EPP nuclear lobby, together with the Commission, is doing us massive damage here in Europe, which will not be repairable. It also entails further disempowerment of the Member States. Thank goodness there is an American president who is more far-sighted and who is now making peace. More far-sighted than the entire European nomenclature, which in recent years has only practiced warmongering. Trump has now prepared a peace that will help us all. And the entire European and world press has made fun of Trump in recent months. He, on the other hand, goes and makes it easy. This is an embarrassment to anyone who wants to fuel the war.

Madam President, The Chinese and the Americans represent their interests, and of course they do so harshly. And I've been wondering for years and years in this house that we don't. We do not represent the interests of the European economy. And what will it look like in the end? We will become a Disneyland for those very Chinese and Americans who come and see how beautiful it is in Europe, but our economy will be destroyed at the same time. And of course this has to do with a Commission that implements its ideologically controlled industrial policy and then covers it up with keywords, as in this case. It is de facto a de-industrialisation that we are witnessing in Europe and a deliberate displacement of our economy. We prefer to take care of the plastic plugs on plastic bottles instead of creating basic conditions so that our economy can work. These excessive climate requirements – I call the ban on combustion engines here – and increasing bureaucracy, of course, make it difficult for our economy to stay upright in international competition and remain competitive. What we have to avoid in any case is to go into conflict with China now. That can only hurt us.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. This season’s forest fires – I think they show one thing very clearly: Civil protection is a national task, and it must remain so, I think. Member States and local people know the situation much better and therefore, of course, how to deal with the danger. Subsidiarity: This is once again the motto that we should write on our flags. Brussels likes to use crises for more power and expensive over-bureaucratized programs. Billions then disappear into dark channels, while the helpers on site lack the equipment. Solidarity: Yes, voluntarily, without EU coercion. Climate models vary in size; Local prevention requires different approaches. More funding to the Member States and not to Brussels, that is the motto.

Madam President, ‘Nightingale, I hear you trapsen’, says the Berliner in such a case, which means: I doubt that you can expect a lot of positive things for the industry here. Once again, it is just another chapter of the completely ideologically exaggerated Green Deals, which in Europe is affecting businesses by imposing more and more obligations and bans and more and more reporting obligations. Small and medium-sized enterprises in particular are the backbone of our economy and are burdened with more and more obligations. This is not the first time we have seen this. Of course, we also drive them abroad. The Supply Chain Act is also a good example of this, completely exaggerated, unreasonable for companies and is nevertheless enforced in this way. We need chemicals in all kinds of sectors of the economy and agriculture. We endanger our own security of supply if we continue as before, and of course drive the companies abroad. Environmental protection is homeland protection, and that is very important. But this must then be done with common sense, without utopian goals that no one can meet, where at the same time we only harm our businesses and also drive us into dependence on China and the USA. Dear colleagues, we demand less bureaucracy, we demand personal responsibility, we demand a feasible framework, and we demand fair competition for our companies. The goal is clear: Production back to Europe, cutting excessive bureaucracy, securing jobs, and everything else is green deal madness.

Madam President, It's all no longer fun what we're experiencing here. And I believe that the last ideologically deluded person here in the house now sees, perhaps with the exception of a few greens, that this does not work as they have previously believed. And the Commission is now trying to exploit this crisis politically: More control is needed, more bureaucracy is needed. That is certainly not the means. Because what we are experiencing is years of failed energy policy, where now the results are slowly coming to light, because we prefer to maintain tables instead of securing networks. Now it is urgently necessary to find the causes. The Commission remains on the ideologically blinded course of energy policy. It is called: Green energy in the form of wind and sun will save us. But it's not efficient, I think it's arrived at everyone's house by now. I don't want to be the apologist for the apocalypse, but that won't be the last time we experience such a blackout. And several will follow. This is as certain as the Amen in prayer.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen! Industry – and I believe we all agree – is an indispensable lifeline for Europe and for the economy. And now we are not acting as if external factors are responsible for making us look like we are in the energy sector – and this is not the case, for the most part, with the Commission. Essentially, the problems we have are homemade. Because everywhere else in the world, in the USA and in China, it works. That is to say, it is the completely wrong policy that is being made here by the European government and has been since von der Leyen took office, where everything that can only be done wrong has been done wrong. So it's not the external factors that they wanted to talk about that determine this, it's internal factors. Alternative energies – I think that has now spread all the way to the Commission – are not alternatives, because they are de facto not particularly effective. Industry is suffering from what is happening in Europe and is moving away, and this is already very clear. The result is, for example, the automotive industry, which suffers insanely and where millions of jobs in Europe ...

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen! Let's not pretend that these high energy prices happened to fall from the sky. Everything in this world has its effects through cause and effect. Fourteen packages of sanctions were to bring Russia to its knees and bring it to peace. Pipelines have also been blown up. And what do we have to do? We need to compete on the world market for expensive US LNG gas. Prices in Europe have exploded. This is why energy prices in Europe are so expensive. In the meantime, we are even sourcing Russian gas from third countries. This crisis is absolutely and flawlessly homemade. That remains for you to write in the logbook. The Russians have long since found other customers for their energy and gas, earning far more than ever before, and the people of Europe continue to groan under the burden of high and immense energy prices.

Madam President, I refer to Rule 8 of our Rules of Procedure, which deals with the conduct and dignity of this House. It is now almost two years ago in December that this House and the European Union experienced the biggest corruption scandal in history, Qatargate. You called it an attack from the outside. It wasn't, it was an attack from within. The Socialist Group is not only involved in this corruption scandal with one MEP, but with numerous MEPs, ex-MEPs and staff. And what have we seen since then? Nothing has happened. There is no longer any investigation into the matter. Things are calm. In the meantime, all the accused can cover the tracks. Nothing is done. They have no interest in raising awareness. And I'll tell you again: Violence and corruption come from the left. And we also saw this in Austria after our elections, where there were attacks on FPÖ members from the left.

Madam President, I refer to Rule 10(2) of our Rules of Procedure. And we have identified a huge and violent problem here in the House in the form of an Italian GUE/NGL MEP named Salis, who likes to hit people with a hammer and who has taken a seat right out of the cell here in this House. Violence comes from the left, esteemed colleagues. We didn't see it last week in the US, we see it in Europe. Therefore, I would ask you, in the interest of our safety, to arrange a daily special performance of this lady and her staff, so that we do not illegally smuggle weapons into the house.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. The rule of law is always such a thing. Either it applies to everyone – always and without ifs and buts – or it does not. The question for me, of course, is: What does the EU understand by the rule of law? The Union, which always likes to point the finger at others, should, I think, turn to its own door, Commissioner. Because one often has the impression that there is more arbitrariness than the rule of law in the programme – for example, if one withholds financial resources for Member States such as Poland and Hungary and if one then knows that yesterday, for example, in the Commission and the Politburo von der Leyen, it was decided that EUR 137 billion will be released at once for a judicial reform that still has not taken place in Poland. So these are the experiences we have here about the rule of law. This, of course, undermines the reliability of the EU Treaties – because they violate EU Treaties – and, of course, people’s trust in those very EU Treaties. Because if you bend and break the law, you can't rely on people to trust you. If you do not adapt to the mainstream here, you have to reckon with the fact that you are sanctioned. The question that arises for me is: Do you understand the rule of law? I don't.

Madam President, All of these examples, or the vast majority of these examples brought here today for hate speech, are already finding coverage. Namely, in the vast majority of criminal codes in Europe, this has long since been covered and is also punished there. And you know that's a sensitive subject that we're talking about today. And I don't believe you. I just don't believe you, if you know this house, that it won't be used to silence an opinion that doesn't suit you. Because how this happens here can be clearly seen in the example of Hungary. Someone who is uncomfortable here is being muzzled by the left-wing majority of this House, which enjoys support from the EPP. And the colleague Barley from S&D said it very honestly and clearly in her speech. In Bausch and Bogen, the AfD today referred to them as Nazis. Madam President, please include this in the minutes, whether this does not contradict the dignity of the House. Everything on the right is evil and must be silenced. And I would rather hope that this House would put as much energy into clarifying the S&A/D corruption scandal as into this issue.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. It is always a good idea to become independent. This is true in all areas, but especially when it comes to raw materials. But I do not believe that this regulation will achieve this goal. Why did we depend on Chinese raw materials? On the other hand, we have been turning off mining in Europe for years and decades. And independence, esteemed colleagues, does not mean that we buy Chinese raw materials from third countries. The best example – and the debacle we see here – is Russia. We source Russian gas and oil from third countries. Congratulations, it worked well. The EU has simply neglected to look after energy sources in a timely manner, while the Chinese, on the other hand, have been opening up new markets in this matter for years and days. So everyone else was faster than us, esteemed colleagues, and the timing was simply missed.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen. Action for citizens and for the economy, the Vice-President of the Commission has said, will be this programme. Alone I wonder: For which citizens and for which economy will this programme make a difference? Perhaps the Ukrainian citizens, to whom, as I said, you have already sent 82 billion euros in European taxpayers' money, which will seep into a highly corrupt system there. These are taxpayers' money that we might well need in Europe, where people no longer know how to pay for their living expenses. And you have been doing the opposite in Europe for years now. This threatens the very existence of people and businesses, which is what the Commission is doing here. Inflation is galloping in Europe, the cost of living is higher than ever since the Second World War. The Union’s energy policy is currently failing, and instead of sun and wind it is likely to become nuclear and coal power – this is already foreseeable. The destruction of millions of jobs goes hand in hand with the abolition of the internal combustion engine. Industries have been migrating massively since 2017. There are reasons for this, and most of these reasons have been set by you. The Green Deal evolves to Green disaster for Europe and the Europeans. And less bureaucracy sounds to me from your mouth like a cheap stair joke in history, because the opposite has been the case for decades, dear Commissioner. It is precisely in this political state that you have put Europe and the European economy. If this policy continues, then in 20 years' time Europe will become a Disneyland for Asians and Americans who like to look around here.

Mr President-in-Office, ladies and gentlemen. Weather extremes have always existed on this earth. Let's not pretend it's something new. And also in my region, in the south of Styria, there were big floods this summer after massive rains. This is, of course, a great deal of human suffering associated with it. And on the other hand, of course, existences are also threatened, which of course have to deal with this damage financially. And it is important that you provide and can provide emergency assistance. And it is particularly important that people on the ground are like volunteers, such as the volunteer fire brigade, who have done superhuman things here this summer and to whom I think a big thank you should be given. Without them, this catastrophe would have been even more far-reaching and different. We would therefore like to thank these aid organisations, which are at least largely willing to do so in Austria. Therefore, special support is needed here and we have to think about what else can we do here? There are a variety of concrete measures to protect people from these things: Flood protection, but also heat adaptation. But it costs a lot of money. And the problem is that currently, for your part, the money is being sunk into dark channels in Ukraine rather than being used locally.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. Man is a curious being. This is already in the nature of man. And the technical development we are currently experiencing is, of course, also a double-edged sword. Today we voted on artificial intelligence. This takes on a development and a journey, where we do not yet know where the journey will go. I think it will soon no longer be a matter of human judgement to what extent surveillance will affect us. For example, the report mentions, I believe, 60 times Hungary and 90 times Poland, but also in Germany the BKA and the Federal Intelligence Service used this software. So maybe you shouldn't have been so blind in that eye. But it's taking on new dimensions, and I think we should be clear about that. And the glass citizen has long since become a reality. Only admit it, no one does. It is also unlikely that education will be desired – throughout the Union, as we see. And what we see here is only the summit of the state trojans that are in circulation. But we don't have to go that far, because here in the house, too, there was this story where Members of Parliament had print jobs on the printers here in the house, which were illegally stored by the administration in the house for 18 months. Of course, one also wonders: What happens to this information? It goes on with the fact that even here in the Wifi in the house data of MPs were stored. A scoundrel, of course, who thinks evil about it - and I don't think it's about EPP or S&D MPs being spied on. The data octopus is everywhere, esteemed colleagues, and we need to be very vigilant.

Madam President, The Dieselgate has deeply shaken Europe and, above all, consumers in Europe in their confidence in the automotive industry. We and the people of Europe were similar in the Qatargate of our socialist friends in the house. Only here was there a clear case of corruption by the S&A/D Group, which – by the way – also urgently needs clarification. Here you have the feeling that the cloak of silence is placed over it. On the other hand, the Dieselgate is about a fraud against the consumer, the consumer, who always has a weaker position vis-à-vis the industry. That is why these preliminary rulings or this preliminary ruling procedure is so important, namely to achieve a balance of power between a financially strong industry and consumers here in Europe.

Mr President! I think one thing is also clear to us: Energy storage will not solve our massive future energy problem. Even if these storage facilities exist, gas-fired power plants will always be needed to absorb peak loads. The cost-effectiveness of these energy storage systems is not exactly intoxicating, as I think we all know. But – and this is also a very important point to bear in mind – we are entering into new dependencies here, namely dependencies on China, which, as we know, are on the other side of the coin. 98% of rare earths are imported from China. However, this is a purely academic discussion, because we will not have any significant electricity surpluses in the future. Because the CO2 madness and the fate of the EU Commission in recent years have deprived us of affordable energy, dear colleagues! Today, we are paying more euros for the same Russian gas by detours than we experienced just a few years ago. What is the alternative? The alternative should now be strongly promoted alternative energies – which are strongly promoted because they are completely uneconomical. And these renewable energies will never be able to replace the old energies.

Mr President! Again, this is a typical picture: Mrs Sippel finds something to puke at. Do you know what I find puking? Your S&D faction is riddled with corruption. More than 40 people in your faction are corrupt and have already been proven to be corrupt. And you'll find something to puke at here. I really think that's puking. This group is a criminal organisation and is in fact banned – that is what it looks like. What I also find puking – if we may already use this beautiful word here – is that, for example, in Austria – and it is always shown with the fingers on everyone else – during the coronavirus pandemic measures were put in place that intentionally and knowingly violated Austrian constitutional law. That was all illegal, what this Austrian federal government has caused. In this regard, however, the Commission seems to be blind. The Commission also seems to be blind when it comes to its own concerns. When it comes to the Commission President, for example, who has not yet disclosed her communication with the Pfizer boss. These are things you might want to keep an eye on – but you're probably blind in that eye.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. For years, the framework conditions of this European Union for industry have been deteriorating and deliberately being made worse. This is also the reason why, of course, the competitiveness of industry on the international market is weakening. Industry must not only exist on the internal market, but industry must exist on the international world market, and for this we must strengthen it. Of course, it is now only a logical conclusion to copy the USA here and say: We are strengthening our industry, opening up new debt - we definitely do not want that; there are enough pots where there is still €200 billion – for example in the coronavirus pot – and support our industry. We're for that too. We are against new debt. This has to be preserved. And it shows once again that this Green Deal More and more to one Green disaster It will be for the industry in Europe. We are in favour of supporting domestic companies, strong domestic companies that prove themselves on the world market, also financially. In my home country, Austria and Styria, for example, there are large automotive suppliers that produce the most efficient diesel engines and this needs to be supported on the global market.

Madam President, Yes, I believe that an initiative to simplify bureaucracy is always welcome in the European Union and is also necessary in many other areas. However, this should not only be an emergency measure, but this simplification of bureaucracy should actually be the rule. And in this context, I am also of the opinion that one should evaluate the Russian sanctions in general. Because the only impact these sanctions currently have is that we here in Europe and the people of Europe feel that energy is becoming more and more expensive and will soon no longer be affordable. A failed energy policy of the last decades leads precisely to the fact that people can no longer heat their homes, that for example we can no longer properly heat our three locations, which we urgently need. The only thing that heats up this House is the S&A/D Group's dangerous contacts with Qatar, which are also illegal. Nevertheless, one thing remains: We will not be able to meet the energy demand for the year 2030, 2035, where we know that e-mobility will increase sharply, with wind turbines.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. What you see here once again is, I believe, less of a crisis of the climate, because the climate on this earth has existed for 5 billion years and has been changing for so long, but we see here more of a crisis of reason. What we are witnessing here is once again an attempt – a naturally misguided attempt – by the European Union to save the climate, the global climate. This attempt will fail, because it will remain a one-off, even at the UN level, because the main players will not play this game. You can be sure of that. These completely unrealistic and exaggerated goals that we see here and that drive us deeper and deeper into these crises that we are experiencing here: this crisis of energy, the crisis of the wave of inflation, the crisis of inflation. I know that the Greens do not care, but they are not particularly involved in their core topic, in this discussion. These crises are experienced by the people of the country. I don't think that's funny – greens can find that funny – and people are experiencing that. It is our very own task, our very own task, to help people and to do something for people that people can make a living with their income. We must ensure that this irresponsible energy policy that we are witnessing here does not go further in the completely wrong direction. The effects are currently seen in Germany. There is a government with green participation that decides on the extension of three nuclear reactors. This will not be the last conclusion, but these nuclear reactors will continue to run, not only until April next year, but also beyond. Bravo, I can only say, dear greens, you have done well. As the main effect of this excessive energy policy, we are still destroying our economy in Europe and, of course, jobs. It will fall on everyone's head.

Madam President, The measures that can be read here in this paper are at least very much reminiscent of the crisis in the 1970s. If, 50 years later, these are your proposals for a solution to this crisis, then one can only say the following: You should not warn against a cold winter, but you should provide people with energy in Europe. This crisis, these energy prices are purely self-inflicted. Everything we are currently experiencing in the energy sector is purely self-inflicted, and the prices are of course very, very close to people. We see that in Vienna, a socialist-administered for 40 years Vienna energy Father State will now need five to ten billion euros to provide for two million people at all – this is one of the largest providers in Austria – in order for it to be able to live on at all. And I'm afraid this won't be the last supplier to buckle in this crisis. Then comes the solution proposal for intelligent energy saving. That is the approach in 2022. For years, we have been on the wrong track in energy policy: low-efficiency alternative energy producers who simply cannot meet the needs we have today. And across Europe, green ministers are switching on coal-fired power plants again, but they are not turning off nuclear power plants. That's how far we are today.