Speeches

Madam President, Vice-President of the Commission, President-in-Office of the Council, ladies and gentlemen! Finally, finally, the competitiveness of our companies in the European Union is a priority for the Commission and also for the Member States. We, the European People's Party, have been calling for this for years. We can only achieve our ambitious climate protection goals if we make technological progress. We need to incentivise investment in new, clean technologies. Prohibitions do not take us further, only lead to relocations of companies, to relocations of production abroad. That is what we are already seeing today, and that is why the proposals which have now been put forward by the Commission to support the competitiveness of our businesses are a good thing. We need to reduce bureaucracy, we need to reduce regulation, we need to speed up and simplify processes. And again: I think the proposals are good, but we must also put the existing rules to the test. Taxonomy, for example, ladies and gentlemen, is omitted. Medical Devices Regulation – there has been some modification; We also have homework to do in this regard. We in this House too, I believe, are called upon to act on legislative proposals – I only call the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act , that we take a reasonable approach here. Lastly: We need to think in value chains. The law on critical raw materials is good, but here in Europe, for example, we also need the chemical industry. We also need the pharmaceutical industry, we need strong craft businesses. Especially when we expel the chemical industry, dear colleagues, from the country, then we simply cannot implement everything we do in terms of climate protection. For top layers of wind turbines, for rotor blades, for chips, for everything we want, we need chemical industry. That's why I'm advocating to finally take a look at the chemical industry and not just clean technology.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, We live in a time when data is the new currency. But a large part of our data treasure remains untouched so far. As of today, 80% of industrial data is never used. I believe it is really time for us to break up the data silos that we still have in the European Union. The Data Act is an important milestone for this. It finally regulates access to data from networked devices, machines, I say, from the refrigerator to the aircraft turbines. This data law will make data more easily accessible, usable and valuable for citizens in the European Union, for administrations, for businesses, for society as such. The big challenge with the data law was finding the right balance between the different interests. I think, ladies and gentlemen, that we have actually succeeded quite well, especially since we will also have our own legal framework for individual data rooms, such as the health data room. Citizens use smart devices. For me, it was important that data protection also applies in the same way in the area that the citizen decides who does what with his data. Secondly, it was of course important to give small, medium-sized companies and start-ups in particular easier access to industrial and machine data in the future. We have also succeeded in doing so. On the other hand, we have also ensured that trade secrets continue to be safeguarded. It is important in the data world that we create trusting environments. I believe that we have succeeded in doing so with this legislative act, with the Data Act. I would also like to say a heartfelt thank you to our rapporteur, Pilar del Castillo, and to all the colleagues from the political groups who have worked very hard on this dossier. I believe that we have really taken a good step towards building a data economy and a data society.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen! Of course, the building sector must contribute to achieving our climate protection goals. The Commission estimates that the building sector accounts for 40% of all CO2 emissions. So the question is not whether we are decarbonising the building stock, but how we are doing it. And since, ladies and gentlemen, I believe that we are really on the wrong track with the Building Energy Efficiency Directive, which we are now voting on here tomorrow. Forced renovations, prohibitions, that is the proposal that the Commission has put on the table, and what has been decided in Parliament, including in the Committee on Industry, goes even further. I believe that we must not do climate protection against the interests of citizens, but we must take people with us. We must not use coercion and prohibition to try to address society in the fight against climate change, but I believe we need smarter solutions. Let's see what happens in the United States right now. Inflation Reduction Act I believe that this is the far better way to convince people, people, citizens, citizens to invest in energy efficiency here than the way we do it. Let me say one more thing: I often hear in the discussion that I am against climate protection if I do not speak out in favour of this directive. No, on the contrary. We have decided on emissions trading and have foreseen that the building sector will also be included in emissions trading, so that energy in the building sector will be more expensive. We already have an energy efficiency directive. And, ladies and gentlemen, everyone knows how much energy prices have skyrocketed in recent months. I don't think we really need to convince our citizens that it makes sense to invest here in the insulation, in the insulation of their homes, their residential properties. That settles on its own. I don't think we should add pressure here with forced renovations. That is why I am very, very critical of this directive, which we will decide on tomorrow.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen! The crises of recent years should have taught us one thing: Europe needs to become more resilient. This means that we need to reduce our dependencies and raise our domestic resources. Parliament’s report on the 2021 Raw Materials Strategy highlights: We set ambitious climate targets, but we are massively dependent on the import of critical raw materials. Only 1 % of raw materials for wind turbines, less than 1 % of lithium batteries, less than 1 % of fuel cells, only 2 % of raw materials relevant for robotics and only 1 % of silicon photovoltaic assemblies are produced in Europe. It is time for an intelligent raw materials policy. From my point of view, this includes two things: On the one hand, we need to expand domestic sourcing of critical raw materials. Sustainable mining in Europe would stand for compliance with the highest environmental and social standards. In addition, we could expand the global offer. This will be necessary because demand for critical raw materials will increase in the coming decades. And secondly: Importing critical raw materials will continue to be important. Critical raw materials must therefore also be a core element of European trade policy. We also need to diversify our supply chains and reduce dependencies.

– Madam, I hope you have listened to me well; Your question is easy to answer. The question is: How do we make the transport sector cleaner, how do we manage to reduce CO2 emissions in transport as well? And I fully agree that we are relying on new technologies here – and this is not just a technology, this is not just electromobility; the production of an electric car also requires more energy – then we definitely have the better solution. The aim is to make the stock of land, the stock of fleets, more CO2-neutral. And that's why we can't just focus on electromobility. That is why we need alternative fuels, biofuels, and we also need to rely on hydrogen technology. Just being blind in one eye just can't do that. I am deeply convinced that we also need the diversity of technologies here.

Madam President, Mr Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen. I think it is wrong to ban internal combustion engines. For our industrial location, this is a slap in the face. Without a doubt: Electric cars have a bright future. This is especially true if the infrastructure is expanded. If we have nationwide charging infrastructure, then an electric car is a self-propelled vehicle. But, it's never been right to just rely on one technology. Technology neutrality is the order of the day: Alternative fuels, synthetic fuels, hydrogen technology also have huge potential. And on the subject of climate protection, allow me to say: We must also aim to make the cars that are on the road today cleaner, and that is only possible with alternative fuels. In Germany, more than 67 million cars currently drive on the roads; This is where we have to start. It can't be that everyone has to buy a new electric vehicle quickly in the next few years. An end to the combustion engine is antisocial and does not help climate protection, because no one needs to believe that cars with internal combustion engines will not continue to be produced outside Europe. What we are doing is weakening our own industry, driving our companies out of Europe. This is truly a disastrous industrial policy. (The speaker agreed to respond to an intervention under the blue card procedure)

– Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, Online opinion-forming, manipulative messages, fake news and social bots – the use of artificial intelligence can indeed influence elections and votes. We have seen this in the case of Cambridge Analytica. The Regulation on the transparency and targeting of political advertising aims to prevent such election manipulations in the future. However, the rules should be designed in such a way that election campaigns can also take place in the future, and I would like to make one critical point: I think the rules should not apply to local elections. Local elections, for example in a small municipality with a few hundred citizens, will in future be equated with, for example, the European elections, which affect 440 million people. In future, the new rules will have to be followed in every election of mayors, local councillors, district councillors and district councils. I think that's just not good. Local politicians are mostly volunteers and will probably not be the target of election manipulation. Therefore, they should actually be relieved of bureaucratic requirements.

Mr President, Madam Vice-President, Madam Minister, my dear colleagues! 30 years of the Single Market: What a great success story for the European Union! What we haven't achieved in these 30 years: Barriers to trade have been removed, there are no more import or export tariffs for trade in goods within the European Union, craftsmen from my home region can offer their services throughout the European Union. A master's degree obtained in Germany is also recognised in all other Member States. Erasmus is a success story, giving many young people the opportunity to complete part of their education or studies in another European country. There are no roaming charges anymore. Smaller milestones have also been achieved: SOLVIT provides assistance in cross-border disputes. A one-stop shop for businesses has been introduced to ensure that VAT only has to be declared once in the European Union. And, and, and. Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen! It's really a great achievement. But of course there is still a lot to do. This is because the Member States are extremely inventive in setting up new barriers to trade, and we must take action against this. Finally, I would like to mention another major milestone in the single market that we are celebrating this year: For 20 years, ladies and gentlemen, we have worked together to obtain a unitary patent and a unitary patent court in Europe. Now, on April 1st, this will finally be realized, this will be possible: an application, an examination, a grant, a legal proceeding for patents in the European Union. I think this is another, very, very great milestone, of which we in the European Parliament can also be particularly proud, because over many, many years many colleagues have repeatedly urged that the Member States finally implement this accordingly.

Madam President, Mr Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen. The energy transition can only succeed if we expand massively renewable energy. Why isn't it moving faster? Approval procedures take too long. This is where we have to start. The directive we are now adopting this week can do just that, speeding up procedures. I would like to thank our rapporteur, Markus Pieper, and all those who have helped to get this directive off the ground. When we talk about renewable energy, what are we talking about? Are we talking about wind and solar? No, I think that's wrong. Especially in times when, as now, we have an offer of energy. Renewable energy is not only wind and solar, but also biomass, hydropower and geothermal energy. We must not discriminate against any kind of renewable energy. There must be no first- and second-class renewable energy. Hydropower and biomass are permanently available, cost-effective and versatile. We need to take them into account in Europe's energy transition, as well as solar and wind energy.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, Doctors, hospitals and manufacturers of medical devices have been sounding the alarm for over a year now: Important medical devices go out, are no longer manufactured, are withdrawn from the market. For example, balloon catheters for children's hearts are currently hardly available in Europe, and children with congenital heart defects can no longer be operated on. What happened? In 2017, we adopted the new version of the Medical Devices Regulation. At that time, the goal was to achieve more patient safety. The trigger for the revision of the Medical Devices Regulation at the time was the breast implant scandal in Germany and France. With the recast, we wanted stricter requirements for the certification of medical devices. Today, however, we unfortunately have to state that many medical devices are simply not re-certified, because the financial and bureaucratic effort is simply too high, especially for many medium-sized medical device manufacturers; This applies in particular to niche products. Therefore, I believe that something urgent needs to happen now, given the current difficult supply situation with some vital medical devices. The Commission must finally come forward with a proposal to amend the Medical Devices Regulation. We have been calling on the Commission to do so for months. So far, nothing has happened, at least according to what I see, and I actually think it is a scandal. I would therefore like to address three questions to the Commission today. Firstly: How does the Commission intend to ensure that medical devices remain available, especially in hospitals, so that patients who urgently need them can survive? Secondly: I suggest that certificates already issued remain valid at least until the examination of a recertification application has been completed. Question to the Commission: Is this a consideration that is shared? And thirdly: Is the Commission considering amending the Medical Devices Regulation to eliminate the need for recertification, at least for niche products that have already been certified under the old regime? I am very curious to see how the Commission responds to these three questions.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen! Equality is an endless story – unfortunately. Twelve years ago, our former EPP Commissioner Viviane Reding Women's on-boardsThe directive was launched twelve years ago, laying the foundations for legislation on equality between men and women in companies in many Member States. Equality between men and women is still not self-sufficient today. There are still more men than women on boards, and when you look at the floor of the boards, the air is very thin, it is very manageable – the number of female boards. Quotas are door openers. I think they make sense to break up long-standing structures that have been established for decades, and that is why it is good that we finally adopt this directive today. But in addition to quotas, it is also important that companies have the right mindset. Diversity must not only take place on paper, it is not enough just to adopt this directive here, but diversity must be lived in companies. Let me also point out that I am deeply convinced that if we have a balanced representation of women and men in leadership positions in companies, this will also be a win-win for many companies: Many studies indicate that a significant representation of women in management positions can also be a success factor for corporate sales. I am pleased that this directive will be adopted today.

Madam President, Vice-President of the European Commission! Colleagues! First of all, a heartfelt thank you to our rapporteur Bart Groothuis for his excellent report and also to the colleagues in the political groups who have all worked on this dossier. The importance of cybersecurity is currently demonstrated by Russia's hybrid warfare with computer attacks and massive disinformation campaigns. We need to protect our critical infrastructure and better support our businesses, both small and large, so that they can also defend themselves against cyber-attacks, sabotage and espionage. It is good that we in the European Union have a strategy against cyberattacks. And the directive on which we are going to vote this afternoon is a very important building block in this strategy. Cybersecurity is a community task. We can only be better and more efficient if we work together – companies, administrations, security authorities. This is what we want to achieve with this directive. I welcome the fact that with the directive we are introducing a new reporting obligation for cyber-attacks, that there is a tight deadline of 24 hours within which it must be notified that a cyber-attack has occurred. Only by working closely together at European level will we really have a chance to guarantee cybersecurity for our citizens and our businesses. Thank you to everyone who helped us get this legislation off the ground today.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, Sustainability reporting makes sense, not only for the climate and the environment, but also from the perspective of companies that can demonstrate that they operate sustainably. However, abdominal pain gives me two circumstances. Firstly: Especially our medium-sized companies are currently really overwhelmed: Taxonomy, Deforestation Ordinance, Sustainability Reporting, Supply Chain Act. All these well-intentioned proposals entail new bureaucratic requirements. Companies need to document, prove, prove, inform, especially at a time when every business is being challenged by energy price increases, inflation, supply chain bottlenecks and shortages of skilled workers. This is almost impossible for businesses. I therefore urge the Commission, Commissioner, to take the principle of proportionality seriously and not impose a disproportionate burden on small and medium-sized enterprises in the standards that are now being developed for sustainability reporting. When it comes to reporting obligations, a medium-sized company simply cannot be equated with a large corporation.

Madam President, Mr Vice-President of the Commission, Mr Minister, ladies and gentlemen! Since the beginning of Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, the question has accompanied us: What measures can we take to ensure that energy remains affordable in Europe and that houses do not get cold in the coming winter? I think our people and businesses expect concrete answers from us. I am pleased that the Commission's proposals on this matter are finally on the table to relieve the burden on consumers and households. However, some of these measures are long overdue, such as the proposal for joint purchasing of gas. He is finally here – ultimately eight months too late. But if we want to prevent over-competition in the purchase of gas among the Member States, then we need joint action at European level. The same applies to the cap on the gas price. But what still has to come quite, very urgently is to relieve our companies. Competitiveness should be strengthened. The President of the Commission has today made one or the other proposal on this subject. I think it's important to put everything to the test. We are now in a situation where we live in a kind of war economy, and that is why it is important to do the important things first and perhaps not tackle one or the other dossier and issue until next year. Prioritizing is what is necessary. We've already lost enough time, and I think again: Our people deserve answers from us.

Mr President, Mr Vice-President of the Commission, honourable representatives of the Council, ladies and gentlemen! Winter is just around the corner. Many households and businesses are asking themselves: How can I still pay my electricity and gas bills? How do I cope with the high cost of living? It has already been said by many colleagues: Valuable time has been wasted. But now we finally have Commission proposals on the table – late, but, as I said, there is something on the table: Solidarabgabe, revenue levies on electricity, gas price brake, joint purchase of gas, new benchmark for FFT, so a lot is now on the table. I would like to use my speaking time today to call on the Member States to finally take action here, and also to ask once again in the direction of the Council Presidency to finally pat the Member States on the fingers. So far, every country, every Member State, has done its thing. We are far from having a European internal energy market, ladies and gentlemen. But if we want to tackle the problems, then we have to act together, which also means that we have to use all the available resources that we have in the country to produce energy.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. The turn of the tide in Europe is also a special turn of the tide for European space travel. Russia is known to have terminated cooperation in space with Europe at the end of February 2022. Of course, this also has a serious impact on us in Europe. I think it is really time for us to be resilient and future-proof in this area. There are more and more companies in the field of New spaceThose who have great potential. Many young and still small companies in Germany, but also in all other European countries, are making a name for themselves on an international level. Alone in New spaceThe market is estimated to grow to as much as 2,700 million by 2040. I think it is therefore urgent that we support these small and medium-sized enterprises massively at European level. As the European Union, our ambition should be to play a central role in global competition and, above all, to ensure secure, autonomous access to and use of space. I would therefore like to ask the Commission today – and Commissioner has already said a lot about this: How will the Commission develop the Space traffic management Above all, reduce bureaucratic hurdles, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, so that in the future the competitiveness of these companies in particular and also of the major players here in this market, which are based in Europe, will be maintained?

Mr President, Mr Vice-President of the European Commission, Mr Council representatives, ladies and gentlemen! Russian partial mobilization, nuclear saber-rattling, illegal annexation of the occupied territories: Putin is waging an increasingly aggressive war of aggression. Ukraine defends itself bravely, fights for itself, but also for our interests and needs our full support. I welcome the fact that an eighth package of sanctions is now being worked on. But the war also hits us massively in the European Union. We must do everything we can to control the exploding energy prices. Households can no longer pay their bills, the horrendous electricity and gas prices are driving our businesses into insolvency. I welcome the emergency measures adopted by the energy ministers. They are an important first step, but they must now also be implemented quickly and unbureaucratically, and further measures must follow. Firstly, we need a gas price brake without jeopardising security of supply. The gas price brake does not solve all problems, but it creates air to boost the supply here a bit. Secondly, we need a joint purchase of gas and liquefied petroleum gas, and we need to revise our electricity price index system, as the current situation has shown.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen! First of all, a heartfelt thank you to our rapporteur, Tom Berendsen, who presented an excellent report on the industrial strategy for Europe and who, above all, made it very clear in the report that what we need to do is to preserve added value in Europe. Our entire industrial policy must be geared towards securing jobs here on the ground. He rightly stated – and I would now like to emphasise two things in my short speech – that, above all, we must take into account the dramatic impact of Russia’s war of aggression on European industry in what we can now also do at European level. And I can only say: The most important thing is that we relieve, relieve, relieve our companies and our companies, get away from many bureaucratic requirements that the companies currently have to shoulder. Our companies are struggling to survive, insolvencies are the order of the day, productions are being cut back. We must relieve where we can only relieve and support, also with a view to reducing electricity taxes, horrendous prices, which are also there with regard to the procurement of raw materials, with regard to energy supply. That must be the order of the day. I welcome the fact that the Commission announced yesterday that it will also work in the direction of making ourselves more resilient and diversifying in the European Union. This must also be the goal of our foreign policy, that we organize here also access to rare raw materials. That is our task in the European Union.

Madam President, Madam President of the Commission, Mr Council representatives, ladies and gentlemen! Ukraine still needs our maximum possible support. Madam President, you said: “It is time to support, not for appeasement.” I can only support that. But the war also hits the mark on our citizens and businesses: High inflation, horrendous energy prices, households no longer have room for manoeuvre, companies are reducing their production, insolvencies are the order of the day. I think two things are necessary. Firstly: In times of supply shortages, we have to ramp up everything in capacity, resources. This applies to our energy supply as well as to our food supply. And secondly: Relieving rather than burdening is the order of the day, dear colleagues. I have heard that there should be an SME package. Let me just say: I hear the words, but I lack faith. I see that the machinery in the Commission continues unvarnished, unchecked. Business as usual is the order of the day. I look forward to the concrete proposals. What will be withdrawn when? The goal must be to maintain added value here in Europe and to prevent other regions in the world from benefiting from the fact that there are wars in Europe.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, We want to achieve climate neutrality in the European Union by 2050. However, climate protection is only associated with security of supply, energy efficiency and affordability. And that is why, with regard to the expansion of renewable energies, I think it is wrong to make the use of hydropower and forest biomass unprofitable through strict regulations. On the contrary: Energy from forest wood must continue to be recognised as renewable energy – I do not share what Mr Wölken said. Sustainable forest management is essential for urgently needed forest conversion and our goal of climate neutrality. We need strong forests that can reach their full potential as carbon sinks. The same goes for hydropower. Hydropower is a renewable energy that is always available, flexibly controllable and grid stabilizing. We must do everything we can to strengthen hydropower and not to put an end to small hydropower in Europe by setting strict guidelines.

Mr President, Commissioner, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, ladies and gentlemen! Deforestation and forest degradation must be tackled with all possible means. Our forests around the world are our green lungs. We absolutely must protect them. As CO2 sinks, they make a valuable contribution to our climate, even if they are managed sustainably. The Regulation provides for the most extensive due diligence and documentation obligations. Market participants and traders are obliged to carry out risk assessments here as well. I would just like to make a critical remark: I believe that we must not exaggerate this with these manifold obligations and obligations, especially for those who import and who participate in trade here. We do not want to build an extensive compliance system, but we want to tackle the problem at its root. That is why I believe that we must continue to think about alternatives and other measures – Mr Lins raised a number of points. So this is a proposal that will hopefully be evaluated with a sense of proportion in the vote tomorrow. But I think it's not the only way, and we should continue to work on alternatives.

Mr President, Mr Vice-President of the Commission, ladies and gentlemen! Better legislation has been a matter of heart for us in the European Parliament for years, and therefore a thank you to our rapporteur, who has presented an excellent report. I would like to highlight an initiative that is particularly important to me, for which I have also made myself strong: I think the most important thing is that the websites that inform our citizens, our companies about funding and funding opportunities for the European Union, are also made available in all official languages. I know that the Commission is working on this. Mr Vice-President, I would urge you once again to implement this by the end of the year, as was probably planned. I think that is a requirement of fairness that non-English-speaking citizens also know what they have in terms of funding opportunities, in terms of financing opportunities. We have billion-dollar programmes that we are putting in place, and that is why, I believe, it is a requirement of fairness to inform about them in all official languages.

Mr President, Mr Vice-President of the Commission - the President of the Council has already left Parliament here, very interesting - ladies and gentlemen! Granting candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova has been right, is a big, important milestone. We in Parliament were the first to call for this, and it is just right to continue to support Ukraine and Moldova, as is planned. However, it is unacceptable that the Western Balkans have been waiting for the EU accession talks for so long and that we have still not made any progress. At the last summit, I think we lost a lot of confidence in this region. How can the EU keep North Macedonia waiting after 15 years? How can it be that the accession talks with Albania have been repeatedly postponed, even though Albania has been a candidate country since 2010? Far too little has happened, and the evil of course is unanimity in the Council. That is where we have to start, and that is why it was right that we called for the establishment of a Convention in order to finally come to Treaty amendments, to finally get away from unanimity for the big, important decisions, especially the foreign policy issues. This can only be done with the amendment of the Treaty, only with the Convention.

Mr President, Vice-President of the European Commission, ladies and gentlemen! I am talking about CO2 emission standards for cars and light commercial vehicles. And I have two announcements. Firstly: I think electric cars have a good future. It is crucial that the charging infrastructure is set up and made available. I am convinced that if this is the case, throughout the European Union, then the electric car will become a self-propelled vehicle. Secondly: I am strongly against an end to the internal combustion engine 2035. I think technology neutrality is the order of the day. I see a future also for alternative fuels, synthetic fuels, hydrogen technology. I don't think we MEPs should decide which technology will prevail on the market, but I think there is a lot, a lot of potential still there in terms of innovation, in terms of scientific development. And we should not exclude other technologies from the outset. And we should also be honest and make a life cycle, a life cycle assessment and not always just measure the CO2 emissions at the exhaust.

Mr President! Commissioner! Ladies and Gentlemen! Reducing our dependence on Russia for exports is the order of the day. In this respect, I also welcome the proposal that the Commission has now put forward in the context of REPowerEU. It is gratifying in this proposal that there are good ideas for financing the ambitious plans. The aim is to exploit synergies and flexibility between existing EU funds and the EU Recovery Fund. I think that is right that we are taking advantage of existing funds that are not called up and not taking on new debt for the projects. Our priority must be to ensure affordability and security of supply. Our citizens must continue to be able to pay their energy bills. Only then will accelerated change have the chance to be widely accepted. Due to bureaucratic requirements, we must not take the air to breathe for small and medium-sized companies. I also say clearly: We need to look at why the accelerated change is taking place too slowly, for example in the case of photovoltaic systems. There is not the problem that there is no money, but there is a lack of material, and there is a lack of specialists who build the photovoltaic systems. So in the further discussions on ‘Fit for 55’ and on REPowerEU, please also take into account the given realities!