What Antonius spoke about.

23 Apr

2024

NL Speech

European Disability Card and European Parking Card for persons with disabilities - European Disability Card and European Parking Card for persons with disabilities for third country nationals legally residing in a Member State (joint debate - Disability cards)

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(NL) Mr President, I would like to thank everyone very much for their strong and broad support for the directive on the disabled parking card for Europeans and non-residents. I have not been able to hear any dissonance and I am pleased and proud of that, because Europe stands for our values and norms. Since this is my last speech in this Chamber, as I will be putting an end to my work as a Member …

23 Apr

2024

NL Speech

European Disability Card and European Parking Card for persons with disabilities - European Disability Card and European Parking Card for persons with disabilities for third country nationals legally residing in a Member State (joint debate - Disability cards)

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Mr President, Commissioner, before I turn to this directive, I would first like to thank Alice Kuhnke for the cooperation, as well as my staff and the staff and advisers of the EPP Group. Because we have once again succeeded in improving a piece of free movement. In this case, the free movement of persons with disabilities. Time and again, we are making a small step forward to further expand the v…

14 Mar

2024

NL Speech

Healthy lifestyle and active ageing in the EU (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, it is a great pity that we have not been able to write a resolution on this, because I think this is an extremely important issue for the future of the European Union and the future of our healthy society. But during your contribution you mentioned many important issues that we can address through a coordinated approach from the European Union. Every day from birth you …

13 Mar

2024

NL Speech

Type-approval of motor vehicles and engines with respect to their emissions and battery durability (Euro 7) (debate)

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Mr President, in the Committee on the Internal Market we agree with the environmental standards to be achieved and the improvement of air quality. This is also stated in our advice. What we do think is that emissions must be measured over the entire life cycle of a car. When we talk about electric cars, it is therefore about producing batteries, producing technology, but also about recycling batte…

28 Feb

2024

NL Speech

Data collection and sharing relating to short-term accommodation rental services (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, when I saw the Commission proposal coming into the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, I had to think of the Timeshare Directive. Twenty years ago, we had a similar problem. These rules are necessary because of the success of the platforms that exist. Because if you can take 25% of the market in such a short time, then somethi…

27 Feb

2024

NL Speech

Multiannual financial framework for the years 2021 to 2027 - Establishing the Ukraine Facility - Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (‘STEP’) (joint debate - multiannual financial framework revision)

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Mr President, I have listened to loud speakers. They are all talking about the revision of the multiannual financial framework. Rightly so. It is good that we are going to vote on this, but I have not heard anyone who also wants to make some savings in the budget. I am glad that the Commission is there and that the Council is there. I have drafted a resolution on preventive health. We spend €300 b…

26 Feb

2024

NL Speech

Protection of the environment through criminal law (short presentation)

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Mr President, Commissioner, environmental crime is in the top five most lucrative criminal cases and it is good that we have done something about it. I thank everyone who has made a positive contribution, and what is very nice: When we talk about crime, this Parliament is in complete agreement from left to right. We also had a unanimous vote on this in committee. In the end, I think we succeeded v…

7 Feb

2024

NL Speech

The fight against hate speech and disinformation: responsibility of social platforms within the Digital Services Act (topical debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, disinformation is a threat to our society and I will tell you why at the end of my speech. Platforms are responsible for their content. They make money from it. I remember Mark Zuckerberg apologizing in the Senate on January 31 for the fake content on his platforms. But it's very easy to apologize. I would like to ask you, Commissioner, to include …

5 Feb

2024

NL Speech

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

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of my older constituents in particular, I would like to thank Mrs McGuinness for introducing the IBAN name check that we discussed two years ago. I did not have time to speak at the time, which is why I am still doing it now, following the regulation on instant credit transfers. Thank you again, because older people in particular will benefit greatly f…

13 Dec

2023

NL Speech

Jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition of decisions and acceptance of authentic instruments in matters of parenthood and creation of a European Certificate of Parenthood (debate)

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Mr President, we are talking about human rights today and they must be kept very high and protected in Europe. The mutual recognition of parenthood across the Union with this proposal is an extremely important issue. Fortunately, in our free world, we have different types of parenthood – and we are happy to allow that free way of thinking – and that is where children are born. Partners can choose …

21 Nov

2023

NL Speech

EU framework for the social and professional situation of artists and workers in the cultural and creative sectors (A9-0304/2023 - Antonius Manders, Domènec Ruiz Devesa) (vote)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, committees, we are about to vote on the report on the cultural and creative sectors. This sector suffered enormously during the Covid crisis and we must prevent that next time. The cultural and creative sectors – music, art, theatre – and sport connect people, as the Renaissance once did. We call on the European Commission, in its work programme for the next man…

4 Oct

2023

NL Speech

Decent Housing for All (topical debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, it is always nice to be able to debate with you. Living is a basic right for everyone. At the moment, older people, young people, but also newcomers, are no longer getting the right housing. I have already heard many colleagues speak, including your Commissioner, and everyone is analysing the right problem: Too few homes are being built. But why? In my opinion, the muni…

12 Sep

2023

NL Speech

Single market emergency instrument (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, the Single Market Emergency Instrument is going to help us in the future. Bureaucracy never works and has never worked and will not work in the future. And the COVID-19 crisis has taught us how important it is to keep the internal market open. And that is a hugely important aspect to keep, say, the supply lines. Member States were in great panic during the COVID-19 cris…

11 Sep

2023

NL Speech

Consumer credits (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, it is good that Europe is protecting vulnerable consumers through this consumer credit directive. It is good that we have included the so-called right to forget, specifically for people with cancer. First of all, I think that many other diseases should also be forgotten when applying for a credit. And I believe that vulnerable consumers should be protected. In the past …

10 Jul

2023

NL Speech

Protection of journalists and human rights defenders from manifestly unfounded or abusive court proceedings (debate)

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–President, Commissioner, it is good that we are taking measures to protect those – journalists in this case – from improper use of procedures that actually cause them to be financially devastated and are no longer who they should be, namely people who are engaged in exposing wrongdoings in our society. I welcome the enlargement that not only journalists will be protected with this measure, but ev…

14 Jun

2023

NL Speech

Make Europe the place to invest (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, Minister, thank you for your endurance. It's a long run. How do we attract more investors in Europe? Stop the fragmentation of the internal market, I would say, because the directives that are implemented differently in each country make it a mess for entrepreneurs. So make sure we focus on maximum harmonisation. Stop ideas that come from the inside and are devised behi…

13 Jun

2023

NL Speech

Batteries and waste batteries (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, Mr Variati, rapporteur, I would like to thank Simona Bonafè and her assistant Marco, of course, especially since they have taken on board a number of points from the Committee on the Internal Market which are very important for this dossier. I mention the national battery help centres to help small and medium-sized enterprises with the introduction of batteries and thei…

31 May

2023

NL Speech

Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the CDA strongly supports the proposals, the principles, of corporate social responsibility, because that is part of our norms and values. There is – and I have already heard several colleagues mention this, who have talked about a level playing field that we need to create in Europe – only one flaw in this proposal. It is a directive. And a direct…

15 Mar

2023

NL Speech

More Europe, more jobs: we are building the competitive economy of tomorrow for the benefit of all (topical debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, we are discussing a good topic here: “More Europe and more jobs”. I would like to change that to ‘A better Europe and better jobs’, because ‘more, more, more’ is neoliberal. We also need to look at what the future holds. We all want to preserve our prosperity for ourselves, for our children, for our grandchildren. That's what we want, of course. We do not do this by mak…

17 Jan

2023

NL Speech

Consumer protection in online video games: a European Single Market approach (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, we are talking about an own-initiative report on video games. That is time, because in it we call on the Commission to come forward with proposals, to come forward with legislation to regulate this hugely important new sector in industry. At the moment, we talk quite a lot about the negative aspects of video games, such as addiction for children, such as consumer protec…

24 Nov

2022

EN Speech

Situation of human rights in the context of the FIFA world cup in Qatar (B9-0539/2022, B9-0541/2022, B9-0542/2022, B9-0543/2022, B9-0537/2022, RC-B9-0538/2022, B9-0538/2022) (vote)

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Madam President, on Monday, I had a point of order. I want to give a signal and ask the colleagues to stand up and to show a yellow card to FIFA because of their behaviour. If we stand and show our band, then we show that we are against what FIFA is doing in Qatar.…

21 Nov

2022

EN Speech

Approval of the minutes of the previous sittings

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Madam President, I have a point of order. In addition to your remarks, on Article 120 on Human Rights, last weekend FIFA didn’t allow the captains of the national teams to wear the ‘One Love’ armband, and this is a breach of their position. I ask you and the European Parliament to condemn this behaviour strongly, because we are talking about human rights everywhere, and yet when you want to show s…

18 Oct

2022

EN Speech

Question Time (Commission) - Protecting critical infrastructure in the EU against attacks and countering hybrid attacks

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I agree completely with you. It’s not about money, it’s about emotion. And my question was, at the moment, the Premier League is the super league, which is only filled with money and the EU clubs cannot compete anymore. All the money is going to the UK nowadays. My question is: are you willing to set up an open dialogue with UEFA and the Commission and perhaps some people who are entrusted to save…

18 Oct

2022

EN Speech

Question Time (Commission) - Protecting critical infrastructure in the EU against attacks and countering hybrid attacks

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Mr President, we are talking now about protecting critical infrastructures and we all talk about material infrastructures. But we also have to talk about immaterial infrastructures, because if we want to have a future in Europe, a future of the EU, we need to promote EU emotion and identity. I am nearly 50 years with my wife together. Do you know why? I love her, and I hope she loves me. That’s wh…

6 Oct

2022

EN Speech

The urgent need for an EU strategy on fertilisers to ensure food security in Europe (debate)

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Mr President, fertilizers are not only used to produce food. At this moment, the European Commission is the fertilizer for UEFA by signing a new cooperation agreement while there is a case ongoing at the ECJ against UEFA. How can the Commission enforce the Treaty after the ruling in December? Is this a case of sports washing?…