What Anna spoke about.

21

Oct

2024

DE Speech

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A stronger Europe for safer products to better protect consumers and tackle unfair competition: boosting EU oversight in e-commerce and imports (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen! The teddy bear on the online platform Temu, which looks cute and fluffy and costs only twelve euros. But if consumers order this teddy, there is a 95% chance that it will not meet European product safety standards. In other words: The cuddly toy is dangerous: His eyes may be swallowed, or the fur may be poisonous. Customs and market surveillance here in Europe a…

21

Oct

2024

DE Speech

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Empowering the Single Market to deliver a sustainable future and prosperity for all EU citizens (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen! Dear Enrico Letta, first of all, thank you for your report and for the good cooperation with this House, in particular with the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection. Some people are firmly convinced – and Gabriele has already said so – that you cannot fall in love with an EU single market; One of them was Jacques Delors. But I have to say …

10

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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Consequences of the devastating forest fires in the Amazon and the importance of the Amazon for climate change (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, I am terrified by the raging infernos devastating land and forests in Brazil. A huge drought is drying out the rainforest, emptying its rivers, turning wood into tinder. The consequences for people in nature are severe, upending lives, stranding boats, isolating communities, burning down biodiversity. And the long-term impact on our world's climate could be absolu…

8

Oct

2024

DE Speech

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The crisis facing the EU’s automotive industry, potential plant closures and the need to enhance competitiveness and maintain jobs in Europe (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen! I think the countervailing tariffs on China are correct. As the European Union, we cannot be so naive as to stand on the sidelines and watch China destroy our European industry through unfair competition. And all the more tragic that German Chancellor Scholz pushed through a "no" and buckled in front of the lobby pressure from China. I do not think that this …

17

Sep

2024

DE Speech

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The future of European competitiveness (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen! In my region, in Dresden, a bridge has just collapsed, a normal bridge in the city center. There are trams running over it, there are pedestrians running over it, and as if by a miracle no one has died. This bridge symbolizes the state of the infrastructure in Germany and elsewhere. For years, too little has been invested in our future and that of our childre…

23

Apr

2024

EN Speech

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Withdrawal of the Union from the Energy Charter Treaty (debate)

Mr President, thanks so much to everyone who took part in this debate. I think indeed it showed great, great unity, except, of course, the ridiculous and very destructive far right. But we know about that. That’s the usual case. I think the rest of Parliament was quite clear, and I hope the vote tomorrow will be also quite clear. I also want to use now my final spot to thank the Commission for the…

23

Apr

2024

DE Speech

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Withdrawal of the Union from the Energy Charter Treaty (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, March 2024 was the tenth warmest month in a row since the start of weather records. 2023 was by far the hottest year ever. One record chases the next, one natural disaster the other. We need to act urgently, get away from fossil fuels as soon as possible and invest in renewable energies. The EU has embarked on a journey towards a climate-neutral continent. Bu…

22

Apr

2024

DE Speech

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Prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, 28 million workers in forced labour, and there are more and more. 28 million, that's not some number, that's people. People like Tara, who has to work in a brick factory day and night in India and even when she is seriously ill. Or people like Henry, who came to Mauritius and is exploited as a cheap labourer, sewing textiles for the European market – without …

22

Apr

2024

DE Speech

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Common rules promoting the repair of goods (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Nowhere does the EU reach people more concretely than when it comes to consumer protection. We are improving the lives of nearly 450 million people: We are fighting greenwashing and e-waste, we have abolished roaming charges and introduced the uniform charging cable. And everyone benefits from it. Now we finally bring the right to repair to the start, and tha…

12

Mar

2024

DE Speech

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State of play of the corporate sustainability due diligence directive (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, Minister, ladies and gentlemen! Better working conditions for over- and delivery drivers – the FDP says no. The end of forced labour in our products – the FDP says no again. Finally, and this is what we are talking about today, the European Supply Chain Law, the FDP is saying no here too. 90% of the Belgian Presidency's last compromise proposal on the law responds to…

11

Mar

2024

DE Speech

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Substantiation and communication of explicit environmental claims (Green Claims Directive) (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, There are more and more companies that offset and advertise CO2 and want to convince customers with green promises. This shows: Climate protection is a market value; Consumers are asking. And it shows: Many companies want to do something. It is important for both consumers and businesses that we put an end to the current wild growth of green promises. 230 labels…

29

Feb

2024

DE Speech

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EU/Chile Advanced Framework Agreement - EU/Chile Advanced Framework Agreement (Resolution) - Interim Agreement on Trade between the European Union and the Republic of Chile (joint debate - EU-Chile agreements)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. I believe that we all agree here in this Parliament: Our European trade agreements and our supply chains must become more sustainable. This applies not only to the European Union, but must also be reflected in our external relations. There has been significant progress in this Legislature: The Commission has launched the green trade policy reform a…

28

Feb

2024

DE Speech

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Regaining our competitive edge - a prosperous EU in a fragmented global economy (topical debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. What is one of the biggest threats to competitiveness in the European Union? It is climate change with its extreme weather events, with the disruption of supply chains or the questioning of entire business models. That is why the EU and its continuation are a key building block for strengthening competitiveness in the European Union. This creates predictability …

5

Feb

2024

DE Speech

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State of EU solar industry in light of unfair competition (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, The global race for green industry is in full swing, and we simply cannot afford to lag behind as the European Union or even put individual sectors at risk. Several things are important for this; You've already mentioned a few. Firstly: The regulatory framework, the Green Deal, is the success story that we in the European Union continue to compe…

16

Jan

2024

DE Speech

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Empowering consumers for the green transition (debate)

Mr President! Dear colleagues, there are more and more climate-neutral, green and sustainable products on the market in the European Union. And that just shows how huge the demand is. Consumers who want to shop sustainably. It is important for three out of four EU citizens in the EU what impact their product has on the environment. And this urge to counteract the climate crisis and resource consum…

21

Nov

2023

EN Speech

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EU/New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (debate)

Madam President, I liked that we finally had a plenary debate that is really a debate. Frau Präsidentin, lieber Herr Vizepräsident der Kommission Dombrovskis, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Das Handelsabkommen zwischen der Europäischen Union und Neuseeland markiert einen Wendepunkt in der europäischen Handelspolitik, für den wir Grüne uns sehr lange eingesetzt haben, für den sich auch dieses Parl…

20

Nov

2023

DE Speech

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Common rules promoting the repair of goods

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, More than 70% of people in Europe want to repair their smartphone, but only 20% do – this is a missed opportunity. Repair must finally become easier, cheaper and faster. This conserves resources and the climate, and that is exactly what the European right to repair does. What does this mean for consumers in concrete terms? If the vacuum cleaner breaks, it no …

4

Oct

2023

DE Speech

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Need to complete new trade agreements for sustainable growth, competitiveness and the EU’s strategic autonomy (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Experience with autocratic regimes such as Russia and China shows that we need to broaden our trade relations. But these examples also show that a trade policy that undermines our value system, such as the protection of human rights or the climate, is also doomed to failure. It follows for me: We can only advance the EU trade agenda if, at the same time, we c…

4

Oct

2023

EN Speech

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Energy Charter Treaty: next steps (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, are you aware that Nord Stream 2 and its Russian backers are, to this day, still suing the EU for damaging their investment in the doomed pipeline? That billions of taxpayers’ money might be used for this? The Energy Charter Treaty is to blame. And that is why we in this Parliament several months ago decided that the EU and its Member States have to exit. That is …

4

Oct

2023

EN Speech

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Energy Charter Treaty: next steps (debate)

Madam President, I have a point of order indeed. Parliament decided that we wanted to exit the Energy Charter Treaty, and the Commission proposed it as well. But the blocking majority, or whatever, is in the Council. The Council is not moving. But how can we debate with the Council if the Council is not here? That really renders the whole debate a little bit useless. So could we probably either ca…

13

Sep

2023

DE Speech

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Framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. War and pandemic have relentlessly demonstrated how vulnerable and unstable our supply chains are. And yes, we must diversify our sourcing of raw materials and we must become less dependent on authoritarian regimes such as China or Russia. However, this must not come at the expense of human rights and environmental protection in other countries, whether it is ni…

12

Sep

2023

DE Speech

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Single market emergency instrument (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Miles-long truck jams at the borders, nurses who can't get to work, or even couples who can't visit. All this has once again become a sad reality in the European Union during the coronavirus pandemic. Border controls by Member States have prevented the free movement of goods, services, but also of people, disrupted the internal market. This must never happen …

11

Jul

2023

DE Speech

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Ecodesign Regulation (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. How environmentally harmful a product is is decided by 80% of the design, and that is a huge lever that we simply have to use much more. T-shirt, mobile phone or kettle – previously: Buying, using briefly and throwing away, that is unfortunately the rule. And with blatant consequences: Earth heating is progressing, the hunger for resources is increasing, the mou…

13

Jun

2023

DE Speech

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Batteries and waste batteries (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Raw materials are finite, and planetary boundaries are reality. The Battery Ordinance is accelerating the transition to a true circular economy because we are no longer wasting important raw materials, but are finally recycling them. Consumers will receive more durable and efficient batteries. All batteries can be replaced, devices can be used longer and e-wa…

12

Jun

2023

EN Speech

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Marking the World Day against Child Labour (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, annually, 50 billion worth of imported goods are made with child labour. And an estimated 160 million children are engaged in child labour. Children such as Nina, a 13-year-old working in the mica mine in Madagascar for our cosmetics, paints and electronics. Or Sandy who picks potatoes, extracts onions and digs up lettuce on a hillside in the Dominican Republic. To i…