Speeches

Mr Tynkkynen, I would remind you that you are part of this House as well. I will refer to the President based on Rule 10, due to the words used in your intervention.

This is valid for all speakers in any session. There are specific rules on how we can address colleagues, and I take note of how colleagues have been addressed. So we also forward this to the President.

So first of all there is a blue‑card procedure. And when I kindly ask you to interrupt because there is no interpretation, you have to wait for the interpretation, sir. It was not a blue card. So if you want to reply, or you don't want to reply.

The next item is the debate on a Commission statement on 'the rise of political violence, notably by far‑left organisations' (2026/2638(RSP)). Before starting the debate, I want to inform all colleagues again of the fact that we will need to comply with the time available, so I will be very strict on the timing. Please do respect the timing that has been allocated to each speaker. If we are going to have blue cards also, we will be respecting the procedures accordingly. Also, please colleagues, respect the Rules of Procedure when it comes to the blue‑card procedure.

Madam Vice-President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, education is the main tool by which we fight poverty, but also by which we can increase our competitiveness. Education is not supported by good words, but by adequate budgets and policies. That is why we tabled an amendment co-signed by the Members of the Education Intergroup, calling for 20% of the future multiannual budget of the European Union to go towards education and skills training. I ask the European Commission to support this approach and to show that it treats education as a strategic priority, not as a fiscal adjustment variable. Now we only have 14% for education and mobility, so such an adjustment is possible. We have also offered the solution of identifying new resources through a European education tax applied to companies in the online betting industry. At the same time, we have to say things by name: in Romania we are witnessing cuts that affect the quality of education. These decisions strike precisely at the children and young people most in need, at the teachers and local communities who get involved. We cannot demand more for education at European level and ignore when it is threatened in the Member States. Education must be protected everywhere, because when you attack education, you attack the future of a society.

Colleague, please respect the rules of this House when it comes to referring to people that are present or not present, and also respect the topic. This issue will be referred again to the services.

The next item is the debate on the Commission Statement on the presentation of the Action Plan against Cyber Harassment (2026/2587(RSP)) - an important and current topic. We have spoken about this here in the European Parliament and we are starting this topic today with a statement from the Vice-President of the European Commission, Mrs Virkkunen.

The next item is the debate on the Commission Declaration on the urgent need to address the humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan and achieve lasting peace (2026/2603(RSP)).

We have received eight motions for resolutions, tabled on the basis of the statement. The debate is closed. The vote will take place on Thursday.

Mr President, I am calling for a European tax on online gambling and betting, to finance education. Today, the online gambling market is one of the fastest growing digital industries, generating dozens of billions of euro, yet a significant share of these profits escapes fair taxation. My proposal is simple and responsible: a European levy on the online gambling and betting industry, applied equally on top of the existing national turnover taxes, while fighting for a clear EU directive against illegal and unlicensed platforms. This could generate between EUR 2 to 4 billion every year, and could go up to almost EUR 28 billion for the entire EU long-term budget. The strongest argument in favour is that this industry fully benefits from the EU's single market, digital infrastructure and cross-border access, but operates under fragmented rules, unequal taxation and insufficient enforcement. A coordinated EU‑level tax would enable us to find a solution for the lack of EU resources by providing dedicated funding for education, skills prevention, addiction treatment or mental health.

Mr President, today we are not talking about figures or procedures. We are talking about people, patients, families and doctors who are fighting cancer every day. In too many cases, this struggle is marked by inequalities: different access to prevention, screening, early diagnosis and life-saving treatments. Patients we could save lose their lives because they don't have the right zip code. These differences are not acceptable in a Union that is based on solidarity. I am therefore one of the initiators of this resolution, because Europe's Beating Cancer Plan must be more than a strategy. With our amendments, we call for it to be adequately funded, consistently applied and to go where it matters: to the patient. I also stress, with my amendments, the special needs of children with cancer, for which we need to do more. I say to the apostles of austerity that health is not a cost, but an investment in people, in communities and in the future of loved ones. The fight against cancer has no political color, but politicians who hesitate and do not act bear responsibility for those we could save.

Presidential elections in Honduras, non-recognition of the result by the incumbent administration and attacks on opposition members of the National Assembly.

Thank you, Commissioner. To wind up the debate, I have received seven motions for resolutions tabled in accordance with Rule 136(2). The debate is closed. The vote will take place tomorrow.

I have to mention that as chair of the plenary I also need to comply with the Rules of Procedure. Based on Title VII, Rule 178(10), I have also to maintain the balance of the different interventions, and this is also applicable to the blue cards. So no more blue cards for the ones that already intervened.