Speeches

The recommendation for a decision not to object to an implementing act submitted by the ENVI Committee, which was adopted on Monday 15 October. December, was announced, no objections were raised within the 24 hour deadline. In accordance with Article 114(6), the Recommendation is therefore deemed to have been adopted and will be published with the texts adopted.

There's a blue card from Mr. Sieper. Mr. Sieper, I ask you: I will then have to remove you from the list of spontaneous interventions – would you rather have a blue card or a spontaneous intervention? (Lukas Sieper confirmed that he wanted to ask a question about the ‘blue card’ procedure.) Blue card, okay.

I would like to remind you once again that we here in this House want to treat each other with mutual respect, even if we have different political opinions.

The next item on the agenda is the report by Raphaël Glucksmann and François-Xavier Bellamy, on behalf of the Committee on Security and Defence and the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Defence Industry Programme and a framework for action to ensure the timely availability and supply of defence-related products (EDIP) (COM(2024)0150 – C10-0005/2024 – 2024/0061(COD)).

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the Council and Commission statements on protecting EU consumers from the practices of certain e-commerce platforms: the case of child sex dolls, weapons and other illegal products and related material (2025/2971(RSP))

The debate is hereby closed. The vote will take place tomorrow, Thursday 13 November 2025. The next item on the agenda is statements by the Council and the Commission on protecting EU consumers from the practices of certain e-commerce platforms: the case of child sex dolls, weapons and other illegal products and related material (2025/2971(RSP)). First of all, Commissioner Henna Virkkunen has the floor, which I would like to warmly welcome here in plenary.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the report by Mr Wiezik, on behalf of the Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety, on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity from areas beyond national jurisdiction (COM(2025)0173 - C10-0074/2025 - 2025/0090(COD)) (A10-0205/2025).

I have to stop the catch-the-eye procedure, because we are already a lot over time. Sorry. Ask your colleagues to stick to the speaking time they get, then we can take more catch-the-eyes. But under these conditions, it's not possible. (Off-mic comment from another Member) You were represented from the left. Sorry. Also in the catch-the-eye, yes. It was Ms Kountoura. She's left, I think.

Mr President! Dear Commissioner, Dear colleagues! Europe grows through encounters, ideas and stories that strengthen trust, diversity and democracy. The programmes that hold Europe together at its core, Erasmus+ and AgoraEU, represent only 2% of the total MFF budget. 2% for what contributes to European cohesion. This is out of proportion to their impact and potential. Erasmus+ and AgoraEU need more resources and clear priorities. Symbolic politics by merging programme strands and balancing inflation are not enough. The programmes that bring Europe to life are constantly oversubscribed. The demand is there, the funds are not. Within the AgoraEU programme, funds need to be earmarked and clearly divided into: Culture, media, news media and Journalism and CERF. Flexibility must not lead to dilution, we need planning security. Europe is more than a single market, so we need to invest where cohesion is growing: in education, culture and free media. This is the best defense of our democracy.

The minutes of this meeting will be submitted to Parliament for approval at the beginning of the next meeting. If there are no objections, I will forward the resolutions adopted at today's sitting to the persons and bodies referred to in those resolutions.

Thank you very much, Mr Sieper. And again to Mr Streit for the cultural contribution this afternoon. I think sometimes the topics are also such that you can often only grasp them in rhymes to really grasp them. I would like to end the debate with a brief appeal, namely an appeal to the Member States to finally listen to Parliament, the Commission and the citizens here and to finally end this nonsense.