What Peter spoke about.

8 Feb

2024

DE Speech

Working conditions of teachers in the EU (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner! It is good that we are talking about the issue today, and I would like to point out, with all modesty, that it is an initiative of the Committee on Petitions. In the discussion with the petitioners in the Committee on Petitions, we were able to focus on three main problems: The first is still the case – there is a lack of mutual recognition. The second is working condit…

7 Feb

2024

DE Speech

Empowering farmers and rural communities - a dialogue towards sustainable and fairly rewarded EU agriculture (debate)

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Madam President, Mr Vice-President. The problem is: When the Commission says that we want to support farmers, our farmers now see it more as a threat than as a solution. And, Mr Vice-President of the Commission, this gives you great political responsibility for structured dialogue. I just have to say: It has to get better this time. And that is why we need confidence-building measures. I would hav…

7 Feb

2024

DE Speech

Empowering farmers and rural communities - a dialogue towards sustainable and fairly rewarded EU agriculture (debate)

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Madam President, Mr Vice-President. (The President interrupted the speaker.)

16 Jan

2024

DE Speech

Activities of the European Ombudsman – annual report 2022 (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, What can we say in summary? I would say, the ombudswoman and the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament, that we have become accustomed to each other. I'd rather say we need each other. Yes, we also have respect for each other. Maybe we even like each other a little. I would like to thank the PETI Secretariat once again. I would like to thank my sh…

16 Jan

2024

DE Speech

Activities of the European Ombudsman – annual report 2022 (debate)

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Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladi…

21 Nov

2023

DE Speech

Sustainable use of plant protection products (debate)

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Madam President, What still bothers me is the ductus of the law, that is, the basic philosophy of the law. The farmer is denied the ability to use plant protection products responsibly, professionally and in an environmentally friendly manner. And I say: What's that supposed to be? To the left side of the house: Farmers are not our enemies. They ensure our food is healthy and environmentally frien…

19 Oct

2023

DE Speech

European Citizens' Initiative 'Fur Free Europe' (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! As an active member of the Committee on Petitions, I am of course happy about any European citizens' initiative that is successful. And at least 1.5 million signatures – this is where the citizens’ initiative really deserves to be taken seriously. It has been mentioned: A public hearing was held on 12 October, also together with the Committee on…

4 Oct

2023

DE Speech

The proposed extension of glyphosate in the EU (debate)

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Madam President, I mean, not an ideological decision, but profoundly technical decisions are necessary, and the question of whether glyphosate is harmful to health or not is a technical question. We all wanted to do better and not make ideological decisions during technical discussions. That's why we set up specialist agencies, and we interviewed two specialist agencies, and they said: There is no…

10 May

2023

DE Speech

The role of farmers as enablers of the green transition and a resilient agricultural sector (continuation of debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, Minister, ladies and gentlemen! Coronavirus crisis – food security has never been at risk. Ukraine war – food security has never been jeopardised. With a little humor you could say: This has been achieved by our farmers despite the political interventions from Brussels. I think our main problem is that farmers no longer understand our policy. The other day, a farmer ask…

14 Mar

2023

DE Speech

Implementation report on the Agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU - The Windsor Framework (debate)

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Mr President, Vice-President Šefčovič, ladies and gentlemen! Any EU citizen residing in the UK has the right to petition the European Parliament under Article 227 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. UK citizens residing in the European Union also retain the right to petition Parliament. Parliament’s Committee on Petitions has received 262 petitions related to Brexit and 25 rela…

13 Mar

2023

DE Speech

Activities of the European Ombudsman - annual report 2021 (debate)

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Madam President, Madam O'Reilly, Vice-President Šefčovič. I have written down four comments. Firstly: The ombudswoman is not a member of the European Commission, nor is the ombudswoman a member of the European Parliament. Nor is she a member of the Council. The ombudswoman is there for the citizens. And honestly, Mrs. O'Reilly, you have done your multifaceted work well. If I weren't a German, I'd …

14 Dec

2022

DE Speech

Deliberations of the Committee on Petitions in 2021 (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to express my thanks to my colleague Loránt Vincze for his good work and for his report. It has managed, through good compromises, to produce an objective report that has not been unnecessarily politicised and sufficiently reflects the work of the Committee in 2021. You cannot be closer to the citizen than the Committee on Petitions…

23 Nov

2022

DE Speech

Protection of livestock farming and large carnivores in Europe (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, dear Commission! Consider this resolution as a call for help to you: Finally do something! The settlement of the wolf is a success story. We have stable, growing wolf populations, which means that protection status can be reduced; The stock can be regulated. Develop Europe-wide guidelines! Define wolf-free zones! Help our farmers, help our cultural landscape, he…

9 Nov

2022

DE Speech

Communication on ensuring availability and affordability of fertilisers (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner! You can't praise much in a minute. There are four critical comments. The first one: We heard it from Mr Dorfmann: a loss of 44 billion, our agricultural disasters of 450 million. We won't be able to clarify everything. The second: I would ask you to think again – it has been said on several occasions: It would be important to temporarily suspend the punitive tax on i…

9 Nov

2022

DE Speech

REPowerEU chapters in recovery and resilience plans (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner! As rapporteur for the opinion on agriculture, I must say: REPowerEU – a good idea. And even if agriculture does not participate or, rather, does not have to participate, it remains a good idea. Perhaps the three aspects, three arguments why the Committee on Agriculture decided not to make funds available for REPowerEU: First, the budget: 20 billion…

6 Oct

2022

DE Speech

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

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Mr President! Perhaps a hint to the left side of the house: Those who do not master this today do not have to worry about the future. Or, as the state puts it: Of course we need both. Prices of inorganic nitrogen in themselves depend directly on the price of gas, and in my home region the gas prices were so high that the Piesteritz fertiliser plant stopped production, not because there was no gas,…

6 Jul

2022

DE Speech

Facilitating export of Ukrainian agricultural products: key for Ukrainian economy and global food security (debate)

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Madam President, Putin can use grain as a weapon, for example wheat: Ukraine 18 million tons annually, Russia 35 million tons annually. That is, Putin can influence 28% of world trade. He can change strategy daily, he can disrupt commodity futures exchanges, he can produce hunger in North Africa, he can organize a new flow of refugees to Europe. That is why it is right that we create a solidarity …

14 Feb

2022

DE Speech

Activities of the European Ombudsman – annual report 2020 (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, My group and I personally congratulate the Ombudsman on her work and thank her for the good cooperation with the Committee on Petitions. The balance sheet can be seen. In 2020, the European Ombudsman handled 2 200 complaints and opened 370 inquiries. She initiated five investigations on her own initiative. From this point of view, the Om…

15 Dec

2021

DE Speech

Deliberations of the Committee on Petitions in 2020 (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. My first thank you goes to my colleague Gheorghe Falcă. He managed to produce a report with a large cross-group majority. This is good and important because, firstly, it is our own work that we represent here and, secondly, we are the only committee in the European Parliament where the agenda is made and determined by the people. Petitions that are…

23 Nov

2021

DE Speech

Common agricultural policy - support for strategic plans to be drawn up by Member States and financed by the EAGF and by the EAFRD - Common agricultural policy: financing, management and monitoring - Common agricultural policy – amendment of the CMO and other regulations (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Today is an important and also a good day for European agricultural policy, especially for our farmers. Two and a half years of consulting, countless shadow meetings, voting rounds, some on the motorway in the car, sometimes I sweated, sometimes I froze – not only because of the content, but because of the climatic conditions. A trilogue would almost have fai…