What Gerben-Jan spoke about.

20

Jan

2025

EN Question

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Heat record year 2024 - the need for climate action to fight global warming (debate)

Thank you, Ms Pereira, for the sense of urgency that you described about climate change. But at the same time, it is your group that is undermining the Green Deal by trying to get rid of the Deforestation Law, by trying to get rid of the phasing out of the combustion engine. So how can you justify this high urgency that you're describing to fight climate change and, at the same time, being a membe…

18

Dec

2024

NL Speech

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Urgent need for EU action to preserve nature and protect biodiversity to avoid the extinction of species (debate)

Mr President, we humans consider ourselves superior to all other life on earth, and especially to intelligence. But that intelligent human is the only species that completely destroys its own environment and thus jeopardizes its own survival. So much for homo sapiens. Yesterday, the United Nations Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services released a three-year report. And t…

18

Dec

2024

EN Speech

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Restoring the EU’s competitive edge – the need for an impact assessment on the Green Deal policies (topical debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, our economy moves in waves – waves named after Nikolai Kondratiev. And every 40 to 60 years, the economy changes dramatically thanks to new technology, like the steam engine in 1800, electrical engineering in 1900, and the information technology in the 90s of the previous century. With every Kondratiev wave, fast movers will win and slow movers will lose, and those w…

18

Dec

2024

EN Speech

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Preparation of the European Council of 19-20 December 2024 (debate)

Madam President, colleagues, instead of addressing one or two political priorities, I would like to focus on the functioning of the European Council itself. This month, the European Council celebrates its 15th anniversary. So still in puberty, you might say, and too young to, and I quote Article 15 of the Treaty, define and develop the general political directions and priorities. Micromanaging has…

13

Nov

2024

NL Speech

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Deplorable escalation of violence around the football match in the Netherlands and the unacceptable attacks against Israeli football fans (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, in Amsterdam the flames were blown up after football hooligans with racist chants carried out demolitions and abuses in the historic city centre. Unfortunately, this happens more often. What was different, however, was the manhunt for Israeli Jews that followed. There are no excuses for violence of this nature, no matter how serious the hooligans' …

13

Nov

2024

EN Speech

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EU-US relations in light of the outcome of the US presidential elections (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, Trump does not believe that by cooperation both sides can benefit. He considers the world a zero‑sum game. But we know that not all political leaders in the US think like Trump. There are many internationally‑oriented governors and mayors with whom we should strengthen our ties. However, in order to show Trump our strength, we need to communicate cle…

23

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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EU actions against the Russian shadow fleets and ensuring a full enforcement of sanctions against Russia (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, a fleet of over 600 old, uninsured oil tankers are sailing through our European waters carrying sanctioned Russian oil. This so-called shadow fleet transports more than EUR 80 billion‑worth of crude oil, putting money illegally into Russia's war coffers – reason enough to do everything to stop this. On top of that, the tankers pose an inconceivable e…

9

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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Presentation of the programme of activities of the Hungarian Presidency (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, Prime Minister, colleagues, I have a confession to make: I sometimes watch bad movies. One of them is 'Austin Powers'. I've seen it several times, and I'm sure, Mr Orbán, that you've seen it even more times than I have – after all, you're in it! No, not as Doctor Evil, who could easily be based on Mr Putin or Donald Trump. No, more like the infamous 'Mini-Me' who loo…

8

Oct

2024

EN 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, Commissioner, dear colleagues, in 2023, the five biggest car manufacturers in Europe paid out almost EUR 27 billion in shareholders' dividends and stock buybacks. EUR 27 billion that could have been invested in the further development of the electric vehicle. Because let's face reality: tomorrow's car is electric, not hybrid, not e-fuelled, and certainly not with a combustion engi…

8

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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Preparation of the European Council of 17-18 October 2024 (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, next week, among many other eminently predictable things, the Council's conclusions on competitiveness will say, and I quote, 'we endorse the Draghi report and encourage the Commission to take up its recommendations'. The question for us is, what will that actually mean? Despite many promising words in the past, we do not have a capital markets union yet, Europe need…

17

Sep

2024

EN Speech

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The future of European competitiveness (debate)

Madam President, although he unfortunately left the plenary, I would like to thank Mr Draghi for coming with such a thorough analysis on where we stand. And I would like to thank him for urging us to act quickly and radically. It is now time to come together around this agenda of investment reform and ambition for Europe to be the best at what we do. Mr Draghi emphasised, especially last week, the…

16

Sep

2024

EN Speech

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Outcome of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, I think we are extremely privileged. In a time frame of five days, we received, in the beginning of this mandate, two crucial reports: one last week from Mr Draghi on the economy and, only five days before, the Strohschneider report on agriculture. And they had one thing in common: business as usual is no option anymore. It's time for change, and not for …

18

Jul

2024

EN Speech

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Statement by the candidate for President of the Commission (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, thank you. Democracy, at its core, is about trust. And today, Mrs von der Leyen seeks our trust to wield power in Europe’s name. On behalf of Renew Europe, let me be fair and honest. This is not an easy choice. Mrs von der Leyen, you have given us reason to trust you when you heeded the call of millions of Europeans and started acting on the climate crisis, but yo…