What Guy spoke about.

25 Apr

2024

EN Speech

Pre-enlargement reforms and policy reviews (debate)

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Madam President, I think that this communication, Commissioner, is a typical example of what I call ‘ostrich politics’, you know, the ostrich putting his head in the sand and thinking that the problem will disappear. It’s a typical example of such ostrich politics. Why? Because we know that we will do the enlargement to 35-36 Member States, but we are not ready as a European Union to receive these…

24 Apr

2024

EN Speech

Iran’s unprecedented attack against Israel, the need for de-escalation and an EU response (debate)

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Mr President, colleagues, I think this is my fourth debate, Mr Borrell, about Iran with you and every time the conclusion is the same: we don’t like your strategy. We want you to change your strategy. Your strategy of diplomacy and appeasement leads to nothing at all; it does nothing at all. And you are saying, ‘no, no, no, we did sanctions’. What sanctions did we do? Only 3 or 5 people. How many?…

11 Apr

2024

EN Speech

Voting time

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Mr President, on the discharge of the Council, it’s a formal request. I ask that you withdraw the discharge of the Council from the agenda until they have taken a decision on the Patriots.

11 Apr

2024

EN Speech

Voting time

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Mr President, I have in fact a point of order to ask you: to change the agenda of today because today, I have to tell you, I’m that sick of what is happening in Ukraine. Why? Because as you have all seen in the last 20 days, there have been numerous attacks by the Russians on the ordinary cities of Ukraine: hospitals, power installations, apartment blocks. And what I find a scandal is that Europe …

28 Feb

2024

EN Speech

The murder of Alexei Navalny and the need for EU action in support of political prisoners and oppressed civil society in Russia (debate)

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Mr President, I have to tell you that I find this debate here outrageous. Everybody is trying to honour Navalny, but that is not the topic of the debate. The topic of the debate is what will be the action and the reaction of the EU after the murdering of Navalny? And you come here from the Council and the Commission is here to applaud Yulia, but we have nothing to say about the measures we’re goin…

7 Feb

2024

EN Speech

Increased number of executions in Iran, in particular the case of Mohammad Ghobadlou

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Mr President, this is today, I think, in all the debates that I have followed, the only item where there is consensus across all groups in Parliament, that is, that our policy towards Iran is a complete failure! You see it every day: executions, Iran behind Hamas, the Houthis, Hezbollah, the attacks against military facilities of the US. The deliveries of weapons continue and they are ready today …

17 Jan

2024

EN Speech

Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 14-15 December 2023 and preparation of the Special European Council meeting of 1 February 2024 - Situation in Hungary and frozen EU funds (joint debate - European Council meetings)

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Madam President, I ask of Ms von der Leyen, can I ask you a very simple question? That is, are you going to repeat the practice that happened during the previous European Council in December? You remember that? The blackmail by Viktor Orbán to use the veto. And then just before that European Council, the freezing of I think it was 11 billion, in exchange for the fact that he left the room. That wa…

16 Jan

2024

EN Speech

Keeping commitments and delivering military assistance to Ukraine (debate)

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Mr President, first of all I have to tell you that I have had enough of these debates here where the Commission and the Council comes here and says ‘as long as it takes, we are going to support Ukraine’, but we don’t really support Ukraine on military. The reality, to give only one example, is artillery shells. The Russians have 3 million a year – 2 million that they produced themselves and 1 mill…

21 Nov

2023

EN Speech

Proposals of the European Parliament for the amendment of the Treaties (debate)

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Mr President, most of the remarks have been made about unanimity, so I presume that all the rest of the proposals are then okay, because there were no remarks, nearly, on all the other topics that were in the report. So, that is a good sign. But on unanimity, it is a little bit strange that this criticism comes from the Polish side, on the abolishment of unanimity, because Poland knows what damage…

21 Nov

2023

EN Speech

Proposals of the European Parliament for the amendment of the Treaties (debate)

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Mr President, first of all, I want to thank also the Spanish Presidency for being here for this debate. It is much appreciated. We all have to recognise that since the approval of the Lisbon Treaty, that was quite a number of years ago, the world has changed dramatically. We have since then, over the last years, lived in a brutal world – the world of what I call empires – in which the sovereignty …

4 Oct

2023

EN Speech

Need for a speedy adoption of the asylum and migration package (debate)

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Mr President, first of all, to Mr Vandendriessche, who is no longer in the plenary, to say that really using ‘population replacement’ here is a scandal because maybe he doesn’t find a problem, but simply to recall that population replacement has been used by Breivik, for example, as a justification to kill 69 young people in Norway. That’s the reality. I have to tell you, Mr Schinas, that personal…

13 Sep

2023

EN Speech

State of the Union (debate)

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Madam President, I hope that you’re going to be flexible for me, for once, because it’s my last intervention on the State of the Union after 15 years in Parliament and 10 years in the Council. I have to tell you, Madam President, that I missed something, and I’m really in disagreement with you on one thing. What I missed was the European Defence Union. And it’s more than the common production of a…

12 Sep

2023

EN Speech

Iran: one year after the murder of Jina Mahsa Amini (debate)

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Mr President, High Representative Borrell, you know that I like you very much and also that I applaud the courage that you have got in the Ukrainian file. But I have to tell you – and the proof, you have listened to it – nobody likes your position on Iran. That’s the reality. The reasons are very clear. Let’s be honest, the policy and the strategy of Europe towards Iran is purely symbolic. It has …

12 Jul

2023

EN Speech

Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 29-30 June 2023, in particular the recent developments in the war against Ukraine and in Russia (debate)

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Mr President, I want to come back to the absence of the Council here, because we all know why they are not here, the leaders of the European Union, because they are in Vilnius in the NATO summit. What do they have to do in the NATO summit? Nothing at all. The EU is not a member of NATO, in my opinion. But the photos are there and they are in search of a new Secretary General for NATO for next year…

13 Jun

2023

EN Speech

Negotiations on the European Electoral Law (debate)

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Madam President, Minister, it’s one year that the Council has a letter about Article 48 and the launch of a convention and we didn’t receive a reply. It’s more than one year that you have the electoral law approved by Parliament and you have still no common position. But you are capable to send us a letter about the composition of Parliament; on the future composition of Parliament, we need to mak…

19 Apr

2023

EN Speech

Repression in Russia, in particular the cases of Vladimir Kara-Murza and Alexei Navalny

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Madam President, it is fantastic here in this debate to hear described the courage of these two men – Vladimir Kara—Murza and Alexei Navalny. I think they have enormous courage to go back to their country, to Russia, to fight for a free and democratic Russia after they have been poisoned by Putin –both of them. I have to tell you that I would not have this courage, very honestly, to return in such…

18 Apr

2023

EN Speech

The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations (debate)

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Mr President, Mr Borrell, I have to tell you one thing. I was pleased that you got COVID. I was pleased that you got COVID a few days ago and that you didn’t go to China because it only add more cacophony to the positions of Europe on China. So very well that you stay at home. But I have a request you: it’s your task to come forward now with a new strategic paper. You know, the strategic paper on …

29 Mar

2023

FR Speech

Order of business

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Madam President, personally, I must tell you that I believe that this case would be better discussed and debated in the French National Assembly. It is a democracy, France. It must not be forgotten. In addition, so that there is no misunderstanding, Ms Aubry, if there are exaggerated police responses, I will be the first to denounce them and also condemn them. But this naturally remains a retaliat…

15 Mar

2023

EN Speech

Strengthening the EU Defence in the context of the war in Ukraine: speeding up production and deliveries to Ukraine of weapons and ammunitions (debate)

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Madam President, the problems that Mr Gahler and Ms Loiseau have indicated – a lack of ammunition that is there for the moment, the fact that some countries who make ammunition don’t want to send it to Ukraine, like Switzerland – this is all proof of the fact that we have an enormous problem in Europe, and that’s the lack of a European defence community. Without the help of the Americans, this war…

13 Mar

2023

EN Speech

Signing of acts adopted in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (Rule 79)

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Madam President, last night, the film of Aleksei Navalny won the Oscar for the best documentary. I think, personally – and I hope that everybody can agree – that it’s an important sign of recognition after we as Parliament – you remember that – honoured him with the Sakharov Prize. And again, I think that with this award, the world recognised that Russia and its autocratic regime is a threat to al…

2 Feb

2023

EN Speech

Preparation of the EU-Ukraine Summit (debate)

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Madam President, it’s a pity that Mr Schirdewan is no longer in the room. After everything what he said he should go to Kramatorsk, maybe, where yesterday, again, an apartment block was brutally attacked and destroyed by Russia. The only way to end this war is a victory of Ukraine. That’s the way to end the war the fastest as possible. And for that – I hope Mr Hahn that you are in direct contact w…

17 Jan

2023

EN Speech

The EU’s response to the appalling attack against civilians in Dnipro : strengthening sanctions against the Putin regime and military support to Ukraine (debate)

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Madam President, there is a letter signed by nearly 120 colleagues of Parliament yesterday and today, with a message to the Council and to the Commission after the Dnipro massacre to say that sanctions have to be strengthened as fast as possible. You have to stop to think that with the progressive packages of sanctions, as we are doing already now for ten months, that we’re going to have success. …

14 Dec

2022

EN Speech

Defending the European Union against the abuse of national vetoes (debate)

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Mr President, I find the attitude of countries like Austria and the Netherlands, who are using their veto to block two countries who are fully fulfilling the conditions to enter Schengen, as deplorable as the attitude of a country like Hungary using their veto in that case. The only thing that you have to do, Mr Dzhambazki, is say ‘yes, I agree with you’!…

14 Dec

2022

EN Speech

Defending the European Union against the abuse of national vetoes (debate)

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Mr President, so it’s not only a question of, ‘Ah, finally we find a solution, even with the unanimity’, it’s the time we lose. That’s even a more important problem. So it’s not only a question of saying, ‘Yeah, but finally, in the European Union, after six months, nine months, one year, two years – the migration package is already seven years but OK, that’s only an exception maybe – we find the s…

14 Dec

2022

EN Speech

Preparation of the European Council meeting of 15 December 2022 (debate)

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Mr President, dear colleagues, I have listened, Mr Bek, to the long list of items that you will discuss tomorrow and after tomorrow in the Council, but I have to tell you the most important items were not there. That is, in my opinion, the sanctions and the weapons that Ukraine needs to end this war the fastest as possible. You can all talk about price caps on oil and gas, but the best way to end …