Debate contributions by Bert-Jan RUISSEN

I have a question for Mr Bellamy. He is undoubtedly aware that we are still waiting for the reappointment of the EU Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion. Ms von der Leyen recounts and promises every time that the EU Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion will be appointed, but no one has yet been appointed. What do you think of that? Do you agree that the European Parliament should exert maximum pressure on this European Commission to appoint that EU Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion immediately?

Mr President, I would like to ask anyone who again places all the blame on Israel today: Have you forgotten October 7th? And what preceded it: the years of rain of rockets and incendiary balloons from Gaza on Israel? What about Hamas's mission of total destruction of Israel? I am not saying that Israel does not make mistakes, but if we lose sight of the murderous nature of Hamas, we risk making wrong choices. Then we threaten to offer "solutions" that turn out not to be solutions at all, as, for example, a Palestinian state recognises, while that only keeps Hamas in the saddle for longer. There will never be peace like that. Those who really want to bring peace closer, focus on three things: firstly, the immediate release of the hostages, secondly, the dismantling of Hamas and thirdly, generous humanitarian aid to and protection of the civilian population in Gaza. Israel has a huge responsibility. But we really shouldn't want sanctions against Israel in my opinion. This sends the wrong signal. I can only see that as an indirect statement of support for Hamas. So don't!

Mr President, I would like to remind the Commission and colleagues that the European Union has nothing to say about abortion. This is a matter for the Member States. I say that because a citizens' initiative – My Voice, My Choice – has been tabled asking us to make abortion accessible to all women in Europe, namely by making budgets available to women from countries where abortion is still banned, so that they could have it carried out elsewhere at the expense of the European Union. Subsidized abortion tourism. A decided ‘no’ is appropriate here. Once again, the European Union does not have the power to do so. But I also say that to give a voice to those who do not yet have a voice, namely the unborn children in the womb. Let us protect and cherish the young, God-given life, and therefore also for that reason put aside this citizens' initiative.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, in a debate like today, it is good to realise that agriculture is a unique sector. After all, she works in and with nature and we all know how erratic that nature can be. And she takes care of our daily food. The founding fathers of the European Union realised this very well and therefore included a separate article on agriculture in the Treaty for a reason. What is needed now to secure the important role of agriculture for the future? I would like to mention three points. First of all, ensure a robust and earmarked agricultural budget. Secondly, ensure a level playing field and thirdly, ensure workable rules. I am thinking of the need to revise the Nitrates Directive. Parliament has already spoken out on this. And I am also thinking about the need to cut reporting obligations. After all, we have made too many accountants out of farmers. A farmer should be able to be a farmer.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the Christians in Syria are frightened, very frightened. This also applies to other populations, such as the Alawites and the Druze. Al-Julani, who nowadays is called al-Sharaa, may now wear neat suits and be received as a hero by many Western leaders, that does not make Syria a country where it is good for minorities. The horrific attack on the Mar Elias church in Damascus and the violence against the Alawites and the Druze prove the opposite. What should Europe do now? In any case, no longer settle for vague promises, but demand that all perpetrators be arrested and tried and that jihadist violence be stopped and that minorities be protected and given equal rights. I am thinking of constitutional recognition of the Aramean people, the Aramean language and the protection of Aramaic as a cultural heritage. And, of course, free and fair elections as soon as possible. If al-Sharaa does not do enough of this, then we should suspend the sanctions again and also suspend the promised support. I mean: reintroduce sanctions. For al-Sharaa must now show that he takes seriously the fear that exists among Christians and others and actually wants to invest in a peaceful society.

Mr President, we have seen so much naivety in Europe in recent decades! After the Cold War, many believed that the threat at Europe's borders would be definitively over. Member states neglected their defence and slowly but surely fell asleep, until Europe was abruptly awakened by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. All of a sudden, NATO, as the cornerstone of our security policy, was once again in the spotlight. The treaty organization had been present all these years, but had unfortunately become very undervalued in Europe. The increased threat requires a good armed force. This position has been expressed by my party for many years. We are aware that a solid long-term strategy is needed to overcome the accumulated backlogs. I therefore call on the Member States to show a strong commitment to strengthening our defence at the upcoming NATO summit. Defence budgets need to be significantly increased. But let's not focus on the 5% target. We must adopt a strategic approach, guided by the NATO defence planning programme. In addition, countries should clearly identify what military capabilities are needed, and capacity building should then be well distributed among Member States. This requires robust financial coverage through national budgets and not through risky European loans.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, last week's warning from the International Atomic Energy Agency was crystal clear: Iran, which wants to wipe Israel off the map, could have a nuclear bomb ready within weeks. And that despite all the sanctions and diplomacy of recent years. And yes, then Israel comes to a point where military precision attacks become inevitable. As Israel had to respond to the massacre of October 7. A democratic ally fighting evil deserves our support. Unfortunately, Europe seems to be mainly concerned with boycotting Israel. Universities are breaking ties. The Association Agreement is under discussion and even the new distribution system for humanitarian aid to Gaza is not supported. My call today is: Stop these boycotts. You can point out mistakes to allies, but don't let them down. Certainly not in the heat of battle.

Mr President, Commissioner, how can we keep our oceans healthy and restore degraded marine ecosystems such as those in the Baltic Sea? A comprehensive, integrated approach is needed, in which all users of the sea take their responsibility. That is what the Ocean Pact is all about, and I think that is an appealing approach. However, I would like to mention a number of points of attention. First of all, the call: does not address further restrictions on fishing and closure of areas. Let's provide perspective for fisheries by promoting sustainable methods: more economical engines and more selective fishing gear, for example. The European Union must therefore allocate sufficient budget for this. Secondly, I would like to call for more customisation. In some areas you have to be careful with soil disturbance, for example, but in other areas that is much less of a problem. I am glad that the Commission also recognises this, but why is there still talk in the annex about phasing out soil disturbance in all protected areas? That must be a mistake. Finally, I would like to call for a broader study of the effects of wind farms on the ecosystem. That is, in my view, an underexposed theme in the Ocean Pact. With the necessary integrated approach, Europe must dare to look at this.

Do you know when innocent blood was shed in the Gaza area? This happened on October 7. Very massive. Do you know what responsibility Israel has? Israel has a responsibility to protect its own people. Do you know what Israel is doing now? Israel is in a fight with terrorists. And yes, I know that very bad things are happening in Gaza and that women and children are also involved. But Israel's commitment, I am convinced, is aimed at killing terrorists. Israel has no intention of killing women and innocent children.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, every war is terrible. The same is true of Gaza. Yet I would like to ask anyone who is now resisting Israel's offensive: What is your alternative? Keeping Hamas in the saddle and giving it a free hand to continue terrorizing both its own people and Israel? Because that is the consequence if Israel has to stop. The only way to get Hamas out, I fear, is to move into the area and force the terrorists to surrender. Certainly, Israel must do everything in its power to protect the civilian population. That includes evacuations. This also includes the maximum facilitation of humanitarian aid. If the hostages can be brought back with a ceasefire, I also say: Do it! Prefer today than tomorrow. But as long as there is no movement at this point, we must not ask Israel to give up the fight against terrorists. Commissioner, in your contribution you have in no way condemned Hamas. You should be deeply, deeply ashamed of that.

President. Eighty years of freedom. It can give us a sense of triumph. Such as: We are doing our best, we are no longer fighting, we are in Europe, at least we are working together. We now know how risky such an attitude is. It led to naivety. Many thought: Investing in defense? Oh, you don't have to anymore. That's a thing of the past. We are now working on a necessary catch-up, but it will be very late. Eighty years of freedom requires a different attitude, an attitude of gratitude and vigilance. Gratitude because freedom is first and foremost a gift from above and vigilance because what happened before and during the Second World War can just happen again. Look at the alarming rise in anti-Semitism. As Winston Churchill said: “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

Mr President, in this discharge procedure we are once again confronted with major shortcomings. Among other things, we see an adverse opinion by the European Court of Auditors on the legality and regularity of expenditure. We see a historically high level of error in cohesion funds and generous support for the Palestinian Authority despite payments to terrorists and Jew-hatred in the textbooks. The big question now is: What will the Commission do? We are going to simplify the rules, the Commission says. But that is, of course, totally insufficient. There is also a need to improve financial management itself, for example by imposing net financial corrections on Member States. As regards aid to the Palestinian Authority: Why don't you set much stricter conditions for that? For example, there are further concerns, such as the lack of transparency on the part of NGOs and the Recovery and Resilience Facility. All in all, therefore, it is impossible for me to accept the discharge. The Commission's improvement plans are far too meagre for that.

Mr President, the suffering caused to the Armenians by the Ottoman Empire is indescribable. As the European Parliament, we have repeatedly called on Turkey to face the historical facts. And also today, at this commemoration, we call on Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide. During my visit to Yerevan a few years ago, I saw that the pain of the genocide is still felt intensely. In the meantime, the borders between Armenia and Turkey have been hermetically closed and normal diplomatic contacts between the two countries have not been established at all. We have been pushing for some time now, with both countries, for a path of reconciliation. But reconciliation can only be achieved if there is also recognition – recognition of the suffering suffered by the Armenians. It is time for Turkey to see this too.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the conflict in eastern Congo has several dimensions: various rebel groups that are active, struggle for the raw materials. But today, with our resolution, we in the European Parliament are also emphatically highlighting the fact that the conflict certainly also has a religious dimension. And we are talking in particular about the jihadist group ADF, which sows death and destruction in the region, targeting Christians and destroying their churches. Appointing and acknowledging this as the European Parliament is a very important step. But let us now also do everything in our power to actually stop this violence by supporting Congo and Uganda in their fight against the jihadists, imposing sanctions on those responsible and giving support to those affected. The vast majority of Congo's population is Christian, but they are now under serious threat from extremists and we must not let that happen.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, they were finally there: Protests in Gaza against the Hamas regime. But unfortunately, it was only a small minority. The vast majority of Palestinians still stand squarely behind Hamas. Therefore, if we want to work towards a lasting peace in the region, we will have to focus not only on a ceasefire and the release of the hostages, but certainly also on deradicalisation. As a major donor to the Palestinians, the European Union also has the tools for this. For example, we can force President Abbas to thoroughly amend the textbooks, which are steeped in Jew-hatred. Knowing that they are also following the Palestinian Authority's curriculum in Gaza could bring about a huge change. Commission, Madam High Representative, please work on this. Deradicalization begins in education. I am sure we will do the peace demonstrators and Gaza a tremendous service with that.

Mr President, the first ever EU-Central Asia Summit will take place this week. Leaders from Europe, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan discuss many topics. However, the Council's press announcement lacked one very important topic, namely the massive violations of human rights in these countries. Of course, that is not possible, because anyone who has been introduced a little knows that human rights are not in the best shape there. I am thinking in particular of the plight of Christians who are suffering under the authoritarian regimes of these countries. My appeal to the Commission and the Council is therefore: This week in Uzbekistan, address the increasing persecution of Christians in these countries. Make it clear to these countries that until the situation of Christians improves, there can be no closer economic cooperation with the European Union.

Mr President, Commissioner, make agriculture attractive again for future generations. That's the mission you're putting down here. A mission that I wholeheartedly support. Because if you see that indeed only 12% of farmers are under 40 years of age, then it is immediately clear that there is a very big challenge here. We are not going to solve that with some marginal changes in the common agricultural policy. A comprehensive approach is needed. It is good to see, Commissioner, that you are aware of this. I will highlight one theme, namely the Nitrates Directive, which you also mention in the vision, with the well-known standard of a maximum of 170 kilograms of nitrogen in livestock manure per hectare. A standard that leads to farmers being forced to dispose of animal manure and then to supply artificial fertiliser as compensation. That is totally unsustainable, totally uncircular and we only chase the farmers with it at high costs. So the solution is simple: Eliminate that norm!

Mr President, in the discussion on Gaza I hear very often that the situation is completely hopeless. And that's what it feels like. Yet the building blocks for the approach to get out of this misery are perfectly clear, namely immediate release of all hostages and firm security guarantees, so that October 7 can never repeat itself. Once these conditions are met, a great deal will be possible again from the Israeli side. But that does mean that there is no place for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza. I agree with the High Representative's clear position on this point. But it also calls for EU action now: namely to replace humanitarian aid through UNRWA with aid through bodies that do not cooperate with Hamas, and to impose an EU ban on our own territory for organisations with clear links to Hamas.

President. In the discussion on CSRD and CSDDD, the ECR has always said: keep it practicable and protect SMEs. That's what this Omnibus is all about. We therefore see this as a necessary correction to failed policies, with regulatory burdens taking on exorbitant proportions. But there are also quite a few questions to be asked about these proposals. For example, how does the Commission intend to combat abuses such as child labour and slavery if companies no longer have to look beyond their direct business relations? We would like to clarify this specific point. In the meantime, I call on the Commission to consider other legislation as well. Think of the equally passed Nature Restoration Act and the highly outdated Nitrates Directive: legislation that, in particular, costs the agricultural industry a lot of headaches. This simplification exercise should not be limited to the current proposals.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, saying something ugly about God or about someone who is holy to someone else is of course not good. But how blasphemy is dealt with in countries such as Nigeria and Afghanistan is of course not possible either. Just by singing a song you can end up on death row in Nigeria. Just by an accusation of blasphemy, when there was no question of that at all, you can get a very people-oriented against you. How many Christians in Muslim countries have been affected? Today, we call for the immediate release of Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, for more action by the Commission to address all the issues surrounding blasphemy laws worldwide, and for greater attention to be paid to the persecution of faith, and Christian persecution in particular. That is why we are asking the Commission this very specific question: Where is the new EU Envoy for Freedom of Religion?

Mr President, the Commission's work programme rightly emphasises the need to strengthen competitiveness. The question, however, is whether we will make it with the package that is now before us. I'm afraid not. Indeed, the Commission ignores the essence of the problem: The Green Deal. The Green Deal is costing the business community enormously. Moreover, the current timeline is not achievable, certainly not with that 90% reduction target by 2040. The energy network in the Netherlands is becoming saturated, so companies that want to make it more sustainable cannot even do so. If we want to keep business in Europe, we need to simplify. Think about sustainability reports. We must also stimulate innovation, but we will certainly also have to do something about the Green Deal.

Mr President, we do not want to be lobbied with European money. What happened to the LIFE programme is unacceptable. However, I am broadening the discussion. The Commission cannot just subsidise every NGO. Article 183 of the Financial Regulation makes this clear: subjects for which there is no European policy and over which the EU has no control are not eligible for funding. Think of marriage and family, and ethical issues such as abortion and euthanasia. Nevertheless, the Commission is spending money on the promotion of abortion and gender ideology through NGOs, contrary to Article 183 of the Financial Regulation. We value NGOs and civil society, but we need to critically examine all support to NGOs, based on multiple aspects. There are now more than 4 000 NGOs in 150 countries.

Mr President, hope and fear: Those are the two words that come to mind when I look at the "deal." We see in the relatives of the hostages new hope that they too will soon be able to embrace their loved ones again. We see in the people of Gaza new hope that the bombings will stop and that they can start thinking about reconstruction. But in the meantime, the concerns remain great. And also the fear. There are serious concerns about the fate of the hostages. What are they up to? How many are still alive and will they all be released? But there are also concerns about long-term consequences of this "deal". Hamas is weakened, but not defeated. Hundreds of terrorists are now freed. What consequences does that have? And will we now give Hamas a free hand again to rearm so that they can prepare a second "October 7" and build tunnels, instead of taking care of their own population? That can't be the intention, can it? The fact that there is a deal now is positive, but this deal requires very concrete follow-up steps, certainly from us. We must not only support reconstruction, but also, and above all, support Israel in the fight against terrorism and in taking measures to prevent the rearmament of Hamas. For example, we should not require Israel to leave the Philadelphicorridor without firm guarantees that no more guns will enter the area. Because only in this way can the fear of a repeat of October 7 give way to hope for a lasting peace.

Mr President, all eyes were recently on the UN climate conference in Baku. Some saw this as a good opportunity to encourage Azerbaijan to improve respect for human rights. But unfortunately, the opposite happened. Baku used the conference mainly as a distraction to arrest dissidents. And these arrests go on and on: Human rights activists, journalists. They disappear behind bars one by one. Speaking of human rights: What about the mass expulsion of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh? Meanwhile, the European Union still sees Azerbaijan as a valuable and reliable cooperation partner. I don't understand that. It really is time, Commissioner, for a different approach. I am thinking specifically of suspending the energy deal. I am thinking specifically of the imposition of individual sanctions. We can no longer stand idly by and watch people like Gubad Ibadoghlu languish under house arrest or anywhere else in the dark prisons of this cruel regime.