Debate contributions by Alexander SELL

Thank you, Mr Lopatka, for allowing the question. I am surprised that you are talking about sovereignty from the EPP. Because you have been governing the European Union for almost ten years and yet you are responsible for measures such as the Green Deal, the ban on combustion engines, the supply chain law are all measures that have significantly damaged our economic competitiveness and thus also deprived Europe of its sovereignty. We did not represent our interests decisively and that is why we are in the situation we are in. That's why we're becoming the plaything of foreign powers because of the policies you're responsible for.

Madam President, Germany is falling further and further behind China: 87 billion trade deficits this year. The numbers are dramatic. We are importing more and more and exporting less and less. Especially German cars are hardly bought in China: 36% in a year. Behind these figures are human fates: Families who lose their livelihoods, pensions that can no longer be paid, young people who have to leave their homes. It is particularly bitter: This decline is self-inflicted. With a completely misguided climate policy and nonsensical stipulations such as the Supply Chain Act, you have laid the foundations for our industry – and you have enabled the rise of China. The Chinese are laughing at us. Only at the climate summit in Brazil did the Chinese call for even more ambitious climate targets – but not for China, but for Europe! In other words: We are to destroy our industries even faster. It must be said so clearly: The Communist Party in China has the same goals as the SPD and the Greens here in this House. Only in one thing do they differ: in motivation. Some make it out of political prudence, others...

Mr President! Indian refineries are in full swing. A new record was set in September: India exported 10 million barrels of diesel to Europe in just one month. Indians make a lot of money selling Russian oil. This is the result of Ursula von der Leyen's Russia sanctions. Business is booming in India, German refineries such as PCK in Schwedt an der Oder are standing still. We Europeans are the victims of the Brussels sanctions policy. We still refuel Russian oil, but we have to pay far too high prices for the detour via India. Prime Minister Modi has a pragmatic foreign policy. India maintains good relations with Washington, Paris or Berlin, but also with Beijing or Moscow. The Indian government puts the interests of the Indians first. This is true sovereignty, and we should take this prudence as an example. On the other hand, we should refrain from moral teachings about climate change or LGBTQ. India is not a circus for the ridiculous ideology of the Brussels bureaucracy, but a strategic partner and an important market for our industry.

Mr President! A few days ago, the Berlin police arrested three Hamas terrorists during the handover of weapons – in the middle of Berlin. With assault rifles, a Syrian and two Lebanese wanted to attack Jewish institutions in Germany. Apparently, October 7th was a model for the action. This is the result of the policy of open borders. Angela Merkel brought terror to Germany. Our Jewish compatriots can no longer be sure of their lives. And not just the: We Germans are forced to feed terrorists from all over the world with our tax money. Hamas officials in Berlin live on citizen money, and the Berlin CDU is still throwing the German passport after these people. The Middle East conflict has long been taking place on German streets, and through mass naturalisation Hamas is gaining more and more political influence, including in Germany. The Left Party even celebrates summer festivals in Berlin with it. To the CDU's address, I can only say: As long as you work with these people on the left, you can save yourself your crocodile tears. And the chancellor should also stop begging. You have to decide: Do you want to court Islamist terror with the SPD? Or do you want to save European civilization with us?

Mr President! Donald Trump has presented a peace plan for the Middle East, and Friedrich Merz is already pulling out the checkbook. The reconstruction of Gaza is to be paid for by German taxpayers. It is the same principle as in Syria, Afghanistan or Ukraine – the Americans make deals, Germany pays. We have transferred €12 billion in reconstruction aid to Syria, €17 billion to Afghanistan, and €500 billion to the reconstruction of Ukraine. Since the time of Helmut Kohl, German foreign policy has used checkbook diplomacy. Germany has nothing to report, but we pay for everything and everyone. Problem only: Friedrich Merz's checkbook is no longer covered. There is a huge gap in the federal budget. 170 billion euros are missing, despite 1,000 billion euros of new debt. The Chancellor therefore wants the Germans to retire at the age of 70, he wants to raise taxes and remove the help of elderly people in need of care, only so that he can continue to distribute money abroad. This will no longer work. We will stop giving money to Gaza and make the interests of the Germans a raison d'être again.

Madam President, A quarter of a million asylum applications last year in Germany alone, plus 120,000 via family reunification, i.e. a total of almost 400,000 asylum applications in 2024. Quite a few migrants enter with a visa, but not to take a holiday in the Alps or on the Baltic Sea, but to apply for asylum. This is made possible by the EU's visa-free regime. People from more than 60 countries worldwide are allowed to enter without a visa and then simply stay here. A quarter of asylum seekers in Europe now come from a visa-free country of origin. In order to prevent this abuse, the Commission already adopted a visa-free mechanism in 2013. It has never been implemented correctly: Neither in 2015 during the migration crisis, when millions of illegal migrants crossed the Balkan route, nor in 2019 when the Netherlands asked for the visa waiver, when Rotterdam was overrun by the Albanian mafia. The Commission simply disregarded Parliament’s decision in The Hague and rejected the request to suspend the visa-free regime, against the declared will and security interests of voters in Holland. In the meantime, you seem to have noticed in Brussels that we in Europe have a problem with uncontrolled mass immigration. Ten years too late, I would say, but better late than never. While we want the national states to be able to decide for themselves who they give a visa to and who they do not – Germany decides who is allowed to enter Germany, that must be clear. Nevertheless, we support the current proposal for a new visa-free regime. It is a step in the right direction.

Madam President, Profit slump at Mercedes and Porsche; Volkswagen is cutting 35,000 jobs; thyssenkrupp is discontinuing its steel production. Six years ago, Mrs. von der Leyen, here at this point you Green Deal proclaimed: Europe should become climate neutral, combustion engines should be banned, and today you have confirmed this once again. We can already see the result: German industry is no longer competitive; A quarter of a million jobs have been lost. For your second term of office, you have set yourself a great goal again: Victory over Russia. Your commission has already transferred 169 billion euros to Kyiv, to a thoroughly corrupt system. In Germany, the cash registers are empty; Shopping in the supermarket becomes unaffordable; More and more families cannot afford their own homes. Retirees need to collect bottles. But you, Mrs von der Leyen, want 2,000 billion euros for your next budget. EUR 500 billion of debt should be added as an emergency reserve for future crises – and yes, these crises will certainly come, because your Commission will only create the crises it claims to solve. Donald Trump has faked how to deal with megalomaniac world leaders like Ursula von der Leyen: He put them outside the door, and we should do the same.

Madam President, Since Hamas' attack on Israel, the European Union has paid over 1.6 billion euros to Gaza; Germany has added another billion. Without German taxpayers' money, the Palestinians would not be able to feed themselves. This was the case before the war. Nothing is produced in Gaza. Two-thirds of the food must be imported. EU assistance has led to an unprecedented population explosion in Gaza: In 2000, just over one million people lived there, compared to 2.3 million today, a doubling in just 25 years. Nowhere else in the world is the population growing as fast as in Gaza, despite the war. Every woman has between three and four children. I must say that I admire the Palestinians for their wealth of children, but I want us to be able to afford that wealth. That is why we must stop the aid payments, because German taxpayers' money is supposed to serve German families. I want young Europeans to dare to start a family again. We need to invest in our future, not the baby boom in Palestine.

Madam President, The EU has transferred €169 billion to Kyiv over the past three years, Ms Kallas has just said so. Ms Kallas has also announced that Europe will no longer import Russian gas from 2027. What you have not mentioned, however, Mrs Kallas, are the consequences of your policy. In Germany, the chemical industry is being destroyed as a result of your policies. As a result of far too high energy prices, there are mass layoffs at Bayer, BASF, etc. Thousands of families in Leverkusen, Ludwigshafen and Bitterfeld are deprived of their livelihoods because of their policies. With full hands, you spend money, which is actually no longer available. Yesterday in France, the government collapsed because they could not agree on a savings budget. The federal government in Germany is desperately looking for new sources of income. The Chancellor says the Germans have to work more, the Germans should not retire until 70. The welfare state can no longer be financed, says Friedrich Merz. This distinction here in this House in Strasbourg, but also in Berlin, surprises me anew every time. The disrespect, your disrespect for the people who have to fund all this here, that's why my party is so strong in the polls. The pitcher goes to the well until it breaks.

Madam President, Ms von der Leyen wants to pay €1 billion to the government in Albania – to the Socialist Party. It was elected in May, but it has little to do with democracy. Prime Minister Edi Rama has political opponents locked away, international election observers criticize mass vote purchases, there is hardly any freedom of the press, TikTok was banned in the election campaign. In economic terms, Albania mainly benefits from international drug trafficking. With extreme brutality, the Albanian mafia controls the trade in cocaine and marijuana in Europe. Many billions of euros flow to Tirana every year – skyscrapers and glass palaces sprout from the ground like in Dubai. The government is involved in this business, corruption is widespread. Even the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation of the German Left Party speaks of, quote, ‘the kleptocratic control of the state by the Socialist Party’. Experts therefore call Albania a mafia state – the Colombia of Europe. This country now wants to welcome Ms von der Leyen into the European Union. I ask you: What is the added value for our citizens? Why should German taxpayers finance the luxury lives of corrupt politicians and mafia bosses in Albania? We won't do that. We say no to Albania's accession to the EU and we say no to this Commission.

Madam President, 8 000 Bosnian Muslims murdered by Bosnian Serbs under the eyes of the UN Blue Helmets – that is now 30 years ago. Srebrenica is the worst crime against humanity since the end of World War II. Much has been said since then about the failure of the international community, about the failure of the Dutch peacekeeping force, but that is wrong. Americans, British and French had agreed in advance not to fly airstrikes against the Bosnian Serbs, according to the protocols of the Clinton administration’s National Security Council. Dutch and Bosnian Muslims were helpless at the mercy of Serbian troops. Srebrenica should therefore be a lesson for all of us: We can save ourselves the talk of international law if we do not have the means of power to enforce this right. There is no international order without a power of order that can guarantee this order. 400 BC Thucydides wrote: The strong do what they want, and the weak suffer what they need. That was 2,500 years ago, and it is today. We Europeans must defend our interests together so that this never happens again. We have to say goodbye to unrealistic daydreams. But that is not the case with this commission.

Mr President! Germany is broke. Pension insurance is bankrupt, health and long-term care insurance – bankrupt, unemployment insurance – bankrupt. We Germans pay the highest taxes in the world, 1000 billion euros a year, and yet there are no corners and ends. Bridges and roads are dilapidated, schools are dilapidated, over 7 million pensioners have less than 1000 euros a month, there is hardly any home ownership. At the same time, we also pay the highest contribution to the EU, by far, almost 30 billion euros a year, even though, according to the European Central Bank, we are one of the poorest countries in Europe. But instead of easing the burden on German taxpayers, you always want to impose new burdens on us. Moldova, Albania or Ukraine should now become members of the European Union, because Ms von der Leyen hopes for more weight on the world political stage. This will not work; We Germans will no longer let us be plundered. We're going to turn off your megalomania. You can count on that, because that's what my party is elected for. Please tell your Commission President: Whoever is to perish will be arrogant beforehand, and arrogance will come before the fall.

Mr President! Ms von der Leyen has made the continuous enlargement of the EU a strategic priority of her term of office; The Commission expects this to be of greater foreign policy importance. The EU needed to become larger and more members, so that Ms von der Leyen could play a more important role on the world stage. Therefore, in addition to Ukraine, Moldova should also be included in the EU. What kind of country is this? Moldova has been in a deep economic and social crisis for years. The economy has been shrinking for three quarters, even worse than in Germany. Inflation is high, with food nearly 10%. Moldova is also a very corrupt country – 30 years of reform partnership with the EU have done nothing. I therefore ask the Commission: What is the added value for our citizens? Why should our taxpayers transfer €2 billion to Moldova? How do you make sure this money doesn't disappear into the pockets of corrupt oligarchs? We have enough construction sites in Germany, France or Poland. If you take in more and more members, then the shop here will fly around your ears, and that's exactly what we want to prevent. Therefore: Moldova cannot become a member of the EU.

Madam President, Ten injured police officers, one official half-dead: This is the conclusion of a demo for Palestine last week in Berlin. Yes, the war in Gaza is terrible – we condemn both the 7 October massacre and the bombing of civilians by the Israeli Air Force. But: This conflict must not be fought on German roads. Anyone who attacks and hurts German police officers is wrong with us. Since October 7, Jewish life in Germany is only possible with police protection. In Berlin alone, 500 police officers are deployed around the clock to protect synagogues. Christians are also being attacked more and more often, or women, or gays. The violence on German streets is escalating, and the CDU is responsible. Angela Merkel brought the Intifada to Berlin because she did not want to close Germany's borders, because she does not care about the fate of the Germans. And Friedrich Merz continues in the same way: Refugees are to be flown in directly from Gaza. Colleagues! Our concern should be less about the Middle East than Europe. If we do not return soon, we will lose our homeland. There are majorities in favour of better policies, including in this House. Let's finally tackle it!

Mr President! In 2011, the CDU decided to shut down all German nuclear power plants, and in 2020 the shutdown of all coal-fired power plants by 2035 at the latest. Since then, Germany no longer has a reliable energy supply. The resulting supply gaps were closed with gas, and this came from Russia. This dependence has not changed to this day, only the gas is no longer coming from Russia, but from America at even higher prices. This misery is due to political wrong decisions such as the energy transition and Green Deal. We pay the highest electricity prices worldwide, our industry is migrating. More than five million Germans can no longer heat their homes in winter. Ms von der Leyen now wants to fill the gas storage facilities and ban the import of Russian gas. We do not see this as a long-term solution. We also want to be independent. It is only necessary to clearly identify the causes of the existing dependencies. Those who shut down domestic energy sources such as coal or low-cost nuclear power plants should not be surprised if prices rise and supply bottlenecks arise. The solution to the energy crisis is therefore not import bans or gas stocks. The solution would be to reverse the completely pointless climate policy.

Mr President! 26 years ago, NATO bombed Belgrade – Clinton wanted to force Serbia to withdraw from Kosovo. Support came from Germany from Joschka Fischer. The war in Kosovo was the first combat mission of German soldiers since 1945. A war of aggression in violation of international law without a UN mandate, decided by a green foreign minister. It was the prelude to a foreign policy that knows no rules and has severely damaged Germany's standing in the world. Fifteen tons of uranium-containing bombs were dropped over Serbia, resulting in frequent cancers. This is green policy. At home you are against nuclear power, abroad you drop nuclear-contaminated bombs. Green politicians only come from international law if it suits them right now. Today, Kosovo is a Failed state – Almost a quarter of the population has left the country, with over three billion euros of EU funding being wasted. The Federal Intelligence Service calls Kosovo the hub of organised crime in Europe. You want to take this country into the EU now? Not with us. 26 years after the attack on Serbia, we must see: It was a mistake. It was a mistake to leave the Greens to the government.

Mr President! German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yücel spent a year in prison in Istanbul – Erdoğan’s judges accused him of terrorist propaganda. Two years earlier, the EU Commission had transferred 6 billion euros to Turkey for the care of Syrian refugees. Only last December Mrs von der Leyen added another 1 billion because we are still unable to protect our borders ourselves. We now see a similar case in Algeria. For refugees, the Algerian president has received millions from the EU, although Algeria earns a lot of money from the export of gas. The writer Sansal has been imprisoned for six months now – and the Algerian president also cares little about teachings from Brussels. Why too? The cancellation of the election in Romania, the cold position of Le Pen in France or the spying on the AfD in Germany show that freedom and democracy are under existential threat here in Europe. Before we give good advice to the rest of the world today, we should therefore first turn around at our own door. We must defend our democracy in Europe against its enemies in Berlin, Paris and Brussels.

Madam President, Congo is a resource-rich country – for years, Chinese and Americans, Russians and Europeans have been fighting over natural resources. Only 12 months ago, Brussels concluded a raw material deal with Rwanda – the deal also promised the supply of rare earths. The problem only: Rwanda has no rare earths at all, but must first capture them in eastern Congo. In January, the fighting there escalated, the whole region is in danger of sinking into chaos. The war in the Congo is also the result of a foreign policy that is completely foreign to the world – over €1 billion has been flowing from Brussels to the Congo in the last 15 years for development aid that does nothing and seeps into the pockets of corrupt politicians. And that's the problem. While the Chinese have contractually secured access to Congo's natural resources, we are sending money for the climate and have failed to establish reasonable trade relations. 60% of the cobalt in Chinese electric cars comes from Congo, while our automotive industry is no longer competitive. Therefore: We need a realistic foreign policy. We should save ourselves development aid in the future, because we now need it ourselves.

Madam President, Ms von der Leyen needs money – €800 billion for rearmament. In addition, it intends - I quote - to convert private savings into investments; the President of the Commission refers to the Savings and Investment Union. Even the name is a label scam. Of course, Ms von der Leyen does not want to save money – on the contrary. They want to spend more, the money of the people. For the war in Ukraine, all of Europe's savings accounts are to be looted. We Germans know very well how confidently you, Mrs von der Leyen, deal with taxpayers' money. As Minister of Defence in Berlin, you have awarded public contracts under your belt. The Bundesrechnungshof (Federal Court of Auditors) referred to – quotation – systematic infringements of public procurement law. Several million euros were paid to friendly advisors without a call for tenders, incriminating messages and chats were deleted. To investigate the allegations, the Bundestag set up a committee of inquiry, but you, Ms von der Leyen, escaped the threat of dismissal by fleeing to Brussels – praised away by Angela Merkel. Here you go on like this: Vaccines for €35 billion in the coronavirus crisis – again via SMS, again with a good friend. Also in this case, the prosecutor's office investigates, and also in this case, all incriminating messages from your mobile phone have disappeared. You want 800 billion euros now, bypassing Parliament. We can't let that happen, colleagues! This woman should never be allowed to go into debt on our behalf. This woman should never have access to people's savings. We also want better equipment for the Bundeswehr, but we do not want our tax money to be distributed to friends and acquaintances of the President of the Commission. Stop sending billions of gifts via SMS!

Madam President, Debt brake, border closure, heating law: Friedrich Merz never lied during the election campaign, but always told the truth. For this statement I could be punished in Germany, because, I quote: ‘The deliberate dissemination of false factual claims is not covered by freedom of expression.’ This is not a bad April joke, but a sentence from the exploratory papers of the CDU and SPD. As Chancellor, Friedrich Merz wants to ensure that the truth is always told in Germany – i.e. debts must be called assets. Anyone who does not do so will soon become a criminal offence in Germany because disinformation and fake news endanger our democracy – that is how the German government sees it. 400 years ago Galileo Galilei claimed that the Earth revolves around the Sun. For this spread of fake news, he was sentenced to house arrest because the pope believed that the sun revolves around the earth. Today we know: The truth cannot be stopped, even if Friedrich Merz calls the truth a lie. In the end, the liars are always convicted, because lies have short legs.