Debate contributions by Alexander SELL

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.

Madam President, Five years ago, Ms von der Leyen presented the Green Deal here; Europe should be the first continent to become climate neutral. Greta Thunberg would now say: We're on the right track. CO has been falling for years2–emissions in Germany. This is mainly due to the decline in industrial production. Steel, chemical and automotive industries are no longer competitive due to high levies and far too expensive energy. The result is massive drops in profits and job losses. 30% less profit at Mercedes and Volkswagen, 35,000 jobs at Volkswagen cut, up to 300,000 jobs in the entire automotive industry. Particularly insane is: The EU's arbitrarily set climate targets are forcing European car manufacturers to2–Buy certificates from the Chinese competition to avoid penalties from Brussels. This is how we finance the rise of China and the sell-off of our industry. The Commission is responsible for this European industrial policy harakiri. Ms von der Leyen and her CDU are a threat to the competitiveness and prosperity of Germany and Europe. No course corrections help here, only dialing out helps here.

Madam President, Over 1000 dead, entire families exterminated, Alawites, Christians and Druze on the run. Since the fall of Assad, Syria has been ruled by Islamists – the new ruler was formerly head of Al-Qaeda in Syria. His goal has always been the establishment of an Islamist caliphate, and this is now being implemented, with active support from Brussels. The European Commission has transferred 235 million euros to the new regime in Damascus. In addition, there are 100 million euros from Germany, personally handed over by Annalena Baerbock. And so it goes on. Next Monday, Ms von der Leyen will be hosting a donors' conference in Brussels, with representatives from Damascus also invited. I've seen some crazy things here in the house, but that really blows up all dimensions. Despite the massacres of Alevis and Christians, Ms von der Leyen invites to the large fundraising gala for jihad in Syria. Never again should you speak of a Western community of values! Americans will not attend the Brussels fundraising gala – rightly so. Islamists remain Islamists, even if they cut their beards and tie a tie.

Madam President, Germany is a poor country, according to the European Central Bank. In terms of median wealth, German households rank 15th, far behind French, Italians or Spaniards. Nevertheless, we Germans pay the highest contribution to the EU – almost €30 billion annually. This corresponds to the income tax of over 3 million Germans; More than 3 million Germans go to work to finance the store here. These people rightly expect us to use their taxes sparingly, because the money does not fall from the sky, but must be earned with hard work. You now want to send €2 billion to Moldova as an advance for EU membership. We reject this waste because most of this money will disappear into the pockets of corrupt politicians and oligarchs. The Corruption Index of Transparency International Moldova is in the back seats. Because we have to defend the interests of the taxpayers in Germany and France and other Member States, we reject the 2 billion euros for Moldova, because for the willingness to donate in this house, we Germans have to pay horrendous taxes. Even pensions are taxed in Germany. More than 7 million pensioners in Germany have less than 1,000 euros a month after many decades of hard work. In total, the Germans pay almost 1,000 billion euros in taxes a year, and yet there is a lack of all corners and ends. Bridges and roads are dilapidated, schools and universities are dilapidated, hospitals must close. The desolate state of Germany can only be concealed with gigantic debts. That is why we must end the waste and we will turn off this EU's money tap. Margaret Thatcher once said: The problem with the socialists is that at some point they run out of foreign people's money. That's the way it is here. If Germany stops paying, the party is over. Europe can only have a future if European politicians put the interests of their voters first, and that is exactly what we will do. At the latest after the next federal election: Stop the generosity on Germany's neck, stop the nonsensical gifts of money to all the world.

Thank you, Mr Wölken, for allowing me to ask you this question. Your colleague Bullmann from the SPD has just described the American president as a Neanderthal. I am surprised at this talk, with whom you actually still want to work worldwide, because Putin is in your eyes a criminal, Xi Jinping is a criminal, Milei is a criminal, Trump is also a criminal. In Europe, it continues: Orbán is bad, Meloni is bad, Le Pen is bad. I'm wondering: Who do you actually want to work with? You're isolated, aren't you? No one in the world is following your policy.

Madam President, $20 million for the filming of the Sesame Street in Iraq. $15 million for condoms in Afghanistan. $2 million for sex reassignments in Guatemala. The U.S. government has wasted over $40 billion every year on such bullshit under Joe Biden – that's over now! Donald Trump has stopped USAID. America first U.S. taxpayers' money for U.S. interests. In Washington, they're a step further than we are. We are still wasting a lot of money all over the world. Every year, the German government spends €32 billion on so-called development aid, €32 billion! This corresponds approximately to the tax revenue of 20,000 Germans. 20,000 Germans go to work to finance projects such as the following: EUR 53 million for climate-friendly cooking pots in Kenya, EUR 8 million for LED lights in Moroccan mosques, EUR 10 million for driving licence tests of transsexual rickshaw drivers in India and so on and so on. In America, Donald Trump has ended this bullshit, and in Germany, Alice Weidel will do it, you can rely on it!

Madam President, More than EUR 1 billion for Palestine since 7 October, EUR 2 billion for Turkey and Lebanon, and the Islamists in Damascus will soon receive money from Brussels. So, what did it do? The many billions you have sent to the Middle East have prevented no civil war in Syria, no Taliban in Afghanistan, and no war in Gaza. Their so-called strategy is the old one, and it failed even then. We have a different strategy: Instead of sending Europeans' money to the Middle East, we should take care of Europe first. Because if this continues, we will soon no longer need a strategy for the Middle East. The Middle East is with us. Last year alone, almost 400,000 migrants came to Germany, mainly from Syria. Why? The war in Syria is over! Nearly a million Syrians in Germany could now return to their homeland. Therefore: Stop wasting our tax money all over the world. Old-age poverty, housing shortages, broken bridges and roads – rebuilding Gaza or Syria is not our job. Our task is the reconstruction of Germany.

Thank you, Mrs Strack-Zimmermann, for allowing me to ask you this question. They have always spoken out in favor of arms deliveries to Ukraine, Russia must be defeated militarily. More than 1 million Ukrainians and Russians are now dead or mutilated. That's why Donald Trump has announced that he wants to end the death, and has also spoken to the Russian president on the phone. They have always rejected talks with the Russian president. I would be interested in: Do you want to continue supplying offensive weapons such as the Taurus to Ukraine? Or, in view of the peace initiative from Washington, can we hope that you will again limit yourself to your speeches in the Rhineland Carnival?

Madam President, Shootings, rapes, bombing terror: If you want to see the result of left-wing politics, you have to look to Sweden – every day bombings by African gangs, every year 10 000 Swedish women raped, Malmö more dangerous than Baghdad. The violence in Sweden is the result of left-wing migration policies. This is what the voters there understood and our colleagues were elected into the government by the Sweden Democrats – despite years of insults from politics and the media. Propaganda no longer works. Swedish voters have recognised the seriousness of the situation. Out of harm one becomes wise. In the government, the Sweden Democrats are now implementing the program that only the AfD stands for in Germany: Border controls, benefits in kind, remigration. Coalition with the Christian Democrats. We need to learn from the Swedes. Also in Berlin, Hamburg or Duisburg there are districts dominated by criminal gangs: Two gang rapes a day, ten stabbings a day in Berlin alone. We need to change that. We need the courage of the Swedes in German polling stations. On 23 February: Stop the cowardice and the wall of fire. It's high time.

Mr President! Trump or Maduro? Freedom or censorship? That is the question, even in this House. Last July, Venezuela elected a new president. Nicolás Maduro has declared himself the winner. The election was controversial. We in Strasbourg have also criticised this. Just a month ago, we awarded the Sakharov Prize to opposition leader Edmundo González. Edmundo González has over a million followers on Twitter. X is the main source of news for the opposition in Caracas. The numerous references to election manipulation and state violence were published on X. Maduro, of course, recognised this and banned Twitter on the following grounds: Elon Musk has promoted hatred and hate speech on X, influenced elections and divided Venezuelan society. This is how a dictator speaks, who is afraid of criticism and loss of power. This is how politicians in this House speak, from the left to the Greens to the CDU. Critical voices should no longer be heard here either. 120 officials monitored Elon Musk’s conversation with Alice Weidel – as in a police state. We Europeans must decide: Do we want to continue living in a democracy with the right to freedom of expression? Or do we want to follow the example of Venezuela? This is what the federal election in Germany is all about in February. Those who love freedom must vote for the AfD.

Thank you, Mrs Hahn, for allowing me to ask you this question. Let me read you a sentence from the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU: ‘Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. That right includes freedom of expression and the freedom to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authorities and without regard to national borders’. This is the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. It is about our freedom of expression, which is an important prerequisite for our democracy. I am surprised that, as a member of a liberal – self-proclaimed liberal – party, you speak up here for censorship and restriction of freedom of expression and thus also violate the fundamental rights of this EU. How do you explain that you are in the Liberal Party? Wouldn't you be better off with the Left or the Greens?

Mr President! Donald Trump is back: Today he is taking up his second presidency – Viktor Orbán, Giorgia Meloni and Tino Chrupalla are guests in Washington. It is a day of hope for all those who want peace, freedom and democracy. Since yesterday, the weapons in Gaza have been silent – and this is no coincidence, as Donald Trump has clearly warned Hamas: Until the beginning of his term, the first hostages would have to be released, otherwise an inferno would threaten. This language was clearly understood in Gaza. Last night, the first hostages were released – after almost 500 days of hostage detention. The 97 remaining hostages will be released in the coming days and weeks. The people of Gaza can finally breathe a sigh of relief: Since yesterday, the Israeli Air Force has stopped bombing, the senseless killing has come to an end. More than 40,000 Palestinians are dead, including many children. It is good that this war is finally over, that the weapons are silent. But we must also ask: Why did a deal only come about now? Why does this war end on the day of Donald Trump's inauguration? The answer is simple: because no one had previously had an interest in ending it – so it is today in the Washington Post. Donald Trump ended this war by putting pressure not only on Hamas, but also on the Israeli government, Netanyahu – and Biden was unwilling to do so. The ceasefire in Gaza shows: Even before taking office, Donald Trump did more for peace than Scholz, Baerbock or von der Leyen. Mrs von der Leyen now wants to send 120 million euros to Gaza, in addition to the 200 million that we transfer to Palestine every year. But today gives hope. The madness is slowly coming to an end. In Washington, adults are taking the wheel. Dementia-stricken Joe Biden is retiring, and it's time for his fans in Europe to follow the same path.

Mr President! Germany's interior minister is worried that Islamists could enter the country after the fall of Assad. But: Nancy Faeser is not concerned about the entry of Islamists into Germany – her concern is security in Syria. More than a million Syrians have fled to Germany, including numerous Islamists and war criminals. In September, the trial of three Syrians, fighters for the Islamic State, began in Munich. In Hamburg, a Syrian is on trial for crimes against humanity, and in Frankfurt, one who raped and enslaved Yazidi women. In addition, there are over 100,000 crimes committed by Syrians in Germany last year, by people who receive a house, medical care and citizen money from us. The German Interior Minister is now worried that these criminals could return to Syria. I'm more concerned that more of them are coming to Germany, to the all-inclusive resort for terrorists and war criminals from all over the world. That's why we need to be realistic now: Firstly: close borders; secondly: deportation; thirdly: Not a penny for the new regime in Damascus.

Madam President, Our infrastructure is in danger, but where does this danger come from? The biggest threat to our infrastructure is our own government. Yesterday, Angela Merkel presented her memoirs in Berlin. For 16 years it has ruined Germany. In her book, Merkel writes that the construction of Nord Stream 2 was a necessity. The phasing out of nuclear energy required the massive import of Russian gas. This is the bitter truth behind Germany's energy transition. Voters have been told that wind and sun provide energy for free. In fact, it has become dependent on Russian gas. We see the disastrous consequences of this policy today. The CDU and traffic lights have sacrificed our industry and prosperity on the altar of a idiotic climate religion. In February, Germany has a choice. Do we want to continue to ruin our country or do we want to take our fate back into our own hands? We need reliable and cost-effective energy in Germany. Then we are not vulnerable to attacks on infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

Madam President, Europe wants to teach the world, but nobody is interested. We saw this at the G20 summit in Rio and also at the climate summit in Baku. Only our money is still welcome. Ms von der Leyen has pledged 150 billion euros in Rio for climate protection in Africa. Nevertheless, African states do not want to know anything about climate ideology. Prosperity, industry, progress – these are the goals of the people in Ethiopia, Kenya or Nigeria. These should also be our goals, but Ms von der Leyen and her CDU see it differently: Renunciation instead of prosperity, wind turbines instead of power plants, poverty instead of economic miracles. This policy is detrimental to our countries. The high energy prices are destroying our industry, profits at Volkswagen, BMW or Mercedes are collapsing, thousands of families are being deprived of their livelihoods. It destroys not only our economy, but also our nature. In Hesse, the Reinhardswald is currently being planned; The forest that inspired the Brothers Grimm to create their fairy tales is said to give way to wind turbines. It is an economic and cultural suicide. In Brazil, they want to save the rainforest. With us they cut down the last remaining forests. This is the result of green climate policy. The CDU and Greens always claim that Germany must lead by example. However, the conferences in Baku or Rio have shown: Germany is moving forward, but no one is following. I am therefore pleased with the results of Rio and Baku: The world can no longer be taught by German ghost drivers. We are witnessing the beginning of a new age. The elections in America have also shown this. We need more Elon Musk, less Ursula von der Leyen. More courage, less fear of the future. More freedom, less bureaucracy. This is the recipe for success for the future. But green skewering has to go where it belongs – to the garbage heap of history.

Mr President! We are experiencing a stormy autumn. On November 6, the Americans elected Donald Trump as president, on the same day the government collapsed in Germany. But while the Americans are sweeping the left-green zeitgeist out of Washington, Germany is threatening another winter of displeasure. It is the CDU's fault. Together with the chancellor, CDU leader Merz boycotts the work of the German Bundestag: No more applications to be debated until the election at the end of February – three months of refusal to work. Why? Because proposals from the CDU could get a majority with the votes of the AfD - and Friedrich Merz wants to prevent that. This shows: The CDU is not about the matter. The CDU is not about protecting our borders or saving our industry or securing jobs. The CDU is only concerned with its own posts, and these are to be obtained with the help of the Reds and Greens. For this reason, parliamentary democracy is immediately suspended. If you really want to bring about a change in Germany, you have only one choice: The AfD.

Madam President, The European Union sends 300 million euros to Palestine every year. Who is this money going to? Fatah rules in the West Bank, Hamas in the Gaza Strip, elections have not been held for 20 years. The leaders of Hamas have made it into fairytale wealth thanks to this aid. loud New York Post The Hamas bosses have a total of 11 billion euros in private assets. The billions from Brussels are not only used to enrich corrupt elites, they also finance terror. On several occasions, the Israeli government has criticised the fact that the so-called martyr's pensions are financed with EU funds. The families of murdered assassins receive a lifelong pension, a total of almost 300 million euros a year – paid by our money. I therefore ask you, Commissioner: Why should we finance the pensions of terrorists in Palestine or anywhere else in the world? I think we should save these expenses and spend the money on higher pensions in our own countries.

Mr President! Moldova should become a member of the European Union, like Ukraine. What does that bring us? After Kosovo, Moldova is the poorest country in Europe. Corruption and nepotism are rampant. In terms of gross domestic product, Moldova is about as prosperous as Botswana. The admission of Ukraine and Moldova will cost the European Union almost 200 billion euros. This is what the Commission of Ursula von der Leyen appreciates. The German taxpayers will have to pay the bill again. Germany already pays the largest contribution to the EU – almost €20 billion a year, twice as much as France. We can't afford that anymore. Germany is no longer a rich country. It was recently published in all newspapers: The German long-term care insurance is bankrupt. Decent care for the many senior citizens in our country is no longer affordable. What is coming to us here, ladies and gentlemen, is nothing more than a humanitarian catastrophe, and it is the fault of the SPD, Greens, CDU and FDP, because they cheer our money with full hands abroad. That has to stop. German money for German citizens, and that's what the AfD stands for in Germany.

Madam President, A year ago today, Hezbollah attacked Israel, a day after Hamas. More than 10,000 rockets have been fired at Israel from Lebanon since then, and for several weeks now, the Israeli Air Force has been responding to the fire. Hezbollah's headquarters in Beirut were destroyed. More than a million Lebanese are on the run. We Europeans should not act as judges in this war. We must defend our own security interests, which are directly affected by the impending wave of refugees. In Berlin on Monday, thousands of supporters of Hamas and Hezbollah celebrated the anniversary of the massacre in Israel, including many migrants from Lebanon. By the way, the star guest of this celebration was an icon of the Greens: Greta Thunberg. And you too, Mr Borrell, have positioned yourself too one-sidedly in the past. That's why you have a house ban in Israel. I hope that the future Commission will adopt a more diplomatic position. But above all: We must not accept more extremists from these countries. Anyone who wants to demonstrate for Hamas or Hezbollah should be happy to do so, but not with us.