Debate contributions by Beatrice TIMGREN

Madam President, thank you very much. The use of AI images for violations is completely unacceptable, but banning an entire technology or platform is the wrong way to go. Some now see their chance to limit platforms they dislike. It is not about protecting anyone. It's about power and control over free speech. Uncomfortable opinions are increasingly described as threats to democracy, but the real threat is censorship. Freedom of expression is the pillar of democracy, but power fears platforms that give citizens a voice, a chance to have their say, debate, share and generate. Let me be clear: We will limit crime, protect women, victims, children. But never by sacrificing freedom of speech. We are not defending democracy. We're weakening it.

Mr President, thank you very much. In Sweden, we sometimes pay wind power companies to stop producing electricity. This sounds absurd, but it is a direct consequence of the expansion of wind power. Within the framework of the Green Deal and climate objectives, with subsidies and financing via the EU Investment Bank, several billion SEK has been invested in wind power. However, the industry is suffering heavy losses. When it blows a lot, the price collapses, and the electricity becomes a cost to get rid of. When there is no wind, no electricity is produced. Wind turbines are difficult to recycle, they put a strain on the electricity grid and they pose major problems for those who live nearby. Now that we see the bankruptcies, we have to ask the question: What have we gained from this? Who's gonna win this? Why is critical review of wind power such a difficult political issue?

Madam President, thank you very much. For over 15 years, Christians in Nigeria have been subjected to systematic Islamist violence. Villages are devastated, children are murdered, churches are burned down and people are kidnapped because of their faith. Nigeria's government, they are passive and let the Islamists ravage freely. This is religiously motivated terror with the goal of introducing sharia and forming caliphates by means of violence. Yet this situation is met with silence from the Western media. Even the Church of Sweden has a hard time taking a stand. Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world. But in the West, especially in the left, this is ignored because it does not fit their narrative. This is hypocrisy. Other conflicts receive massive attention, but Nigeria is ignored. You look away when Christians are murdered. The EU must stop turning a blind eye and act instead. Cut all aid to Nigeria and put pressure on their government.

Mr President, thank you very much. Europe's electricity prices are more than four times higher than in the United States. But instead of low electricity prices, we are chasing unrealistic climate targets. At a huge price tag. Emissions in Europe? Yes, they have decreased. Not because of any wise policy directly, but because industry is closing down and jobs are disappearing. At the same time as the EU is currently regulating away its own competitiveness, we are making ourselves more dependent on China. Our emissions are reduced only on paper. This is not climate policy. This is self-harm. A climate policy that breaks down competitiveness does not make the world greener, but Europe poorer. So I would like to rename this Green Deal as deindustrialised. Because that is what will be the result.

Exactly what I said in my speech: We will invest in research, development, innovation, cheap energy. But it is a bit interesting to hear the Centre Party, which claims to protect small businesses and forest owners, but constantly votes against their interests in this House and also in the Swedish Parliament. So I'd like to ask myself that.

Mr President, thank you very much. COP30 ended just as expected. Discussions went in circles. But there was one thing the countries agreed on: Europe will pay. Climate finance from the so-called rich countries to the poor was now raised to SEK 3,000 billion per year, while China, the US, India, the BRICS countries and the Gulf countries account for more than two-thirds of global emissions. Yet the EU, which accounts for only 6% of global emissions, is tightening its climate targets, raising energy prices and sacrificing jobs. The climate effect is almost zero. Notan, it ends up with ordinary households and European companies, hoping that the rest of the world will follow our example. This is not climate policy. This is wishful thinking. Europe should do what we do best: invest in research, new technologies and nuclear power. If we make energy cheaper, other countries will follow suit, without moral pegs.

Madam President, thank you very much. The EU's gender equality policy is not brave. It's a coward and it's naive. You're stuck in a gender workshop. The focus is on choice of words, forms and norm criticism. At the same time, we turn a blind eye to the real problem: Islamization, honour violence, insecurity, parallel societies where women's freedom is actually sacrificed. And what does the EU do? You write reports, you hold panel discussions, you chase pronouns. The problem is, they're not men. The problem, it is men who consider themselves to own women as their property and so-called feminists who excuse, defend, silence. It's not about powerpoint. It is the right to feel safe, to be able to move freely in society without being controlled, threatened or silenced. So stop playing brave in conference rooms. Stand up when it actually costs you something. Fight the Islamists without subterfuge. That's why I voted no today.

Madam President, thank you very much. Europe is responsible for 6% of global emissions. Yet we are preparing a new strict 2040 climate target as if we alone could control the planet's temperature. But the inconvenient truth is this: The climate in 2050 will not be decided in Brussels, but in Beijing, Washington and New Delhi. If we set goals that our industry can't achieve, then we're not saving the climate, we're just moving our emissions, and we're hurting our factories, jobs, and our prosperity. Emissions, they're coming. True climate leadership is about technology, innovation, competitiveness. It is about nuclear power, affordable energy, not symbolic goals that no other country follows. That is why I voted against the new 2040 climate target.

Madam President, thank you very much. COP30 is held in Belém, on the outskirts of Brazil's rainforest. Another climate summit where fifty thousand participants are flown down from all over the world and stay in hotels for SEK 20,000 per night. COP30 is less about the climate and more about who should pay. The UN is talking about a funding gap of SEK 11 trillion per year that will go to developing countries – a sum larger than the EU’s entire annual budget. The United States is leaving. China, the world's largest emitter, refuses to pay. The rich oil countries of the Gulf, they don't pay either. And then it is we in Sweden and Europe who will pay the bill. But Sweden is no longer a country that pays everyone else's bills. Our money, they are needed here at home; to pensioners, to health care, to our safety. If you want to save the climate, you invest in innovation, not corruption.

Madam President, thank you very much. The EU said it would save the forest, but instead the new law on deforestation is collapsing under its own bureaucratic weight. The Commission is now proposing once again to postpone this legislative proposal. The Commission's own computer systems are not able to cope with the burden, according to them. If the EU cannot cope with its own system, how will farmers and small businesses cope with it? This law does not stop chainsaws in the Amazon. But it saws off the branch for our own companies. While the world is running away from us, Europe is stuck in forms. This is not environmental policy. This is bureaucracy in disguise. So, Commissioner Roswall, I beg you: Withdraw this proposal! It would be the absolute best for both Sweden and Europe.

Mr President, thank you very much. The EU needs to switch down and start deregulation. For years, the EU’s response to problems such as the financial crisis, the pandemic and climate challenges has been the same old solution: More regulation. Simplifications? This is something we are happy to talk about in this House, but it always turns out to be empty words. And the result? Yes, our European companies, they are currently suffocating in a sea of reporting requirements, duplication of work, bureaucracy. While our competitors in the US and Asia are going the other way. They deregulate. They are investing in their competitiveness. No wonder we fall behind. The new proposal for a common data platform on chemicals is unfortunately no exception. Examples of how bureaucracy grows, not shrinks. Despite promises of better data access, the proposal only increases reporting and administration and makes it more difficult for our European companies. And Article 22 obliges companies to report all studies, including those that have already been reported, creating more paperwork – not more security. The EU is keen to talk about so-called “better regulation”, but is constantly delivering: more regulations. If Europe is serious about strengthening its competitiveness, we must dare to break down bureaucratic barriers and stop building new ones. It is time for the EU to find a reverse gear and dare to deregulate and simplify for real, and not just paint red tape in new colours.

Madam President, thank you very much. It is almost empty in this House now that most MEPs have gone home, when we are debating ticks, among other things, this afternoon. But I welcome this discussion. Tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease and TBE can involve long periods of illness and, at worst, neurological problems. Unfortunately, these tick-borne diseases have become an increasing problem. The increased population of deer and cervids is one of the reasons for the spread of ticks. Nationally, a number of preventive measures are being implemented to combat both diseases and to reduce their spread. To remove some ticks belongs to the summer, but if you are unlucky, one of these ticks can actually spread dangerous diseases. When I was growing up, we had a little poodle, Kajsa. Every summer she was given tick repellents and tick necklaces. But my dad, when he was a kid, he had a dog called Cheri and it unfortunately passed away because of a tick-borne disease. In the Nordic countries, we are closely following this development through initiatives such as SVA's "Reporting ticks". Therefore, I would now like to take this opportunity to extend a big thank you to all of you at home who engage you to contribute with data to map the spread. This is a local issue. We do not need any more EU involvement. I hope never to hear any proposals for an EU strategy or, worse still, a tick commissioner. It would be just as bad as anything else to be centralised and decided supranationally without national competence. We need no French and no Germans to deal with our problems with ticks in Sweden. Let hunting also be regulated nationally without restrictions from the EU, so that we in Sweden can effectively combat ticks and the spread of these diseases.

Madam President, thank you very much. Gui Minhai has become a symbol of the struggle for freedom of expression. He dared to criticize Communist China. For this, he was kidnapped and imprisoned – an attack on Sweden’s sovereignty and our fundamental values. The utopia of the left – Communist China – is once again showing its true face. Freedom is shattered and dissidents are silenced. Yet the EU continues with its naive globalism and its bowing to Beijing. We are becoming increasingly dependent on this blood-red dictatorship. Our industries, our jobs and our values are being sacrificed on the altar for cheaper trade. This is not just financial madness, it is a betrayal of everything we say we stand for. The EU must stop crawling for China. Trade policy must put Sweden's and Europe's interests first. Do not strengthen a regime that oppresses its people and threatens our freedom. It is time to speak clearly and act with the spine.

Mr President, thank you very much. Lisa in the Netherlands, Liana in Germany, Wilma in Sweden. Their lives were extinguished by men from Muslim countries who should never have been here. After every tragedy, we have the same words from the left. Our thoughts go out to those affected, and then it's quiet. Nothing is done. Where does indifference come from? Would you rather protect your multicultural ideology than those who fall victim to it? No ideal, no ideology and no political goal is more important than security in Europe. No speech, no ceremonies and no slogan can restore security. So my question is: When will Europe change course?

Thank you, Mr President. The Commission's ELV proposal is a threat to our Swedish car industry and car culture. I do not understand how the Commission was able to come up with such an incredibly bad proposal. This should actually end up in the trash where it belongs. Many Swedes love their cars. We repair, renovate and keep older vehicles alive, and that's part of our culture. The Commission wants to make this more difficult and wants to ban functional spare parts, force scrapping and increase the cost for those who want to buy or sell an older vehicle. The EU wants to micromanage hobby mechanics in their garage, screw by screw. Sweden does not need EU rules that stifle car enthusiasts, are counterproductive and waste resources. Scrap this proposal, not our cars.

Mr President, thank you very much. Recently, world leaders came together to pledge the largest ever package of contributions to the Third World: $4 trillion a year, with the aim of fighting global poverty. Ambitions are not lacking, but the perception of reality shines with its absence. Unfortunately, this will not help the most vulnerable. The focus should be on clean water, nutrition and care. Instead, the focus is on reducing carbon emissions, in countries where many have no electricity at all, or on quotas and gender equality projects, while mothers cannot even feed their children. We've seen it before. Expensive conferences, fine speeches and promises, but then the money disappears into bureaucracy and corruption and consolidates grant dependency.

Madam President, thank you very much. Yes, this sounded promising: "One substance, one assessment". It sounds like this is supposed to be a simpler system for chemical assessment. But in practice, this is a textbook example of excessive EU bureaucracy. Article 22 introduces new notification requirements that most increase paperwork without improving safety. This particularly affects small businesses. More power will be transferred to the European Chemicals Agency and we will have less transparency. The Commission itself has set itself a target of 25% less reporting burden, but now it is doing just the opposite. That's why I say no to this. No to unnecessary bureaucracy and yes to a competitive chemicals policy. We need to start strengthening competitiveness, not weakening it.

(Start of speech without microphone) ... I met my husband when I was 17 years old. We married when I was 23, of my own free will, two adults. But for many girls in Europe, the reality is completely different. Right now, during the summer, underage girls are married off against their will, perhaps with an older man they've never met. They are children, but they are treated as possessions. In Sweden, a brochure entitled "To you who are married to a child" was even distributed. It was withdrawn after massive criticism, but the fact that it was even developed shows that this problem is not taken seriously. Forced marriage, it's violence, it's a crime and it should never, never be accepted. And when it comes to kids, yes, they're going to school, not getting married.

Madam President, thank you very much. The Commission calls the electricity grid the backbone of Europe's energy system. But what helps a spine if the rest of the body is paralyzed due to rampant electricity prices and uncertain supply? Instead of investing in nuclear energy, Brussels paid millions of euros to NGOs to campaign for their interests. It was secret contracts, members were only allowed to read them in monitored rooms, not have any mobile phones. This is called transparency. And Sweden, yes, we pay the price. Our electricity prices are being pushed up by German energy failures because we are stuck in the same grid. If the Commission had invested in nuclear power instead of tax-funded propaganda, we would have had both cleaner air and lower electricity prices. We need cheap, clean, reliable energy, not the manipulation of public opinion with public money.

Madam President, thank you very much. The war in Gaza has consequences in Europe as well. We have seen how threats of violence from extreme parts of the Palestine movement now target citizens and politicians, including the Swedish Foreign Minister, as well as MP and my party colleague Jessica Stegrud. These threats pose a serious risk to our democracy. There is no genocide going on. Hamas is responsible for the suffering of civilians in Gaza by using civilians as human shields. UNWRA, funded by our tax funds, has links to terrorism and should be dismantled. Instead, other appropriate organisations should be used. whereas several UNWRA employees have participated in Hamas attacks on 7 October, and their schools are being used to spread antisemitism; In order to have peace and a secure future for both Israelis and Palestinians, we must stop resources for Hamas and UNWRA.

The Sweden Democrats stand behind free and independent journalism and we have long criticized the Islamist authoritarian development that is taking place in Turkey. Therefore, we will vote in favour of the Left Party's resolution on the Swedish journalist currently imprisoned in Turkey. My question to the Left is: Why were all the Swedish parliamentarians invited to sign the petition except the Sweden Democrats?

Madam President, I would like to thank you for your The steel and metal industry is the backbone of our industrial competitiveness. But instead of creating the conditions, the left is pushing for even more climate and environmental regulations, higher energy prices and even more bureaucracy. We don't need new visions. We need reality-based visions. We must be self-sufficient in critical materials, otherwise we risk being out-competed by China. We must have low energy prices, reasonable climate targets and we must ensure that we are self-sufficient. We don't need new climate targets that knock out our industry before there are any alternatives. Yes, green steel can be great, but it has to be competitive. We have seen how it has gone with various political projects, where you have pumped in lots of tax money that later turns out to go up in smoke. We need to focus on technology neutrality. We need to reduce the regulatory burden. That way we can be competitive.

Madam President, I would like to thank you for your Billions in pension savings, invested in Northvolt – and now they are gone. The Social Democrats have ridiculed critics and said that Northvolt is a green future story. They also have close ties to Northvolt. Sossarna has provided credit guarantees, and they have gone from government positions to roles linked to the company. Even at the European level, the Social Democrats have a serious conflict of interest. Such as Thomas Östros who pushed through credit guarantees of SEK 10 billion to Northvolt as Vice President of the European Investment Bank. Those responsible, both in Sweden and in the EU, must be held accountable for the total disrespect to our taxpayers. It would be welcome if those who systematically blow our Swedish pensioners on lottery tickets and green transitions could, for once, pay back that money. For every penny wasted is a theft.