Speeches

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen! Cancer is a terrible disease that affects almost every family in Europe. We account for 10 percent of the world's population in Europe, but a quarter of all cancer cases diagnosed worldwide are attributable to patients in Europe. I think cancer must really be one of our top priorities, but it is also a matter of heart to me personally that we also send out signals from Parliament that we, as politicians, are doing everything we can to fight cancer. Three thoughts on this: Firstly: I believe that we need to invest heavily in research, in prevention, diagnostics, treatment, follow-up care for those affected and families. Secondly: I think it's very important to invest in patient organizations as well. So – what I am experiencing in my country – patient organisations are making a very, very valuable contribution to the treatment of cancer and we need to strengthen them. And thirdly: I think bans on certain lifestyles are not the way to go. Introducing blanket advertising bans on alcohol at sporting events or flashy warnings about alcohol are, I think, the wrong way to go. We must, of course, fight alcohol abuse. But it is important that we do educational work on the ground, especially towards our children and young people, that we run prevention campaigns. I believe that role models work far more and convince young people far better than that we pronounce prohibitions here.

Mr President, Vice-President of the European Commission, ladies and gentlemen! Paul Krugman, a Nobel laureate in economics from the USA, predicted in 1998 that the Internet would hardly reach a greater importance for the economy than the fax machine. How wrong he was and how wrong he was! Today we know: The Internet has not only completely changed our economy, but also our daily life, our society, our coexistence. However, the rules that can be relied on for this economy and cooperation online are still from the so-called digital Stone Age, from which Krugman's forecast also comes: The e-commerce policy is over 20 years old. Internet companies have therefore used the past few years to establish and enforce their own rules, not always in favour of fair competition and democracy. And finally, we also have a patchwork in the European Digital Single Market, because individual national governments have begun to regulate themselves here. It is therefore now time, dear colleagues, for us to use the digital space here with the help of the Digital Services Act design and order that we create a rules-based, secure digital space – in the interest of our citizens and in the interest of our businesses, including many small and medium-sized enterprises. There are over 10 000 online platforms in the European Union; 90% of them are small and medium-sized enterprises – they also need to have fair opportunities online. I think if we can do it tomorrow, by a large majority, this Digital Services Act to adopt it – perhaps we will have to revise it in the trilogue – then we have the chance to do the same as with the General Data Protection Regulation: Perhaps we will once again create a piece of legislation that is at the forefront of the world, that gold standard As has already been said by colleagues. I would be very happy about that. Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard on it. And once again a ‘thank you’, an ‘everything good’ from my side to my colleague Gebhardt – you were my first shadow rapporteur on my first file in the European Parliament many years ago. All the best for your next phase of life!

Madam President of the Parliament, Mr President of the Republic, Mr Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen! First of all, the success of the French Presidency of the Council! Monsieur le PrésidentYou spoke of peace as a European promise. Peace is the greatest achievement of our European Union. For this, we need a strong Europe that is united, that is a reliable partner in the world. But that is still missing at the moment. We do not have a single European response to Russia's aggression on the Ukrainian border. I believe that the most important or one of the most important tasks of your Presidency is to ensure the unity of the 27 Member States. The Member States must agree on a line and a catalogue of measures in relation to Russia. Only then will we be perceived in the world, only then will we be able to play a role. I found it shameful to note that the US and Russia negotiated the European security architecture over our European heads. A second issue that I would like to briefly address is the issue of sustainability, which is also a focus of your Presidency. For me, sustainability means not living at the expense of future generations. And by that I mean our finances. We must not just leave debts to future generations. France has a government deficit of 115 percent – one of the highest in the eurozone. I believe that we must return to sound budgets in the European Union and in the eurozone. And I warn against loosening the Stability Pact. Making debts at the expense of our children and grandchildren is the wrong way to go.

Madam President, Madam Vice-President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! Fair play must also apply in the digital world. We therefore need a strong sword to tackle distortions of competition and anti-competitive behaviour. Existing competition law is not sufficient to ensure fair rules. It is therefore very good, ladies and gentlemen, that the Digital Markets Regulation is on the table. I think we also need a strong digital middle class. This presupposes that start-ups that small and medium-sized enterprises have fair market access to the large platforms and also fair conditions on the platforms. It is important that the ActHe who is now on the table is sure. This means that it focuses on the largest Internet companies and on so-called Core platform servicesmarkets with real competition problems. And that's the most important thing for me: Don't regulate everything, don't regulate everything, just go in there and tackle what really causes problems. And I think the version of digitally Markets Act, which has now also been worked out in Parliament, can do just that. That is why I would like to thank all my colleagues, especially Andreas Schwab, for his great work.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, I think that the current situation report on the Energy Union is extremely helpful and contains good news. Firstly: We have reduced our CO2 emissions by 31% since 1990, with a very efficient instrument, namely emissions trading. This is also clearly underlined in the report that we have relied on the right instrument, a market-economy-based instrument; We should also develop this further. Secondly, it is positive that there is more renewable energy in the entire European energy mix than ever before – this is also good news. And that brings me to my third point: But we can't fool ourselves either. Our import dependency on energy remains very high, at a level not seen in more than 30 years, i.e. 60.6%. In other words, if we are to achieve the goals of Green Deals If you want to achieve this, then it is also important to get a handle on this high dependency. Of course, we have to massively expand renewable energies, but I think it is just as important to rely on bridge technologies such as gas for a transitional period. Gas infrastructure also plays an important role. And, of course, we also need to harness hydrogen. And here, too, I would like to plead for not just looking at green hydrogen, but keeping an eye on hydrogen of any color. In order to build the market, we need not only green, but also turquoise and other hydrogen. This is what we have decided in our hydrogen strategy as the European Parliament.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, First of all, I would like to congratulate our rapporteur on her excellent report. There is so much inside, dear Dolors Montserrat, you could go into a lot of things. I think it is great that the report is written from the patient's point of view, that patient organisations have their say, that the topic of European Health Data Space is an issue – so much that could be addressed. I want to focus on good news and bad news. I'll start with the bad news. Many of my colleagues have mentioned it: We depend on the global production of medicines in other regions of the world. But the good news is that with a successful and good pharmaceutical strategy, I think we can do something about it. We can be strategically different. I think our motto must be: Diversify, support, protect. We need to diversify supply chains. On the one hand, we should be careful not only to obtain critical medicines from one or a few producers, but also to produce or stock up more ourselves in Europe. Secondly: We need to take small and medium-sized businesses by the hand. They are our engines of innovation, and they need advice. They need little bureaucracy, but support, especially when it comes to clinical trial financing. Last, but not least: Patents for medicines are essential. They provide incentives for companies to conduct ambitious research and development. It cannot be done without patent protection; This has just been seen in the biotech companies and classic medium-sized companies such as BioNTech.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, I quote from Mrs Bentele's report: Only 1 % of raw materials for wind turbines, less than 1 % of lithium batteries, less than 1 % of fuel cells, only 2 % of raw materials relevant for robotics and only 1 % of silicon photovoltaic assemblies are produced in Europe. On the other hand, we set ourselves the most ambitious climate protection goals. I believe it is obvious that we need an intelligent raw materials policy. Two issues are of particular importance to me. On the one hand, we need to ramp up domestic procurement of critical raw materials. In Europe, we have a unique opportunity to operate sustainable mining in a process that meets the highest environmental and social standards in the world. I don't think we should oppose that. Second, Of course, we will have to continue to source critical raw materials from third countries. Therefore, critical raw materials must also become a core element of any trade relationship, any trade partnership.

Mr President, Madam Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen, After the election of Joe Biden, there were high expectations that the transatlantic relationship would improve quickly and efficiently. Unfortunately, these expectations have not yet been met: AUKUS, uncoordinated withdrawal from Afghanistan, no progress in reducing tariffs. It is true that the US is our most important strategic partner. But partnership requires trust. And I think both we as the European Union and the United States are called for here. We have common interests, and we should focus on them, especially with regard to cooperation on the newly created Technology and Trade Council. For example, in semiconductor production: We have gaps in supply chains. I believe it is very, very important to work together here to close the gaps in the supply chain, to ramp up production. Example of digitalisation: create new rules together – for AI, for platform economy and the like. And, of course, our relationship with China: Here, too, I think we need to work much more closely together strategically. Last but not least – Mr Sikorski referred to it: I think now is the time, the hour, to work on a common European defence union.

Mr President, Madam President of the Commission, Mr Council representative, my dear colleagues! I would like to make two comments on the state of the Union: Firstly, on COVID-19 crisis management and what the European Union has done in this difficult and challenging time. I think it has not gone badly, Madam President of the Commission. You mentioned youth in your speech, and I think that's great. I think that's really good because I think we talked far too little about the young people during the pandemic period, about what we asked them to do during that time. I am pleased that the ALMA programme has been launched, that we are investing in the education, training, further education and training of our young people and that we are doing everything we can to enable our young people to exchange and meet in the European Union. My second comment is about the geopolitical role of the European Union, the European Commission. That was also one of your core concerns, Madam President, when you took over the role of Commission President, and you mentioned Afghanistan, for example. I ask: If not now, when should we strengthen the European pillar in NATO? If not now, when should we develop and build the Common Foreign and Security Policy? We are required. And what is really important here is to put all the political will and strength into it if we want to be taken seriously globally, and not just as a strong economic power. If we take our own security seriously, then we need to get there. And that is our great task, even in the next two and a half years, to make real progress here and to give our citizens the security they deserve.

Mr President, Mr Vice-President of the European Commission, Mr Council representatives, ladies and gentlemen! I think it is good that the Fit for 55 package is finally on the table and we can discuss it. The bad flood disasters in the summertime, especially in my home country, in my home country, in Belgium, in the Netherlands, have shown the urgent need for action. I would like to make two comments on this package. On the one hand: Climate protection does not exist at a zero rate. But energy must of course remain affordable, on the one hand for our citizens. I am thinking in particular of heating and driving. This must remain affordable. But industrial electricity prices must also be competitive for our industry. Otherwise, we will only sell our companies from Europe to other regions of the world. Secondly: I think we need to go to the market and we need to focus on innovation. We can't make bans. To call bans a driver of innovation, I think, is completely wrong. Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen! I was just last week at the IAA Mobility in Munich, one of the major mobility fairs, and I was able to convince myself how much innovative power there is in our medium-sized companies, in our start-ups, in our companies. This is what we need to focus on: that innovative solutions, innovative new technologies come to the market, with which we also show other regions in the world that we can cope with climate change.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, I have to go straight to my previous speaker: Mr Botenga, it was not the big pharma industry that developed the COVID-19 vaccine here, it was a start-up. It was a 100-man operation. And this company, thank God, has been supported with European funding. Otherwise, if this support and these small, medium-sized start-ups did not exist, we would probably still be carrying out our parliamentary work from our offices above exclusively in the home office. So just push in on the pharmaceutical industry, so you make it a bit too easy for yourself. Of course, there is still room for improvement in European research policy. I am particularly interested in three issues. Firstly: Hundreds of billions of euros are being spent on European research. But if we compare these sums with investments in the US and China, then of course we are still lagging far behind in Europe. I believe that it is important that we not only invest public funds in research and innovation, but also to re-incentivise private investment in research and development. Secondly: We need to bring companies, our companies, even better together with universities, with universities, with research institutions. This is the only way to create opportunities for our SMEs to grow into innovative business areas for our start-ups. Thirdly: European research policy has been a success story for many years. I think we need to tell this story to our citizens over and over again. Our citizens know the freedom to travel, they know roaming, the abolition of roaming charges, the common market. But joint research in Europe is also a success story worth telling.