Speeches

Mr President, Minister, Commissioner, pleased to see you for this very, very important subject, topic and debate. As a matter of fact, this debate is so important that I will spend just a few minutes in my mother tongue so that my home audience also get a chance to get some of the very important points. Konkurrenceevne er tilbage på dagsordenen. Efter flere år, hvor debatten stort set har været fraværende omkring konkurrenceevne, ja så er den tilbage. Konkurrenceevnen er allerøverst på den politiske agenda i EU og i medlemslandene, og det er ikke noget tilfælde. Konkurrenceevnen er nemlig ikke bare et spørgsmål om tørre tal, om virksomheder, om statistik osv. Det er et spørgsmål om, eller er blevet, et spørgsmål om tryghed. Vi er midt i en krig. Verden er blevet et mere utrygt sted, hvor grænser er truede. Der er pres på vores demokratier verden over. Vi har med andre ord ganske enkelt ikke råd til at tage chancer. Vi skal sikre en robust økonomi i Europa. Vi skal skabe den nødvendige tryghed. Det handler om tryghed og om at skabe tryghed gennem stigende velstand og ved at sikre penge til vores borgere, til deres velfærd. Faktisk er det et, synes jeg, grundlæggende politisk løfte til de europæiske borgere, at EU skal sikre vækst og velstand og i dette tilfælde altså også tryghed. Krigen i Ukraine har skabt høje energipriser. Den har skabt inflation, som rammer vore virksomheder. Her skal det europæiske fællesskab derfor være garant for, at vi netop sikrer stigende vækst og velstand, og det kræver bl.a. gode vilkår for det europæiske erhvervsliv. Men vores virksomheder står over for en alvorlig krise. Deres muligheder for at konkurrere globalt er blevet forværret over en årrække. Vi taber terræn til USA. Vi taber terræn til Kina. EU's andel af den globale BNP forventes at skrumpe fra det nuværende 15 ned til 9 i 2050. Alene i år vurderes EU at nå BNP vækst på kun sløje 0,6 %, mens væksten i USA forventes at være mere end tre gange så høj; 2,1%, og Kina buldrer derudaf med en vækst på 4,7 %. Det er åbenlyst, at der er brug for helt akut handling. Fortsætter vi skåltalerne uden at følge op med handling, risikerer vi at miste vores iværksættere og vores virksomheder, der ganske enkelt flygter væk fra det europæiske område. Målet er derfor meget klart: Europa må ikke ende med at blive et frilandsmuseum. Europa skal være et nyt vækstcentrum. Netop derfor præsenterede den liberale gruppe i Parlamentet i går en ti-punktsplan. For mit parti Venstre og for Renew Europe vil det kommende valg være afgørende for EU's konkurrenceevne og derfor denne pjece, hvor vi kommer med ti ideer til, hvordan vi kan styrke konkurrenceevnen. Som frontløber på dagsordenen er det vores mål at gøre økonomier til et centralt tema i den kommende valgkamp. Tiden her tillader jo ikke, at jeg opremser alle disse gode forslag. Nogle af de mest centrale vil jeg dog lige nævne, at vi selvfølgelig fjerner og arbejder konstant på at fjerne bureaukrati, der begrænser vores erhvervsliv. Von der Leyen var jo selv i sin ”state of the Union”-tale inde på, at der skulle gøres noget. Lad os holde Kommissionen fast på det løfte og gerne tilføje mere endnu. Vi vil satse massivt på øgede investeringer i forskning og udvikling. Det er fuldstændig afgørende, vi ligger lavt i forhold til vores konkurrenter. Og endelig som noget helt konkret, at vi gør meget ud af enforcement, altså håndhævelse. Faktisk ned til et punkt, hvor vi foreslår en håndhævelseskommissær, der kan sikre en ens og fair håndhævelse på tværs af medlemslandene. Det er et stort problem i dag. Så slutteligt, konkurrenceevne handler om at skabe velstand, sikre velfærd og skabe tryghed. Præcis derfor bør økonomi og konkurrenceevne stå allerøverst på dagsordenen, og derfor er det også godt, at vi tager debatten i dag. Jeg ser frem til at høre synspunkterne fra kollegaerne og fra Rådet og fra Kommissionen.

Madam President! Commissioner. Our democracy is under attack. In Ukraine, bombs are falling all the time. But today, as you know, war is more than gunpowder and bullets. Hackers try every minute to destroy critical infrastructure such as hospitals, energy supply, water supply, etc. The Russians, yes, they spread lies around the clock in the EU member states. And so that it is not a lie, yes, Qatargate revealed that foreign states are trying to buy influence in the EU. If our democracy is not to bleed to death in hybrid attacks, we must defend and strengthen our defence. The Commission's latest initiative, the Defence Package for Democracy, is a first step. We acknowledge this, but it is certainly not enough. We need to be much better at jointly fighting disinformation, cyber-attacks, corruption, etc. Fortunately, we are well on the way in the cyber area, but defence and security policy must be at the top of the agenda both now and after the next European elections. 2024 will be the year where safety and security are the key words. Let's fight for it.

Madam President! We've been talking about these problems for years, and I think it's high time we did something about them. We must put action behind the words, of which there have been far too many. The growing bureaucracy stifles our competitiveness and challenges our entrepreneurs. In the fierce competition with the United States and China, yes, we need to reduce our bureaucratic burdens now. That is why the Commission's proposal to reduce the reporting obligation is an important step that we appreciate. But we have to move on. We need to introduce a genuine competition check on new EU legislation, and this must be done already from the next session. Before adopting a new law, we must ensure that it does not undermine the ability of entrepreneurs and small businesses to compete. After all, they are the whole skeleton of our business structure in Europe. It is important that we realize it. Soon, Renew Europe and I, on behalf of our group, will present a paper on competitiveness, presenting ten proposals that should help and boost our business. I look forward to presenting it both to the Commission and to you colleagues. We must make sure that our bureaucracy is limited now. We need to improve our competitiveness.

Mr President! Commissioner! We see it unfolding in full bloom right now. Fake news, disinformation, misinformation. Most recently, the horrific attack on a hospital in Gaza. Everyone fights for the truth, and as you know, the truth is the first victim of war. Right now, thousands are dying in war in both Israel, Gaza and, incidentally, Ukraine, we must not forget, often a violent and violent death. But in addition to this tragedy, there is also another victim. In other words, our democracy. On the other hand, it bleeds slowly, but surely, through the countless small cuts that are infused every single day, all year round. The war-mad autocrats and extremists, all of whom detest the West, are constantly trying to cut these wounds. With fake stories, manipulation and deception as weapons, they attack us on online platforms, and unfortunately, these platforms do not do enough to prevent it. Every second they distort reality and try to seduce us Europeans with false stories and narratives. Unfortunately, it works. Recent weeks have shown how narratives create internal chaos and division in our Member States, including online. We are fragmented, we are fighting each other internally, while Putin and the terrorists are clapping in their bloodthirsty hands. Our democracy bleeds slowly when we can no longer talk properly. That is why it is crucial for our future to be able to fight this systematic disinformation. That is also why it is crucial that we can fight with the new law, with the DSA, and, incidentally, with other laws that we hope will follow suit. That battle has only just begun, and I would also urge the Commission to do its utmost, and I am sure that it will too.

Madam President! Mr Vice-President! It was, of course, an election speech made recently by President von der Leyen. Let's be honest about it. However, let us take her on board when she said that much more needs to be done for small and medium-sized enterprises in Europe. For now, let's be honest. Despite numerous toasts to help the little ones, it is a fact that we keep toppling new laws and rules - and with the rules lots of bureaucracy - into their heads. Costs that reduce the chances of competing with the rest of the world. Let us therefore take the floor of von der Leyen when she promises a competition check of all new legislation. A proposal that we have aired, but gladly gives credit to the Commission, if that happens. In fact, we expect the President to present a legislative proposal as soon as possible, just as we look forward to the 25% less burden and documentation requirements that have also been discussed. And we also look forward to new competitor Mario Draghi delivering his analysis of Europe's competitiveness. It can only be too slow. We, as liberals and bourgeois, must deliver a business that can compete, so that it can create the wealth that is vital for our future. So let's get started!

–Mr President! Commissioner Hahn, Minister, colleagues. When you are at war, the last thing you need to save is the future, the young people and the culture. Winston Churchill already knew this during World War II, and it still holds true today. Young people are our future. Culture binds us together as Europeans across national borders. Therefore, it is important to invest in both youth and culture, indeed it is crucial. I know this as chief negotiator for our cultural committee, and it shapes my wishes for the budget. Precisely in times of crisis, with war in Europe's backyard and in cyberspace, we need to grow our communities extra. The Committee on Culture has therefore proposed to increase support for the Erasmus+ exchange programme, which is a great success among young people and everyone else. We also propose to increase support for Creative Europe, which helps filmmakers, musicians, artists and journalists who fight Russian disinformation attempts on a daily basis. We must not forget in Europe that we have young people, that we have culture, even when crises hit the most.

Madam President! Commissioner. And my fellow Members. Europe needs growth. It is high time that we completed the single market, that we got it into even higher gears. We need the money. We need growth to move forward. That's why we need to see this proposal as well. I think there is reason to acknowledge the efforts made during the Corona, not least by the Commissioner here, to do something about this preparedness and make sure that we got up to speed and that we managed the Corona crisis as well as we did. But we must also recognise that we are elsewhere today, and the internal market that we have to deliver is an internal market that must be able to do something else, and that is why we have to do away with red tape. We need to get rid of the bureaucracy and get a better market. And it is in that light that we shall see the proposal that is here. We now fully acknowledge that we must have this proposal. We support the intention. We just have to make sure that we do not get unnecessary bureaucracy, that we get more bureaucracy out of it. And that must be an integral part of the negotiations we are entering now. To make sure it doesn't happen. So full support for the intention, full support for the proposal. Good luck Andreas and good luck Commissioner. Men vi må altså sikre os, at vi vedstår os, at det er det indre marked, det her også handler om. Thanks for that.

Fru formand! The European Community is in the midst of a hybrid war for which we are not sufficiently prepared. It's a fact. Cyber-attacks, espionage, systematic disinformation campaigns and sabotage of critical infrastructure – the list of hybrid threats is long. There is an urgent need to equip the EU to tackle the threats posed by autocrats such as Putin. This is why today is a good day as the European Parliament launches the second round of our recommendations to fight the hybrid war and the threats that are there. Among other things, we must be able to sanction countries that are continuously engaged in hybrid warfare against EU countries, and we must also be able to prosecute individuals in the EU who are systematically spreading disinformation on social media. There are a large number of good proposals in the report that has just been adopted, and that is why it is to be welcomed. Congratulations to our rapporteurs for having managed to get through this with a massive majority. It is now up to the Commission to implement these proposals. I'm looking forward to that.

Mr President! Corruption is a poison, a deadly poison, which threatens confidence in our democratic institutions both nationally and in the European Union. Qatargate has in many ways revealed a frightening problem of corruption right here in this house, right here in the European Parliament. These have been important revelations and require political action. We have an urgent need in general to fight foreign influence through corruption. Since 2020, I have been working on Russian and Chinese disinformation and cyberattacks. But it is quite clear that we have not had enough focus on what could be called simple corruption. Cash in a plastic bag, so to speak. Of course, we need to change that, and that is why a new European body, such as the one we are proposing, which, among other things, will deal with corruption, is an important first step. That is far from the only thing we have to do. We must also be careful that we do not, in our eagerness to do something, point arms in the wrong direction, including with regard to lobbyists. Of course, we must be able to allow lobbyists, we must be able to allow people to have access to this house, but we must make sure to do something and we must do something now.

Madam President! I am speaking again because I listened with great interest to what the Commissioner told us about the new cybersecurity initiatives from the Commission. And I think it might be appropriate in this debate to clarify and perhaps elaborate, if the Commissioner wants to do so, what exactly is it about? We hear rumors and we are very curious. And, of course, also whether the new initiatives require new legislation? And if so, what we are going to look at afterwards with regard to possible new legislation. It would be nice to know a little more about it. Thank you.

Madam President! Commissioner, please! The other day it was crazy again. A piece of critical infrastructure, the Danish State Railways, DSB called it, was attacked by cybercriminals. The attack meant that Danish train traffic was paralysed for up to seven hours. Unfortunately, this attack is not unique. Cyber-attacks have become commonplace in Europe. Hospitals, electricity supply, waterworks, everyone's at risk. That is why the proposal we are voting on today - the update of the EU's cybersecurity rules - is a very, very important step, as the rapporteur and the Commissioner have also mentioned. But let us be honest, it is only now that the real work begins. The test has to be done now. To implement the law in the Member States. Commissioner, you are aware of this yourself; It is up to the Member States to put this right. I would urge all Member States to ensure that the legislation is implemented as ambitiously as possible. Because let's be honest, we know that implementation is often where the shoe presses. It is there that all the good intentions that we come up with are not fully realised. We all need to join, not just government agencies, but authorities all the way down to the local level. We need companies that have the critical infrastructure at their disposal. The point is that we will never be stronger than the weakest link in the chain. We need to be aware of that, especially now. So we need to follow up on the binding task of raising cybersecurity equally in all Member States. Dear friends, let's get this done. Thank you for the word.

Mr. President! Politics often consists of unpleasant choices, and this is certainly one of them. Europeans are under pressure, winter is waiting, Europe will be hit historically hard. Should we as politicians act against a well-functioning market in the attempt to make emergency solutions? Immediately, the answer will be no. But, conversely, we cannot leave the Europeans behind. We are in an extraordinary crisis and it requires extraordinary solutions. What is crucial now is that the solution we come up with actually ensures that the energy market continues to function, so that prices can regulate themselves, also in the future, and so that investors also in the future will want to invest in green energy. But right now, it's all about getting through the winter, and that requires extraordinary solutions.

Mr President! As if Putin's current war of tanks, bombardments and murders in Ukraine were not bad enough, the war in cyberspace has been a devastating reality for a long time. The war is not just about critical infrastructure in Ukraine. In fact, there are attacks on businesses in Europe every 11 seconds, ladies and gentlemen, every 11 seconds! The war in cyberspace reveals that we in Europe are weak. That's why we need to step up our cyber defences on several levels. First and foremost, we need to update the EU's cybersecurity rules to strengthen the defences of businesses and authorities. This is happening right now in the so-called Nice II law, which has been mentioned by several colleagues - I myself have been involved in negotiating it - and now the trilogue negotiations are in full swing between the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament, and we then have certain expectations of the outcome, Commissioner. It is crucial that Member States and companies accept that we need to impose stricter requirements. Next, we need to deter countries like Russia from attacking us. That is why we need to be able to adopt common sanctions against countries outside the EU that attack member states in cyberspace. Finally, we need to have a completely different close cooperation to track cyberattacks much earlier. It is my clear expectation that we will see initiatives from the Commission for closer cooperation soon.

Madam President! Consumer rights and the green transition are two important agendas for both Renew in this house and for my party, Venstre. When we talk about the circular economy and the Commission's upcoming proposal, Right to Repair, it is crucial that we make demands on manufacturers to use resources in the best possible and most efficient way. We need to become even better at using data to extend the lifetime of products. We must be particularly careful about introducing regulations that interfere with the company's intellectual property rights. In other words, it is a balance, an important but also difficult balance. For Renew, the goal is to boost the circular economy while improving products for consumers. Reason must be in the driver's seat. Without well-functioning companies, no proper products. Without circular economy, no future for us as citizens and as consumers. This is the balance we hope to achieve. I am fully confident, with the proposal now before us, that we must reach a sensible solution to it. I think it will be difficult to find the decisive disagreement on these things in this House, so we look forward to the Commission's forthcoming proposal.

Madam President! Commissioner! Culture is a national competence, which is why it is difficult to discuss cultural budgets in an EU context. But the New European Bauhaus project has given us a unique chance to use culture to support one of the most important common goals, one of the most important common EU battles, namely the fight for the climate and the environment. The Bauhaus can help make the green transition concrete and attractive for European citizens. Among other things through architecture, design and green urban development. We can show EU citizens in their everyday lives how the community fights for the climate both aesthetically, inclusively, sustainably and in a European way. With culture as a kind of can opener, we must create a cultural narrative about one of the most important political topics of our time. But if it is to succeed, the EU needs to invest in the Bauhaus project. And more money is needed to get a dedicated project, so that should be my request at this stage: Let's bet on the Bauhaus.

Mr. President! Minister! High Representative! Commissioner! Europe is at war. Right now, Ukrainians are dying as a result of the criminal war of aggression launched by Putin. But, ladies and gentlemen, we have been at war for a long time. Constant cyber-attacks have long hailed over Europe, the information war on social media has run and, in the worst cases, led to tragic deaths, as we saw back in the onslaught against Congress in 2016. Since 2016, disinformation and the war in cyberspace have only worsened and we have been too naive. We have believed in the good. Now it has to be different. We have taken too long to realize that the war of the 21st century is different. Our democracies bleed with small cuts at a time. It's called "Death by a Thousand Cuts." With the work of this committee, we are finally taking the step fully into this struggle. I am pleased to hear that the Commission is taking on board many of our proposals in the report and is working on them. There are many good suggestions, and I would like to highlight one: That we in Europe should be able to sanction countries that attack us in cyberspace or with disinformation, and that we should be able to do so by a majority rather than in complete agreement, so that individual countries cannot oppose. It is crucial that we have a tool to deter autocrats like Putin from using his hackers and internet armies against us. The report has many good proposals that we cannot discuss here, but I am glad that the Commission is working on them. Now we have to follow up and do it right away. We need to stop the bleeding. We have to get back into the game, and we have to do it now.

Madam President! Now it's over. We no longer have to be fools for our own money. Today's ruling by the European Court of Justice is a victory. It says that, of course, the EU has the right to slam the coffers of Member States that break the rules of the community and undermine democracy. Now the Commission must follow up as soon as possible and activate the rule of law mechanism. There are no excuses left for hesitation. For too long, government leaders in Poland and Hungary have laughingly raised EU support with one hand, while the other has gradually eroded the judiciary or gilded friends and family. Of course, it's not just about money. The future of the entire European Community is at stake. This is the end of the Community if the Member States do not respect the decisions of the courts in such key areas as the rule of law in the European Union. If Hungary and Poland want to be part of the club, they must accept the common rules they have signed up to. It is that simple, and the heads of state from other Member States should cement this with clear statements now. And, of course, we in this House also expect the Commission to get started immediately. No more making fun of our own money!

Madam President! I have just returned from Athens from a visit to the European Cybersecurity Agency. If I didn't know it before, I know it now: We are in the middle of a cyber war, and therefore cybersecurity must of course also be at the top of the agenda, and therefore it is welcome that we discuss it today. Ursula von der Leyen herself said so in her State of the Union address. This is an important step to strengthen European cooperation on cybersecurity, but more needs to be done. Knowledge sharing and closer cooperation cannot do it alone. New tools are needed to tackle cyber threats. The EU needs to be able to adopt common sanctions. One of my colleagues mentioned this before: We need sanctions, individual Member States, but we need joint actions, joint sanctions. When Member States are repeatedly subjected to cyber-attacks by certain hacker groups, or even hostile states, we need to be able to respond together. I really hope that this debate will lead to a new recognition of this fact: A joint effort is also needed in cyberspace.

Madam President! Today, it is painfully clear that when it comes to cyber-attacks and hybrid threats, we are painfully helpless in the European community. Today, we have no way of responding effectively to the constant attack on our democracy, including disinformation or cyber-attacks against key IT infrastructures. Therefore, as has been said by several speakers – and I share this view – it makes sense to develop the necessary instruments so that we can punish countries so that we can take action against countries that are committing crimes against us in cyberspace. In this context, we should probably consider whether it should not be possible to adopt sanctions by qualified majority in the Council. A few Member States must not be able to block the necessary sanctions, as has unfortunately happened in several cases. Is this something that the High Representative will be able to afford, is it something that is being worked on?