René AUST

Policy topics René AUST is active on

What René AUST has said (23)

• 2026-06-17 “(09:38:29 – 09:39:39): is seeing a wave of violence committed by illegal migrants targeting Europeans. We see that in Harlem. Yesterday, we had a report published on crimes committed by refugees, 200 working class white girls. That happened in The UK. While The UK was an EU member state, the commission needs to conduct a Europe wide investigation into these crimes. This, however, is not being discussed at the summit of EU heads of state and government. We're talking about, enlargement in Ukraine. Now if Ukraine were to join the EU, it would be the largest net recipient in the EU. We want to nurture close trade relationship with Ukraine. We want close ties in future, but go no further than that.”
  Asylum & border control
• 2026-06-15 “(17:44:07 – 17:45:56): Well, overnight, Europe was cut off from top technology. Our dependence on The USA, even in this area, was made into a boomerang yet again. Who's responsible for this for this dependency? Well, a couple of decades ago, Germany, when it came to the development of this particular area, was right in the vanguard or certainly close to it. And we were moving forward. We had standards. We were exemplary in what we did. But in the meantime, in the European single market, financial regulation has made it ever more difficult to push such initiatives forward as compared to The USA. The AI Act, in other words, the legislation on artificial intelligence and the regulations connected to that, how can I put this? They were perhaps overworded, overcautious. You know, everything should be put into the core rules in order to make sure that, in fact, our companies couldn't develop or overdevelop their potential as compared to The United States Of America. So, of course, now there's an uproar. We should give more freedom to our entrepreneurs. We should also cut them loose from bureaucracy. But what about other areas, other areas of dependency? For Europe, for Germany, it's atrocious because, you know, we're making ourselves vulnerable to blackmail. Europe needs more partners around the world, but that actually will only work if those who hold responsibility in Europe don't point the finger at others, other cultures, lecturing them, telling them what to do. Instead, they should reach out hand to to cooperate on a more honest basis. Thank you.”
  EU digital & tech sovereignty
• 2025-07-28 “E-003119/2025 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission The German Embassy in Somalia informed the European External Action Service that their standing policy is not to share information on abduction cases. In line with Council Directive 2015/637, the consular protection for EU citizens abroad, including in crisis situations, rests with the EU Member State of their nationality, when represented in the country, like in this case. Therefore, while deeply concerned by the abduction, the Commission respects the lead of relevant German authorities, including the Crisis Management Centre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin, in handling her case. The Commission, through the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), holds an institutional and legal responsibility, as part of its Duty of Care, to clearly define roles and responsibilities within the organisation, adapt its security measures to changing security environments and to provide a maximum of protection to DG ECHO staff from foreseeable risks. Additionally, DG ECHO is recommending partners to continuously update their security standards to the latest best practices to ensure the safety and security of their staff. Nevertheless, this is the responsibly of its partners to ensure their implementation. The EU remains ready to support German authorities if requested, including through the EU Delegation in Somalia.”
  EU Development & Humanitarian Aid · EU policy on Sahel and Sudan
• 2025-07-17 “E-002952/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission monitors the situation of media freedom and pluralism in all Member States, including Germany, in the framework of the annual Rule of Law Report cycle. In the 2025 edition, Germany continues to be assessed as having a strong legal and institutional framework for safeguarding fundamental rights, including freedom of expression and the independence of public service media as well as media authorities. Under its Article 51(1), the Charter of Fundamental Rights applies to Member States when they are implementing EU law. Where actions by the Member State’s authorities do not involve the application of EU law, it is for Member States, including their judicial authorities, to ensure that fundamental rights are effectively respected and protected in accordance with their national law and international human rights obligations. The European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), which only fully entered into application on 8 August 2025, includes important safeguards to strengthen media freedom and independence across the EU. In particular, Article 4 EMFA, sets out safeguards against deploying spyware, reinforcing the protection for media freedom and integrity. This means that journalists cannot in principle be spied on for doing their work and there can be no abuse of intrusive surveillance software to get access to their sources or communications. The Commission remains committed to engaging with Member States to promote compliance with EU law, while respecting national competence in security matters.”
  Surveillance equipment & spyware · Disinformation & online freedoms
• 2025-07-15 “E-002891/2025 Reply The Council does not comment on the internal situation of particular Member States. With regard to the US tariffs, on 27 July 2025, the Presidents of the European Commission and of the United States reached a political agreement aimed at preserving and stabilising the transatlantic trade and investment partnership. The Joint Statement issued on 21 August 2025 sets out concrete steps to be taken by each side and will improve the competitive position of companies in the EU compared to other US trading partners. The United States will reduce its tariffs on cars and car parts from the current 27.5% to 15%, which in turn will help alleviate the burden on European exporters of cars and car parts. The EU is developing its network of Free Trade Agreements and Investment Protection Agreements with partners around the world. These agreements strengthen our economy, create jobs and help EU businesses compete more effectively abroad and export more to countries and regions outside the EU. In line with the Strategic Agenda 2024-2029 approved by the European Council in June 2024, the Council is working to consolidate the European Union's technological and industrial strength and strengthen its competitiveness in the context of a sustainable economy. In this context, the Council is discussing proposals contained in the European Commission's 2025 Work Programme and the Competitiveness Compass.”
  EU-US trade relations · Climate efforts
• 2025-07-15 “E-002892/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission has put forward specific steps to ensure the effective cooperation and enforcement of EU rules concerning online marketplaces, no matter their place of establishment. The E-commerce communication 1 proposes a series of measures to address these challenges, such as customs, tax and safety controls and sustainability standards. The Digital Services Act 2 contains several measures to protect consumers online, e.g., assuring that products sold on online platforms are compliant with product safety requirements. In this regard, the Commission has initiated proceedings against AliExpress 3 and Temu 4 . The proceedings already resulted in preliminary findings of infringements 5 and binding commitments 6 . In parallel, the Commission continues its supervisory actions against other online marketplaces in coordination with the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network. The specific measures in the tax area include, i.a. reporting of cross-border payments, payment by service providers to the Central Electronic System of Payment information 7 , liability of platforms for import VAT on e-commerce parcels 8 , introduction of a priority control area on e-commerce imports, and Custom Reform proposal 9 which includes for example removal of the EUR 150 customs duty exemption, and introduction of a simplified tariff treatment for low-value consignments. The Market Surveillance Regulation 10 , in turn, provides a framework to ensure that only products that comply with EU law are available to European consumers and Member States 1 The Communication on a Comprehensive EU Toolbox for Safe and Sustainable E-commerce (COM/2025/37 final), available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52025DC0037. 2 Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act), available at: https://eurlex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/2065/oj/eng. 3 Commission opens formal proceedings against AliExpress under the Digital Services Act, available at: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_1485. 4 Commission opens formal proceedings against Temu under the Digital Services Act, available at: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_5622. 5 Commission preliminarily finds Temu in breach of the Digital Services Act in relation to illegal products on its platform, available at: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-preliminarily-finds-temubreach-digital-services-act-relation-illegal-products-its. 6 Commission accepts commitments offered by AliExpress under the Digital Services Act and takes further action on illegal products, available at: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-acceptscommitments-offered-aliexpress-under-digital-services-act-and-takes-further. 7 Tackling VAT fraud in e-commerce – CESOP, available at: https://taxationcustoms.ec.europa.eu/taxation/vat/fight-against-vat-fraud/tackling-vat-fraud-e-commerce-cesop_en. 8 Directive 2025/1539 of 18 July 2025 amending Directive 2006/112/EC as regards VAT rules relating to taxable persons who facilitate distance sales of imported goods and the application of the special scheme for distance sales of goods imported from third territories or third countries and special arrangements for declaration and payment of import VAT, available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2025/1539/oj/eng. 9 Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Union Customs Code and the European Union Customs Authority, and repealing Regulation (EU), available at: https://eurlex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52023PC0258.”
  Chinese clean tech competition: trade barriers and investment caps vs. open market · EU policy on custom fee on non-EU imports
• 2025-05-28 “E-002145/2025 Answer given by Mr Hansen on behalf of the European Commission The access of agricultural products to the EU market under the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement has been carefully calibrated: for certain sectors, such as beef, poultry or sugar, preferential access is limited in volume representing only a small fraction of the EU consumption. Animal, plant and food products placed on the EU market, whether domestically produced or imported from any third country, must comply with the EU’s sanitary and phytosanitary requirements. These requirements are not negotiable and apply regardless of trade agreements concluded with third countries, such as the EU-Mercosur Agreement. As outlined in the Commission´s ‘A Vision for Agriculture and Food’ 1 , the Union will strive toward fairer global level playing field for agriculture. The Commission will pursue, in line with international rules, a stronger alignment of production standards applied to imported products, including on pesticides. It will establish a principle that the most hazardous pesticides banned in the EU for health or environmental reasons are not allowed back to the EU through imported products based on an impact assessment, which the Commission intends to launch this year. In the Communication, the Commission also announced a dedicated task force to further strengthen controls on imports. Many EU measures targeted at enhancing the sustainability of products also apply to EU imports: the EU Deforestation Regulation 2 , the Regulation to ban forced labour products 3 , the prohibition of the use of antibiotics or antimicrobials for the purpose of promoting growth or to increase yield 4 and the lowering the Maximum Residues Level for two neonicotinoids known to contribute to the decline of pollinators 5 . 1 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – A vision for Agriculture and Food Shaping together an attractive farming and agri-food sector for future generations COM/2025/75 final https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52025DC0075. 2 Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 May 2023 on the making available on the Union market and the export from the Union of certain commodities and products associated with deforestation and forest degradation. 3 Regulation (EU) 2024/3015 on prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market and amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937. 4 Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/905 of 27 February 2023 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2019/6 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the application of the prohibition of use of certain antimicrobial medicinal products in animals or products of animal origin exported from third countries into the Union as listed in the Annex of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1255 as growth promoters. 5 Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/334 amending Annexes II and V to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 lowering the maximum residue levels (MRLs) for clothianidin and thiamethoxam.”
  Import of agri-food products in the EU · Pesticides & trade · Trade relations with Mercosur
• 2025-05-21 “E-002030/2025 Answer given by President von der Leyen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission ensures the respect of the principle of subsidiarity in all its proposals in the area of shared competence, including when it proposes Union interventions in times of crisis. Experience has shown that in times of crisis situations, a coordinated response at the level of the European Union is necessary to achieve the objectives pursued to adequately solve or mitigate such a situation. An uncoordinated response at the level of Member States risks leading to disruptions of the functioning of the internal market and to unequal access to products and services. This is particularly relevant when severe difficulties arise in the supply of certain products, as was the case during the COVID-19 crisis. Under these circumstances, an intervention at Union’s level is deemed the best means to ensure an efficient response to the crisis situation and a fair and equal treatment to all Member States and citizens of the Union. In practice, these interventions often take the relay of actions taken at national level, without by-passing national decision-making. It is important to note that a Union intervention in time of crisis does not necessarily lead to the use of emergency powers. Even during the COVID-19 crisis, most acts of the Union aimed at mitigating the effect of the crisis were adopted by the ordinary legislative procedure. Moreover, the Commission only proposes the use of emergency powers when the conditions for their use are considered fulfilled.”
  EU political integration
• 2025-05-21 “E-002016/2025 Answer given by President von der Leyen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission promotes the general interest of the EU and takes necessary actions to raise citizens’ awareness about EU policies. According to the latest Standard Eurobarometer 103 – Spring 2025 1 , 75% of respondents feel that they are citizens of the EU, the highest figure ever since 2010. The Directorate-General for Communication is the Commission’s department responsible for explaining EU policies to outside audiences. Between 2020 and 2024, the Commission did not run a specific corporate communication campaign to promote a European identity. 1 https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/3372.”
  EU public communication strategy
• 2025-05-21 “E-002015/2025 Answer given by President von der Leyen on behalf of the European Commission Under the principle of conferral, set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union, the EU shall act only within the limits of the competences conferred upon it in the Treaties, while competences not conferred on the EU remain with the Member States. The Commission strictly adheres to this rule. Secondary legislation, such as regulations and directives, is a standard mechanism for exercising the EU’s competences as set in Article 288 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The Commission shares the view that the rigorous application of the subsidiarity principle is important to ensure that the EU acts only if and in so far as the objectives of the proposed action cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States. Therefore, the Commission has made a thorough subsidiarity assessment part of its Better Regulation agenda. Also, it reinforced its public consultations and political dialogue with national Parliaments to facilitate their input on the Commission’s initiatives allowing for better alignment with national priorities.”
  EU competences on human rights · EU competences on health
• 2024-12-20 “E-003070/2024 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is fully committed to upholding democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in the Member States and will continue to monitor developments at national level. Concerning the question of the handling of parliamentary immunities by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Thuringia, based on the available information, it does not appear that this matter is linked to the implementation of EU law. The fundamental right to good administration, enshrined in Article 41 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU 1 , aims to fulfil the EU’s commitment to the rule of law, which pursuant to Article 2 of the Treaty on the European Union is one of the EU’s founding values. The right to good administration has also been recognised as a general principle of EU law by the Court of Justice of the EU. Nevertheless, Article 41 of the Charter is only addressed to the EU’s institutions, bodies, offices and agencies, and not to Member States. For this reason, the Commission is not in a position to assess its application in the context mentioned by the Honourable Member. 1 Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, OJ C 326, 26.10.2012, p. 391–407.”
  Rule of law and democracy in the EU (political compass) · EU Supervision of the Rule of Law
• “China is a country with 1.4 billion people and its history goes back 3000 years. You can't give lectures to a country like that. It would endanger global stability. China has always exercised strategic restraint. In 1999, a Chinese embassy was bombed in Belgrade during the Kosovo War. The Chinese leadership did not escalate. Europe should not turn itself into China's enemy. We need an external economic policy which is based on our interest, not wishful thinking. Europe must act together. Germany, France, Italy and Poland alone are too small. But we have to formulate our interests and defend them. We need, um, partnership where possible and determination where necessary. And we need to show respect towards a self-confident partner. We need to reduce our dependence and extend a hand of cooperation. Thank you.”
  EU-China relations
• “Cyprus is placing the focus of its council presidency on economic competitiveness and quite rightly so. What we are seeing in Europe at the moment, in particular in Germany, is a huge loss of the industrial bases. To give you an example, the chemical industry, the backbone of value chains in agriculture and machine industry, is in freefall. Within two years, turnover is down by over 15%. What are the consequences? Layoffs. Job losses. Closure of plants in bankruptcy in Dow Chemicals is withdrawing from East Germany. 800 jobs gone. Thousands more in danger. And that is just one example. It's the same in the automotive sector. What we're seeing here is a structural change. It isn't structural change. It's a structural destruction. The causes are clear. And that's and they're political. High energy prices because of ideological based climate and energy policy conditions, bureaucracy which, which go um, uh, freeze industry um permitting which is too difficult.”
  Climate efforts
• “I welcome you a good day. The AfD and the ESN are in favour of European cooperation. When it's good for us all, where Europe creates added value and then we're in favour. The single market is an example of that, a free trade across European borders. That's what our industry and our medium sized companies need need. But we also need to point to the failures. Last week. There was a German company which sends companies parcels throughout Europe. The postage costs €14.50 per package. But that's not all. If you have a German company supplying Austria, you need an Austrian. You need a power of eternity attorney and annual license fees. And for ten parcels, you have to pay substantial extra fees. And France wants its own label. Spain has its own register. So has Italy, Italy and Poland to 27 countries, 27 different rules. It isn't a single market. It's 27 types of bureaucracy for big companies with their own legal departments. That's no problem. They can redistribute these costs to millions of customers. For small and medium sized companies, the single market is an empty promise, and. There are millions of parcels coming from East Asia, and nobody asks for licenses or such like. In that case, um, um, the German company, uh, is punished, but companies from Asia aren't. That is the problem with the EU. The. They have big plans for saving the climate energy transition, but they fail when it comes to sending parcels throughout the EU. Even for small and medium sized companies, we want to have a single market which is worthy of its name, which is open for small companies and the same rules for third countries. Europe must work for all citizens and not just for large companies. Thank you.”
  EU Single Market harmonisation
• “Well, whatever. Ursula von der Leyen is given responsibilities. Harm follows in her wake. She was family minister in Germany 20 years ago. She wanted to introduce the first blocks on the internet that gave her the nickname Ursula in Germany. And since then, we've seen skyrocketing costs for consultancy contracts. Then she was Labour minister and she spent millions on external consultants, millions on her own self-promotion, but not anything for the unemployed. Then she was defence minister. Again, consultancy, corruptions and lots of mobile data going missing. We had pregnancy uniforms. We had tanks suitable for the pregnant. Today our country and our continent is rightly complaining that we are unfit to defend ourselves. And Mrs. von der Leyen is largely responsible for this. And then now for six years, she has been bringing destruction to the European level. Five years of the Green Deal, which led to deindustrialisation in large parts of Europe. People lost their jobs, their income, their existence. Then, 5 or 6 years ago, the EU external borders were opened. Millions of social migrants came in without any checks whatsoever. And then hovering over all of this, the FISA gate scandal, the unlawful refusal to hand over SMS data, the suspicion of waste and mismanagement when it came to the Covid Recovery Fund. The improper use of article one two, two. But look at the majorities. The majorities are now different. People are looking differently towards Brussels. That is why on Thursday, we will be paving the way for a new commission that will protect our borders, will protect our freedom of opinion, will protect our welfare and our well-being. That is why on Thursday, we shall be sending you to your undeserved retirement. Mrs. von der Leyen. Thank you.”
  Von der Leyen
• “Thank you. The European Commission is promising simplification and a more reactive EU. It says it's going to reduce bureaucracy and compliance burdens. But the reality tells us a different story. Because what on the. At first glance might sound okay is very different in reality. First of all, the ban on combustion combustion engines, for example, this is simply going to impose more compliance obligations rather than fewer. It's not going to lead to fewer burdens on industry at all. And the same is true of technology and regulations on AI and on Bitcoin in Brussels. It's simply carry on as we were regulate if you can. And anything that breathes impose taxes on it. There is far too much bureaucracy already. Whilst China is subsidizing its industry and through the Inflation Reduction Act, the Americans are investing hugely in green technology to make them super competitive. We have got to focus on our core targets and our core objectives. We have to secure our borders first and foremost. We have to defend ourselves. We have to invest in research for defense and in order to protect our economy. And this is why I reiterate what I have said previously to the Commission. It's absolutely imperative that we bring the EU back to its core focus fewer competences, fewer tasks and much less expenditure. It's better to do less well, to do it excellently, than to try to have a power grab and focus on absolutely everything, which is a recipe for fail failure. Less is more. Europe could be successful, but in that case, in order to achieve that, we need to have commitment. We need to have the will to do more than simply make high sounding declarations. We need to get down to brass tacks and do something. And there is no evidence there is any intention of this in today's work programme. Thank you.”
  EU political integration
• “Ten Jarenlang for ten years, we in the AfD were insulted and decried as anti-European militarists. We had called for security independence from the US. We had called for investment in strategic autonomy. We wanted to look to invest in our own security capabilities. You turned a blind eye to reality. In 2011, Barack Obama said that the US would become a Pacific power and would not want to deploy forces to Europe for 15 years. You have wasted time on security policy on this continent. You have led us into a dead end. You're not the right people To move us forward. You are now veering to the other extreme. We have bowed to the US for decades and now you are opposing the entire administration. We are reliant on the US. There are countless terrorist attacks recently in Bavaria that were only prevented thanks to information from the US intelligence services. You are threatening the security of Germans. We want true cooperation. Not submission, not flattery. We want a true partnership. Nothing should be dictated to us. We should not be told where to deploy our soldiers. We do not want anyone preaching to us. Thank you.”
  EU-US relations
• “Once again, the European Council is meeting and once again we see the same issues on the agenda. We'll hear the same speeches, the same promises and at the end of the day, nothing changes. While America and Asia are investing, we or you are talking about quotas, more directives and rules and regulations while they do business. You regulate here. And in this way, Europe is losing little by little its prosperity, its competitiveness and its future. While you keep on talking about sustainability, Europe isn't short of ideas, but it's short of courageous politicians that are prepared to do the necessary. You need to cancel the combustion engine ban. We have to take back the green transition. You are actually talking about innovation but destroying the future of our industry. You say we need innovation, but our researchers are leaving the continent to work overseas. And while our citizens pay ever higher prices, the European Union is losing the confidence of its citizens because they feel their concerns are being ignored. The good news is that the times are now changing, and in many countries we are seeing governments take power who combine patriotism with a common sense in checking in Italy and Slovakia and Hungary, and I hope soon to Germany with the AfD in government. All these governments are demonstrating that patriotic forces can renew Europe. This is why I say to you, we don't need green ideologues in Europe. We need a Europe of common sense. We need a Europe that promotes performance, entrepreneurship, freedom, uh, lower taxes, less bureaucracy, less control of chats. But governments that show confidence in the people that make Europe work. We need to free Europe from the shackles of bureaucracy. We need to have a Europe of innovation, of progress, of hard work. Because the future of Europe, ladies and gentlemen, is not decided in politicians talking shops, but on the shop floor, in factories, in laboratories, and in the hearts of people who create wealth.”
  Climate efforts
• “In our world. Geopolitics. In a world that's constantly changing geopolitically, it is time for us to take a stand. The European Union is cohesion is being aggressed. We see more centralisation, ignoring member states instead of focusing on protecting our external borders and looking into our internal market. We see that we have neglected so many issues and Brussels is bogged down in ideologies And ignores what people really want. Such as is the case in Bulgaria recently. Now what we need to do is ensure that we are independent from the United States of America. We have to be sovereign. Our foreign policy must be ours. Now the so-called conservatives are thought to be militarists and anti-American. But this dependence today that you have brought us to this dependence on the USA is being exploited. Now, take a look around and look at you. Say that you are the defenders of sovereignty of Europe. There's a total contradiction here, historically. We must grow up as Europe must just behave in an adult manner. It has to protect its own autonomy. And this will only happen if we have more respect for our sovereign nations here in Europe. But the pro gender policies, the pro pro-migration policies that continue are really to the detriment of the values of Europe. We are standing up for a different way.”
  EU competences on foreign affairs
• “In Germany and Europe, we have everything that we need to make our industry successful. We have skilled people, we have a tradition of industry. But in spite of all of this, Our industries are struggling. It's not because our people are no good anymore. It's because Brussels constantly come up, comes up with new constraints for our industries. Energy prices and all these constraints are set up by people who live in ivory towers far from industry. So now we've got another plan. But like all commission plans, this produces new burdens. It doesn't produce the solutions we need. We want to fight for a strong economy. And in order to do that, we need to do away with block blocks and stop food. Uh, spoon feeding. I mean, all the things in the plan are well-meaning, but they distract our businesses from production. Basically, they end up doing paperwork rather than producing, and then businesses are forced to offshore not because they want to, but because they're forced to. I want Germany and Europe to be places where industry wants to invest. Where industry can grow. Where we can produce jobs at home rather than elsewhere. We have the potential. We have the people. We're industrious, but what we don't have is a good EU Commission, which sets our industry free so that it can be successful. Thank you, Mr. Eller.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• “The industrialization, ladies and gentlemen. And we've heard about that. Uh, actually, it involves the fate in Ludwigshafen, Zwickau, in the Ruhr region as well. There's increasing unemployment and unfortunately, uh, it's the German federal government. And at the European Union level, there's this micromanagement that's taking place, uh, undermining undertakings, really undermining businesses from the smallest to the largest. The bureaucratic burden. Incredible. Uh, the situation is unbearable in Europe and Germany. We have all the possibilities to become successful. We have talent and we have the courage, if you like, of our undertakings as well. And irrespective of all these impediments, impediments, they are moving forward courageously in order to maintain things as good as possible. We have the conditions for investment gaps in Germany and in Europe to close those as well. But we have to free this continent from bureaucracy and from green ideology as well. In order to fill these particular gaps, we need major loan programs. We have to create this space as a place that's attractive for investment and development as well. New forms of energy, nuclear energy, if we get rid of that through the Green Deal. Ladies and gentlemen, we are really, really condemning our continent to no progress at all. Thank you.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• “Ladies and gentlemen. Tariffs are taxes. And I think it's one of the first times in the history of the European Union that you've actually been trying to defend us from taxes. But those who want to damage our companies through tariffs abroad. Well, we have to protect ourselves to defend the interests of our of our companies. That's not because the US companies want to hurt us, because we want to ensure that the that the US government doesn't damage our own. But the problems on the world markets are not just growing tariffs, but the European Union is pushing companies into loss of competitiveness, reporting requirements, red tape taxes. It's a it's not just enough to respond to retaliatory tariffs. What we need is a more intelligent trade and economic policy. Companies have to produce things, not fill in forms. We have to reduce taxes so that companies have more money to invest. We need an interest based foreign policy partnership, which increases our partners around the world, rather than lecturing others with our foreign policy, which simply isolates us. Yes, we have to reach our hand out to Donald Trump for cooperation. The speaker is interrupted.”
  EU-US trade relations
• “Petrol, diesel, heating oil, bread, potatoes. That's the daily life of people right across Germany and Europe and things are becoming unaffordable. For nine weeks now, the Straits of Hormuz have been blocked, 65% higher prices for oil and similar increases for fertiliser. And those who suffer are people, workers who are finding it more expensive to get to work, businesses who are struggling to get their supplies in. And the German government has decided to give people assistance $0.08 per litre limited in time. So they don't seem to know how bad things are for people. But then, remarkably, Mr. Weber and Mrs. von der Leyen have called for nuclear power. This morning. They were positive about it. But it's the party in government which got rid of nuclear power in Germany a few years ago, and the AfD has constantly been against that decision. Now, Mr. Weber said, it's no longer about slogans, it's about solutions. But solutions aren't things that you can expect from the CDU, CSU, the governing parties in Germany. They simply bring out slogans, but no solutions. It's only the patriotic forces in Europe that can produce solutions. So it's good that the AfD is getting stronger in Germany, and the patriots are getting stronger right across Europe. How are we going to fund our proposals? Well, we want to how are we going to fund this return to nuclear power and the reduction in, uh, in taxes? Well, we want to do away with the Green Deal. That'll make us money. Thank you, thank you.”
  Nuclear energy