21/04/2026 | 16:52:01 Dear colleagues, Violence against politicians and political participation is not some abstract threat. It is a daily reality. And it is right that we are discussing it here today, but I do have to say this plainly. The hypocrisy of the left on this issue is simply staggering! I come from Brussels and what do we see there? A pattern of co-operation between violent far-left activist groups and the local left-wing government. Time and time again, we see the same script. Left-wing street militia... 29/01/2026 | 17:02:09 Dear colleagues, Let me be clear at the outset: coercion, abuse and violence have no place in any society. That principle is not in dispute. What is in dispute is that this resolution does not confine itself to banning abuse. It establishes a far-reaching ideological framework that intrudes deeply into medicine, education, family life and freedom of thought. It is quite simply based on ideological wishful thinking, not on scientific facts. The resolution deliberately broadens the concept of... 02/10/2025 | 18:20:37 Thank you. Dear colleagues, This convention is not just a technical document. It is a tool to ensure that producers from smaller markets are not reduced to subcontractors from global platforms, but remain true authors. They have to keep their intellectual property, their creative control and the ability to tell their own stories in their own languages. In small markets, every production carries a greater financial risk. If creators lose their rights, they lose their independence. And Europe's... 30/09/2025 | 19:08:48 Dear colleagues, What we see again in this report is a very selective understanding of democracy. For some, democracy seems to function only when it benefits left-wing parties and their allies. But when citizens choose differently, when they opt for a more conservative course, suddenly democracy is declared to be under threat. This is deeply problematic. Democracy is not about producing the right outcome according to the standards of Brussels or Strasbourg elites. Democracy is about... 08/04/2025 | 20:20:10 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Colleagues, On Monday, during the preparation of the agenda for this plenary session, there was an attempt to remove this report from the schedule. That would have been a matter of common sense, but apparently, common sense hasn’t reached all groups in this parliament. Because anyone who reads this report can come to only one conclusion: Europe and its member states are once again portrayed as the villains in the fantasy story that the left... 10/10/2023 | 16:28:17 Dear colleagues, Let me get straight to the point. Who needed this report? There is no public debate about this topic and the facts show that the real dangers in our society are not coming from right-wing parties. Accepting this report will only demonstrate, once more, that this Assembly has completely lost all touch with reality in Europe and the real concerns of our citizens. This report is just a weak excuse for an attack on all parties that do not blindly agree with the left-liberal... 28/01/2021 | 10:49:02 Thank you. Distinguished colleagues, I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that the European Convention on Human Rights, first drafted more than 70 years ago by the newly-formed Council of Europe, is definitely our handbook. In a manual all chapters are equally important, but personally I have to say that Article 10 is one that is very close to my heart and probably to the heart of many of you. That Article 10 is about freedom of expression: freedom of expression is what distinguishes a... 03/10/2019 | 19:24:04 Yes, climate change will affect Africa and other regions. Resilience to the negative impacts of climate change is small in many of Africa's countries. The interaction between climate change and eventual economic disruptions will cause people to migrate, especially in Africa. Today, 1.4 million Africans leave the country yearly. By 2050, this number will grow to 3.5 million. A lot of these people want to move to Europe. For the benefit of the migrant, we believe they should be accommodated as...