Nela Riehl
Member of the European Parliament · ALE · DE
“Mr President, before I came to this Parliament, I was a schoolteacher in Germany. And back in my home country, we make sure children deeply study the darkest chapter of our past so they never, ever question the horrors of what happened. But we only succeed as educators if we get students to think beyond the specifics of one era.”
“Madam President, colleagues, we all agree: for different reasons, right now Global Gateway does not work. Not for local populations, who are not consulted on how to actually implement projects sustainably, not for companies or implementing partners, who actually lack coherent benchmarks for success, and not for people, whose water sources…”
“Local communities must be consulted, development money must not be misused to protect EU corporate profits. Colleagues, we still have many massive tasks before us. This report will only be to start and I am very much looking forward to working together with you on the next one. 2-0065-0000”
“Mr President, if Trump can snap his fingers and take rights away from European citizens on our very own soil, then something is wrong. This is not hypothetical.”
“Frau Präsidentin! Wie kommt es, dass wir so viel über und so wenig mit den Palästinenserinnen und Palästinensern sprechen? Sie merken, mir fehlen fast die Worte, heute, am 7. Oktober, wenn ich an das Leid des Massakers am 7. Oktober denke und wenn ich an das Leid des Genozids, der daraufhin begann, denke.”
“Ich frage mich: Warum ist freiheitliche Selbstbestimmung nicht das Grundprinzip, wenn wir über die Zukunft Palästinas und Israels diskutieren? Die EU steht für Freiheit und Frieden. Jetzt muss bewiesen werden, dass das für alle Menschen gilt. Ja, die Verhandlungen sind ein Hoffnungsschimmer.”
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Every one of 15 lines we hold for Nela Riehl, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account.
“If we don't ask for accountability now from the perpetrator of this genocide, we have failed the most fundamental lesson of our recent history. 3-0267-0000”
“Mr President, before I came to this Parliament, I was a schoolteacher in Germany. And back in my home country, we make sure children deeply study the darkest chapter of our past so they never, ever question the horrors of what happened. But we only succeed as educators if we get students to think beyond the specifics of one era. Because that's exactly what people do to avoid accountability: they hide behind the specifics of the moment to justify looking away at today's crimes. But history is not a museum piece; it's a life lesson in human dignity. And the hardest part is recognising suffering when it wears a different face in a different era. True reconstruction begins with the courage to apply international law equally.”
“Local communities must be consulted, development money must not be misused to protect EU corporate profits. Colleagues, we still have many massive tasks before us. This report will only be to start and I am very much looking forward to working together with you on the next one. 2-0065-0000”
“Madam President, colleagues, we all agree: for different reasons, right now Global Gateway does not work. Not for local populations, who are not consulted on how to actually implement projects sustainably, not for companies or implementing partners, who actually lack coherent benchmarks for success, and not for people, whose water sources are polluted by extraction every day and infrastructure projects without environmental standards. Also not for young people, who don't gain job prospects because skills transfer has not even been considered. And it does not work for us, the Parliament that has no oversight over the governance of these massive global investments. Many of these issues are addressed in the new Global Gateway report and that is good, but we need more. 'Do no significant harm' needs to be the Global Gateway principle.”
“Mr President, if Trump can snap his fingers and take rights away from European citizens on our very own soil, then something is wrong. This is not hypothetical. Trump has placed two Europeans, one UN official and one ICC judge, on a sanction list – a sanction list that is usually reserved for terrorists – simply because they did their job. They insisted that international law be applied to everyone, also to Netanyahu and companies that are benefiting from the ongoing genocide. If Trump can attack people with public visibility, imagine what happens to everyday citizens speaking up for Palestine. Only a united Europe can fence off American bullying – only a united Europe can protect our courts and our citizens. Some will try to convince you of the contrary, but people do want the United States of Europe, and Volt is here to make it happen.”
“Ich frage mich: Warum ist freiheitliche Selbstbestimmung nicht das Grundprinzip, wenn wir über die Zukunft Palästinas und Israels diskutieren? Die EU steht für Freiheit und Frieden. Jetzt muss bewiesen werden, dass das für alle Menschen gilt. Ja, die Verhandlungen sind ein Hoffnungsschimmer. Aber es braucht den Druck und die Unterstützung der EU. Es kann keine Freiheit ohne Selbstbestimmung geben. Palästinenserinnen und Palästinenser haben das Recht auf ihren eigenen Staat, ihr eigenes Land und eine unabhängige Regierung. 2-0229-0000”
“Frau Präsidentin! Wie kommt es, dass wir so viel über und so wenig mit den Palästinenserinnen und Palästinensern sprechen? Sie merken, mir fehlen fast die Worte, heute, am 7. Oktober, wenn ich an das Leid des Massakers am 7. Oktober denke und wenn ich an das Leid des Genozids, der daraufhin begann, denke. Wie kommt es, dass in deutschen Medien seit zwei Jahren ein Bild von dem israelischen Militär quasi unkritisch übernommen wird – dieses Narrativ von Bild bis Tagesschau – und palästinensische Stimmen selbst kaum zu Wort kommen? Und jetzt der Friedensdeal von Trump: Nicht etwa Palästinenserinnen und Palästinenser sollen von Anfang an selbst über ihr Land bestimmen, sondern ein sogenannter Aufsichtsrat unter dem US-Präsidenten und Tony Blair. Das hat koloniale Untertöne, die nur schwer zu überhören sind.”
“It's on us to build their future they are fighting for. Colleagues, I'm not only speaking as a politician here – I'm also speaking as a former teacher and as a mother. Let's stop asking whether young people care about politics, and start proving that politics cares about young people. 1-0114-0000”
“Madam President, young people do not care about politics. All that they care about is Instagram and TikTok. Really? The truth is, young people around the world are flooding their streets to demand change now. In Serbia, students demonstrated for democratic freedom. In Nepal, they stood up against corruption and nepotism. In Morocco, they demand investment in education and also healthcare. What about young Europeans? Far from not caring about politics, they are protesting against climate change and for global justice. Thousands marched only yesterday in Brussels for a sustainable future. Millions took to the streets all across Europe demanding peace and justice for Gaza. Young people are at the front line of today's most important battles, but too often they are being disregarded. We need to listen and to take action now.”
“There is no Democracy Shield without these foundations. Defending Europe means more than stopping military attacks – it means strengthening and protecting democracy from within and investing in people. 3-0431-0000”
“Madam President, have you noticed how military language has become very common these days? You just heard it again this morning, I guess, and you may like that or even dislike that but the truth is, our daily lives are being weaponised. Across Europe we see how hybrid warfare undermines our societies. Russia's disinformation tries to destroy our trust in democracy itself. If we want to defend Europe, we must strengthen the foundations of our democracy. Culture is one of these foundations – it's how we express free thought, the way we connect and our source of identity and belonging. Independent media is another foundation. Reliability and stability in times of disinformation is how we actually grow – and that is not a given. And, of course, education. For active citizenship and critical thinking, basic and civic education are a must.”
“Das grenzt an Selbstzensur und das ist höchst alarmierend. Der Bericht der Reporter ohne Grenzen muss bei uns die Alarmglocken läuten. Medienfreiheit ist nicht nur in der Peripherie bedroht, sie bröckelt im Kern. Die Glaubwürdigkeit der EU hängt jetzt davon ab, ob wir bereit sind, bei uns zu Hause die Medienfreiheit zu verteidigen und sonst auch überall in ganz Europa. 2-0196-0000”
“Herr Präsident! Was bedeutet es, wenn die Medienfreiheit im Herzen Europas erodiert? Die EU hat sich mit dem EMFA klar der Wahrung der Medienfreiheit verpflichtet. Aber laut Reporter ohne Grenzen stehen Journalistinnen und Journalisten in Deutschland zunehmend unter Beschuss. Sie erleben Angriffe auf offener Straße von rechts, sie erleben Zensur, sie erleben politischen Druck und das gerade dann, wenn sie über den Genozid in Gaza berichten. Kritische Berichterstattung wird nicht geschützt, sondern gezielt verhindert. Erst diese Woche wurde ein Fall von einer Journalistin an mich herangetragen, die versucht hat, einen sehr kritischen Artikel bei sehr etablierten und eigentlich auch für kritischen Journalismus bekannten Zeitungen zu platzieren. Er wurde überall abgelehnt bis auf beim Freitag, vermutlich aus Angst vor Gegenreaktionen.”
“It means we cannot compromise on the freedom of our artists, our universities, our citizens. Europe must remain a hub of creativity, of knowledge and also of democracy, providing equal opportunities for all. It means we cannot let foreign forces interfere in our democratic processes, be it in the ballots or on social media. And it means we cannot be complicit when fundamental rights are being walked over, all in this very Union. Turning a blind eye would be a betrayal to the lessons our grandparents painfully learned. Our European Union youth is rightfully demanding us to stay loyal to this heritage. More than a celebration, today's anniversary is a reminder of Europe's responsibility. 4-0029-0000”
“Madam President, what is the most important EU value to you? To that question, young Europeans answered: human rights, democracy and peace. Eighty years after World War II, these values are still our most important heritage. But as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has shown, peace and democracy are not a given – they call for a commitment. A commitment to not remain silent when extremist regimes deliberately starve civilians and commit war atrocities. A commitment from democratic forces to raise strong firewalls against the far right in Europe. And a commitment to remain vigilant when our allies progressively turn their back on democracy, censoring researchers and activists or threatening the rights of minorities and women. But what does this actually mean for us?”