Eva Maydell
Member of the European Parliament · PPE · BG
“Our actions are simply aimed at having stronger standards, at having and setting standards for safety, for our European way of life, and our European understanding of rights and liberties. So the main question today is, how do we achieve sovereignty without getting into isolation, and without trade and tariff wars?”
“– Ms Maydell, it sounded very nice that you said we need to build strategic autonomy, but I didn't really understand what you meant. Do you think that if Trump forces us to potentially open some of our regulation that we should go ahead and do it because we are dependent when it comes to security? Or how would you go about it?”
“Mr President, Executive Vice‑President, dear colleagues, in the last term, a European leader said that 'strategic autonomy is not isolation'. Let me quickly build on that and add something more. I don't think strategic autonomy is war either. It has to be clear that, through strategic autonomy, we do not defend or attack with rules.”
“And this is why in the first part of my speech I very clearly emphasised what those rules are for, and we need to be finding a way to amplify our narrative and make it stronger.”
“Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, business people know that trade relies on two fundamentals: economic incentive and also trust. When it comes to economic incentives, the numbers in trade volumes between the EU and the US speak for themselves. Just last year, US-EU goods trade hit a record of USD 976 billion.”
“Madam President, colleagues, Europeans, I've heard these days that Europe is in denial, that we are a political dwarf and that we are weak. So I very much wanted to take the floor today in order to disagree with this statement.”
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“And this is why in the first part of my speech I very clearly emphasised what those rules are for, and we need to be finding a way to amplify our narrative and make it stronger. Because I honestly do believe that the issues that we would have with companies across the Atlantic, this means all types of companies, are going to be much more different and much broader than just the tech debate. 3-0294-0000”
“– Ms Maydell, it sounded very nice that you said we need to build strategic autonomy, but I didn't really understand what you meant. Do you think that if Trump forces us to potentially open some of our regulation that we should go ahead and do it because we are dependent when it comes to security? Or how would you go about it? Because it seems that we are currently in a situation where we are not resilient, we are not sovereign, and where our social media is completely biased. 3-0293-0000 Eva Maydell (PPE), blue-card answer. – I think we're at the point where we need to have a very clear narrative, as Europe, as to what we stand for, and clear communication of what we are aiming to do with our legislation.”
“Our actions are simply aimed at having stronger standards, at having and setting standards for safety, for our European way of life, and our European understanding of rights and liberties. So the main question today is, how do we achieve sovereignty without getting into isolation, and without trade and tariff wars? My answer is, 'by being smart'. 'Smart' here means to know our strengths and weaknesses, the spots where we have leverage and further develop them. It means building partnerships where we can, and resilience where we must. Strategic autonomy is not about closing doors. It's about knowing which ones to open – and how. (The speaker agreed to take a blue-card question) 3-0292-0000 Damian Boeselager (Verts/ALE), blue-card question.”
“Mr President, Executive Vice‑President, dear colleagues, in the last term, a European leader said that 'strategic autonomy is not isolation'. Let me quickly build on that and add something more. I don't think strategic autonomy is war either. It has to be clear that, through strategic autonomy, we do not defend or attack with rules. What we actually do is protect our citizens. And I think it is an important point that has to resonate with our partners and our competitors, such as the United States, but also with our rivals, such as China. European legislation such as the DMA and the DSA is not expanding the European budget through collecting fines. And nor are they tariffs.”
“Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, business people know that trade relies on two fundamentals: economic incentive and also trust. When it comes to economic incentives, the numbers in trade volumes between the EU and the US speak for themselves. Just last year, US-EU goods trade hit a record of USD 976 billion. But that trust – trust in rules, commitments, in partners is shaken on both sides of the Atlantic. Economic nationalism does not make you first, but it makes you alone. And this is not leadership – this is volatility masquerading as strength. When we speak about strength, the numbers are clear, and Europe can respond with resolve. But our priority is principled openness, because we are not the Democratic Party: we are an ally. 2-0044-0000”
“It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity'. It is the moment of solidarity where words turn into actions, because words do not build Europe. 1-0210-0000”
“Madam President, colleagues, Europeans, I've heard these days that Europe is in denial, that we are a political dwarf and that we are weak. So I very much wanted to take the floor today in order to disagree with this statement. We have faced various crises – one after the other – and every time we have proven that we are stronger when tested. We have delivered vaccines to our citizens in record time; we secured gas supplies when Russia cut them off; we tackled economic turmoil. And every time there was talk about disunity, we proved we can succeed. Today we face yet another situation, where our closest ally often sounds like an adversary, and that makes us feel threatened and uncertain. And at the beginning of this plenary, I want us to remember the words of Robert Schuman, who said: 'Europe will not be made at once [...].”