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11.57
Member of the European Parliament Mag. Elisabeth Grossmann (SPÖ): Thank you, Mr. President! Madam Minister! Dear viewers! Dear viewers! I would also like to welcome a group to the gallery, namely a delegation from AK Steiermark with President Josef Pesserl. – Welcome! (General applause.)
Ladies and gentlemen! Four years already (Call to the FPÖ: electricity contract!) People in Ukraine fight for survival every day. (Interjection from the deputy. Petschnig [FPÖ].) Children play and learn in air raid shelters, people freeze to death, endure the icy cold, the suffering is immeasurable; and all of this – let’s call it what it is – because Putin needs a war to keep his regime in power and because he wants to fulfill his old KGB dream of restoring the old Soviet empire. That’s what he cares about. Ukraine will not be enough for him. We’ve already heard it today, and I agree: aggressiveness grows when it’s rewarded, and we can’t allow that! (Applause from the SPÖ as well as members of the ÖVP and the Greens.)
This attack on a sovereign state in Europe, which violates international law, has taken us back to a time in which attempts are made to move borders by force, very close to our border. If you also consider that two of our eastern neighbors are governed by Putin’s friends who, despite NATO membership, make one gesture of submission after the other, then we can be happy that, as a neutral, non-alignment country, we are integrated into a network of European solidarity!
Neutrality, ladies and gentlemen, does not oblige us to look the other way and ignore it, no, neutrality obliges us to an active peace policy. The European joint solidarity efforts are not gifts, but an investment in our own security and an investment in maintaining our European model of life – lived values such as democracy, human rights, peaceful coexistence in personal freedom – and that, ladies and gentlemen, is the envy of many around the world. But some people in power in the world also fear this (Hilarity of the MPs Disoski [Grüne], The buddy-Takacs [SPÖ] and Wieninger [SPÖ]), who keep their population down.
Yes, those in power are too (Applause from Green MPs), who are trying to destabilize European democracies through cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns in order to more easily bring remote-controlled leaders to power; we saw an example in Romania. We have to protect ourselves together, on a European level. European unity and determination are now crucial for the survival of Ukraine, but also for Europe as a whole.
The EU Parliament has made a clear decision in favor of earmarked loans and this must now also be demanded of the heads of state and government. Putin’s henchmen, who constantly undermine European solidarity, are no longer allowed to benefit from it, so: no more money for Orbán and friends. (Applause from the SPÖ and members of the Green Party.)
Dear Minister, I expect – and am confident – that you will continue to support the European course (Abg. Deim [FPÖ]: Do you like paying extra for oil?) and also actively introduce Austria’s understanding of an active neutrality policy in the Council. – Thank you. (In the direction of Federal Minister Meinl-Reisinger:) All the best! (Applause from the SPÖ and the Greens as well as members of the ÖVP.)
12.01
President Peter Haubner: The next person to speak is Mr. Nikolaus Scherak. – Please, Mr. Deputy.
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