Travel reports
Violence is escalating once again in northeastern Syria. In the European Parliament, we call on all parties to uphold the ceasefire and guarantee minority rights. Syria is not safe for returns.
Together with six other colleagues from Greens/EFA I visited East Jerusalem and the West Bank - on a mission to see the situation on the ground, listen to people directly affected, and assess developments that are often discussed in Europe without enough attention to daily reality.
My trip to Syria made clear: returning will not be easy. Syria is still not safe. Anyone deported there today would end up with nothing. Instead of an ideological debate, we need responsible solutions – for example in the form of “go-and-see visits”.
In der letzten Woche habe ich in Rostock den Stab Commander Task Force (CTF) Baltic der Marine besucht. Warum dieser gerade angesichts der Präsenz der russischen Schattenflotte in der Ostsee immer wichtiger wird, erfahrt ihr hier.
Im Landschaftsschutzgebiet am Stettiner Haff entstehen seit Jahren riesige Ferienhausgebiete. Um die malerische Landschaft auch in Zukunft zu erhalten, müssen wir die Natur schützen und neuen Bauprojekten klare Grenzen setzen. Ich war im Süden Usedoms unterwegs und habe mit den Menschen vor Ort gesprochen.
At the end of January, I had the opportunity to travel to Syria—a country at a crossroads. After more than a decade of war and repression, Syria is entering a new phase, one filled with both hope and uncertainty. The decisions made in the coming months will determine whether the country moves toward democratic governance and stability or falls into another cycle of conflict and economic collapse.
In December, together with the Delegation to the Arabian Peninsula, I travelled to Yemen - a country suffering from a terrible war that receives almost no international attention. This was the European Parliament's first official visit to Yemen since 2009.
As head of the delegation to the Arabian Peninsula, I travelled to Saudi Arabia. Topics included the regional security situation, the war in Ukraine, the fight against climate change in the run-up to COP 28 and Saudi Arabia's economic and social development, including human rights.
EU Visa are a powerful tool to support Human Rights Defenders at risk who are based outside the European Union. But it is still too difficult for HRDs to obtain them. I initiated a conference in Spain on the issue
The Iraqi festival gathered traditional music groups from all over the region, as well as European musicians. A unique experience in the heart of Mosul, which is still being rebuilt after ISIS occupation
Diesen Juni war ich wieder auf der Oder unterwegs. Mir war klar: Die Oder braucht Entlastung und konkrete Schritte, um ein erneutes Fisch- und Muschelsterben zu verhindern. Daher stand meine zweite Tour unter dem Motto „Alles wieder im Fluss?”.
The Taliban have steadily restricted women's and girls' rights, press freedom and civil liberties. Now they target education as a means to spread their radical ideology. It was in this context that I travelled to Afghanistan for the second time.