Speeches

Mr President, Mr Commissioner, dear colleagues, I can describe the guidelines for the budget 2024 with one sentence: it is a matchmaking process where the priorities meet the money. And I think this is good. The recent years, though – years of war and crisis – request a lot from us. They demand investments in protection and security. I give you two examples. Security means commitment. So security at our external borders requires immediate acceptance of Bulgaria and Romania in the Schengen Area – an immediate one, both countries are deserving this. And it requires from us increased financial support to the border management mechanism and visa. So I call on my colleagues to support this paragraph in the guidelines. We depend on that security and we cannot leave those Member States who are on the front line to fight for us alone. Protection means action, so our EU farmers are suffering from the war as well, because of the import from third countries of grain. Of course we support those who suffer. We show this every day, but we cannot leave behind the farmers. So I call on the European Commission to support the European farmers who suffer from the war as everybody else. Turning a blind eye to the problem is not only destroying EU farming, but also encourages Euroscepticism. I think the EU budget is the image-maker of our Union and now we can prove that it can serve for better.

Mr President, I find it difficult to vote in favour and to support this regulation at second reading. This is due to the fact that, according to my own understanding, everyone is responsible in the first place for himself. Having taken care of yourself, one of the highest goals is to start taking care of family, loved ones, the environment, your state, as one of the highest goals you can have. It's hard to imagine how a man who can hardly pay his bills, who wonders how to support his children and dress them, who can hardly charge his car at these expensive fuel prices, can start thinking about nature and the planet and saving it. I am not saying that I deny or do not believe that the future is of green technologies, of those who get less dirty, of renewable energy. I think that the art of governing – whether it is a city, a country or something more like the European Union – is to be able to feel the fabric of society, to hear people and, when you have set goals, to adapt them to what people are going through. We have rightly set ourselves high targets with the Emissions Trading System. Before there was Covid, before there was war, before there was 25% inflation, before there were high fuel prices, before there were high prices in stores. That's why I believe that yes, we should achieve these goals, but at a pace that people can tolerate. Because if you think that those who can't take care of themselves, their family, will take care of the planet, I think we'll be wrong.

Mr President, dear Commissioner, colleagues, I have the easiest task today to represent the largest conservative group here, EPP, and to connect this with cycling strategy. Of course, there is nothing more conservative than taking care about your health and find the easiest, the cheapest and the smartest way to commute in the city. Of course, cycling has enormous benefits, not only those I just said, but protecting the environment, less pollution, less congestion on the road. Saying that, there is nothing more conservative than taking care of an industry which represents one million jobs and has the potential to increase by two million jobs in the next 10 years. Moreover, it’s represented by 1 000 small and medium enterprises. Remind me if I’m forgetting something, but Europe is not leading in the world when it comes to many different industries. Here we have a chance to change that, to invest in infrastructure which will allow our producers to produce better models, new quality bikes, and to have a bigger market in Europe. I think the next phase of the ‘Made in Europe’ initiative could be focused on bikes as well. There is plenty of European manufacturers who can compete with their colleagues in China, the US or other states. However, we have a lot of issues to solve. Infrastructure is not developed the way it should be. And we all know the risk that coexisting of cyclists and cars in the same place hides. So, we should encourage not only the Member States, but the local authorities to invest specifically in cycling infrastructure which is going to allow safe place for all those who would like to ride bikes and without any interference with the traffic on the road. I think that the intelligent transport systems shall seek to improve the recognition of cyclists on the road. Education campaigns should be launched, starting from the Commission. Guidelines of how the cyclists could coexist with the rest of the traffic on the streets. And mainly encourage all local authorities, using EU funds provided by the Regional Development Fund and Cohesion Fund, to invest in infrastructure which will allow all those who would like to ride bikes to do it in Europe with European bikes.

Madam President, organised crime has long been not what we remember from the mid-1990s, or what we know from street gangster films. Today, organised crime often has its protagonists well-educated and good-looking people, with the right diplomas from the right universities offering innovative financial products. However, a shiny office, a nice website and smiling young faces are just the packaging, and inside sometimes hide financial fraud, money laundering, financing political parties or avoiding sanctions against the Russian Federation. In recent days, an international large-scale investigation between the United States of America, Britain and Bulgaria has been announced, in which the financial, alleged Nexo financial pyramid has stung tens of thousands of people with tens of billions of euros. You're probably wondering why we're interested in this? This financial pyramid financed the Yes, Bulgaria party, which until recently participated in the government of Bulgaria. I think that the European institutions cannot act selectively. They need to check this case and show that there's no double yard, that it's acting the same way. To show the European voter that his interest is above all else. The transparency of European funding and of their financial interest is above all else.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, I believe that Ms Marques and Mr Olbrycht deserve a congratulation for their work well done. I believe that the MFF desperately needed an update. It looks like an old black and white TV screen that we tried to connect to YouTube; it’s not going to happen. I’ll give you only one example. In the previous MFF, there are about 30 billion for transport infrastructure. With the current numbers and the current prices of raw materials, the project that has been planned will never be implemented. So we need an MFF that can cover the requirements of the high inflation, the war, the high prices of raw materials, the new prices of fuel, in order to get the job done and conclude those projects. I believe this is the right direction and we have a last chance now to cover the expectations of the people who are outside this building, just before the European elections.

Mr President, I was a trainee at the European Parliament before I became a Member of the European Parliament, and as such, the first thing I learned is that here anyone can become anything, because people are treated equally, no matter where they come from. This is the first time I have hesitated in this, mainly because of the behaviour of the Dutch government. The very fact that there is a debate on whether Bulgaria and Romania should join Schengen is insulting. Bulgaria and Romania not only have the right to enter Schengen, but the European Union has the obligation to admit Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen. Imagine if tomorrow both countries stopped fulfilling their obligations as members, as the Netherlands currently does. If, say, they stop paying their membership fees to the European budget, there will be 1,705 people protesting in this room for 705 people. And I want to tell you that those who are currently feeding the monster of European skepticism will be the first to chase it. Bulgaria and Romania will teach a lesson to those who created the European Union, because this will not deny us our way to Europe and will not break us. You will see in the next elections that pro-European parties will win despite unfair treatment.

Mr President, dear colleagues, I voted in favour of CARE, FAST-CARE, CRII and CRII+, and I will vote in favour of REPower tomorrow: yet another initiative of European Commission which is going to address yet another crisis that is facing European Union. And nobody is against the willingness of the European Union to overcome the dependence on Russian gas and oil. That’s sure. Nobody was against of the willingness of the European Union to overcome the consequences of COVID. Nobody was against to overcome the consequences of the flood, the war in Ukraine or the migrant crisis. But at some point we have to put everything on end because the European regional development policy and agriculture policy could not fund any new initiative that the European Commission will start. We know it’s important, but we’re not going that way because after all, we are going to end two major policies of the Union which are so important for every European citizen.

Mr President, Commissioner, I don’t remember the last time when we adopted the budgeting piece for an ordinary time. If somebody remembers, please let me know. But I do not. And it looks like this is the new normal. I welcome the efforts to spend the unused 40 billion to support families and small businesses across Europe with these difficult times. I think we have a very important role as Members of this Parliament, and the role is to tell the story to a bus driver in Germany, to a farmer in Spain or a grocery store owner in Bulgaria. What is the European budget doing for them? In order to tell the story, we need a key element of this proposal. How many families will be supported? With how much per family? Plus how many small businesses will be supported? For what? These are all questions that we seek answers to, and in order to be more efficient, we have to know. We often debate here about the lack of energy resources, a lack of gas, a lack of liquidity in our funds. But we don’t speak about the lack of trust in the Union. So in order to be more effective, we have to explain in a very simple manner to our voters what is this Union doing with this budget for every single citizen in times of war?

Madam President, Mr Vice-President and, in particular, Mr Minister, the ‘Iron Curtain’ was not just an expression. It was a dividing line between two worlds – one of barriers and barbed wire and another of free personal choice. It was such a strong dividing line that it made the Berlin Wall a symbol of the Cold War. Such a strong dividing line that the biggest victory in the Cold War was the demolition of the Berlin Wall. But a particularly valuable lesson was taught to us by people on both sides of the wall. You can dig tunnels, you can design balloons, you can swim in the cold icy waters, but the desire for a dignified life wins, the desire to travel peacefully wins. Thirty-three years later, we are faced with the same lesson, but we do not seem to have learned it. Schengen, a symbol of unity and the fall of borders, has become a new iron curtain and an occasion for some countries to point fingers at others. Why, so many years after Bulgaria and Romania have fulfilled all the requirements, are they not allowed into Schengen? Why do we make the same mistake again? Bulgaria has been part of Europe for a thousand and three hundred years. Both Bulgarians and Romanians are Europeans just as much as everyone else and deserve a dignified and fair treatment, not waiting for barriers and counters. Thirty-three years later, Europe is faced with the same choice. The question is, this time, on which side of the wall will European unity or national ratings stand? Remember, however, that politics no longer exists to build walls, but to tear them down.

Madam President, Madam Commissioner, talking about regional policy, what comes to my mind are the lessons from the history that we have, because Europe has a very strong history of border regions and borders. I’m happy that most of the internal borders of the Union were turned into bridges, railways and roads that connect businesses, tourists and people in general. This is great. But still, there are some lessons to be learned. There are still internal borders between EU Member States, which are keeping trucks waiting there for days, spending money, polluting the air and losing profit for their companies. There is an eastern solution for that. Countries like Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria should be included in the Schengen Area while they have been covering all the requirements for years until now. There is no explanation for that. Talking about borders and regions, let’s talk about external border regions of the European Union. We are suffering from high pressure on the external borders, especially in the country I know best, Bulgaria, and recently we have had a big wave of illegal migration. We need the adoption and update of the Multiannual Financial Framework in order to secure our borders – better-equipped personnel, better technical equipment on the borders to protect our families, our citizens and our cities. Those people deserve a good night’s sleep and somebody who is taking care of them who is well-paid and well-motivated. In the very end, I would like to pay tribute to both Bulgarian policemen who lost their lives chasing an illegal migrant bus crossing my country. I’m sure this Parliament will learn the lessons from history and will not let this happen again.

Mr President, what I will not do with this speech are two things. The first is to spit on my country, and the second is to take on the role of victim. What I want to do is solve a European problem here in Europe. The European problem is that some self-forgotten people, accidentally caught up in politics, decided to deal with the opposition by putting it in jail. However, this made the opposition stronger, and they from the government made them defendants. What has happened is that we have proven that the system in Bulgaria works. The fact that these people are no longer rulers, and the court has ruled twice that they are guilty, shows that Bulgaria is a rule of law and I am proud of it. These people are the exception, and I'm sure people will never allow such people to rule us again. What you should be worried for sure, colleagues, is that this arrest came one day after the announcement was made by former Prime Minister and opposition leader Boyko Borissov that he supports Ukraine and condemns Russia and its aggression. He took your position and paid the price for it. Now I want to talk about double standards. Try to close your eyes and imagine an EPP prime minister in Greece or Croatia pumping the opposition from the Greens or the Socialists into prison. There would be hunger strikes and demands for resignations. Colleagues on the left, keep quiet today. If tomorrow happens in your countries, it will be too late to yell.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear friends, I remember when MFF was initially proposed by the European Commission we all said that never before in the history of European Union our regions did not receive more investment than the current proposal. And then the COVID came and we all embraced Next Generation EU. And I think Next Generation EU and RRF are the correct medicine to cure the situation that the Union was back then. But as every good medicine, it has side effects. So one of the side effects that it caused was that the Commission created an internal competition between RRF and operational programmes. In the result of that, RRF is running very well and is achieving good results, but operational programmes and partnership agreements are not approved and they don’t deliver. So what is the solution? In my point of view, first is that the European Commission should promise a no-cut policy to the existing policies that we have, such as cohesion policy. And then the European Parliament should have a say with a discharge on RRF.

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, it is clear for me that the future is clean. It couldn’t be green, but clean for sure. That’s clear for me. And I believe that is not the responsibility only of the younger generation, but their parents’ generation as well. We should all contribute to that, and I know that it’s meaningful action if only the rest of the world is following, otherwise is just something that we are going to do – a hard exercise which going to pay a high price with suspicious results at the end. But I am sure that our diplomacy will do its best to make the rest of the world to follow. Now, the only thing that I would like to see more is to treat our industry as a partner, not as a criminal which is poisoning our environment. Because let’s be honest, the input from millions of European families are provided by European industry, not by European institutions. So we have to treat them equally and pay attention of what price they are supposed to pay for our policies that we are making.

Mr President, Madam Commissioner, I do support and warmly welcome the efforts of the European Commission to find a way to stop our dependence on Russian gas and oil. I do support the efforts of the Commission to find different ways to supply those crucial energy resources to our continent. However, welcoming the REPowerEU initiative, I would like to express my concerns and saying that requiring additional EUR 30 billion coming from the cohesion policy and about 8 billion coming from agriculture policy, it puts to a danger the development of those policies who already funded a lot of initiatives. Let me just briefly go through all of them: CARE, CARE+, CRII 1, CRII 2, REACT-EU and now REPowerEU. In the cohesion policy, we already have 100 billion who are at disposal for decarbonisation, transition and different ways to find resources to our own continent. Let’s use them and not create another one. And as a conclusion I would like to say yes, we have to find a way to import energy resources to our continent, but we should develop our own and use the existing one as well.

Madam President, Commissioners, President of the European Court of Auditors, dear colleagues, our nature as Members of European Parliament is to be critical and reactive, to be very tough against all attacks towards the European budget and towards the interests of European taxpayers. We could not go against the moral compass of this House or against the rules of our Union. So this week we are deciding whether to grant discharge to the European Court of Auditors or not. We have been witnessing an attack against an institution – an attack against the President of this institution – and we should not enlarge this attack to the whole interest in the good relationship that this Parliament has with the European Court of Auditors. We’ve been provided with information on all the questions we’ve been asking, and never in the history of the European Court of Auditors have we seen a problem with its nature or work. We’ve been provided with reports on a regular basis. Two thirds of the workflow of Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) comes from the European Court of Auditors. We don’t see a problem with the quality of the work provided to us, with the quality of the report, or with the moral compass and capabilities of the professionals who are working there. I believe we should grant discharge to this institution.

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, I think something needs to change. If we want more people to get involved in watching debates from the European Parliament at home, and if we want more people to believe in and in the European Union, we must forget in times of crisis that – I quote – ‘we will express concern, we will follow with alarm and we will strongly condemn’. What we need to do in times of crisis is to be close to people more than any other moment. Let me give you an example. For 70 days now, ports in Ukraine have been blocked, dozens of ships cannot leave these ports. Among them is the Bulgarian Rozhen, which is blocked at the port of Chernomorsk. Some of the sailors were evacuated, the other part were on board the ships and survived with what was left in the holds. The more time passes, the more mines are poured into the waters around the harbour, making it almost impossible to get the ships out. And if you ask me what we should do, I will answer you. Immediately, but immediately, a delegation from the European institutions with an action plan at hand goes to Ukraine and returns with the last ship flying a European flag there. And then, dear colleagues, from TVs, the European Union will move into people's hearts.

Mr President, my speaking time this morning is three minutes. These are three minutes in which, somewhere in Ukraine, a rocket will be launched and turn somebody’s home into ashes. These are three minutes in which some government in Europe will still be thinking about either sending support or a device for defence to Ukraine. Three minutes in which some broken Ukrainian family will be trying to cross the European border in order to seek security and peace. These are three minutes in which a life will be lost and we cannot recover it. I believe that our actions with CARE and CARE+ will help those running for their lives and will go down in history. It will go down in history that Europe showed solidarity and saved millions of lives, because we already have about 4 million on the territory of the European Union. But I think we should look further to make a step forward. What we need is a European Marshall Plan, a long—term mechanism which will recover and rebuild Ukraine after this horrible war that is going on there. I think this is the chance for Europe to not only show solidarity, but for European companies to rebuild Ukraine. And we will bring it back to a path of prosperity, peace and cooperation with the European Union – something that we should have been doing over the last 15 years at least. But I think we are on the right track now. I don’t know what the outcome of the votes later on today will be, but I am sure that neither I, nor any of us, would like to leave our home, our country and our life, just like most Ukrainians don’t want to. With this in mind, I am sure that the votes are going to show that we have learned the lessons of history and we are not going to repeat the mistakes that we’ve made. I think that, with this vote, we are going to show that we remain on the right side of history.

Madam President, my last name is Novakov. I am an ethnic Bulgarian, from a Bulgarian family, with a Bulgarian mother and father. Dear Commissioner, Your surname is Ferreira, a Portuguese family of Portuguese origin, with Portuguese roots. What both of us Europeans are doing is not just the flag, it's just the anthem. What both of us Europeans are doing is European solidarity. Because this Union was built from the debris of the Second World War. And yet in his DNA are neither bombs, nor shells, nor tanks. In his DNA are peace, prosperity and trade. I think that this aggression, this war that we see in Ukraine, is a chance to show the human face of the European Union. To educate a whole generation of Europeans who will defend the European Union. And this will be the strongest part of our army. Because this is the strongest feature of the European Union: to help those in need, those fleeing for their lives. And I am proud that this Parliament has accepted by an absolute majority, with no votes against and no abstentions, that we use those sleeping money from European funds to help people and countries that accept Ukrainians fleeing the war, 90% mothers with children. Here I think of the thought of the genius Bulgarian politician and European Atanas Burov, who says that great peoples will not fall victim to petty psychology, because they are great peoples and their measure is great. I am proud that with this vote we made the difference and stood on the right side of history, we did not fall victim to petty psychology, but went to the side of those who will win.

I have in me the book that is at the heart of European cohesion policy, as I have already said. The trouble is that this policy is currently not working and we need clear and concrete action. We have to do this... I can send my speech in writing. I can use the services of Parliament to send it in 24 different languages, if that is going to help. But, Madam President, I would like to ask you to indicate to me when I can continue with my speech. I will continue in English, then and we will see how the interpretation goes, but that goes so far, anyway. It's good. I hope that in Bulgarian you also understand me and hear well what I am going to say, and that is that we can not afford more delays like this at the moment. No matter if there's a translation or not, no matter if you understand what I'm saying well, I know you understand what we need to do. We Bulgarians like to say that the neighbor is part of the family, and the family is always helped. Over a million refugees from Ukraine are currently on the territory of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. We have enough sleeping money on cohesion policy, which we do not currently use. I call for urgent action – for the European Commission to create, without delay, an instrument to support any country hosting Ukrainian refugees. Only then will we show that behind the fairy tales are actions, that we believe in what we do and that we can be united in this difficult moment. When the whole world is looking at us. As you can see, there are no refugees who choose other countries overseas. Every time, in every crisis, Europe is the first to help. We have no right to apologize for not being ready for crises. When have we been? During the Greek debt crisis, the refugee crisis before that, were we ready for the Corona crisis? But these are moments after which we stand stronger and stronger, and I believe that no matter how many times the translation stops, we have all been together and agreed that we cannot stay away from watching some countries take the burden on the whole Union. Europe must act immediately. The European Commission should set up an immediate initiative to support any country currently hosting refugees. We have money. We need the will to use them.

I knew that at some point in my career I would end up in front of the plenary without knowing what to say. And I have to say that even knowing that for so long, it didn’t prepare me well for this. But I can assure you that the situation is such that even such moments could not break our will to support our neighbours ... (Interruption by President)

I can continue in English until interpretation is available. So, I’ll start from the very beginning. You already saw the book that I showed you. I said, this is the alphabet of European cohesion policy. And I know this very well because with a large group of colleagues, along with Constanze Krehl, we dedicated three years of our lives to participating in adoption of those ... (interrupted by the President)

Madam President, Commissioner, honourable Members, I have in my hands the letter of European cohesion policy – 706 pages of rules on how the European Structural and Investment Funds work. They set out very well what is being done in a time of crisis, when the European Union is flooded with a wave of refugees. I know this well because in these 705 pages, together with Constanze Krehl and another large team of people, we dedicated two years of our lives to getting them accepted. The trouble is that cohesion policy is currently not working because of the inaction of the Member States, but also because we are passively watching their inaction. It turns out, however, that the measure of leadership is concrete and quick action. The lack of such actions gives leadership to others. (Presidency interrupts speaker)

Mr. President, we are talking about a green certificate, about free travel in Europe. Which way are we having this conversation? That means the problem is still there. I've been vaccinated three times and it doesn't help me move around Europe freely. Don't get me wrong, the green certificate was a good idea that at first did a lot of work to bring order to the chaos of the pandemic. Of course, the discovery of the vaccine also helped a lot, and I, as a European politician, agree to wear a green certificate, but not pink glasses. And let's be serious. Europe has not found a unified solution. She found a vaccine, she found a certificate, she found a data exchange system, but not a uniform solution. And you know why? Because every country changed its rules whenever it wanted, as many times as it wanted and as it wanted. That's why we promised people that the green certificate will return them to a normal way of life. And now before each flight, besides a green certificate, you need a QR-code, a PCR-test, an affidavit or all of them combined. Dear colleagues, in order for us not to be laughed at but to be trusted, we need a rule that applies throughout Europe, in every Member State, today and tomorrow, without changing without warning. Let us do so, dear colleagues, that it does not matter whether you are flying from Berlin, from Brussels or from Burgas.

Mr President, if we make the price of gasoline two euros, we will not save the environment. If we tax plane tickets with carbon tax, we're not going to raise air quality, we're going to get people off planes. It is very easy to talk about the energy of the sun, about the energy of the wind, but in summer. Now in winter we all glow on coal and gas, including this hall at the moment. I see the birth of a new type of politician in general – I call them helicopters because they hover in the clouds, occasionally land on Earth to make a little noise and dust in people’s eyes, and then fly away again. They need to know that they will meet the sensible resistance of all of us who still walk the earth and talk to people. I believe in the market. And when electric cars become good enough, and better than ordinary cars, people will start buying them themselves and without obliging them to vote in this room. When, thanks to technology, we can use the energy from the sun and wind almost for free, I assure you, no one will go underground to dig anything. That's it, everything else is illusions. And high bills. Often in combination.