Speeches

I'm glad we're discussing this key topic. Nearly one billion people around the world, and as many as 84 million in Europe, are suffering from mental health disorders. The total cost of mental illness in the 28 EU countries is estimated to be more than 4% of GDP, or more than EUR 600 billion. Depression is now one of the leading causes of disability, and suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among young people aged 15-29. In Croatia, as many as 44,000 children and young people have mental health problems and there is an increase in suicides and hospitalizations in the Psychiatric Hospital for Children and Youth in Zagreb by as much as 30%. Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan has been a major milestone across the European Union, with significant funding. I would like to see such a focus on mental health as well, so it is important that we adopt this strategy as soon as possible and start implementing action plans because the numbers related to mental health disorders are really alarming.

Reading the media coverage on the COP26 one would say that it was all doom and gloom. And, although we have to be honest and say that the conference did not yield the results which we all hoped for, it still brought certain progress. Now, the special Eurobarometer on Climate Change from April reports that climate change is the problem number one for many Europeans. However, the differences between the Member States are staggering. For example, 43% of Swedes consider climate change to be the single most serious problem facing the world, while in my home country Croatia only 9% of citizens agree with that. In Bulgaria it is 5%, and in Romania and Italy 7%. I think it is important to lower the gap in awareness on climate change in the EU. The fight against climate change must become a part of daily life of all the citizens. Once we have achieved that, the bottom-up approach will put pressure on the governments to further increase their nationally determined contributions.

Madam President, dear colleagues, Commissioner, we were waiting impatiently for this moment, because Europe needs tangible and ambitious solutions that will finally reduce deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases. All it takes is some courage and money. But are we courageous enough to finally get it right, to confront one of the most powerful drivers of poor health in our societies? For decades, powerful industries have shaped our environments, our choices, our behaviours, not in the interest of public health, but in the interest of profit – isn't it so? If we really want to save hearts, then we need to stop hiding behind fragmented legislation and half measures. As Parliament's rapporteur on the cardiovascular disease report, I will be courageous enough. I will use every tool at my disposal and do my best to make sure that our position coming early next year delivers real change, not just good intentions.

Dear Chairman, November 14th marks World Diabetes Day, one of the most widespread chronic diseases of our time. Diabetes affects more than 33 million Europeans and has strong, often persistent complications - from cardiovascular disease to blindness. Despite advances in science, many still do not have access to timely diagnosis, quality therapy and systematic education on prevention. For example, congenital type 1 diabetes is often detected in children only when serious complications occur, and millions of people live with elevated glucose before being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. How long does it take for diabetes to become a common European priority? It is high time for a comprehensive European diabetes plan that brings together prevention, early diagnosis, innovative treatment and support for patients in all Member States.

Madam President, more than 90 000 European women lose their lives to breast cancer each year. But why does it have to be like this, if we know that screening save lives? We have failed to reach one of the main goals set by the beating cancer plan, ensuring that 90 % of women have access to screening by 2025. So how do we respond to this failure? By acting. We must step up. We must reach out to the communities in rural areas. We must use the power of telemedicine and guarantee equal quality standards across all Member States. Our work is far from done. This is why I call on you, dear colleagues, to join me in supporting the request to officially recognise 15 October as a Breast Health Day, a day dedicated to prevention, early detection and support for women affected by cancer. It's time to stop talking about goals and to start achieving them.

On the occasion of the World Mental Health Day, we are sending an important message. Mental health is a universal human right. Unfortunately, for millions of people, this right is unattainable because they are trapped in poverty, even though they work. How to feel safe when the roof over your head becomes a luxury, not a right one? How not to be anxious when every day is a struggle for basic living conditions? Mental health care is not only a matter for the individual, it is also policies that provide well-paid work, affordable housing and social security. This is why we must acknowledge that the Commission’s 2023 strategy has failed. We need a new comprehensive plan with adequate funding that will put prevention and mental health at the heart of all public policies, from education to housing, from work to social protection, because social security must not be a privilege. This is the foundation of any healthy society.

Mr President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, for 94 % of European patients living with rare diseases, there is still no dedicated treatment available. And that's a fact. But until now, Commissioner, we've seen progress only on paper: just new recommendations, new communications, new platforms. But patients cannot be treated with PowerPoint slides. And we really hope that you can change that. On the other side, however, how can we be sure that the Commission will prioritise rare diseases, when we have seen the EU4Health programme suffer budget cuts? How can we address rare diseases effectively while reducing funding for diagnosis, research and cross-border collaboration? Dear colleagues, we do indeed need concrete and measurable action that is truly European in scale. We need binding targets for diagnosis and treatment access. We need full integration of the European Reference Networks international system, because no Member State can tackle rare diseases alone. No one! Above all, we need sustainable funding and political ambition to drive innovation in medicine. We have, Commissioner, 30 million reasons for that.

Dear Chairman, we just don't talk enough about some topics. One of these is hyperemesis gravidarum, An extreme version of morning sickness that affects millions of women around the world. This life-threatening condition is characterized by relentless nausea, which often persist throughout pregnancy, uncontrolled vomiting and frequent serious complications. Due to the severity of the condition and lack of adequate treatment, cases of termination of pregnancy and suicide have also been reported. Due to the need for hospitalization and the inability to work, this disease represents a great financial pressure and burden, both for women themselves and for states. Nevertheless, research on this condition is still rare because, as is often the case with women's health, it is not financially profitable. I therefore urge the European Commission to recognise hyperemesis gravidarum as an unmet medical need and provide the means to accelerate the development of innovative treatments. I appeal to the Commission to prioritize women at least once and to finally give women's health the attention it deserves by setting a concrete example.

Dear Chairman, a silent crisis, whatever we're talking about? This is by no means a silent crisis, this is a crisis that we have ignored and ignored. Yeah, just like that. We have all long been aware of the devastating statistics that say that 14 million adolescents in Europe live with mental illnesses. We have known for a long time that suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents and we persistently do almost nothing. In the past mandate, we also received a strategy on mental health. Yes, but today we can say with great certainty that it is literally a dead letter on paper. We don't have money for school professionals, we don't have money for psychologists and pedagogues. In general, we lack financial resources, but you know what we lack most? Political will, both at European and Member State level. And that's why today I stand here at this lectern quite angry because we left young Europeans stranded and let the burden of what we adults served and afforded them solve themselves. Even the fact that we speak at this night watch in an empty hall says it all.

Dear Chair, colleagues and Commissioners, we are living in a time of great change, at a time when quality vocational education and training is crucial for the labour market and the jobs of the future. Unfortunately, many, especially the long-term unemployed, women returning to the labour market and older workers in need of retraining are excluded from the education system due to financial barriers and inadequate educational programmes that are not aligned with labour market needs. And without access to quality and free education, these groups are doomed to precarious jobs, which often lead to poverty. Today, a huge number of small and medium-sized enterprises are unable to find a workforce with the necessary skills, which is directly linked to the long-standing bad policy that has been pursued. It is time to stop ignoring real problems and start investing seriously in vocational education. A Europe that does not invest in the skills of its workers cannot be competitive and it is not a Europe of the future.

Dear Chairman, the greatest wealth a country can have is healthy citizens. That is why the Multiannual Financial Framework is much more than just a financial plan and figures. It is an important political document that sends a clear message about our political priorities. It is important that health care issuances are sufficient. So looking back to 2028, we need to make it clear: Health must become, but also remain, a priority. The European Council's decision last year to cut public health spending by as much as 20% is unacceptable. Something like this should not happen in a new financial period. The demographic picture of Europe is changing significantly. Our citizens are getting older and the burden of chronic diseases is increasing. Cancer and cardiovascular disease are responsible for nearly two million lives and cost our economy hundreds of billions of euros a year. Only by proactively acting and investing heavily in prevention can we preserve human health and the resilience of health systems, because every euro invested in prevention returns at least fourteen euros to the health budget. Let's not forget that a healthy Europe is also a strong and resilient Europe.

Dear Chair, we celebrate cervical cancer prevention week, which kills around 13 000 women every year in the European Union. I wonder why many countries are still unseriously dealing with this problem. Perhaps because it's about women's health, which is still, obviously, a second-rate political issue. Why do many Member States still not have organised national screening programmes? And although Europe's Beating Cancer Plan recommends HPV testing with a papa test, most countries have not implemented it. Why? When we know that the HPV vaccine prevents more than 90% of cancer cases. We also know that it is important to vaccinate boys to break the chain of transmission of the virus. Unfortunately, stigma and disinformation discourage parents from getting vaccinated. We are insufficiently working on prevention, and Member States need concrete assistance and support. I therefore call on the Commission to stop cutting funding for health.

Dear Chair, colleagues, yes, 2024 was marked by historically high temperatures, but this trend is projected to continue in the years to come. Europe is warming faster than the global average, making it essential that all states signatory to the Paris Agreement fully comply with its provisions. It is not enough for the European Union alone to be at the forefront of introducing rigorous rules. Great powers, such as China and the United States, must also take responsibility and fulfil their obligations. The consequences of warming are also clearly visible in our daily lives. Workers in sectors such as agriculture, construction and tourism are particularly affected. High temperatures seriously threaten their health and reduce their working ability. We are seeing an increase in respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, which puts an additional burden on already overburdened healthcare systems. Our ambitious goals are set out in the European Green Deal. It's time to start implementing them consistently. We must not allow anyone to jeopardize everything we have achieved so far.

Dear Chairman, pensions from which one can live with dignity are not a privilege, but a fundamental human right. On average, European pensioners receive a pension equal to 58% of their average salary, while in Croatia this share is significantly lower and is only 37%. With 37%, a third of pensioners in Croatia live in poverty and a third are on the verge of poverty. Those who have worked all their lives, contributed to the development of society and the state, spent all their lives for the pension system today do not have to cover the basic needs of life. That's unacceptable. This is why the European Union must help Member States reform their pension systems. We need to set minimum pensions that ensure a decent life and a dignified age, and finally, it is important to establish a monitoring mechanism for Member States in the implementation of this reform.

Honourable President, poverty and inequality are a serious problem in the European Union. One in five people are at risk of poverty. That's an alarming piece of information. Children and young people, women, people with a low level of education, the unemployed and the elderly are a particularly vulnerable group. We're talking about millions of people struggling to survive every day. They're not just numbers. Fighting poverty means an adequate wage and pension that makes a decent living, means access to social services such as health insurance and housing, and means access to quality education and vocational training. One of the tools in this fight is the European Social Fund Plus, which provides financial support to Member States. Therefore, we should not think about abolishing it or merging it with other funds, but we should further develop and use it. It is time for concrete and coordinated action at European and national level.

Dear President, we live in a time of great economic uncertainty, fear of wars, climate change, social isolation. Therefore, it is not surprising that mental health disorders have become a serious social problem. Depression is one of the leading causes of disability. The European Mental Health Strategy was a step forward, but could have been more ambitious. Adequate funding and binding measures were lacking. We continue to see huge disparities and inequalities between Member States. For some, it's still a taboo subject. Some are examples of good practice. We still don't have enough child psychologists in schools. I welcome the updated tools to monitor progress in the implementation of 20 key initiatives. But that alone, I'm sure, will not force states to do more about mental health. Mental health should be recognized as a basic human need, just like physical health, which we face today. What we are facing is a serious European problem and should be addressed accordingly.

Dear Chair, Mr Commissioner, millions of citizens across Europe are living under pressure from high house prices, high rents and utilities. Many live in debt slavery, while banks make enormous profits. This is not a challenge that our citizens should face on their own. And it is absurd that today young people have drastically fewer opportunities when it comes to housing than their grandparents, fathers and mothers had. That's not fair, is it? Housing as a fundamental human right must not depend on one's earnings, on market and speculative movements. It's not enough to just talk about it anymore. Politics must take responsibility for safe, dignified and affordable housing for all. The Charter of Social Rights states that the state has a duty to protect citizens from poverty and social exclusion. It is important that the European Union helps them in this, and it can do so with knowledge, finances and by incorporating affordable housing, as one of the fundamental human rights, into European legislation. And I wonder, what are we waiting for?

Madam President, I would like to thank all the colleagues who took the floor tonight, and especially I would like to thank the shadows for their excellent cooperation. By working together, we are one step closer to a European Digital Identity for all European citizens, valid and recognised everywhere in Europe by all 27 national public administrations. And finally, dear colleagues, digital or not, it’s no longer a choice. It’s a necessity and a process that cannot be undone. Technology is here and that’s a fact. So let’s take the best of the modern technology and let us not waste this opportunity. I invite you to support the deal tomorrow.

Madam President, dear colleagues, in today’s digital era the term ‘digital identity’ frequently arises in relation to many of our daily activities. Whether we talk about online banking, shopping online, accessing government services online, or simply signing up for a new social media account, we all use our digital identity on a daily basis. But our increased presence online raises multiple security challenges: identity theft, cyber-attacks and monetisation of personal data. It is our duty to protect citizens and empower them by giving them full control over the use and sharing of their personal data. Under the new law, the biggest innovation is the European Digital Identity Wallet. This virtual and personal digital wallet, in the form of a mobile application, will allow citizens to identify themselves to safely store, manage and share personal data and documents in digital form across the EU. These include a driving licence, medical prescriptions, passports or university diplomas. While many large tech companies today are offering their own digital wallets, the truth is that too often our personal data is used to track our online activity and is sold to marketing companies that use that data to target us with aggressive advertising. We spend a lot of time debating about privacy and security. We insisted on including in the regulation two important principles. The first is cybersecurity by design, meaning that the wallet should be designed with the goal of preventing a cybersecurity breach, rather than repairing the problem once it occurs. The second is privacy by design, which does not allow the issuer of the wallet to track user behaviour and to observe transactions taking place within the wallet. This concept will enforce data minimisation and help address the issue of excessive mining of personal data by big platforms. The ambition of Parliament, and myself as rapporteur, was to give an alternative to all Europeans and to challenge the status quo. We wanted the digital wallet to be a practical tool that both European citizens and businesses will be able to use on a regular basis to solve their most practical day-to-day situations. And I think we achieved that objective. Citizens will be able to prove their identity in a secure and privacy-friendly way, and share and electronically sign personal documents from their digital wallets with the click of a button on their mobile phone. Europeans will be able to access both public and private online services across the EU. Examples of these could be applying for a loan, submitting tax declarations, enrolling for a university, renting an apartment, online voting in elections or registering a newly born child. It is important to emphasise that the holding of the wallet will be entirely a voluntary choice of the citizens. Moreover, this regulation has enormous potential to improve the quality, access and transparency of public services through digitalisation. This is crucial because not all Europeans have access to modern and efficient public services, such as Estonia or Denmark. We need to change this. Finally, we also need to address the lack of interoperability. Today, only a small fraction of online public services can be accessed cross border. We need to overcome these virtual barriers across Europe by enabling access to interoperable public, private and cross-border digital services. Thanks to the new regulation and harmonised standards, citizens will finally be able to use their nationally issued digital IDs seamlessly in all Member States. And let’s face it, our societal interests, such as the right to privacy, lost out in the favour of big commercial interests. Now it’s time for us to mobilise and to make technology adapt to people, instead of the reverse.

Mr. Chairman, Mr. Commissioner, it is of utmost importance that the European Union remains consistent with the idea behind the European Green Deal and that we become the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Some think this plan isn't ambitious enough. I don't agree with them. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent by 2040 is very ambitious, but I would like to know and it is not clear enough to me how these ambitious plans are planned to be achieved. Indeed, we are aware that in many Member States not all citizens have an understanding of the objectives of the green transition. Certain sectors will be directly affected by these goals, and it is obvious that the mechanisms of compensation in the transition that has been emphasized to be just are not well designed and not even communicated. It is precisely on this that many radical right, we have just heard, and populist parties will persevere in the upcoming elections and pick political points. Therefore, we need to be clear and concrete when planning such ambitious climate targets. Without it, we will certainly not be successful.

In the long term, our economies cannot function without a secure, competitive and environmentally friendly supply of critical raw materials. Strategic autonomy in all sectors is therefore of the utmost importance for the future of our European family. Lessons learned from our experience and dependence on Russian energy, this week in the European Parliament we respond to increasingly aggressive Chinese trade practices and adopt a law that reduces our dependence by more efficient use of resources, sustainable products and innovation. If we are to achieve the objectives of the European Green Deal, we also need to secure supply chains for critical raw materials, while mitigating the consequences of increased demand for them through better efficiency and recycling of existing ores. By adopting this law, we are one step closer to achieving European strategic autonomy and strengthening our own position in current and future geopolitical turmoil.

Dear Chairman, I am speaking today not only as a Member of Parliament, but also as a doctor and a concerned citizen of Europe. Too many of our fellow citizens have died from the consequences associated with poor air quality to turn our heads on this issue. The quality of the air we breathe and the water we use is crucial for our future. This is the basic prerequisite for life. The primary, vital element of our well-being and a symbol of our commitment to a healthier and more sustainable future. Without a healthy environment, there is no healthy development. Polluted air and water affect everything from the youngest to the oldest, from urban centres to rural corners. This is a challenge that we must face not only for ourselves, but also for generations to come. Together with the Ambient Air Quality Directive, the European Green Deal is a beacon of hope, a blueprint for a sustainable future, as clean air and water are invisible guardians of our health and the planet. Let's show responsibility and support this directive in the vote.

Mr President, the new digital identity framework is a real game-changer. Why? Because it will put citizens in full control of their own data and give them the freedom to decide exactly what information to share with whom and when. By using the wallet, they will be able to link their national identities with documents such as driving licence and university diplomas and bank accounts, electronic health records, and solve their real problems in life in all European countries. I want to highlight that the using of digital wallet will be strictly on a voluntary basis. And because we understand the risks, we introduced important safeguards. And going digital is no longer a choice, it’s a necessity and the process cannot be undone. But it’s up to us to find the most suitable regulation framework that will allow us to benefit from the transformational potential of technology. And while some see nothing but threats and obstacles in the digital identity framework, others, like me, see the endless opportunities. So, colleagues, I would ask your support to enter into the negotiations.