Speeches

Today, it is clear that Ukraine is part of the European family of values. The granting of candidate status is an important symbol in the wake of Russia’s invasion. Moldova has taken in more Ukrainian refugees per capita than any other country. I am therefore very pleased that the European Parliament has unequivocally supported candidate status for these two countries. The European Commission supported granting candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, confirmed by the leaders in the European Council. We have sent a clear signal to our Ukrainian and Moldovan partners. However, this is not just a symbolic act. Granting candidate status will strengthen the Union, Ukraine and Moldova. It will show our citizens and theirs that our values matter more than rhetoric. It also has practical significance, as Kyiv and Chișinău will be able to draw on the financial aid needed during the war and for post-war reconstruction. Candidate status is only the beginning. Ukraine and Moldova must now undergo the necessary reforms. The EU Treaties do not provide for an accelerated process. I am pleased to support Ukraine and Moldova, as they begin their journey to become members of the European Union.

Mr President, Commissioner, the Euro 7 standard is another monument to the green ambitions of this Commission and a sad memory of its former Vice-President Timmermans. From today's perspective, the Euro 7 standard for car emissions is a regulation we don't need. The Commission's original proposal was wrong, unrealistic and impracticable, and after all possible adjustments, it is now a text that essentially replicates the Euro 6 standards currently in force. So why regulate something that is already in place? We could at least take the opportunity to correct, through this regulation, the mistake that occurred in approving the ban on the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines after 2035. Unfortunately, all proposals for the continuation of internal combustion engines, including those for the use of other types of fuels, such as CO2 neutral, were rejected. And that's a shame. Instead, we are coming up with additional requirements that will raise the final price of cars in Europe again. Industry in the European Union, including the automobile industry, is increasingly burdened with regulations, and we are playing into the hands of competitors, such as China. Let us draw a line behind these failed attempts and focus on how to strengthen European industry and its competitiveness.

Mr President, Commissioner, the agreement on the new directive on the energy efficiency of buildings is unfortunately another example of us getting carried away by the green plans and completely giving up on the practical side of the matter. Of course, we all want the buildings we use to have lower energy consumption. On the other hand, any further adjustment costs something, and we need to know exactly where we will take these funds and, most importantly, who will pay this price. Public money will not be enough. If we agree to it in this way, it will lead to a number of problems, make it more expensive and further complicate new construction. This is led only by a brief list of requirements for new buildings, which will have to be strictly emission-free, e.g. the reduction of fossil fuel boilers, preparation for solar panels or mandatory places for electric cars or bicycles. This will affect both office buildings and residential buildings, but cities and municipalities will also be among the first to deal with this. The buildings in their possession will be among the first, i.e. schools, medical facilities or sports facilities. And for them, as well as for many households, this will unfortunately often be an unsolvable problem. This is a path that cannot be supported.

Madam President, Commissioner, two years ago we literally experienced a shock. The price of electricity jumped to record values many times higher than we were used to, and this shock affected absolutely everyone: Households, businesses, but for example cities and towns. And we are still dealing with the consequences in the form of inflation to this day and we will be for some time to come. It is therefore a good thing that we also intervene where the price of electricity is formed, i.e. on the market. The proposal for a solution that we are discussing today is aimed at this. It aims to contribute to the stability of energy prices, limiting energy price spikes by, for example, reducing the link between electricity price formation and other sources such as gas. An important part is also better protection of consumers, end-users of energy, especially households. The high prices were often overwhelming. The new measures combat market manipulation to prevent illegal practices influencing the business environment, such as deception. Last but not least, as you mentioned, Commissioner, there is a need to strengthen surveillance of traders, of the market, in order to fulfil their obligations and comply with the rules. Without this, we would not have to wait for the expected changes.

Madam President, Commissioner, indeed, more and more apartments and houses in Europe are being offered for short-term accommodation for tourists, especially in the most visited places. While tourists benefit from these services, they also cause a lot of inconvenience to the people who live in the places concerned. For example, in the very center of Prague, almost half of the apartments are used for this purpose. It can also create unequal business conditions, especially with regard to traditional hosts. All the more so when, for example, entire apartment buildings turn into unofficial hotels, without necessarily meeting the conditions and standards they need for this. The proposal to regulate short-term accommodation is therefore a welcome and necessary step. It will introduce registration obligations for accommodation providers, as well as regular sending of information, and will also enable municipalities and other entities to obtain better data on the extent to which these services are provided and thus to better respond to them, for example by adopting appropriate decrees. And last but not least, it is also a way to better treat the rights of the accommodated and also to better enforce them. I therefore believe that these new regulations will set a clear and level playing field for doing business in this area.

Mr President, Commissioner, European industry has been getting a lot of work in recent years. The European Union has increased bureaucracy for European companies, has not helped them much with high energy prices and in the fight against unfair competition from third countries. So let's try to fix this at least a little bit by encouraging innovation. Today we are discussing a proposal to improve the conditions for the use of licenses and patents, which are essential for technological development, innovation and future growth of companies. The industry in this area is plagued by frequent legal disputes and high licensing fees. Technical standards are increasingly used in a wide range of industries, from the automotive industry to payment terminals and smart devices. The standards are to be made available to the widest possible range of actors, including SMEs, including through clearly defined licensing terms and conditions. We must therefore introduce fair and non-discriminatory conditions for such licences. This will help companies compete better at the global level, especially against Asian rivals. These measures will allow European companies to obtain technology licences without unnecessary barriers and compete on a level playing field in global markets.

Mr President, Commissioner, following the ban on internal combustion engines for Euro 7 passenger cars, another critical regulation is coming, and this time for trucks and buses. This is another blow to the automotive industry in Europe and to consumers' wallets. The same mistakes are repeated here. The proposal does not respect technology neutrality at all, it limits or ignores some of the available solutions and therefore it is necessary to support those proposals that call for the inclusion of alternative fuels, CO2 neutral fuels, whether synthetic or biological. Without them, there is a real risk that road transport in any form will cease to be available. A battery-powered truck doesn't really go far today. Worse still, the proposal also includes a total ban on non-zero-emission buses in urban transport after 2030. This is a complete faull. We curse sustainability, but at the same time we complicate the development of public transport for cities. As a result, public transport, especially in small towns, will either become significantly more expensive or not run at all. Many cities cannot afford these costs. When people's cars are reduced, public transport stops and they have to walk.

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, the draft emission standard for Euro 7 cars should never have seen the light of day in the first place. What the Commission presented a year ago was a very bad, unrealistic and difficult to implement regulation. Its environmental impacts would be questionable and clearly negative for car manufacturers and users: slowing down innovation, stopping the production of small cars, massive redundancies by manufacturers, increasing the price of new cars in the order of tens of thousands of crowns. And these are just the most important ones. Negotiations here in the European Parliament have succeeded in easing a number of measures. For exhaust emissions, we aim to stay essentially with the currently applicable Euro 6 standard and the same, and this is also essential, in terms of vehicle testing. However, the current proposal does not include the possibility of further use of so-called CO2 neutral fuels, if you want fuels of synthetic or biological origin. And in my opinion, it should. These fuels not only contribute to reducing emissions, but will also enable the future use of internal combustion engine technology. They are essential for maintaining the principle of technological neutrality, and I would therefore call for support for amendments along these lines in tomorrow's vote.

Madam President, Commissioner, digital technologies are changing the world, including transport, and if we make the right use of them, we can help ourselves in many ways. I therefore hope that the new version of the rules for the development of intelligent transport systems in Europe will actually bring such improvements. I'd put safety first. A well-functioning transport infrastructure can significantly reduce the risk of accidents or facilitate their prevention. It also improves traffic management. Not only well-known examples such as better parking in cities, but the management of the entire system of transport networks so that traffic on them runs smoothly and individual measures make sense. And whoever ever drove a car here in and around Strasbourg knows what I'm talking about. Last but not least, we must bear in mind that new technologies also carry risks. They will collect and process large amounts of data, which is why it is necessary to protect the privacy of traffic participants. This includes protecting not only the data itself, but also ensuring the cyber resilience of the systems against potential attacks or abuses.

Mr President, I am glad that today we can discuss concrete proposals on how to help small and medium-sized enterprises and improve the business environment in Europe. So far, we have rather ordered and now we want to relieve them as well. And I would be even happier if we talked about these proposals a year ago, or perhaps even earlier. At the moment, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to discuss and approve everything by the end of this legislative term. And that would be a shame. The proposed package, in terms of substance, contains positive things. Proposals to reduce the administrative burden on entrepreneurs, for example, are key. It is too high in the Union and is a barrier to further growth for both companies and the economy as a whole. They address the issue of late payment for invoices, which worries most entrepreneurs, restricts their activities or threatens their activities directly, and they will certainly welcome improvements in this regard, as well as simplifications in the field of taxation, the introduction of the possibility of declaring their tax obligations in only one country. This will save administration as well as costs. Let's be honest, so far we've rather handled the responsibilities of entrepreneurs. I am not sure if the initiative to reduce the administrative burden by 25% will be enough. But let's try.

Mr President, Commissioner, as we sit here, we all agree that small and medium-sized companies, entrepreneurs and sole traders deserve our full attention. They have an irreplaceable place in the European economy. It has been said here that, despite the fact that it has partially managed to cope with the effects of the crises, which have had a negative impact on all EU countries, companies remain in a very fragile situation and face an uncertain future. I therefore see today's debate as a good opportunity to talk about what we can do to make it easier for companies in Europe to breathe, so that they can develop further, and also as a good opportunity to criticize what we are failing at. From a funding point of view, for example, we have managed to set up a well-designed envelope for SME financing under InvestEU and we should, Commissioner, strive to increase the funding in this envelope even further. Unfortunately, this is a partial success. Otherwise, we don't help companies. On the contrary, we are constantly adopting new regulations that make their lives more difficult, increase costs, burden them with obligations and paperwork. And this needs to be changed. There must therefore be a clear message from today's debate to the next Parliament and the next Commission that this cannot be continued if we are serious about the future of European companies.

Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, one of the achievements of the European Union is a strong economy, which is built on the foundations of the single internal market. It is a source of prosperity inside the European Union and economic power outside. But in today's fast-changing world, is Europe still an attractive place to invest? Recent years have shown that this is not the case. While foreign investment in Asia and North America is growing, investment in Europe is stagnating or growing only marginally. This is a trend we must try to change. Not only to address new regulations and ambitious targets in different areas, but to keep in mind what we can do to strengthen our competitiveness. Unfortunately, sometimes even through our joint efforts, we act in the opposite direction. We are creating new barriers, restrictive rules. Among other things, it entails high costs. Record inflation and volatile energy prices only make this worse. We should therefore focus on cultivating the European business environment, reducing administrative burdens, promoting innovation, concentrating critical production in Europe and stable conditions for companies, including available funding. Without this, it will be very difficult to keep Europe at the forefront of global players.

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, we witness a clear trend towards the digitalisation of finance, and that includes the central bank money. This trend will provide a number of opportunities for citizens and businesses, but does not come without risk. I expect all these aspects should be considered when discussing the digital euro. In order for this digital euro to be a helpful and successful project we need to be transparent in our goals, but also in our communication. For citizens, the key to an attractive digital euro is a guarantee of privacy and security in their spending. We also must take into account that cash still plays a prominent role in our society, and a digital euro cannot be a substitute for it, but rather simply to complement it. Cash is here to stay, even with the digital euro. Furthermore, better engagement with financial intermediaries is a key, as they will need time to develop relevant technical solutions and products. I look forward to the proposals from the Commission and the conclusions from the European Central Bank on the digital euro, where we expect to see some more concrete version of the concept.

Madam President, I welcome the final agreement on the MiCa and Transfer of Funds Regulation. These texts will guide the sector as we move towards full implementation. What we need now is strong cooperation between the stakeholders, the industry, and the competent authorities, the regulators, the supervisors to ensure that the MiCa is properly enforced and there is a clear understanding of the new rules on all sides, particularly on licensing requirements. It is paramount, also, that the final TFR requirement and agreement is fully reflected in the ongoing discussions on anti-money laundering rules to ensure that there is legal certainty consistency for the crypto sector. This new regulated status could also help crypto companies to be recognised on the same footing as actors from the traditional financial sector, giving them full access to financial services, including, for instance, bank accounts. If we can implement the rules well, this will also ensure that the EU has a strong voice on the international stage to push for crypto assets globally. The EU is the first large global jurisdiction to have a comprehensive framework in trading assets, and I think we should be proud of it.

Madam President, the critical situation on the energy market leads us to consider how to improve the energy performance of buildings and thus save energy. However, we must also take into account how costly such a change can be and to what extent it is realistic, taking into account the specific situation of each Member State. The current proposal for a directive offers some solutions, but not all of them are acceptable. What I think is correct is that the directive distinguishes between residential and office buildings. Increasing energy efficiency in administrative buildings will certainly contribute to reducing emissions, e.g. building infrastructure for alternatively fuelled vehicles can help. However, it is crucial that the proposal comes with an exception for such buildings that are used by micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. For those, the required investments might not be financially viable. For me, however, it is absolutely impossible for us to adopt the same strict rules for family housing. Already tight household budgets cannot cope with the requirements for mandatory insulation or new types of heating. We therefore need to carefully assess the impacts of the required measures so that they do not ultimately lead directly to jumps in rental and property prices. We cannot afford that in the current situation.

Mr President, Madam Commissioner. First of all, I would like to thank the Rapporteur, my colleagues and the Czech Presidency for their constructive work on this ELTIF Regulation. The updated Regulation takes us one step closer to having genuine capital markets in Europe, and it actually removes a number of hurdles that, until now, had made it quite difficult for existing funds to grow and to be offered to investors. Specifically, it will help our citizens to channel their savings – and this is one of the key goals that we were trying to achieve – into more secure long-term investments with opportunities for higher returns than traditional savings accounts. It does this by encouraging fund managers and citizens to invest in creating and buying into long—term funds. On the other hand, we are strengthening consumer protection with the suitability test for investors by leaving them the final decision on investing or not. There will be a lower minimum investment for consumers, which is a very important addition, allowing more retail investors to invest in relatively stable types of funds. We have also agreed to loosen the fund management rules to encourage more European long-term investment funds to be created. This will help investment managers to offer a wider range of options for investors, including investments in digital and green transition projects. The goal is to feed long-term capital into our economy for productive purposes. With a well-designed framework for investments in capital markets, as well as increased financial literacy, we are able to further support investments in long-term projects, and particularly in growing SMEs in this tough economic environment. I believe that the framework that we have agreed on for ELTIF will bring positive effects to Europe’s capital markets, and I will fully support it and so will our group.

Mr President, Commissioner, rapporteur, colleagues, developments in recent years have clearly shown us that the protection of critical infrastructure is no longer merely a security domain or a strictly military domain. Hybrid operations, cyber-attacks, the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine show the breadth of potential threats we are currently facing. It is clear that cyberspace is increasingly becoming the target of attacks. It has the potential to literally paralyze some critical activities, not only on the territory of one state, but also on an international and global scale. I therefore welcome the fact that the directive under discussion today takes account of this new reality. It extends the range of areas covered by critical sectors. This includes transport, health care, water and heat supply, energy, and last but not least, financial services. This Directive offers a range of tools to prepare for these situations, to strengthen our mutual resilience and to counter threats when they occur. I hope that the governments of the Member States will make full use of these instruments.

Mr President, I welcome the outcome of the negotiations on this digital package. The concentration of market power by one or a handful of companies is never a positive thing for competition. The Digital Markets Act brings solutions to this problem. It will provide a clear and more predictable framework for the market, but also for enforcement authorities. It will prevent big platforms – the gatekeepers – from abusing the power and enable their competitors to innovate and grow. This is particularly good news for European SMEs. It is about a level playing field. Until now, many SMEs have suffered from uneven terms imposed by the dominant companies. Thanks to the Digital Markets Act, small businesses should have more opportunities and better access to the digital market. Digitalisation is way forward, but it is also essential that both European and non-European digital services providers comply with all applicable EU law online and offline. The DMA is a good step forward to ensure that this is the reality and not just a theory.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, we are facing an unprecedented situation. Energy and fuel prices are at record highs. After the autumn wave of the energy crisis, together with the war in Ukraine, this is now putting additional pressure on households and firms, especially small and medium-sized ones. The time has come, therefore, when we must use all the options available to slow or ideally halt price increases. Otherwise, they risk becoming a source of instability in Europe as well. We must not hesitate, we must provide swift, decisive and effective solutions. We need to reduce the tax burden, be it VAT or excise duty, avoid speculation on allowances, add compensation to those who are hit hardest by energy and fuel prices. We can't afford company crashes in today's situation. In the future, we must strengthen Europe's self-sufficiency and diversify the sources of both traditional and renewable energy. We cannot limit ourselves here now. In the current context, the impact of the current climate legislation needs to be assessed very well. My fellow Members and I have therefore invited the Commission to take this step in a letter and we are awaiting a clear response.

Madam President, high concentration of market power by a handful of companies is never good for competition. Such business structure deforms the market and creates barriers to the entry of new companies. Ultimately, that leads to slower innovation, increased costs and harm to consumers. That’s the theory but, in practice, this is what is happening right now in the global market in digital services. The big platforms quickly strengthen their position, while other companies struggle to compete as there is no real level playing field. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) will bring solutions to this problem. It will provide a clearer and more predictable framework for businesses, but also for enforcement authorities. We want to prevent big platforms’ gatekeepers from abusing their powers and enable their competitors to innovate and grow. The DMA does not aim to target a couple of business groups with heavy restrictions, but it sets out the rules needed for the respect of basic principles, such as fair competition and consumer protection. In the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), we mainly dealt with the preservation of a high level of protection of user rights, especially with regard to data privacy. Data is critical. This is what gives power to companies. We need to ensure that anything that happens to Europeans’ personal data fully complies with the General Data Protection Regulation, and we must also make sure not to create loopholes circumventing it. I would like to thank all the shadows and LIBE colleagues that helped us put together the opinion and wish all success to the negotiating team headed by Andreas Schwab for the upcoming trilogue on this important piece of legislation.

Madam President, Commissioner, Minister, the situation on the energy market is very serious. Prices are rising sharply, putting consumers under great pressure, both households and companies, especially small and medium-sized ones. It is therefore up to us, the EU institutions, to take measures to significantly mitigate the negative effects on citizens and businesses. Energy must be affordable and sufficient. We must therefore use all the tools that will contribute quickly and visibly to the solution. Focus on reducing the tax burden, compensating for increased costs or whether the allowance market does not require crisis intervention. Colleagues, we are at the beginning of the debate on the revision of climate and energy legislation. Today's situation clearly shows that energy policy needs to be set up in a way that is resilient against similar cases of possible future crises. Whether we are talking about the mechanism of emission allowances, taxation or security of supply. We must therefore harness the potential of all sources of energy, both traditional and renewable, we must strengthen European self-sufficiency and we must respond to the economic and social impact of the green transition.

Madam President, summer 2020 will forever be marked by lockdowns, travel bans, ever-changing rules, a lot of uncertainty and health risks. But it is mainly due to the vaccination campaign and introduction of the COVID certificate that this year’s summer season has been so much better. The certificate, supported by both Parliament and the Council, was adopted and put in place within a very short time frame – just a couple of months before the summer began. It is also thanks to the efforts of the transport sector, which was able to deal with these changes in a rapid manner and to fully implement the requested measures. The whole tourism sector should be highly commended for reopening destinations in a way that might encourage even those who fear travelling to visit. This has been invaluable not only for travellers, but also for tourism-dependent regions. Businesses were able to reopen, rehire staff and work towards making profits again. I believe that due to our collective effort at EU, national and local level, European tourism can now restart rebuilding itself.

Madam President, the idea of being free of internal borders is at the very core of our Union and it became a reality through the Schengen Agreement. Free movement of people, goods and services is the basis of the European single market. We all adapted to open borders easily, and the young people now don’t even remember the times of visas and border checks. Free movement comes as second nature. When most countries went into lockdown, we experienced first-hand how connected Europe is and the necessity of open borders. EU citizens were stranded outside their home countries. Trucks queued up at various border points. Meanwhile, EU countries lacked coordination. And although we were able to find a quick fix by agreeing on green lanes to re-establish at least the free flow of goods, we should avoid such situations in the future at all costs. This summer, the EU’s Digital Covid Certificate brings us closer to the idea of the Schengen Area as we know it – back to a more coordinated Europe, maintaining our core freedoms. Crisis after crisis, we realise the importance of the Schengen Area and the protection of its external borders. Schengen cannot work as designed if our external borders are not properly protected. Today is Lithuania’s national day, a country sharing an external border with Russia and Belarus and reports suggest the Lukashenko regime is smuggling asylum seekers to Lithuania and therefore to the EU. There are many other EU border countries. We need to work together in a true spirit of the Union to help them strengthen their border controls. Finally, let’s not mistake Schengen for the EU. Let’s not forget about the EU Member States which want to be part of the common area. Our efforts should aim to expand it as soon as possible to make the Schengen Area a real common endeavour of the Union.