Debate contributions by Vytenis Povilas ANDRIUKAITIS

Mr President, dear Commissioner, let me start with some sentences. It is incredibly frustrating to see such a sensitive topic as women's health repeatedly scheduled for the very end of the European Parliament plenary agenda. This consistent demotion of health-related discussions suggests a worrying undervaluation of their importance. Why are these vital conversations related to health being marginalised in this way? It is not the first time it is put last at the end of plenaries. It is such an important topic. I want to extend my congratulations to the Commission for taking new steps to address endometriosis, but only with robust actions at EU level do we have the potential to transform the lives of approximately 14 million women. To truly confront this debilitating condition across the EU, we need a focused, multi-pronged strategy that directly improves the daily reality for those affected. First and foremost, we must dramatically increase both EU and national funding for endometriosis research. More research will lead to a deeper understanding of this complex disease, paving the way for more effective treatment and, of course, crucially, to create hope because it is such a complicated issue – hope for a cure. The EU must also champion and implement supportive policies like paid menstrual leave, as just mentioned. France, Ireland and Spain did it. Furthermore, we need to ensure free and accessible fertility treatment and prioritise robust mental health support because a lot of women suffer. These aren't just administrative measures; they are about restoring dignity, protecting livelihoods and, of course, offering a brighter future for women. Women's health is so important, and of course the gap exists. We can't be blind to this very sensitive topic.

Madam President, Commissioner, thank you very much for the good visit to Lithuania and the excellent dialogue with the farmers. I have witnessed that both farmers and you are in favour of a progressive, sustainable, productive, just, resilient and viable agriculture. Thank you for all the initiatives, but we need a separate budget. Any fragmentation of the budget would weaken the European Union's agricultural policy, any. We need a bigger budget. It's right to talk about farmers we don't target... with a bigger budget. This is the task of all of us to have a bigger MFF, as this would help protect competitiveness, sustainability. The countryside also needs investment in infrastructure, but it also needs young people. Durable farming, more innovation, more innovative ideas are needed to make young people passionate about being farmers. And direct payments, the unification of direct payments is an old promise. Commissioner, we must do this because it is a matter of social justice throughout the European Union, a matter of solidarity in Europe.

I warmly welcome and particularly welcome both the stockpiling strategy and the stockpiling strategy for medical devices. They will further strengthen the first block of the European Health Union, which is based on a whole concept of crisis management, crisis preparedness, including HERA, including a vaccine strategy, including preparedness to procure tools to protect people. I would like to point out that there is an article in the Treaty of Lisbon that says that this is a competence of sharing. And that sharing competence obliges member states to also develop national strategies by aligning our strategy with the national one so that we act effectively. I wish you leadership.

Madam President, dear colleagues, dear Commissioner, of course, wildfire has no longer affected only southern Europe, but also erupted in northern and central regions of the European Union and wildfires are now no longer a seasonal phenomenon. They are a persistent, systemic threat and they require a systemic response. Over 150 experts from the EU proposed an integrated wildfire risk management strategy. One of the strategy's central ambitions is to help shift the EU from a fragmented, reactive response toward a shared, proactive framework to support long-term resilience and civil protection capacity. In a context where climate change is reshaping geography and the intensity of fire risk, this shift is both urgent and complex. I think we need to include it into our preparedness Union plans.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, the European Union faces a critical juncture marked by geopolitical shifts, transnational crises and internal complexities. For geopolitical reasons, the European Union enlargement is high on the political agenda, but the European Union is not ready yet to welcome new members, either institutionally or policywise. You remember the excellent report which shows that we need to do more. And the only one way is to do our homework. To encourage Member States to do their homework, we need a much broader multiannual financial framework budget. We need our own resources. We need to integrate Ukraine into the EU as soon as possible. There is only one way to achieve peace: the integration of Ukraine into the EU.

Mr President, colleagues, I would like to mention one name: Mykola Statkevič. He is the leader of the Social Democratic Party of Belarus, which has always been active in the fight for democracy and human rights since the declaration of independence of Belarus, and has always been the most active participant in the resistance against the authoritarian regime. We are all well aware that the European Parliament has spoken about him on several occasions, but this time I have to remind you again, because his disappearance... there is no more information about his imprisonment, no more information about what has happened to him, no more information. And I call on the Commission, once again, to pay special attention to this very one of the most prominent heroes of resistance.

Madam President, Prime Minister, your programme calls for a strong Europe in a changing world. But it would be good to enshrine one word: a strong social Europe in a changing world. And I trust the Danish Social Democratic Government, because you can do your best, strengthening the social dimension in the EU, because a social dimension means possibilities to convince European people to have much stronger reforms. We need a more integrated Europe, we need a more effective Europe, and we need more attention in next multiannual financial framework, defending cohesion funds, defending cooperation, defending agricultural funds and not cutting those investments. And of course: enlargement, enlargement, and once again, enlargement! It's one important tool for defending Ukraine and defending peace in Europe. Peace in Europe means support in Ukraine and peace is our common value.

Mr President, I would like to support the position put forward by the Commission and indeed call for the relaunched negotiations to raise issues that would be defined as upholding the priority of international law in all relations. In this case, it is particularly important to draw China's attention to the fact that the war that Russia is continuing against Ukraine must be stopped, as this undermines the global order, multilateralism and the principle of the primacy of international law. Otherwise, we will have a very difficult relationship. I encourage it necessarily pragmatically, constructively, but by defining those principles that are number one today. The territorial integrity of the country, international law is something that must be said very clearly in order for China's support for Ukraine to be stopped.

Madam President, the Union is facing the urgency of change. The Danish EU Presidency is just beginning. Denmark has named its programme 'A strong Europe in a changing world'. This programme extensively discusses strengthening EU security, increasing competitiveness, emphasising the need to help Ukraine in political, economic and military terms. However, the EU stands at an obvious crossroads. Can it simultaneously take steps forward – increasing the EU budget, expanding its own resources, implementing necessary institutional reforms – and at the same time prepare to accept new members, especially Ukraine? Unfortunately, such ambitions are not on the presidency's agenda. We are unforgivably losing time and leadership. The EU cannot close its eyes to the problems that we discussed at the Conference on the Future of Europe. Enlargement and reforms are now. We need leadership.

My answer is very clear: The Ukrainian people want to be in the European Union. I was there two weeks ago. And I believe that if I came to your country, I would convince your people, too, because they also joined the European Union with all sorts of corruption in your country. Corruption is worldwide. Stop speculating about it. It's just bigger or smaller. We will also overcome it, but we will overcome it on the basis of the rules of our European Union. Therefore, your arguments have no basis.

Mr President, honourable Commissioner, colleagues. The European Union is jerking up on the ground. Global challenges and the citizens of the European Union demand a stronger and more effective Europe and action. As early as 2023, the European Parliament submitted concrete proposals to the European Council with recommendations, taking into account the proposals of both citizens and the Conference on the Future, as well as Russia’s war against Ukraine. Ukraine’s victory is due to its 100 % membership of the European Union. The proposals forwarded to the Council require action on its part. The reports of the President of the Commission, Draghi, Letta say that treaty change is necessary for everything, for investment and so on. There are only two types of countries in Europe, small and those that do not understand that they are small. And here nationalists and patriots do not understand this, and they themselves speak nothing to bring the European Union into an even greater crisis. This is why we need to take both steps – treaty change and enlargement, synchronisation, benchmarking. Only such a path will strengthen the European Union as a global player.

Madam President, Commissioner, may I remind you all of the joint declaration by Jacques Delors and Jerzy Buzek for a new European energy community. It was declared on 5 May 2010 – and still we are debating a European energy union. Can you imagine? 15 years – we are very slow! An energy union that delivers competitiveness, security, decarbonisation and a just transition will provide end users with cheaper energy, primarily benefiting our industries and households. Ensuring a secure energy supply is a key to achieving this goal. Therefore, we are looking forward to the Commission proposals for the next MFF in July and to expect that protection and security of critical energy infrastructures – including physical, digital and cyber‑related components, as well as reserves of essential elements required for a rapid restoration of the power system which are key to secure energy supply – will remain an important EU priority in the next MFF.

Mr President, I would like to wish the Commissioner a happy birthday. In the run-up to the upcoming NATO summit, the building of the European defence union is at the top of the European Union policy agenda and is essential to shielding European Union citizens' security and wellbeing from current geopolitical threats. This is a part of the EU Member States' solidarity – those who are also in NATO. The European defence union should be a pillar of NATO. And we see that it is only one way to strengthen our security. European security, as argued in the Niinistö report, is a public good and that readiness is a common responsibility, and one way to respond to future challenges is to deepen cooperation across Member States, to leverage European economies of scale on defence and spending activities. We are speaking about 5 % of GDP, but we need to understand that the cost of non-EU in defence spending, in other words, the cost of not leveraging European economies of scale, is estimated to range from EUR 18 billion to EUR 57 billion per year – this was the estimate set out in a European Parliamentary Research Service study. We need to think about the necessity to spend also in social areas much more efficiently.

Mr President, honourable Commissioner Kallas, I feel very bad this time as a former Commissioner. For the first time, I am unhappy with the Commission's position. You have been doing well with Putin – great. You've slipped in relation to Trump many times. You stumbled against Netanyahu. Moral death is a terrible thing. It is a pity that you did not hear the speech of the King of Jordan today. She had to inspire you. And it is obvious that here some Christians forget that an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth is the rule of the Old Testament. Christ denies it. I dedicate this to Christians. On the other hand, it is time to terminate the Association Agreement, in accordance with the second article, to sanction Netanyahu and his team.

Mr President, the special feature of Moldova is that it is a very clear ally of the European Union, both in the former Eastern Neighbourhood policy and now in its accession to the European Union. The more the European Union in Moldova, the less Putin's propaganda there. And in the autumn elections, we particularly need the voice of the European Parliament today, sending a clear message that Moldova's success in the autumn is also the way to its faster integration into the European Union. We need to help as much as possible – more pilot projects, more bilateral projects, European Parliament representations, more investment. We must not make the same mistake as the European Union did for Georgia. The European Union's weak presence in Georgia is what it has done for Georgia's future. There is a need to support Moldova's accession.

Mr President, Commissioner, there is indeed a wide range of arguments that have been put forward with regard to some or other work that Montenegro may or may not have done, or that is being done, but not so quickly. However, I am generally well aware and well aware of the many efforts that have been made to adopt Croatia. I am well aware that I have been involved in discussions with North Macedonia. I had to be in Montenegro as a commissioner. Indeed, we must necessarily increase technical assistance, increase our influence, strengthen Montenegro and facilitate Montenegro's accession to the European Union as smoothly as possible. This is also the success of the whole history of the Balkans. There is no doubt. Religious freedom, all other things will continue to be very sensitive, but the success story requires efforts to accept it into the European Union.

Mr President, Commissioner, rapporteur. Indeed, congratulations to both the rapporteur and all shadow rapporteurs are an excellent document. The directive makes it possible, when it is transposed in the Member States, to strengthen it even more and to draw attention to those areas where it is actually still necessary for the Member States to decide for themselves on the direction of reinforcement and prevention. However, I also want to point out that here in this Chamber, when it comes to the sexual exploitation of children, when it comes to paedophilia, when it comes to such a cruel crime, one suddenly turns his speeches against human rights, against sexual minorities, without realizing that heterosexual people are also committing terrible crimes, just like a small percentage of homosexuals. Here we must boldly say: any incitement to hate speech will have negative consequences. And I especially address this to those radical right-wing and nationalists. We all need a directive.

Mr President, thank you to the rapporteur. A really good report and, honourable Commissioner, you have listened to a lot of good proposals. There is no doubt that cohesion policy needs horizontal programmes covering the complexity of education, health, digital infrastructure and conditionality (conditionality) so that no one, not even a Member State, can change, because big cities, big regions and parliaments, where other forces are much stronger, are hurting rural areas. On the other hand, attracting young people can only be achieved by investing heavily in innovative forms of farming – attractive, "advanced farming’. Those advanced forms – with robotisation, with artificial intelligence, with a variety of new technologies and new varieties – both of plants, and so on. This would attract young people, as they are attractive to science and good infrastructure.

Mr President, honourable Commissioner, colleagues. There are many right words here about what, what crimes Putin and his aggressive and criminal regime are committing. But my question is different. My question is to the European Council of countries, states and governments. Can we really continue to behave the way we do? There are many countries that are helping Ukraine. But there are a large number of countries whose aid to Ukraine is small. The question must be asked [of] solidarity and unity in the amount of aid to Ukraine. We need a bigger budget and the time of the European Union is now clear. The people of Ukraine, like no one – I have been there recently and will be travelling again – are waiting for integration into the European Union. Our promises must be based on concrete homework, so that we can really accelerate Ukraine's integration into the European Union. This is the only real peace plan.

Madam President, Commissioner, you know very well Manuel Heitor's report – align, act, accelerate. The report is based on the Letta Report proposing a fifth freedom, but a fifth freedom for research and development requires infrastructure and an ecosystem at pan-European, supranational level. And of course, Draghi mentioned the necessity to build a research and innovation union. A union requires a lot of effort and a whole-of-Commission approach and a whole-of-government approach. We are just proposing to establish a pilot project using European reference networks, using artificial intelligence fabrics, using a health data space, using biobanks and one million genomics to build an ecosystem and a reduction in the area of rare diseases, rare cancers and low prevalence diseases. It would be a good example to have pan-European infrastructure. I will send you our proposals.

Mr President, Commissioner, among people of working age, half of all illnesses are mental health disorders. They account for half of all disability benefits and absenteeism. According to a systemic review covering 65 economic evaluations, investments in mental health services can yield greater economic growth and national well-being than investments in new road infrastructure. Can you imagine? A strategic approach to public mental health policy at work at the EU level should begin with a unified framework that emphasises prevention, early intervention and mental health promotion across all Member States. This framework must align with broader public health goals and recognise mental health as a cross-sectoral issue affecting education, employment, social inclusion and human rights. The EU should encourage Member States to integrate mental health at work into all policies and move forward with a common, comprehensive strategy.

Mr President, honourable Commissioner. Indeed, I welcome the long-awaited REPowerEU implementation plan and believe that the political direction is very right. I understand that you should also suggest how to monitor how member countries will stop importing Russian gas. That's what you need. Lithuania refused in the twenty-second year, completely stopped importing energy resources from Russia. I think other countries should follow this as well. And I welcome the proposals on the regulation of liquefied gas. I hope that the legal proposals will be put forward and negotiated swiftly and that the envisaged measures will be implemented in a timely manner. As far as the Nord Stream project is concerned, it must be said right away that it is a dead project, both politically and technically. And if Putin and Trump try to reach an agreement, we need to think about how to prevent it.

President, Commissioner. It is certainly clear that, when it comes to the CBAM mechanism, we need to understand that the European Union has been a leader in forcing and achieving results in the Paris Climate Agreement. And today, those who are trying to scare CBAM here to end the industry and so on, let's turn to one simple thing: Know how many premature deaths are caused by air pollution each year. As regards air pollution, I stress as a medical doctor, as a former expert of the World Health Organisation. If you want to defend the continuation of air pollution and do nothing to prevent us from stopping this, then remember that the shrinking of our workforce will be the biggest challenge for industry. Therefore, CBAM correction is necessary. Orderly, I would agree with those who see the doubt that simplification should not be a reduction in climate goals or a reduction in ambition, but we must remain leaders because it affects the global world in a very strong way.

Mr President, dear Commissioner, I fully agree with your proposal related to the single market strategy. But may I repeat once again: we need to complete the digital union, energy union, banking union, capital market union. Without those unions, we have no chance to move forward, for sure. We also need a railways union, and also – a very important dimension – the social dimension. A social union should be implemented and a social pillar should be implemented in every Member State. We need to have in mind a health union also. Investment in human capital is a main asset in our single market and we need to do more, so completing a European health union – also proposing a research investment and innovation union, as Letta just mentioned, I discussed with you about that. It is a very important asset moving forward.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, colleagues, the rise of certain non‑communicable diseases in the European Union is increasingly concerning. If we fail to act and learn from past experiences, like the COVID‑19 pandemic, we risk facing new outbreaks and epidemics. Twenty years ago, the European Union made a commitment to eliminate measles – to be measles‑free. Yet we are still far from that goal. The situation is further aggravated by growing societal scepticism, fuelled by misinformation and spread of unproven claims. In 2024, measles cases in the EU surged dramatically with over 32 000 reported diagnoses. This sharp increase highlights serious gaps in vaccination coverage, as 86 % of those infected had not been vaccinated. In an age where measles is entirely preventable through vaccination, it is unacceptable that this disease continues to spread, especially knowing that measles is highly contagious and can lead to severe complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis, and even death. To prevent further outbreaks, it is essential to ensure that at least 95 % of the population is vaccinated. Unfortunately, vaccination rates remain insufficient in many European countries. Governments must prioritise strong vaccination campaigns and actively combat vaccine hesitancy to protect public health. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine remains the most effective tool to prevent measles, and we must also work to harmonise vaccination schedules across Member States to ensure this. This is why it is crucial to foster collaboration among Member States, recognising that in the Schengen zone, where people can move freely across borders, disease can easily spread between countries. Additionally, the shortage of healthcare professionals, especially in regions with insufficient medical staff, particularly nurses, further contributes to lower vaccination rates. The recent outbreaks in Romania, along with nearly 20 preventable deaths, serve as a stark reminder to the urgency of this issue. These tragic losses highlight the need for immediate actions. HERA must also address the state of crisis preparedness and take steps to prevent the situation from escalating further. In a world where vaccines are widely available, measles should no longer be a threat. As cases continue to rise, collective action is urgently needed to protect vulnerable populations.