Speeches

Mr President, Commissioner, mobility is essential for the daily lives of European citizens, of course for employees, service providers, ordinary citizens. In 2016, the average citizen in Europe travelled 36 km per day, which is a relatively significant distance. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that today's transport system is not sustainable. For various reasons: emissions, impact on the environment, of course on human health. What is alarming is that more than 80% of this traffic takes place by car, which of course implies major social and economic impacts. I would like to mention several dimensions of transport poverty in this context. First of all, people do not have enough resources to use this transport. Countries or regions are underinvesting in alternative modes of transport that are more affordable and, of course, greener. And there is not really good availability of those destinations for shopping, for medical care, of course, for work. What do we need? Of course, collect data on where and to what extent the problem exists. I would like to point out, for example, that traffic in cities is about six times more accessible than in the countryside. This discrimination can no longer be tolerated. And, of course, there is room for the European Commission. In this sense, it could help facilitate the transfer of good policy solutions between Member States, regions and local authorities. Merry Christmas for everyone from Prague.

Mr President, it is difficult to assess in one and a half minutes a summit as important as the one in Glasgow. I agree with Vice-President Timmermans. We have achieved a number of successes in the area of deforestation, the methane agreement. In fact, I must emphasize that the whole world has joined in perceiving the climate threat as one of the greatest threats to humanity, that is undoubtedly a success. But there are also the negatives that emerged from this summit. I am disappointed by the attitude of China, but unfortunately also of some other countries, such as Australia. These countries have state-of-the-art technology and I think they could have done more with us. Undoubtedly, we can see that those commitments below 2°C are probably smaller than we expected, it is a big challenge for the future. We're seeing much higher sea level rises than we anticipated. What's next? I want to remind you that in the Czech Republic, former President Václav Klaus stressed that human influence on global warming is minimal, if not directly denied. And we've lost 20 years. We can't waste any more years. We should accept the principle that we do not have to be zero in all areas, but the overall impact must undoubtedly be zero in emissions. We can accept the possibilities of substitution, the right forestry policy, carbon uptake, that is, the CCS method, there are simply enough possibilities where we do not have to be completely dogmatic. But it is clear that Europe must lead by example and that is our duty.

Mr President, I would like to talk about the COVID curtain in the European Union, which is clearly being formed. Covid is testing our resilience, and undoubtedly our ability to serve our citizens well and guarantee their safety. The situation is still clearly not under control and we have countries in the European Union where COVID shows alarming numbers. We are once again witnessing patients being transported across Europe between many countries, and it seems that the worst is yet to come. We have winter and spring ahead of us. The unvaccinated are indeed a very serious problem and we really see as if a new covid curtain similar to the iron curtain is reappearing. What can we do? Fighting disinformation. We have established HERA, we need a truly resilient Health Union, that is key, and self-sufficiency, available substances, medicines. Covid's not over. Let's do more.

Mr President, I would like to thank the rapporteur for this report, because it really supports the recovery and resilience of the European Union. It is difficult to highlight all the positives of this report in one minute, but I would like to emphasise that in the European Union, intellectual property is a historically proven value, it promotes progress, it promotes research, creativity and employment. Just two numbers: SMEs that promote intellectual property have a 60% higher income per employee and pay 20% higher wages. So we should really promote intellectual property and intangible property I feel we support less than we could. I am therefore in favour of the creation of a European Intellectual Property Information Centre and we should focus particularly at this time on promoting innovation, especially in the post-COVID era. I think it is important to ratify the unitary patent package, because it brings, of course, more effective protection, dispute resolution and also establishes a Unified Patent Court. Let's protect intellectual property, because that's really our historically proven value.

Mr President, I would also like to start by thanking my colleague Šojdrová. In general, access to education is covered by our highest document, the Charter of Human Rights of the European Union, and education represents an important value of the European Union. In general, investing in people always pays off, let alone in education. And I believe that an educated person is harder to control, resists disinformation. Simply an educated person is our imaginary weapon, and that is why I support this holistic approach, of course, the approach to lifelong learning, the fight against disinformation, which I have already talked about. Let's all work together on the value of education. If we don't agree on this value, then I wonder what's left for us. I strongly support this report and thank you once again for your attention.

Madam President, Commissioner, Minister, I too want to acknowledge that this decision to recognise access to a healthy and sustainable environment as a universal human right has been taken by the UN Council. It may be a shame that it happened a little late, but it's good that it did. We are facing an increase in diseases that are transmissible from animal to human. We are facing an increase in climate emergency, pervasive toxic pollution and a dramatic loss of biodiversity. All these topics have put this topic at the centre of our attention, and that is undoubtedly a good thing. Air pollution is primarily the result of burning fossil fuels, which also drives climate change. It causes 13 deaths per minute worldwide. This is truly alarming. We need to translate this and our commitment into our policies. Translating the Paris Agreement into our trade agreements, translating this fundamental right into our support for certain countries. Let us reflect this right in our politics!

Mr President, Minister, I have listened very carefully to your speech and I must say that I am not convinced by the reasons why the Council is postponing this decision, or why it has completely blocked the negotiation of such a necessary regulation. We are talking about real problems with the use of European funds. I also hold the position of President of the National Association of Municipalities in the Czech Republic and I must tell you that these are real problems faced by those who are to benefit from European support and European money. I am very sorry when we found the instrument, and the Council has blocked it, and there is actually no justification for it. So please accept that this is a real, real problem that is weighing on the regions, municipalities, entrepreneurs, all those who live in those border regions. It is these border regions that should be the model for our European support for improving their quality of life. So I would like to ask you, Minister, to move this issue forward. I don't know what the Council is guarding so well. Why is she so terribly incompetent, or why is she incapable of moving the subject forward? And I would very much like you to trigger this regulation, because it is really in the interest of European citizens.

Madam President, Commissioner, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, public health has come to the fore, the coronavirus crisis has forced us to change priorities. Undoubtedly, we have come to the conclusion that we need to have operational agencies to face future threats. I welcomed the statement by the President of the Commission calling for a strong Health Union in which the 27 Member States will work together to detect, prepare for and jointly respond to health emergencies. This is why crisis preparedness and responsiveness are important. Before I get to HERA, I would also like to share my views on the existing agencies, ECDC and EMA. I think we should also strengthen them. And as far as HERA is concerned, I support its establishment. I think it should have been established a long time ago. Undoubtedly, we have common goals for the functioning of this office. HERA must model risks, address production capacities, initiate vaccine development, and of course bring together top experts. We certainly have all this in common, Commissioner. However, what I regret is that there has not been full involvement of the European Parliament, which has full democratic legitimacy, and also that HERA is not designed as an independent office, where, on the contrary, there is a clear risk of a conflict of interest. I think that we should learn from this pandemic and better serve European citizens, and better consider the establishment of HERA.

Madam President, Commissioner, corruption in Europe is being tackled by the United States. Leaving aside the fact that this is somewhat unusual from a close ally: What does this say about the ability of the European Union and its Member States to fight corruption effectively? Is the European Union failing in this field? I have listened carefully to what the Commissioner has said and I am very pleased with her speech. We've done an awful lot in the area of, of course, public prosecution, the establishment of a public prosecutor's office, strategies. I believe that we should move forward, e.g. by creating a genuine European police structure, in the sense of Europol, as an organisation that will be managed and therefore fully enabled by the European Union to carry out its work in the Member States. And can the European Union also effectively combat corruption not only in the case of small fish, but also in the case of large fish? The problem of the Czech Republic, but not only the Czech Republic and a number of other states, is the conflict of interest not only of the Czech Prime Minister, but also of other persons who, as a result of the abuse of their position, receive a large number of not only national but also European funds. A conflict of interest is, by its very nature, institutionalized corruption. I am concerned whether the European Commission, in such a case where corruption arises at the highest level, is able to combat it effectively. It sends a kind of unfortunate signal, where nothing is solved for a long time, that the law, or if you want regulation, applies only to some. There is a saying that a small net catches only small fish, the big ones burst it. I am very pleased with what the Commissioner has said. I hope that the European Commission will do its utmost to ensure that the rules apply to everyone and that corruption cases do not have to be dealt with from the outside, as in this case by the United States.

Mr President, Commissioner, after decades of constant decline, the number of people suffering from hunger started to slowly increase again in 2015. Current estimates show that nearly 700 million people, or 9% of the world's population, are already suffering from hunger and malnutrition. Unfortunately, the world is not on track to end hunger by 2030, but on the contrary, I have the feeling that it is moving away from that goal. First and foremost, of course, are the conflicts that accompanies many of the poorest regions, climate change, no doubt, and the economic downturn in poor parts of the world, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, of course, has done its part. The EU, in cooperation with other developed countries in the world, must make swift decisions and take the necessary measures to provide food and humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable regions. The UN summit in September, which will also be about food systems, is already an opportunity for change, and I hope that Member States will promote the Council conclusions approved in Brussels this May. If we are to feed the more than 690 million people who are starving today and the two billion more people that will be added by the end of 2050, a profound change must be made to the global food and agriculture system. I would like to highlight the important role that the EU farm-to-fork strategy can also play in protecting food quality, extending shelf life and ensuring food safety and facilitating food exports. This should also provide farmers with the necessary income. I therefore expect a communication from the Commission on how specifically the EU can help starving countries in the world and what financial resources can be earmarked for this in the EU budget. We must stress that it is hunger in the world that will fuel migration, fuel terrorism and create social tensions. Let's try to prevent it.