Speeches

Madam President, unfortunately, anti-Semitism is deeply rooted racism in European society. It poses an existential threat to the Jewish community and to the fundamental objectives of the EU. Two weeks ago, we commemorated Holocaust Day, but we still haven't found a sufficiently effective way to pass on this horrific story of our history to our children and to the people of our society in general. This is urgent because anti-Semitism is on the rise. The RIAS Anti-Semitism Monitoring Organisation reported that since October 7, the number of anti-Semitic incidents in Germany has increased by 2.5 times. In Austria, this is even three times higher. France and a number of other European countries are also reporting a large increase in these attacks, so Jewish citizens do not really feel safe in their home countries in Europe. Hate comes not only from right-wing extremists, but also from left-wing extremists and Islamic extremists referring to the war in the Middle East. At the same time, only a third of the population in the EU sees anti-Semitism as a major problem and social media plays a crucial role in inciting hatred. This situation requires a clear and decisive response. I am pleased that President von der Leyen presented the EU strategy on combating antisemitism in 2021, but the revision of the Victims’ Rights Directive needs to be finalised as soon as possible to better support victims of these crimes. And the rise of anti-Semitism is undoubtedly a major challenge for the EU. I believe we can handle it together.

Mr President, Commissioner, climate change and the associated drought threaten a substantial part of Europe and 30% of the European population. They threaten the transport, energy and, of course, agriculture sectors. Fourteen billion euros a year is the potential impact of these risks. What about it? Undoubtedly, we need to increase water resilience, as you yourself have indicated, Commissioner. Systemicity in water use as well as response to crisis situations. I will mention the Civil Protection Mechanism. Secondly, involve all relevant actors, not only at EU level but also, of course, at local level. Thirdly, we need to comply with existing legislation. I am not convinced that we urgently need new legislation. We also need to have drought management plans – both pan-European and national. Fourthly, there is no doubt that we also need to examine the issue of over-exploitation of flows. This is a separate chapter. Sometimes in the summer, rivers no longer resemble rivers at all, and it is important to regulate this over-exploitation of streams. Fifth, we need a detailed knowledge of the territory, an investment plan and also the ability to implement adaptation measures in the landscape. These are all the challenges we face, and I am convinced that we are able to tackle them in cooperation between the European Commission, the Member States and also local actors.

Mr President, I would like to draw attention to one important, essential aspect of our future, which is the threat of climate change and its impact on the civil defence mechanism. We cannot only address the environmental aspects of climate change, which is actually happening, and I certainly do not question it, but it is also important to draw attention to the security risks associated with this climate change. This is particularly the case for fire prevention and joint action to manage these events. Two years ago, the Czech Republic also faced one of the biggest fires, even on a pan-European scale. It was a fire in the Czech Switzerland National Park. And thank you for the support of the German, Italian firefighters. We must coordinate much more closely our mutual supplies, the resources we have, whether in the field of aviation, whether in the field of firefighters, whether in the field of police support. I think this is one of the tasks that European citizens expect of us.

Mr President, first of all, I would like to say that the people of Haiti deserve a better future. This is undoubtedly also in the interest of the EU. What we are witnessing in Haiti is the disintegration of the state, it is the rampage of gangs, we have even witnessed a tragic event - the killing of the President himself. And it is important to give this state and its citizens a future. And if an international mission has been set up here, it is clear that the EU cannot stand aside. That is why I welcomed the Commissioner's statement. I think that our fundamental role, together with other world states, is to ensure stability in this state and to enhance security, better living conditions. That's undoubted. I would also expect the health conditions to be remedied, because unfortunately the spread of cholera in Haiti, unwittingly and as a result of the activities of the UN mission, is probably not the happiest event and can be remedied. So let's really ensure a better future for Haiti.

Madam President, I am grateful to the rapporteur for raising this issue, because we must devote particular efforts to food security and also to the food chain. These are really key elements for the reliability and credibility of consumers, which is a key value, I think, on which we need to build our Union. The topic raised is linked to good practice in the use of medicines, as there are serious questions about the residues that are also present in this meat or in these substances. We are also very concerned about welfare and it follows that the Commission's position on this matter is really necessary and necessary. I have not obtained sufficient guarantees from the Commissioner's assurances that we know exactly what origin these products actually originate from Uruguay and Argentina. I think it is therefore important that we get these guarantees. And, of course, I also fully support local production and I hope I have never eaten any horsemeat. These animals are wonderful.

Madam President, I also supported this report. Diplomacy is the art of agreement. The Union has great respect in the global arena. She is also the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. The report describes a number of options to increase our diplomatic efforts in a number of conflicts. We are responsible to future generations to use these possibilities to resolve these ongoing conflicts. It will cost us something, but we have sufficient personnel and also the necessary financial resources. And the possibility of further developing cooperation, as well as resolving pressing problems such as migration, will undoubtedly return to us, as will these resources invested in strengthening our diplomatic activities.

Madam President, I supported this draft report. It is clear that national parliaments are an essential legitimate organ of the will of the people of a Member State. However, their position does not, in my view, automatically imply that their decision is reflected or reflected in the decision-making of the European Union. I don't think it would be sensible. Given the purpose and objectives of our Union, the functioning of the European Union cannot be built on the position of a right of veto and unilateral demands, which I think the report very rightly underlines. However, I think that it is possible to find a more effective way of implementing the positions of parliaments in the decision-making process of the European Union. That system of existing orange traffic lights, I don't think it's very effective. This is also discussed in this report. That is why I supported this report.

Madam President, I supported this motion for a resolution. Let me give you a brief explanation, because I think it's important. We are obliged to conduct a responsible dialogue with the Slovak Government. In my view, that motion for a resolution was indeed balanced. The Slovak Government may adapt the institutional framework for investigating serious crime and corruption. The important thing is that, of course, independent courts will continue to rule on the matter. However, other judicial authorities also form an essential part of the decision-making process, and major changes to this judicial framework cannot be made so swiftly without proper preparation and discussion. This really undermines the values of the rule of law, which the European Union must guarantee in all Member States, because it is a fundamental value of European citizens' rights.

Madam President, the situation in Sudan is truly disastrous. The parties to the conflict in Sudan continue to fight for control of the state and its resources and do not adhere to their Jeddah declaration. Nearly 6 million people are displaced, making Sudan the most displaced country in the world. It is also important to note that almost half of the Sudanese population is in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. 37% of the Sudanese population are facing hunger, so it is certainly our duty today to call on all parties to the conflict to put an immediate end to hostilities, to facilitate access to humanitarian aid and to seek a solution to the conflict. Today we approved a report on the role of the European Union's preventive diplomacy in resolving frozen conflicts around the world. I think this is exactly the example where our diplomacy can do more - I also call on the Commissioner - to get these parties to the conflict to resolve this situation.

Madam President, Madam Ombudsman, Mr Vice-President, I consider the Ombudsman to be a very important institution within the institutions of the European Union. The European Ombudsman, elected by the European Parliament, is entitled to receive complaints in respect of virtually any instance of maladministration in the activities of the institutions or bodies of the European Union, with the exception of the Court of Justice acting in its judicial capacity. In this context, Madam Ombudsman, I would like to highlight a few of your sub-fields of competence. First, as regards the application of the redress mechanism for those who have difficulties in accessing documents held by the institutions of the European Union. I think you have done a lot of work in this area. For example, when three civil society organisations complained to you that the European Investment Bank publishes too little information about the projects it finances and also publishes it too late, you found the corrective measures of the European Investment Bank insufficient and you also asked for stricter scrutiny of the Bank’s activities. I also appreciate that you launched a public consultation on your own initiative in September 2022 to assess whether citizens have access to up-to-date environmental information. The aim was to find out how easily the public can obtain documents or information related to the environment and how citizens could be more involved in the design and implementation of green policies. During the consultation, your office received 18 replies and was due to follow up in 2023. I assume that the information identified was useful and that the Authority will also translate it into improvements to its own procedures in this area.

Mr President, Minister, Commissioner, let me begin by expressing my regret that the authors of this question are not here. I think this is not very respectful of the Council and the Commissioner. This issue is of a highly legal nature, but it also has practical implications. This is a problem in our EU inter-institutional relations and, if I simplify it, it is a question of respecting the position of the European Parliament in the light of the wording of the Treaties. I think that it has worked well in practice for the European Union to accede to international treaties as a subject of international law. The vast majority of my colleagues undoubtedly regard the process of concluding international treaties by the European Union as another positive instrument of the integration process. While international law does not care about the process by which the EU decides to become a party to international treaties, it certainly must interest us. We have categories of international treaties, as the Commissioner has also mentioned, which allow the accession of third countries by means of a tacit consent or non-objection clause. These are the Hague Conventions already mentioned in the field of private international law. We, Members of the European Parliament, must defend the rights of this Chamber, the competence and competence of the European Parliament to cooperate in such a special procedure. As we respect the rule of law in the EU, both the Commission and the Council should lead by example and maintain the principle of the division of competences between the institutions of the European Union in relation to the European Parliament, as well as in the area of decision-making in relation to these international treaties. I would therefore like to know how the Commission and the Council intend to ensure that this division of competences is respected also in situations of decision-making on accession to these international treaties to which the European Union is a party.

Mr President, I supported this draft report because enlargement is a crucial issue for the future of the whole Union. I think the report is ambitious, but unfortunately the Union's real action is lagging behind. We're just too slow in the expansion process. We give hope to Ukraine, to Moldova, but the real steps are, as I said, too low or too small. I can say that Montenegro, for example, has been waiting for the next enlargement process for more than 15 years. This also applies to other Balkan countries. Last year, we were very disappointed with the European Council's approach, which actually rejected direct enlargement and the way forward. I think we need to show hope to the citizens of these states. And I hope that the European Parliament's report will make the European Council more flexible.

Mr President, I supported this draft report because the European Parliament is calling for a more active role for the European Union in the negotiations with the Chinese Government. Relations between the EU and China are not good. There are many opportunities and also calls for improvement, but also fundamentally to criticize the unacceptable practices of the Chinese government. This report names them, I think very accurately. Like I said, I supported her. We need to work together to develop available technologies that can enrich both sides. We are undoubtedly dependent on the sources of critical raw materials available to the Chinese government and Chinese territory. On the other hand, there have also been significant advances in the protection of intellectual property, but there has been an issue of unacceptable surveillance. Well, what about human rights? This is a very significant long-term problem for the Chinese government, where we really must not be silent. A jsem rád, že tato zpráva ukazuje na Ujgury, Tibet, na politické vězně.

Mr President, I supported this draft report. There is no doubt that we need to strengthen our Health Union, ensure better healthcare for our citizens, and we also need to know accessible, anonymised and highly protected health data to ensure this better healthcare. But I also think that the patient cannot be penalized by refusing to provide this data in general. He must, of course, be instructed, because access to this data will not even be necessary for health care facilities providing care for him personally. But I think that, in the end, a balanced approach has been found in this report between the protection of privacy, the free choice of the patient, but also the interest of the European Union in obtaining this data. Hopefully this will help us to be more active in building our Health Union and better ensure better care for patients.

Mr President, the insignificant Frontex agency has become one of those key EU agencies, and I am positive about the process of improvement that has been made in the last few years after the major scandals that unfortunately this agency has gone through in the past period. The position of officials supervising respect for human rights has improved. The process of reporting serious incidents and events has also improved. Supervision of the Agency is also strengthened. And what I see as a possible improvement is undoubtedly the management of external borders and cooperation with national authorities and national agencies. I think that's very important. We need a strong Frontex agency that will showcase the protection of our external borders.

Madam President, what the Chinese Government is doing in Tibet has long been unacceptable, but what it is doing to Tibetan youth, to children, is particularly disgusting and shameful. The operation of boarding schools to eradicate Tibetan identity, culture and language, as well as family relations, is indeed an extremely heinous act by the Chinese government. This is an unacceptable practice of violent assimilation, and the fake news that the Chinese government is spreading about these boarding schools is indeed ridiculous. This cannot be believed by anyone who already knows the practices of the Chinese government in the case of the Uyghurs. We know what the Chinese government is doing in the case of the Uighurs, what the Chinese government is doing in the case of political prisoners, and in Tibet in general. So the idea that we're going to believe some cheap fake news leaked by the Chinese government is really ridiculous. On the contrary, I think that the Commission should consider using all options – children, after all – rather than just being polite to the Chinese government.

Madam President, Commissioner, we have already addressed the situation in Tanzania repeatedly in 2015, 2018 and now we have the unacceptable practice of the Tanzanian authorities in evicting the Maasai from the Ngorongoro Protected Area in Tanzania. This area was created in 1959 with the aim of conserving natural resources and also to protect the interests of Maasai herders. Now the Tanzanian authorities have forcibly stopped Maasai shepherds from grazing their cattle and have begun to reduce the availability of health and education services in this protected area. They directly interfere with the ability of this community to continue living in this protected area. The relocations were carried out using unfair and illegal practices, excessive use of force and, of course, forced evictions. I think it is clearly appropriate that we call on the Tanzanian Government to stop these forced evictions and relocations and to work with this affected community on a draft plan that meets their needs and is in line with international human rights provisions. We must recall that all measures related to the Maasai communities must be fully in line with the rule of law, as well as respect for human rights.

Madam President, we are calling for the release of specific prisoners, but also literally of families who have disappeared. In our neighbourhood, the heaviest crimes are being committed by Putin's puppet regime. We must say unequivocally today that we are going to talk again about the Belarusians, about the people who are suffering precisely from the actions of this puppet regime. Hundreds of families have disappeared. The brutal methods of investigation, torture, murder that this regime is actually committing are really unacceptable. Our sanctions must target precisely the Lukashenka regime, its leaders, and force the regime to release these Belarusian prisoners of freedom, prisoners of democracy, of democratic values. And we must assure them that we will not leave them. Belarusian citizens will not be betrayed by the European Union.

Mr President, Commissioner, the Qatargate case has exposed gaps in Parliament's internal rules and has, of course, raised some of the fundamental issues dealt with last year by the Special Committee on Foreign Interference. Of course, the European Parliament must remain an open institution, but at the same time it must also defend itself against corruption and foreign interference. It is important that staff dealing with sensitive issues have security clearance and that all negotiations with third countries are conducted only through official parliamentary channels. In this context, I would like to highlight the 14-point plan put forward by President Metsola, because it was a decisive response and an immediate response to this case. Dialogue between interest representatives and decision-makers remains an essential part of European democracy. Of course, inappropriate ways of influencing, such as bribery and other crimes, are undoubtedly unacceptable. We know that Qatar, Morocco, China, the United Arab Emirates, but also other countries like Turkey have invested a lot of money in their lobbying networks, and it is important that we are able to defend ourselves against this. I welcome the package for the protection of democracy presented by the Commission yesterday, on which we have also already had a debate, but I consider it important, for example, to have a debate on the ethical body to be established as an inter-institutional body. I'm not sure if it should be established as a new body. I think it is important to use the existing tools. In any case, we should not allow Putin or any other autocrat to covertly interfere in our European democracy.

Madam President, today we approved the mandate of the European Parliament for this climate conference, which is very important. I supported this resolution because the meeting of the conference in Dubai in December will be pivotal and is intended to assess whether the activities and actions and commitments of individual states so far are genuinely realistic in order to achieve the common goal of the Paris Climate Convention, that is, not to exceed the temperature increase by two degrees compared to the pre-industrial era. It seems that the ambitions of the individual states that have signed this agreement so far, and this is actually the vast majority of all states in the world, are not sufficient and the conference will therefore be crucial to increase these ambitions. The European Parliament's proposal, as amended by our Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, is certainly ambitious. I supported it and the extension of these mandates. If our commitments are not to remain on paper again, action is needed and I am glad that we have approved a very strong mandate.

Madam President, I supported this draft report because it is important to remember that the heavy-duty vehicle sector is responsible for more than a quarter of the greenhouse gas emissions from road transport in the European Union and, in fact, for more than 6% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union. The proposal pursues three objectives: firstly, it aims to reduce CO2 emissions from heavy-duty vehicles in a cost-effective manner, in line with the objectives of the European Union. Secondly, it aims to ensure benefits for European transport operators and users, most of whom are SMEs, by introducing more energy-efficient technologies in vehicles. Thirdly, to strengthen the industrial leadership of the European Union in terms of the use of these technologies and their innovation by channelling those investments into zero-emission technologies. For all these reasons, I supported this proposal.

Madam President, I welcome the adoption of this report because the European Parliament has been calling for a long time after the introduction of this new right at pan-European level for consumers – the right to repair. It complements the producer's already existing liability for product defects and, in fact, its basic purpose is to extend the life cycle of products placed on the market by various manufacturers in a number of areas. It will, relatively unfortunately, only concern the part which is listed in the Annex, which is explicitly listed in that Annex, but I think it is a good start that we have categories of products for which their reparability will actually be achievable. We also support the circular economy, and the availability of parts or spare parts is really crucial to enable the repair of such a product, where only a small part stops working and you do not have to throw it away. I welcome the introduction of this right.

Thank you, Madam President, the regions are a key territorial unit for the European Union and I am very pleased that the rapporteur finds another crucial issue for these regions, and that is to harness the talents of young people. We have a very vigorous policy or a very robust cohesion policy that supports the development of regions with European funds. We have special strategies for sub-mountain areas, but it turns out that it is important to find talent and for them the quality of life in rural regions. It is not a question of finding them any kind of work, in principle anyone can find it in the EU today, but it is also a question of matching the work with their skills, allowing them to grow further and, of course, to use their private free time. This is why it is important to have high-quality civic amenities, access to public services – as the rapporteur has said – and private services in the regions, as well as quality infrastructure. We need to have all these elements interlinked in the regions so that we can develop them for the benefit of young people.

Madam President, I would like to support the report by the rapporteur's colleague on innovation. Innovation is at the heart of this report. Innovation should be the engine of growth, it should also be the engine of quality of life and the development of competitiveness, and it is also crucial for the development of the labour market. For us, the main principle that we should stick to is the issue of sustainability, which should be reflected in all areas of the economy, in the social sphere, but also, of course, in the environmental sphere. And we should anticipate the challenges of the future through the prism of sustainability, as discussed by the rapporteur, and also adopt just transition plans. In the Czech Republic, too, we have already discussed these plans in several vulnerable regions, vulnerable sectors, such as energy. So this is definitely the right way and I want to thank the rapporteur for her very good work.

Madam President, I supported this proposal because, in my opinion, it found a reasonable compromise between addressing the impacts of the automotive industry and traffic on human health and environmental protection and, on the other hand, the competitiveness of our automotive industry as such. It is important to say that the increase in traffic is really alarming. Even though emissions are steadily decreasing for individual cars, they are steadily increasing due to the increase in the total volume of cars and car production. And it was important to find ambitious but realistic targets that also preserve the availability of small and medium-sized vehicles for consumers. I am glad that there has been a compromise on nitrogen and dust particles, which must be reduced. That's undeniable. Also, we have standardized tests for cars to introduce emissions, respectively, to control emissions as such. I am glad that the Member States are signalling their support for this proposal, which is why I also supported it.