Speeches

Madam President, I would like to talk about the role of cohesion policy, because the European Union makes a fundamental contribution to supporting regions, municipalities, entrepreneurs, but also the non-profit sector, for countries with lower GDP levels. The European Union trusts the States that their subsidy and regional policy will be based on support for development projects, but will also be based on data, which forms a clear basis for the further development of the regions. However, Member States often do not have a record of the needs of each region. There is a lack of hard data on existing infrastructure, on its quality, on available services, whether public or private. We need to know not only explicit data on the economic development of certain regions, whether they are weak or advanced, but also social data on sub-territories and, as a criterion for allocating aid in regions, the unambiguous availability of data on their development, level and individual sectors. Data-based policy it must not only be on paper, but it must become a condition for successful absorption of European support.

Mr President, I also supported this report. I also support the expansion of Schengen. I am glad that Croatia has joined and we are very much looking forward to the accession of the last countries, especially those that ask for it. The main objective of this report was to allow visa applications to be submitted digitally via a platform, in order to replace the visa sticker, the physical visa sticker, with a digital visa. This aims at simplifying and harmonising visa procedures. Of course, I welcome this simplification. In my opinion, this will also have great benefits in the area of migration and security, where we now have big problems, because the physical visa sticker poses a certain security risk and replacing it with a digital form is definitely a welcome step forward. So, for these reasons, I supported this report.

Mr President, I also supported this report because I want the European Union to be enlarged, especially to include the Balkan countries. I consider this to be our important task in terms of the future and responsibility for the whole European continent. I think that the EU needs to make progress in these accession talks and Montenegro has made progress. I also think that we must give hope to the young generation in Montenegro. As I said, Montenegro has made the necessary progress in a number of areas, but it lags a bit behind in two areas, and I think it is right here that we supported both the majority position and the amendment, which calls for more progress in the area of human rights. I would like to appeal for more efforts by Montenegro in the area of vulnerable people, their rights to housing, work, access to justice. We are talking not only about LGBT people, but also about the minorities that live in this country.

Mr President, I also supported this draft report. I think that the EU needs a sustainable budget for next year that is motivating and that also includes and responds to the current challenges we face, be they climate or security challenges, and that supports innovation and cohesion policy. A large number of amendments were tabled. I did not support most of them because I considered them more diluting this balanced text, with the exception of those proposals that suspend the financing of the Palestinian Authority, rather than clarifying the transparency of these flows and the recipients of this money. I consider this report to be balanced and successful, which is why I supported the draft budget of the European Union for next year.

Mr President, allow me to express my sympathy for the victims of terrorist attacks and also to say that it is often not just the deranged individuals who are really being hit very hard at times, but also the organised criminal groups. And here I think that criticism can already be very close and strong. We've been talking about the same thing since 2015. We must guard our borders better, far better. We need to be able to intervene quickly, to exchange intelligence, to be able to analyze the manifestations of Islamic imams, in short, to know what is happening on social networks and what is actually happening in the online environment. And if we are not able to quickly evaluate these, say, impulses that are coming to us, unfortunately, we are still facing the same challenges and, unfortunately, we are constantly holding a minute of silence for the victims. So let's really get these particular agendas in order.

Mr President, Commissioner, I welcome this programme and this agenda. The new European Innovation Agenda will help Europe develop new technologies to address the most pressing societal challenges, as well as bring new technologies to the market. It is designed to make Europe a leading player on the global innovation scene. However, the question arises as to how the Commission intends to contribute to achieving the objectives of the Green Deal through these innovative efforts, coordination and investments, while ensuring the competitiveness of the European industry, which is currently facing the great challenges of decarbonisation. I also consider it important that the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council work very closely together on this matter. I am also pleased with the Council's approach. In particular, under the Czech Presidency last December, the Council adopted its conclusions on this initiative. In fact, she supported her. Recent crises have shown the need for the EU to promote open strategic autonomy in order to reduce dependencies and vulnerabilities, which also affect our industry in a negative sense. We need to strengthen the EU's own capacities in strategic areas, and this will certainly not be possible without ambitious investments in innovation. I want to stress the importance of adapting to the new wave of innovation and the need to strengthen synergies between existing programmes, as well as innovation in the area of financing. In short, without innovation there will be no European future.

Mr President, Commissioner, Minister, sustainable development is the only possible way forward for humanity. The industrial era of the last three centuries, as well as intensive agriculture, have ensured a higher standard of living, albeit not across the board, but if we compare the quality of life only in terms of one century, it has undoubtedly increased globally, but unfortunately few for many of the poorest states. However, everything also bears its costs, which are very significant in some environmental areas. Since the first Sustainable Development Summit in 2019, the world has changed dramatically. We are facing huge geopolitical and environmental challenges. We have the 2030 Agenda. It must be adhered to effectively, including all the principles enshrined in it. This was confirmed by the September summit, and this 2030 Agenda must also be universal in nature. We strive to balance the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, social and environmental, in an integrated manner. What challenges do we face? Fighting poverty is one of the biggest challenges. Hunger is on the rise, malnutrition is on the rise. Climate change is one of the biggest challenges we really face. We are deeply concerned that greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise globally. The poorest countries are the most vulnerable, and they are also still facing the effects of the pandemic. However, the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals is at risk. For some, fulfillment is practically unrealistic. We also have human rights goals here, which, however, remain more on paper than in the reality of global respect. What will we do about it as the EU, one of the strongest global players? We are facing so many challenges and we have already passed so many important pieces of legislation that correspond to our global commitments. I very much welcomed the statement by the Minister and the Commissioner that we have seven years to meet our targets in the 2030 Agenda. However, we need to increase our pressure on our partners. Our diplomatic offensive should also be a priority – attracting partners and persuading them of the need to deliver on the sustainable goals of the 2030 Agenda. Without trust and true partnership, the sustainability of human activity on our planet is unfortunately moving away from us.

Madam President, territorial cohesion is one of the fundamental objectives of European policies and aims to reduce regional disparities, promote regional development and also promote cross-border cooperation. Cohesion policy is one of the backbone policies of the European Union. And I ask myself, is it possible to evaluate the objectives of cohesion policy? It is not easy to answer this question. We have a number of reports on the state of cohesion policy, but we also see that, unfortunately, disparities between regions are widening, which is why I think it is very important to target our cohesion policy and regional development instruments. And one of those tools is the acquisition of high-quality data from territories, regions and their digitization. I think that for the European Union and the effectiveness of its programmes, which must be seen in the regions, it is precisely the digitisation of agendas, the digitisation of data from the territory, that is essential. We should focus much more on that, perhaps even in the future.

Madam President, first of all, accept my apologies for pressing the wrong button. Although I did not agree with the esteemed colleague very much, I did not want to ask him a question. On this issue, I have repeatedly expressed my views on the sustainability of fisheries in this plenary, and I welcome this proposal for reforms. I think it is important to find a real balance and give time to fish stocks to recover, and it is important to work towards sustainable fisheries. In order to do this, it is necessary to deepen the system of checks, because fraud actually took place. I do not see all fishermen as fraudsters, but it is necessary simply to bring a much greater degree of control tools into this system, whether it is the geolocation of vessels that are larger than 12 meters, and also, of course, cameras that are questionable to some extent, but I consider this a meaningful measure. This plundering of the seas is a serious problem, and I am glad that we have taken this reform on the road to fish stock recovery.

Mr President, we have dozens of agreements with the Swiss Confederation. He's actually our closest inner friend. It is a long-standing partner country for the European Union. We have a strong interest in cooperating and deepening this cooperation in foreign security policy. I also welcome the perhaps very surprising position of the Swiss Confederation, which came out of its neutrality and supported Ukraine and strongly condemned the Russian aggression. I also welcome Switzerland's participation in Frontex, as it is involved in dealing with the very difficult migration crisis. However, we also have problematic areas of cooperation, for example in the free movement of people. I must also mention the restrictions on the access of Croatian workers to the Swiss labour market. I do not think it is entirely acceptable that this breach of the agreements already negotiated should take place. The report also mentions these problematic areas, which is why I was happy to support it.

Mr President, my colleague Šojdrová and I are giving the floor a little. I supported this draft resolution because education is our fundamental value, it is a fundamental right of every European. No one should fail the education system. It is precisely investment in young people that needs to be encouraged. And, of course, the education of young Roma is the best investment, because today we lack a skilled labour force on the labour market, and it is generally a great loss of GDP and a loss of society as a whole that hundreds of thousands of children are still falling through our education system. There should therefore be no place in our Union for segregation, for discrimination. But we must also stress the responsibility of parents, because this cannot be just a one-sided relationship. It should also be borne in mind that the report very correctly mentions a number of ongoing actions and even actions that the Commission had to bring against certain Member States precisely for failing to comply with European law. It is striking that we also have this situation in the field of Roma education.

Mr President, I also supported this proposal. The actual labelling of products, the packaging of chemical mixtures is very important for our internal market and, of course, also for consumers. I think that the update we have made is very important in terms of transparency and information. This also strengthens confidence in the high standards of products that are placed on the market and that consumers are buying. We also want to protect human health more. The report contains a relatively complex issue of the chemical composition of certain mixtures. I am glad that some of the amendments were adopted directly by plenary, and I think that this has improved the whole report, which is why I also supported it.

Mr President, I would like to begin by rejecting Mr Krah's statement, which actually tells us the same thing every time on behalf of the ID Group, and I think that it is, unfortunately, a show of embarrassment on his part, in that it reduces the importance of the suffering of Mrs Zarema Musaeva from Chechnya and educates us that we know nothing about this case. It is truly deplorable what is happening to her family and her personally in Chechnya, but also what is happening to thousands of other unnamed victims of the criminal regime by Kadyrov, as well as Putin, who created the largest criminal regime in the world. I think we need to show unequivocal solidarity with the victims in Chechnya. We must condemn the increasingly brutal practices that seem to know no bounds and have been carried out in this country for several decades. And I think that this House, unanimously or by an overwhelming majority, rejects these appalling atrocities.

Madam President, Ukraine has been facing unacceptable Russian aggression for one and a half years. Thousands of people are dying, infrastructure and property are being destroyed. Russia is trying to subvert Ukraine's support by virtually any means. He also uses his contacts in political parties across the European Union. Unfortunately, we have also seen this in the recent Slovak elections. I am very sorry that the winner of the Slovak elections, who claims his party is pro-European, says that he will no longer help Ukraine, that he will stop any help that this country, tested by Russian aggression, so needs. I think that such attitudes undermine European unity and are also irresponsible. I think it is our duty to remain united and to help Ukraine because it is facing illegal and unacceptable aggression.

Madam President, we must not at all underestimate the issue of ensuring European transport that is suitable for women. I would like to thank the rapporteur for taking this issue proactively and successfully. The whole subject is undoubtedly framed by the motto ‘a better and safer space for women in transport’, and much has already been said about this. I also welcome it here and see a lot of room for improvement. We have here a discussion about emergency buttons in public transport, the overall concept of safety, lighted stops, stops in places where at least elementary safety is ensured, the presence of qualified staff, as well as the principles of good spatial planning, toilets and ensuring their use by women. I see a great deal of room for improvement here, both in the public administration and in employers, and I must say that I am very happy to support this report by my colleague Łukacijewska.

Madam President, I want to condemn unequivocally what Mr Reil said at the end of his speech, when he spoke about the fact that Roma culture is accompanied by thousands of years of crime. I don't think it really belongs on this land. Any discrimination and segregation is unacceptable in the European Union. States are not only obliged to comply with these commitments, but must react positively when a problem arises. And we seem to have a systemic problem here, because several Member States do not really respect these commitments in relation to Roma children in the field of education, which I consider to be the most tragic mistake. Finally, we have a motion for a resolution. We will not only talk about this issue, but we can also vote on it. I firmly believe that this motion for a resolution will pass. We really need to end this vicious circle. I agree with that. The responsibility here lies not only with state authorities and society, but also with parents. Of course, this cannot be forgotten. What do I see as important? We must not lose the next generation. We need to get her out of that trajectory, which, apparently, may be heading elsewhere for some of them, and back into society. This is our common commitment. And lastly, I think that we should also establish the office of the joint commissioner for Roma children. We are also supposed to have it for small and medium-sized enterprises, let us do it, please, also for Romani children, directly under the President.

Mr President, I also supported this report because I consider sustainable aviation fuels to be one of the key challenges of our future. Air transport is also a major contributor to the crisis we are facing in terms of climate and environmental protection, so it must not stand aside and I am convinced that we have found a balanced form that is also ambitious. It is important to encourage innovation in this sense. I would, of course, like short flights to be shifted to the railway so that consumers can make more use of it. At the same time, however, I also believe that the exceptions that favour, for example, the defence industry are justified and I believe that it was appropriate to provide for such an exemption from the rules that the proposal entails. So I supported it and I am glad that it was approved as well.

Mr President, I am also a member of the EPP and I also supported this proposal for a directive, because air protection is indeed still a serious problem. Of the environmental impacts on premature deaths, air protection is the biggest. We went from one million premature deaths in 1990 to 300,000 in those years, but that's still too much. And the path towards zero pollution by 2050 is certainly commendable and deserves support. That is why I supported this report also because it provides for better monitoring, transparent access to data. Within one hour, the public should know about pollution, about the state of pollution in its locality. The big debate was about limits, about shifts in terms, in years. I think the commissioner's proposal was better than the one we approved as a result. But in the end, I decided to support this report, even with the revised limits.

Mr President, I supported this proposal for a number of reasons. I believe that the right balance has been struck between the requirement of transparency of our rules, but also the protection of privacy. I consider the changes to the Rules of Procedure to be a response to the case that the European Parliament is facing, as well as an appropriate response to the 14-point plan. For these reasons, I supported my colleague Bischoff's draft report. I am glad that there has been a better definition of conflicts of interest, that we have clarified the powers of the Advisory Committee, which serves precisely to deal with serious breaches of the rules of conduct of Members, financial breaches that sometimes occur. And I am also pleased that we have increased sanctions for violating our rules of procedure, including the publication of such a sanction in the visible sections of our website. So for all these reasons, I was happy to support this proposal.

Mr President, Commissioner, the European book sector is one of the largest cultural creative industries in the EU, employing more than half a million people and publishing 600 000 titles a year. This sector is mostly made up of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and it must also be said that the leading publishers, worldwide, come from the EU. However, the book sector is also facing a number of changes, such as the development of digital technologies, the online market, but also rising production costs and problems in the paper supply chain. In recent years, we have seen a significant increase in book prices. I am therefore pleased that my colleague Frankowski's report contains a number of useful recommendations that can help the development of the book market. I would highlight, in particular, the zero VAT rate on books contained in this recommendation and also introduced by the Czech Government, and I really consider this to be an important step on the way to an educational society that should also be more resilient to disinformation, for example. I also find it beneficial to promote reading in the Member States through various initiatives, as well as to promote mobility and exchange of experience in the book sector, including through our Creative Europe programme. I would also like to mention the institute from the Copyright Act on Fair Remuneration for the Borrowing of Books, as this institute further promotes book creation. I am pleased that we can discuss this initiative and the report and I will strongly support it.

Mr President, I want to join those who, of course, regard the exploitation of women, any human trafficking, as a completely unacceptable practice. Of course, violence against women is also completely unacceptable. We are talking about a very sensitive issue of the protection of women and children, and I would like to say that we must also not forget the efforts to improve the situation of these women. I'm not sure that criminalization itself can lead to a shift, to a better solution. I admit, I do not know the Nordic model in detail, but I am afraid of a higher degree of stigmatization or even of exploitation, against which, I am sure we all agree, we are supposed to fight. Personally, I believe that there is some room for national, subsidiary solutions. Of course, we must pay attention to care, social care for women, we must pay attention to their protection, sexual health, prevention, the provision of services that they may not even reach. We have to punish the pimps, and I'm not sure that criminalization itself will lead to a solution.

Mr President, trade unionists, civil society, members of the opposition, workers, all face surveillance, physical attacks, arbitrary arrests, abuse of state power, kidnappings and even extrajudicial executions. This is the situation in Bangladesh. We strongly condemn the killing of Shahidul Islam in June this year. We demand a transparent investigation into this execution that has taken place. We also strongly condemn and consider unacceptable the persecution of Odhikar members. Bangladesh, but also the business corporations that operate there, must strengthen workers’ labour rights and also respect basic labour law standards. I know Bangladesh is our business partner. However, this does not mean that we will remain silent when such unacceptable negotiations are revealed. It is our duty to vote and, at the same time, tomorrow, I hope, to approve the proposed resolution.

Madam President, I did not originally want to speak on this point, but I was prompted by a rather scandalous speech by a representative of the ID Group, which I consider unacceptable to relativise what is really going on in Azerbaijan and the way in which the representatives of the state authorities are dealing with Professor Ibadoghlua. I find this speech unacceptable and I think we should all condemn it. A colleague from the ID Group enjoyed this so-called because we could not respond to his speech, and I am responding to raise the voice for all of us who are not satisfied with how representatives of this faction approach such serious issues. Human rights violations are ongoing in Azerbaijan and we have been dealing with them for several years. It is truly unacceptable that representatives of this political faction should be relativised in this way, and I think it would be good if they apologized for his speech. Azerbaijan is bound by human rights, it is bound by international treaties that it has signed, and these include the unjustly imprisoned Professor Ibadoghlu and the situation of Nagorno-Karabakh, we could talk about this for hours as human rights are violated there.

Madam President, in one minute I will certainly not be able to calculate everything that the European Union could do for small and medium-sized enterprises, but they certainly represent 99% of the enterprises that are driving the green and digital transitions in Europe, but unfortunately have recently faced unpredictability and volatility due to a number of crises from COVID-19 to Russia’s war against Ukraine, the energy crisis and also the rise in inflation. If the proclamation materialises, more than €200 billion will be made available under various funding programmes running until 2027, notably the EU Cohesion Fund and the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The package presented by you could, in my view, constitute a systemically effective measure. The Commission Communication on aid to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) presents new measures to provide short-term assistance. They can also boost long-term competitiveness. As part of these measures, the Commission is also publishing new proposals for a Regulation on late payment in commercial transactions and a Directive establishing a Headquarters Tax System for SMEs. I am of the opinion that we should support any sensible initiative that focuses on strengthening access to finance for SMEs.

Mr President, I agree with my colleagues that artificial intelligence is one of the biggest challenges of our future. We live in a time when technology makes it possible to create systems that learn and creatively generate new knowledge, new data. And, of course, this convergence brings together experts and researchers around the world to share knowledge and, of course, accelerate innovation. However, this kind of cooperation also brings, of course, new challenges for the practical sharing of experience – this has great potential – but also calls to find ethical rules or operating conditions, for the activities of artificial intelligence. Generative AI also opens the door to the fields of art, medicine, science, of course, and industrial production, but many are also uncertain, for example, authors, copyright holders or other intellectual property rights are very uncertain. This means that we should take on board all affected and threatened actors and prove that their future is not threatened by this system either.