Speeches

Mr President, Commissioner, we all support Ukraine and we do not want Putin to continue to benefit from this situation. I would now like to address the PiS colleagues who have spoken here, Mr Kuźmiuk. I would ask you not to label my colleagues, Polish colleagues from Civic Platform, for some Russian narrative. They are the ones who are fighting and supporting Ukraine and supporting solidarity with Ukraine. He doesn't deserve that label. I respect them immensely and I also appeal to Poles who can be proud to have people like Andrzej Halicki, Tomasz Frankowski, Krzysztof Hetman. They're real heroes to me, and I really appreciate them. We all support our farmers. And I would like to thank the Commissioner for the figures he has said here. I'm just asking him to fill in the numbers with the actual number. How much grain remains on the European market? How much more should be exported? Are you negotiating with the European World Food Programme to buy this grain? Open the Black Sea Road? That's what we have to put on.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, today I want to raise awareness and ask you to sign and share our petition. We have a lunch today with colleague Ivan Štefanec. We would like to ask you to support this petition regarding the ban for Russian and Belarussian athletes from the 2024 Olympic Games. It was the European Parliament which made this call to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the first place. But, despite our efforts, it is clear that the IOC is still hesitating to ban those athletes from the games. It is simply unacceptable to cheer for Russian athletes when their government is responsible for thousands of deaths of civilians, including children. Our petition call is clear: athletes competing under the neutral flag must sign a declaration denouncing the Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Mr President, dear colleagues, Madam Commissioner, the recent violent clashes between Meiteis and Kukis have caused widespread devastation. Over 50 000 people, including a significant number of Christians, have been displaced and lives have been lost. Numerous religious symbols and places of worship have been targeted, with more than 220 churches burnt or damaged. We urge the Indian authorities to take immediate action to stop the violence and protect religious minorities, particularly the Christian community in Manipur. We call on all sides to exercise restraint and for political leaders to refrain from making inflammatory statements. They should impartially mediate tensions and reject any nationalistic rhetoric. Today, let us send a clear message. The EU holds a powerful tool in trade policy, and we demand the integration of human rights into our EU—India partnership. We also urge the reinforcement of the EU—India Human Rights Dialogue.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I agree with the Council's conclusions precisely that Ukraine needs our help to defend its freedom and security for us too. But this debate is about what is in the Council conclusions and what is missing in them. And I want to focus on two things. In particular, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised an international conference at the highest level to help deported Ukrainian children who are on Russian territory, who are abducted by Ukrainian parents and are russified. I wonder if there will be progress on this. This conference should at best take place as soon as possible and preferably on the territory of Ukraine itself. And the second thing I want to mention is that we can no longer watch Russian and Belarusian athletes prepare for the Olympic Games. Both the Commission and the Council should exert pressure within their respective spheres of competence to prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating and, if so, on condition that they reject Russian aggression.

Madam President, dear colleagues, a mere month ago we called for justice, demanding the termination of proceedings and the release of Tihran and Mykyta, two Ukrainian boys who faced unspeakable brutality at the hands of Russian authorities. They endured beatings and were subjected to electroshock torture. Despite our efforts, these boys are no longer alive. Russian soldiers shot them. Their lives were cut short. This case is not an isolated incident. Countless families and children endure persecution and live in constant fear, robbed of the chance to experience a peaceful existence. Friends of these boys are now being targeted. Their parents face ongoing persecution and cannot even properly bury their sons, as Russia refused to release their bodies. We can only guess why. So we will not step down and we will prevail in our efforts to bring those responsible to justice. We have to ensure their sacrifice is not in vain.

Mr President, colleagues, the resolution on food security and the long-term resilience of agriculture in the European Union is not only important for farmers, but certainly also for consumers, because every citizen wants to be sure that he can buy affordable, high-quality food. No one can do that but farmers. In the end, this resolution has gained a fairly large majority, and let me emphasise just a few points. In particular, the European Parliament points out that new legislation linked to the European Green Deal must not lead to a decline in food production in the European Union in such a way as not to jeopardise food security. The European Parliament calls on the Commission to take the necessary measures to provide farmers with planning certainty and guarantees to maintain or increase food production. It also calls on the Commission to speed up the adoption of legislation on the use of new breeding techniques in order to increase yields and increase the resilience of crops to climate change and new pathogens. That is why I supported this resolution.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, today I supported the regulation on batteries and waste batteries. This is mainly an update of the rules for the design, production and waste management of all types of batteries sold in the European Union. I supported this position precisely because it is another step in strengthening European competitiveness. Among the main points of this regulation are, for example, stricter requirements for sustainability, performance, labelling. These will come into force in about four years, so that manufacturers have time to adapt. Furthermore, it is a due diligence policy that will apply to all batteries, but with later effect for industrial and portable batteries. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), for which an exception applies, were also remembered. There is also a new collection methodology, which is now based on taking into account the longer life cycle of batteries and appliances. I believe that the whole regulation will have a positive impact for citizens.

Mr President, colleagues, let me explain why I voted in favour of the regulation laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence. This adopted act lays down harmonised rules for the development, placing on the market and use of AI systems in the European Union based on a proportionate and risk-based approach. Under the Regulation, certain AI systems such as social scoring, predictive policing or biometric categorisation are banned in the European Union. Unfortunately, our faction's amendments on real-time biometric identification for targeted purposes, such as searching for missing persons, including children, or fighting terrorist attacks and serious crime, have simply not been accepted. In this case, ideology prevailed over security. Nevertheless, I ultimately voted in favour of the European Parliament resolution and I believe that a good result will be achieved in the trilogue.

Madam President, dear colleagues, I would like to first thank all Shadow Rapporteurs and advisors for their excellent cooperation and for reaching a strong resolution on the victims of Russia’s war crimes. On 24 May 2023, two teenage boys, Tihran and Mykyta, were charged by the investigative committee of the Russian Federation with allegedly planning sabotage on the railway in Berdyansk. Even though Mykyta managed to avoid arrest, Tihran was not so lucky. He was abducted, interrogated and tortured by beating and electric shocks. This particular case shows the full scale of the atrocities and human rights violations perpetrated by the Russian Federation. So far, 19 500 abduction cases have been confirmed, but the true number is much higher. The Russian machinery of re-education, illegal adoption and filtration camps was captured in the recent mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. We demand an immediate end to the trial and the dismissal of charges against Tihran and Mykyta. To this end, the Commission and Vice-President of the Commission need to intensify their efforts to end this grave violation of the rights of children affected by armed conflict. During my visit to Ukraine, I personally met with several NGOs, which are doing a tremendous job of locating abducted children and providing them with much needed legal services. They, however, feel that the international community should be more active and brave enough to intervene. This applies especially to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has a unique mandate provided for by the Geneva Convention. It should use the mandate to facilitate the return of these minors to Ukraine. Dear colleagues, we will continue defending freedom and children’s rights for as long as it takes. We cannot abandon the most vulnerable victims of the war.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, we are debating today the sensitive issue of surrogacy, in the context of concerns about its misuse, particularly for commercial purposes. It is clear that Member States are looking for a good solution and are far from united. While some Member States allow surrogacy for non-commercial, altruistic purposes, such as Greece, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, other Member States completely prohibit it, such as France, Germany, Italy, Spain. This is to prevent surrogacy from being traded. There are countries where there is no regulation. But it is important that no country in the European Union allows surrogacy for commercial purposes. Although I understand humanly the desire for parenthood, the desire of parents for a child, I fundamentally disagree with the legalization of surrogate parenthood, surrogate motherhood. The main reason is the right of the child. Every child has the right to be born and have parents, but there is no right to have a child. And if it happens that the child does not have parents or loses parents, then there is just substitute family care, adoption or foster care so that the child has parental care, so that he has substitute parents. Today's society thinks everything can be bought. He won't. We must not allow life to become a commodity. Life is a gift. It is a miracle, for some a miracle of nature, but the life of a child must not become a commodity.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, every citizen wants to be sure that he can buy affordable, high-quality food, and that is not guaranteed by anyone other than farmers. That is why I want to thank our colleague, author Marlene Mortler, who has clearly stood up for farmers. Farmers need our support to do everything from producing healthy food to protecting soil and water. In this one-minute speech, I will focus only on three points that we need to address at European level. Above all, it is the common agricultural policy that must become a truly effective financial instrument to enable farmers to tackle all challenges, including the green transition and to respond to new demands, as well as to ensure stable incomes. You have spoken of this, Commissioner. This is a challenge for the current and future common agricultural policy that we will be preparing. The second issue is the new legislation on the use of new breeding techniques and I want to say that farmers need our support more than the new rules.

Madam President, dear colleagues, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe published on 4 May a report on a mission to address the Deportation of Children amidst Human Rights Violations and Humanitarian Impacts of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Thanks to the three participating experts, including Czech professor Veronika Bílková. The findings confirm the regime’s atrocities. Many Ukrainian children have been deported from Ukraine even before 24 February 2022. The exact number is uncertain, but there is no doubt about the large scale displacement. The mission’s conclusions are clear: the Russian Federation obstructs the return of Ukrainian children, creating obstacles for families. One of the recommendations is to provide urgently all necessary assistance to Ukraine to support its efforts to return the children who have been forcibly deported from Ukraine and implement their right to family reunification. This applies above all for the International Committee of the Red Cross. We should hear out one more voice, it is the voice of Ukraine mayors for organising summer camps for internally displaced or unaccompanied children in or outside Ukraine. The summer camps will help them recover from war trauma and also support their caregivers.

Mr President, Mr Commissioner, dear colleagues, Algeria is among the world’s worst countries in terms of press freedom – ranked 136 out of the 180. The press situation in Algeria has been in decline since 1992. However, the recent adoption of new media law and the detention of Ihsane El Kadi escalated the situation to the extreme. Freedom of expression and other fundamental rights should not be played with. They are clearly set in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and their violation goes against Article 2 of the EU-Algeria Association Agreement. Ihsane El Kadi’s conviction on receiving funds for political propaganda and harming the state’s national security is absurd and cannot stand. That is why we urge the authorities to amend security-related charges in the penal code used to criminalise their right to freedom of expression and to conform the law to international human rights standards. El Kadi must be released, for we must not let the voices of journalists in Algeria be silenced.

Mr President, colleagues, cyberbullying is a form of violence that destroys lives and kills. This definition should also lead to new European legislation, as it was Jackie Fox who opened the way. Thank you, Jackie for being here. Thank you for your testimony. I want to assure you that we won't give up either. Just like you didn't give up. Your law, which you enforced in Ireland, Coco’s law, is exactly what it can be and proves to be effective in combating cyberviolence. What is criminal offline must also be criminal online. Thank you again. For us, your testimony is a commitment, and for the thousands of parents and children who suffer, it is a demonstration that they can open their eyes and can defend themselves against this violence. We're not giving up.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, yesterday, with a large majority of 537 votes in the European Parliament, we approved the continuation of trade liberalisation for Ukraine in commodities, wheat, rapeseed, sunflower and maize. We want these commodities to continue to be exported from Ukraine, because this is important both for Ukrainian farmers and for third countries that need these goods. But we all agree that these are goods intended mainly for third countries. Here is the problem and the task. Commissioner, you mentioned the improvement of the Solidarity Lanes here, and I would have three questions. The first question is: What concrete steps will these commodities actually take to reach third countries in order to be exported? Do you negotiate with the UN, specifically the World Food Programme, on the purchase of surplus commodities that remain on the European market and that are needed for third countries at risk of famine? Do we know who is speculating on Ukrainian grain in the EU?

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, it is farmers who are affected by climate change, and that is why farmers are the main actors implementing a number of measures, be it carbon farming, regenerative farming, all those measures that combat climate change and which are also tools for sustainable agriculture. This is now a regulation on the reduction of the use of pesticides, which I believe should be finalised, in particular supplemented, for example, by alternative biological pesticides. The Commission should also present an impact assessment, including the Nature Restoration Regulation, which should be finalised in line with research and with Member States. Food security and nature protection are a priority for us, the people of Europe, and I thank the Commissioner for taking this debate seriously.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, it is Europe Day and today marks the start of the European Year of Skills. It is no coincidence that we chose this topic. Our aim is to promote the interest and involvement of citizens in lifelong learning and to improve skills, especially where they are insufficient, in the field of digital technologies. We know that one in three working people in Europe lacks these skills and we cannot accept that. 22% of young people say that the main problem for getting a job on the labour market is the lack of the necessary skills. We are aware of the differences between citizens, between regions and we want to change this. We need to support students, teachers and schools. I welcome the Digital Education Action Plan and the introduction of a European framework for digital education, which can contribute to closing gaps and improving skills levels. Commissioner, the European Year of Skills should build on the legacy of the European Year of Youth. One of the priorities of young people is the mutual recognition of diplomas and qualifications as soon as possible. Young people are aware of the added value of mobility and skills acquired through Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps. I look forward to working with all those who will contribute to a successful Year of Skills.

Mr President, thank you to the rapporteur for her report. The European Union's school milk, fruit and vegetables programme is very promising. The fact that it is not sufficiently used in some Member States does not mean that we should not support it further. On the contrary. I agree that there should be simplification, the removal of unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles and an increase in the budget. In the Czech Republic, for example, this program is used to the maximum extent. It is also important at a time when we are trying to bring children closer to the work of farmers, at a time when we are trying to address the objectives of the European Green Deal, so that children do not really think that milk can be drawn from a machine. Certainly the potential of this program has not yet been sufficiently exploited, and I believe that we should not approach unnecessary alternative new elements in this diet, only in the case of diets. In any case, I support this report.

Mr President, dear colleagues, dear Commissioner, it has been only five months since our last debate on Afghanistan. Sadly, we must address this issue again since women’s persecution continues. It is a shame that women in Afghanistan cannot basically travel without a male companion, but they are also denied the fundamental right to education beyond the primary level. I invite you to look into the painful testimonies of young Afghan girls who, by their own words, feel ‘broken’ and ‘in pain’ as a result of these unjust restrictions. The recent arrest of Matiullah Wesa is just the tip of the iceberg. We call on Afghanistan’s authorities to immediately and unconditionally release her and others imprisoned for exercising their fundamental rights. We urge the same authorities to fulfil their pledge and to restore girls’ access to education. Moreover, we must maintain a strict conditional engagement with the Taliban and comply with the benchmark set by our Council, because women’s rights are human rights.

Madam President, I think we all agree that health protection is our priority. We need to move forward in line with new technologies and research. In relation to the general strengthening of the European Union chemicals legislation, I would like to point out that one of the most important roles in maintaining human health, drinking water and viable soils is played by farmers. And it is the farmers who feed us, and they have to use certain protective substances to ensure yields. It's not just about quantity, it's about quality, it's about food availability. Farmers are certainly not opposed to more environmentally friendly management and use of fewer pesticides and, above all, expect the recognition of new, more environmentally friendly protective substances and, of course, the opening of legislation on new genomic techniques and new breeding. Thus, the use of biopesticides is not prevented, but they must be affordable substances. Let me give you an example – the abolition of the exemption for neonicotinoid stains in sugar beet and the ban on insecticidal substances lead to sugar beet growers in France, Belgium and the Czech Republic estimating a 15% drop in yields, and we are already seeing an increase in prices on the market. Colleagues, I would like to ask: Yes, let's protect people's health, but we also have to count. And I ask the Commission whether it is addressing these impacts and whether it also envisages accelerating new bio-preparations and new genomic technologies.

Mr President, the arrest warrant for Putin and Marija Alexeyevna Lvova-Belova is an important step towards punishing a crime. I want to thank all those who contribute financially and with all means to the investigation of Russian crimes, because it is a clear signal that these crimes will one day be punished. What we can or must do: We need to do more because every day for these kidnapped and russified children is long. We must support Ukraine by all means in its resistance to the Russian aggression. We must support all international organisations and Ukrainian non-profit organisations in finding and returning these children to Ukrainian families. It is our great commitment and I am glad to hear a lot of support across the political spectrum. We will continue to do so as long as the only child remains in Russian hands.

Madam President, today I supported the report on sustainable carbon cycles, which does not yet introduce new legislation, but is actually the European Parliament's position on the European Commission's intention to set certain rules to incentivise and reward farmers who would voluntarily engage in farming towards sustainable practices and the promotion of biodiversity. We highlight the opportunity for both farmers and foresters to change their business model by making carbon storage, the so-called carbon farming, a source of income. The report also recognises that food production, of course, remains a top priority for the agricultural sector. In our opinion, carbon management should be voluntary and rewarding the process must be scientifically proven and have benefits for the climate and the environment. Clear frameworks must, of course, be set for the way forward. I support the report.

Madam President, I would like to explain why I supported this establishment of the Social Climate Fund. This fund is directly linked to the revision of the allowance trading system and will therefore benefit households, businesses and transport users who could be affected precisely by the inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and road transport, precisely from the scope of the new revision of the ETS 2 Directive. For those who ask what the direct impact of the revision of allowances will be, I say that there will be room for compensation for those who would be affected by changes, especially those who would be affected by changes in the price of heat or transport.

Madam President, let me explain why I voted today in favour of the revision of the European Union Emissions Trading System. This system is a carbon market based on a cap-and-trade system in energy-intensive industries and power generation sectors. It is the main instrument by which the European Union seeks to reduce emissions. It covers around 40% of total CO2 emissions in the European Union and since its introduction in 2005, emissions in the European Union have decreased by 41%. For me, that is the main reason why I believe that this directive and this system make sense and work. This adoption, i.e. revision, implies the introduction of an ETS for fuels, heating and road transport. I voted in favour, despite the fact that there is a risk of increased spending for citizens, but it comes with strong social guarantees. That is why I am not concerned that there should be any major impact on citizens' spending.

Mr President, thank you for giving me the floor. Commissioner, I would like to thank you for your commitment, your understanding of the European Year of Youth and also for today's debate, for your answers. I believe that the participation of young people who have participated in the regions, but also here in various events, has shown that young people are interested, know what they want and are able to participate, participate and organise an event. We have experience with the European Youth Week in Brussels. We have experience with the final conference Claim The Future. There are a lot of young people here too. Young people are just interested, I'm not afraid, just to open the door for them. I would like to take this opportunity to ask what is the cooperation with the Swedish Presidency and whether you are planning a similar event, which I think has been a success, in which the Commission, the Council and the European Parliament have been involved, because we have organised the final discussion together with the young people. That's very important. Thank you and I look forward to working with you.