Speeches

(beginning of the speech outside the microphone) ...but I think she missed one fundamental problem and I'm a little surprised. This is a problem that concerns many Europeans and can determine the future of the Union. There are growing doubts as to whether the Commission itself acts within the framework of the rights conferred by the Treaties on the Member States. I recall that Article 13 of the Treaty states that each institution shall act within the limits of the powers conferred on it by the Treaties. However, it seems that we are dealing with a process in which the Commission and the European Parliament are constantly expanding their competences contrary to this principle at the expense of the Member States, interfering in their legal and political order. As long as Poland and Hungary formulated such an allegation, it could be ignored, accusing these countries that they themselves allegedly violate the rule of law, but recently there have been similar voices from other countries. Well known, Mr President, Michel Barnier speaks of the need for France to regain its legal sovereignty. It would be a mistake to think that this opinion is only an electoral stunt. The former president of the German Federal Constitutional Court, Andreas Vosskuhle, accused the Commission and the CJEU of building a federal state through the back door. Recently, another active judge of this Court, Peter Müller, reiterated this allegation in a different form. Dozens of German lawyers expressed a similar opinion in a statement published in the German press. There is no doubt that we are dealing with a growing problem. The Commission seems to forget that it is not a super-government over the governments of the Member States. And I think we should address that problem. We will certainly discuss it during the Conference on the Future of Europe. This is a fundamental problem that concerns the entire European architecture and the European Union. Thank you, Mr President. Thank you, Mr President.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Among the objectives of the Slovenian Presidency, two drew my attention. One very neglected one is the issue of negative demographic trends in Europe, which are likely to determine its future. The second objective, which has been raised aloud for several years, is the rule of law. The Slovenian Presidency promises us equal criteria for all. It can be assumed that this Presidency has a good understanding of the current lack of such equality. However, I would like to ask whether this equality will also apply to the European Commission and other EU institutions. The day before yesterday, 29 German constitutionalists criticised the European Commission for initiating treaty infringement proceedings in connection with the judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court. They complain that the Commission undermines the principles of European integration and acts contrary to the provisions of the Treaty on European Union, violating the rights of the Member States. As we can see, attempts to apply equality of criteria can lead to unexpected discoveries made late, also by German constitutionalists.