Debate contributions by Romana TOMC

Madam President! Today, the European Union is facing challenges that are not only economic or environmental, but also social. In the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, we therefore call for further clear and decisive budgetary support for social policies that can meet people's real needs. Child poverty, youth unemployment, the housing crisis, in-work mental health, an ageing population, inequality between regions, rising cost of living – these are not exceptional situations, but the reality of millions of Europeans. All these challenges need to be addressed with sufficient financial measures. Europe cannot move forward if it neglects its people. The budget must therefore be a mirror of our values. Europe must remain the territory of the countries that manage the best social models, and the 2026 budget must be a tool to help maintain this.

Mr President. As part of my work, I focused mainly on the discharge of the agencies that ensure the smooth functioning of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee. I am pleased that their transactions were generally legal and regular. I am also pleased that the agencies are working more and more closely together and are putting a lot of effort into reducing their costs and not disguising certain tasks. However, I am particularly concerned about the carry-over of appropriations to another financial year – not just to the agencies. Consistent planning is also crucial for the European Commission. I would also point out that, in the past, the European Commission has commissioned studies from other contractors and overlooked the agencies which are its first support. The European institutions must carry out their work in a professional and transparent manner. They are responsible for spending money on their business for all Europeans.

Mr President. Today's reality is not the same as the one in which we will live in three years, let alone later. Therefore, we need to plan the use of funds with the utmost responsibility. European funds are intended to address disparities in development between regions. It is crucial that the money that taxpayers contribute to the European budget comes back to them. For years, there has been a significant weakness in the use of funds – excessive administration. In order to draw more efficiently from Brussels, we do not need additional barriers, but we need simplification. I want a budget without conditionality, but with controls that prevent fraud. Last but not least, as rapporteur for the opinion of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, I am concerned about the pooling of funds and the abolition of funds and the distribution of unused funds. I am pleased, however, that we have not forgotten the demographics in this document.

Madam President! Dear Commissioner. When it comes to democracy, integrity and transparency and the fight against corruption, I cannot ignore the Slovenian case. Dear colleagues! The Slovenian Parliament does not operate according to the principle of democracy, but uses its superiority to silence the opposition. The President gives reprimands. The coalition is simply taking away the word of the opposition MPs. It also says a lot about the fact that the vast majority of... (The Chair interrupted the speaker and explained that no interpretation into English was available.) When it comes to democracy, integrity, transparency and the fight against corruption in the European Union, we cannot ignore the Slovenian case. Dear colleagues! The Slovenian Parliament does not operate according to the principle of democracy, but uses its superiority to silence the opposition. The President gives reprimands. The coalition simply takes away the word of opposition MPs when they don't like what they say. Much is also said by the fact that the vast majority of parliamentary sessions are convened exceptionally and laws are adopted under an expedited procedure. We have excellent legislation through... legislation in the field of corruption, but corruption is still flourishing, it is present on a large scale. This is also recognised by the OECD. Of course, with government politicians and the Prime Minister at the forefront. I wonder, of course, colleagues, when the European Commission will be, when our institutions will operate with the same criteria for all countries.

Mr. President! Dear colleagues, Commissioner! In parallel with many problems, Europe faces one of the greatest challenges of its time, the preservation and development of its talents. Too many of our best people are looking for opportunities beyond our borders, which, of course, we are losing and losing those that are the basis of our economic and social development. If we want to remain globally competitive, then we urgently need to stop this trend. There are currently 3 million unfilled vacancies in the European Union. Young people should be informed about which professions are most in demand during their studies. We have often heard that education systems need to work better with industry and that we need more lifelong learning, accessible not only in big cities but also around them. Of course, within the European Union, there are some countries that are very successful in doing so, and we should learn from them how to match skills, supply and demand in the labour market. Europe must be, because it can be attractive to talent, it is a space that stimulates innovation, where we offer huge business opportunities and, most importantly, we reduce administrative burdens for businesses. It is up to us, dear colleagues, to create such an environment. It is up to us to decide what kind of space we will have.

Thank you very much for your question. Of course, this is a complex matter, but above all, I am afraid that here we are colliding with a rule that we have in the European Union. This is a rule of subsidiarity, where we, too, cannot influence European policies in the way we would like to see all the problems – let us say, in this particular case – solved in the health sector. If this were possible, then I would of course also like the European Commission to come to the rescue and help improve the healthcare system in Slovenia. For it is obvious that my government, which is the left-wing government, is currently unable to solve this problem without the help of the European Union.

Mr President. Dear Commissioner, dear colleagues! A serious crisis in the health system is not a novelty. The fact that more than one million health workers, doctors, nurses and midwives are missing in the European Union is also not new. We also know the reasons why this happened. There's demography in the back. Demography, which means the ageing of our population and greater needs in health care, as well as demography on the part of health workers who retire and cannot find or are not adequately compensated for. However, I clearly believe that working conditions, poor wages and the burnout of health workers are at the forefront here. How have we dealt with this so far? We hired medical staff from abroad outside the European Union. However, I would like to draw attention to something else. Namely, more developed Member States employed health personnel from less developed Member States, causing additional damage and weakening health systems in those Member States that are least resilient. Of course, there are some solutions: long-term, short-term. Above all, we need to improve working conditions and invest further in education and training. However, since my colleagues drew attention to the situation in their countries, what is the situation in my country? I come from Slovenia. Today, as I was preparing for this speech, I looked at the data. If you went for knee surgery to a clinic, an orthopedic clinic in the capital of Slovenia, you would order today and the waiting time is five years. If we had a ‘quick’ referral, the waiting time would be just over four years. But this is no longer a problem of the shortage of health workers, but a problem of the collapse of the health system.

Mr. President! Dear Commissioner Dubravka Šuica! Thank you very much for your presentation today. Thank you, of course, for all the work you have done so far in the field of demography in the previous term. Europe is experiencing a significant decline in birth rates, an increasingly ageing population and marked territorial imbalances. This deep demographic decline has important consequences for social protection systems, for the labour market, for pension systems, for healthcare and for social cohesion, which, of course, requires targeted policies. I am saddened by the fact that the current European Commission does not have a specific department for demography and that this topic is distributed to as many as four Commissioners. The Commission should also be a key player in managing the demographic transition. Demography is not just about the elderly. With the coming demographic winter, all generations, every segment of society, will face difficulties. I therefore believe that the dimension of demography should be included in all the horizontal documents that we adopt at European Union level. I am pleased, however, that the political groups in the European Parliament have recognised the importance of demography and that we have an officially approved demography group in which we will make sure that we do not forget the ageing society, young people and women, the families that are the foundation of our society.

Madam President, honourable Commissioner! Persons with various disabilities are an equal and equal part of society and it is right that they also get equal opportunities in society. Of course, I support the idea of updating the strategy for the rights of people with disabilities, particularly in the field of employment, but at the same time I would like to draw attention to two facts. Firstly, not all people with disabilities should be put in the same bin. Individuals are very different from each other, they have very specific obstacles and therefore also specific needs. For example, a sensory impaired person in the workplace needs completely different adaptations than a physically impaired person. We talk too much about the rights of people with disabilities in general. Each disability has its own specifics, which should be addressed. Secondly, many countries already have well-regulated employment systems for people with disabilities. For example, in addition to promoting employment in the open labour market, the system of sheltered workshops, where at least 40% of persons with disabilities are employed, works very well in Slovenia. They also employ professional staff. Employees have all the support they need. It is a system that has been in operation for over 70 years. Unfortunately, Slovenia was not included in the study that led to the European Commission's new strategy. That is why, of course, we fear that the new strategy would interfere with systems already in place and might jeopardise their implementation. I therefore appeal to you, Commissioner, that the measures proposed and the new strategy must not interfere with the existing solutions on the labour market, which are working very well.

Mr President. In a society where corruption is taken for granted and where independent institutions that should prosecute it do not work, something is gravely wrong. We also have a lot of problems with corruption in Slovenia. We are reminded of this by the European Commission, as shown by the indexes on perceptions of corruption. We have a Prime Minister under investigation by the Anti-Money Laundering Commission for suspicious transactions. We have a mayor of the capital city who is considered corrupt by the majority of the population. We have a police director who is found by a court to be illegally appointed. We have a government that supervisory institutions find has carried out a series of suspicious transactions, thereby damaging public finances. All this is clear and proven, but nothing changes. Obviously, for some who are politically the right color, corruption is allowed. They also have law enforcement and service journalists in their hands to protect them. This is how the circle is closed. Penalties are imposed on those who warn of irregularities, and nothing happens to criminals. I have repeatedly raised the issue of corruption in Slovenia in the past term. Also, the report of the Commission on the Rule of Law is an unreliable document on the state of the country. Today, when we know who held this report, Commissioner Reynders, we no longer wonder why. It's very clear. Dear Commissioner, I hope that you will change this and that the Rule of Law report will become a truly credible document.

Madam President. Today we are deciding on a team that will take care of the welfare of the European Union in the coming years. What am I afraid of? I fear that, despite different forecasts and promises, the Commission would still impose new and new burdens on people, farmers and businesses. I am afraid of what the future of the European Union and the future of Ukraine will be if it is cared for by the Commissioners who were informers of the secret communist police proposed by the pro-Russian Government. There are also 14 Commissioners from my political group on this team. This is not only a great power, it is also a great responsibility and I count on you. What do I expect from the Commission? To protect the European way of life. To protect our European borders. To answer how Europe will survive the international, economic and demographic battle. That you will be transparent, responsible and committed to judging according to the same criteria. Don't disappoint us!