Speeches

Mr President, dear colleagues, in fact, we all probably understand that Ukraine needs peace today. This is what is needed most. But the war also affected other areas. And, in fact, if there is a shortage of food in Ukraine, there will be a shortage of food in the world too, so we have to make every effort, we have to hear what Ukraine is saying to help them sow as much as possible. This is the time, there is no time to wait. And, indeed, the more Ukraine sows, the more opportunities we will have here in Europe to run our various programmes. And secondly, we need to help export routes. The main source of exports from Ukraine is seaports. Ports are occupied, mined and cannot operate today. We also need to pay attention and help. Even if we grow, we will not be able to move.

Mr President, colleagues, it has been a month of this war, this horror. Have we done enough to bring peace? I think not. We must not only listen, but also hear Ukraine, what it needs and how much we can help it. I think it is time to decide on candidate status. I also believe that we must increase sanctions against Russia. It is already clear to everyone that we must abandon Russian fossil fuels and not finance the war machine. The data provided by the Commission show that Europe is fully self-sufficient in both gas and fossil fuels before winter. Let's stop manipulative as well. And if we have cut off Russia's access to SWIFT, then we will cut off all banks, not just some.

Mr President, Mr Prime Minister, colleagues. When Putin started this war, I hope that we all learned to listen more carefully to the warnings, because the Baltic countries have been talking about the Kremlin's plans for a long time. Secondly, we are still learning, but we are starting to respond more quickly to challenges. This is also reflected in the speed with which sanctions are adopted. Thirdly, we have clearly realised that only a global partnership with other countries can deliver significant results. I hope that we have understood that empty speeches about the autonomy of the European Union will not change the situation - we need to act purposefully and quickly. Prime Minister, how likely is it that the Council will take a decision to phase out Russian fossil fuels? And when can we expect a decision on Ukraine's invitation to the European Union?

Mr President, resources have become a political tool. In order to prevent manipulation, we need to direct investment as quickly as possible towards ensuring the independence of the European Union. Let us really speed up the reduction of the use of fossil fuels, uranium, coal. More importantly, we need to make a principled decision not to support Russia’s war with our money. We will stop importing gas and oil from Russia. The analysis you provide, the Commission, says that states can do without Russian energy before winter. As you know, today it is announced that the United States and Britain have already made decisions to abandon Russian fossil fuels. Today, this step is being postponed in order to protect the economy, the people. But will there be anything to protect if Putin's army starts bombing our cities as well? Dedicate funds to the most vulnerable groups. Share the available infrastructure in your Member States, minimising possible negative consequences. Together we can do it!

Mr President, honourable Commissioner, colleagues, this is indeed a matter of particular importance, because, as we know, we need food every day and not once. And we all know that the situation in this area has been difficult and that it is getting worse now. It is just that the new period has received almost 10% less funding than the previous period, as well as about €10 billion for research, the results of which are not yet visible, namely in agriculture. This is really worrying. And I am very pleased to hear, on the one hand, that the Commission knows the situation, has the data, but, on the other hand, that it only has the data and knows the situation – very little: say that in two, five years you will be able to do this and that, to use different fertilizers or other technologies. The farmer does not produce fertilizers, the farmer does not produce machinery. Farmers are taking advantage of what the industry does. Farmers use technologies that have been approved. Indeed, if there are no quick decisions (not to mention the fact that agriculture in individual countries is deteriorating and shrinking sufficiently), then we will face ever-increasing prices, because the farmer will either produce or put it on the market at higher prices – he has no other choice. This is a very important issue and solutions are needed today. It is not that we will receive a new CFP, new strategic plans, but they will not decide anything at all if the prices of energy, fertilisers and other things remain so high. Another thing. If there may be a smaller impact in one country, there may be a very large impact in another, as the support gap between countries today reaches almost three times. This is to be understood as meaning that in individual countries, such as my own country, in the Eastern countries, the benefits are only around 70%. Average of the European Union. If it is difficult for those countries where payments are twice as high and energy prices are very similar everywhere, then the problems are even greater for those countries where payments are low. I also want to say that we must pay attention to the fact that each country produces those essential food products that are needed so that we do not transport them from one country of the European Union to another, so that the first supplies are in that country. I wish you success and look forward to solutions.

Thank you, Mr President. Mr President, dear colleagues. The Kremlin continues to escalate military conflicts, carry out politically motivated killings, destroy democratic remnants in its country, end up exerting pressure through gas price manipulation, and generate huge export profits in the shadow of sanctions. Putin wants to decide what future sovereign countries should choose. I would like to ask you directly: Why is this the case? Because Europe is constantly trying to navigate because it is dependent on Russian resources. When does Europe really promise to achieve strategic autonomy and be able to counter hostile EU regimes with effective solutions rather than words? Long live Ukraine.

Thank you, Mr President. Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues. Cancer does not have to be a death sentence. We have set this objective in this special committee, and I am pleased that both the chair of the committee supported it and the rapporteur has tried to ensure that the proposal, which improves the Commission's proposal, actually addresses this issue. This is the question of today, not tomorrow. And it was not in vain that all my colleagues, the members of the committee and myself made dozens of proposals. As many as one thousand seven hundred proposals from parliamentarians have been tabled, and I am very pleased that the rapporteur has taken the utmost account, put together the main points and actually produced a good document. But how the situation changes in Europe will determine how it is implemented by the Commission, how we find the necessary resources and how it is implemented by individual Member States. Undoubtedly, this problem also exists today in the best Member States. Not to mention, in those countries, especially, let's say, in my country, in the Eastern countries, the situation is even worse. For example, the prices of medicines vary up to 10 times. This report, this proposal, has to solve this issue: medicines have to cost all Europeans equally and, in terms of medicines, it cannot be that people can get treatment in one country and cannot get it in another. The same applies to the right to forget. This is today's issue and it is up to Parliament, the Commission and the Member States to start. We must end the discrimination against people who have had cancer, both in financial institutions and, of course, in employers. Thank you. Good luck with this document.

Mr President, dear colleagues, the pandemic has been going on for two years and will certainly not end soon. Today we need a clearer, simpler and more uniform order. Different rules in the countries of the European Union cause confusion, dissatisfaction and cost a lot of time. Different forms, different sworn declarations, different colours of countries – is this the best we can create today? I invite the Council, the Commission to agree on a unified recognition of the COVID certificate, a unified passenger registration system. What is more, we need a unified approach from the European Union on travel to third countries. We also need to work with partners in third countries to ensure that these countries apply the same rules to those coming from the European Union. Let's put an end to this confusion.

Mr President, honourable Commissioner, colleagues, Putin is calling on the world's most powerful countries to share their zones of influence. He initiates a new Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and says Ukraine belongs to him. This is not an unexpected manoeuvre. This was gradually followed up. The Kremlin's propaganda during the referendum in the Netherlands sought to close the way for Ukraine to move closer to the European Union. The current objective is to prevent Ukraine from becoming a member of NATO. Despite Putin's vicissitudes, we have so far been unable to concentrate and stop him. In 2020, EU countries imported nearly €108 billion worth of goods from Russia. We have become another country dependent on Russian raw materials. I invite you to show, not through speeches, but through deeds, that Ukraine has the right to choose its own path.

Mr President, honourable Commissioner, honourable colleagues, the European Union's dependence on energy imports is as high as 61%, according to the Commission. This is the highest level in the last 30 years! This is particularly shocking given that Germany is ready to legitimise the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and tie Europe even more to Russian gas. Honourable Commissioner, how many billions of dollars does Europe spend every year to buy imported energy? If such amounts were invested annually in renewable sources, we would have been independent, greener and richer a long time ago. Can you specify a specific date when we will see the results of the work? We have been talking for years about the need to produce energy in the European Union, and in reality we are becoming increasingly dependent on third countries.

Dear President, Minister, Commissioner, dear colleagues, today we are testing whether we will be able to remain united, uphold our values and be able to overcome crises. We must resist attacks at our borders by all means and take effective sanctions against those who use migrants, and more precisely tourists in this case, to pursue political aims, including financial sanctions, and to reimburse the European Union's expenditure. The dictator Lukashenko and Putin value, of course, only strength. If we want to survive and strengthen, we must all speak with one voice in such crises. Individual states cannot be allowed to negotiate with the dictator or suspend sanctions to defend their economic interests. They have to hit where it hurts the most. Belavios and all airlines with economic links to this company must be on the sanctions list. On the other hand, we must not forget both migrants, as I said, in this case tourists, and countries that are currently defending the border of the European Union. No one should be left alone.

Mr President, honourable Commissioner, colleagues, it would indeed be better to praise and thank how much we have all worked and what a good document we have done. But, unfortunately, I want to say that the new CAP does not address social inequalities, nor does it respond to environmental objectives, nor does it contribute to cutting red tape. For at least five years, we will divide farmers into equals and more equals by allocating direct payments based on historical data instead of today's reality, thus distorting competition and breaking promises made before 2013. We have not been able to agree on a list of effective echo schemes, leaving decisions to be made on a country-by-country basis – we have created chaos that will prevent climate commitments from being reached. Well, I think that if we do not have twenty-seven, we will have at least fifteen CAPs in Europe. Not to mention small-scale farmers and the development of organic farms, which we have intended to do without devoting practically all the resources needed for this. This is indeed a high degree of flexibility, which allows Member States to make a variety of choices that will prevent successful implementation. I call on you not to support this CAP project.

Mr President, honourable High Representative of the EU, colleagues, we must recognise that our actions at the borders of Poland, Latvia and Lithuania are failing. Migration has not started today, but so far no measures have been found that would substantially address the problem. I do not understand why we are fighting fires at the border of the European Union and we are doing so little that those fires are expanding. Belarus, with the help of Russia, is trying to destabilise the situation in the European Union. Lavrov proposes that the European Union pay money to Belarus, as it does to Turkey, to stop migrants. We are openly being bullied, and we are still discussing what to do. How long will it last? Countries that protect the European Union's external borders must receive maximum support as soon as possible. We need to know the European Union's clear position on how to deal with migrants and have the means to take care of the people included in Lukashenka's dirty plan. Thank you.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, this crisis is a test for the wisdom of our governments. It is possible to artificially lower the price of energy for everyone, but this means that we will not only support the poor, but also the rich with taxpayers' money. And it does not matter whether the energy is produced from polluting fossil fuels or clean green fuels. Residents and businesses are now being held hostage in cities that have succumbed to gas lobbies and failed to make the transition to local renewable resources. Such a city, unfortunately, is also the capital of Lithuania Vilnius, where heating bills are increasing by as much as 20%. This crisis has shown that gas terminals alone will not solve the issue of lower prices. Wise governments should take urgent action instead of loud speeches and the search for enemies and urgently invest massively in energy saving, building renovation, green energy for the development of local resources.