Speeches

Mr President, Good evening, Commissioner. The New European Innovation Agenda is a welcome roadmap explaining the importance of innovation, especially in the context of digitalisation and regional growth. The first thing I would like to highlight is an impressive geographical gap between Member States in terms of attracting investment to businesses and innovation. For example, recent Innovation Fund performance data show that 15 Member States receive only 10% of funding, while six large countries receive 70%. This situation creates a two-speed Europe and hampers the overall growth of the European Union, as promising projects from smaller Member States often do not see daylight. It is also one of the catalysts for the so-called brain drain from countries with more recent innovation ecosystems. It is therefore necessary, as we move forward, to earmark targeted support specifically for those countries that are currently financially disadvantaged. Secondly, I would also like to highlight the cultural and creative sector, which is a huge engine of the European economy, but is still recovering from the effects of the pandemic. Targeted sources of funding, support for this sector is vital for the creation of a common European innovation environment. And finally, we need to make a major leap in the development of higher education in the European Union. At the same time, it is important not only to educate new talent, but also to ensure that they remain in Europe and strengthen the region's competitiveness and growth.

President, I would like to talk about the report's recognition that if all the people of the world were to consume as much natural resources as the people of the European Union, then two commas of eight globes would be needed to sustain this demand. In this context, I would like to ask colleagues whether we should look more critically at the shadows of the European way of life. Obviously, not everything that has developed through the centuries in Western European culture is protected and encouraged, and here I am thinking precisely of consumer culture. Unfortunately, the report does not talk about whether I would even say ignoring the cultural dimension, but it is culture as a set of values, way of life and forms of coexistence that most directly affects our choices and actions in everyday life. Of course, education plays an invaluable role here. The result expected in 2030 is an era of new quality, but that is not possible with an old-minded society. Education must therefore truly be at the top of the sustainable development agenda, and culture must also play its role as a vector of values.

Madam President, Colleagues, The war in Ukraine is also a cultural war. In his essay of 12 July 2021 on the historical unity of Russians and Ukrainians, Putin claims that Russians and Ukrainians are one people, one whole, part of the same historical and spiritual space. Pseudo historian Putin writes a story of Ukrainian history, culture and language, which serves as an ideological basis for the occupation and annexation of the independent Ukrainian state. In his essay, Putin also claims to respect Ukrainian language and traditions and the desire of Ukrainians to see their country free, safe and prosperous. But in reality we see bombed Ukrainian cities, destroyed and looted cultural heritage and cultural sites. We have just received a message that the Russian authorities in occupied Mariupol have demolished a monument to the Holodomor terror, claiming that it was a symbol of political disinformation. Therefore, in the spirit of solidarity measures in support of Ukrainian culture, I call for an anti-Kremlin response to manipulation and barbarism by investing in research and the dissemination of knowledge about both Ukraine’s history and its unique and rich culture and language. We also need to offer diverse and continuous support to Ukrainian artists and cultural workers and support the protection and restoration of Ukraine's cultural heritage through existing European Union programmes and the creation of new initiatives. For example, the New European Bauhaus could be an excellent platform for rebuilding Ukraine’s cultural space. In my country, Latvia, the State Culture Capital Foundation has established a programme of creative scholarships for Ukrainian creative people who have found refuge in Latvia, and I believe that each Member State of the European Union can plan special targeted programmes to support creative work and co-working of outgoing Ukrainian cultural people.

Mr President, Commissioner, the European Parliament’s Culture and Education Committee is delighted to witness a real progress being made in order to strive for establishing a European education area by 2025. The three proposals for the Council recommendations, namely to develop a European approach to micro—credentials, individual learning accounts, as well as learning for environmental sustainability, are a welcome start. At the European Parliament we have five priorities for these three aforementioned proposals. First, that these initiatives make learning paths more inclusive, accessible and flexible. Second, that they broaden learning opportunities for all. Third, that they foster mutual recognition of qualifications across all Member States. Fourth that they create ties between lifelong learning on the one hand and the digital and green transitions on the other hand. And fifth, that they strengthen the role played by higher education, vocational education and training institutions throughout people’s life. We believe the EU must support Member States to establish high—quality, competitive and tailored education frameworks that cater for everyone, everywhere and according to their specific needs. Micro—credentials and individual learning accounts are pieces in the puzzle that will aid these objectives. What is more, we need to ensure that educational attainments are recognised throughout the Union, as removing such barriers would help promote educational and professional mobility and, by extension, the economic growth and social development of the EU. Even though the European Parliament is not the decision—maker in the adoption of these three Council resolutions, we see it as our responsibility to support the Commission and the Council and the Member States by providing political guidance. It is essential that each building block contributes towards achieving a true and comprehensive European education area. With this in mind, I have seven questions on behalf of the Culture Committee. First, how will the Commission and the Council ensure that the relevant Council recommendations and other initiatives come together to create a clearly visible and coherent European education area, including flexible, high—quality learning paths for EU citizens? And second, do the Council and the Commission intend to promote the recognition of non—formal and informal learning experiences such as volunteering and youth work through micro—credentials? Will this pave the way for a framework for the recognition and automatic transfer of skills and competences acquired through informal and non-formal learning? Third, will the Member States include strategies in the plans they submit to make micro—credentials relevant and accessible to those who are usually left behind? We believe that lifelong learning is key to personal development and well-being, as well as upward social mobility. So we also would like to ask how will the right options be determined for everyone without eliminating alternative choices which may not seem suitable initially? Then, fifth question, will the successful pilot model used to launch the European Universities Initiative be replicated in order to encourage Member States to make significant legislative and administrative efforts to adopt micro—credentials as a European tool to certify learning outcomes? What will the Member States do with the Council and the Commission’s support to develop a coherent approach and to achieve the goals of the European Green Deal? Will there be adequate funding and support to embed sustainability in all processes and deliver a systemic change in education and training? And finally, what are the Commission, the Council and the Member States doing to develop within the European Education Area the knowledge, attitudes and skills needed to carry out ambitious plans to better protect Europe’s rich cultural heritage from the impact of climate change and make greener choices for new cultural buildings?

President, Dear Commissioner, Dear colleagues, Last Thursday, during a visit to Ukraine by the UN Secretary-General, Russia fired missiles on Kyiv. This symbolic desire of Putin to humiliate the UN unfortunately also claimed the life of Radio Svoboda journalist Vira Hiriča, who is the twenty-third journalist killed in this war. Some of these journalists have been deliberately killed by the Russian army as they carry out their professional duties. Putin's vision of the world has no place for truth and facts. Conquerors and rapers are carriers of peace, genocide is release, loss is victory. Independent journalism interferes with this vision of the world. This is why it is no longer possible in Russia – it is necessary to lie or silence. Many journalists have thus left their homeland, forced to flee to the European Union in the hope of continuing to work in a safe environment. But Putin has never confined himself to the destruction of freedom of expression in Russia alone. In the digital environment, Kremlin propagandists, bots and trolls attack independent media that denounce war crimes in Ukraine, block their accounts and content. This is the geopolitical context in which we must look at the safety and protection of journalists today. At the same time, we must not forget about the social security of journalists, which has been exacerbated by the fall in media revenues. We must finally adopt a legal framework against strategic lawsuits, and the new framework for the digital environment must also make platforms responsible for the protection of journalists. Similarly, the EU must specifically support independent media and journalists in the regions most exposed to the Kremlin. And finally, we must stop treating Kremlin propaganda as journalism and provide it with European cable and satellite resources, but we must support independent Russian media and journalists. Similarly, our support is needed for Ukrainian journalists who, together with defenders of their land, are fighting for their freedom.

Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues. A strong and harmonised legal framework for data management is an important step to address existing data security concerns and open up more possibilities for data use in the EU. In this way, we would also make an additional contribution to national economies. The analogy of data as oil of the twenty-first century remains unquestionably relevant. The EU must therefore ensure that innovation is based on transparent and good quality data. It also means that the European Union must not build a fortress around itself, indirectly creating new barriers to digitisation and data circulation with the rest of the world. It is international cooperation that has been the region's historical success formula, and this approach must continue and also boost the digital economy. The European Union and the Member States must also direct more financial and other resources towards the development and application of new technologies. There is a clear lack of both private and public investment in artificial intelligence and other high-tech areas in the EU. If we want to be at the forefront of the digital age, in addition to legislation, we also need determined action, including on securing funding.

Good morning, colleagues! Since 24 February, when Russia launched brutal hostilities in Ukraine, in a short space of time, many theoretically and academically described probabilities have become a harsh reality in our report on foreign interference in European democratic processes. In front of our eyes, Putin's military literally destroys a free and independent state, punishing it for its efforts to choose the course and values of Western democracy. Today, we must ask ourselves openly whether we have been blinding ourselves for too long to the various attempts of Kremlin interference in the electoral processes of the Member States of the European Union, the financing of political parties, the economy, energy, the banking sector, culture and education, and also in the information space, including by allowing the Kremlin to use freedom of expression as a cover for its disinformation and propaganda operations. The current situation shows harshly that democracies need to be able to protect themselves, and now our urgent task is to provide immediate and adequate support to independent media, journalists and fact-checkers from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, including versions forced to stop their activities in their home countries and work – or want to return to work – in the EU. Secondly, the entire Kremlin propaganda machine must be targeted in the European Union. Mr Borrell, Russia Today and Sputnik is only a small part of the Kremlin's disinformation army. Kremlin ruins such as Rossiya RTR, Rossiya 24, TV Center International, NTV, REN TV, Belarus 24 and others remain widely available in many countries of the European Union. Right here in Strasbourg, the hotel has free access to three open war propaganda TV channels. In one of them, the Russian occupiers or ‘peace carriers’ (‘miratvorci’), as the Kremlin ruins call it, drew congratulations to Donbas women with a tank barrel and spreads lies on a news ribbon against the background of this cynical work of art that Ukraine categorically refuses to evacuate its population and that the army uses them as shields for its tanks. I have to ask, colleagues, whether we want to call it and defend it as freedom of expression right here in our European Union. Thank you to my colleague Sandra Kalniete for her titanic work.

Dear Chair, As the European Year of Youth, 2022 is undoubtedly a good opportunity for young people to raise their own concerns and take greater responsibility for the implementation of these challenges and initiatives. But we need to understand that the quality of participation is important. And the quality does not arise in an empty place. We therefore need to think about how to combine incentives for youth participation with targeted support, with targeted training programmes. It is important that the European Union stimulates youth leadership and civic education programmes. The second point to note is that the term ‘youth’ is very inclusive and it is very good that we are talking about reaching out to passive young people. But I would like to talk about another aspect, namely that there is a big difference between those who are young people who are still underage and those who are 25 or over. And, as various studies show, education and climate matters are important for younger youth, while economic growth and employment matters are important for older people. One of the issues raised during this session, unpaid traineeships, has not been raised without justification. We are also talking too little about the fact that, in many Member States, young professionals are being forced to dedicate an increasing proportion of their resources to housing rents, while purchasing their first home is becoming increasingly difficult to reach. I therefore hope that the European Year of Youth will help us to raise awareness of this wide range of youth issues and create new solutions.

Good evening, colleagues! Good evening, Commissioner. I believe that we should see the European Education Area as one of the decisive initiatives for the future of Europe. If we want to see the European Union as a region of excellence, global competitiveness, creative diversity and sustainability, we need a smart society motivated by lifelong learning. However, the ambitious rhetoric of the European Union must also be accompanied by adequate action, for example, initiatives to improve digital skills must be able to reach the entire population of the European Union. When pursuing the objectives of the European Education Area, the different starting points and opportunities of the Member States must be taken into account, and we must not find ourselves in a situation where the common approach does not reduce, but even deepens, the gap between Member States. On the other hand, if we really want to develop technologies and other key sectors for the future, we need to invest more in so-called smart specialisation education, and here I see a special role for the European Universities initiative. Some indicators are unfortunately not flattering for the European Union, for example, there are more Bachelor level AI training programmes in Great Britain than in the European Union as a whole. Similarly, the countries of the European Union are not among the top ten universities in the world in computer science. It is natural that Europe already lacks professionals with advanced digital skills, which is one of the explanations why we do not have our own, world-renowned, tech giant. I therefore hope that university alliances and other initiatives supported by the European Education Area will be able to offer solutions to such future challenges.

Mr President, Dear colleagues, This is a truly crucial moment to strengthen the European Union's media and audiovisual sectors. Unfortunately, the media ecosystem was already fragile before the pandemic. The last ten years have signalled that the state of media freedom has deteriorated significantly and that there are real risks to media diversity. The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened existing challenges and created new ones. Audiences are shifting even faster to internet platforms. Money is flowing mainly to global players, not to European players, who do not invest properly back into the European media ecosystem. Last year, European media experienced a significant drop in advertising, which is one of the main sources of revenue for the media sector. For example, in my country, Latvia, the media advertising market fell by 16%; Facebook and Google only the ability to accumulate three times more advertising revenue from the Latvian media market than local players. In the audiovisual sector, on the other hand, cinemas’ and distributors’ cash receipts have fallen by 70% overall due to the COVID-19 pandemic and film production activity has fallen by 30%. At the same time, the COVID-19 crisis has reinforced the importance of quality journalism. Today, the professional and operational work of journalists in the context of the pandemic comes at a cost of life. In this context, we consider the European Commission's Action Plan "Europe's Media in the Digital Decade" as a good starting point. I will address some of the policy initiatives contained in the European Parliament’s report. Firstly, we call for significantly increased financial support for the news media and the audiovisual sector at European Union and Member State level. There is a need to increase the available funding already in the current multiannual budget programmes, including Horizon Europe, Digital Europe and cohesion funds. Member States are also invited to provide support to the media through their national recovery plans, as well as to implement media-friendly tax policies. In the report, we welcome the new Creative Europe cross-sectoral strand and initiative News. At the same time, however, we would point out that the support available is not sufficient in relation to the range of urgent problems that need to be addressed. We call for the establishment of a permanent European Union media fund with adequate funding in the next multiannual budget of the European Union, and here it should be added that any public funding to the media must be based on the so-called arms-lenght principle, fully guaranteeing editorial and artistic freedom. We also call for a level playing field that ensures a level playing field for media with platforms. Publicity in the functioning of algorithmic systems and in advertising rules should be provided for by law. We also need to ensure that global digital platforms, like the media, pay fair taxes. Part of this income must return to the bloodstream of the news media and audiovisual sectors in the Member States. The report also calls for the European audiovisual and cinema heritage to be made more accessible to audiences and for support to be given to its digitisation. The Commission is also invited to develop a toolkit for film literacy. Film literacy needs to be mainstreamed at all levels of education, thus helping young people in particular to become more familiar with the diversity and history of European cultures. Dear colleagues, In conclusion, I invite us to be aware that the situations in the media markets of the European Union are drastically different. Media operating in smaller markets, including smaller countries, local, regional, cultural and other niche media face additional challenges. Here, market principles are not able to ensure an economically viable media business. In addition, some Member States, such as the Baltic States, also face high geopolitical risks due to malicious interference by third countries in the information space. Finally, I would like to thank the shadow rapporteurs and their teams, the CULT secretariat, the news media and the audiovisual industry for their contributions to the report.

Dear Chair, Good evening, colleagues! the documents just released by the former employee make it clear that we have been lying for years saying that it is fighting disinformation. knows clearly that its algorithms amplify hate speech, lies, conspiracy theories and fake news. know that this platform is used by authoritarian states to manipulate elections, both at home and in our democracies. have the means to prevent this. Instead of public health and safety, however, management obviously opts for profit. We therefore need to further develop the Digital Services Act so that researchers and journalists have access to data, that regulators have the right to impose penalties if global players deliberately continue to amplify disinformation, and that very large online platforms are obliged to devote adequate resources to content moderation and ensure communication with users in every official language of the European Union.

Mr President, I represent Latvia in the European Parliament, which is located in the immediate geopolitical vicinity of Russia. And our history, unfortunately, teaches us not to cherish naive illusions in relations with Russian authoritarian regimes. Through disinformation and other forms of hybrid interference, Russia – the Kremlin – is also now constantly interfering in the internal policies of our country and trying to divide our societies, including Putin’s active support for the Belarusian dictator Lukashenko, including its hybrid attack, which is currently cynically organising migrant flows to Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Strengthening independent media is one of the answers to the Kremlin's manipulation. The European Union has taken the first steps towards a comprehensive media policy, and I am convinced that as part of it, we need to establish a strong European Media Fund. Adequate support for independent media is needed both within the European Union, with a particular focus on those countries bordering Russia, and for the free media of the Eastern Partnership countries and Russia, as this makes it possible to expose Putin's authoritarian regime and strengthen hope among the peoples of Russia and Belarus that change is possible.

Hello, Madam President, Colleagues, Dear Mr Borrell, Disinformation campaigns, political and economic interference from countries such as Russia and China are everyday life for us and our neighbours. We therefore need to significantly strengthen the capacity of the European External Action Service's operational teams and of all the European institutions. As the representative of the Baltic States, I would like to stress that the resources of the East StratCom Task Force are still insufficient, but that is also not enough for us. We need to increase the security of all sectors of society, paying particular attention to the democratic support provided by free media. Media in Europe have been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis and need our substantial support. It should be noted that the media in Russia and Belarus are additionally confronted with a brutal power of power. The destruction of independent media by Putin and Lukashenko has forced many Russian and Belarusian professional journalists, even entire media outlets, to seek refuge in the European Union. At the moment, the return of these journalists and media organisations to their home country is not possible, journalists face harassment, punishments and arrests. Authoritarian leaders continue to threaten these media, even in the safe countries of the European Union, cutting off their financial flows and access to information. Therefore, we need to put in place new support measures that help Russian and Belarusian journalists and media editors to continue their work from the safe area of the European Union, so that they can continue to expose the criminal activities of authoritarian power and prevent the citizens of their countries from losing hope. That is why we must also continue to support the remaining independent media on the ground in Russia and Belarus. As independent local journalism in Russia and Belarus is being silenced by force, we also need to significantly increase the presence of European Union reporters in these countries, providing them with protection. It is high time for us to be proactive in order not to lose access to objective information about what is happening in these neighbouring countries.