Speeches

Mr President, Madam Commissioner, I wholeheartedly support the idea of a negotiated two-State solution. It would bring an end to a long-lasting conflict in the Middle East and allow the states of Israel and Palestine to live side by side with guarantees for the region’s peace and security. Unfortunately, we have witnessed the continuation of the political stalemate and an increase of escalation with the use of military power, incitement to violence and terrorist attacks against security forces and citizens. These actions are incompatible with the peaceful resolution to the conflict and also further settlements would undermine the process. With the Abraham Accords, Israel has shown its wish to better its relations with the other Arab states. It also recently settled the maritime dispute with Lebanon. Based on these improvements with the region, parties can build the support to resume the negotiations, which did not take place since 2014. Peace in the Middle East is a key priority for the EU and we have to continue investing in the trust building and reconciliation process. I urge the External Action Service and EU Member States to enhance their cooperation with the parties involved and work towards the normalisation of relations and to oppose any acts that undermine the prospect of a two-State solution.

Mr President, Commissioner, I deeply deplore the recent attacks against the educational institutions in Afghanistan and call on the authorities to hold those responsible accountable. The deteriorating situation for women and girls in Afghanistan continues to be of grave concern. Since the Taliban took power, they have undone women’s position in society, removed them from public life, closed secondary schools for girls, and restricted women’s right to freedom of movement, employment and political participation. I strongly condemn this systematic rollback. With our resolution, we send a strong message of support to all those women and girls that are affected. We demand respect for and protection of their rights. We urge to ensure that broad education is equally accessible for all, for boys and girls, and in line with UNESCO’s standards and principles. In the end, I was in Peshawar five years ago, where they repatriated these women. I still remember the sad eyes of the girl who spoke to me and who said that the only thing she wants in her life is to get an education, but her father doesn’t allow her that. She is in Afghanistan somewhere now. I wish her well and I wish that her situation changes.

Dear Chairman, Dear Commissioner Várhelyi, (Please I will speak Croatian.) in one minute it is difficult to say what this strategy should mean for the Western Balkans, but here, the focus is as always on what has not been done and what needs to be done. My message for Bosnia and Herzegovina is congratulations, I see that coalitions are being formed. I want the future coalition to finally amend the electoral law and make constitutional changes that will put Bosnia and Herzegovina at the forefront of the Western Balkans in the European Union. There's no time. We lost time. This is the last moment when people can reason and instead of emigrating what Bosnia and Herzegovina has best, leave it to build a country, a country of peace, a country of stability, a country that will expand and that will pull the Western Balkans forward. And for everyone else, respect the minorities, respect all those who are not different and who are smaller and weaker than you, because this alone will lead you to Europe. Congratulations.

Dear President, Honourable Vice-President of the Commission, Honourable Commissioner Schinas, Honourable Ambassador Andrassy, first of all I would like to congratulate here and my colleagues and all those who are here with us to celebrate Croatia's entry into the Schengen zone. The most responsible for tonight's celebration is here and our rapporteur Mr. Rangel, I congratulate you for all the commitment you have made to emphasize the importance and everything that the Croatian police, the Croatian Government has done in the past period once again to show that Croatia is the best student of all countries, who have tried, and after one difficult and painstaking effort achieved, to get such a satisfactory assessment for entering the Schengen. Croatia is a country that has defended its territory without anyone's help, Croatia is a country that helps the Western Balkans, Croatia is a country that pulls Bosnia and Herzegovina forward and Croatia is a country that will justify all your expectations and I thank all colleagues, from the left to the right spectrum of this house that I will support massively tomorrow and show that Croatia should celebrate the entry into the eurozone and the entry into the Schengen area in December. Congratulations again and thank you and good luck.

Madam President, I would like to congratulate the Commissioner on the enlargement package. The biggest news of this year’s enlargement package is the welcoming recommendation to grant Bosnia and Herzegovina candidate status. I appreciate the call in the report that it is an utmost priority to conclude the electoral reform according to the Constitutional and International Court’s decision, and to accommodate all three constituent people, namely Croats, Bosniaks and Serbs and other minorities in its joint European future. Since the terrible war of aggression against Ukraine started, the EU showed that it will not leave its eastern borders unprotected and it granted candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova. Candidate status for Bosnia and Herzegovina means that we also care for the security on our southern border. Enlargement was, is and will be more than anything else a peace and security project. Therefore, I call on all the countries in the Western Balkans to carefully read these reports as constructive criticism from a friend, from family, and to do the necessary homework to catch up on this momentum. At this moment, all European capitals are focusing on enlargement. Hesitation would be detrimental for the future of Western Balkan countries. Our doors are open and it is cold out there for those who are not part of the family.

Madam President, Vice-President Šefčovič, Minister Bek, ahead of the Council summit. I would like to praise the mediation efforts of President Michel between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It is a good example where the European Council plays a role in providing a platform for warring parties and supports the dialogue towards sustainable peace. Unfortunately, similar European efforts of preventive diplomacy are lacking in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Actions such as high-level mediation are needed to stabilise the situation and conclude the final agreement on the necessary electoral reform. The recent Commission recommendation labelled it as the ‘utmost priority’, and so it is for EU Member State Croatia and for European peace and security in general. We need to find to find this just solution for the electoral law that will take into account all three communities and other citizens of a country that went through a terrible war and is still the living consequences of this tragedy. We should not let our transatlantic partners do our job. Let us take our responsibilities and not leave this country up to an experiment and too cold winter for all of those who are left beyond the borders of European Union.

Mr President, High Representative, I deeply regret the death of Mahsa Amini. She was arrested for improperly wearing the hijab, a symbol of faith. She had to experience an inexplicable amount of violence by the Iranian morality police, which led to her death. And it’s as if the faith can come from the force. God is not in beating, but in loving. I strongly condemn the excessive actions by the Iranian authorities against the nationwide protests that have erupted after the incidents. The Iranian people are gathering in the streets to call for freedom – freedom of religion, freedom to exercise their basic human rights. Iran is a party to several international human rights treaties, but they fail to implement the binding principles enshrined in these legal documents. I call on our European diplomatic services and the international community to monitor this process and to push for objective investigation of all other arrests and incidents related to the protests.

Madam President, Madam Commissioner, on 19 August this year, the Bishop of Matagalpa, Ronaldo Álvarez, together with other clerics, was arbitrarily arrested and placed under house arrest by the Nicaraguan regime. I condemn in the strongest possible terms the politically biased arrests and the persecution of the Catholic Church and others in Nicaragua and call for the immediate release of those arbitrarily detained. Bishop Álvarez is publicly outspoken and openly calls for the respect of democracy and freedom of religion in his country. I lived all my life with similar histories that the Communist regime did in my country. The Bishop Čule of Mostar, who was held in a prison for 10 years because he wanted to build a cathedral in a town where it was never allowed until the ‘80s, or with Cardinal Stepinac, who was poisoned in prison for defending his people and the right to freedom of religion. I praised all the groups that they finally understand that the persecution of Christians and Catholics and the church that stands with their people, that it is important in this place that we speak about that. With this resolution, we repeat the message and show support to the people of Nicaragua and the Catholic Church. We will remain with that. And I will finish and close with Cardinal Stepinac’s words, ‘when they take everything away from you, the only things you have is two hands; you start praying and you are the strongest then’.

Dear President, Honourable Commissioner. Tomorrow we are voting on the New European Bauhaus report we have been working on for the last year, which for many was not a clear concept when it was proposed at the start of this Commission's work. Since then, this concept has gained visibility through the joint work of all those who want Europe in the future to be primarily a comfortable place to live for all our citizens wherever they live, from the most remote islands and villages to cities and urban areas, so that the construction of the Europe of the future is safe and stylishly adapted to our rich historical and cultural heritage in accordance with the needs of the modern way of life, and above all a healthy and beautiful environment for our youngest and oldest members of society, who were most exposed in this pandemic, earthquakes, floods and fires. The main message of the New European Bauhaus, which we will vote on tomorrow, and which I had the honour of working on behalf of the EPP Group, is precisely the fact that the future architecture of happiness will not only be the privilege of the more developed and rich, but also the refuge of the weakest. I congratulate my fellow rapporteurs for their excellent work and call on the European Commission and the Member States to create, in line with this report, a sustainable tool to implement the vision of a human-centric Europe.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, as this report states, the security, prosperity and stability of our European Union are dependent on the security, prosperity and stability of our neighbourhood. With our dedicated strategy, we can build on the existing partnership and work on a common political agenda and reforms benefiting us all. Coming from a country at the European external border, I can’t stress enough the need to cooperate on migration. Our southern neighbourhood is still a point of passage for thousands of people trying to reach our borders via irregular migration routes. The political instability in the region serves human traffickers, extremists and other criminal organisations. We should engage with our partner countries to strengthen judicial and police cooperation with the EU and continue the development of effective return and readmission cooperation. Meanwhile, our investment in the regions should lead to better socio—economic standards and build a thriving business climate. Economic diversification and education should foster innovation. As partners, we can help the region to become more thriving and more prospering.

Madam President, dear colleagues, the Three Seas Initiative has been established at the joint initiative of Croatia by our former President, Madam Grabar—Kitarović, and Poland during the inaugural summit in Dubrovnik in 2016. It’s encouraging to see the continued common commitment of the 12 Member States and their partner countries to boost cooperation in matters of energy, digitalisation and transport. By joining forces in the investment of infrastructure we strengthen regional interconnectivity and mutual support while reducing the dependency on energy suppliers such as Russia. By strengthening the north—south axis and stimulating these countries’ cohesive economic development we also contribute to the strategic sovereignty of the European Union. As an initiator of the format, Croatia has delivered on its promises by the construction of the LNG terminal on the island of Krk. At the latest Three Seas Initiative Forum, Prime Minister Plenković even announced Croatia’s commitment to increase its terminal’s capacity to more than double the current maximum. We can only tackle the question of energy security and resilience through close cross—border cooperation, and the Three Seas Initiative offers concrete solutions.

Mr President, today is a very interesting day. We voted the report on Bosnia and Herzegovina, where an overwhelming majority rejected the Strategic Compass – the document that was intended to prevent and to start having a real policy on the security and safety of European Union. We are discussing the Northern Ireland Protocol Agreement and the Good Friday Agreement. The UK Government is trying to play its part in the Western Balkans, and everywhere around, in order to cover up what they are doing in Northern Ireland. So I think that we should start paying attention in respecting the Dayton/Paris Peace Agreement and the Good Friday Agreement, and to start to do preventive diplomacy and pay attention to power—sharing governments everywhere in the world, in order to preserve peace and security for all the citizens.

Madam President, the countries in the Western Balkans need a sincere and credible European perspective. From their side, the enlargement countries should show their willingness to adhere to European values, standards and principles. Serbia has made considerable progress on its reform agenda, but still has not delivered on a few critical aspects. While facing the security threats in the east of Europe, it should be clear that no further integration can happen without clear alignment with our common foreign and security policy. I welcome that the representative of the Croatian minority was elected in the recent election to the Serbian Parliament. However, minority rights of the Croatian community in Serbia, and especially the status of non-discriminatory use of the Croatian language, are still below European standards. This must change. Finally, we are still asking Serbia for the truth about missing persons from the Homeland War in order to move forward and to allow families to grieve with dignity.

Dear Chairman, Honourable Commissioner, we once understood each other. We lived in a country where the law of the majority brought about the great disintegration of that same country. It wasn't that long ago, it wasn't me, it wasn't you. We still remember that moment. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country that was created by the Dayton-Paris Peace Agreement, an agreement that marked the peace of a bloody conflict that we are seeing today. That was ‘95. I was a refugee in London until '99 when the bombs stopped, in London tube when it was made Good Friday Agreement. We are discussing here whether we should preserve the Dayton-Paris Peace Agreement or whether we should enter into another crisis. Tomorrow, the leaders of the political leaders of Serbs, Bosniaks and Croats meet in Brussels. I expect one positive agreement that after the elections, which are held in the 10th month, which, unfortunately, will be implemented without an agreement on the electoral law. Will we enter another deeper crisis or will the elections mark a continuation of peace, a continuation of a long road to the European Union or will we stay... (The Chair took the floor)

Madam President, I will follow on from your remarks on Montenegro. A few weeks ago I was with the Committee on Foreign Affairs, first in Albania, then to Montenegro. The lack of administrative capacity makes me really sad, as the co-rapporteur for IPA III funds, that we do not have these absorption capacities and prepared projects. I welcome Montenegro’s new government and the inclusiveness that they showed and the inclusiveness regarding ethnic minorities this time. It looks like there is finally some understanding in the Western Balkans region that this plays a crucial part – to be inclusive in order to have everybody on board and to apply European principles. But still there is work to be done regarding Croatian cultural heritage in the Bay of Kotor and respect for the language. So I am watching with great interest for what the Montenegrin Government will continue doing in the future. We are the greatest advocate for Montenegro because we need the success story in the Western Balkans and we will follow with all the support that we can from our side. It is unfortunate that we are discussing this issue tonight so late, with the empty room that shows the respect for the Western Balkans, and I hope that in the future we will have more attention, we will have success stories and we will have success for the summit as well, for these countries that really deserve it. Because for what’s happening in the Western Balkans, if we don’t deal with it, tomorrow it will be in France, it will be in Germany, it will be somewhere else. The borders are not ending just on the Croatian side.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, this year we celebrate the 35th anniversary of Erasmus+. More than 12 million European citizens have participated in this exchange programme. The programme has evolved over time and has offered life—changing experiences, from students to young professionals, from higher education to vocational training. Despite its great success, the programme still can be improved and increase its accessibility to more participants. The report that we will vote tomorrow assesses the inclusivity of the programme and recommends measures to widen the audience even more. We want to provide chances to those citizens with fewer opportunities and to people living in more remote areas such as peripheral regions and islands. Based on the EPP proposal, the report calls for more cooperation with countries in the Western Balkans and the Eastern and Southern neighbourhood. I would like to thank the rapporteur for including all our suggestions as well. In addition, we call for more assistance to Ukrainian students and more support to be provided to sustain Ukraine’s higher education and academic community. In the report, we also call to lower the administrative burden, to better access to impact of actions by national agencies and to facilitate participation of people with specific needs and disabilities. Erasmus+ is a not a privilege. It must be available to all. And I hope that this report will serve as a guideline for the Commission as well to make it happen.

Madam President, I would like to commend the follow—up report of Mr McAllister and Madam Nathalie Loiseau on the common foreign, security and defence policy after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There’s nothing much to say. We have the strategic compass that really clarifies our position, the European Union position, on how we should form our future security and defence policy, we have the Althea operation and we have the consequences of the war. In this Parliament, I would like also to raise awareness that what we are lacking really is preventive diplomacy. Preventive diplomacy is the key to resolve the issue. Preventive diplomacy is the key to stop the crisis. For example, today we had a position on election financing in Bosnia and Herzegovina, for the future election. Twenty—five years after the Dayton Peace Agreement we still have half a sovereign country. There is no preventive diplomacy, as is happening with other frozen conflict areas. So please, dear colleagues, try to do preventive diplomacy. As somebody who has gone through war, I know that war does not resolve anything.

Mr President, I would like to congratulate the rapporteur, Ms Santos, for an excellent report, and also the shadow rapporteurs, to have this really good and comprehensive report on Albania. We are going as the Foreign Affairs Committee next week, and I will have the pleasure that we convey the messages that we are having today here. But the one message that we should convey to the Western Balkans, to Albania and to all the other countries – North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro – is that they are not forgotten. They are not forgotten, they are there and we are there for them. We want them in the European Union. The enlargement must continue without stopping. There is no other Union than the European Union. There is no other choice than European Union. There is no peace and security without the Western Balkans in the European Union. As well, I repeat, as I repeated with North Macedonia, together with Moldova, together with Ukraine, we have to consider the European Union as a peace project. It is how it started, and on the way maybe it lost its sense, but now we are coming back to our roots. The European Union is a peace project. We have to bring the Western Balkans to the European Union. We will start with Albania, North Macedonia, and continue. This process will not end.

Mr President, today we heard Maia Sandu, who asked for membership of Moldova to the European Union. I fully support that. I support the candidacy and the opening of Moldova, of Ukraine, of Eastern Partnership countries. This is a peace and stability issue. Ilhan Kyuchyuk, I congratulate you on your report. You know what ‘minority’ means, being of a minority in Bulgaria. But some people here don’t know the history of the former Yugoslavia. Identities matter. Identities in the Western Balkans matter more than all, so we should resolve this dispute. North Macedonia is close to my heart, the same as Bosnia and Herzegovina. Shared power, the Ohrid peace agreement, the Prespa agreement – all these agreements should be respected. Otherwise this fine balance after Milosevic’s attack on all these people will never be resolved. So for all these people in the Eastern part who never went through what happened with Yugoslavia, how it dissolved, I would ask you to just learn a bit about history. What Milosevic started we should really resolve. There are lessons to learn, exercise and try to respect, and not to allow any ‘Milosevic’ to appear again and the majority to rule over minorities. So respect the agreements, respect minorities, respect shared power, respect the Dayton Peace Agreement.

Mr President, Madam Commissioner, in recent years, the security and humanitarian situation in the Sahel and Western Africa has declined sharply. Terrorist groups have increased their presence. Democratic principles are being further undermined. People are suffering from food insecurity and inter—community violence, and over land and resources, is rising. The severity of the situation was highlighted by the departure of French troops two months ago. After years of active involvement to restore stability in the region, the relations between Paris and the authorities in Mali reached its deepest point. The EU has also announced that it will halt military training missions in Mali. These developments are extremely worrisome. Security in Europe and Africa are closely interlinked. It is of utmost importance for us to remain active on the ground and to help our partners to foster institution building and deliver on a good governance. Therefore, I welcome the reaffirmed commitment of the Council for a solid and long—term partnership between the EU and the Sahel. Together with our partners such as the G5, the African Union and ECOWAS, the European Union has the power to make a difference in the region, to protect and defend democracy and stability, and to take significant steps towards sustainable peace, because that’s our security as well.

Mr President, cyberattacks are a fast—growing criminal activity. While the Russian invasion in Ukraine is mostly an offensive on the ground, experts warn for increasing cyberattacks as a countermeasure against our sanctions. The EU has to be prepared. We cannot allow a reactive approach. We need a proactive cyber—defence. I regret to learn that the Court of Auditors recently concluded that the European Union bodies and agencies are insufficiently secured. A few days ago, the head of EU Cybersecurity Agency said that its incident reporting system is too bureaucratic and does not work. I call on the negotiators of the update to the EU Directive on the security of network and information systems to address these issues and to provide the blueprint for a better—secured European Union. Digitalisation is crucial for our economic well—being, but the more we digitalise key infrastructures and critical sectors, the more vulnerable we get for cyber—criminality. We have called for a stronger European defence, and cybersecurity is an essential part of it.

Mr President, the latest publication of Open Doors on North Korea is a highly worrisome one. The organisation reports that in North Korea, an underground church has been discovered and all of its members killed. This is another sad example of how the authorities in the DPRK treat believers in their country. North Korea imposes a full restriction of freedom of expression and access to information. Any violation of this rule can lead to a sentence in a prison camp or even a death penalty. People are exercising their human rights on the freedom of religion and belief in secrecy and insecurity. I strongly condemn this form of state repression that has been exercised systematically for decades. The regime continues to put the dictator as the centre of universe but history teaches us that this is never lasting forever.

Madam President, dear High Representative, on 24 February, the day the Russian war against Ukraine started, we were returning from an AFET mission to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The aim of the mission was to learn about security consequences of the chaotic departure of the international community from Afghanistan. We were explained about the imminent danger of Islamic State spreading further and the humanitarian catastrophe that will happen in the country. Such events will create new migration waves and will increase the security challenge on our borders. We cannot allow this to happen and have to insist on the fulfilment of the region’s counter-terrorism commitments. In the meantime, the EU has to rethink its security and defence mechanism. In addition, women are suffering under the Taliban rule. Nowhere have women and girls’ rights been challenged as they have been in Afghanistan. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs has been dismantled. Participation of women in leadership roles is restricted. Women leaders, officials and activists are persecuted. Female activists’ activities in public life have ceased to exist. I strongly condemn the recent decision by the Taliban to bar secondary education for girls. Women and girls are crucial contributors to a resilient and prosperous society, to a strong economy. Without the right to education, women are pushed into poverty and submission. I welcome the EU support to the Afghan Women Leaders Forum and its aim to facilitate an inclusive dialogue for Afghan women from various sectors. But finally, we cannot tolerate or cooperate with societies until they stop denying equal opportunities for women to thrive.

The follow-up question regards Operation Althea. In Compass, Croatia insisted on putting three constituent people as a balance for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s future, on the basis of the Dayton Agreement. You know very well that Althea has to be approved by the end of the year by the Security Council. What are you going to do in order to maintain this necessary balance in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the legitimate representation and also, to relax all the sides, to have the extension of Operation Althea going through the UN Security Council?

High Representative, I will ask you a simple question that I’ve been asking many times here. I congratulate you on Strategic Compass and the big achievement that has been done. But what are we going to do with the key point that we put on the Western Balkans and situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the electoral law? How are you going to resolve this issue? Because the elections are coming and the leaders have not been brought to Brussels to discuss this issue. I think it’s a peace and security issue and Operation Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina is increasing. People are getting nervous, they are being scared, rumours are running around and we are behaving like business as usual. Can I just ask you, what are you going to do about that as a conflict prevention issue?