Speeches

Mr President, it is nothing new that Serbia is a captured state with a very weak reform track record. The Serbian regime has widely opened its doors to Chinese investment, but has no respect whatsoever for labour and environmental rights and, above all, human dignity. What is, however, new is the way Vietnamese workers are treated in Serbia, while working on the Linglong tyre factory construction site. This is what you call modern slavery: no water, food and heating. Is this the picture Europe wants to send as a global leader in fighting for human and labour rights? Other, but related, stories are the ongoing environmental protests. Why do both the Serbian Government and Rio Tinto keep secrecy around the plan of what to do with lithium mining in Loznica? Citizens are rightly worried. So let me be clear. The environmental protests in Serbia are not just about the environment, nor about laws on the referendum. The protests are equally as much about the widespread corruption, inaction of state institutions, lack of transparency and any progress on Serbia’s European path. It is, therefore, high time for us in the EU to react. We risk our credibility by allowing the practice of slave labour and environmental barbarism to take root in the middle of Europe in an EU candidate country. We risk the democratic transformation of Serbia. Instead of opening the cluster, we have to support democratic pro-European voices in the country and show them that the EU is not ready to compromise on our standards.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! We have often spoken here about Belarus and external borders. There are hardly any words for what refugees have been experiencing there for months. Lukashenka is covering his country with a wave of repression. Terrorism against its own people has long been unrestricted. By exploiting the weaknesses of the asylum system, he has also carried terror across borders. Therefore, it is up to us to set a human rights counterpoint to this misery that Lukashenka causes not only in Belarus, but far beyond our own borders. Although the EU has found partially acceptable solutions with the countries of origin of the refugees, all EU institutions and Member States must now take care of the people who still endure between borders in the winter cold in absolutely inhumane conditions. Humanity must be paramount, while we continue to struggle for political solutions here. These tragedies and the ongoing human rights violations at the EU border must finally come to an end. We are all responsible here as human beings. But above all, just before Christmas, I would like to appeal to all Christians to respect the central commandment of human and neighbourly love and not to let people freeze to death outside.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner! First of all, all the best to our rapporteur Lukas Mandl after Austria. When we want peace and security in our house, we have to make sure that our doorstep and our inner yard are safe and secured. The Western Balkans is precisely that doorstep for many EU Member States and the inner yard for the whole Union. These six countries are the major transit route for money laundering, trafficking for drugs, firearms as well as human beings, which mostly affects girls that are trafficked for sexual exploitation. This has to stop, and we need a fundamentally different EU approach regarding organised crime. Firstly, we need to be convinced. The EU has to offer a significant increase in the capacities of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and enhance cooperation between the Western Balkan countries and the EU Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL), Eurojust and the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) to target transnational crime more effectively. The EU must lead and not only follow others in their actions. Therefore, we need to make sure that those individuals who are on the US sanctions list will face sanctions in the EU, too. Kosovo should become a fully-fledged member of Interpol. Without the Crime and Corruption Reporting Network (KRIK) investigative journalist in Belgrade, we would not have known all links between the ruling elites in Serbia and Montenegro and the criminal gangs, drug lords and armed traffickers. Robust support for organizations, such as KRIK, will play an essential role in preventive and monitoring work and help to face an increasing number of strategic litigation against public participation (SLAPPs) cases, which is of utmost importance. The region is a geopolitical relevant player for Europe. It represents a critical element in securing EU borders management, but also the fight against transnational crime and corruption. Given the lack of clarity on Frontex engagement, the Greens will abstain on this report. Nevertheless, our commitment and our determination to reinforce the EU’s pivotal role in the Western Balkans through the common fight against organised crime remain undisputed.

Mr President, we have seen this before. A bully blackmails its weaker neighbours while the rest of the world watches. We have seen this in April, we have seen this countless times in the history of mankind, and history teaches us that appeasing a bully is a very dangerous strategy. It is immoral and counterproductive. As we speak, 100 000 Russian troops are mobilised on the Ukrainian border. Their number is expected to rise dramatically. Those who know Mr Putin know that the run-up to Christmas is a particularly dangerous period. That’s why we need to remain vigilant and resolute. Ukraine is not targeted because it is a danger, but because its people stand up for European values, because they dare to be free and because they want to decide their own fate. Nothing terrifies the Kremlin more than a free, democratic nation on its own borders. Meanwhile, how do we react? Some still suggest that Nord Stream 2 should continue. The main export of the Kremlin is not gas, oil or arms, but chaos, as one Russian ideologue has openly stated. By increasing our dependency on Russia, we betray our allies and endanger the future of this continent. It is time for our foreign policy to show teeth and speak with bullies in a language they understand, the language of tough sanctions. Punishment of Russia must be unprecedented if it dares to start another war against Ukraine. Cut off Russia from the SWIFT system, scrap Nord Stream 2 and sanction Putin and his entourage. More importantly, show the Kremlin that bullying is counterproductive by advancing partnership with Ukraine every time the Kremlin tries to intimidate it. Dear colleagues, let’s practice what we preach and show Russia that, in the world of international law, might does not make right. Stand up for Ukraine.

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, it is high time to speak aloud about the paid mercenaries who kill across the globe. ‘Death is our business and business is going well’. These words were patched on the arms of the 33 Wagner Group fighters arrested in Belarus last year. Russian mercenaries were on their way to another mission in Africa. They were walking into a planned operation by the Ukrainian intelligence for the crimes committed in Donbas. At the very last moment, the head of Zelensky’s administration failed the operation. Unfortunately, justice was not served at that time. How well is the business going? If you were one of the fighters in Donbas, you were awarded EUR 10 000 per month. Others kill for EUR 300, but those are compensated for their low salaries by taking over the mineral resources of the host country, as Russian mercenaries do in Libya. Besides being the mastermind of this industry and a close friend of President Putin, Mr Prigozhin often honours his hired killers with multi-million dollar contracts. Ukraine, Syria, Sudan, Mozambique, Libya, Central African Republic, Venezuela: people of these and other countries have suffered greatly under the crimes committed by mercenaries. The EU should respond with the strictest measures. To do so, we need closer coordination among the EU and the NATO allies. Personal sanctions should be imposed on everyone upholding this inhuman industry. This way, we can show the Wagner Group and others that death is not a business: it is a crime against humanity and comes with grave consequences.

Madam President, President Lehne, Commissioner, colleagues, the biggest share of EU taxpayers’ money goes for the CAP, and therefore we must be most discerning and careful when using it. However, the Commission had not carried out an impact assessment for the Common Provision Regulation. Regarding the CAP proposal, a comprehensive set of reasoned evaluations covering all aspects was not available at the time the impact assessment was prepared. Moreover, the area that is of great concern for us, the CAP’s contribution to climate action, lacks a realistic way of estimating the direct payments made to farmers. In a special report, ECA has stressed the mismatch of EU money spent on biodiversity on farmland and the very poor performance of these measures. Here we see almost no positive effect of the allocated funds. False or incorrect reporting on the true climate-related spending is generally known as greenwashing. It goes against the true goals of the EU Green Deal, NextGenerationEU and all that the EU is doing to improve the way we live and treat the environment. Unfortunately, there is no update on the audit of the former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and his holding, Agrofert, for the agriculture funds he has received. His conglomerate was identified as the biggest single recipient of EU agriculture funds in 2018 and 2019, reaching over EUR 30 million each year. We have seen the very concerning conclusion of the regional and structural funds audit that confirms the Babiš conflict of interest, but we are still waiting for the agriculture funds audit, which represents an even larger proportion of Babiš’ fortune. Yesterday’s vote on the new CAP unfortunately just confirms the wrong way in which Europe goes about agriculture and thus calls for even more rigorous, strict and law-proof control of CAP spending.

Mr President, 900 political prisoners, 40 000 arrested protesters, 280 liquidated NGOs, hundreds of shut-down media, journalists thrown into jails, lawyers stripped of licences. This is the reality of people of Belarus. Only because we do not hear these stories any more does not mean that the terror in Belarus has stopped. On the contrary, the terror is finding new ways to oppress and crush everyone with the most inhuman weight. But bear in mind, the violence unleashed by Lukashenko is not a sign of strength. It is a desperate revenge before the regime’s collapse. Revenge on us, on our unwavering support for the people of Belarus, an attempt of Lukashenko and Putin to destabilise and divide the EU. This is why Belavia carried out 600 extra flights, and abused the hopes of the most vulnerable people from the Middle East. Belarusian officials charged huge amounts before trapping the desperate refugees between police batons and barbed wire. This is the definition of human trafficking, a crime against humanity. Those few here, and in some capitals, who are still naive enough to legitimise Lukashenko with a phone call, still naive enough to think that Putin is not the mastermind, they need to realise that the only language dictators understand is the language of strict sanctions and punishment. Lukashenko belongs at the tribunal. Zhyvie Belarus!

Madam President, Commissioner, dear rapporteur! Sport is not so often on the agenda here in the European Parliament. That is why I am particularly pleased that we can discuss our joint report here today. Sport accounts for 280 billion in the EU, with six million jobs. However, this economic importance and the many central roles in society also oblige us to look closely at what is happening in sport. In particular, there is an obligation to exercise due diligence and to carry out serious checks on: good governance and ethical standards in all associations and associations. This has not always gone so well in the past when we think of the doping cases, systematic fraud, but also the abuse cases that we see in the media every day. And what happens to the high, extremely high investments, especially in professional football, often by external third parties, by Eastern European oligarchs, rich oil states or other autocracies? This poses a great danger that political influence will also be purchased here and that football in particular will increasingly distance itself from the idea of sport. In order for this to change, the EU institutions need to work together in a more structured way, and we in the European Parliament need binding monitoring tools so that commercial interests do not undermine sport. It is correct: Broad-based sports and movement promotion are important for maintaining health. Unfortunately: 59% of EU citizens rarely or never move. That means there's still a lot to do. I think it is good that we have managed to declare funds for sport from the Corona Reconstruction Fund. But I do not want to conclude without coming back to the current case of the tennis player from China, where you can see again that we also have to protect the international, the top athletes from their own associations. The unspeakable video statement by Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee, has shown that he has not understood what it is all about. It cannot be that the international sports association, which is there for the protection of athletes, side with the autocracies, as it has already done with Belarus. Ladies and gentlemen, let us take a clear stand on this. That shouldn't go on like this.

Madam President, Lukashenko has reached another low of inhumanity: after beating, torturing and murdering his own people, Lukashenko has now started using the desperate hope for a better life of people from outside, feeding them with false promises, to trap people on the Belarus—Polish border. It is naive to think that Lukashenko is acting alone in his despicable campaign. Without backing from the Kremlin, this would be impossible. Our challenge will be to act united, and we should not outsource these questions to our neighbours, like Ukraine or Moldova. It is our task in the European Union to solve this. Firstly, European instruments, in particular, also need to be present at the Polish border. We all have to uphold European values, including the safety of migrants and their dignity. Oversight and transparency at the external borders must work everywhere in the European Union, also in Poland. Secondly, the fifth package of sanctions should be swift, tough and decisive. We need to target all industries assisting Lukashenko’s regime. Any Member State that waters down the sanctions is complicit in the avoidable suffering of thousands of migrants. Lastly, we need to engage actively in the countries of migrants’ origin. There is already a cooperative approach with Iraq, but others have to follow.

Mr President, the European promise made to the Western Balkans in 2003 never seemed more distant. It relied on the premise that the EU was a club of best democracy standards, where the rule of law is upheld and fundamental rights are protected, and that such a club has a place for them once they meet the criteria. Neither we are that club anymore, nor does the Western Balkans have incentives to undergo painful reforms. On the contrary, the situation is gloomy, with almost no light at the end of the enlargement tunnel. What we witnessed before and during the last Western Balkans summit was a parade of hypocrisy, empty words, autocratic appeasement and, above all, pretence. The EU pretends that it wants to enlarge to the Western Balkans, while those countries pretend that they are conducting reforms to join the club. The current approach not only undermines our efforts to democratise these countries, but also endangers peace – as we have recently seen in the north of Kosovo and in Bosnia with a succession threat. It has to stop, and we need a fundamentally different Balkan policy. Albania and North Macedonia deserve to start accession negotiations immediately as the EU cannot afford to lose its overall credibility due to the Bulgarian veto. Kosovo met all the criteria for visa liberalisation years ago, and the Commission in return reiterates that. But young Kosovans are still prevented from travelling freely like their peers from Lisbon to the Tbilisi. Furthermore, we will prove our credibility by being fair and strict to the countries that have democratic backsliding, like in Serbia. If we continue the appeasement approach towards autocratic and corrupted leaders such as Aleksandar Vučić and Milo Đukanović, we risk losing again a chance to democratise the region and bring it closer to the Union. The membership promise must become credible again. That is our task. Robust engagement and reinforcing IFOR (International Fellowship of Reconciliation) in Bosnia. Opening accession talks with Albania, North Macedonia, visa liberalisation for Kosovo and strict conditionality for Serbia and Montenegro is the way to become credible in the Western Balkans. The Western Balkans is not our neighbourhood. It is in our yard. This region means so much for European security, migration and border management, but also for culture and education as we share so much together. If the EU cannot play a pivotal role there, then our dream of becoming a geopolitical Union is indeed just a dream.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! I too would like to thank the rapporteur and my shadow rapporteurs very much for their good cooperation. As always, the outcome of the negotiations is a compromise and, by its very nature, not perfect, but I am very satisfied with what has been achieved. A single basic act and horizontal provisions applicable to all partnerships were a step in the right direction, and in many places we have succeeded in making relevant improvements, also thanks to some green requests, for example on climate objectives, involvement of civil society, transparency, accountability and reporting obligations, scientific expertise in governance structures, composition of stakeholder groups, to name but a few keywords. I also see the explicit involvement of young scientists, doctoral students and postdoc students as a great success. On the other hand, from a green point of view, the summary for the individual joint undertakings is more general. I would like to explicitly mention this about clean hydrogen. Our group remains very critical of the lack of a clear definition of clean hydrogen and the continued dominance of governance structures in the private sector. Overall, I regret that it has not been possible to establish separate scientific advisory boards in all partnerships, which ensure that scientific expertise is actually incorporated into the decision-making processes free of economic conflicts of interest. I also find it regrettable that participation in the partnerships is becoming less and less attractive for public institutions, such as research institutes and universities, because it no longer seems affordable. I am afraid that this act will not reverse the trend, but rather on the contrary. Overall, however, important innovative impulses will be expected and it is good that – hopefully later this year – the first calls for proposals will be launched. can be launched.

Madam President, for far too long, the EU has watched idly while malicious foreign actors spread disinformation and interfere in our elections. They went on with co—opting our civil servants, buying up our strategic infrastructure and spreading hate, so they gradually erode our democracy. In the digital era, malicious actors have learned fast how to weaponise algorithms and manipulate social media with impunity. But how did we respond to this growing hybrid threat? Instead of active coordination, the EU is stuck in a silo mentality. We need stronger oversight on the political advertisement. Instead of mapping the threats and facilitating effective countermeasures, we ignore foreign funding that aims to destabilise our society. The time for watching is over. We need to act now. Creating the EU structures where Member States can synchronise their policies is important. We must build our resilience in our societies. But raising awareness and media literacy is not enough. We need to invest in the countering infrastructure, and expand the skills and mandates. We cannot continue to surrender our strategic infrastructure to malicious actors for short—term gains, while endangering the future of this continent. More coordination on critical infrastructure is vital. We need to look beyond the EU and assist our European neighbours in the Western Balkans, as well as in the Eastern Partnership countries, in countering disinformation and anti—EU propaganda. Often these are the testing grounds for Russian, Chinese and Turkish hybrid operations. Most importantly, all of our efforts will be in vain if we do not raise the cost for perpetrators of this interference. The targeted sanctions on disinformation outlets and the states behind them are the right way to go. The budget question was already mentioned by Ms Kalniete, and we hope that in the next year we will see that there is a significant increase in the budget for the East StratCom Unit.