Speeches

Ursula von der Leyen's announcement that the Commission will prepare a comprehensive approach to mental health gives me great hope. Already a few years ago, 84 million Europeans struggled with mental health problems, lacked support and were stigmatised. Unfortunately, both the pandemic and its social and economic consequences, as well as the war in Ukraine, have exacerbated this problem. Young people are particularly vulnerable. In most countries, the number of people with mental health problems between the ages of 15 and 24 has doubled. According to Eurofound, mental health is the most problematic area for young people's access to support and specialist services. This is why Europe needs a mental health strategy that takes into account both research, prevention and the education of teachers, medical professionals and social workers. In addition, the strategy should include awareness-raising, anti-discrimination and stigmatisation of people affected by mental disorders and their families, as well as solutions for the availability of high-quality specialist services. It is particularly important to respond effectively to the psychological problems of children and adolescents. They are the ones who will determine the future of Europe, so it is high time to invest in the health and well-being of the young generation.

Dear Commissioner, Mr President, thank you very much. Friends and colleagues! I am very happy that I can speak here today, because I started my career as a teacher. I know how much responsibility lies with this professional group. The voice of teachers should be heard here in the European Parliament. Adequate working conditions for teachers are also a very topical topic in my country. Currently, the government is striving to restore respect, decent pay and development opportunities for this professional group. As parents, we expect teachers to shape our children, to inspire and support them. Are we appreciating them properly? With this scale of bureaucracy, can they focus on what's really important? It is high time that respect for this profession, the creation of adequate, stable working conditions and the development of teachers begin to be treated as a key investment in Europe's economy and social development. Europe is facing a mental health crisis dramatically affecting children and young people, as well as bullying and cyberbullying. We cannot leave children and teachers alone with this problem. That is why I call for support for professional development, and especially for equipping teachers with the knowledge, skills and tools that will allow them to diagnose problems early and take appropriate action. It is necessary to create interdisciplinary support systems composed of professionals who are able to help students in crisis and support teachers, preventing feelings of helplessness and burnout.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Thank you very much for today's fruitful debate. I would like to take up and strengthen one more thread, namely the thread of threats to the mental health of children and adolescents, and especially the growing number of suicides. I believe that we need a strategy to counter cyberbullying, but also to urgently address the issue of incitement to suicide in the digital space. An innovative approach is needed to help children and young people, for whom the internet is often the main channel of communication. Cyberspace requires the active presence of specialists, psychotherapists, streetworkers who can enter this environment, establish contacts and build relationships with people at risk.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. As EPP rapporteur, I would like to thank the author of the report and my colleagues as shadow rapporteurs for their cooperation. I know that the document we are going to vote on tomorrow is controversial. I understand the differences in our views and fears of new regulations. However, I believe that, as representatives of citizens, we should respond to their calls. The voices of young people are strong and unambiguous in this debate. I am therefore pleased that the proposed file is an ambitious position that clarifies the rights and obligations of both parties. The substantive aspect of this internship is extremely important. Each trainee should have a mentor to set tasks, teach and check their progress. Another feature of high-quality traineeships is that they offer opportunities – as the Commissioner has said – to excluded people, such as people with disabilities who are disadvantaged. Please do not say, Mrs MEP, that the EPP does not see the ambitions of young people or wants to lower them, because this is not true. I would therefore like to assure you of my support for this report and encourage you to vote in favour of it.

I would like to congratulate Minister Rafalska on her speech. I really think it was very good. There's a minister, you don't have to hand over. I'm answering it now. I am surprised by this question because I am proud of what is happening in my country in this regard. Indeed, thanks to many years of work, we have a gap that is one of the smallest in Europe. But I also believe that a directive is necessary for the overall regulation. I do not know how you will vote as ECR, but I believe that we must make such decisions here unequivocally.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. I would like to shout: at last! Because until recently, when I was talking to my colleague, it seemed to me that the obvious need not be regulated by a directive. But when I listen to some voices, it turns out that the directive is necessary. That is why I congratulate the rapporteurs. I congratulate you that at least so late, but we settled this issue. It is truly a shameful problem that in the 21st century the gender pay gap is so, I would say, devastating and still present. I would also like to express my satisfaction that a step-by-step model has been included in the text of the Directive. This gives the chance that appropriate regulations will be prepared in the Member States. Finally, I trust that, thanks to this directive and due diligence by the Member States and employers, we will never have to come back to this problem in this House again. (The speaker agreed to respond to the speech signalled by the blue card)

Dear Mr President, Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Special thanks for taking the initiative. This raises optimism, because today it is particularly necessary to promote the idea of volunteering and projects giving space for self-development, to build on the principle of subsidiarity. I hope that, in view of the main question that has arisen here too, namely how the Commission intends to protect and promote the voluntary involvement of volunteers without, however, calling into question Directive 2003/88/EC, this raises concerns. I hope that the Commission will find a solution that guarantees citizens full freedom in helping others without compromising their professional situation.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mrs. Commissar, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, First of all, as EPP shadow rapporteur, I would like to congratulate Yana Toom on her comprehensive report and thank you for the good cooperation. Many citizens, especially young people born in the European Union, seem to enjoy the benefits of citizenship. Only now, when we support our Ukrainian friends in solidarity, do we look for opportunities to improve their situation, e.g. by facilitating their movement, abolishing roaming, helping them access the labour market, enabling them to live or study in the European Union. The privileges we enjoy as European citizens are visible and fully appreciated. The future of Europe will be decided by young people. And it is to them that we must reach out with a message about their rights, about the fact that they have a real impact on the direction in which the Union will develop. On this occasion, however, it is worth recalling citizens who still face barriers in exercising their rights. For example, older people who often experience marginalisation in the new digital reality. About homeless people who cannot break the enchanted circle of exclusion and isolation. Finally, about persons with disabilities who constantly face legal, organisational and physical obstacles to full participation in society. Our ambition should be for every citizen to be able to exercise their rights in the next European elections. We should ensure that every citizen has access to information, voting, debates, electoral programmes in a format accessible to them, and the right to vote and stand as a candidate in elections. These are the foundations of European democracy that we are proud of and ready to defend.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, If we do not invest wisely in young people today, we will irretrievably lose the opportunity for a good future for all of us, and especially for this generation. I believe it is crucial that employers, teachers, politicians, the media, governments realise that stable employment, health, conditions for full development, as well as a sense of influence and the involvement of young people are fundamental prerequisites for exiting the crisis, strengthening societies and rebuilding the economy. This has already been mentioned today, but I would like to draw particular attention to one aspect, namely the aspect related to the mental health of the young generation. The pandemic has significantly exacerbated the mental health problems of children and young people. It is estimated that 65% of young people are at risk of depression, 9 million younger youth suffer from mental disorders, especially anxiety and depression. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people. The situation is really alarming. It is therefore necessary to raise awareness of these risks and better prepare schools and healthcare facilities, as well as to fight bullying and mobbing online, at school and in the workplace. It is also necessary to develop a network of environmental services in the field of prevention, diagnosis, rehabilitation and therapy of mental disorders.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. This is a very good and necessary document, so of course I would like to thank the rapporteur as well as the shadow rapporteurs. The report, in my opinion, is very comprehensive, reliable and reflects very well all the problems that have been raised in our committee. I would like to draw your attention in particular to the fact that the document was also drafted in an easy-to-read form. It doesn't always happen, and thank you for that. Inclusion Europe and Autism-Europe, because it is obvious and crucial that the persons concerned by this report should be able to read it. The European Union is, Ladies and Gentlemen, in the midst of a digital, green and architectural transformation, and all these issues have been recognised in the report. This is a huge opportunity for both people with disabilities and the elderly, i.e. the elderly. However, it must be ensured that digital services meet the highest standards of accessibility, so that new technological solutions do not create further barriers, but remove them. And I am very pleased that in our committee these issues are very often raised and contribute to making progress in this accessibility.

Mr President, thank you very much. We mostly agree that the social impact of the pandemic is as dramatic as the economic impact. My previous speakers have addressed a lot of important issues. The pandemic was a bitter lesson for all of us. She showed the inefficiency of social, health and rehabilitation services systems, which particularly affected the elderly and the disabled. Commissioner, I would like to pay particular attention to the dramatic dimension of the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of children and young people. I have co-organised several seminars and meetings on this subject, and I must tell you that the reflections of experts, parents, teachers and young people themselves are alarming. Childhood and adolescence is a time of special sensitivity. For years, unfortunately, we have noticed a worrying trend of an increase in mental disorders, depression, and worse, suicide attempts among young people. In addition, access to therapy and rehabilitation has significantly deteriorated. It is worth emphasizing that often also the family, which is the basic support system, found itself in very difficult and serious problems. Children and young people will determine the future of Europe. If today we do not invest in their well-being, in supporting them in their mental health and in their full development, we can lose a whole generation. That is why I strongly appeal to the Commissioner, to the European Commission, as well as to governments and administrations, to have adequate measures that can mitigate this negative impact of the pandemic on children and young people. I would particularly like to stress once again that the promotion of mental health and well-being should become a priority for the European Commission.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, We welcome the report prepared by the European Parliament, especially in view of the Commission's and the Council's interest in the issue of ageing. Demographic change has wide-ranging consequences and only a strategic approach will make it possible to seize the opportunities offered by extending the lives of Europeans and meeting the challenge. Ageing should be placed on an equal footing with the green and digital transitions. The report's value lies in its approach based on citizens' rights and non-discrimination. It highlights the contribution of older people to social and economic life. It touches on very painful issues, including ageism, violence, abuse and fraud against the elderly, poverty, the situation of women, the digital divide. I believe that it lacks an approach that takes into account the needs and difficulties of all generations. I am also surprised that the ECR tabled an amendment in the form of a truncated alternative text which omits many of the issues on which, however, we have reached agreement in EMPL.