Speeches

Madam President, Your Excellencies, Romanians are European citizens par excellence and not from today, from yesterday. We are not satisfied with half measures. We want full integration into the Schengen area in 2024. We are not a second-class country, we are not Europe's poor relative. If God did not place us at the mouth of the Danube, at the intersection of imperial interests, next to the Russians, in the way of Stalin's plans, today we were among the top three economies in the European Union. I've been between World War I and World War II before. We have huge resources: gold, uranium, copper, a lot of oil and especially gas and a fertile, clean land that can feed 100 million citizens (we are only 20), and a lot of salt, which supplied much of the old Roman Empire and the entire Habsburg Empire. When, in the Roman Empire, Emperor Domitian paid tribute, taxes to my ancestors, the present territory of Austria had already been conquered for 100 years. The Romans did not touch Dacia for a long time, because they feared it, and over 1500 years, another Romanian, Iancu of Hunedoara, was called by the Pope of Rome the athlete of Christ, because he stopped Mehmed II, conqueror of Constantinople, from conquering the whole of Europe. We are economically affected. Do you understand that? More than 1.5 percent of my country's GDP is affected by non-Schengen, and extremism is on the rise. Ladies and gentlemen, the European Union has every interest in Romanians feeling fully respected European citizens and, above all, not changing their attitude towards the European construction. Romanians expect all European Union states to put pressure on Austria to accept Romania's full integration into the Schengen area: Air, land, rail, river, sea, not as a favor. It's our right. It can be on the model of Greece and Iceland. Austria is violating our right and nothing has happened to her. So far, we have been friendly and model European citizens. We have not switched to blood control of Austrian trains, cars and trucks. But the Romanians' patience has a limit. She was touched. Finally, I wish you all a merry Christmas, even to those who do not believe. And above all the awareness that the old continent, our Europe, has exclusively Judeo-Christian bases.

Madam President, your excellency, Prime Minister, I give bad news to Chancellor Nehammer: Austria is no longer an empire. The times have passed when Empress Maria Theresa imposed such high taxes on the Romanian shepherds that she drove them from their Transylvania, over the mountains, to Wallachia. Hungary has billions of euros suspended due to non-compliance with the rule of law, Poland, as well. Not Austria, which blocks Romania's and Bulgaria's access to Schengen and violates the Treaty without any plausible reason. It is a mystery why the European Commission did not initiate the procedure against Austria, which violated five articles of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. By blocking Romania and Bulgaria, hundreds of billions of euros of damage were caused not only to them, but to the entire European economy. While promoting Mrs von der Leyen, the Green Deal, and demanding zero emissions, I respectfully announce something: Every year, trucks waiting 24 hours at the borders generate 46 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Yet Austria escaped when it is precisely the European Commission, the guardian of the treaties, that should demand compensation. In the JHA Council of more than two weeks, Europe has a historic chance to eliminate the abuse committed against Romanian and Bulgarian citizens. In the event of a negative vote by Austria, I respectfully ask the Schengen member states to prove their respect and support for Romania and Bulgaria and to renounce on their own initiative to discriminate against Romanians and Bulgarians, allowing them access to European countries through the entrance gates or Schengen corridors. Proof of good faith and safety, Romanians and Bulgarians could control trucks, small cars and Austrian trains, lest illegal migrants sneak through the Austrian state.

Mr President, the vileness and wickedness of the Hamas criminal group is obvious to any bona fide European. Denying evidence goes from sheer stupidity to complicity in terrorism. It's up to you. It is also faith that compels us to defend Europe with all our strength, and not just because Europe was built on Judeo-Christian values, but because old Europe still has, I hope, enough brains to realize that to succumb to terrorism or to minimize it is to throw away the cradle of civilization. Dear colleagues, anyone who interferes in the fight against terror political interests undermines the European Union, and the glass of patience has been filled. I have never heard of a Jew stabbing teachers in French schools, machine-gunning people in Brussels, hitting people by car in Nice, London or Berlin, possibly at Christmas, blowing up subways in Madrid, Brussels, Paris and London, or blowing up blocks by plane in New York in the name of his faith or political frustration. It seems quite clear to me who Europe and America deserve to support, and with whom they should be cautious, much more cautious. Israel is entitled to defend its citizens and its country. It is natural to continue what has begun. Otherwise, they will appear weak, fearful, fearful and vulnerable to those who will destroy them. And we are obliged to check where the money that we allocate annually for the Palestinians is going. My fear is that some of this money is not going to the humanitarian area, but is feeding accounts of the revanchist terrorist movements in Gaza and the West Bank. Yes, we need to help the people in need humanitarianally, but we need to offer... (The Chair withdrew the floor of the speaker)

Madam President, your excellency, you have lied to us! You have repeatedly lied to us, humiliated us and constantly fooled us, even though we are model European citizens, responsible and open, tolerant and hardworking. We made huge efforts and opened wide the doors for 6 million Ukrainians fleeing Putin's aggression. We are testing our farmers left with thousands of tons of grain in barns or fields to receive Ukrainian grain that must reach North Africa and Europe, but which remains in huge quantities on the territory of Romania. We secured our borders and, just this morning, Romanians on the southern border with Ukraine received alert messages because of pieces of drones falling from the other shore attacked in gusts by Russians. You are unable to put pressure on and stop Chancellor Nehammer of Austria from humiliating and defying a country of 23 million European citizens. Nehammer defies and humiliates not only Romania, he mocks the Eurosystem, all of you, from the Council to you, especially, dear Ursula. You, Roberta, Charles Michel make us promises over promises, and we look at how Romania, the example of ethnic and religious tolerance, of the fair and assumed partnership for NATO military forces, is haunted by the ghost of extremism, anti-Europeanism and intolerance. Marginal parties have become dangerous because of Austria's refusal to accept us into Schengen and your refusal to be incapable of convincing the Austrian chancellor that he is seriously wrong about the common Europe. I hear words like solidarity, unity and other jokes. What solidarity? What did Romanians who are humiliated in marginal corridors at airports ask for? What unity and equal opportunities when Romanians are queuing for miles at the borders? You fed us illusions, while Austria hunts for contracts, and Romania expects only one thing, due respect. Both respect and equal opportunities for a common Europe.

Madam President, Luxembourg is the most Eurooptimistic state in the EU, and Romania is now, after the unjust decision in December on the Schengen enlargement, the most Europessimistic, after being in the top 5 most optimistic pro-European countries for 15 years. No one can anticipate but a state of concern that is growing in Bucharest. The Romanians were horribly hit by the Eurosystem through their non-acceptance in the Schengen area. This is after being treated as a second-class European people, through much lower subsidies for farmers. There are only two examples, but the list is long. I believe that underground negotiations are taking place over the heads of the European citizens in the East, ignoring their desire for dignity. In football, these are called countertops. When will these outrageous negotiations, which ignore the aspirations of Romanians, end? Who decides over their heads, on their behalf, that the European Schengen legislation must be brilliantly ignored? If instead of Romania it was Germany or France or the Netherlands or Austria, would things have happened the same way? Well, Romania is not a second-class country and is coping with the geostrategic crisis triggered by Putin. Ukrainian refugees found help in Romania before the EU unlocked the money for them. Romania is the main support of the Republic of Moldova to resist Moscow's blackmail. If we don't get out of the age of hypocrisy, if we don't face the real problems of the European citizens, if we don't realize that Russia applies the principle of divide et imperaIt will cost us dearly and we will only be able to see that the European Union is weakened primarily from within, through the indecision of some and the wicked decision of others. The representative institutions of the European Union must treat citizens equally. I'm not doing it now. I hear speeches about a common border policy and fences. What common policy are we talking about? There are fences right now inside the EU, which Romanian carriers can only cross after kilometer queues at the Schengen borders. Mr Bettel said that the European Union is only strong if it is united. I agree, but without Romania in Schengen, the Union...(The Chair withdrew the floor of the speaker).

Madam President, your excellences, do not make the drama of Romanian farmers a second Schengen unjustly refused for Romania! The Council of 23-24 March is obliged to decide to pay compensation to farmers who have lost enormously since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Romanian producers have calculated a loss of over 200 million euros, but there are also Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. Union aid to Ukraine since the start of the war must continue. We must further support the struggle of Ukrainians to remove their country from the threat of a tyrant. They are dying to protect us too, and if Ukraine falls, we are not safe. But the Union cannot leave any of its citizens in abandonment, that is, not even the Romanian farmers! You have to find a solution! Romanian farmers are waiting for it and are entitled to it. And, after all, does not competitiveness also mean quality cereals in Europe? They are the same Romanians who were horribly offended when they were denied full access to Schengen. I drew attention to the fact that if the European institutions feed through wrong decisions the discontent of the population, the wave of Euroscepticism will increase and the extremists will exult. Eight years ago, Romanians were the most Euro-optimistic, i.e. 68 percent, when the European average was 54. Now, after the completely unfair decision with the Schengen enlargement in December, they have become the most Euro-pessimistic, 46%, compared to the European average, which is 62%. It is a trend that began during the pandemic, when Romania was the playground of Russian disinformation and exploded post-Schengen decision in December. Your Excellencies, do not abandon Romania! We are a key state for defending the NATO and EU borders!

Mr President, your excellences, Romania wants the European Union to become a safer place for its citizens, but Romanians are also European citizens. Romanians make an essential contribution to curbing illegal migration, yet they have been horribly offended. Romanians were denied access to the Schengen area on December 8, and this was due to the political despicability of Austrian Chancellor Nehammer, who paid in the elections: His party scored its worst in Sunday's election since World War II. Ladies and gentlemen, the European Union must not become a place where the greatest of the day have discretion over the fate of millions of citizens. What did the Russians do that deserved this kind of treatment? They invested one billion euros in securing the borders, helped millions of refugees - 3.5 million Ukrainians - fed them, took them home, bought them medicines and powdered milk and did not complain, because Romanians are Christians, not just say they are Christians. Romanians are taking a major risk in the vicinity of Ukraine, having 650 km of border, but they are doing so themselves. And I'll tell you something, and remember: Romanians are not fools of the European Union! I hope that Sweden, which is a country with a consolidated democracy, will put on the agenda of the European Union in one of the two JHA Councils in March or June under its presidency the enlargement of the Schengen area for Romania and Bulgaria.

Your Excellencies, the members of the Council have the chance to repair tomorrow the misery made to Romania by blocking the accession to Schengen. Otherwise, they'll do Chancellor Karl Nehammer a favor. Austria's chancellor risks losing his country's elections because the wave of antipathy sparked by Romania's blockade can turn into a boomerang in the January elections. Austrian companies present in Romania, which account for 7% of Austria's GDP, or 32 billion euros, are already pressing the government in Vienna to reverse its vote, considering the vote deeply unfair. The entire Austrian press: Die Presse, Österreichische Zeitung, Der Standard, Kurier, ORF, even the official one criticizes in chorus the profoundly anti-European attitude of the Austrian Chancellor. They accuse him of isolating his country, of punishing his own companies, of destroying Austria's reputation. And I tell you what, Herr Nehammer, no one has ever won a war with the press! No one, never! Austria has failed to comply with EU laws and is therefore in breach of the rule of law. Austrian citizens need to know that, because of this, their country can get blocked European funds. And one more thing, Herr Nehammer: David's stone, to which few gave a chance, hit Goliath. Be careful what you start with my country! We don't forget, even if we forgive. Instead, I thank Vice-President Othmar Karas for the absolutely European way he has done it and for his position even if he contradicts his own party president.

Thank you for what you say, Mr Tomac, and I assure you that the Government of our country will do this because it is the most serious injustice in the last 70 years that has happened to Romania and this will be sanctioned, and Austria will bear the consequences.

Mr President, I come before you after Austria has voted against Europe. This vote humiliated Romania and holds millions of Romanians hostage. Austria's vote defies Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, which says the rule of law is a fundamental value. Hungary has its money blocked due to breaches of the rule of law. Austria, no, not yet, although Chancellor Nehammer has a pronounced illiberal and absolutely racist attitude. Austria's vote defies Article 21 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union on free movement, plus 20 other pieces of legislation. According to these legislative acts, Romania has the right to have its border controls lifted if it complies with the Schengen acquis. Romania has passed all evaluations. The CVM was also raised. There were additional evaluation visits. 22 experts from 12 EU countries and representatives from Frontex and the Commission, plus 10 additional Dutch experts. These are facts that the Chancellor of Austria ignores under the pretext that she is permissive with the immigrants of my country. A head-to-head lie. Chancellor Nehammer decreed through the Schengen blockade the second Vienna dictate for Romanians. Your Excellencies, the rule of law is the basis of the existence of the European Union. I ask the Commission and Parliament to ask the Court of Justice to find that Austria has breached the acquis and to take steps to suspend its voting rights. (The president interrupted the speaker) (The speaker agreed to respond to a blue card intervention)

Thank you, thank you very much. I will respond with full openness. I think that first of all they need to understand the need for investment in the areas neighbouring the eastern area, and first of all this is about the area of Romania, Poland, the Baltic countries, also Slovakia and, of course, the Republic of Moldova. And I also believe extremely seriously that the Commission should be extremely, extremely serious about investing in good quality press and accurate information.

Madam President, Your Excellencies, I welcome the Council's desire to combat Russia's information war. In this regard, I would like to inform you that the Kremlin has activated the poisoned messages during the pandemic. For Putin, my country, Romania, is a huge stake, because he needs Eurosceptics to gain ground on the border of the European Union. Therefore, any delay in Romania's accession to Schengen gives it momentum. Another stake of the Kremlin is that the sanctions imposed on Russia should be disapproved by as many European citizens as possible, namely Romanians. And here, the predicate is as follows: Romanians, energy is expensive, because the European Union blocks the supply of hydrocarbons from Russia. Fortunately, Romania is dependent on Russia for only 9% of its gas, less than 30% of its oil, and we produce electricity all by ourselves. The Council is finally talking about food security. With Romania in Schengen, it will be possible to streamline the supply chains of grain, salt, sunflower, seriously affected by the war, both on land and naval. Your Excellencies, if the blocking of Romanians at the Schengen border had also taken place in terms of data traffic, energy trade, communications engineers or doctors, the workforce in many European Union countries would have been less qualified. The Romanian state paid school to these specialists, just as it paid for the security of the Schengen border. Your Excellencies, the Schengen area needs Romania. (The speaker agreed to respond to a blue card intervention)

Your excellency, racist, anti-minority, anti-European and pro-Putinist discourse did not emerge from the pandemic and inflation. The pandemic and the energy bill were just the drop that filled the glass in this anti-European war. If we know how to talk to citizens, the far right will only grow in the short term. I'm worried about something else. The far right is sometimes accepted in political dialogue, after its actors claim to renounce pro-Russian discourse and radical elements. This flight under the radar is extremely dangerous. Even more dangerous, however, is when traditional parties take over the radical discourse, hoping to gather votes. The solution is not here. The solution is to help people get through this difficult time. At the same time, we must show them the funding sources of the far right and they will find that politicians who take advantage of the crisis are only actors in a puppet theater. Europeans need to know that. Verification of bank transfers should not be limited to suspicions of terrorism or money laundering. On behalf of the EPP delegation to Romania, I am asking for the funding sources of the European far-right to be verified. The EU budget can no longer contribute to the salaries of Putin's puppets.

Mr President, your excellency, distinguished Commissioner Ylva Johansson, the Romanians have sent me here, and they know best what it is like to stand at the Schengen door, despite the rules that would allow you to travel without restrictions. My country, Romania, has been humiliated and wronged for 11 years. Whatever decision we take, whatever topic we have on the table, the interest of the citizen must be superior to that of the group, especially when this citizen claims the violation of the values of the European Union. When you obstruct freedom of movement and invoke higher motives without arguing, you're nothing more than a trickster in a suit. And people feel that way and stop believing in politicians and the eurosystem. I'll give you one more reason why Euroscepticism is growing. Energy bills are the consequence of the fact that the European Union closed its eyes to Putin's abuses and accepted his poisoned gift, which was not even a gift, was expensive. And that's because the tricksters in the suit didn't care about the price of energy and its consequences. We must be able to look all European citizens in the eye. Can we all do this? Who can look into the eyes of Romanians who have been denied access to Schengen for 11 years? Today's vote in Parliament is a positive signal, but not enough. Romanians have the right to full freedom, just like all Europeans. There must be no first-ranking and second-ranking Europeans. The great European family must not remain at the stage of speech.

Madam President, Commissioner Schinas, Minister Bek, for 11 years, two European countries that Romanians treat with respect, systematically humiliate them, blocking their accession to Schengen. And this, although their companies have huge businesses in Romania and own a large part of the banking and insurance system. Romania has always treated its partners with respect. What more do we need to do to be treated as equals and respected by all EU members? To provoke a food crisis at European level, to block at the border the trains and the hundreds of grain trucks that cross daily Romania to reach the Western markets? In the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Austria, Germany, Italy. Don't make us play hardball. We've been way too elegant and way too quiet so far. We are no less European than those in the West. Don't send Romanian voters to populists and eurosceptics. The blocking of Romania and Bulgaria outside Schengen is an injustice to a deeply European people. 500 years ago, a Romanian was the first European to defeat and block the conqueror of Constantinople, Mehmed II. His name was Iancu de Hunedoara. In his honor, even today all the Catholic churches in the world ring the bells at 12 o'clock. I warn you that now Mehmed II is called Putin. He attacked Ukraine with tanks, but he also attacked the Eurosystem. He has two weapons: The lie and the politicians it supports. He has people who are already telling Romanians that the Eurosystem has abandoned them. In order to cancel any anti-European approach and to cancel the Eurosceptic discourse within the borders of Romania and Bulgaria, our countries must be mandatory in Schengen. Do not make a mockery of Romania and Bulgaria again. That's enough! 11 years was enough!

Madam President, Your Excellencies, I come before you as a representative of one of the countries most attached to European values and the European family. Out of solidarity and real European spirit, Romania helped Ukrainians and Syrians fleeing the war. In the name of solidarity, trucks and trains loaded with grain from Ukraine, which are about to reach the Western countries, cross Romania daily, and in the opposite direction, cross trucks and trains with aid for the Ukrainian people. In the name of solidarity, Romania understands and accepts that countries that have more energy should reduce consumption and give to those who have less. In the name of solidarity, but also of its right, Romania demands what is due to it: accession to Schengen, after 11 years, unfairly, waiting. What is the real state of the European Union, with states sitting in the box and states standing at the door? Romania meets all the conditions and has secured the borders with its own money and not with Romanian companies. Where is the solidarity? There is a risk that the number of populists and extremists will increase in Romania, precisely for this reason. Does anyone risk that in 18 months' time, half of the MEPs will be Eurosceptics? Who wants another European people to give up believing in solidarity? (The Chair interrupted the speaker)... Whose interests do they serve? The Romanian people are not asking for favors, but for a dignified and legitimate status in a Europe to whose stability and continuity they contribute every day. (The Chair interrupted the speaker)... We want justice for Romania, we want it in Schengen, it is our right, Madam President.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Your Excellency, the Czech Republic has been a member of the European Union since May 2004 and since December 2007 a member of Schengen. Václav Havel, the great politician, said that, in general, oil should not be more important than human rights or the rights of nations. Romania has been a member of the European Union since January 2007, and four years later it fulfilled the conditions for joining Schengen. It's 2022, but we're still waiting. For 11 years, my Romanians have been kept at the door of an exclusive club. The most faithful people in the European Union, the most Eurooptimistic, with much suffering in the collective mind, are treated with indifference. We are denied the right to full freedom, although we have every right to it, both culturally and historically, but also politically. Is it any wonder that there are political movements that challenge the eurosystem? Europe, now shaken by the war in Ukraine, should have learned that indifference costs. Europe has been silent about the annexation of Crimea and is now looking at the Russian deadly leap in Ukraine. The Romanians are not in any danger, thank God, because we are NATO members. The danger is another, to continue to leave their country massively, considered second category. Seven million left and 20 million left. It's not fair, it's not moral, it's not democratic, that the rules are applied discretionarily. Not to mention democracy. But my question and that of my people is: when will Romania really be on the agenda of priorities of the European Union, my dear ones? What is happening is unacceptable!

Mr President, your excellencies, every package of sanctions against Russia announced by the European institutions is presented as ‘unprecedented’ and is meant to put pressure on Putin, but this antichrist resists. Every import of hydrocarbons from Russia to the countries of the European Union supplies the daily war machine of the Kremlin with 800 million euros, which must stop. It's unacceptable. We block on the one hand and finance on the other. It's not okay, and it sounds like sheer hypocrisy. It's like an invitation for Putin to continue a demented war. We give him water at the mill and feed the dementia. Who's next? My country, Romania, has a 650km border with Ukraine, plus over 120km on the Black Sea. We are assured that it will not attack NATO countries, that it will not be the Republic of Moldova either. The truth is, we're just guessing that. The Republic of Moldova is in an area of energy blackmail and must be extracted from the pressure to give up its Euro-Atlantic orientation. Goethe said that for every achievement the first step is courage. Let us have the courage to end the indirect financing of the war. It's hard, but the pyramids were also hard to build. Our industry needs to look for alternatives to Russian power supply. Immediately! Do we have this courage or do we pat ourselves collegially on the shoulders, satisfied that we have beautifully mimicked the action?

Your Excellencies, I begin by congratulating Roberta Metsola on her courageous journey to Kiev. I'm leaning! He has laundered the honour of Parliament! At the time when the European Council presented its conclusions, we did not imagine that the Bucha massacre would take place. But the barbarity of Putin and his generals is always breaking records and paralyzing us. Well, that's exactly what we can't afford. We do not have time to waste to see who has closed their eyes in the European Union and who has benefited from the member countries since the annexation of Crimea. The bloody reality can't be changed anyway. Every hour children die, families fall apart, the soul of a nation is mutilated. One child per minute leaves Ukraine. One child per minute! It is clear that the time for compromise has passed and any half-measured sanction does not achieve its purpose. I think less hypocrisy and more action would be desirable. We announce sanctions, but we still leave Russian banks functioning in the SWIFT network and Target 2, five Russian banks, and we pay 300 million euros a day, dear colleagues, Russian gas and oil. In other words, we are feeding Putin's Russia accounts with 9 billion euros a month, that is, we are financing the Kremlin's war machine. Hypocrisy! However, it is certainly worth welcoming the fifth package of sanctions announced by Mrs von Der Leyen. I propose another course of action: to find, I stress, to find together, how to inform Russian citizens about Putin's horrors. This Antichrist has restricted access to the truth, arrested it, but this must not demobilize us. I propose one task force in partnership with NATO to find the way of truth to the Russian citizens, and this task force the information must not know the word ‘impossible’. No matter how many sanctions, investigation commissions and international courts work together to block this war criminal, as long as he has the support of the Russians, aggressively manipulated, we are disarmed. We know from history that truth always finds its way. But we don't have time. For the dire situation in Ukraine, terms such as ‘drama’, ‘misfortune’, ‘disaster’ are too few. We live with the fear that the invasion will not extend to other states, and I, as a Romanian, pray every day for my brothers in the Republic of Moldova. God save her! Let's not witness another nightmare! Albert Einstein said this: I don't know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but surely the fourth will be with sticks and stones.

Madam President, your excellency, Mr President of France, your excellency, I begin by saying loudly that Romania owes enormously to France since the 19th century, from historians Edgar Quinet and Jules Michelet, friends and supporters of Romania, to Napoleon III, without whom we would not have a dynasty. Without France, the modernity and modernization of Romania would have lasted longer. We are grateful to you! General Henri Berthelot called the Romanians family and contributed to the reorganization of the Romanian army, and this helped us to save not only our territory, but also our national identity. For the past two decades, France has been the permanent advocate of Romania's accession to the EU. Thank you for your support! Mr. President, intervene once again in our history! Indebt us once again! Continue the tradition of friendship of our countries and become the advocate of Romanians for joining the Schengen area! Romania has fulfilled all the technical conditions for accession since 2011, but it is blocked on incomprehensible political criteria, it is practically kept at the Schengen door. Unfortunately, this unfair situation towards Romanians accentuates the virulence of extremist manifestations in my country. Until last year, Romania was the positive exception, without parliamentary formations hostile to the European Union. Unfortunately, things are changing today. Clearly unjust situations like this fuel anti-Western rhetoric. Romania is becoming a testing ground for anti-European extremist populism, for anti-Semitism. We, the Romanians, ask for your support and count on it! Be our elder brother, as your country has historically been for us, in a Europe of values and solidarity... (The president interrupted the speaker.)

This debate is very important, Manfred, congratulations. Madam President, your excellences, for 500 years, every day, at 12 o'clock, in all the Catholic churches in the world ring the bells in honor of the Romanian prince Iancu de Hunedoara. This was the result of a papal bull, through which the strategy of genius was praised, which ensured the victory of Christendom against Mehmed II, the conqueror of Constantinople. In the history of Europe, the Romanian people have been the defender of Christianity many times and I am proud to be Romanian. Coming from Romania, the gate of Christianity, I love Europe and the European Union, which stands like a dome on the towers of all Christian churches on the continent. I am indebted to defend it further, and Europe will now and for centuries celebrate the birth of the Saviour. Someone's playing dangerously with fire. Whether they are neo-Marxists or just individuals incapable of understanding the history of the future of this European world is not of the utmost importance. It is essential, however, that the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council publicly state whether they accept these concepts and attitudes. We, who celebrate the birth of the Lord, will not give up the freedom to manifest our convictions publicly, with courage, with love, with much love. Merry Christmas, dear Europeans!