Speeches

Madam Vice-President, Commissioner, in this mandate we have had many challenges, and the European Union has had to rethink a course of action to deal with the challenges, from the European Green Deal to Brexit, to the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the energy or price crisis. Of course, in order to counteract the negative effects, to solve some of the problems, the European Union has thought of momentary solutions and lasting solutions. We have allocated special funds and made existing funds more flexible so that Member State authorities can make the most appropriate investments, taking into account the situation on the ground. But for these funds to still have the results that our citizens need to feel, we need to do more than just allocate money. We need to transfer knowledge of adapting regional and local development strategies. People don't just need funds. They need to know both the forecasts for the next period and the technical solutions that can be applied depending on the specificities of our regions.

Madam President, Commissioner, during this mandate we have witnessed many crises, but unfortunately in recent years we have seen a few regions in the European Union depopulate, young citizens preferring to emigrate to richer states and regions. We must be serious about this phenomenon, especially since those left behind need so much help. It is not enough to see the phenomenon. In particular, clear strategies for the development of these areas are needed to build basic infrastructure that can provide decent living conditions and increase the attractiveness of these areas for investors. However, European funds are not enough to stop the exodus of young people, but we need to pass on the necessary knowledge to local authorities so that these funds are absorbed as quickly and efficiently as possible. Europeans live in these poor regions too, and they need us, our support and our attention.

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, dear Laurence! Erasmus-type programmes have opened the door to European integration – for many. They have laid the foundations for a common educational culture. But we have to look at it as a beginning. To truly support young people, we need to move forward and develop programmes that also target young people and teachers in disadvantaged regions, people with limited material resources or people with special conditions. Erasmus+ needs to evolve and become more inclusive, in line with the experience of previous years, in order to create non-discriminatory conditions for participation. At the same time, we need to ensure that teachers are encouraged to participate to help their students implement projects. Erasmus+ is a programme that we need to promote among young people who can see what the European Union means, what unites us, and to fight Euroscepticism and Eurosceptics in practice.

Mr President, Madam Secretary of State, dear Chrysoula, Mr Executive Vice-President Timmermans, dear colleagues, in an effort to slow down or even stop climate change, we must all contribute, because these changes affect us all. Some Member States have already taken a number of measures to reduce pollution, while others still have to recover in economic and social development, in building infrastructure of different types. These joint efforts must take into account that Member States do not start from the same point and the level of development is much different. Adapting these measures is the only one that will make these regulations a success. We must strike a balance between ecological measures and economic and social development in order to have the support and involvement of the population, economic operators and local authorities. And that is precisely what I supported as coordinator in the Committee on Regional Development. Ecological measures must be seen and addressed as progress that will help communities, and not as a burden, as an obstacle to the well-being of Europeans. It is therefore important how these regulations are voted on, but also the support that Member States and local authorities enjoy in understanding and correctly implementing the measures that we will be voting on here in the European Parliament.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, we are in the early summer and we are seeing fuel and energy prices rising every day. In the summer period these increases will be felt more or less, but we must be very aware that, with the coming of autumn and especially in the coming winter, the population of the entire European Union will suffer greatly because of this difficult situation, all the more so as we still have states that have not applied any social protection measures to combat the increase in prices. We can't just look indifferent and say it's none of our business. All citizens in the European Union are our business, no matter where they live. That is why I think it is particularly important to address this issue now, as soon as possible, and to find solutions that apply in all Member States. The energy crisis concerns all of us, especially since we already have many people and households who cannot pay their energy bills and will not be able to afford heat in their homes.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, in the European Union, but especially in the Committee on Regional Development of which I am vice-president, we have a motto: "We leave no one behind" and thank you, Commissioner, for mentioning this in your introductory speech. And so we try to do this with every report, with every opinion. We need to identify the challenges of all regions and find the strengths to ensure that all European citizens have the development, a decent standard of living to which they are entitled to belong to the European Union. Islands may be far from many of us, but they can be a benchmark in terms of climate change and the measures we take to combat it, and at the same time for the social welfare and efficiency of the programmes we develop. We need a closer connection with islands and remote territories. We need to find ways to increase economic, social, cultural exchanges, and last but not least, when thinking about measures for energy independence, agriculture and local consumption, to reduce pollution, we need to take into account the specificities of these island regions.

Madam President, (the start of the intervention was not done on the microphone) ... always a step further. It is innovation that has helped us improve our living and working conditions, even here in the European Parliament. It is also innovation that can help us make the transition to a green economy and a less polluting industry and to digitalisation. And yet, we see that, in recent years, the great ideas that are being born here in the European Union are being put into practice and marketed by partners from other countries. Globalisation has brought about better economic cooperation, and the latest global crises show us that we need to attach greater importance to autonomy and, obviously, to harnessing innovative ideas right here at home. It is important to support innovation, both in our directives and regulations and in the programmes and distribution of European funds. We need to create a European innovation market and make sure that harnessing ideas is possible and profitable in the European Union. It is the only way to ensure that the European economy occupies an important place in this market.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the transition to a real, strong democracy is a long and very difficult process, and once functional democratic institutions are established, it takes determination and effort to maintain them. Democratic values, human rights, non-discrimination, freedom of speech and all the other values that the European Union upholds require constant attention and efforts. The steps taken by Albania to get closer to our values are great. The process has been a long and arduous one, after decades of dictatorship, after decades in which civil society, citizens, be they politicians or magistrates or other professions have been accustomed to a different way of life. Albania's efforts clearly show the desire to go further, to join the European Union, and even if there is still progress to be made, we must give this chance to a people who have been making sustained demarches for almost ten years. I think Albania needs to take the next step, and the European Union needs to support this.

Mr President, Commissioner, Commissioner, today we are talking about Moldova, about the progress that this state is making towards respecting democratic and European values. We must admit, dear colleagues, that the reforms of the last year and especially the way they reacted with the beginning of the war in Ukraine clearly show us that Moldova is on the right track. But the danger is great for such a small country in the immediate vicinity of the war, especially as officials in Moscow have declared that Moldova is a possible target for Russia. If Ukraine had and has a trained army, which successfully copes with the Russian invasion, the Republic of Moldova is a small state, unprepared for such a confrontation. In all sincerity, when we talk about Moldova, we have to ask ourselves what we, the European Union, can do to support it if need be. What can we do in the event of a negative scenario that no one wants? In these difficult times, we must recognize that NATO has an extremely important, crucial, irreplaceable role, but the European Union still needs its own army, ready to defend the borders of the Union and its associated states, if necessary.

The European Union was built on the idea of peace, on basic values such as respect for the law and treaties, dialogue, democracy, respect for human rights, tolerance. For several years, however, we have seen increasingly harsh attacks on our values, on European values, both through online manipulation, through the spread of fake news, through the support of extremist parties by third states. Even in the last two months we are witnessing the open attack on a neighbouring state, Ukraine, which wanted to adopt our values, European values, as well as threats against other states that want to respect these values. Democracy and tolerance seem to upset both outside the European Union, but even worse, we have citizens of the Union who want these values to disappear. I think it is time, dear colleagues, that each of us, those who want a united European Union, clearly and openly uphold democratic values, tolerance, and these must be respected by anyone who wants to be a citizen of the European Union.

Mr President, the Member States of the European Union, which have already welcomed refugees from Ukraine, have made some special efforts, have tried their best to adapt immediately to the needs on the ground, and I see this every day in the villages and cities of my country, in Romania. I spoke with representatives of civil society, with public authorities, who from one day to the next changed their priorities and, from ordinary activities, became real reception centers for refugees. Their effort was impressive, everyone's effort was impressive. With this resolution, however, we want to draw attention to the need now for coordinated efforts, for joint actions by all Member States, hosting children and young refugees, for a plan for the future, whether we are talking about safety against trafficking and exploitation of children, about their education in the short and medium term, about the reunification of families after the end of the war. Children need protection, and the European Union must work together to provide the help they need.

Mr President, the Schengen area is one of the great assets of the European Union. It is precisely because of this area that a common market, the free movement of persons within the Union, is possible. It is therefore natural to do everything to make it work as well as possible, the control rules to be as transparent as possible. The existence of internal borders was a real burden during the pandemic period, when some Member States reintroduced border controls, thus hindering not only the movement of people, but also economic exchanges, through waiting times at internal borders. We in Romania see how difficult it is to truly integrate into the single market when you are not a member of the Schengen Area. I voted today to improve the evaluation mechanism, because clear rules bring with them the increase of Romania's chances of joining this area faster, and with accession, they increase the chances of cohesion, the chances of small and medium-sized enterprises to truly be part of the European single market.

Madam President, Commissioner Jourová, colleagues, we are seeing more and more products that have all the components sealed, and the opening of the seal entails the loss of the guarantee, even when it comes to replacing a secondary part. There is also a tendency to grant the guarantee only if working with certain repairers approved by the manufacturing company. The right to repair products must be a right of the consumer, without small repairs meaning loss of warranty. The design of the products must provide access to easily replaceable components, so that the consumer does not wait long and does not pay too much for minor repairs. Ensuring the right to repair means products used for a long time, but also the development of a complementary economic branch, that of repair services, means innovation, independence for many micro-enterprises and can make a major contribution to the decrease in the number of waste. However, we must ensure that the right to repair does not mean an obligation to repair, while upholding this right does not bring financial burdens that make it difficult to access the purchase of new products.

Mr Vice-President, Commissioner Dalli, millions of women, children, elderly have managed to flee the war in Ukraine. But many stayed home, hoping it wouldn't be so bad. Unfortunately, we have seen civilians executed, women and children killed. This weekend's events have touched us all, I think. We cannot turn back time to try to save them, but we can try to give all the help they need, to those who have reached us, in the countries of the European Union. Civil society has mobilised exemplarily in all states neighbouring Ukraine, but also in states where refugees have transited or where they have decided to stop, until the war is over. However, there is a need for intervention by the authorities, for public support from funds that do not require the efforts of European citizens, citizens who have not yet recovered from the economic crisis and on whom the energy crisis has also left its mark. We therefore understand very well that the funds made available to the Member States need to be accessed as quickly and easily as possible. And I supported this procedure with my colleagues in the Committee on Regional Development. We also understand the immediate need to make their use more flexible and above all to increase the pre-financing rate so that the authorities have immediate access to these amounts of money. However, it must be stressed that these are European funds and as such must be checked and audited, as must all the funds available to the Member States. Even if we are in crisis situations, the European Parliament must have a say. We must be able to do our duty. Each European institution must exercise the role assigned to it by the Treaties. The decisions taken bilaterally by the European Commission and the European Council must be the exception, but they are used only in extreme situations, because we, the institutions of the European Union, are the first to respect the levers of power, the system of checks and balances, as a condition. sine qua non of democracy. We will have to find together, Commissioner, how to oversee the use of funds under CARE and CARE+ in order to be able to reassure our citizens that all these funds have been used in compliance with both the letter and the spirit of European regulations. I am confident that together, in the near future, we will be able to find the best solution.

Mr President, the European Union means democracy, it means promoting and defending freedoms, it means promoting and defending human rights, freedom of expression, non-discrimination on any grounds. The European Union is about accepting and sharing the diversity of cultures, languages, customs, traditions. We are many who take these notions as a given, but the social and political evolution of recent years shows us more and more clearly that these values are not intuitively known, but there must be a permanent concern for their promotion, for highlighting their importance in the well-being of all of us. Europe without wars, without extremism, means Europe where the majority of citizens understand the importance of education and civic engagement, where European citizens, wherever they may be, are aware of democratic values and the consequences of violating and minimising them. That is why I argue that European involvement is needed to protect all these values. We need real civic education for all European citizens, regardless of age.

Mr President, Commissioner Urpilainen, dear colleagues, building an interconnected energy infrastructure at European Union level is a condition without which we cannot speak of a common energy market. We need to speed up projects in this area and make priority corridors a reality as soon as possible. And that is precisely what I supported in my capacity as rapporteur of the Regional Development Commission. The goals of the European Green Deal can only be achieved if we take into account, in the field of energy, the possibilities for development and adaptation at the level of regions and Member States, allowing them to replace current energy resources with others that pollute much less, whatever they are. It is technological neutrality that will give the field the freedom to make the necessary innovations, and we must ensure that we support solutions according to the reduction of pollution levels, not according to the fuel used. Because this is the only way to ensure that no Member State, no region of the European Union is left behind.

Mr Vice-President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, in the last year there have been more and more families who have not been able to afford to pay their energy and heating bills. We see the price of energy becoming a daily burden on people's budgets. The very tense relations with Russia show us even more clearly that the European Union must have a common strategy at European level regarding the energy sector, but above all it shows us that it is time to think about a strategy for household consumers. Having established that we are going towards renewable energy, it should only be a matter of organization, funding and will to make all homes energy independent. The energy that the family consumes every day can and must be produced at home by solar panels, by mini wind turbines, by any other ways to ensure the energy independence of homes. The solutions must be found at European level because every citizen, be he from Romania, Slovakia, Portugal, wherever he lives, must benefit from electricity and heat at a decent price.

Mr President! I supported this motion, although I must admit that I would not have liked to have seen the name of my country. But we need to acknowledge what the mistakes are and what we need to correct. We can't hide. There are many oligarchs who want to use European funds, and with this request we call on the European Commission to take a stand and ensure that the European funds are used for the benefit of the citizens. We are here to represent all European citizens, and nothing is more important than ensuring that European funds dedicated to the cohesion of agriculture and all selected projects add value to the European Union as a whole.

Mr President, I gave a positive vote on this resolution with all confidence, because the place of the Republic of Moldova is with the European Union. Millions of Moldovan citizens showed in 2020 that they want democracy, that they want reforms and share our European values. With the election of the new leadership, of the new government, the message of all Moldovans was very clear: "Choose Europe". The European Union must come to be exactly what its name says: a Union of all Europeans, where democracy, the rule of law and human rights come first. In order to reach the moment when it can be part of the European Union, the Republic of Moldova needs support, not only politically, but also economically and financially. These are difficult reforms that this country, which has been hard-pressed by the history of recent years, must make. It is a struggle that must still be fought for democratization without a right of appeal, without a way back. But the Republic of Moldova needs us and now is the best time to show that we stand by it.

Mr President, a unitary roaming system for all the Member States of the European Union has proved beneficial for European citizens. Now that we have a very high mobility of the workforce, it is necessary for them to be able to communicate without financial barriers with those at home. The European single market must take shape in all areas, including telephony, making it easier for economic operators to communicate wherever they are. We are all European citizens and it is natural to enjoy anywhere in Europe the contracts we have signed in our country. One of the pluses of updating this regulation is to address the problems that have arisen in border areas. Because this regulation has proven to benefit consumers and to add to the European economy as a whole, I have chosen to give it a positive vote.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the war in Ukraine must not become a trivial reality, become a habit for us. We have seen millions of people who have had to leave their country, their home, and rely on the support of foreigners, on help from others for the most basic things, and we, the Romanians, help the refugees in Ukraine every day. Like many others, I have also hosted refugees from Ukraine. Children with their mothers, with their grandmothers, with their aunts. I've seen despair in the eyes of children who don't understand what's going on around them. We can and must help these children to have a normal life only if we mobilize, if we find solutions to be able to go to school, to be able to learn in their language, to be able to communicate with other children who are going through the same sufferings and, at the same time, not to be left behind. We need to take a step further, to help them build their future the way we would like someone to help our children in similar situations.

Madam Vice-President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, dear colleagues, we have witnessed in recent years a real exodus of the textile industry from the European Union to the countries of Asia. We all know the reasons, because in many states in that area production costs are much lower, and relocation has become necessary in order to have competitive prices. Even though globalisation has many strengths, it also has shortcomings that we have seen very clearly in the pandemic, when we had to wait for protective equipment, such as masks, gowns, to be sent from Asian countries. However, we have seen the effects on the population of the European Union for a long time, with rising unemployment among workers in the textile industry, mostly women, when factories have been relocated to areas in Asia – as I said earlier – where workers’ rights or environmental impacts are less regulated. Even in my town, Arad, in Romania, this phenomenon has left hundreds of women unemployed. So far no one has considered the costs of these relocations on the environment, but with the Green Deal we need to assess the impact of pollution of the products we consume in the EU, even if they are produced elsewhere, if we want to talk about fair competition. Last but not least, we will also have to take into account the conditions under which our textiles are produced, in terms of working conditions, the exploitation of workers. Commissioner, the textile industry – if we want to talk about such an industry in Europe – urgently needs a European approach and strategy, because we can no longer talk only about price competitiveness. The European Union can no longer remain a consumer. We need autonomy, our own industry and action, as Mr. Ehler said.

Madam President, the European Union's greatest asset is the single market of almost 450 million consumers, which brings economic benefits and well-being for small and medium-sized enterprises in all European states and can ensure economic prosperity for all. We are trying to harmonize legislation, reduce bureaucracy, while increasing the safety of all products that are placed on the consumer market. We want to create an environment where fair competition is a real attribute. And yet, we cannot talk about fair competition as long as we have borders within the European Union. Goods produced in non-Schengen countries wait at the border for hours, even days, and even if this phenomenon is a side effect, waiting times add extra costs for SMEs in non-Schengen countries. Dear colleagues, we must do everything possible to remove the borders within the European Union.

Mr President, Commissioner Mariya Gabriel! The European Union is one of the main objectives for those seeking refuge from war or even poverty. We have seen waves of refugees fleeing their war-torn countries. And we see the wave of refugees following Putin's war against Ukraine. We see this every day in Romania, Hungary, Moldova, Poland and Slovakia. This report stresses the need for all refugee children to have access to education as soon as possible. If we really want to help, food and shelter are not enough. We need to ensure that all these children have immediate access to quality, inclusive education, where perhaps their mother tongue is taught alongside other European languages, in order to avoid the risk of exclusion from the outset, and that they can decide at the right time whether they will contribute to the reconstruction of their country of origin or the development of their country of adoption. Inclusive education and getting to know each other is the only way for an open society, for the progress that we as humanity need.

Madam President, Commissioner Ferreira, the 2021-2027 programming period is a very different period from what we have had so far. The European Green Deal is making major changes. The ensuing pandemic has had and is having serious effects on the population, but also on our economy, and the war in Ukraine will affect not only the energy market, but also the economy as a whole. We are talking about a period in which we will have to overcome the challenges as best as possible, and this can only be achieved through the close cooperation of the authorities, those who need to programme cohesion funds, civil society and the economic environment. We must ensure from the programming period that this dialogue exists, that civil society is heard, not just heard, and that citizens' priorities are reflected in the projects that will be implemented in the years to come. It is important to find the right means to encourage civil society to speak up, to set out its priorities, especially in regions where there is no tradition of social involvement, or where the authorities have so far decided unilaterally. Economic operators, those who have felt the negative effects of the pandemic and who will also feel the effects of the war in Ukraine, must be encouraged to come up with solutions, with projects for the economic growth of the regions in which they operate, because only in this way will cohesion policy achieve its goals.