Debate contributions by Milan UHRÍK

Madam President, progressive colleagues, please, what problem do you have that Hungarians do not want immigrants on their territory and rainbow propaganda in their schools? Well, what? Well, what? It is their right, they have the right to decide, and I fully support it. And I firmly believe that in Slovakia, too, there will one day be a government that will officially reject the immigration pact and also officially ban rainbow propaganda among children in schools, and will also have the courage to vote for peace at the European Council. Please save yourself these rumors about some rule of law, because in France they annulled the election just because, or they annulled the possibility of running for Mrs Le Pen just because you were afraid that she would win. In Romania, you annulled the entire election because your candidate did not win. And you're going to talk about some kind of rule of law. Save yourself this hypocritical theater. We all know that this is not about the rule of law at all. It's just a clean, clean policy. Begin by finally respecting the sovereignty of individual states.

I ask you, what independent medium is Radio Free Europe, which was paid directly by the government of the United States of America? Elon Musk himself, a man from the United States of America, says: ‘Yes, turn them off! Europe is free now, if we do not count the suffocating bureaucracy. No one listens to them anymore. It's just radical left-wing fools talking to themselves and spending a billion dollars a year on American taxpayers' money. Definitely not. Definitely not. So I'm very clear about turning them off.

Mr President, please help farmers in Slovakia struggling with foot-and-mouth disease, rather than paying unnecessary donors from independent media. You know, when I hear the word independent mainstream media, I'm just laughing at it, because your mainstream media is actually the opposite of independence. You silence and destroy independent opinions, censor social networks, fine companies that don't want to mislead censorship, ban alternative media, and label any other opinion as spreading extremism, disinformation, or Russian propaganda. What independent media is Radio Free Europe?

Thank you, colleague, for the question, but I will answer in Slovak. We want to end the war. Yes, we want to restore Russian gas supplies. Your sanctions policy has been extremely unsuccessful. It has not produced any results so far. Only now are there reports that Ukraine is losing, losing the Kurdish region. So all these solutions that have been presented here so far were simply unsuccessful, invalid, did not work. Unfortunately, that is reality. That's what we see on the front. We see it in Ukraine and the United States of America has realized it, the rest of the world has realized it, and I would like Europe to finally realize it.

(Beginning of the speech outside the microphone) ...must be abolished, not further strengthened. Please, wake up to reality, you're playing some moralists here. You say that Central Europe must cut itself off from bad Russian gas, but you yourself import record quantities of liquefied LNG gas into Western countries directly from the Russian Federation. Because of your Greendeal green policy and sanctions policy, we have the most expensive energy prices in Europe, in the whole world. Gas is five times more expensive than in the United States, and you are now saying that more sanctions are needed and that gas is even more expensive. Is this your plan? Is this your offer for European industry, for European citizens? Even more costly, even more problems, even more liquidation of European companies? We do not agree with this in any way and ask for the exact opposite: Abolish the nonsensical energy sanctions. Let companies have the opportunity to choose the cheapest supplier, for me from all over the world, but let citizens and European industry have affordable, cheap energy.

Madam President, colleagues, when I saw that Leyen was presenting an even more devastating Green Deal 2, I did not believe my own eyes. I normally believe that the European Commission has either gone mad or is corrupted from outside to simply destroy European industry for the benefit of, I don't know, China, the United States of America or anyone else, because it makes absolutely no sense for any sane person, sane politician after having caused the Green Deal to destroy the European economy and lead to a rise in energy prices, for any sane politician to continue this environmental policy at a time when the United States and China are running away from it. What doesn't work, let's do even more. You write that decarbonisation is becoming not only an environmental objective, but also our growth strategy. What growth strategy? However, due to decarbonisation, we have the most expensive energy prices in the world in Europe. Industrial producers should limit production according to the cost of electricity. So people will be waiting at home for the sun to start shining and solar panels to work to make electricity cheaper. This is not a plan for economic growth, this is a plan for disaster, and stop it. Stop this senseless green policy.

Madam President, Mrs Leyen, do you want to buy weapons for 800 billion euros? Please don't hide behind the scenes and show us how you bought vaccines, because I believe that under your guise, buying weapons will be just another huge mega-fraud against Europeans. And I would also be interested to know who should fight with all the weapons purchased, because for Europeans this will only mean further militarisation, further indebtedness, further consolidation and further increase in price. I regret that once again only Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was the only one who opposed this war plan of Leyen at the summit, that all the others – Macron, Scholz, Fiala, Fico and others – voted in favour of increasing European military and financial assistance to Zelensky instead of joining Trump's plan and pushing Zelensky into peace negotiations. They betrayed and disappointed many voters. I can guarantee that we will not support the military plan in the vote of Leyen and will not betray our constituents.

The murder of Ján Kuciak and his fiancée was tragic and inexcusable. There is no doubt about that. However, I sometimes regret that this murder is still politically abused, often for literally uncharacteristic political campaigns, such as in the case of the Slovak opposition or in the case of a former police director who, under the picture of Martin on a cloud, presented the persecution of inconvenient police officers or even the persecution of the political opposition. I find it a little sad that Slovak media often use the case of Martina and Kuciak , i.e. Martina and Ján Kuciak , to defend their bias. In any case, much more than some political gestures or political abuse of this monument, I would be interested, colleagues from Progressive Slovakia, in particular, to investigate the case, revealing the real commissioner of the murder, who unfortunately remains secret to this day.

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, I think that President Donald Trump has today presented many measures that could also inspire the European Union. Launching deportations of illegal immigrants, recognizing only two genders and improving the protection of women, stopping it gender ideologies, for example in sporting events, tightening the fight against drugs, suspending foreign aid until it is shown where this foreign aid is actually going. This also applies to Ukraine. Last but not least, the restoration of freedom of speech and the cessation of state censorship. I think all the right things. Sure, President Trump's pushing these things, this agenda, into reality isn't going to be easy. But if the people of the United States have done it, I firmly believe that this change will gradually come to Europe, to the European Union. And let me say for myself, I look forward to the day when we, together with our colleagues, will announce similar changes in the European Union here in the European Parliament.

on behalf of the PPE-DE Group. - (DE) Madam President, liberal colleagues, please do not make fools of people on social networks and do not play as if you are trying to protect democracy by imposing censorship. Some of my colleagues mentioned independents. fact-checkers. I would like to remind you that in Germany it is the so-called Germany. fact-checking some Ahmed Heikel Ghaffar, a Muslim, by the way, and in Slovakia this is the responsibility of an NGO, which is paid for and financed directly by the European Commission. What kind of independence are you talking about, please? Social media owners themselves admit that they are being pressured into censorship by governments. Mark Zuckerberg made it clear that the U.S. government was pushing him to censor negative information about... (objection) Shut up, please.

Madam President, this debate is ridiculous. Your liberal war candidates are losing, and you can only blame the young and call for TikTok censorship. Colleagues, but do not blame the young, blame yourself and your agenda first for the fact that people already vote differently and that they no longer want you. You are accusing yourself of ruining the future for young people with your green pro-war punitive policy, of making everything more expensive because of your policy, of houses normally costing 200, 300 or more thousand euros and young people cannot afford it. And that's why they reject you, not because of TikTok or because of some social networks. Look for the culprits in the first place. You have detached yourself from reality, you have ceased to listen to ordinary people's problems, and only from above you moralize and instruct everyone how to live, what to think, what is right, what is wrong, how to choose their life path. Let it be up to the people to decide what future they imagine in their countries and stop moralizing with or without TikTok. People simply choose, and the truth always wins in the end.

Mr President, a little while ago, I saw shocking footage from Germany, where thousands of Syrian immigrants marched through the Christmas markets shouting Allah Akbar. Once again. Thousands of Syrian migrants through Christmas markets filled with beautiful stalls, Christmas trees, parents and children looking forward to Christmas. And I ask you, is this the Europe you want people to just be afraid to go to the Christmas markets? But now there's a chance for change. You say there is a democratic government in Syria. All right, let's try. It's high time. Just as the European Union helped those immigrants to enter the territory of the European Union, it helped them to ensure their return home. To all those youngsters who are shouting in European cities. All those immigrants who left their wives and children in the war and fled to Europe. Help to come back. Let us do a good deed once again and help clear them out of Europe.

Mr President, I am sorry, but on behalf of young people and students, it literally insults me sometimes when you suggest here that those who are not progressive and iridescent are de facto under the influence of some foreign agents or hybrid operations. Quite simply not, many young people have reason, they have courage, they do not want to go with the flock, they do not want to support the war, they do not want to participate in training, where they are taught how to properly address people of some third or fourth sex. These people just have their opinion, and I don't think it's right to label them that they're all foreign agents now, or that if they're not, they're under the influence of some foreign agents. A much bigger problem than some foreign agents in universities, in my opinion, in schools is the work of NGOs, left-wing NGOs in schools that literally brainwash young people, teach them nonsense, teach them left-wing propaganda, left-wing ideology that is detached from reality, and do not prepare them for the real world, for the real values that people really need here to live a good and happy and happy life.

Madam President, of course, at such energy prices, young people do not want to, but cannot afford to buy real estate, buy homes, start families or have children. Of course, older people then have trouble surviving from month to month and that companies are stagnating. According to the International Energy Agency, average energy prices in Europe are two to three times higher than in the United States. We have the most expensive energy in the world. And not because the energies aren't there or that they're running out, but simply because you're making senseless green choices, meaningless pushing. the Green Deal, senseless pushing of overpriced green energy and, for example, senseless anti-energy sanctions against Russia. Of course, there must be an energy crisis in Europe in such circumstances, but the energy crisis is not of itself. She didn't come by herself, my friends. You are the energy crisis that is plaguing Europe.

Mr President, please, colleagues, stop moaning here. The Georgians simply did not vote for your pro-Brussels parties because they have common sense. Tell me who normal would voluntarily want your GReen deal? Who would want a voluntary ban on internal combustion engines or immigration quotas? Who would want 70 genders for school children? Or getting involved in a war against Russia? No one, of course. You're saying here that the Georgians were intimidated. You should have seen, my friends, the elections in Slovakia a few years ago, when your progressive colleagues called NATO military specialists to come to say that they were protecting democracy in Slovakia? No, my friends, you are not talking about democracy. You are simply concerned that the Georgians are protecting traditional values, that they do not want foreign Western NGOs on their territory, and that is why, with such politically motivated resolutions, you are trying at all costs to undermine another sovereign state and stir up another Maidan. But change is coming. She came to America, she came to Georgia, and I firmly believe that she will come to Germany and other countries of Europe.

Mr President, it has been said here that the European Union has adopted 13,000 regulations and regulations in the last five years. You absolutely all recognise that the European Union is losing competitiveness compared to America, China, the Russian Federation and the rest of the world. There is too much bureaucracy. Nevertheless, the European Commission's proposal is to introduce additional bureaucracy, no competitiveness test. At the same time, I remember how the ban on internal combustion engines was advocated here, when it was agreed that from the age of 35 electric cars would be mandatory, as we will all be super modern, super green, as we will live here as in some kind of Star Trek. The reality is that the car industry in Europe has been destroyed. And how mandatory gender quotas for companies have been approved here, how diversified we will be and how progressive I do not know: The reality is - another artificial quota. How was the seizure of anti-Russian or Russian assets to finance Ukraine approved yesterday? A message to the whole world that there is no point in investing in the EU, because if the Commission does not like a government in the world, investors will be deprived of their property. That is to say, the bureaucracy must begin, Commissioners, to be reduced, not added. That's the solution.

Madam President, I consider the priorities of the Hungarian Presidency presented here to be reasonable, and I must say that after the nonsense that we are hearing from Mrs Leyen, along with Mr Šefčovič and other colleagues, it is really refreshing to hear the voice of common sense at last in the European Parliament. Mrs Leyen, you should be inspired by Hungary, not trying to punish it at all costs, because the European Union really does not need more migrants, more war, more rainbow agenda, more bans on combustion engines. But it needs politicians, leaders who care about peace and Europe's prosperity. I would like to commend Mr Orbán on one thing: that, as the only European Prime Minister, he publicly opposed Ms Leyen's candidacy for President of the European Commission. I'm a little disappointed that the Scottish government hasn't joined in. If it were up to us, we would certainly support this position. And I want to encourage all Hungarians, as well as the Prime Minister, not to give up, not to give in to the pressure of liberals and, if necessary, to send those migrants on the buses of Leyen to Brussels.

Mr President, look, every time I buy a car, I buy either a petrol car or a diesel car, and the next time I choose a new passenger car, I just choose diesel again. Because I won't buy an electric car forcibly, which has a short range, which I have nowhere to charge, which I don't have time to charge and which won't work properly in winter. We are not against the sale of electric cars, but we are against mandatorily imposing electric cars on people. Citizens are against it, entrepreneurs are against it, even the automakers themselves are against it. The only ones who push this forward are the green fanatics from Brussels. For me, colleagues, go and run on horses, but stop destroying European industry, European carmakers. Commissioner, the ban on internal combustion engines from 2035 must be reconsidered, it must be abolished, and European carmakers must not be fined for the senseless green ideas invented here by colleagues who are completely, but that they are completely detached from reality.

Madam President, do you know how the European Union could best help with these floods? If she hadn't invented nonsense, such as mandatory electric cars! 'Cause I'd like to see those flashlight cars, those excavators and tractors of yours help in these current floods! Because yes, there were also suggestions a year ago that as part of the implementation of the Green Deal, you wanted to make electrification of the so-called Green Deal mandatory. heavy duty vehicles. This means vehicles designed for difficult conditions, such as tractors, excavators, trucks, trucks. Just nonsense, nonsense. However, as far as these floods are concerned, I have not yet received any specific assistance from the European Union. At the same time, this is precisely the area where common European solidarity, common European cohesion, could manifest itself. It's not just about helping immigrants fleeing Africa. Pay them for transport, pay them for accommodation, health care, then some social benefits or even pocket money. But now to the citizens of the European Union, the peoples of the European Union, with concrete measures, help to overcome the damage by contributing to tools or to the restoration of damaged dwellings. But that would have to be a little different for the leadership of the European Union and it would have to be interested in the problems of ordinary people, ordinary Europeans. Unfortunately, there is not yet much to thank the European Union for in this current crisis. But I also want to thank the rescue services from this place, which are actively helping. Thank you to all firefighters, all rescuers, police officers, volunteers, water managers, all citizens who are actively helping the people affected by the floods. Because they are the real heroes of today and they deserve our thanks. Finally, let me give you a brief thought. Today we are debating the point entitled 'Destructive floods in Central and Eastern Europe, loss of life'. Tomorrow, Dry as a threat to local communities and agriculture in the European Union is due to be debated in plenary. I'm sorry, but sometimes it feels like a TV show. Just choose your crisis. Once it's Covid, once it's war in Ukraine, then it's drought, then there's flooding. The important thing is that people are always afraid that there will be some alarmism. Even this debate. Many of you are exploiting the Green Deal, which actually causes more problems than it solves. And we simply disagree with such alarmism and call for a return to normal rational debate and a return to concrete help for citizens.

It has been said on several occasions that the only way to end this war is, of course, through peace negotiations. This is what we want to support in order to start peace negotiations between the parties, between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, which was attacked by the Russian Federation in the framework of the so-called special operation. Because there's simply no other way to end it. I do not think that the Russian Federation will continue to attack the Western states. First, there is no objective reason for this either. Second, we have the North Atlantic Alliance and so on. But simply the scenario that has been there for the past two years, the constant sending of weapons clearly leads nowhere. That's why I think it's a dead end. I can't answer anymore.

Madam President, a new European Commission has not yet been elected, and the first point we have on the table is more money and more weapons for Ukraine. Not for Europeans, but for Ukraine. Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to ask you: How long do you plan to continue this escalation? Because it started with humanitarian aid, all right. But then came bullets, ammunition, rockets, tanks. Then came the F-16 fighter jets. Now comes the long-range missiles that will reach the Russian Federation. How many weapons? How much money? How many more deaths does this war have to bring to an end? Why are you so afraid to talk about peace? The future US President Trump, whom the so-called Democrats have repeatedly tried to assassinate, is already openly talking about peace. We do not want to leave our children, our grandchildren, a future full of weapons and war, but rather a future full of peace and well-being. That is why we simply cannot continue to support such an aggressive militant and war policy.