Speeches

Dear Chairman, online piracy, a live event, above all sport, but let's not forget about music and cultural content, is becoming one of the unresolved challenges of the European digital and cultural space. Data shows that 12% of EU citizens already access illegal online sports broadcasts, and among young people aged between 15 and 24, this figure rises to 27%. This means, in fact, that one whole generation is accustomed to viewing content outside the law. Estimates show more than €1 billion of illegal revenue per year in the European Union, while sports leagues; broadcasters and the cultural sector loses the funds that finance the development of sport, content production and, of course, the creative industries. At the same time, piracy does not exist in a vacuum, it is also a consequence of the distorted market for sports media rights. When rights are fragmented, even prices are high, and key broadcasters connected sometimes with state actors outside the European Union, trust in the market is weakening and citizens are turning to illegal solutions, which is by no means good. Illegal sports transfers bring billions of euros a year to criminal networks and illegal betting. It's not a petty offense, it's organized crime. The percentages of illegal approaches pose an economic and legal challenge because piracy creates huge black money and, Commissioner, we have to do something.

Dear President, Commissioners, colleagues, when digital systems fall, schools suffer, public institutions suffer, citizens suffer, hospitals suffer, the whole system suffers. In the last year alone, ENISA has registered almost 5,000 serious cyber incidents in the European Union. This shows that threats are day-to-day, sophisticated and on the rise, and therefore, thanks to the Commissioner, for announcing the strengthening of ENISA as well as simplification. The Cybersecurity Act strengthens ENISA and introduces a single certification system for digital products and services to make the market safer, and what is very important is greater trust. A key part of our response is also the NIS 2 Directive, which extends obligations to critical sectors and imposes stricter liability, including high financial sanctions for serious misconduct. However, we need to be honest and face reality, so that implementation is not uniform. By mid-2025, less than half of the Member States had fully transposed NIS 2 into national law, creating loopholes in our defence. And I will conclude, Europe must be digitally open, no doubt, but cyber-impeachable and we must not compromise on this.

Thank you very much, but answer me, please, then to the question how do you mean to prevent what happens every second, say, on encrypted online platforms where at least two photos or videos of child sexual abuse are shared? One in seven children in elementary school arranged a face-to-face meeting with a person they met online. I'm sure the parents didn't say: ‘Yes, you can’. And finally, this year, Europol detected in 2000 a link to terrorist and violent extremist content targeting minors who are not accidental victims but intended targets. Then how would you handle it?

Dear Chair, Honourable Commissioner, I believe that the European Democracy Shield must be much more than an administrative measure and that it must be a geopolitical response and a backstop for the European Union, so it is of utmost importance to see how the Centre for Democratic Resilience will function. Why? Because we live in a time when democracy is no longer attacked only by cannons or weapons, but by propaganda, false narratives, election manipulation, cyberattacks and economic blackmail. We've finally realized that we can't be naive anymore. Democracy Shield is the first comprehensive framework that protects us from external authoritarian regimes that seek to undermine our institutions and polarize our society. I agree, we need stronger media, transparency of political funding, but we need to protect cyber security, elections and defence against foreign influence. This means defending our way of life, and in the end I welcome your announcement of digital literacy in schools, that is, media literacy for informed citizens.

Dear Chairwoman, colleagues, I will repeat, Croatia is among the few Member States that have already clearly defined rape as a non-consensual relationship in their criminal code and introduced criminal liability for digital violence and abuse of intimate content, thus becoming an example of good practice among EU countries. At the same time, the revised Anti-Trafficking Directive from last year extends protection to women who are exposed to forced pregnancy, surrogacy and the exploitation of motherhood. According to the 2024 analysis, there is sadly more and more so-called commercial surrogacy in third countries, exploiting poor women from Asia and Eastern Europe. Women from poor communities are recruited. However, giving birth to children for organ trafficking, sexual abuse, is the most horrific form of business that we must also talk about. This is not freedom of choice, it is a form of modern slavery. In 2022, we declared commercial surrogacy a form of exploitation of women that violates their rights and human dignity. We are now three years later. Have we taken a step forward or backwards?

Dear Chair, I am glad that you mentioned cyberbullying and I agree with you and I hope that you will support the EPP Group initiative that we have been talking about for several years, which is the extension of the definition and that cyberbullying, in fact, becomes a criminal offence in all Member States of the European Union where it is not yet. As far as this Directive is concerned, I must say that my country, from which I come, Croatia, has already taken steps there and that sexual abuse, rape and others are already in the domain of crime. So, are you in favor of cyberbullying criminalization, as is EPP?

Dear President, colleague and colleague, when we talk about culture, we are not talking about trade. We talk about language, about the way we see the world, about who we are. And it is precisely our European identity in the digital space that is under threat. More than 65% of the video-on-demand market revenue in Europe is generated by three major non-European services, Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney Plus. European content, although it accounts for about 30% of the catalogue's offer, is only 16% of the total time. In other words, more than 80% of the time European citizens spend watching content is spent on non-European programmes. The AVMSD is not a market barrier, but a tool for Europe to protect its voice, in Italy, in Germany, in Poland, in Croatia. Without it, European authors, directors and producers would be overwhelmed by the global content that dominates our screens. In this sense, the Directive does not erect walls, but opens doors. When the European Union asks 30% of content on platforms to be of European origin, it is not a bureaucratic quota, it is a defense of our culture. That is why I call on the Commission and the Member States to firmly and uniformly defend the obligations of this Directive in the Transatlantic Dialogue.

It is clear that in Serbia we do not see a democratic, but a despotic narrative, a coquette as appropriate to the European Union, and on the other hand a very coquett to Russia and China. I would like to send a clear message to the citizens of Serbia: We do not change power here, we seek democratic change here and we ask that reforms be fulfilled for every country that wants to become a member of the European Union. Over the past year in Serbia, we have witnessed intimidation of protesters, arrest of journalists, pressure on civil society and attempts to portray any criticism as a threat to the state. This is not the way to Europe, it is the way back to fear and silence. The rule of law, freedom of expression and an independent judiciary are not traded goods. They are a prerequisite for membership. Serbia cannot simultaneously request the opening of chapters and close the mouth of its own citizens.

Dear Chair, Honourable Commissioner, Colleagues, Sigfrido Ranucci is the target of an attempted attack precisely because he did his job: expose corruption, abuse of power and irregularities. His courage reminds us of the most important thing. Freedom of the press is not guaranteed when journalists can speak, but when they can do so without fear. We keep saying: there is no place to intimidate journalists in the European Union. However, according to the European Federation of Journalists, in the first six months of this year alone, there were 709 cases of violations of media freedom. These are not isolated incidents. It's a pattern that worries. The murder of Dafne Caruana Galizia in Malta, we talked about it earlier today, the assassination of Jan Kuciak in Slovakia and now the attempt to attack Sigfrid Ranucci are reminders that there is no democracy without free journalism. We will talk about that free so-called journalism in Serbia a little later today. That is why I welcome the European Commission's initiative for a European media freedom law, which for the first time clearly sets out that Member States must guarantee the independence of journalists, the protection of sources and the transparency of media ownership. Sigfrido Ranucci has survived, but what we have to ensure is that the next journalist doesn't have to be a hero to do his job.

The enlargement of the European Union is not only an administrative process or a set of technical chapters, it is a political act, an expression of our vision and our responsibility, but also of the responsibility of the Member States that would like to join the European Union. At a time when borders in Europe are being redrafted, when autocracies question its values, enlargement is the answer, not the risk, but it can only be a success if the Union remains credible and able to decide, while respecting the principle of equality. At the same time, we must preserve what makes Europe unique, the balance between big and small members, new and old members. Our message must be clear: enlargement yes, reforms yes, but a Europe of equal members must remain the heart of the Union. We need to be able to react quickly, that's right, but speed must not replace responsibility. There are mechanisms that allow progress without losing balance: passerelle clauses, structured cooperation and constructive restraint. No lifting of veto rights.

Dear Chairman, colleague and colleague, this penalty is not an end in itself, it is a tool to reopen the market, to give media and publishers fairer access to the market. Let's look at reality, actually. Small local portals, regional newspapers, radio stations, they live and depend on the fair part of the advertising market cake. When the platform favors its own AdX and does not allow other options, these small publishers are simply pushed out of the game. The resolution also sends a signal of the Union’s determination and unity to protect cultural autonomy. It's also a message to our partners across the Atlantic. Dialogue yes, but respecting European cultural particularities. This resolution is not directed against the United States, it is for Europe. It also reinforces the European Parliament's position that cultural policy is the exclusive competence of the Member States and the Union, not the subject of a trade agreement. This confirms the concept of a European cultural exception, which has been the backbone of the European Union’s cultural diplomacy for decades. In this way, we also try to balance relations with the American soft power policy, especially given the global influence of the US streaming Netflix, Disney, Amazon Prime, and we underline the need for Europe to develop its own soft power through the achievement of local production, language and cultural diversity. But punishment alone is not enough, it must be carried out in the fullest sense. Players, big or small, must follow the rules. If they violate – sanctions, if they do not correct – structural measures. We do not tolerate the concentration of power in the digital space.

Mr President, I'd like to thank my dear colleague and say: don't worry, we love you, you're not alone. Dear Chair, colleagues, I will only remind you that this year's theme of World International Health Day is access to mental health services in disasters and emergencies and that at this moment one in five people in conflict-affected areas suffers from mental health problems. However, one in five adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 also suffers from mental disorders. 97% of children use the internet every day for 8 hours and 40 minutes. One in six children has experienced cyberbullying. And, yes, I agree, we must take a step further, especially in protecting children. The EPP has been pushing for the criminalisation of cyberviolence for several years and I sincerely hope that all Members of this Parliament will support our initiative. Mental health is a silence we don't hear too often. So let's look, let's be open and honest and help, not just build roads, but build a healthier Europe.

Colleague Bartulica, I hope you do not seriously think that there is no opportunity and chance for the rise of digital companies in Croatia. If you did not follow, yesterday the Golden Kunas were awarded, the highest recognitions, and that is exactly start-up companies operating in the digital space. They were great in their speeches and praised Croatia. And don't be worried. The Croatian government, and we, will not allow anyone to create our policies, and I know that well - as a former journalist, as a former member of the Croatian Parliament, as a former government spokeswoman and a spokeswoman of the Ministry of Culture. Do not impose false theses here on Croatia.

Dear Chair, Commissioner, colleagues, I would say that food, together with energy and defence, is becoming part of the wider security mosaic of the European Union. So I'm not at all happy to relativize such an important topic, from sausages to hamburgers. I appeal first of all to the Commissioner, as many of my predecessors have said, to keep us in good financial terms when it comes to agricultural policy. It's good that we're going to have less bureaucracy, that's what we asked for five years ago, faster and more efficient crisis relief, stronger bargaining power for our farmers in the food supply chain. We also need faster aid payments, import controls, but we also need to talk about what's bothering our farmers, and that's increasingly labour shortages. I particularly welcome the fact that these amendments give strong support to small and medium-sized farms, and we must say that farmers today live in the reality of climate change and ask us for two things: certainty, legal and regulatory predictability. So let's give farmers what they asked us, our colleague and colleague, four years ago, to support and we must continue to work to improve them.

Dear Chairman, European Universities alliances are one of the most successful achievements of recent decades. Since 2019, Erasmus+ has brought together 65 alliances and more than 570 higher education institutions across Europe. It is integration in practice, joint studies, inter-university campuses and mobility without borders. In August, Eurostat reported that 8.4% of higher education students in the European Union in 2023 were international students, i.e. those who came from another Member State or from outside the European Union. That is progress, but in a Union that wants global leadership in research and innovation, this is not enough. If we want to compete, for example with the United States and Asia, we need to expand opportunities, not limit them. For Croatia, the country I come from, these alliances are a strategic opportunity. Universities in Zagreb, Split and Rijeka are already involved in European networks, connecting our students with thousands of colleagues across the Union. But they face the same barriers as many European universities, limited funding, the logic of short-term projects and, unfortunately, a research backlog. Alliances are not a pilot project. They must be the future of European higher education. This requires stable multiannual funding beyond 2027, stronger links between research and education, and investment in digital tools that will make inter-university campuses real.

To date, the EUvsDisinfo platform has documented nearly 20,000 cases of disinformation campaigns targeting our elections, our media and our healthcare systems. Every day we are exposed to five new disinformation. I am afraid that some colleagues who spoke here in Parliament today are contributing to this disinformation. It is alarming and we must agree that the call for a European democratic shield is urgent and necessary. This means defending independent media, strengthening civil society and ensuring that citizens can trust the information space in which they live. The Democratic Shield must be European, comprehensive and permanent, it must combine intelligence sharing, sanctions against malicious actors, support for independent journalism and coordinated monitoring of electoral ... (Chairman took the floor)

Dear Chairman, Honourable Commissioner, Colleagues, what we see in Serbia today is definitely not democracy. These are protests suppressed by force, these are students called enemies of the state, these are pressurized media and truth silenced. Such behavior of the authorities is not a dialogue, it is a logic of fear, I would say, a postmodern autocrat. And that's why we have to say clearly: this is not the way to the European Union, because Europe is built on freedom of speech, responsibility, respect for human dignity. A government that stifles the media and declares its own citizens a threat is moving Serbia away from the European family, but also the rhetoric of some from the opposition and from the protests about Greater Serbia, open or covert, is unacceptable. European integration is not a trade in values. On the one hand, the appeal to Russia and China to strengthen legitimacy, open nationalism, and on the other, the expectation of support from the European Union. Such a double game cannot be rewarded. I will conclude, the path to Europe leads through reform processes, through democracy, never through repression.

First of all, let me thank all firefighters, pilots and civil protection personnel for their outstanding contribution. I certainly agree, colleague and colleague, that we must show solidarity first. However, we forgot to mention something during this whole discussion, and in the past five years, unfortunately, in the floods and fires we have lost three thousand human lives. These are the lives, families and communities that carry the burden of disasters. How can we show solidarity in a different way? It is precisely as responsible politicians, through the reinforcement of rescEU, through the strengthening of the fleet of European firefighting teams, that, of course, early warning systems, especially satellites and drones, should be modernised, investing in the prevention and resilience of communities. We need a proactive approach. The effects of extreme weather events can also be considered a systemic risk, I would say. Of course, we must first and foremost protect people's lives and property, but we must also understand this as a threat to the economy, finances and social stability.

Colleague Šarec, you mentioned Montenegro. Thank you so much for being there. I would like to remind you that the Republic of Croatia has helped Montenegro, that the Republic of Croatia is one of the great examples at the EU level of how to invest in prevention, how to invest in the protection system, primarily civil protection. 634 million euros has been invested by the Republic of Croatia. So, I think we should also send a message to the member states because there is a great disparity in the will of their governments in how they will help prevent forest fires and floods. We need solidarity, strengthening the rescEU fleet, prevention and strengthening resilience. I think we agree here.

Dear Chairman, dear colleagues, Commissioner, if we don't change anything, we risk keeping public money trapped in slow and closed systems. The reform must simplify procedures, open the door to SMEs and I therefore agree with this proposal to ensure greater transparency and only in this way will we turn public procurement into a strategic tool that encourages competition, innovation and sustainability, not just a race for the lowest price. However, if public procurement is to truly serve citizens, it must serve to inform them. Commissioner, I have also asked you a question about this. This is where we get to the professional media. Today, audiovisual and radio services are exempt from public procurement rules, which is good, but on the other hand, printed media and digital portals, while also acting in the public interest, are not. It is not just legal illogicality, so I ask you to think about it, it is a weakness in the fight against disinformation, and it is the media that must also protect our European way of life.

Dear Chairwoman, colleagues, we are talking about a common European response to the increasingly devastating and frequent climate challenges, and forest fires are certainly one of the most serious. In 2023, Europe lost more than 500,000 hectares of forest, and another extremely warm season is ahead of us. The RescEU fleet, which had 28 planes and four helicopters last year, will play a key role in helping Member States quickly. I come from Croatia, which, unfortunately, is increasingly faced with forest fires and I strongly support these efforts. Last year, we signed a contract to procure two new Canadians, precisely from this mechanism, and should be delivered in 2027/2028. We have also shown great operational readiness in various threats and I think we can share these experiences with different member countries. We also invested €634 million in the fire protection system and an additional €55 million in the acquisition of new equipment. However, the Preparedness Union must be more flexible in its plans, have targeted and accessible support tailored to local needs. In conclusion, we need prevention and operational plans, rational investments in security and sustainability.