Speeches

Mr President, since taking office as a Member of the European Parliament, I have made sure that the voice of European citizens is truly heard in the European Parliament. That is why I voted for this resolution. 90% of Europeans think we should take them more into account in decisions about the future of Europe. 55% of Europeans cite voting in European elections as one of the most effective ways to ensure that their voices are heard by decision-makers at European Union level. Representation is not through political alliances or negotiations between groups and parties. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are those elected by the citizens of the Member States. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have the duty and responsibility to represent citizens through laws that reflect their trust.

Mr President, I am a lawyer and I voted for this resolution because the European Union means respect for human rights, freedom, equality, the rule of law. Any serious violation of them must have consequences. We cannot turn our heads when a member state is outside the treaties through the actions of political leaders and governing parties. European money must go to citizens, not to governing parties and their friends. Judgments of the EU JC and international courts must be respected. Corruption, illiberalism, laws with dedication, violation of the rights of some citizens, all must be sanctioned. In the European Union, there is no one more equal than others: no state, no president or prime minister, no political party and no citizen. There are no second-class Member States, there are no more senior Member States. The same rules must apply to everyone.

Mr President, more than two thirds of European citizens believe that climate change affects them on a daily basis. More than half of Europeans see climate change as the main challenge for the future of the Union, and 87% agree that fighting climate change means improving their health and well-being. Nine out of ten young Europeans are extremely categorical about protecting the environment. You may think that 2024 is still far away, that the electorate can still be fooled, that the theme of the environment is less important than others, that the world will forget by then who votes in the European Parliament or in national parliaments. Well, all the Eurobarometers, all the studies carried out at the request of the Commission, all the surveys at national level clearly show that you are wrong. People want more from parties and politicians. They want results, not promises. They want laws enforced, not speeches. They want real change, not election campaigns. People who experience year after year severe droughts, record temperatures, devastating floods, tropical storms in temperate zones, landslides and all the other extreme phenomena that have claimed between 90 and 140 thousand lives in Europe in recent decades. Hundreds of journalists, activists, whistleblowers assaulted and even killed while trying to protect forests and Natura 2000 areas from wood thieves. Ignoring the problem of illegal logging, we vote against greenhouse gas emissions. We do not want to change anything that is happening now on the territory of the Union, not only in Romania, Hungary or Austria. We are not defending these people, their families, their children. We do not vote with the thought of citizens, whom we have the duty to represent, but with the thought of individual and group negotiations, party lines, personal beliefs or interests. And that is why, everywhere in the Union, citizens penalize us, penalize us by absenteeism, by blaming vote, by supporting extremist parties and anti-European currents. About illegal logging we all know that it's not just environmental crime. The degree of destruction and the levels at which this scourge affects us is a crime, and the victims are not just us, but all future generations. European citizens have long understood this. They send it to us through numerous petitions and initiatives that I am sure you all receive. If you think that illegal logging does not exist in your country, you are wrong. What is cut in other European countries reaches the single market, which is stolen in one Member State costs us all - billions and billions of euros annually. If you think that in your country this scourge is punishable, Europol shows you with figures that you are wrong. If you have the impression that the polluted environment, the destroyed biodiversity and all the climate change stop at your borders, again, you are wrong. So why do some colleagues and some parliamentary groups still refuse to punish illegal cuts at European level? That's what I'm wondering. Citizens are also wondering. This is what the press asks us after every vote in committees and in plenary. Why in 2022 for a crime of this magnitude do we still not have a unitary European regime and a specialised European institution? Why in an area where the Union has competences do we not want to legislate, even though this is our mandate received by vote from the European citizens who pay us? I have called for and insisted on the establishment of the European Green Prosecutor because illegal logging in one country affects the whole of the Union. I would ask you to support this motion for a resolution and the associated question, as further steps to bring us closer to the objectives of the Green Plan and to combat the environmental crimes that kill European citizens. It affects everyone's health and puts the future of our children at risk.

Mr. President, I've been to Bucha and Irpin, I've seen the hell done by Putin's troops. I felt the smell of death, I saw with my own eyes the mass graves, I walked through cities really shaved off the face of the earth. I went to customs with Romania and the Republic of Moldova. I've seen mothers with children run away on foot from the bombs. I've seen orphans, the elderly, people with disabilities, who don't have anyone or anything to go back to. Their families were killed, their houses were destroyed. For almost three months in the group we created in Romania, ‘United for Ukraine’, volunteers have been tirelessly helping people who have not only seen hell, but have also lived it. I voted in favour without blinking. Not only history, but even our children will judge us if we allow these crimes against humanity and those who committed them to escape unpunished. Criminals must pay in all forms existing on this earth.

Mr President, if even after a pandemic and a war on our borders we do not understand that we must be prepared for a rapid and unified reaction, what credibility can we have in front of European citizens? Volunteers, civil society have carried the brunt in both crises and have mobilized exemplarily. In Romania, during the pandemic, they donated medical equipment, brought coffee and food to exhausted health professionals, took essential purchases to the door of the vulnerable. The same thing happened all over Europe. Now Romanians and all Europeans have opened their hearts and homes to Ukrainians fleeing Putin's bombs. I voted in favour. It is our duty to prepare the institutions, the funding, the European procedures to be at least as effective as the efforts of our citizens. I voted for the culprits of this war to pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine from the frozen assets of Russian oligarchs. Putin's regime must bear the social and economic burden of Russia's war, not European citizens.

Mr President, we have treated too lightly what is happening beyond our borders. We overcame the obvious violation of fundamental rights too easily. We have little support for those who fight for the values of the European Union even if they are outside it. Belarus has for many years been a state that has turned against its own citizens. Unfortunately, Romania knows too well what this means. Romanians know very well what it's like to wait for help that doesn't come. In Belarus, all opposition is now violently suppressed by the pro-Russian Lukashenka regime. Many fight in exile others resist in prison. Everyone hopes to get some concrete help. Simple firm condemnation in speeches and posts on social media Doesn't help them. Civil society, opposition representatives, Belarusians and with ignored votes and violated rights expect the Union as a united Europe to stand by their side. We can't let them down. We must not give up on those who do not give up on fighting for democracy.

Madam President, the place of the Republic of Moldova is with Romania and the other Member States in the European Union. That is why I voted for and will support any action that supports Moldova's integration and this hard-fought people. Moldova fully deserves all the European help. When we take care of our neighbors, we actually take care of ourselves. We are stronger if there are prosperous countries around us and with us, solid, independent democracies. Moldovans, like all Europeans, must see the Union not in conferences or speeches, but by improving their daily lives. We need to invest more in education and infrastructure, finance and protect the free press, support the economy and civil society. We cannot pretend to be leaders and now hesitate. Europe cannot allow Moldova or other European states to be blackmailed with Russian gas. Europe cannot pay in rubles. Europe cannot be intimidated or threatened. Now is the time to show that we are united, that Europe matters, not the interests, profits or friendships of one state or another.

Mr President, in 2022, with war on the border, we are wondering whether we are ready for cyber-attacks. Although the pandemic has shown us exactly how vulnerable we are, it has cost us enormously that we did not already have a Health Union, that we did not sufficiently digitalise, that we did not fully digitalise. Digitalization means opening up the state to people, it means transparency, speed, debureaucratization, less corruption, if we digitize properly, not just ticking off some indicators. After two years of online, the national institutions, but also the European ones, still ask for a file with a rail. Are we ready for Russia's attacks? Definitely not. But why? We talk a dozen times until we make a decision. We sit for years with proposals in the drawer. We negotiate according to party or group interests, not all Europeans. We listen to office cops, not field professionals. That's why we're not ready. We will not be until we change something, the way we work, and the citizens will tell us to vote until we understand.

Madam President, we cannot talk about the budget of the European Union without the reconstruction of Ukraine. The consequences of war do not remain at the borders. They affect us all. After 40 days of massacres and destruction in Bucha, Irpin, Mariupol, I hope we all agree on one thing: Those who commit them must pay. That is why I have proposed the creation of the Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukraine financed from the assets of the Putin regime and frozen oligarchs in all Member States. Please support this fund. I ask that we urgently take the necessary measures for our total energy independence, food self-sufficiency and the security of our citizens. As well as strengthening the Union’s environmental, transport, health and education infrastructure objectives, we are strengthening justice and respect for the rule of law in all Member States. The budget of the European Union must contain additional aid for the Republic of Moldova, for Romania and for all countries that receive and integrate European citizens on their territory.

Madam President, I have the honour to speak on behalf of my colleague from the Renew Europe Group, Martin Hlaváček, the author of this initiative with an obvious cause. European farmers are facing a perfect storm. Geopolitical tensions, rising energy prices and the post-pandemic economic crisis have created and amplify it. All the costs of producers, fertilizers, seeds, feed, transport and distribution have exploded, and inflation is the new rule. In these circumstances, farmers need our urgent help. They must remain on the market and continue to produce healthy food at competitive prices. My colleague Martin Hlaváček has worked on the new common agricultural policy and is well aware of all this. It is therefore natural to ask the Commission whether it has a plan to continue to deal with every one-off crisis. Do we put out fire after fire when it burns or change our approach to a comprehensive strategy to prevent food crises? Prevention and predictability allow market players throughout the chain, from farmers to store shelves, to plan their activities. With proper preparation, the negative impact on consumers, agriculture and the food sector decreases. This prevents the burden of crises from being borne by citizens, who are now paying more for food. It is certainly important for European citizens to find out whether there is a clear strategy for integrating our environmental, agricultural and energy objectives and preparing the Union's capacity to cope with and respond to future food crises. There are serious problems, from droughts to epidemics, affecting certain agricultural sectors. Pig farmers and pigmeat producers in the Member States are now the most vulnerable to price increases. What concrete measures is the Commission preparing for them? From my point of view, in the agricultural sector too, as in other areas, we react far too slowly, even cumbersomely, bureaucratically and after the crises have already happened. This is the main reproach of European citizens. You will receive similar messages as well! I go a lot on the ground both in Romania and in the other Member States and people do not understand why it takes years to have a directive, a programme or the new common agricultural policy. For the citizens, the problems are clear, I know them, I feel them every day. They do not need studies, consultations, trilogues and negotiations. We cannot skip these natural steps in the European legislative process, of course, but my request to the Commission and colleagues is to find the solution for rapid interventions. Citizens need to feel that we are helping them now, not three years after the problem arose. In order to increase confidence in the European construction, its advantages must be visible now, not only in the election years. It is only in 2023 that the new Common Agricultural Policy enters into force. By then, many farmers will have closed down. Their children leave the countryside, small and medium-sized farms are swallowed up by large companies. All this generates chain effects that we will manage through us and new measures. Suffer all citizens for healthy locally produced food, which is increasingly difficult to find and much more expensive. Let us not ignore Europeans who work 10 to 14 hours a day in the agricultural sector, be they seasonal workers, small and medium-sized farmers or just employed in subsistence farming! The most important lesson of the last two years is to redefine what is essential. Let's not forget that these citizens with the right to vote also have many problems, low incomes, accumulated frustrations! Rightly they are now turning to the voices that tell them plainly what they want to hear. With the rise of extremism in Europe, possible border conflicts and the post-pandemic crisis, we cannot continue to work as before. If we do not understand being close to people, with concrete measures and tailored communication, we assume that we will hear the word “exit” more and more often.

Mr President, cancer is the pandemic without waves, without restrictions, without being able to protect ourselves with masks or gloves. Those who work on the front line: nurses, firefighters, deliverers, those disinfecting offices, schools, hospitals are more exposed to carcinogens and mutagens than we are. There are 13 million European employees in daily contact with dangerous substances. Cancer is the leading cause of work-related deaths in the Union. There are 100,000 new cases and 80,000 deaths every year. They're people, not statistics. Leave behind children, families, friends, a gap in the labor market and in the community. I don't think there's one of us who hasn't lost a loved one to this ruthless disease, but over 40% of cancers are preventable. We can and should do more. Please support this proposal for a European directive! Please support Europe's Beating Cancer Plan! I ask that, regardless of political color, we support in our countries any measure that prevents, fights and alleviates the suffering caused by cancer! Let's be very clear! There must be no room in Europe for governments that don't invest in research, don't fund screening programmes, don't build hospitals, don't make health education a priority, ignore palliation and don't support survivors!

Mr. President, for weeks in Kazakhstan, people have been dying on the streets. The biggest protest since the fall of the U.S.S.R. was violently suppressed, although the citizens were peacefully demonstrating. There are over 10,000 arrested, several hundred killed. Let's have the courage to say the obvious: is the same recipe as in Ukraine, as in Belarus, as in the protests in Russia. We know the culprits, we know the stakes. Not to protect free speech and even the right to life, to ignore the challenges at our borders, is morally wrong, but also strategically wrong! It is not only the Eastern Member States that are under threat, but the entire European construction. If we stand aside now, we will lose the respect of our citizens, we invite our enemies to our house, although their attack has started for years, through propaganda, fake news, through proxies to undermine European democracies from within. So far Europe has only responded with conferences, speeches and coffees. It is time to act firmly and united, to make it clear to everyone who is the leader in the region!

Mr President, we have tolerated too much the threats coming from within the Union and, above all, from outside it. We can no longer ignore the blatant violations of values that have brought us together by members or by those who want to become members of our family. The time for discussion has passed. Concrete action with real results is needed. Fake news and anti-European propaganda, hate speech, discrimination and violence, the restriction of freedom of the press, the restriction of freedom of movement, the right to work, modern slavery - all happen on our territory and at our borders, all have as authors and funders entities with clear interests in destabilising the Union. We should treat them as they deserve: as threats to the security and prosperity of the European citizens who sent us here. We cannot be leaders on the continent and in the world by communicating data from warm offices in response to repeated, organized, unsanctioned attacks. For Europeans we are not diplomats, only absent, and enemies can afford to scream even louder.

Madam President, the European Union cannot be credible as a leader in environmental protection without offering a dignified life to wild animals. Who would believe that we are fighting for the rights of the most vulnerable if we do not defend the very beings who cannot defend themselves? In captivity, wild animals are tormented exclusively for profit, with no educational or cultural effect, and poor control over the health of specimens of endangered species undermines conservation efforts. The quality of life of wild animals in circuses is always severely compromised. It's hard to watch images of bears or tigers spinning in circles, even after they're rescued from their cages. The presence of wild animals in circuses is conducive to environmental crime, which we are committed to combating, and poses a serious risk to public health and the safety of employees and the public. 23 Member States have already totally or partially banned wild animals in circuses and I am proud that, together with my colleagues from USR, I have contributed to this in Bucharest and Romania. It is time for the Union to take the necessary measures to enforce the ban throughout its territory.

Mr President, food and medicine come to us after a very long supply chain. The main transport routes are road and maritime – both upside down and with record costs in the pandemic. It is up to us to ensure that carriers deliver goods quickly and safely, at decent costs for European citizens. Our ports are now suffering from extra-European ports: there are longer transit times, increased tariffs, and containers are missing. In Romania, deliveries from China cost up to 8 times more than in 2019. European citizens and companies do not have to bear these bills. It came about because we did not regulate correctly, we did not give European funds to those investments that would ensure efficient port management and competitive infrastructure. The pandemic has shown us clearly what we need to improve. We need to get out of the office, get out into the field, where the real problems are. It's time to stop the endless discussions and act. European citizens deserve this.

(the beginning of the intervention was not done at the microphone) ... this report and I voted for it because a community of European values cannot exist without access to information and free expression. Journalists, activists and NGOs are guardians of democracy. They become targets of abusive actions by the corrupt, actions meant to intimidate and even hurt. It's been four years since journalist Daphne Galizia was murdered for exposing corruption. In Romania, journalists are brought to court for investigations into corruption offences. At the August 10 protest, journalists who were watching police abuses were gassed and hit. Journalists who write about illegal logging are constantly threatened and assaulted. We can't stay away anymore. I call on the Commission to recognise the real threat to the rule of law posed by these practices. We can no longer turn a blind eye by leaving journalists alone and exposed. There is a need for legislative measures to prevent and combat abusive actions, for magistrates prepared to reject them and to protect free speech.

Mr President, we have many bold goals by 2050. These include: zero carbon emissions and zero road accident victims. Safety on European roads and a decrease in pollution depend on a set of measures that gradually bring us closer to these targets. They directly concern motorised means of transport and those who use them. Too often we forget that even measures taken with the best intentions affect European citizens differently and it is precisely the most vulnerable who pay the highest price. In 2021 the car is not a luxury, but a necessity. To be able to get to work, to be able to take your kids to school, to be able to go to the hospital. They are not needs, but European rights. Even if public transport infrastructure is better or worse, in no Member State does it even serve all citizens. So Europeans still need cars, motorcycles, vehicles to travel with. The aim is to do it safely and with less pollution, respecting national and European rules. It is our duty and the duty of governments to provide all the necessary tools for this. Not only gas and current prices have risen all over Europe, but also the price of gasoline and diesel, have risen and will rise, compulsory insurance premiums. What we need to do is to intervene in support of the citizens, to ensure that they are protected on European roads, regardless of the country, to support the poorest to have quick and easy access to the workplace, to education, to social assistance. Let's make sure that carriers can deliver food and medicine without overburdening them. Let's be sure that accident victims are compensated quickly and appropriately, and insurance companies do comply with the laws. It is our duty to see that these companies do their job at a fair price. They don't create oligopolies, they don't use tax fireworks to escape responsibility, to keep profits. All European citizens have the right to be protected on the roads and to breathe cleaner air. It is our duty to ensure that citizens' rights are not violated in any Member State.

Madam President, we ask European citizens to be confident, involved and present at the polls. But we all, citizens, see the Panama Papers, the Pandora Papers, we see rich politicians guilty of corruption. Nor does it matter that they devalue national budgets or European funds, that they commit fiscal or environmental crimes. Citizens see that we do not defeat corruption, we even sit at the table with the corrupt. We leave the investigative journalists who are killed, like Daphne Galizia or Ján Kuciak, alone. Their killers pay too little and too late. The rule of law mechanism is not yet in place. The European Public Prosecutor's Office led by Kövesi has been postponed, under-budgeted, lacking staff. Environmental crimes are big money, but most go unpunished. I have called for the establishment of the European Green Prosecutor and I hope it will happen in this mandate. Let us be clear: the trust of European citizens can no longer be fooled with speeches. We need real measures to prevent a new Pandora Papers.

Mr President, more than 18 months after the onset of the pandemic, we are facing new strains of the virus, and in all Member States we have a new wave of infections, new restrictions in parallel with the vaccination campaign. Beyond the economic and health measures that can be taken to effectively combat the virus, what can save us, both nationally and as a global power, is trust. The confidence of European citizens that the Commission, the European Parliament, all the institutions are working in the interest of the citizen, with all the data correctly evaluated and translated into our work. Confidence that the measures taken are good, that vaccines are safe and that we will soon return to normal life. As we see, since the beginning of the health crisis this trust has been lacking and still lacking, but to a greater or lesser extent in all member countries. Why? Because there was a lack of transparency. You cannot ask national states to implement and communicate measures for which you, the European Union, do not give full and correct explanations. With regard to the development, procurement and distribution of vaccines, transparency is the main condition for fostering and maintaining public trust. As a member of the Committee on Petitions, I have noted the absolutely natural desire of European citizens to find out all the information on vaccines. I have also repeatedly asked the Commission to make public the full versions of the contracts with vaccine manufacturers, and I ask again today. We are now moving rapidly towards a third dose of the vaccine, at least for vulnerable people. For this third dose, will we see secret negotiations and contracts again? Or, in the light of past experience, is the Commission considering following up on my requests and those of colleagues in the European Parliament, answering questions from journalists, civil society and European citizens and guaranteeing full transparency of these purchases? I don't want to be misunderstood. The joint procurement is certainly a successful example of the Union's contribution in an emergency situation. It is clear evidence that we are stronger together, but we cannot ignore our responsibility to the European citizens we represent. We cannot spend their money in a non-transparent way, we cannot tell them that their questions are not worth answering, especially in this crisis situation when we not only ask for their collaboration, but also impose exceptional measures on them. The desire of Europeans for a Health Union is evident, and I hope that we are moving quickly towards broad coordination in this area. How will it work without strict compliance with the rules of accountability and transparency? One more aspect, beyond the possibility of exercising parliamentary control in this case: from the perspective of my legal profession, I draw attention to the fact that the lack of information on prices and liability in the contracts that we have all consulted - of course, still partially secreted - constitutes a dangerous precedent for future joint medical procurement, including the purchase of the third dose, again. Does the Commission take into account the warnings of specialists on the evolution of COVID-19 into a seasonal virus for which regular immunisations would be required? What are the Commission's plans in this case? Will the new joint procurement also be marked by this lack of transparency? Allow me, as a member of the Committee on Budgets, to remind the Commission of Parliament's budgetary control function. There can be no exceptions in the way money is spent only on certain topics; and we are talking here again about the confidence of Europeans in the Union, now and in the future common challenge, confidence that we badly need, no matter which political party we represent at national level or which European Parliament group we belong to. It is about trust in the common European construction, in the European values constantly attacked both from within, but especially from outside the Union. I therefore expect the Commission to bring forward a concrete deadline for the full publication of vaccination contracts.

Madam President, instead of looking at the measures of our strategic partner, let us focus on the real problem: corruption. Which country would like to work with corrupt Europeans? Of course, the United States has its own reasons, but we must understand that we will achieve nothing without eradicating corruption in all Member States. Corruption weakens us both internally and internationally. I am glad that yesterday President von der Leyen highlighted what I stand for with my colleagues in Renew and in all groups: the monitoring of the rule of law must have precise indications and results, and corruption is a major obstacle. The time for speeches is over, our citizens want facts. There are Member States that still have the CVM, such as Romania, others refuse the jurisdiction of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, such as Hungary, and the conditionality of the rule of law. Uniform anti-corruption rules are needed. Without concrete things, such as unified anti-corruption rules across the European Union, we will not be able to truly combat the phenomenon of corruption.

Mr President, the pandemic has been and is a tragedy that has turned our lives upside down, paralysed our health and blocked the economy. The consequences will be seen for years if we do not act correctly. Some have been hit harder by the pandemic: children and young people, women, the elderly, people with chronic conditions and disabilities, seasonal workers, small entrepreneurs. It is not enough to give record amounts for investments, we must fight corruption. It is not enough to give money from the EU budget if we do not fight the phenomenon fake news. It is not enough to provide funds to local authorities if we do not tell them how to access them. In short, let us combat the danger that lurks with poverty and the deepening of inequalities: increasing extremism and social conflicts, moving away from European values and updating the lack of trust in the Union. I urge the Commission to act vigorously, thinking of all European citizens. I draw the Commission's attention to the fact that all those who vote in the Union want facts, not European bureaucracy, they want concrete help, not operational programmes. They want to feel that they are better off in the European Union, not to hear speeches. They want proof that we're strong together. We cannot do this just from a comfortable office, looking at the papers, we need to listen to people, because they carry the burden of everyday life and know best what they need. We have a duty and responsibility to help them.

Mr President, transport and tourism are key areas for the European Union's economy. The aviation sector is a major contributor to business recovery in all Member States. We cannot conceive of an economic recovery without accessible, regular and safe flights across the Union. The pandemic affected air transport differently in EU countries. Those companies with pre-COVID-19 problems, with poor, inefficient management, had to be saved from bankruptcy. With them, the EU has saved thousands of jobs affected by travel restrictions. But our goal now is not only the recovery of the Union economy, but also resilience, to be better prepared for the next crisis. Often, poor management of airlines and airport infrastructure is based on corruption. We need to help airlines overcome their structural problems. We need to work better together and provide predictable and uniform travel conditions. We need to cut red tape and enlarge the Schengen area. We need to support fair competition, provide stable jobs and guarantee the rights of travellers. We have a duty to take all these measures for the return of the aviation sector. I would appreciate the Commission's position on this.