Debate contributions by Jaroslav BŽOCH

Mr President, Commissioner, today the European Union is reaping what it planted many years ago. Instead of fighting illegal migration and protecting the external borders, Europe's leading elites have looked at everything but the security of our citizens. And what is the result? Hundreds of thousands of rejected asylum seekers who remain in Europe because the return policy is still not working. Illegal migration burdens asylum systems, undermines trust in the rule of law, increases security risks and exacerbates tensions in society. Schengen is threatened by secondary migration and visa policy is being abused as a gateway to the European Union. Increasingly, we are also witnessing attacks by illegal migrants, which are often fatal. If we want to restore security in the Union, we must radically change the approach to irregular migration. Returns must be quick and enforceable. Cooperation with third countries must be conditional. Those who don't work together can't count on having any benefits. The protection of external borders must be an absolute priority. There's been enough treading on the spot. Europe must not become a place where we are afraid to live. We need to put the safety of our citizens first again.

As I said at the beginning, I am convinced that we must have the tools and know how to fight interference in our democratic systems. At the same time, we need to have a discussion. Unfortunately, this house and this institution remind me that, as our first president, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, said that democracy is a debate, unfortunately it is disappearing from this institution. Of course, I am of the opinion that if we have social networks and we use them, we should, of course, legitimise ourselves.

Madam President, I listened very carefully today to Ursula von der Leyen’s speech – and especially when she spoke about the democratic shield. And I agree with that. We need tools and we need to know how to fight external interference in our democratic system and how to fight disinformation. It's important to us. But after listening carefully, I am convinced that we will need one more shield, and that will be a shield against the European Commission's interference in the internal affairs of the Member States. Especially when the President of the Commission said that there would be new centres and that we would find the right independent media to finance. That's how it came to me. At the same time, she said that someone in the room might be afraid of it. Well, I don't think anyone here is afraid. I think it is the European Commission that is afraid of the growing pressure from the opposition and the citizens of the European Union, who are sick of it. At the same time, Orwell's novel came to mind. 1984 and his Ministry of Truth. It's like the European Commission is looking for something to like, something to inspire. But I'm sure Orwell didn't mean it as a guideline.

Mr President, ten years after Angela Merkel said her famous or rather infamous ‘Wir schaffen das!’, We know where we are. Today we have heard that the pressure on our borders is lower. That may be true, but in the last ten years we've been here, we've had a big problem. We have a problem here with the fact that the migrants who came to us and Ursula von der Leyen also talked about them today, which we thought would fill our jobs, so it did not happen. They haven't integrated, they don't want to integrate, and instead they bring their habits here and bring them in, which ruin our way of life. The European Union has been on the ground for ten years. The systems that were supposed to protect borders and help us manage migration are still not working. There is no return policy at all. We're seeing increasing knife attacks. We see the greatest threat, which is still terrorist attacks and, above all, jihadist attacks, hand in hand with the growing influence of the Muslim Brotherhood. After the jihadist terrorist attacks, there is another problem. And this is left-wing terrorism, which goes hand in hand with the jihadist one. This is not a question of numbers, this is not a question of statistics. It's about our internal security. It's about the safety of our families, our children. It is not enough just slogans, there must be courage and vigorous steps.

Madam President, dear colleagues, Montenegro's progress on its European path is encouraging and deserves due recognition. The reforms undertaken so far demonstrate a clear commitment to meeting the standards required for EU accession. The European Union must remain an open and credible community, one that is ready to welcome new members who express genuine interest and meet the necessary criteria. Openness, however, must go hand in hand with the firm insistence on respect for our shared rules and values. As the Member States, we are well positioned to define realistic expectations for candidate countries, having ourselves experienced the challenges of the accession process. It is essential that we offer our support and guidance while also ensuring that we do not place demands on others that exceed what we have achieved or what we are prepared to achieve ourselves. While certain adjustments to the enlargement process may be worth considering, the principle of unanimity must remain untouched. It is a cornerstone of mutual trust among Member States and a safeguard of national sovereignty.

Madam President, the European Commission is today presenting us with another ambitious plan to tackle the return of irregular migrants. It promises stronger pressure on third countries, better coordination and more effective returns. But let's ask a simple question: What happens when states that should take back their citizens simply refuse to cooperate? The answer is simple, nothing will happen. This proposal does not include any automatic sanctions for countries that will not abide by readmission agreements. While the Commission is talking about the possibility of tightening up visa policy or reducing trade benefits, where is the obligation to actually do so? Where is the mechanism to ensure that reluctant countries immediately feel the consequences of their actions? Nowhere. Without automatic, uncompromising measures, this proposal will once again end up as mere paper with no real impact. The European Commission had a unique chance to come up with a tough, clearly defined and enforceable system of sanctions. Instead, it failed again. She has put forward a vague plan that can be circumvented, and we will be surprised that returns still do not work. Ladies and gentlemen, if this proposal remains in this form, it will not be a solution, but it will only be another missed opportunity.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the attack in Solingen was not an isolated case. Just recently, a young police officer died after a brutal knife attack in Mannheim, Germany. Another tragedy occurred on the border of Poland and Belarus, where a young soldier died after being stabbed. This shows us how dangerous the situation really is. It is a direct threat to the internal security of the European Union. When we lose control of who comes to the European Union, we endanger not only our security, but also our values and our way of life. We need an uncompromising solution. Anyone who enters our territory illegally must be promptly and effectively returned. We need to ensure safe external borders with zero tolerance for those who violate our laws. If we are not able to return illegal migrants and rejected asylum seekers, they must end up in detention. It is not possible for these people to move freely within the European Union. At the same time, we need severe punishments for those who try to radicalize migrants and promote dangerous ideologies on our territory. It is also a call for Sharia law, which we saw at a gathering of Muslims in Germany. It's a matter of survival. Political correctness will not save us from another attack, which may result in more casualties. Now is the time to act without compromise. The safety of our citizens must come first, at all costs.