Debate contributions by Kateřina KONEČNÁ

Madam President, I am very sorry that I was late, and let me explain, ladies and gentlemen, why I could not vote today in favour of the binding 2040 climate target and why I think the whole vote is wrong. We are talking about competitiveness, we are talking about competitiveness, which we all know Europe is losing every year. It loses not only because it makes commitments that go against physics itself, but also because of huge bureaucracy. And instead of looking at it rationally, giving ourselves the opportunity, for example, in two or three years' time, to re-evaluate whether what we are here, or you have voted here, is really effective, you want to commit yourself here to goals that will only be another problem for Europe's industry, for agriculture and for making people's lives more expensive. I really thought we had learned our lesson, but what was voted on today means that we have not learned our lesson and that, unfortunately, Europe will only get worse.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, for 50 years the territory of a Member State of the European Union, Cyprus, has been occupied by a NATO member, Turkey. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their homes due to the Turkish occupation and entire cities had to be abandoned. And despite the European Union's condemnation, the situation in Cyprus is not improving and the end of the occupation and reunification of the country is still not approaching. Instead, the Cypriots have to listen to the talk that Turkey is a member of NATO, and that's why we have to sell it weapons, that we have to coordinate our defense with NATO and therefore with the occupying Turkey. Instead of European politicians dedicating themselves to ending the occupation of their own territory, there is more space for Ukraine. I hereby ask the Commission and the leadership of the Member States to put the issue of ending the occupation of Cyprus at the forefront of diplomatic communication with Turkey, so that people displaced from their homes can return, without the supervision of foreign soldiers, in a free united Cyprus. We don't have answers for the Cypriots. How can we forget them? So let's get up and start dealing with it. This is a state of the European Union and they have the right not to be occupied.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I would like us to fundamentally reconsider our approach and for the European Parliament delegation to go to Brazil, saying that it will prevent further deepening of poverty and the decline of Europe at the expense of other continents. What is the result of 30 years of international climate action, 10 years of a global treaty and trillions of euros of damage? Greenhouse gas emissions just reached new record highs in 2024. I'm asking here: What else can we do? I say: Nothing, we've done too much. Now it's the rest of the world's turn. We no longer need to adopt other nonsensical binding targets for reducing CO2 emissions.2 for 2040, as some here are trying to tell us. Brazil's idea of creating a new UN body to speed up the implementation of the COP decision is a complete mockery. It will only cost more money to create another unnecessary body, through which, in the end, only the money of our citizens, which is needed at home, will flow. Let's stop this while there's still time.

Mr President, I must say that, unlike my colleagues, I am very happy that the planned summit between the Presidents of the United States and Russia is to take place in Budapest, on the territory of a Member State of the European Union. Throughout the brutal war in Ukraine, this is the first really big signal coming from a Member State of the European Union that we also want to stop the bloodshed and the ceasefire. Until now, the EU has acted as if war suited it. I understand why it suits the armourers. People who die have money. But I would expect politicians, whether national or European, to stand on the side of their citizens, rather than trying to maximise the profits of the armourers, despite the risk of escalation of the conflict. I thank Hungary for at least seeking peace in this conflict, and I strongly condemn the attempts of some other politicians to sabotage the summit and the ceasefire negotiations in Ukraine. Enough people have fallen for the interests of armaments companies, now it is often to end it. I hope that both the US and Russian presidents will act with a sincere interest in ending the conflict without ulterior interests, and I hope that, despite the massive arms lobby, the summit will be a success.

Madam President, the last steps of the two Commissions led by Ursula von der Leyen have led to an increase in the prices of energy, fuel, heating, food, in short, everything one can remember. The quality of life of ordinary citizens is stagnating and in some cases even deteriorating. President von der Leyen and her Commission have put the European Union and its citizens right in front of the gap and now intend to take a big step forward. ETS 2 is designed to make everything more expensive for citizens. And why? So that the already full wallets of speculators become a little more full. I think the recent elections in my country clearly show that citizens do not want ETS 2. The overwhelming majority of votes went to those who explicitly reject ETS 2, and I hope that the new government will not bow its back to the Commission. Other countries, such as Slovakia and Poland, also refuse allowances. Please listen to them too. Let us not introduce ETS 2, but let us radically reconsider the old ETS 1. These measures are not about protecting nature, but about redistributing property from ordinary people to speculators. That's what we call it – enough!

Colleague, I have two questions. One is whether you will support our FARA law if you know that someone else is funding it. Will you support him here in the European Parliament, so that it is finally clear who is funding whom? And secondly, when you say who's funded by whom: How many criminal complaints have you filed and how many times have you reported that someone is actually being funded? Because otherwise, you were just talking to your media again, instead of telling the facts. And I do not think a Member of the European Parliament is really worthy of that.

Madam President, if we are to talk about the protection of democratic electoral processes within the European Union, let us finally talk about the transposition of the directive on transparency of interest representation from abroad, that is to say, on the registration of foreign agents. Transparency is the best weapon against foreign interference, not censorship and misinformation, which the European Democracy Shield and the newly planned European Centre for Democracy Resilience, announced today by Ursula von der Leyen, will serve and serve. Democracy is not the abolition of elections if a candidate of the opposition wins one round and his victory is tempted by interference from abroad, as was the case in Romania. Let's finally show who's behind whose money, and let's leave the decision to the citizens. Our democratic electoral processes have long been threatened by money from oligarchs, corporations, NGOs and interest groups in Europe and beyond, not by TikTok videos. I ask that we really protect democracy, not suffocate it.

Mr President, Commissioner, according to the reports so far, it seems that a trade agreement with the United States is not on the horizon, even though the US President has just praised how well Ursula von der Leyen and the people of the Commission have treated him. It is no surprise to me that the Commission is treating the President of the United States very well. For me, the main thing is for the European Commission to start behaving nicely towards European citizens. Accepting 10% tariffs on all products is a 5% increase in average tariffs, and our industry and citizens will simply pay the price. I understand that not everything can change the opinion of the US administration and that the agreement that we will have to accept will not be the ideal solution, but we are responsible for selecting our trading partners. So let's try to make the best deal possible with the United States, but at the same time let's look for partners elsewhere in the world without talking or interfering in their internal affairs. It is better to have several real partners than one master, for whom we are a slapstick and to whom we must behave nicely.

Madam President, since 2021, electricity and gas prices have risen unbelievably, along with food prices. Around 93 million Europeans are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. What will the EU do? How do we want to solve this problem? We will come with ETS 2 to make life even more expensive for our citizens. Let the people who often live from paycheck to paycheck pay even more for fuel and heating. People are not your slapstick, and many Member States are already opposing the introduction of this system in its approved form. Be aware of the situation and do not take measures to liquidate household wallets in the name of climate protection. But I would like to mention that nowadays it is popular to point fingers and blame others. I am not really in favour of this ghastly Commission, which must be called off, but how hypercritical it is to criticize ETS 2 from members of Czech government parties. You approved ETS 2, applauded the system during the Presidency. It is above all your fault and you deserve to end up like the Commission.

Madam President, colleagues, are you satisfied with yourself? For over a year and eight months, you have had the opportunity to stop the genocide that Israel is committing in Gaza, as the Israeli army is dependent on weapons and funds from the European Union. But you didn't do it. You've been overlooking how Israel shoots people, goes to pick up help, murders journalists and paramedics, and burns civilians alive in refugee camps. Now, thanks to support from Europe, Israel could invade Iran. You allowed the prosecuted war criminal Netanyahu to unleash more bloodshed just to stay in power. German Chancellor Merz then directly glorifies Israel's war crimes and claims that Israel is doing our dirty work for us. I am ashamed of Europe. I hate that the EU is actually supporting the Palestinian genocide instead of stopping it. And I ask you, let us not participate further in these atrocities, let us impose an arms embargo on Israel and suspend the Association Agreement and force Israel to stop genocide and aggression against other states.

Mr President, I must say that the European Parliament has been more like Kocourkov for some time now. Nord Stream provided cheap gas supplies, and instead of discussing reviewing the insidious attack on both Nord Stream 1 and 2 and discussing restoring gas supplies to lower prices for our citizens and industry, we are discussing other barriers to supply from Russia, to deepen the electricity price crisis again and import more overpriced American gas or buy Russian gas for more money. But even more bizarrely, we are talking about Europe's energy self-sufficiency. Right now, France and Commissioner Séjourné are successfully blocking the completion of the Dukovany nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic. Instead of cooperation, which this Union should support, it deliberately harms our economy and energy sovereignty of the Czech Republic and the Union only because the South Korean KHNP won the tender for completion instead of the French EDF. And all this in addition to long-term discrimination against nuclear energy, even though it meets all green standards. I call on the Commission, Mr Séjourný and anyone else, not to pressure the decision-making of the Czech authorities and not to side with the French company against the citizens of the Czech Republic and energy sovereignty itself.

Mr President, the CBAM is a key tool to ensure a level playing field for European producers facing unfair competition from third countries. The proposed simplification of CBAM rules is generally a step in the right direction, but the main problem of CBAM from the outset is its interaction with WTO rules. In order for CBAM to be truly effective and to protect European industry from unfair external competition, it is necessary to overcome concerns about the WTO. In the end, it seems that the EU will be the only one not to protect its domestic production and will continue to support production elsewhere due to strict and often overly strict compliance with WTO rules. While we protect the production of other countries, in our country metallurgical plants are closing one after another and the automotive industry is collapsing. What has driven European prosperity for decades, we are unable to protect. There are units and states that can defend themselves and defend their prosperity. And unfortunately, we still can't manage it, and I don't see the will to change.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, food prices are rising to heaven. And who does that fall on? To the most vulnerable! As we speak, thousands of families in Europe are asking what they will put on the table tomorrow. And what do we hear from commissioners and ministers? Assurance that everything is fine, that prices are stabilizing. It's just a mockery! It is unacceptable, for example, that food prices in Czechia reach the level of Germany, while the average wage in our country is still significantly lower and, unfortunately, real wages are still at pre-COVID-19 levels. I therefore appeal to the Council and the Commission: It is not enough to analyze the situation, we need concrete steps. We need to rapidly reduce energy prices as a basic input for both farmers and food producers, support European farmers, reduce imports of low-quality raw materials and food from third countries outside the EU, reconsider provisions Green Deal, which will mean further increases in prices. Furthermore, we must massively deregulate the senseless administrative burden. To date, Europe is still a continent of two speeds, where some have full tables and others have nothing in the mouth. And that's what we call: “Enough!”

Madam President, the agreement on political dialogue and cooperation with Cuba is one of the European Union's successful steps over the last 10 years. It has enabled the EU to become Cuba’s main trading and investment partner, made trade between Cuba and the EU more stable and predictable, improved the Union’s reputation in Cuba and opened the way for dialogue on common global goals, such as the Sustainable Development Goals. Sometimes we hear about the need to become an independent player in geopolitics. After the election of Donald Trump by the US president, even some representatives of the people's, social democrats or liberals say so. Well, precisely this agreement is a rare step in independent European diplomacy and has concrete benefits, and I hope that cooperation with Cuba will continue and deepen, and that we will also see in Brussels and Strasbourg that it makes sense, colleagues, to open the door to third countries and not to close it if the big brother does not like it across the ocean.

Mr President, patients with rare diseases and their families often face a dire situation – years of uncertainty about diagnosis, the unavailability of effective treatment or its astronomical cost. This is unacceptable in 21st century Europe. We cannot leave this area solely in the hands of the market and pharmaceutical giants, for whom these patients are often simply commercially uninteresting or, on the contrary, a source of extreme profits. This is where the principle of genuine European solidarity must come into play. In the last parliamentary term, I managed to get a proposal for bulk purchases of medicines for these diseases in Parliament’s negotiating mandate on the pharmaceutical package. I would be very grateful if you, my new colleagues, would accept it as your own in the autumn trialogues. We need equal access to affordable medicines for all citizens, no matter in which country they live or what their financial possibilities are. That is why this action plan must not remain on paper, Commissioner. We need binding targets and mechanisms, a sufficient increase in public R&D funding and support for cross-border cooperation between centres of expertise.

Madam President, Commissioner, today we are dealing with an energy-intensive industry, but if we do not immediately lower energy prices, there will soon be no industry to deal with. A few minutes ago, the debate about the crisis in the steel industry ended. There is no doubt that our companies, our steelworks, glassworks, ceramic factories and others face liquidation costs and unbelievable bureaucracy. It's not just the numbers in the tables. It is about hundreds of thousands of jobs, about whole regions, about the competitiveness of the whole of Europe. People are worried about jobs, companies are going bankrupt or moving production outside the European Union. And I ask you, Commissioner: – I have been sitting here all morning – where are the quick and effective solutions promised? So far, we see only half-steps, something on paper, but nothing concrete. We warned you. Reality proves us right. Without affordable energy, the industry simply won't survive. We need immediate action. And you were saying all kinds of excuses and delays today. Industrial Europe is falling apart before our eyes. Now, not on paper, specifically, in legislation, immediately. Otherwise, we don't have any industry in Europe in a year when yours starts to happen.

My friend, apart from the defense, I would agree with you. I'd sign everything you said, but you're a member of the ruling party, and I'm asking you: When will the Czech government, under the leadership of your Prime Minister Fiala, come to the European Council and propose that the taxonomy be abolished or changed and that the system of emission allowances be abolished or changed in order to actually reduce the price of electricity? I thank you for what you're saying here. The Czech government does not yet have the courage to do any of this, not only in the Czech Republic, but also to transfer it to the European level.

Mr President, they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. I think the Commission, led by President von der Leyen, is this old dog. Indeed, the action plan on affordable energy prices is a repetition of what we have heard since the start of the energy price crisis, even though we see that the Commission's plans to make them cheaper have not yet worked. Yet support for renewables is the only thing the Commission constantly comes up with. Energy will certainly not be more affordable and cheaper if the core is left behind. On the contrary, nuclear power must be supported at least as much as renewables. You do not have to look for a new source of cheap gas from abroad, because it already exists, you have just imposed sanctions on it for political reasons, and you are now buying Russian gas dearly. Abolish the sanctions! Support Member States in fully nationalising energy companies, because if electricity is treated as a commodity, we will not move anywhere either. None of this is in the Commission's plan, and if the Commission is not able to learn from the past, then it is time to think about whether there is time to replace it.

Madam President, based on what we have heard here today, I am concerned about the huge bureaucratic burden that will make the proposal simply unworkable. Speed must go hand in hand with efficiency. And we should also think about what we have approved here recently, because it has an impact on whether these companies will or will not go here, or whether any pharmaceutical industry will be able to stand up in Europe at all. We are constantly adopting more and more regulations, but then we wonder that these companies do not go here, or that even if we create public enterprises, we will basically not create the conditions for them to be viable on the territory of the European Union at all. So let's think about what we did. Let's cut, let's delete our legislation, let's create the conditions. And lastly, you've all been talking about needing money. We spend hundreds of billions here every plenary session. Let's finally put them on something useful! And this is a useful thing. These are life-saving drugs, not the weapons that kill.

My colleague, unlike you, I do not have to pay for any trips from Bahrain, where I claim to be an MEP and negotiate something there. I'm not meeting with the Russian MPs. But I'm glad you asked. Breton, Bank of America cooling-off periodBarroso, Goldman Sachs, Neelie Kroes, even a convicted lobbyist who was a clear lobbyist for Uber, are former commissioners. And I am simply asking the Commissioner how he will prevent this from happening, because it is obvious that the Commission that we have had here has been linked to financial institutions and to people who do not defend the interests of the European Union. And you don't mind?

Madam President, Mr Vice-President, after Donald Trump froze the funds flowing through USAID to other states, we have seen a number of political non-profits and supposedly independent media complain about a sudden lack of money. Clearly, under the guise of international aid, a foreign power has financed us with sometimes subversive political agitators and activists. In the interests of the transparency and sovereignty of the European Union, I ask you to find out who was a foreign-funded agent through USAID and to publish a list of these agents, so that it is clear to the public who is working for a foreign power, which, incidentally, the Czech ghastly government coalition has made a new crime. At the same time, I believe that this finding once again shows the acute need to combat foreign interference in our policy. Push for a quick adoption of the Foreign Agents Act and shine a light on funding for what comes from multinational corporations and private interest groups. I know that in the past a number of Commissioners were in fact mercenaries of foreign actors. So I ask: Are you mercenaries fighting for foreign interests or do you want to protect the interests of ordinary Europeans? Prove it and reveal who is behind whose money.

Madam President, Commissioner, almost a month ago, the United States announced restrictions on the export of advanced AI chips to most Member States, including, for example, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Greece and Luxembourg. Ten other Member States are not concerned by these restrictions, i.e. the EU Member States have been divided into two categories, despite the existence of the European Union's single market, in which the Member States should be equal. Yet, to this day, there has been no strong response from the Commission, and you told us today that you are concerned, that you are assessing the impact and that this is a breach of the single market. Commissioner, you have come up with the Compass for European Competitiveness, where you write that you want to place large AI factories in Greece and Luxembourg, but you will not do them without a chip. And instead of making it clear that Europe just needs a chip factory and will do everything it can to do so, some colleagues are looking for threats again. Please, let us recover, we are not sovereign, and if we want to become sovereign, it will not be by always looking for the inner enemy.