Debate contributions by Petras GRAŽULIS

Mr President, the European Union's social policy must be very responsible. Today, the unemployment rate in the European Union is more than 6%. I believe that social policy cannot promote unemployment, especially the war of those who arrive from poverty to the European Union. On the other hand, employers must pay wages that ensure a decent working life. And the European Union must aim for a minimum wage of at least 60% of the average wage. This will encourage a person to work because he will live a dignified life out of it. Today, the level in some countries of the European Union is below the minimum wage by as much as 40 percent of the average wage. A responsible policy. And I think the issue of housing is very topical, and it's getting more acute. Here too, the European Union must make efforts to ensure that young families can buy their own homes.

Mr. Colleagues. (Language interrupted) I want to ask you if you (Some words have not been heard.) on Europe? Do you think it is right to appoint a director and dismiss a two-thirds public vote? Why have you not been disturbed by this law, which has been in force for twenty years, and the director of the council has been secretly appointed and dismissed? You want to save your director! What kind of democracy are you talking about? You are the LRT, not Lithuania, you are the Conservatives.

I am very pleased with your observation. When in Hungary - see some changes in Tusk. How did he come to you in Poland? That is, Orban... And when Tusk came to you in Poland, he fired half of the journalists from the public broadcaster overnight. Where was the European Union? Where was the European Parliament? Where's he? This is a double standard, not an institution of democracy! Isn't that what you think? We have to remove all the posters! I will come and tear it where it is. démocratique! Where: genderique!

Dear Vyteni, since we speak Lithuanian, I want to ask a question. As you know, the law has been in force for 20 years, that the director of the LRT is appointed and dismissed by a simple majority vote by secret ballot. At the end of their term, the Conservatives, seeing that they were in trouble with the election, changed the law to vote only in public and, in order to be forgiven, to vote in public with two-thirds of the vote. Is it democratic? What do you think?

Madam President, honourable Commissioner, I would like you to really listen to my speech. You can only look at the title of these resolutions – the attempted takeover of the Lithuanian public broadcaster. It is already taken, and it is taken by the Lithuanian Conservatives, who are in the EPP group, and they serve... The public broadcaster serves the Conservatives of Lithuania. I want to tell you, as a Member of the European Parliament and President of the party: I've never been invited to LRT TV. During the election campaign, I, the party chairman... was summoned for protection and removed from the LRT studio during the election. Is that democracy? What kind of democracy are you talking about? He has already said: Chairman of the ruling party Remigijus Žemaitaitis, the director of the LRT was told, will not be invited to the LRT. Isn't she overwhelmed? It needs to be freed, but there is no political force. I would also like to say that an audit of Lithuania has been carried out and it has been found that around 90% of all funds are being used fraudulently in violation of the Law on Public Procurement. Approximately 30% of employees were employed without a competition. Is there no need for change? Change is needed. I think it's time to look at it objectively. And in Lithuania there is no democracy, and there is little democracy in Europe, only the stands are big, that there is democracy here.

Ladies and gentlemen, I think that we should not be so optimistic that the big pluses will be for us from the free trade we have signed with India. Today, with China alone, our trade deficit is more than 300 billion a year and it is growing steadily. India has a trade deficit of over 15 billion. After all, we know that there is a 15-fold difference between India’s average wage and that of the European Union, which is higher in the European Union. India will certainly benefit from this. I understand, perhaps we hope that this will reduce the deficit between China and the European Union. India is friendlier to us, but we must take this step very carefully so that we do not cause very serious damage to our European Union industry.

At a time when no free trade agreement has yet been signed with India, the trade deficit in the European Union... Today, when there is no free trade agreement with India, the trade deficit is around 10 billion in favour of India. With the signing of that agreement, do you think there will be an even greater trade deficit in favour of India?

A representative of this majority in the European Parliament, do you not see your mistakes in the European Union? European leaders gathered on 18 December. What did they decide? Oh, nothing. And look at the expropriated funds, active Russians. What decision do you make after two years of debate? No, you didn't give it to Ukraine. You just plepat what Trump says, but you're not doing anything. See your mistakes and be determined.

Mr President, the European Parliament looks weird and has a very vague debate: Cuba, Greenland, Venezuela. Who hears you? Nothing. You don't hear any international voice. Do you want to be heard? Follow American politics, that is, Trump's. Rejoice, Communist gentlemen, to overthrow the dictator who expelled 8 million people from his country, who imprisoned and persecuted the people. You are crying, you are judging Trump, but you are not judging the dictator. What happened to you here? What you want, tell me. For you, Trump is worse than all the dictators. I congratulate Trump for his determined policies, for speaking little and doing a lot, and so must Europe. Then Europe and other nations will be respected. Now nobody respects you, nobody respects Putin, nobody respects China, nobody respects America, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,

Madam President. Yes, honourable MEPs, there is certainly a great danger, cyber-attacks, as well as other online crimes, especially against minors. But Europe often uses these evils to suppress freedom of speech. Musk’s X platform does not restrict freedom of expression, but the European Union has fined her €120 million. However, Zuckerberg, who runs Facebook, publicly stated that he has more than 20% of the income of those who cheat people, especially the elderly. There has not been a single MEP in the European Union who has expressed concern or that Europe has imposed fines. He seems to be a genderist. This is the most important thing for Europe. When you're so inclined, you can say whatever you want and rob. Really, people, that shouldn't be the case.

Mr President, it seems to me that you do not understand that Europe, although one of the most numerous unions, has 450 million, but because of the lack of unity, because of division, we are not in any geopolitical situation. No one pays attention to us. We speak each country differently. We have been talking for two years about giving frozen Russian funds to Ukraine. And what's the result? Oh, no, Oggy. Europe, you have no future, because you have no unity. What's better for you: That Greenland should belong to China or Russia, or to America? I think America. If Greenland is America, we will be safer. And if, as a citizen of Lithuania, I could choose the European Union or America, I would choose America. And in terms of value, there are children who are not raped or gendered in my homeland, which is so important.

Thank you, honourable rapporteur, for agreeing to answer, because the Social Democrats are afraid of my questions. In her presentation, the Commissioner said: “The elimination of gender-based violence is essential”. Is it possible to use gender-based violence when listening to the Commissioner? Can a man be violent against a man? Child against child? What do you mean? Don't you think violence can't be sorted out? Whether it is against a man, a woman, a grandfather or a child, there can be no general violence.

President, gentlemen. I think you should stop deceiving yourself. There is no democracy here. The communist ideology has been replaced by an even more terrible one, the genderist ideology. And I want to say the words of Pope John Paul: Europe, you have no future, he speaks because you have thrown Christian values into the rubbish. You are building a building, Europe, on sand that is unstable. Ladies and gentlemen, I have been convicted in the Soviet Union, I have already mentioned, a political prisoner, the last. And now sentenced for quoting the Holy Scriptures, in the letter of the Apostle Paul to the Romans. I didn't like the genderists, they judged me. No political prisoner was convicted of quoting Scripture during the Soviet period, not even in the communist Soviet Union. The judge told us that Scripture cannot be quoted anywhere but in the church.