Debate contributions by Nikola BARTŮŠEK

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, organised crime, drug gangs and illegal migration are today one of the most serious security threats in Europe. Drug traffickers don't just sell drugs, they try to control territory, intimidate citizens, corrupt institutions, and create parallel structures of power. Where the state retreats, there is violence, and that is unacceptable. We see this in our cities, at our borders and in the digital space. And all too often we see that we react late, fragmented and inadequately. We need stronger cross-border cooperation between the police and the judiciary, an effective fight against money laundering and better protection for those who oppose organised crime. Our laws must be tough and uncompromising. It is our duty as elected European politicians to act against this criminal threat and to protect Europe and our citizens until it is too late. Ladies and gentlemen, the fight against organised crime is not a question of the left or the right. It is a matter of accountability to our citizens. Let us therefore work together to combat organised crime and violence in Europe.

Madam President, dear colleagues, children are the most vulnerable group in our society, and even though we have made the physical world safer for them, we are failing in the online world. We clearly see how constant online exposure is harming young people. But what is the solution, total surveillance around the clock? Certainly not. Even if it were possible, it would not help the generation already exposed to it. Chat control? Absolutely not. Sacrificing privacy, a fundamental pillar of modern Europe, will not make children safer. The realistic and healthy solution is education, communication and creating phone-free zones in schools. Some schools in some cities and countries already apply such rules, and I applaud them. Allowing children and teenagers to simply be children: to move, play, talk, argue, laugh, experiment, and sometimes even stumble. This is far healthier than watching them drift through their most formative years as iPhone zombies. We want to protect children, but without creating a system that monitors everyone online.

Mr President, the European Union has been issuing one package of sanctions after another for three years, and yet we all know that these sanctions have long been circumvented through third countries, through renamed companies, through refineries that process Russian oil and then resell it to Europe. On a business trip to India, I witnessed it myself. Russian oil will be transported there, filtered through the local refineries and returned to us. Profit remains outside Europe, but the costs are paid by our citizens in energy prices, inflation, loss of competitiveness. Third countries are getting richer on sanctions designed to weaken Russia economically, and Europe is losing influence, industry and people's trust. If the Commission really wants to close the gaps, let it start with its own naivety. Europe needs energy sovereignty, cheap energy prices, not gestures that we all pay for and that actually miss the point.

Mr President, dear Commission, dear colleagues, the new European taxes? No, thank you. It is true that the Commission calls this new own resources because it cannot call it by its real name. It sounds technically, but honestly, it means new European taxes – invented in Brussels, collected in Brussels and spent in Brussels. ETS 2, the so-called emission allowances for households, is not about saving the planet, it is about taking money out of people's pockets and re-educating them. They will hit drivers, homeowners and small businesses, make energy and housing more expensive, and Brussels will slap itself on the shoulders as everything is resolved. And now they want more. Corporate taxes, carbon tariffs, all under the brand of own resources, but taxes without the consent of nation states are unacceptable. Whatever we call them. And I'm very clear: no new European taxes, no ETS 2, no fiscal union through the back door. We stand for sovereignty, responsibility and freedom.

Mr President, Commission, dear colleagues, the document itself is marked 'Sensitive – Do not read or carry out'. The European Commission calls it 'Europe's independence moment'. And I ask myself: independence? From whom? From the people? From democracy? From the Member States? Now the reality behind all of this: 130 new legislative acts and only one single withdrawal? Yes. Just one. You call it a simplification. I call it a bad joke – a very expensive joke paid by our families, our companies and our workers. Brussels grows; freedom shrinks. You centralise power, expand agencies, create new rules, and we call it a progress? Europe's strength does not come from 130 new laws. It comes from the independence of nations, the freedom of our people and the prosperity of our enterprises. Europe does not need more secrets and more laws. Europe needs more freedom – and I will make sure that this message is heard loud and clear.

Madam President, in the twenty-first century, our companies need above all support and speed, not another rope to the already tied hands. Sadly, the EPP's largest faction, which pretends to be the defender of the European economy, is now proposing additional bureaucratic hurdles. And I am surprised that this is also coming from the Employment Committee, which should support jobs, not liquidate them. The bureaucracy is choking our companies. The proposal put forward by the Commission is vague, unclear and dangerous. They talk about impacts that could affect employees in other states. Such legal uncertainty will endanger not only large enterprises, but also small businesses and sole traders. And the result? Blocked decision-making, higher costs, more disputes and less competitiveness in Europe. If Parliament supports this text, it will add another chapter to Mrs von der Leyen's era, which promised less regulation but brings the opposite. Europe needs competitiveness and efficiency, not further regulation. Let's support our companies and not suffocate them with other regulations.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. In 2015, when Chancellor Merkel announced her open-door policy, I began working at the forefront of migration in Austria, right in the asylum centres. I saw thousands of illegal migrants arriving. I have witnessed with my own eyes how some of them radicalized, and often this ended in tragic consequences. Ten years later, we have to be honest: Mass immigration did not solve Europe's problems; She created new ones. Integration has failed, parallel societies have grown, and security has deteriorated. Our citizens, especially women, pay the price when stabbings and attacks make European cities unsafe. This is not the future we want for our continent. That is why I am in the European Parliament – to protect Europe, to restore the security and dignity of our citizens and to say clearly: Illegal migration must be stopped.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, cooperation between Europol and the Brazilian police is the key to tackling crimes that affect both our regions. By sharing information, we can identify criminals, trafficking routes and illegal shipments much earlier. Drug trafficking into the EU remains a growing threat. Human trafficking and smuggling networks exploit migration routes. Money laundering of drug profits corrupts our financial systems. And firearms trafficking can escalate the violence on our streets. These problems are infiltrating our cities and putting the lives of our citizens and children at risk. That is why it is essential for the authorities to exchange information and cooperate. All of this will be done with respect to personal data safeguards. Thank you for supporting this report and the partnership between Europol and Brazil's Federal Police. It will help improve the safety of our citizens.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, let us please leave behind political ideologies for a moment and be realistic. We are shutting down cheaper sources of energy. Germany has shut down nuclear power plants, and we in the Czech Republic are planning an early end to coal sources. At the same time, we are pushing renewables regardless of their availability, stability and price. The result is expensive energy for our citizens and businesses. Cheap and affordable electricity is the foundation of any functioning economy. Without it, we will not be able to maintain competitiveness, industry or the standard of living of households. Decentralization of energy production sounds good on paper, but in practice it is extremely costly and unstable. More frequent outages and the possible collapse of the transmission network, this is the real tax. Some regions do not have enough sun, wind or space, yet they are pushed on the same model as if the conditions were the same everywhere. The energy grid must be technologically realistic, economically sustainable and socially fair. Otherwise, we will end up with an expensive, unreliable network and citizens who will not be able to afford energy.

Mr President, dear colleagues, allow me to thank the rapporteur, Mr Sánchez, for the constructive discussion during our meetings. Nevertheless, the Patriots for Europe cannot agree with many points of this report. While the report offers some valuable insights, in our opinion, it lacks clarity in certain areas and avoids addressing key issues. Türkiye is undoubtedly an important and strategic partner of the European Union in the areas of trade, migration, management and within NATO, but let us be clear – Türkiye does not meet most of the accession criteria necessary for the membership in the European Union. Unfortunately, some topics are mentioned in the report only marginally. A major issue, in my view, is the unresolved relationship with Cyprus and Türkiye's problematic involvement in the Middle East. Unlike the European Union, Türkiye does not consider Hamas a terrorist organisation, which raises legitimate questions and concerns. Many of Türkiye's recent actions have unfortunately drifted away from European values. I believe this debate will benefit from a politically and diplomatically grounded discussion. Despite all criticism, it is important to maintain dialogue and seek new forms of strategic partnership, particularly in the fields of trade, energy and migration.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, more agencies, more officials, more projects and fewer and fewer results. European Union agencies are growing and distributing billions, but citizens often have no idea what they are doing. Europe will not be stronger by adding more structures and increasing the budget, but by improving its functioning. The European Union manages more than EUR 200 billion per year. Every year billions of euros flow to countries outside the European Union without control and without any guarantee that they will help. We lack control over what we pay as citizens of the European Union. In 2025, the European Union committed EUR 2.5 billion in aid to Syria. Frontex has a budget of over €845 million this year, yet the external borders remain unprotected, and instead of protecting the Union’s borders, Greece is being investigated, bearing the main burden of migration, and is at risk of being deprived of funding. Do you know where the main problem is? You're losing trust, people's trust. It is not possible to ask for more and more money. First, use the ones you already have.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Pfizergate, the Huawei corruption scandal, secret agreements to distribute money to the media, bribery of non-profit organisations – these are the specific corruption scandals that have shaken this Parliament and the European Commission. How can we take statements on the need for greater integrity, transparency and the fight against corruption seriously? The democratic pluralism that we are calling for today does not really exist in this institution. It has been replaced by an ideological dictate and a demarcation against those who allow themselves to have their own opinion. You pretend to defend democracy while silencing millions of voters just because they don't fit into the only permitted template. Speaking of transparency: Where are the contracts with Pfizer and SMS, which decided on the contract for billions? Why were more than 100 million euros distributed to the media a few weeks before the elections? European citizens deserve to know the truth. They want the European Union to be an area of justice, not hypocrisy. If you are serious about fighting corruption and democracy, please start with yourself and stop excluding those who want a safer, more sovereign and truly democratic Europe.

Mr President, one hundred days of this Commission has been enough to make it clear who it serves. Not Europe, but the Greens and their ideology. From day one, the Commission has abandoned strategic thinking and bet everything on meaningless decarbonisation, while Europe faces the biggest security threats in decades. Clean Industrial Deal, this is not a plan for a competitive Europe, but another nail in the coffin of our industry, which used to be the best in the world. At the same time, Europe cannot decarbonise and arm itself, and anyone who claims otherwise either lies or does not understand reality. While the US and China are building the strength and prosperity of their companies, Europe is committing economic and geopolitical suicide. This Commission does not prioritise security, the fight against irregular migration or our industry. The only priority is to maintain favor and green policy. The Commission is failing in diplomacy and in protecting European life. We need to get back to reality, help our companies, prevent illegal migration and, above all, be there for our citizens.

Madam President, Commission, suicidal empathy at the expense of our people is Europe's return policy to date. In 2022, more than half a million people received return decisions, but only eighty-six thousand were deported, while the rest remained illegally in Europe. While we have listened for years to stories from the Commission and politicians about how the migration pact will protect us, there have been attacks in European cities. Sollingen, Brussels, Munich, Berlin are just a handful of cases where an unsuccessful asylum seeker who had a return order attacked but ignored it with impunity. I myself have worked for fifteen years in returning refugees to their countries of origin, and I know that we must be uncompromising and assertive in our legislation. A new stricter return policy has been necessary for years. The Law of Return must send a clear message: Do not come to Europe illegally because you will be returned. The new proposal on returns lacks mandatory pressure on third countries. The European Union must use its influence to force countries to take back their citizens, trade sanctions, visas or the end of financial aid. Take back your citizens, otherwise...

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, one bomb a day. This is the number of attacks in Sweden in the past month. Smugglers, drug gangs, organized crime have flooded Swedish cities. Sweden was once a symbol of European prosperity. An idyllic, safe country with low crime rates, renowned for its fair policies and equality. But that's no longer the case. Sweden has fallen victim to its own naivety and has the second highest rate of deaths caused by firearms. This is a huge warning against flooding the labour market with cheap labour, would-be good faith, and calling it humanitarian aid. With this mass cheap labor, crime and terrorism come to our homes. Instead of remaining the safest country in Europe, Sweden is experiencing the most terrorist attacks. We don't even know who's moving around Europe. It's time to face the truth. This experiment based on mass migration has failed. Let's be smart and learn from our mistakes before it's too late. Together, we must stop turning a blind eye, introduce tougher punishments for violent crimes, tougher anti-money laundering measures and crackdown on drug gangs. It is always about the safety of our citizens.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, in the eight years since the biggest migration crisis, eight and a half million irregular migrants have arrived in Europe. Ninety percent of them are brought here by smugglers and are always one step ahead of the law. They change routes, they adapt, and we, by our inaction, de facto record them. The migration pact is proof of this. The smugglers' services are also used by terrorists. As a result, thousands of people are coming to Europe that we know nothing about. The safety of our citizens is in jeopardy. Just today we witnessed another horrific act in Germany. An Afghan asylum seeker stabbed five people in a kindergarten and caused the death of two of them, including a two-year-old toddler. Europe needs to wake up and protect its citizens. We must not allow further acts of violence. We need to adopt clear, strict rules, and fast. We must stop the biggest organised crime of our time – the migration business. Ladies and gentlemen, the European Parliament has a resolution on many things, but here European citizens are dying because of uncontrolled illegal migration, and you are doing nothing to stop it! Wake up!

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commission, up to 37% of German industrial companies are considering moving their production capacities abroad. This is a disaster – a disaster for the European economy, but also for business. An example is Audi, which announced in February the transfer of its production to electric cars in Mexico. Nearly three and a half thousand people will lose their jobs. Because of prices, energy and other regulations, production in the EU will not pay off, and the European Commission has its share in this. While everyone is experiencing a shock from record electricity prices, the European Commission continues to push for climate neutrality at all costs. In Germany, energy prices climbed to astronomical levels in the autumn because it did not blow and did not shine. We need certainty, reliable sources of energy, such as the core, in order to ensure the competitiveness of our industry. Innovations like nuclear fusion are great if we succeed. But the European Union, ladies and gentlemen, is not growing economically. That is why it is essential that you, the European Commission, are on your feet, because without prosperous companies, we can forget about innovation.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, almost 42 million people in the European Union and 1.5 million people in the Czech Republic today face difficulties in paying high energy bills. One in eight people in our country is directly affected by this problem. Imagine a household being forced to spend unreasonably high amounts on energy. This leads to restrictions in other key areas: food, clothing or education of children. But it's not just households that suffer. Companies are also facing huge problems due to high energy, which leads to redundancies and business closures. This problem is indeed huge, and the European Union is making it worse with its policies. An example is emission allowances, the prices of which are unpredictable and constantly rising. Instead of an effective solution, the European Union is proposing the establishment of a climate fund, which means that the problem that we have created ourselves will be covered by additional subsidies. If the goal really is the self-destruction of Europe, then let us continue along this path. But I am calling you: Let us stop turning a blind eye to this problem and start taking action.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, hybrid warfare has long been used as a tool to destabilise states blurring the lines between war and peace. This is not only an attack on institutions, but also on our social values. Hybrid warfare also supports criminal groups. Today we see groups of tens of thousands of irregular migrants crossing the external borders of the European Union, lured by false promises of easy entry into the European Union. These are mostly spread on social networks and we support them with our inaction. Europe must make it clear and speak with one voice that hybrid warfare has nothing to do here. We need to stand up to the smugglers who spread disinformation about Europe so that they can commit organised crime here. This poses a direct threat to the territorial integrity and security of the Member States. It is time for us to take seriously the dangers of hybrid warfare and the abuse of migration, and to protect our borders and ensure the security of our territory.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, poor security, increased crime, sexual assaults, knife attacks are so common issues in the European Union that many people are starting to take this for granted. We hear from all sides how necessary it is to protect the external borders, but here in the European Parliament we spend hours and hours debating the security crisis in the European Union, which is caused precisely by illegal migration. There is really nothing we can do to improve it. I myself have worked since 2015 in the fight against illegal migration, and the new migration pact is a mockery for all the people who are fighting illegal migration on the front line. The real action is missing. Yes, cooperation with Frontex is key. Frontex now has a budget of EUR 845 million per year and has the potential to effectively protect external borders. It must be ensured that these funds are used with maximum efficiency. The current system of external border control is inadequate. We all see this and need immediate change. The European Union and Frontex need to clarify their priorities and how to protect their citizens and how to protect our territory.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen! The Schengen area and free movement are one of the biggest benefits for all EU citizens. But that is now at risk with internal border controls. The introduction of border controls within the EU is only a consequence of the failed EU migration policy and the poor security situation throughout the EU territory. In 2023, almost 1 300 000 people illegally staying in the area were recorded in the EU. That's an increase of almost 13%. Germany introduced controls at all its borders last year, and other states followed suit. However, this is not a permanent solution. We enable smugglers to commit organised crime in the middle of the EU. The security situation in the EU will continue to deteriorate as long as we do not secure our external borders and change our poor asylum policy. We need to resume the debate on the migration pact and not look for ways to distribute migrants, but look for ways to prevent illegal entry.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, a few days ago, many families in Central and Eastern Europe lost their homes in the floods. This is a huge loss that will be very difficult to overcome. Some regions in the Czech Republic have been deeply affected. We must appreciate all those who intervened in the Czech Republic, the entire integrated rescue system, including the volunteer firefighters who did a great job. Thank you very much! It should be noted that just a few days before these floods, there was an undignified debate in the Czech Republic about the salaries of security forces. Again, the importance of volunteer firefighters, who are unfortunately not financially rewarded for their work, is shown. Robert Šlachta, the shadow interior minister for the Oath movement, has long drawn attention to this problem. It criticises the government for refusing to adequately fund our security forces, thus jeopardising their ability to function effectively and protect citizens. The rains will pass, but the devastating consequences will remain. There is a huge cleaning after floods, repairs of roads, bridges and buildings. Unfortunately, the damage in the Czech Republic amounts to billions of crowns, and this is a huge intervention in the economy for the Czech Republic. I call on the European Union to mobilise the Solidarity Fund quickly and to help where it is needed at the moment. The European Union must learn from the crises of the past and act quickly and flexibly in times of crisis.

Madam President, first of all, I would like to express my condolences to all victims and to all their families of the terrorist attack in Solingen. I myself worked in illegal migration for over 10 years, and my colleague was murdered by an unsuccessful asylum seeker. Let me maybe talk about a few numbers. Over 100 000 non-EU citizens were ordered to leave the EU in the first quarter of 2024, but only 30 000 actually left. This means 70 000 people ignored the law just because they could, and just because we allowed them. The Returns Directive needs urgent reform. We have no efficient enforcement system and our laws are ineffective. Unfortunately, the new migration and asylum package from April will keep this broken system going, encouraging migration without real consequences for breaking the rules. It's time to come together and protect our continent. We need stronger border control and return policy that proves Europe is serious and strong.