Debate contributions by Ľubica KARVAŠOVÁ

Mr President, Renew has always been clear, and you heard it also today, that it's regions, not central governments, that must be at the heart of the cohesion policy. The Commission even received from Renew concrete suggestions on what to change. But to be frank, even the second attempt of the Commission does not bring guarantees. So work is not over. We asked that local authorities and regional authorities be given direct access to EU funds, but what we got instead was that they will be able to 'interact' directly with the Commission. Seriously? If that was not the case until today, then Houston, we have a real problem here. It is for the regions to have the real power over the needs in their territories. It is not enough for them to be heard and then ignored. To be concrete, we want a mandatory regional chapter. We want a binding code of conduct on partnership. But the only way to achieve those is if the EPP, Renew, S&D and the Greens are united on this.

I believe that you have heard the majority of Parliament, what is the position on the question of ending Russian gas supplies to both the European Union and Slovakia? The one who opens his eyes is you. In addition to being part of the government in Slovakia for two years, what have you done over the last two years to prepare Slovakia for this new political reality, in addition to frightening its own citizens? Why don't you say that the Member States no longer want to take Russian gas and you have nowhere to transit it? Why don't you say we have some of the highest energy prices in the European Union despite your favorite cheap Russian gas? So this... A question has been asked. You should use interpreting if you don't understand it.

Mr President, we are talking here today not only about energy security, but above all about our future. Therefore, it is very important to have the courage to make responsible decisions. I am very pleased that the majority of the European Parliament is aware of this. Russia is neither a reliable partner nor a reliable energy supplier. Some people still hide their eyes from him. For example, at home in Slovakia, we have a myth that Russian gas is cheap, but the facts say the opposite. Does the government subsidize household prices with hundreds of millions of euros and prices for companies? These are some of the highest in the Union. It is to Slovakia that I would like to tell everyone not to let themselves be caught up by those who are again abusing this topic to scare, instead of calming down and acting. I am convinced that if the Baltic countries were able to cut themselves off from Russian gas, if our neighbours, the Czech Republic, were able to do so, I am sure that Slovakia will also be able to do so. And what do we need for that? What do we need today? And what we miss the most today in Slovakia is the political will of the government of Robert Fico.

It is clear that Russia wants to disrupt safe air transport in Europe. But not just that. It also disrupts the lives of millions of Europeans. According to Medvedev, short-sighted Europeans felt the effects of the war on their own skin. What does this mean for our citizens? Do you mind, extremists, populists, are you afraid of Putin? Moreover, all this is happening at a time when we are going to cut off, as the European Union, Russian gas and supplies. Because Russia is not a reliable partner, it is not a reliable supplier either. He is an aggressor. So what other evidence do we need? It is incomprehensible that some leaders, but also some Members of this House, still do not see it and refuse to understand it. Our security and energy security go hand in hand. It's like a neighbor trampling flowers in your garden, but you're going to keep buying that wood for heating from him. Even if all the neighbors can sell you the wood. For some, a world without Russia is unimaginable, but I believe in the European Union and I know we can do it.

Madam President, colleagues, I know there is an important vote coming right after my report, but also, having this in mind, let me just share one message with you today. European democracy will only be as strong as our willingness to nurture it, to protect it, and to fight for our European project – against the threats from the outside, of course, but also from within the Union. So to all pro-European forces in this House, we need to work together to make Europe deliver for our citizens before they go to the polls again in 2029.

Mr President, however negotiations, Renew had worked hard to improve the Commission's proposal to better serve Europe's regions and its citizens. Cohesion funds now do not cover only defence, but also other key investment pillars, from electricity grids and civil preparedness – which has been mentioned – to affordable but also sustainable housing. We defended poorer regions over rich ones. We focussed on SMEs. We extended the Just Transition Fund, so important also for our Irish friends and, most importantly, we advanced the respect for the rule of law. In relation to frozen funds, we know the outcome of the negotiations is a compromise between three institutions. Of course, we would have wished to go further, as immediately in our plenary amendment. But for Renew, the mid-term review is only the start of the discussions on the future of the MFF, where we really want to see much stronger safeguards for the rule of law and the role of the rule of law in EU funds. Let me now switch to Slovak as well. Mid-term review It also brought risks. The Slovak government has frozen 200 million euros to municipalities, municipalities and municipalities. For kindergartens, schools and medical centers. Not because the projects were not prepared, but because the government has different priorities for people in the regions. People are not. I will always be on the side of the regions, here in Strasbourg, in Brussels and in Slovakia. Therefore, as shadow rapporteur, I have also pushed for an insurance policy so that governments cannot arbitrarily decide on resources belonging to municipalities without consulting municipalities, and I am glad that it is part of this proposal. The European Union is not bad Brussels. It's a handshake.

Madam President, colleagues, 'regions will remain at the centre of our work'. These are the words of President Ursula von der Leyen one year ago, when she stood here to ask for our support for her mandate. Yet, we hear worrying signs from Brussels, from the European Commission – signs of budget centralisation leaving regions aside by single national plans. It comes not from Vice-President Fitto, not from Commissioner Serafin, but from President von der Leyen herself. So let me be clear here: we will not accept this. Don't get me wrong, I'm not from the old school. I stand for progress, for efficiency, and also for delivery of our money to citizens. But without a strong role of the cohesion policy in shaping and delivering the money, we will not improve our competitiveness or complete the single market. And what's even worse is that if we move decisions away from our citizens, it is trust in the European project that will be damaged...

Mr President, Trump has told the Americans that there will be fewer toys at Christmas and they will be more expensive. These are great results of Donald Trump's tariff policy. Politicians who support him, but we also have in Europe and also in Slovakia headed by Prime Minister Robert Fico. Our citizens will suffer the most: in automobiles, steelworks, subcontracting. The government is to fight for our companies and for our citizens, together with the Union. It is not enough to send employees to itarbeit. And the Prime Minister's trip to Moscow this week will not help either. It is good that in both Canada and Australia, politicians who believe in fair trade and not bullying have won. We have to open markets, we have to improve the business environment, we have to attract companies and talents to Europe. But yes, we also need to negotiate patiently with the United States. But we also want fairness in trade. Giant digital giants and giants in Europe make billions of euros, is that fair? If we do not agree with the United States, the Commission must act and we will be partners.

Madam President, with an absorption rate less than 10 %, we are failing our regions at the moment. But there are objective reasons why this is the case. Unprecedented crises, COVID, war in Ukraine, priority given to recovery plans, all consumed a lot of our capacities. In several countries, it is also the centralisation of investments that delays investments in regions. The solution is not to give up on the policy, it's to fix it. So I support Commissioner Fitto's efforts for mid-term review and to ease access to EU funds, including for eastern border regions. Cohesion policy is the one closest to our citizens in regions and in cities. So what we need is to simplify it and to bring it even closer to them. Focus on specific local needs in reducing regional disparities, but also in driving competitiveness. So let us reunite around this goal together, the Commission, European Parliament and the Council, because if we gamble with the support of citizens in regions for European projects, we risk losing projects in general.

Madam President, three years ago, Bucha showed a true face of Putin's brutality. I was there two weeks after Russian troops withdrew, on 8 April 2022, standing at a mass grave together with the Slovak Prime Minister and with President von der Leyen at that time to honour the victims and support Ukraine. But we also delivered the first air defence system, the S-300. I am a proud Slovak and a European I am still. Today, we prepare to take our defence to a whole new level. Not because we want to, but because there is no prosperity without security. But some so-called leaders would rather bow to Putin or Trump than work with their European partners. History will remember those who stood up for Europe, for its security and defence and economy, and those who looked away. So, let's lead the way.

Madam President, culture is a substantial part of the European economy. Nine million jobs, two hundred billion euros of turnover. I therefore support your intention and welcome this debate. When governments tend to weaken democracy, culture suffers first. It is experiencing attempts to govern, and this is worsening not only its quality, but also our entire competitiveness. Well, what about it? As you said, to protect the freedom of creation, to promote international collaboration of artists, as called for by the Europe-wide Resistance Now initiative: and free culture. Unfortunately, in Slovakia – but not only – the reality is that we are seeing political interference today. We see attacks on artists, we see financial cuts or incompetent managers in national icons, cultural institutions, theatres and galleries, as well as in regional culture. That is why we need three things, Commissioner. The first: to promote greater protection of freedom of creation, modelled on the European Media Freedom Act. Secondly, a strong programme for the mobility of artists of the Erasmus type, and lastly – the promotion of regions and culture in the regions.

February 24 marks three years since the start of the Russian aggression in Ukraine. It has changed a lot in Europe, including our view of the Union's eastern border. Today, the border with Russia and Belarus has become a barrier to enormous threats, hampering cross-border development, as we see in Finland's Lappeenrant. On the contrary, the border with Ukraine, a candidate for membership of the European Union, offers a unique opportunity for integration, as Austria did in the situation when Slovakia joined the Union. The Košice and Prešov regions play a key role in the development of cross-border cooperation with Ukraine. From investments in roads, railways to the modernisation of border crossings, but also in electricity networks, these are the ones that can bring new investments and new jobs to regions. However, the current EU instruments are not sufficient for the new challenges we face. We need a new approach that takes into account today's needs and today's ambitions of the Union. Cohesion policy cannot therefore be managed centrally, but must have direct contact with the regions in order to respond to what the eastern regions at the Union's border also need.

Madam President, congratulations to those who saw Donald Trump's arrival as a hope. Ideological wars were more crucial for you than the prosperity of the European economy. To sell this as a defeat of liberal democracy was also important to you. You care more about the interests of businessmen like Elon Musk but you are not here today to talk. The trade war between strategic partners will only lead to defeat for all – we know this. Therefore, we need to cooperate with the United States more in areas which are mutually beneficial to all of us – energy security, defence and China. If the US is not interested, then our answer must be resolute and united – and I stress the word. We also have to protect European companies and industries – steel, automotive and others – because some regions might be collapsing, including the Slavic ones. And we also need to make an offer for companies and investors in the US to come to Europe to invest in our industries and economy, including the clean technology. So let us ask for cooperation, but let us not be blackmailed by anyone.

Madam President, I think it's also a pity that the President of the European Commission has left the room, because the message I had was over to her and to the European Commission: I think it's very important that the new Competitiveness Compass which, as the President has said, will be released next week, reflects the current EU‑US reality. Donald Trump is not only a reality for our relationship, but it is also an opportunity for Europe – and I was missing that word 'opportunity' as it was not outlined by the President of the European Commission in her initial remarks: an opportunity to really make sure the European Union competes and offers companies and investors from across the Atlantic something that the US will no longer be able to offer. I mean, red‑tape and a savings and investment union is a bare minimum, but it is not something that makes Europe now more competitive and could make us more attractive for companies and investors from the US. So I count on the European Commission making bold steps, ambitious steps, to make sure we make this also an opportunity for Europe.

Madam President, I am deeply alarmed by the impact of natural disasters across our European Union, from floods in Spain to central and eastern Europe, to wildfires in Portugal, but also cyclones in Mayotte recently. These events just highlight our shared duty for a European response. But we must do more than rebuild. We must build back better with sustainable, more resilient infrastructure, or we risk repeating the destruction and cycles of destruction. I must also voice my concerns about the repeated use of the flexibility of the cohesion policy to address any crisis – climate-related or not climate-related. Cohesion policy is here to promote long-term investments and support competitiveness of our European Union with our regions at the centre. We need to create more effective mechanisms to respond to crises in the next multiannual budget. I am grateful for the rapporteurs of this file to address this. So let us work with compassion, but also with a clear vision and responsibility for Europe's future and for our citizens.

Commissioner Ferreira, welcome to the plenary for your last Question Time. I want to thank you for your service. Although I was not here during the past term, I heard a lot of positive feedback on your work for the European regions, so thank you very much for that. I wanted to raise my concern over the growing flexibility of the cohesion policy. It has been mentioned several times by other speakers, so it really shows that there is a problem. I believe that by constantly reallocating resources from the cohesion policy, not just to crisis management situations, but also to new priorities – housing has been mentioned here, military equipment has been mentioned here – we might face a problem of undermining the long‑term objective of the cohesion policy. That is – and we should stay true to the core purpose of the cohesion policy – building a Europe that is competitive and resilient. And I think that is what is in front of us as the biggest challenge, and will help us to overcome any crisis or any bad situation. So my question to you: don't you think that it's within the next MFF discussions where we should really pay attention to reform crisis tools that the EU has, the EU budget already has, and also to find additional resources for new priorities, be it housing or the defence industry, instead of using cohesion policy to solve any EU problem?

Madam President, I hope Hilde will like at least what I'm going to say now. Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are. Russia asked North Korea – the regime under the most extensive UN sanctions – to join their war of aggression against Ukraine. And Kim Jong Un obliged, armed Russia, provided ammunition and even sent boots on the ground. These are clear efforts for peace. But let us also see the big picture here. This coalition of dictators poses a threat also to South Korea, our strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific and a crucial contributor to European defence capabilities. South Korea is a reliable member of the international and rules-based community. It must become our key partner not only in security and defence but also in economy, including Ukraine's European future and its reconstruction. So let us also use this new reality and this discussion today to bring the EU-South Korea relationship into a whole new level. It will also help Ukraine to win the war.

Mr President, these days Strasbourg hosts both mayors and mayors from European cities. Together with the regions, they are the heart of Europe. Their prosperity is our prosperity and also helps the entire competitiveness of the European Union. Cities and regions need us to cope with the changes ahead. Green transition, digital, demographic challenges or war in the neighbourhood. Municipalities also need to adapt cities to climate change. Our job is to create the conditions for them to do their best. But to do that, we need two things. First, a strong and autonomous cohesion policy in the new European Commission, but also in the European budget. We need to work directly with cities and regions because they have different needs, specificities and possibilities. Eastern Slovakia, which borders Ukraine, is not the same as the Azores. Both have legitimate needs. However, I do not think it is enough to promise them a partnership. I expect more from the new Commission. A more direct approach by regions and cities to defining cohesion policy priorities, but also to European resources, because the EU has to go closer to people and not further.

Madam President, if we want to increase competitiveness and jobs in Europe, the transition of the car industry to electromobility is a necessity, not a choice. China has already made a decision. I say this as a citizen of Slovakia, which is the largest car manufacturer in the world per capita. In eastern Slovakia, fully electrified electric car production is growing for the first time and will become one of the largest employers in the region, which is among the most underdeveloped in the European Union. The automotive industry is preparing for the future of electric vehicles. If we want to maintain production, we need to support investment, including charging infrastructure. The Slovak government is to build 3 029 chargers from the recovery plan, it has not built any. The Slovak government also did not support the introduction of tariffs on electric vehicles from China. This is despite the fact that the European Commission's investigation has shown that this is a legitimate instrument of international trade and unfairness towards European producers. It is responsible today to ask European manufacturers what they need to make the transition to electromobility and to do it in time, because it is not too late.

Mr President, Commissioner Lenarčič, allow me first of all to express my sincere condolences to the families of the victims and to thank all those who are deploying their lives even at this particular time and taking part in the rescue operations. This is how, a year ago, Slovakia helped with flooding techniques in Slovenia. Pictures from Záhorie, Slovakia, where firefighters on a boat serve food to a retirement home that is cut off from the world, other regions in Moravia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, also in Hungary and Austria, have hit us all. However, the EU also has the tools in its hands to deal with these crisis situations. And so is the Solidarity Fund, which was just created in 2002 as a response to the floods in Central Europe. Please use them quickly and efficiently. Even in the future, it will be the regions, not the whole countries, that will be more and more affected. Cross-border cooperation will become increasingly important. Regions know best their needs, preparedness and remediation needs. It is therefore important that we create, in instruments such as the Solidarity Fund, but also cohesion policy, the direct involvement of regions in their use. It has also been said by the extreme right that we have to choose the crises we want to face. The extreme right, we do not choose crises. Politicians are facing them.