Debate contributions by Ştefan MUŞOIU

Madam President, dear colleagues, the extension sine die the armed conflict in Ukraine is constantly accentuating our new major political responsibility: to do everything possible to defend our borders and the economies of our states, to ensure regional stability and the reconstruction of the Eastern neighbourhood. In this respect, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the development of rail transport in Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary and the Baltic countries could further contribute to shaping and even speeding up the end of this war. Therefore, the extension or modernization of Eastern European strategic railway lines to the parameters of a functional infrastructure, interconnected and adapted to the requirements of the 21st century, will not only facilitate joint military mobility, the European Union, NATO and Ukraine's reconstruction efforts, but will also be a solid vector of regional economic growth. For all these purposes, we need additional new funding dedicated to Eastern rail infrastructure under the relevant European instruments, such as the EFC, the European Peace Facility, the Military Mobility Fund and the future post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework.

Mr President, dear colleagues, extremism and populism are no longer just a latent threat that has reached alarming levels in the European Union. They feed both on the errors of political decisions at European level and on poor communication with our citizens. If we want to regain people's trust in the European project, it is not enough to condemn these slippages, but to act firmly. We need to find the most effective ways of countering radical narratives and, at the same time, come up with concrete measures for citizens to feel the real solidarity of the Union. Only in this way can we show that European democracy is not vulnerable to the cynicism of populist promises. Today, more than ever, we need to demonstrate that we live up to the legitimate expectations of Europeans, through constructive decisions and real proximity to people. Only in this way will we be able to strengthen the institutions and defend the values on which the Union was founded.

Madam President, dear colleagues, under the slogan ‘A strong Europe in a changing world’, the Danish Presidency has announced that it will work towards a secure, competitive and green Europe. I welcome these ambitious evolving commitments, just as I welcome the enlargement strategy. However, in order to achieve the expected results in terms of increasing competitiveness, it would also be necessary to pay particular attention to the full implementation of the national recovery and resilience plans. Major projects in many Member States are still in danger of losing funding, and it is clear that we must not allow such an undesirable scenario with long-term negative effects for the economies of our countries. I remind you that we voted to extend the NRRPs by 18 months, and the Council's support for the European Parliament's decision will strengthen our commitment and reinforce our responsibility for economic recovery and social cohesion.

Colleague, I believe that the development of transport infrastructure ensures connectivity, the transport of goods, goods and people; ensure greater social, economic and territorial cohesion. I therefore believe that the development of transport infrastructure contributes to a much safer and more developed single market.

Mr President, dear colleagues, Commissioner, one of the main concerns and priorities of European citizens is security in the face of today's global challenges, namely the consequences of economic stagnation and military threats. This leads to a greater need to increase the importance of trans-European transport infrastructure. It plays a key role in maintaining the economic, social and strategic cohesion of the Union, ensuring the mobility of people, goods and military. Therefore, for efficient military mobility and to reduce vulnerabilities caused by potential bottlenecks or physical attacks, we need to make further efforts to expand and diversify these routes. At the same time, we will also be able to facilitate inter-state trade, stimulate related industries and create new jobs. In this regard, the opportunity offered to these strands of action in the post-2027 multiannual financial framework is appreciable, but I believe that we must focus on identifying new solutions for the development of transport infrastructure, which is so necessary for the connectivity and security of the entire Union.

Madam President, dear colleagues, we have been witnessing in recent years a far too rapid process of maturing our own children, caused by the use of social media since the age of 5. It's alarming. Equally alarming is the fact that almost 50% of children spend more than 6 hours a day online, according to a recent study. But even more worrying is the fact that these harmful habits, combined with inappropriate content, validation pressure and fears of social exclusion, are causing children growing emotional difficulties. Early and uncontrolled exposure to these platforms can lead to emotional frailty, social isolation, severe anxiety, and even suicide attempts. Adequate management of time and online content accessible to children is therefore needed. These objectives must prevail, and the Spanish model of limiting the use of tablets and other digital devices to a maximum of 2 hours per week by primary school pupils becomes crucial for the future of children.

Madam President, dear colleagues, we have little time until August 2026, when the procedures for the implementation of the national recovery and resilience programmes will be completed, but most states have difficulties in implementing the projects financed by this mechanism and the scheduled reforms needed to achieve it. This is because the war in Ukraine has generated an energy crisis, followed by an economic crisis and very high prices for raw materials and building materials. The explosion of these costs has caused malfunctions in most economies and implementation gaps in many ongoing projects. Like other states, Romania has not managed to attract all the forecasted money, although a series of efforts have been made at government level to optimize the implementation process and we are concerned to use all the money to ensure economic recovery and social cohesion. We therefore feel the need for a more adaptable approach to this mechanism. Concretely, I propose to the Commission to extend the NRRP calendar for another two years in order to deliver on all our commitments.

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, at Union level, desertification affects 8% of the territory, as my previous colleagues have said. The most affected areas are those in Central, Southern and Eastern Europe. And my country, Romania, suffers from this unhealthy process of nature. 40% of its agricultural area is at risk of becoming sand dunes. This is why we must not allow this major shortcoming to become a threat to the food security of future generations of Europeans. This serious phenomenon must be decelerated through concrete and firm Community strategies. We must bear in mind that small farmers in all these areas of the continent, affected by desertification, are also in danger. They can't fight nature alone, and we need to help them. They need European financial support that doubles the efforts of national governments, big or small. I am counting on our common wisdom and on a more detailed response from the Commission to curb this dangerous natural phenomenon.

Madam President, I come before you as a parent and as a man who loves children to express my concern about the increasingly destructive impact of social media on the harmonious physical and mental development of minors. Total access, regardless of age, to propagated content has transcended our preoccupation and attention as parents and grandparents, and the negative effects we all see anywhere in the world: from minor behavioural disorders to self-mutilation, suicide or murder. I call on each of you to unite and diminish this phenomenon to save our children and save our future. Let's put the future of our children before the interests of the companies in Big Tech, because if we protect today's minors from the dangers they are exposed to through social media messages, we will have healthier and more responsible generations. From a regulatory perspective, therefore, I advocate extending the French solution rather than the Australian one.

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, in the context generated by this declaration, as a member of the TRAN Committee, but also as a citizen passionate about and concerned about everything that this area entails, I propose today to pay even more attention and importance to the role of regional collaboration in achieving this goal. Cooperation between neighbouring countries to jointly promote destinations in certain regions can be further exploited. It is up to all of us to make use of all the tools that cross-border tourism entails. We can exploit the range of European cultural thematic routes included in the UNESCO heritage, culinary or viticultural. These types of trails are becoming more and more attractive for domestic and international tourists. Connecting them through a unified road network would also facilitate both current transport and tourism. In Romania, the current social-democratic government, through the Ministry of Transport, has exponentially accelerated the construction of motorways and Bulgaria continues investments, as well as neighboring countries in the pre-accession stage. As a result, the conditions for increasing tourism are becoming more favourable, including for some less accessible areas. Commissioner, you have an ambitious plan for European tourism and transport...

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, democracy in Romania is still quite young but solid. We cannot compare ourselves with other European states, with democracies hundreds of years old, but we must all admit that Romania is successfully continuing the democratization process and that it is also catching up in this area through constant efforts. But my country is also under pressure from outside interference, which has now made full use of these tools, social media, to undermine democracy. Of course, we reacted precisely to defend our country and its integrity against the insidious range of manipulations and disinformation, most likely coming from a neighboring, autocratic and repressive state. At the same time, we defended the memory and the creed of our heroes, who gave their lives in December 1989 to end the dictatorial regime of Nicolae Ceausescu. The people of my country are in good faith, and this increasingly difficult quality today can also be exploited for less orthodox purposes, as was the case in these presidential elections. That is why I hope that the most appropriate decisions will be taken at the level of the European Commission to prevent these types of foreign political interference in national and even Union matters in the future, but also so that we can truly protect our citizens. Regardless of the intimidation methods used against Romanians, Romania will not deviate from its European path. We are a courageous people, who have learned from the past and who vehemently refuse to become the victim of any dictatorship. We believe in democracy, we protect freedom of speech, but we hate dictators and their abuses. For all these reasons, we also reacted promptly and not to generate any precedent, but the alarm signal had to be sounded.