Speeches

The fundamental question is whether we are dealing with a temporary situation, with a conjunctural and speculative price volatility, and in spring the market situation will return to normal, or we are facing the onset of a crisis with a duration difficult to specify, which has structural causes. I was concerned by the Energy Commissioner's speech which shows that in the EC, the view is that we are dealing with a temporary situation. I am inclined to believe that we are at the beginning of a lasting crisis under the influence of factors of great complexity, including geopolitics. The EC toolbox must contain immediate measures, first and foremost direct payments for vulnerable consumers in Romania, across the EU, who will not be able to pay their energy bills. SMEs need state aid from national budgets complemented by resources from the European budget. In the medium term, the effects of the Fit for 55 package will emerge. Energy efficiency needs to be improved and renewable energy production increased, but Romania and a whole series of EU Member States are perfectly entitled to insist on maintaining natural gas as a transitional fuel. Natural gas is indispensable in the next three decades for any European strategy anchored in reality.

The situation at the Ukrainian border remains tense. We are not facing a Ukrainian crisis, we are facing a European crisis. The basis of European construction is peace, which is now in danger. I welcome the unified European response to the crisis. I believe that it is never too late for diplomatic solutions; dialogue is a way to de-escalate the atmosphere. The EPP Group strongly supports the sovereign freedom of each state to determine its own future and path. We are in solidarity with Ukraine. We remain committed to the fact that negotiations on us cannot take place without us. In order to increase the cost of Russian action, the EU needs to find economic measures and sanctions, with which all Member States agree. I welcome the decision voted in the European Parliament to provide EUR 1.2 billion in support to Ukraine. Romania is closer to this conflict than other EU countries. It is important to reap the benefits of NATO's security umbrella, strategic partnership with the US and EU solidarity. No Romanian citizen should be afraid. We are ready to honour our international commitments and participate in the implementation of a common European response in all possible scenarios. I hope that a diplomatic solution is the way forward.

It is clear: as long as Member States pursue sectorial priorities in their engagement with China, we will continue having fragmentation and disunity in EU-China affairs. The underlying problem remains a different one: it is time for a new approach. As the geopolitical situation has shifted, so should our strategy. We thus need a new approach built on the 2019 parameters of cooperation, competition and confrontation, yet reinterpreted to the new realities of 2023. Given that de-coupling is not an option, I see here many merits to a strategy seeking de-risking. As such, Open Strategic Autonomy must be realised through diversified and resilient supply chains abroad and boosted industrial competitiveness at home. We must rebalance our economic relations with China, including through strong and enforceable autonomous trade instruments. Engagement with international partners must remain a key priority and rules-based interactions a cornerstone of European external action. It must also be stressed that maintaining a status quo and geo-economic stability in the Taiwan Strait is a key strategic interest of the EU. Lastly, yet importantly, I urge all EU institutions to work in solidarity for the lifting of Chinese sanctions on Members of the European Parliament and EU decision—making bodies.

Dear Madam President, You must be madam. I fully support the objectives of the European Citizens' Initiative "Cohesion Policy for the Equality of the Regions" and I ask you, dear Colleagues, to do likewise. The European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) was created by the Treaty of Lisbon to help bring people closer to the European Union. In today's era of hybrid warfare and disinformation, there is a real need for this. We also need to bring national minorities closer to the EU by means tailored to them, including indigenous minorities whose members live in national regions. For this reason, I join the initiators of the citizens' initiative in asking the European Commission to launch a legislative process and seek solutions within the EU's competences. As cohesion policy aims to reduce disparities between regions, it aims to reduce inequalities. Therefore, a possible solution is to extend Interreg programmes, in particular cross-border and interregional cooperation programmes, to support local communities in national regions. The fundamental principle of cohesion policy is that no one should be left behind, and this applies not only to social groups, but also to regions with a specific historical heritage and therefore also to national regions. I trust that the European Commission will respond meaningfully to the proposals of the launchers of the citizens' initiative and, by launching a legislative process, will respond to the expectations of people who have signed up to the initiative entitled 'Cohesion policy, equality of regions and sustainability of regional cultures'.

Mr. President, please. The legislative journey of the 9th European Parliament started with the Green Deal, and here we are finishing our five-year journey with net-zero industrial regulation. This is good news for European industry and good news for the competitiveness of the European Union. Finally, the European Parliament realises that industry is not the obstacle, but part of the solution in our decarbonisation efforts. Without European industry, innovation and European green technologies, the green transition will not work and we will not achieve climate neutrality in 2050 or beyond. I am very pleased that this recognition has been achieved and that European industry can continue to count on the support of the majority of the European Parliament. And, Mr President, if I still get 10 seconds, I would like to say that it was a great honour and a real privilege for me to be a member of the 9th European Parliament, to be able to be. Working with you, I wish you all good health, good luck and good luck! God bless you.

Madam President, I'm sorry. The cost-of-living crisis has hit the European Union. People are facing a series of crises: pandemic, war, energy crisis, inflation. Their economic impact has pushed many people to the brink of bankruptcy. Not everyone was able to get back on their feet. The costs of an accelerated green transition place an additional burden on everyone. Some people feel left behind. They're right! Everyday mobility should not become luxury, heating the apartment should not be a luxury. We need a change of mindset. EU measures that increase social cohesion do not destroy it. We have to take people's legitimate concerns seriously. The Union must return to the values of its founders. We need a new social contract in Europe. We need to put people back at the heart of our policies, ensuring a just transition in which no one is left behind.

Mr. President, please. I am speaking to the first voters here in the European Parliament. Dear young people, listen up! 9 June is the day of the European elections, when those who go to vote decide the future of the Union. They decide what jobs will be created, how agriculture, trade, tourism and education will develop. It will decide what life will be like in the new European Union. It also decides what your life will be like, the lives of young Hungarians from Transylvania, Szeklerland and Banat. You are the first voters to have lived your entire life in the European Union. You young people should be the first to vote. Your generation, your responsibility. Remember, on June 9th, you will be voting for your future! Let's go, young people, let's go, first-time voters!

Mr President, dear colleagues, distinguished Commissioner, I welcome the Commission’s review of the 15-point TSD action plan in this new global geo—economic context, and in this EU trade policy is more important than ever. International trade is an engine for growth, for jobs, and the promoter for sustainability. Rooted in international commitments, the EU TSD chapters seek to keep borders open for trade, while pushing for high sustainability standards in third countries. Most important for us in the EPP Group, the TSD review maintains the strategic balance between the future negotiability of EU FTAs and the ambition of TSD clauses. Ambitious agreements are very important. Their efficient implementation is even more important. The INTA Committee of this House will play its part in monitoring the implementation of EU FTAs and the uptake of TSD commitments. The European Parliament pushed for strengthening the EU’s trade policy. As we have now comprehensively boosted our trade toolbox, the EPP Group considers it is high time that we start ratifying new free trade agreements.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I will repeat a truth that you have heard in today's debate at least 100 times: For 11 years, Romania has fulfilled all the technical requirements for joining the European area of free movement. For political reasons alone, our access to the Schengen area has been blocked. We expect to be treated equally with other European citizens and to move freely. Business also expects the European Union to respect its political commitments and to lift the administrative and financial burden of being left outside the Schengen area. At all levels of representation, my party, my political party, the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania, militates and works for Romania's accession to the Schengen area. I hope that in December we will have a positive decision by the Member States on our accession.

Madam President, dear colleagues, this morning we could hear the President of the Commission telling us that we should have learned 50 years ago from the oil crisis because then probably we would be able to prevent the climate change. Then also President von der Leyen told us that we should have learned from our Polish and Baltic friends about their warnings about the Russian danger. So, I’m asking you, do you think next year the President of the Commission will tell us we should have learned from our Hungarian friends in treating the migration? And in 2024, will the next President tell us, ‘Oh, we should have learned from our Hungarian friends in cherishing and respecting the Christian values’?

Mr. President, please. The European Year of Youth is in full swing. Last week, the EPP Group organised a very good youth week in Brussels, but we are also on the move at home in Transylvania. The training camp of the RMDSZ Hungarian Youth Conference took place this weekend. I've been talking to a lot of young people and I've met a lot of youth organizations in the last few weeks. The conclusion: The hopes of the European Year of Youth have not been fulfilled, at least so far. The war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, inflation and economic difficulties have overshadowed the spotlight that young people deserve. The solution: the European Commission extends and extends the thematic year to 2023. I hope that as many fellow Members of the European Parliament as possible will support this proposal and that the Commission will accept it.

(speaking out of the microphone at the beginning) ... three crises are hitting Europe and the world at the same time, adding to each other. Consequences of the climate crisis, the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The world is suffering from a shortage of oil, gas and coal, traditional energy sources. This is just the beginning, and it seems to me that the world economy could be plunged into a crisis that we never saw before in the early 1970s. Unlike previous crises, there are now both oil, gas and electricity crises. That is why it is very important how we vote on this week's crucial reports here in the European Parliament. We will vote for decisions that need to follow three priorities at the same time: decarbonisation, energy security and competitiveness. The energy transition must be fair, otherwise we will lose citizens' trust and support.

Madam President, we had low expectations for this EU-China summit and the outcome was, frankly speaking, rather in line with expectations and not more. I saw, however, much merit in the direct and outspoken approach of the EU leaders. This is in line with the position of this European Parliament. We in the EPP Group reiterate the call for responsible Chinese behaviour in international affairs. Any Chinese actions that support Russia’s aggression in Ukraine are unacceptable and shall carry severe consequences. I welcome the assertiveness of our EU leaders in defending European values. This is a clear priority for the European People’s Party Group. We stand for human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet. We stand for democracy in Hong Kong. And we stand for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. I must stress that the prolongation of current tensions comes to the detriment of both parties. Bilateral EU-China trade has further increased in 2021. This is precisely why we need to engage Beijing on tackling structural economic issues such as fair competition, market access and WTO. As INTA standing rapporteur on China, I sincerely hope that the high-level trade and economic dialogue will soon reconvene and will deliver concrete results. This, of course, must include frank discussion on economic cohesion in Lithuania. It must also be stressed that the unacceptable Chinese sanctions against members of this House have to be lifted. With these political sanctions in place, that is no possibility for real progress in EU-China trade and investment relations.

Mr President, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is a stakeholder-driven process based on consensus, intended to effect positive change in third countries. The KPCS needs to be adapted to the evolving nature of conflicts that affect the trade in diamonds. The reform process should tackle three key elements: first, the scope and definition of conflict diamonds; second, the strength and effectiveness of implementation and enforcement with a view to differentiating between small-scale and large-scale operations; third, the streamlining of the tripartite nature of the KPCS with better coordination and information-sharing between governments, industry and civil society. For the EPP Group, feasibility is key. We want to have a rules-based interaction at the global level with norms that are properly implementable and enforceable. Following the experience of the Conflict Minerals Due Diligence Regulation, we have to uphold and enhance the cross-stakeholder approach. Both industry and civil society need to be our allies in improving the effectiveness of the KPCS, effecting real positive change on the ground. And we, as the EPP Group, are of course particularly attentive to the specific needs of SMEs, because small and medium-sized enterprises are bearing the regulatory costs and burden of new regulations. Finally, as rapporteur on the recast file concerning the Kimberley Process implementing regulation, I take this opportunity to call on the Commission to consider the European Parliament’s proposed solution to the legal deadlock of the dossier on the recast of the Kimberley Process.