Debate contributions by Loránt VINCZE

Mr. President, please. The European People's Party is committed to unconditional respect for human dignity. It is unacceptable for anyone in Europe to be disadvantaged in accessing services, healthcare or education just because they are older or because they have faith. The loopholes must be filled. For the People's Party, equality of rights is not only a principle, but also a practical requirement. Discussions on the adoption of the Directive should therefore continue. At the same time, honourable colleagues, let us not be hypocritical, even though we are creating new legislation in Brussels, if in reality hatred and discrimination in the Member States are not only reduced, but institutionalised, especially vis-à-vis indigenous national minorities, and this is somehow always left out of the Commission's list. It is astonishing that in 2025 the shameful principle of collective guilt is still being applied in Slovakia, at the heart of the European Union. Slovak state offices today, in the present, confiscate land properties from foreign citizens, people of Hungarian and German origin, citing the historical Beneš decrees. Moreover, the situation is deteriorating dramatically, last week the Bratislava legislature decided that those who dared to contest the correctness of these decrees could be sentenced to up to half a year in prison. This is not only a violation of property rights, but also of freedom of opinion. In Romania, when Hungarian football teams from Romania enter the field instead of the sports festival, intimidation is often the master. The Utras chant hateful slogans against the Hungarian community and tear down the flags of the community in the settlements with impunity. This is not football hooliganism, but open, ethnic discrimination. Where is effective public and European action at this time? The credibility of the Union, colleagues, depends on the elimination of double standards. We cannot be sensitive to one form of discrimination while turning a blind eye to the other. Equality of rights cannot be selective.

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, behind every irregular arrival, there is a transactional lie. Families sell their last possessions because a criminal network promised them a VIP ticket to Europe. Instead, they are packed into the back of a suffocating truck or forced into a leaking boat. The business of these networks is not just illegal migration; it is the trade of human hope for profit. For too long, we focused on managing the consequences and, at last year's elections, the citizens warned us. I am relieved to see that the Commission and Parliament have finally recognised that we must attack the root causes of the irregular movements – the smugglers themselves. We are moving from reactive management to proactive enforcement. The results are already visible: compared to 2023, we witness a 60 % drop in irregular border crossings. This report is the additional tool we were missing. By establishing the European Centre against migrant smuggling within Europol, we are creating a centralised intelligence hub that connects the dots between the Member States. Coming from Romania – which manages a significant external border – I know that the solution is not internal borders, but seamless police cooperation. We must ensure our officers can talk to each other, using secure channels like SIENA, sharing data instantly to dismantle these gangs before they even load their trucks. This represents the EPP approach: firm on security, tough on crime and committed to protecting our external borders. We send a clear message: Europe is closed for illegal migration!

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, as someone coming from central and eastern Europe, I can say with conviction that enlargement is not only a policy, but a promise fulfilled. EU integration transformed my country. It brought prosperity, democracy and, yes, a lot of common challenges to face. Today, we must ensure that the next wave of enlargement brings the same success, for both the candidates and the Union itself. That is why I believe we should approach the next enlargement with confidence, not fear. Experience shows that we do not need a fundamental change of our institutional system. What we need is the political will to make existing mechanisms work better, to simplify, not to reinvent. Of course, decision-making can be improved, but efficiency cannot come at the expense of democracy. Smaller and medium-sized Member States, those at Europe's geographic and cultural frontiers, must continue to have a meaningful voice. The European Union is strong precisely because it balances unity with diversity, efficiency with equality. On behalf of the EPP Group, I thank all those involved in the preparation of this report. Its content shows us that it is possible to adapt the institutions and their processes to new realities. To put it bluntly, when there is a positive decision on new countries joining the EU, the Treaty and our institutions are ready to work on them. We need to focus on what has always made enlargement a success: merit, fairness and respect among partners.

(in writing) The new rules for European parties and foundations are long overdue. I am grateful to my co-rapporteur, Charles Goerens, to the shadow rapporteurs, to the Polish Presidency, and to the Commission for their readiness to unblock this seemingly complicated file. Let me highlight a few key elements of the regulation. It provides European parties and foundations with clear rules on governance, including the possibility to have associated members from third countries. It strengthens their financial viability and facilitates their cooperation with national member parties through clearer provisions on organising joint political activities. We have also included measures to reduce the excessive administrative burden on the parties and to increase their legal certainty. In addition, we addressed the new and growing risks of foreign interference. Dear colleagues, you are about to vote on new, simplified rules governing our European parties and foundations. Let me remind you that these rules will benefit all European parties and foundations represented in this Hemicycle.

Madam President, Commissioner, equality is at the heart of the European project. Yet 50 million citizens, from traditional minorities in different regions of Europe, remain ignored by the Commission. You have been mandated to defend all minorities, but when it comes to historical communities rooted for centuries in Europe, you are no longer heard. Yet these communities represent almost 90% of our linguistic and cultural diversity. They do not manifest themselves loudly, but they defend their languages, their traditions, their identity with dignity. They are Breton, Alsatian, Frisian, Hungarian, South Tyrolean... Many of them still suffer discrimination and the loss of their language. The example of the German-speaking community in Belgium – aus Belgien – with its guaranteed rights and strong institutions, proves that another path is possible. It is time for the Commission to take responsibility. Not one of the 11 European Citizens’ Initiatives has led to a legislative initiative. It is time to act. This initiative fully deserves it.

Mr President, Madam Commissioner, a number of policies supporting the Roma population were designed and paid for over the past 15 years, but their effective implementation and persisting commitment at all levels has been painfully slow and inefficient. Hundreds of thousands of Roma citizens still live in houses without electricity or running water. Tens of thousands of children do not attend kindergarten or finish primary school, and face the prospect of lifelong severe poverty, illiteracy, precarious health and social marginalisation. We must also acknowledge that anti-Roma sentiment remains deeply entrenched in many European societies. This prejudice fuels discrimination, hate speech and even violence against Roma people. It's our collective responsibility to challenge and combat this phenomenon in all its forms. Roma people must be actively involved in all the strategies that affect their lives. By the way, they also fight against the use of the term 'antigypsyism', or 'Antiziganismus' in German. We must promote Roma inclusion in all aspects of society, including education, employment, healthcare and housing. We must ensure that Roma people have access or equal access to opportunities and resources, and that they are protected from discrimination and hate crime. Mute hate speech! After the extremely disappointing failure of the Commission to take any action on the Minorities SafePack European Citizens' Initiative, which, among other things, targeted Roma statelessness, it could be considered a good sign that we have a new Commissioner on equality. We are looking forward to more effective planning and much better results in Roma strategies and other minority groups.

Madam President, Madam Commissioner, dear colleagues, the European Parliament is under attack. We face external enemies who would like to see a weakened parliament. But there are also internal interests that oppose a strong, influential and increasingly relevant parliament. The EPP Group fully supports the ongoing judicial investigations and upholds the presumption of innocence for all individuals involved. The reputation of Parliament and several of its Members was tarnished three years ago. Yet there are still no indictments against any Members. Now, again, colleagues who signed a letter requesting 5G services in rural areas saw their names published in the press, even though they have not yet been questioned by the authorities. The headlines against them amount to public executions. This is unacceptable. We must defend the free mandate of the Members. The Belgian authorities must conduct their own investigation properly, without leaking partial information to the press or making ambiguous statements. The judicial saga surrounding Qatargate and the handling of the current investigation into Members by the Belgian authorities raised a number of questions. Therefore, the EPP Group calls for a hearing in the LIBE Committee, with the participation of the relevant Belgian authorities. Some colleagues will use this momentum as an argument to push for the implementation of the ethics body agreement. Colleagues, an outsourced ethics body cannot prevent wrongdoing or corruption, but it would compromise the independence of our Parliament. We must get it right. Parliament must withdraw from the ethics body and establish a firm, clear, robust and efficient internal mechanism to strengthen its integrity.

Well, I believe that for the EU it is important to find the right way for coordination, institutional and financial support, for cross-border law enforcement. Yes, education is important, but it's equally important the environment in which those children live. We know, unfortunately, in many western European societies, parallel societies, parallel neighbourhoods grew up. That made it impossible for children to be integrated in those societies and they went on the road of radicalisation and they were reached out by criminal gangs. This is something we need to tackle and it will not be easy. National efforts and coordination, both are extremely important.

Madam President, Commissioner, reality cannot be ignored anymore. From France, all the way up to Sweden, there are more and more terrorist street shootings linked to drug and human trafficking and gang-related assassinations. More and more innocent victims and ruined lives. These are criminal acts, predominantly involving individuals and groups with a migration background. How did we get there? We know the answer: the pretence that cultural differences are irrelevant, the illusion of an inclusive society, procedures granting fast track citizenship, the tolerance of illegal migration. In reality, tens of thousands of second-generation EU citizens of migrant backgrounds have become socially marginalised and pushed to the periphery. From there, for many of them, it was only a short step towards religious radicalisation or organised crime. We do not have years to correct the mistakes of past decades. The safety of citizens in Sweden, in Belgium, in France must be ensured today. Law enforcement must be strengthened both in numbers and weaponry. Investigative procedures must be accelerated. Criminal gangs must be dismantled. Migrants in irregular situations must be returned, and the EU can and shall assist through coordination.

Oh, Mr. President. I welcome the Commission's action against online platforms. We need to look at what happens during the election. Romania is the first country where it turned out that TikTok clearly influenced the result of the presidential election by strengthening partisan positions and foreign interference. However, TikTok and foreign interference cannot be held solely responsible for the situation resulting from the presidential elections in Romania. There are deeper social reasons for what happened, and it is also worth investigating the failure of the institutions dealing with countermeasures within the scope of national competence. What needs to be done in Romania: governance that puts citizens' expectations first and a fair presidential election process. Online platforms in the EU need to be regulated, as they are increasingly replacing classic media. They provide information and influence voter choice. Classic media is subject to strict regulation, which should also apply to platforms. The internet is free. Banning platforms would not be effective, not least because it would immediately appear under a different name, a redesigned, new platform. Dear colleagues, most of the work is done in schools. Without a critical view of the citizens, democracy has little chance. The acquisition of skills to discriminate against misleading fake news should be part of the education systems of the Member States. There is a huge backlog to catch up on, so we need to start as soon as possible.

Dear Madam President, It is good to see, it is good to hear, that common sense is beginning to return to the European Parliament, because five years ago, who proposed measures that wanted to stop illegal migration, immediately gave it the adjective of extremism. In the end, we managed to break the taboos, or more precisely, the voters broke the taboos, when in June they said that this is an important issue, so please solve it. For them, the increase in attacks related to illegal immigration, the increase in social spending and the migrant business, which is profitable for some, are unacceptable. At the beginning of the summer, the migration pact was born in the last hundred meters. Half-success, half-solution. We achieved so much then, but now we have to go all the way down the road that we started. For example, there will be no need to be cautious in the Return Directive. This should be a piece of legislation with strict and clear measures. And, besides, additional laws will be needed, but I think we now have a parliamentary majority that is determined and courageous and able to make decisions that previously seemed uncomfortable. This is what the citizens have given us a mandate and a task to do.

Madam President, dear colleagues, since its inception, the European project was built on dialogue and measured decisions. Today, we mostly witnessed a forceful political exchange but no dialogue and not about the Hungarian Presidency's priorities – maybe next time. The core of the presidency programme is competitiveness. Presented in July, it anticipated key elements of President von der Leyen's programme and the Draghi report – same starting point, almost the same conclusions. But now we should work together to find the right policies, tools and resources to win the battle for a competitive Europe. This is what the citizens are waiting from us. Dear Madam President, Dear Prime Minister, A topic very close to my heart is also included in the Hungarian Presidency's programme: the protection of indigenous national minorities and cultural heritage. The European Parliament supports the need for European standards for the protection of minorities in the Member States and candidate countries across mandates. If we can convince the Commission and the Council that there should be no double standards, that this should not be the only forgotten minority group in the European Union, well, that is a much harder nut to crack. How do you see the opportunities on this topic?

Oh, Mr. President. After more and more terrorist acts in Western Europe, political leaders are falling into fatalism, as if such horrific events could not be prevented. As if it is not our right to decide who can enter our countries and how we can live in safety. In 2023, almost 400 000 illegal entries were recorded at the EU borders. This number can be reduced by one means: stricter protection of external borders. This is where more EU money should be spent. In the first quarter of 2024, more than 103 000 non-EU nationals were ordered to leave, but only around one third actually left. That's a terrifying piece of data. If out of the remaining 60,000 people there is only one potential terrorist who will kill innocent people at some point, then Member States have made a fatal mistake by not fully enforcing the expulsion. There's no other way. Everything is better than living in fear and closing in. It is not enough to deal with symptoms by closing borders; instead of a seriously flawed migration policy, common sense should be used.