What Ramona spoke about.

As a follow-up to the debate we had in the last session, we come back today with a new discussion in which we want to reiterate our call to the Commission for a coordinated European response and a coherent legislative framework on intrusive spyware. A European response is needed because, as much as we dislike admitting it, spyware is a European problem, with tools produced in the EU and exported e

During the last EU—Western Balkans summit in Brdo, EU leaders failed, once again, to make any further tangible commitment to enlargement. We offer our partners in the region vague words about their rightful place in Europe. Yet we fail to set any concrete objectives and a clear path to EU accession. It is very good that, on this occasion, the EU’s commitment to the enlargement process in general w

Mr President, dear colleagues, I begin my last speech in this mandate by saying that I am honoured to be about one of the most important legislative packages to which I have had the joy of contributing in these years. Together with my colleagues, I tabled over 3,000 amendments that have substantially improved the Commission's proposal, and I want to thank in particular those colleagues who are up

Madam President, I would like to congratulate Ms O’Reilly and her office for the crucial work they’re doing in addressing our citizens’ concerns – a European administration that is responsive to their needs is key to protecting their rights. It was a real pleasure and an honour to work together. The European Ombudsman was and is our constant ally in defending the citizens. The report that we are a

I think that the main risk is that all of the problems with the rule of law that Mr Fico and his regime are causing are turning into systemic problems, and this means the risk of activating the conditionality mechanism, this means and draws the risk of sanctions against Slovakia and that is a pity for the citizens of Slovakia, and it is a pity for democracy and for their fight for freedom. It is a

(the beginning of the intervention was not done on the microphone) ... to criticize the sanctions against Russia or the European integration of Ukraine and Moldova, Prime Minister Fico should fix the serious problems that Slovakia has because of its regime. Under Mr Fico's leadership, Slovakia is cited as a challenge to the Union's foreign policy and a threat to the rule of law. The revision of th

Madam President, defence of democracy means enhancing transparency and it also means public participation, protecting journalists, empowering civil society, investing in education, in critical thinking and informed decision-making. It means keeping a strong framework for the rule of law and sanctioning those who ignore it. It means free voices. While we are fully aware of the importance of such a

Mr President, confidential Cyprus has shown us, black and white, how European companies in Cyprus, this time, are facilitating the transfer of funds on behalf of Putinist billionaires, in order to avoid the sanctions imposed by the EU following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The clandestine transfer of $5 million on the same day that EU sanctions were imposed is not only a violation of the law, but

Madam President, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine fully deserve the European path that we have decided to support them, and I would like to thank the Commission for today's very strong message. The Republic of Moldova has reformed its administration, strengthens its justice, continues the fight against corruption, invests in people, people who have shown courage, determination, power, responsib

Madam President, during Daphne’s lifetime, not one public official was prosecuted for the high-level corruption she exposed. None have been prosecuted since her death. I open the quote: ‘The root cause of the murders of most journalists in Europe, Ján Kuciak and Daphne among them, is high-level corruption. As long as there is impunity for corruption, there will be murders of journalists. Action by

Mr President, it has already been several months since we voted here in plenary on the recommendations following the Pegasus scandal, in which governments in states such as Hungary or Poland have used this program to spy on journalists, politicians, diplomats, lawyers, businessmen for political and even criminal purposes. We still have no follow-up to the vote by Parliament. Last week, another sca

The European Media Freedom Act was not born from our mere appetite to create a sandbox to test our ability to legislate on everything everywhere. It was born from a profound need to protect perhaps the most important yet the most fragile pillar of any functioning democracy – free media. And it is not about regulating media. It is about creating the safest possible space for media freedom and media

Mr President, is Mr Tarczyński still in the room? I wanted to ask him if he still needs his salary paid by the money of the European citizens that he just insulted, or perhaps he’s ready to drop it. Domnule președinte, le mulțumesc colegilor mei pentru acest raport fiindcă au pus pe masă o viziune pentru Europa și viitorul democrației pe care puțini avem curajul să o proiectăm, dar realitatea e un

Madam President, stop ignoring the freedom of the press, stop violating the freedom of the press. It is not just a message for my country, it is a message for all those Member States that do this systematically and ruin their democracies. The report on the rule of law shows that Romanian journalists are also constantly faced with threats, harassment, intimidation attempts, without the state author

Mr President, I start by thanking the colleagues who made it possible for us today to have such a courageous proposal, which will be adopted in the plenary of the European Parliament, Tiemo Wölken and the negotiating teams and Commissioner Věra Jourová, because six years after the death of Daphne Caruana Galizia, what was once a dream has finally come true and is making a direct contribution to th

Madam President, the Pandora Papers scandal with over 11.9 million documents, was exposing the hidden wealth and offshore activities of individuals and entities across the globe, involving more than 330 politicians and public officials, including 35 current and former leaders. Almost two years later we’re negotiating the AML package and moving very cautiously. This House has already committed to f

Mr President, the former communist security in Romania was concerned with spying on every free voice and privacy, including in people's homes. We had thin walls and neighbors listening to conversations in the next apartment. Today, in the European Union, unfortunately, we have cases where, with much more modern means, the authorities are doing the same. This is one of the most anti-democratic acti

Madam President, in the context of Qatargate, all eyes have turned to the European Commission for a proposal to establish a Union ethics and integrity body. Some of us have been talking about this structure in the European Parliament for many years. The wave of corruption scandals should not hit us first, and then we should act. However, I am glad that we managed to take this step and I welcome th

Mr President, ‘no teachers, no future’ said one of the banners from the widespread protests that took place in Hungary last fall, asking for a reform of the education system and respect for teachers’ social rights. The response of the government was to rush through a draft bill that suffocates academic freedom in the country and punishes teachers for their courage to speak up. Nearly 5 000 teacher

Madam President, corruption kills. It is a reality that many societies have lived on their own skin. Governments fell because people wanted more integrity, transparency, accountability, higher standards in politics and a stronger framework for the rule of law. I welcome the Commission's new proposal. We must be the first to say that the public mandate is a space where no politician is allowed to a

Madam President, our European decentralised agencies are an essential part of the European framework for justice and home affairs. Whether we talk about police training, judicial or police cooperation, support for asylum, border and coast guards, protection of fundamental rights, management of large—scale IT projects or the fight against drug trafficking, their results stand proof of the added val

Mr President, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the global volume of money laundering is estimated at between 2% and 5% of global GDP, of which about 10 billion may be laundered through cryptocurrencies every year. One of the main challenges in combating money laundering through crypto-asset transfers is the difficulty in tracing transactions. While traditional financial t

Madam President, cyber attacks have become an increasing threat to our societies and governments. In times of crisis, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, cyber attacks pose an even greater danger since they are used as political weapons against democracies. We must strengthen the resilience of our critical infrastructure against cyber threats, enhance cooperation between Member States and ens

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, because we are discussing the rule of law, I would like to confirm to you that, unfortunately, it is not just a rumor. Indeed, yesterday, the Romanian Senate voted an amendment that practically decriminalizes abuse of office, setting it a threshold of 50 000 euros, that is, a luxury car or a provincial apartment. I hope that this happened out of a regre

Madam President, ‘Organised crime continues to pose a significant threat to the safety and security of our citizens. Our collective response must involve law enforcement agencies, judicial authorities, intelligence services and civil society. We must enhance our capabilities in areas such as information sharing, intelligence analysis and cross—border cooperation to disrupt the activities of crimin