What Nikolina spoke about.

Dear Chair, Commissioners, colleagues, the cost of living today is one of the greatest concerns of European citizens, our young people and almost half of the consumption of European households goes to only three things: food, housing and energy, and transport. House prices in the European Union have risen by more than 60% since 2013 and transport costs have risen significantly. Europe still receiv

Dear Chair, Commissioner, colleagues, the next European budget is not only a matter of how much money we will have, but above all what we will invest in. Today, Europe must strengthen its competitiveness, security and resilience at the same time, but we must not forget about cohesion and agriculture. Today, almost 30% of the citizens of the European Union live in regions whose GDP per capita is be

Dear President, Commissioner, this summer we have seen again how devastating the consequences of fires, droughts and extreme heat can be. And in Croatia, this fight is still going on. The great fire on the island of Brac is still active. In recent days, the fire has endangered houses, settlements, about 700 people have been evacuated, and according to initial estimates, about 4,500 hectares have b

The illegal trade in hazardous waste is a serious form of cross-border environmental crime. At the EPP’s initiative last year in May, we met together with Europol and Eurojust in the LIBE Committee and we have just discussed this topic. The conclusion was clear: that criminal networks use differences between Member States, use small and insufficient coordination between Member States and insuffici

Dear President, Commissioner, the conclusions of the European Council clearly show that Europe is at a decisive moment. The debate on the new budget is not only a discussion on numbers, but also a debate on what kind of Europe we want to build in the coming years. I therefore welcome a stronger focus on competitiveness, on innovation, on the resilience of the European economy. However, we must ens

Dear Chairman, Commissioner, we are here today because the goals set for the European automotive industry have been too ambitious, too rigid and insufficiently aligned with the real capabilities of our manufacturers. Europe's industry, which employs nearly 14 million people, has faced high costs, job losses and too little technological flexibility, all to insist on a radical left and green. At the

The meeting of the European Council will be very important for the debate on the new European budget that will decide what kind of Europe we want in the next decade. We face war, global competition, a technological race and the need to strengthen our security and resilience, so we cannot finance our priorities until 2034 with a budget from the past. The new European budget must invest more in comp

The European Union has been providing substantial support to Turkey for years, including almost €12.5 billion since 2011 to help refugees and local communities. This confirms that the European Union remains an engaged but also a responsible partner, but that European funds must be linked to values, reforms and accountability. That is why the backsliding of the rule of law is worrisome. Turkey rema

Today, the Honourable Chair, Commissioner, European companies, and in particular SMEs, are not asking Europe for new strategies and will not measure our success according to the number of action plans published, but according to how much rules we have really simplified. That is why we at the HOUS Committee proposed the goal of issuing building permits within 60 days through fully digitized procedu

Dear Chair, the Single Market is one of the greatest achievements of the European Union, but today we have to be honest, Europe is still not using its full potential. While our global competitors are rapidly investing in industry, technologies and innovation, European companies still face fragmented rules but also slow procedures. If we want a competitive Europe, we need to provide businesses with

In a time of geopolitical tensions and instability, wars and the weakening of the rules-based international order, the European Union must remain a strong advocate of multilateralism and the United Nations. We are witnessing growing trade conflicts, an attempt to weaken international institutions, and that is why the European Union must defend international law even more decisively, the Charter of

Today, the European steel industry is under strong pressure from global overcapacity and unfair competition. That is why I support the strengthening of the European Union's safeguards, stronger control of the origin of steel and a stronger defence of our market. But we must also link this debate to the daily lives of our citizens. In recent years, we have witnessed a strong rise in the prices of s

Dear Chair, Commissioners, dear colleagues. If we want a competitive Europe and a successful green transition, we need to be honest with ourselves. Too many projects in Europe do not stop the lack of ideas or investment, but bureaucracy. Permit-granting procedures often take years. Investors give up, projects are late, and citizens are waiting for the solutions they need today, not in a couple of

Dear Chair, Commissioner, colleagues. Today in Europe, millions of people share the same fear - the fear that they will not be able to afford their own home. Young people are working, being educated, building careers, but they are aware that with such a rise in prices they cannot afford a home on their own, and without a home there is no family, there is no planning for the future and there is no

The Honourable Chair, Commissioner, Draghi's report has clearly warned that Europe is lagging behind global competitors and has proposed hundreds of concrete measures. A year later, only about 11 percent of the 383 recommendations were implemented. As EPP rapporteur in the TRAN Committee for the new European Competitiveness Fund, which will be one of the key instruments of the new European budget,