What Matjaž spoke about.

The EU today speaks about the consequences of the tragedy unfolding in the Middle East, about humanitarian suffering, displacement, and instability. But it remains strikingly silent about its root causes, the USA and Israeli illegal war against Iran. We are treating the symptoms while deliberately avoiding the diagnosis. We are witnessing a Union that does not dare to look reality in the eyes. A U

Sport connects. Sport unites. Football is a phenomenon that goes beyond politics and teaches us about the values of teamwork, collegiality, the values of life. This is the football we want to play, watch it, identify with it. Unfortunately, this is not the case during the World Cup in Qatar. There are too many unanswered questions that the country has been unable or unwilling to answer since 2010

Madam President! The U.S. has unjustifiably hit the International Criminal Court with sanctions. It is the biggest threat to the international order since the Second World War. This is an attack on international law and on justice itself. Slovenian judge Betti Hohler is also among those sanctioned. The sanctions are the result of its independent and professional work and full respect for internati

Mr President! Tomorrow we adopt Parliament's position ahead of the negotiations on the last budget of the expiring MFF. There is no room for priorities in the budget, the reserve is exhausted. We are also on the verge of high cost-of-living prices, fuelled by crises around the world. This makes it all the more important for us, as a Union, to prioritise our financial resources. Our priorities are

Mr President, dear colleagues, the Middle East continues to be engulfed in a spiral of chaos, with terrible consequences for the entire region and the world. The senseless war in Iran must end and only one person can do that. War does not create security. It just causes more suffering and instability. At the same time, Israel's actions in Lebanon, the violence and settlement expansion in the occup

Madam President! The climate crisis is giving us a bigger bill every year. Destructive multiple heat waves, horrible forest fires and drought have left deep wounds in Europe, and some still deny the effects of climate change in this house and undermine the efforts for the green transition. The heat has claimed a record number of lives this year. Entire communities disappeared in the fires. Farms,

Mr President, Commissioner, the situation in Gaza is dire. But we must also draw attention to the situation of the West Bank, where Israeli forces are actively cooperating with the violent settlers, ignoring court decisions and international law, and facilitating attacks on innocent Palestinian families. From the beginning of the war, settlers and the IDF have killed at least 1 160 Palestinians in

Honourable President, Honourable Commissioner, Honourable Colleagues. As one of the negotiators, I would like to draw attention to Bosnia and Herzegovina today. While Montenegro is on the verge of joining the European Union, Bosnia and Herzegovina, it seems, remains trapped in political blockades that have been preventing reforms and European progress for years. Its citizens are becoming and remai

Mr President, honourable High Council. If we want the United Nations to remain effective, credible in the face of growing global challenges, then we must strongly support its reform, stand up for the strengthening of multilateralism and full respect for international law. The fact is that the UN and its agencies remain indispensable, especially in conflict zones, where they often represent the las

You say, dear High Representative, we don't have numbers. You're saying we don't have support. But we have a clear problem in the implementation of international law in our own ranks, that is, in this idea that was built on the Peace Pact. I therefore suggest that you: so that, in order to relieve you of the pressure you are under, you can simply pass that pressure on to the Member States. Put san

Madam President, honourable High Representative. Europe continues to hide behind diplomatic words. I'm sure you'll agree with me when innocent civilians are still dying on the ground. War criminals remain unpunished. Israel's apartheid has wiped out the Palestinian people and bombed Lebanon. The EU cannot be a global peacemaker and mediator if it uses double standards – those in Africa, Asia, Euro

Madam President! The European Union is facing increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. Attacks on hospitals, energy networks and public institutions are no longer an exception, but a new reality. At the same time, we see the use of artificial intelligence to create deep fake images, disinformation, attacks on politicians, journalists and, of course, civil society. But the debate is not black and

Dear colleagues, today's debate proposed by the extreme right is completely misplaced. The EU's limitation of illegal content and disinformation online is not interfering; it is the opposite. It is the protection of our democracies, like it or not. The interference of the European elections came from outside the EU – like what we have experienced in my home country, Slovenia. This is the real thre

Mr President, Commissioner Marta Kos, colleagues!  Enlargement is not a choice, it is a necessity. Socialists and Democrats have been convinced of this for decades. Why? This is one of the EU’s most important geostrategic investments, namely in peace, security, stability and prosperity. Values that everyone around us lives on today: Russia, United States, Iran, Israel. This is why an

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, we are debating the 2027 budget at a moment of unprecedented global volatility. But if we want the EU to be a credible geopolitical actor, we must put our money where it's truly needed. Yet our external funding remains a drop in the ocean compared to many challenges at our borders. And the current crisis in Iran does not help either. First, we must help reso

Madam President, this one is urgent. Dear colleagues, I have a proposal pursuant to Rule 164 of the Rules of Procedure. In a world where international law and order is being increasingly dismantled by Trump, Putin and Orbán, and is now being rejected even by von der Leyen and Merz, peace is at stake. The future of Europe, too. This is why Pedro Sánchez standing up to Trump in the support of intern

Mr President, dear colleagues, gender equality is not a slogan. It is a core European value and condition for real democracy. The EU, in the UN, must speak with a clear voice: women's rights are human rights and access to justice is essential. Too many women and girls still face laws and systems that doubt them and that fail to protect them. We must invest more in fair and gender-sensitive justice

Madam President! The events in Minneapolis reveal the brutal consequences of the work of ICE. This is institutional racist violence by the Trump administration, which has no accountability, no transparency and no respect for the rule of law. Massive violent deportations, kidnappings and family break-ups are clearly America's new dream of trump. Even the killings of innocent citizens Good and Prett

Mr. President! The situation in Sudan represents the largest humanitarian catastrophe and the largest crisis of displaced people in the world. The conflict has already claimed more than 200,000 victims. Like Gaza, Sudan is a moral and political defeat of the international community. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has confirmed that Sudan has witnessed the worst war crimes and crimes agains

Mr. President! Dear High Council! The latest ceasefire agreement is a rare opportunity for peace in Syria. And this should be based on an idea based on dialogue and not on weapons. Stability without justice and peace is not without inclusion. The ceasefire must be fully realised. Every violation means less access to healthcare, more obstacles to humanitarian aid and more suffering for civilians. T

Madam President, dear colleagues, since the last Council meeting, the list of brutal violations of the international order and law has grown significantly. The Trump administration abducted Maduro, is seriously threatening the Iranian regime, is announcing an aggressive takeover of Greenland. At the same time, it is maintaining close relations and cooperation with the Zionist Prime Minister of Isr

Mr President, Honourable High Council! Today's debate on Georgia is no longer just a warning, it is a description of the reality that the country is very quickly moving from democracy to authoritarianism. The regime systematically undermines the opposition, criminalises civil society, attacks independent media and abuses legislation to silence critical voices. Democracy does not die overnight, it

Mr President, dear colleagues, Europe faces the most demanding geopolitical moment in decades. Long-standing partners, including the United States, are stepping back. We struggle to build new alliances, especially to the east. Mercosur comes to mind. Internally, we are deeply divided. Some traditional supporters of a democratic and united Europe, are now aligned with increasingly extreme and destr