What Vladimir spoke about.

Mr President! I would like to make two fundamental warnings ahead of the meeting. Firstly, cohesion policy must not be the subject of negotiations. Reducing cohesion funding to finance new priorities such as defence would mean that the poorer will pay for the security of the richer. Already today, the relationship between developed and underdeveloped regions is one in five, so many rightly believe

Madam President. 99% of all businesses in Europe are small and medium-sized enterprises. That's 100 million people. However, every time we adopt a directive in Brussels, Member States suffocate it under the layers of their own administrative requirements. This is bureaucratic sabotage. Let's look at Slovenia. Small and medium-sized enterprises account for 99% of our economy and provide 70% of jobs

Mr President, honourable! The European Parliament is not the enemy of the Serbian people. Nor is the European Parliament an obstacle for Serbia on its way to the European Union. However, the European Parliament is a staunch supporter of democracy and of all those who fight for it. Freedom of the media, freedom of expression, the rule of law, respect for dissidents and the fight against corruption

Madam President, I would like to make a point of order based on Rule 202 in the Rules of Procedure regarding the unacceptable arrest of Turkish artist Deniz Göktaş this weekend upon his return to Istanbul. This detention, triggered merely by political satire, is a clear manifestation of a much wider systematic crisis in Türkiye. It is a sign of the growing authoritarianism crushing free speech in

Dear President, Honourable Colleagues, Commissioner. It has been 23 years since the Thessaloniki promise and 13 years since the last enlargement of the European Union. This year, however, we are finally seeing the preparation of the first accession treaty for membership of the European Union again. Montenegro has a historic opportunity to break the longest period without enlargement of the Europea

Thank you very much, I only have a small question. Today, we all agree that Türkiye is not on the right way. However, there is a very important part of Turkish society that is really inclined to European values and they try to do something about it. What is your standpoint and opinion? What can we do more for these people to bring closer the whole society to our values?

Madam President, honourable Commissioner, colleagues. Last week I returned from Turkey, where I attended the hearing of Mayor Imamglu in the infamous Silivri prison. The state of Atatürk has become a country of political processes from the darkest times of European history. Journalists, mayors, academics and human rights defenders are behind bars or at risk of fictitious political processes. The c

Dear colleagues and colleagues! Today I'm going to talk about trust. The European Union has less and less of this every year. Why? The answer is simple. The promises it makes are not true and do not do what is necessary for citizens. The Single Market is such an example. Despite years of promise, European companies face 27 different laws, endless bureaucracy and delays every day. Delays that stop

Mr. President! The European Commission's report on the rule of law is clear. Slovenia has taken some steps, but the rule of law in Slovenia still has a lot of room for improvement. Serious progress is lacking in the fight against corruption and media autonomy. That is why we should not turn a blind eye to the political reality that is being drawn these days. Slovenia has already experienced a peri

Mr. President! Under the leadership of the ACP and President Erdogan, democracy in Turkey is gradually being degraded. Courts no longer protect rights, they protect the regime. Journalism is criminalized. A different opinion is treated as a betrayal. The rule of law was replaced by the rule of law. This authoritarianism does not stop only at the Turkish borders. In Syria, Turkey is responsible for

Madam President! At a time of geopolitical crisis, Europe is clearly and finally expressing its desire for new alliances. In this context, India is extremely important. As has been said, this is a democracy with a population of 1400 million and is a growing economic power. Together, the European Union and India already account for almost a quarter of the world’s population and almost a fifth of th

Madam President! Dear Commissioner. Corruption kills. And nowhere is this more obvious than in Novi Sad. 16 innocent people died because someone simply stole money for their safety. This is not negligence. It's a corruption homicide. Today, the streets of Serbia are loudly calling for change. The biggest student protests in the history of this country demand only one thing - justice. This can only

Mr. President! If we are serious about the next enlargement, we must allow our partners to participate actively in this process. As national legislators, they must take responsibility for the implementation of the European acquis in the candidate countries. This means that, already today in this House, we must give our colleagues from the Western Balkans observer status. Even with small steps, it

Dear Colleagues, Dear Colleagues! The new strategic agenda between the European Union and India is a vision of a partnership that will determine Europe's role in the Indo-Pacific region. India is the largest democracy and the fastest growing large economy in the world. Europe cannot afford to just watch from the sidelines. We need India in terms of trade, security and energy. However, time is cruc

Mr President. Dear Sir/Madam, The future of European Universities and the Union lies in knowledge and cooperation, and European Universities networks are a cross-section of both. They are a space for the exchange of knowledge and the development of pedagogical practices, research and the strengthening of scientific cooperation. The results of this cooperation are innovations that make the European

Madam President, honourable. Serbia is desperate for help. Instead of progress, its citizens face repression, media control and violence against those who dare to oppose. Students and the democratic opposition bravely insist on the streets, demanding freedom, truth and responsibility. And they need to know something. Europe can hear you! We cannot accept Serbia, where hooligans attack peaceful pro

Madam President, honourable. Let me conclude by thanking everyone - the shadow rapporteurs, colleagues from the committee, the secretariat and, above all, the many partners from the regions, civil society, who contributed ideas and amendments. It was really a joint effort and we did a lot of work together. But today is only the beginning, because there are at least two more battles ahead of us. Th

Dear President, Commissioner, dear colleagues. Let me start with a simple question. Will we finally bury cohesion? If so, then the European Union as a whole is at stake. Today we are discussing not only a technical report, but the future of European solidarity. My report on the simplification of cohesion funds comes at a time when the European Union is preparing for the next multiannual financial

Madam President! This initiative aims to protect regional identities. Today, however, we have a much more important issue ahead of us. Commission President von der Leyen plans to significantly cut funds for the regions. Cohesion policy is one of the greatest success stories of the European Union, reducing inequalities and promoting economic integration. How can we talk about a Europe of solidarity

Mr President, if we are honest and serious about the enlargement of the European Union, then we also need to talk about reforms within the European Union. A successful enlargement is not possible without changes in the functioning and institutions of the European Union. Firstly, there is an urgent need to grant observer status to our fellow Members of the Western Balkans in this House already toda