What Ľubica spoke about.

Moldova’s EU aspiration is impressive. Moldovan citizens show strong commitment to democratic values, the rule of law, and human rights. They do so in incredibly difficult circumstances. There can be no doubt that Moldova’s future membership in the European Union is a key step toward securing its long-term stability and prosperity. We cannot falter. We know the Russian playbook. We’ve seen it in o

Since 24 February 2022, the European Parliament has been united in its support for Ukraine. However, it is important that we maintain this trend for the next five years. I therefore welcome the strong signal of support that this resolution sends to our partners in Ukraine at the beginning of this mandate. Support for Ukraine does not exist in a vacuum. It is linked to the European and democratic f

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Blaha, please go speak this at MGIMO in Moscow. They will be happy to listen to you there. When do you finally move to Russia, when everything is so great there, when you like to go there so much and here you just criticize everything? Here are all the fascists. When will you finally move there is my question and will you finally give us peace in Europe? And

Mr President, Renew has always been clear, and you heard it also today, that it's regions, not central governments, that must be at the heart of the cohesion policy. The Commission even received from Renew concrete suggestions on what to change. But to be frank, even the second attempt of the Commission does not bring guarantees. So work is not over. We asked that local authorities and regional au

I believe that you have heard the majority of Parliament, what is the position on the question of ending Russian gas supplies to both the European Union and Slovakia? The one who opens his eyes is you. In addition to being part of the government in Slovakia for two years, what have you done over the last two years to prepare Slovakia for this new political reality, in addition to frightening its o

Mr President, we are talking here today not only about energy security, but above all about our future. Therefore, it is very important to have the courage to make responsible decisions. I am very pleased that the majority of the European Parliament is aware of this. Russia is neither a reliable partner nor a reliable energy supplier. Some people still hide their eyes from him. For example, at hom

It is clear that Russia wants to disrupt safe air transport in Europe. But not just that. It also disrupts the lives of millions of Europeans. According to Medvedev, short-sighted Europeans felt the effects of the war on their own skin. What does this mean for our citizens? Do you mind, extremists, populists, are you afraid of Putin? Moreover, all this is happening at a time when we are going to c

Madam President, colleagues, I know there is an important vote coming right after my report, but also, having this in mind, let me just share one message with you today. European democracy will only be as strong as our willingness to nurture it, to protect it, and to fight for our European project – against the threats from the outside, of course, but also from within the Union. So to all pro-Euro

Mr President, however negotiations, Renew had worked hard to improve the Commission's proposal to better serve Europe's regions and its citizens. Cohesion funds now do not cover only defence, but also other key investment pillars, from electricity grids and civil preparedness – which has been mentioned – to affordable but also sustainable housing. We defended poorer regions over rich ones. We focu

Madam President, colleagues, 'regions will remain at the centre of our work'. These are the words of President Ursula von der Leyen one year ago, when she stood here to ask for our support for her mandate. Yet, we hear worrying signs from Brussels, from the European Commission – signs of budget centralisation leaving regions aside by single national plans. It comes not from Vice-President Fitto, n

Mr President, Trump has told the Americans that there will be fewer toys at Christmas and they will be more expensive. These are great results of Donald Trump's tariff policy. Politicians who support him, but we also have in Europe and also in Slovakia headed by Prime Minister Robert Fico. Our citizens will suffer the most: in automobiles, steelworks, subcontracting. The government is to fight for

Madam President, with an absorption rate less than 10 %, we are failing our regions at the moment. But there are objective reasons why this is the case. Unprecedented crises, COVID, war in Ukraine, priority given to recovery plans, all consumed a lot of our capacities. In several countries, it is also the centralisation of investments that delays investments in regions. The solution is not to give

Madam President, three years ago, Bucha showed a true face of Putin's brutality. I was there two weeks after Russian troops withdrew, on 8 April 2022, standing at a mass grave together with the Slovak Prime Minister and with President von der Leyen at that time to honour the victims and support Ukraine. But we also delivered the first air defence system, the S-300. I am a proud Slovak and a Europe

Madam President, culture is a substantial part of the European economy. Nine million jobs, two hundred billion euros of turnover. I therefore support your intention and welcome this debate. When governments tend to weaken democracy, culture suffers first. It is experiencing attempts to govern, and this is worsening not only its quality, but also our entire competitiveness. Well, what about it? As

February 24 marks three years since the start of the Russian aggression in Ukraine. It has changed a lot in Europe, including our view of the Union's eastern border. Today, the border with Russia and Belarus has become a barrier to enormous threats, hampering cross-border development, as we see in Finland's Lappeenrant. On the contrary, the border with Ukraine, a candidate for membership of the Eu

Madam President, congratulations to those who saw Donald Trump's arrival as a hope. Ideological wars were more crucial for you than the prosperity of the European economy. To sell this as a defeat of liberal democracy was also important to you. You care more about the interests of businessmen like Elon Musk but you are not here today to talk. The trade war between strategic partners will only lead

Madam President, I think it's also a pity that the President of the European Commission has left the room, because the message I had was over to her and to the European Commission: I think it's very important that the new Competitiveness Compass which, as the President has said, will be released next week, reflects the current EU‑US reality. Donald Trump is not only a reality for our relationship,

Madam President, I am deeply alarmed by the impact of natural disasters across our European Union, from floods in Spain to central and eastern Europe, to wildfires in Portugal, but also cyclones in Mayotte recently. These events just highlight our shared duty for a European response. But we must do more than rebuild. We must build back better with sustainable, more resilient infrastructure, or we

Commissioner Ferreira, welcome to the plenary for your last Question Time. I want to thank you for your service. Although I was not here during the past term, I heard a lot of positive feedback on your work for the European regions, so thank you very much for that. I wanted to raise my concern over the growing flexibility of the cohesion policy. It has been mentioned several times by other speaker

Madam President, I hope Hilde will like at least what I'm going to say now. Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are. Russia asked North Korea – the regime under the most extensive UN sanctions – to join their war of aggression against Ukraine. And Kim Jong Un obliged, armed Russia, provided ammunition and even sent boots on the ground. These are clear efforts for peace. But l

Mr President, these days Strasbourg hosts both mayors and mayors from European cities. Together with the regions, they are the heart of Europe. Their prosperity is our prosperity and also helps the entire competitiveness of the European Union. Cities and regions need us to cope with the changes ahead. Green transition, digital, demographic challenges or war in the neighbourhood. Municipalities als

Madam President, if we want to increase competitiveness and jobs in Europe, the transition of the car industry to electromobility is a necessity, not a choice. China has already made a decision. I say this as a citizen of Slovakia, which is the largest car manufacturer in the world per capita. In eastern Slovakia, fully electrified electric car production is growing for the first time and will bec

Mr President, Commissioner Lenarčič, allow me first of all to express my sincere condolences to the families of the victims and to thank all those who are deploying their lives even at this particular time and taking part in the rescue operations. This is how, a year ago, Slovakia helped with flooding techniques in Slovenia. Pictures from Záhorie, Slovakia, where firefighters on a boat serve food