What Antonín spoke about.

Mr President, Erasmus+ is one of those European programmes that people love no matter who they vote for. He opened the world to millions of young people without telling them what to think of him. The programme bears the name of a man who travelled through Europe to get to know her, not to re-educate her. A century later, my compatriot Jan Amos Comenius had to leave his homeland because of religiou

Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, child protection in the digital world is not a matter for the right or the left. Platforms operate across borders and therefore a common European approach makes sense in this case. Harmful algorithms, addictive design, and grooming must be addressed, and platforms must bear real responsibility. But the child is best protected by an informed parent, a good

Mr President, ask a small business that trades across borders how much it costs an obligated representative in another Member State. These costs often exceed the value of the goods they sell there. Member States also draw attention to the lack of legal certainty and inconsistent interpretation. Companies must comply with the Packaging Regulation today. Colleagues, if the same concerns are expresse

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, every time a European car manufacturer announces production restrictions or redundancies, we should ask ourselves a simple question: “What signal are we sending to one of Europe’s most important industries?” We all want cleaner transport. But we have to start from reality. The transformation is progressing more slowly than expected, while the pressure on manu

Mr President, Commissioner, the world around us has changed dramatically – geopolitically, economically and securely. Power politics, strategic dependencies and fierce competition from the great powers are returning. But the European Union often reacts as if it still lives in reality ten years ago. Every new crisis brings additional regulation, centralization and administration. Less, however, we

Mr President, Commissioner, Europe wants to be a leader in modern industry, innovation and clean technologies. However, our potential is often hampered by complex and lengthy permitting processes. While elsewhere in the world, projects are being prepared and approved in a matter of months, in Europe, investors have been waiting for permission for years. Europe today does not need more forms, it ne

Madam President, Europe is living today in a time of growing geopolitical tensions, but too often our response is rhetorical rather than strategic. We are talking about global responsibility and a rules-based order, while in key power fora, including the UN Security Council, Europe's real influence is waning. In addition to the US, Russia and China, Europe is increasingly seen not as a decisive ac