What Vilija spoke about.

Mr President, President of the Commission, colleagues, as you mentioned in your speech, today not only Europe but the whole world is still fighting the consequences of the pandemic and this fight is not over. This pandemic has completely changed our lives, and it is a pity, but for the majority it is only for the worse. The pandemic has highlighted structural problems in the EU and the Member Stat

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues. We are living in a time when cyber-attacks have become an integral part of the ongoing hybrid warfare against Europe. In recent months, we have seen drone incidents near the eastern flank of the European Union and NATO, provocations in the Baltic Sea against critical infrastructure, and disinformation campaigns. These attacks and actions are not accidental.

Dear President. The Council will focus on competitiveness and the future of the European economy. This is important. However, we must not forget that Europe's strength has always been based not only on economic indicators, but also on its social model. With regard to the ‘One Europe, One Market’ initiative, we need to ensure that greater competitiveness does not mean a choice between protecting wo

Whatever I say, you have your truth all the time. What you do sometimes happens.

First of all, I want to say that we Social Democrats - for equal opportunities, for equal rights for all people, both men and women, and in all areas. And in the same way, when we talk about care today, why do only women have to take that responsibility 99%, and you cannot personally take care of your old parents, disabled people or your children? Why? That is why we, the Social Democrats, say onc

Mr President, Mr Vice-President of the Commission. When we talk about progress towards a care society, we must acknowledge one truth that is really simple but very fundamental: in Europe today, the burden of care is still disproportionately on women's shoulders. Women are more likely to work part-time, interrupt their careers, face lower incomes and face the risk of poverty in old age precisely be

Mr President, honourable Commissioner. Europe cannot call itself a social union as long as 19 million of our children are in poverty, and more than 16 million working people still live in poverty because they do not receive adequate wages. It is especially painful for children to inherit poverty. Thank you to the Commission for presenting the Anti-Poverty Strategy, but we must be more ambitious. T

Mr President, colleagues. The single market is one of the European Union's greatest achievements, but it must not be limited to capital or goods. It must work for the people who are the backbone of a competitive Europe. Yes, European companies must have clarity, stability, predictability. Equally, however, workers must have safe, high-quality and dignified working conditions with adequate wages. W

Mr President, in the context of the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, today we must clearly state its consequences here in Europe, and this is growing poverty, growing social inequalities and tensions in society. The renewed rapid rise in energy, fuel, transport and food prices is hitting not only already vulnerable people and low-income families hardest, but also middle-income people. More and m

President, Dear Vice-President of the Commission, colleagues. Subcontracting chains and intermediaries must not become a means of circumventing workers' rights and exploiting workers. Today, however, too often we see the opposite picture: lower wages, precarious working conditions and the exploitation of workers. This is a matter of social justice. When responsibility is spread over too long subco

Mr President, Mr Vice-President of the Commission, colleagues. More than 90 million people, including 20 million children, are at risk of poverty and social exclusion in Europe. And these are not statistics. This is a sign of political failure. If we want a true social Europe, we need an ambitious and coordinated EU poverty strategy. Strategies to guarantee a decent minimum income, combat in-work

President, Commissioner, colleagues. For more than 15 years, the EU non-discrimination directive has been stuck in the Council. This means that millions of Europeans still do not enjoy the same level of protection against discrimination in their daily lives, whether in education, health care, housing or access to a wide range of services. We Socialists and Democrats have consistently supported thi

President, Commissioner, colleagues. My homeland, Lithuania, has been subject to continuous hybrid attacks from the Belarusian regime for years, ranging from instrumentalised migration and disinformation to cyber threats and pressure on our borders, airspace and aviation security. This is no longer a bilateral issue. This is a targeted, politically motivated aggression against the European Union a

Lately, Lithuania is facing a new threat when illegal and smuggled balloons released from Belarus violate Lithuanian airspace, disrupt civil aviation and pose serious threats to the safety of the population. These intrusions represent a significant escalation in hybrid warfare tactics. This is part of a broader pattern of destabilising actions by Belarus and Russia and represents a growing threat

President, Commissioner, colleagues. The accession of my country, Lithuania, to the European Union twenty-one years ago saved the country from the fate of Ukraine. We have become stronger, both economically and politically, and more resilient to external threats. The same is expected of Ukraine, Moldova and the Balkan countries. Enlargement is also necessary for the European Union. The European Un

Mr President, High Representative. The war is taking place in Ukraine, but we, the countries of the European Union, are also feeling Russian aggression. The Baltic Sea has become a field of constant Russian warfare. Therefore, in these difficult times, we need more than ever a solidarity-based, strong and credible NATO alliance, with sufficient resources, a force to face any threat. And I very muc

President, colleagues. Peace in Ukraine is the goal of all of us, but it must be a just, lasting and viable peace that will enable Ukraine to choose its own way further, its own security measures and deter future Russian aggression. The peace talks initiated by the US, in which the EU was initially ignored, are only favourable to Putin, who is not interested in a lasting peace in Ukraine and who i

Mr President, a competitive Europe is based on skilled workers and skills that meet the needs of the market. But let's look at the reality in the eyes, what is the real situation in the European Union? What are the basic skills of young people, including digital literacy? They are certainly insufficient and in some areas the situation is even worse than it was a decade ago. Fewer and fewer young p

President-in-Office, Commissioner, colleagues, there has indeed been progress in gender equality over the last decade, but that path and that work has certainly not yet been fully achieved. And our citizens have made it very clear that the main problems remain violence against women, the insurmountable pay gap between women and men for the same work, and the reconciliation and safeguarding of work

Mr President, since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, countries bordering Russia, Belarus and Ukraine have been exposed to attacks by the Russian regime, which continue to this day. I am from Lithuania, and we suffered a direct attack from Belarus, when migrants were used as a political weapon to destabilise our society and cause panic. Hybrid attacks on the bottom of the Baltic Sea a