Speeches

The European single market is one of the greatest achievements of the European Union, but it must work equally for all our citizens: in both the West and the East of Europe. Unfortunately, today we see a paradox that citizens feel very much in their wallets. In many Eastern European countries, the prices of basic food products are often the same or even higher than in the wealthier Western European countries. The rise in food prices is two to three times higher than in Western European countries, but wages are not the same. Citizens in these countries often earn four times less, and almost a third of their wages go to food. In Croatia, almost 40% of citizens say that they buy less food because of inflation. Citizens of Eastern Europe must not be second-class consumers. I call on the Commission to make use of its powers in the field of competition and fines for those who place their greed before citizens. It is time for the European Union to show that we are also full Europeans, not just market figures.

Dear President, how do young people live today? Research shows a large increase in young people who describe themselves as unhappy. Statistics show an increase in self-harm among young people. Suicide is more common cause of death than car accidents. We are in a social crisis. Almost half of young people are constantly online, and just half an hour less online already has a positive impact on mental health. The business model of internet giants is to keep users online for as long as possible. Profit, profit, profit. They have no scruples in front of them. That is why we ask for the age of social media users to be limited to 13 years. The use of young people’s data for advertising and addictive design should be prohibited. Today we have heard a lot here that parents need to control children, so colleagues, let's ask ourselves who is controlling our children now, while we work here all day and can we do it as parents. The world has changed and we need to help parents protect their children.

Dear Chairman, while the word deregulation is ubiquitous, we must not forget why the European Union has the highest standards of safety and quality of products and services, as well as the highest consumer rights. These are achievements that we are proud of and on which we need to build the future. The problem of high food prices will not disappear on its own, they will not be solved by the invisible hand of the market. This is why this resolution calls for better application and complementarity of competition rules. Citizens also feel deceived by ‘shrinkflation’ and ‘shrinkflation’ and it is up to us to protect them. Safe internet, protection of minors, advertising transparency, accountability to users, video game addiction, online gambling – we all know there is still a lot to do. Let us not forget about our own citizens because of the race with others in the world.

Madam President, how many times does this Parliament have to say no before the Commission listens? Nearly 50 times we have opposed GMO authorisations, backed by science, by citizens, by the precautionary principle – and yet the Commission continues ahead, bypassing both political will and democratic legitimacy. This is not just a policy dispute; it is a democratic crisis. The Commission justifies decisions made without majority support, often relying on outdated or insufficient data, all while ignoring Parliament and fuelling public distrust in the EU institutions – and for what? To serve the interests of powerful agribusiness lobbies overseas while undermining the Green Deal, the Farm to Fork strategy, and the right of Europeans to safe, sustainable food. If Parliament's voice, elected by over 400 million people, can be ignored this easily, then what does democracy in the EU actually mean?

Dear Chairman, price increases are happening everywhere, but in the last four years prices have jumped the most in the countries of Eastern Europe. So the jump in Ireland is 20 percent, in France 25 percent, but that's why in Poland 55 percent, Bulgaria 63 percent, Latvia 62 percent, Hungary 87 percent, Croatia 45 percent. Are these price increases in the east of the EU because foreign retailers miraculously charge the head of salads equally in all shops? Or because our distributors cannot buy goods from anyone, but only from those for the Eastern market? Where is the European Union, where are the measures to protect competition? Food budgeting is the largest household budget item in Eastern European countries. These are the countries with the lowest wages and pensions. This is a problem that affects us all, but it is not the same when due to inflation you can not buy an expensive purse or a piece of meat for the family table.

Dear Chairman, Happy Consumer Day to all our citizens! Or maybe not everything? Because it is better to be a consumer in one part of the European Union than in another. Somewhere sales are real, and others are just a marketing trick. Some are easy to buy online and there may be no delivery for your country. Somewhere the price of a phone call is reasonable, and it is too expensive for you because the teleoperator has put you in the same basket with Morocco or New Zealand. Consumer rights always end at the same border, the one between Western and Eastern Europe. We are witnessing the highest increase in the prices of basic products in the countries with the lowest incomes. Half a kilo of pasta is twice as expensive in Croatia than in France. Toothpaste is three times more expensive in Bulgaria than in Germany. We are often told, you need to get to know your rights better. It's as if it's our fault that no one on the market works in accordance with them. What is worth to have the right to a refund if the trader does not want to return it. Consumer rights must not be a dead letter on paper. Only effective supervision and harsh penalties can bring about change.

Mr. Chairman, consumer organizations of as many as 17 countries have applied to the European Commission the latest Chinese giant Tema. It questions the safety of products, harm to health and even the sales chain in terms of selling illegal products. People continue to sell, people continue to buy. A few years ago, 18 consumer organisations reported Tik Tok to European authorities for harmful effects on minors, who make up 30 percent of their users. Impairment of mental health, causing addiction, encouraging unhealthy habits and behaviors in children are burning problems that require an urgent reaction. Despite this, the changes on the platform are minimal. How to force online giants to comply with European rules? Greater powers should be given to the European Commission in the event of infringements of consumer rights. Let's show citizens that they are not alone, that the impact on our people, the impact on our institutions and that they will respond quickly and efficiently where it hurts the most. The ones who make mistakes - we hit them on the pocket.

The Common Market is one of Europe's greatest achievements. Every crisis deepens market inequalities, the rich get even richer, the poor get even poorer. The cost of living is the biggest problem across the European Union, and inequalities between and within Member States in prices, wages, pensions and poverty rates are only increasing. The report highlights consumer protection as one of the conditions for a fair market, but geoblockingterritorial barriers, higher food price rises in Eastern Europe are just some of the most pressing problems. The report praises the Act on Empowering Consumers in the Green Transition, which I am proud of, but the solution is to enforce our rules in every part of the European Union. More than 80 percent of the citizens of my country think that consumers are unprotected against market players. We need to strengthen European tools, consumer associations, inspections and citizens' awareness of their rights. We can't be them out there in Brussels. We have to work for people.

Dear Chairman, I would like to thank all those who participated in today's debate. I thank you for your words of support, this process was not easy or simple, but as the Commissioner said, we had an ambitious approach and in the end we enabled citizens to live better lives. Responsibility for a fair market must not be on the backs of citizens, on the backs of individual consumers, but responsibility must be on the big players in the market, and the goal and interest of all of us here should be a better life for citizens and in this sense these new rules go.

Dear Chairman, colleagues, dear citizens. We have great news from the European Parliament. We have a new law that will bring positive changes to our daily lives. We stop accumulating waste. We bring order to the business of the industry and most importantly, we protect citizens from dishonesty in the common market. I am always proud when we stand up for the weaker ones in the market - our citizens. Today we put people ahead of profit. By this law, we tell the industry a lot. We reject the buy-use-dispose model. We want products that last longer. Most people say that the devices they buy break down somewhere between the second and third year of use. Just when the mandatory guarantee expires. It's probably not a coincidence. That is why we prohibit commercial communication about products that have a built-in defect. We also prohibit related practices such as forcing consumers to replace the consumables earlier than really needed or presenting software updates as necessary without actually doing so. Do you want to know how long the product will last before you buy it? More than 85% of Croatian and European citizens want it. That is why we are introducing a new code for the number of years of commercial guarantee. Such a label will create a higher demand for products with a longer commercial guarantee and motivate manufacturers to offer better quality products. When in the store, the consumer will easily be able to choose a product whose longer durability is guaranteed. In this way, a sustainable choice will be an option for everyone, and not only for those deeper pockets. Bearing in mind that over 60% of European Union citizens do not know that they have a mandatory guarantee for all products on the market, the label will also contain a reminder of this. In addition, in all stores there will be a poster that expires a mandatory warranty of at least two years. Most citizens in the European Union think about the environment when shopping. Traders and producers saw this and that's why we live in the jungle of unverified green labels and claims. These labels are often checked by the same ones who put them on. Today we bring order into that jungle. Sustainable, biodegradable, conscientious, green, natural. There are more than 1,200 such labels and claims in the European Union, barely a third of which have undergone some form of verification. We will also ban any such claims that do not have a recognised environmental impact. We're bringing order to the jungle. Green claims that bind to the future, such as 30% less emissions by 2025They will have to be based on a detailed implementation plan. In order not to leave a dead letter on the paper, the plan must have a budget, and the implementation must be controlled by independent experts. We're putting order in the jungle. Sustainability labels will have to undergo certification procedures or be approved by national authorities. We're putting order in the jungle. When you see on the product that it says climate neutralWhat will you think? That it was produced by Mother Nature herself? Or at least that it is very sustainable in terms of content, the way it is packaged or transported? It often means nothing. That is why we prohibit claims based on carbon offsetting. Nothing is ever climate neutral. Such claims are always false. Dear colleagues, we are at the end of a long process and I truly feel joy and pride and I can't wait to see the changes we have made in practice. It will be a small revolution. I would like to thank all of you who have worked on this document, Commissioner Reynders and his team, as well as the Spanish Permanent Representation and a truly constructive team. In the end, let me say something personal. I want to thank the Croatian citizens. You are the one who has given me the idea and motivation to fight all these years. It was truly a privilege to work with you and for your interest.

Dear Chairman, I think we can all agree that youth crises affect young people in a specific way. Some important life steps that we have all gone through in life have been taken away from them. Home is a feeling, not a place. However, the young people will tell you and the place is. Even before the crises, as many as 30% of young people aged 15-29 were in overcrowded accommodation, and most cannot dream of owning their own property. The prices of rents and utility bills exploded, and the prices of square meters of living space even more. In most Member States, wages were not even on par with this growth. In my country, Croatia, more than 55% of people have a problem paying for utility bills, which is almost 20% more than the EU average. On the other hand, young people in Croatia stay in the parental home much longer than the average of the European Union, up to 33 years, almost the longest in the European Union, after Portugal. This is certainly due to a 20% increase in rental prices and a 30% increase in real estate prices. However, we're not just talking about the economic problem here. It's also about mental health issues. As many as 60% of European Union citizens say that living conditions are their main cause. The consequences of these problems are incalculable. That is why we socialists are looking for a European response to this problem. A new regulation of the housing market is needed. We have to put an end to the rampant price. We must put an end to inequalities in society.

Dear Chairman, each of us consumes 188 kg of packaging and packaging per year, and packaging waste has increased by 20% in the last ten years. It is high time that we start to spend resources smarter to protect the environment. In times of high inflation, packaging is often used to mislead consumers. Bags, boxes and even bottles remain the same, and the amount is reduced. We prohibit packaging that is intended to mislead consumers about the volume of the product, whether it is unnecessary layers, false bottoms or other types of packaging. Namely, when we buy something, it is only when we come home that we realize that we were under the wrong impression of what we are actually buying, and then it is too late. With this law, we will cut the problem at its root and allow citizens to get the best for their money.

Dear Chairman, thank you. Did it ever happen to you that you tried to repair the device, but repairing it was too expensive? According to my survey, as many as 81% of Croatian citizens have just such an experience. How and not when you need to allocate 430 euros for a replacement screen for a TV that costs 350 euros. 90% of people think spare parts are too expensive. In such conditions, services are also shut down, and citizens are forced to throw away and buy new ones again. In my proposal on empowering consumers for the green transition, we have ensured that failures occur as rarely as possible. First of all, by prohibiting built-in faults and information about the price and conditions of repair to each customer. However, if a defect does occur, the consumer must be able to repair the product without major problems. Moreover, if the repair is delayed, a replacement product should be obtained. To make the right to repair a reality, we need to ensure cheap spare parts and the availability of designs and tools for citizens and independent repairers. Products that cannot be repaired should not be discarded, but should be repurposed. Those who act irresponsibly should be stopped and citizens allowed savings and the right to repair!

Dear Chairman, since 2002, when we last regulated this area to this day, the digital economy has experienced a huge boom. However, in such an environment, consumers often remain unprotected, concluding harmful contracts on the basis of erroneous or incomplete information. This proposal ensures quality and free of charge pre-contractual information on financial services. In the online world, we all noticed that in just a few clicks we can spend money, but we also noticed that it takes a lot more than a few clicks to get our money back. This is the value of this proposal, and above all of the so-called withdrawal button, which will allow consumers to easily terminate not only financial services contracts, but also all types of contracts concluded at a distance. With just two clicks, we will be able to cancel the contract or order. A lot of people today shop online, but almost half of European citizens say they have been pressured to buy something over the phone or messages. Ten percent of European citizens complain about pressure from retailers on the doorstep. Unfortunately, in such situations, the most vulnerable are often deceived and they will be protected by this law. Thank you to the colleagues who worked on this proposal and in the end this is very good news for European consumers.

Dear Chairman, you said well, Madam President, four years ago none of us could have imagined that we would live in a world like this, in a Union like this. We live in a Union where 37 million people cannot afford a fair meal. In a Union where in some Member States two thirds of people cannot make ends meet. In a Union where one in five people live on the brink of poverty. On the other hand, we live in a Union where companies worth billions pay taxes in dollars, and citizens in my country, Croatia, but also elsewhere in the Union, feel that for every crisis they are the only ones who are billed, either with higher prices or lower content. Your promises of a social union that we trusted you with four years ago are more important than ever. We cannot leave citizens at the mercy of the market. The European Union must work for people.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, two-thirds of the wealth has gone into the hands of the richest 1%. Only the ten richest people have more than a third of humanity! In addition, for the first time in a long time, the wealth of the richest was accompanied by a huge increase in extreme poverty. Inflation ate wages for a large part of the workers. If the richest were taxed only a few percent, two billion people could get out of poverty. Some will say that it is impossible, but this crisis has also shown a great opportunity to achieve a fairer society. We have abolished the system whereby a small craftsman pays a higher percentage of tax than a large multinational company by introducing a minimum effective tax rate. Previously, it was unthinkable. It's time to be brave and go a step further towards a fairer distribution of wealth. It's time to give to those who have and give to those who don't.

Madam President, in accordance with the Rule 59, I would like to request that the matter be referred back to committee for interinstitutional negotiations.

Madam President, thank you all for your discussions and for the constructive work by you and your staff also on this document. We started from very different positions, but with the same goals, and in the end we found a good and workable compromise, I would say. European consumers will be empowered and environmental agenda advanced by these efforts. From what I saw of the Council’s position, our friends and co-legislators share many of our ideas and goals and I am fairly sure that the trilogues will be rather short and quite constructive. The sooner we are done with the negotiations, the sooner businesses will have legal clarity and the consumers more clout.

Madam President, dear citizens of the EU, I am speaking today directly to you as the purpose of this new law is to benefit each and every one of you on a daily basis. We are rewriting rules in order to make the industry more transparent, green and consumer-oriented, to make it easier for you to make informed choices and sustainable choices when you make purchase. You want products that last longer, break less often and are more easily repaired? The information will be provided to you and planned obsolescence will be banned. You want to be sure that you are doing your part by purchasing products that are truly environmentally sound? We will make sure no one can advertise their product as being green if there is no merit to these claims. Do aggressive and manipulative sales tactics by online sales services annoy you? We will ban practices that could distort or impair your free choice as a customer. All this and more we did to empower you for the green transition to make the citizens players on the common market rather than mere payers. All this was made with support from all sides of this plenary hall, from representatives of the political groups, left and right. We all want Europe that works for people. Among the many useful things we managed to secure for the citizens, some merit special mention: for example, banning early obsolescence practices when products are designed and made to break soon after the legal guarantee runs out in order to make the consumers buy new stuff. Surveys show that citizens consider cell phones – a device that has become ubiquitous – to be more affected by these practices, and that they usually break down in the second year of use. Such practices are perpetuating a vicious circle that is bad for everyone except the industry, and it makes enormous profits from the buy-use-discard consumption model. To counter this, we introduced an outright ban on early obsolescence practices. We want to make refrigerators great again. In order to make it easier for consumers to identify and purchase products that are more durable, we will introduce a new mandatory label. It will cover the legal guarantee of conformity and its voluntary extension in the form of a commercial guarantee of durability. So if a TV maker provides two years of legal warranty and an additional two years of commercial guarantee of durability, this product will bear a 2 + 2 label. In addition, if the competitor offers no commercial guarantee of durability, this label will be 2 + 0. This will induce producers to compete. When it comes to sustainability labels, we are reinforcing the certification schemes. In short, all the companies issuing such labels and certificates will have to be vetted and certified themselves by the Member State authorities. This includes a complaint system that focuses on non-compliance and insurance, and the withdrawal of the sustainability labels in such cases. We will ban environmental claims if not substantiated with evidence, such as ‘environmentally friendly’, ‘natural’, ‘biodegradable’, ‘climate neutral’ or ‘eco’. In addition, companies will no longer be able to feature carbon offsetting as an asset. In order to become empowered consumers in the green transition, the citizens need to be properly informed, and their legal rights must be protected and strengthened. We are enabling citizens to choose products that are more durable, repairable and sustainable. Companies will have to stop early obsolescence with a ban on introducing features that limit a product’s durability. They will also have to make their products more repairable than they currently are. Furthermore, we will end the jungle of false environmental claims – only certified and substantiated ecological claims will be permitted. To summarise, we want more value in citizens’ wallets and less valuable resources in the trash.

Mr. Chairman, the Common Market is one of the greatest achievements of the European Union, providing millions of people with a better life, a better job, better products and services, and creating over 56 million jobs. The European Union is a world leader in high standards of consumer protection and labour rights protection, as well as in the quality of products and services. More than ever, it is important to strengthen our market’s resilience to crises, but also to make it more modern and sustainable for the future. Citizens' rights online and offline must be the same, and measures to protect them must be equally well implemented. At the same time, our market needs to become more sustainable by strengthening new production and consumption models, second-hand markets, repurposing and reuse of products. Citizens must know what they are buying, they must be guaranteed the right to repair. They must be protected from misleading advertising and practices. Inflation is driving up prices for end-users and it is therefore more important than ever to provide our people with the best value for their money. In the common market, everyone must be equal and everyone's voice must be heard, from product quality issues to ending geo-blocking, we must all have equal rights. For us socialists and democrats in the European Parliament, a fair and just market is essential, where the protection of the weak should be a priority for all.

Dear Chairman, it is difficult to understand or communicate to someone who did not have to wait in line at the borders for a security or passport check, that there are actually two categories of European citizens. Those whose countries are in Schengen and those whose countries are not. It is also difficult to explain to the citizens of Croatia that they do not have the same rights, although we have met all the conditions that are necessary. By voting on this report, i.e. by supporting Croatia's entry into Schengen, the citizens of Croatia and the pro-European majority, as well as the Eurosceptic minority who will lose one argument, will primarily benefit. I would like to thank all those who have contributed, and above all the Croatian colleagues who have engaged within their political groups, because it is a national interest and a really big thing for Croatian citizens.

Dear Chairman, citizens are breaking under the burden of bills, and greed is often the only reason for the increase in prices. Consumers get bills every day that they don't understand. We need to protect them when they enter into contracts with energy companies. We need to jointly procure energy, limit gas prices, decouple gas prices from electricity, stop speculation in the energy market. The answer to the crisis is solidarity, but that does not mean that citizens need to bear the burden for who knows which way. It's time to take those who have and give to those who don't. For some, the crisis is God-given. Digital giants, while making huge profits, are laying off workers. Pharmaceutical companies have become richer with the sale of vaccines than countries that have financed these vaccines with public money. The surplus profits of energy companies this year will be 200 billion euros. It's war profiteering. We socialists in crisis not only propose ideas, but also provide solutions. The tax on windfall profits must apply to all those who have profited significantly in this crisis. The pandemic created a new billionaire every 30 hours and pushed nearly a million people into extreme poverty. Only the ten richest people have more than a third of humanity. It's time for everyone to pay their share. We don't know because we need money and we need it, but because it's fair.

–The Honourable Chair, the Honourable Colleagues, first of all I would like to thank our Rapporteur Alex, who fought to make this proposal more responsive to citizens rather than producers. The fact is that after more than ten years we are introducing a common charger and that this is primarily due to MEPs who pushed this idea in the interest of citizens even when no one wanted to listen to it. My first discussion on this topic was in 2013 when Croatia just joined the European Parliament. According to my research, as many as 92.9% of Croatian citizens support the introduction of a common charger for small devices. It's nice to keep the promise, even if it takes a long time. In autumn 2024, mobile phones, headphones, keyboards, tablets, navigations, mice, digital cameras, speakers, e-readers and portable game consoles will all have the same charger. After that, it will be introduced for laptops and similar devices. Since each of us has a drawer full of chargers at home, and only for mobile phones there are over 30 types on the market, the European Union market, this proposal will bring great savings. It is estimated that we spend more than €2 billion a year on new chargers. This way we will have the choice and the possibility of saving. We need to ensure that both manufacturers and price traders maintain the different options available to consumers. Every year, more than 400 million small chargers are sold in the European Union and more than 11 tonnes of electronic waste are discarded. We can no longer waste and throw away as if we had three planets at our disposal. This proposal is a major contribution to more sustainable consumption and will help the health of our planet. I urge everyone to vote in favour of this proposal for the benefit of consumers and the environment.

Dear Chairman, no one can imagine the morality and strength of one who defends his like the Ukrainians today. Those of us who felt the war on our own know it best. Our citizens show solidarity with Ukraine, but we must make sure that this crisis is not broken over the backs of the citizens. We need to ensure a permanent European crisis mechanism. For some, the crisis is God-given. A system whereby a small craftsman pays a higher percentage of tax than a large multinational company is deeply unfair. We need European taxes, but we also need an effective global response. Let us take from those who have, let us give to those who need it. Croatia faces particular challenges. Prices are rampant, and some use the introduction of the euro to make money in the blurry. I welcome the announcements on the prevention of corruption. Unfortunately, European authorities and European laws are the only hope for some. At all levels, we must fight those who put their pockets ahead of the interests of citizens.

–The Honourable Chairman, thank you, enrichment when people die, enrichment when people do not have food and directing, this is war profiteering. Energy prices went to the sky and withdrew all other prices. To what extent these increases are justified, it is difficult to say. We only know that energy prices for citizens in some countries, despite the measures, have doubled and the earnings of energy companies have doubled. Unexpected profits of European energy companies are estimated at 200 billion euros. Even before the crisis, 34 million citizens could not afford to heat their homes. Without bold moves, we won't be ready for autumn. The burden of this crisis should be borne by everyone as fair as it is, not that those who do not have pay for those who do have. And there's something else I want to say to these payphones, tech giants - we're coming for you too!