Speeches

Mr President, I would like to wish the Commissioner a happy birthday. In the run-up to the upcoming NATO summit, the building of the European defence union is at the top of the European Union policy agenda and is essential to shielding European Union citizens' security and wellbeing from current geopolitical threats. This is a part of the EU Member States' solidarity – those who are also in NATO. The European defence union should be a pillar of NATO. And we see that it is only one way to strengthen our security. European security, as argued in the Niinistö report, is a public good and that readiness is a common responsibility, and one way to respond to future challenges is to deepen cooperation across Member States, to leverage European economies of scale on defence and spending activities. We are speaking about 5 % of GDP, but we need to understand that the cost of non-EU in defence spending, in other words, the cost of not leveraging European economies of scale, is estimated to range from EUR 18 billion to EUR 57 billion per year – this was the estimate set out in a European Parliamentary Research Service study. We need to think about the necessity to spend also in social areas much more efficiently.

Mr President, honourable Commissioner Kallas, I feel very bad this time as a former Commissioner. For the first time, I am unhappy with the Commission's position. You have been doing well with Putin – great. You've slipped in relation to Trump many times. You stumbled against Netanyahu. Moral death is a terrible thing. It is a pity that you did not hear the speech of the King of Jordan today. She had to inspire you. And it is obvious that here some Christians forget that an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth is the rule of the Old Testament. Christ denies it. I dedicate this to Christians. On the other hand, it is time to terminate the Association Agreement, in accordance with the second article, to sanction Netanyahu and his team.

Mr President, the special feature of Moldova is that it is a very clear ally of the European Union, both in the former Eastern Neighbourhood policy and now in its accession to the European Union. The more the European Union in Moldova, the less Putin's propaganda there. And in the autumn elections, we particularly need the voice of the European Parliament today, sending a clear message that Moldova's success in the autumn is also the way to its faster integration into the European Union. We need to help as much as possible – more pilot projects, more bilateral projects, European Parliament representations, more investment. We must not make the same mistake as the European Union did for Georgia. The European Union's weak presence in Georgia is what it has done for Georgia's future. There is a need to support Moldova's accession.

Mr President, Commissioner, there is indeed a wide range of arguments that have been put forward with regard to some or other work that Montenegro may or may not have done, or that is being done, but not so quickly. However, I am generally well aware and well aware of the many efforts that have been made to adopt Croatia. I am well aware that I have been involved in discussions with North Macedonia. I had to be in Montenegro as a commissioner. Indeed, we must necessarily increase technical assistance, increase our influence, strengthen Montenegro and facilitate Montenegro's accession to the European Union as smoothly as possible. This is also the success of the whole history of the Balkans. There is no doubt. Religious freedom, all other things will continue to be very sensitive, but the success story requires efforts to accept it into the European Union.

Mr President, Commissioner, rapporteur. Indeed, congratulations to both the rapporteur and all shadow rapporteurs are an excellent document. The directive makes it possible, when it is transposed in the Member States, to strengthen it even more and to draw attention to those areas where it is actually still necessary for the Member States to decide for themselves on the direction of reinforcement and prevention. However, I also want to point out that here in this Chamber, when it comes to the sexual exploitation of children, when it comes to paedophilia, when it comes to such a cruel crime, one suddenly turns his speeches against human rights, against sexual minorities, without realizing that heterosexual people are also committing terrible crimes, just like a small percentage of homosexuals. Here we must boldly say: any incitement to hate speech will have negative consequences. And I especially address this to those radical right-wing and nationalists. We all need a directive.

Mr President, thank you to the rapporteur. A really good report and, honourable Commissioner, you have listened to a lot of good proposals. There is no doubt that cohesion policy needs horizontal programmes covering the complexity of education, health, digital infrastructure and conditionality (conditionality) so that no one, not even a Member State, can change, because big cities, big regions and parliaments, where other forces are much stronger, are hurting rural areas. On the other hand, attracting young people can only be achieved by investing heavily in innovative forms of farming – attractive, "advanced farming’. Those advanced forms – with robotisation, with artificial intelligence, with a variety of new technologies and new varieties – both of plants, and so on. This would attract young people, as they are attractive to science and good infrastructure.

Mr President, honourable Commissioner, colleagues. There are many right words here about what, what crimes Putin and his aggressive and criminal regime are committing. But my question is different. My question is to the European Council of countries, states and governments. Can we really continue to behave the way we do? There are many countries that are helping Ukraine. But there are a large number of countries whose aid to Ukraine is small. The question must be asked [of] solidarity and unity in the amount of aid to Ukraine. We need a bigger budget and the time of the European Union is now clear. The people of Ukraine, like no one – I have been there recently and will be travelling again – are waiting for integration into the European Union. Our promises must be based on concrete homework, so that we can really accelerate Ukraine's integration into the European Union. This is the only real peace plan.

Madam President, Commissioner, you know very well Manuel Heitor's report – align, act, accelerate. The report is based on the Letta Report proposing a fifth freedom, but a fifth freedom for research and development requires infrastructure and an ecosystem at pan-European, supranational level. And of course, Draghi mentioned the necessity to build a research and innovation union. A union requires a lot of effort and a whole-of-Commission approach and a whole-of-government approach. We are just proposing to establish a pilot project using European reference networks, using artificial intelligence fabrics, using a health data space, using biobanks and one million genomics to build an ecosystem and a reduction in the area of rare diseases, rare cancers and low prevalence diseases. It would be a good example to have pan-European infrastructure. I will send you our proposals.

Mr President, Commissioner, among people of working age, half of all illnesses are mental health disorders. They account for half of all disability benefits and absenteeism. According to a systemic review covering 65 economic evaluations, investments in mental health services can yield greater economic growth and national well-being than investments in new road infrastructure. Can you imagine? A strategic approach to public mental health policy at work at the EU level should begin with a unified framework that emphasises prevention, early intervention and mental health promotion across all Member States. This framework must align with broader public health goals and recognise mental health as a cross-sectoral issue affecting education, employment, social inclusion and human rights. The EU should encourage Member States to integrate mental health at work into all policies and move forward with a common, comprehensive strategy.

Mr President, honourable Commissioner. Indeed, I welcome the long-awaited REPowerEU implementation plan and believe that the political direction is very right. I understand that you should also suggest how to monitor how member countries will stop importing Russian gas. That's what you need. Lithuania refused in the twenty-second year, completely stopped importing energy resources from Russia. I think other countries should follow this as well. And I welcome the proposals on the regulation of liquefied gas. I hope that the legal proposals will be put forward and negotiated swiftly and that the envisaged measures will be implemented in a timely manner. As far as the Nord Stream project is concerned, it must be said right away that it is a dead project, both politically and technically. And if Putin and Trump try to reach an agreement, we need to think about how to prevent it.

President, Commissioner. It is certainly clear that, when it comes to the CBAM mechanism, we need to understand that the European Union has been a leader in forcing and achieving results in the Paris Climate Agreement. And today, those who are trying to scare CBAM here to end the industry and so on, let's turn to one simple thing: Know how many premature deaths are caused by air pollution each year. As regards air pollution, I stress as a medical doctor, as a former expert of the World Health Organisation. If you want to defend the continuation of air pollution and do nothing to prevent us from stopping this, then remember that the shrinking of our workforce will be the biggest challenge for industry. Therefore, CBAM correction is necessary. Orderly, I would agree with those who see the doubt that simplification should not be a reduction in climate goals or a reduction in ambition, but we must remain leaders because it affects the global world in a very strong way.

Mr President, dear Commissioner, I fully agree with your proposal related to the single market strategy. But may I repeat once again: we need to complete the digital union, energy union, banking union, capital market union. Without those unions, we have no chance to move forward, for sure. We also need a railways union, and also – a very important dimension – the social dimension. A social union should be implemented and a social pillar should be implemented in every Member State. We need to have in mind a health union also. Investment in human capital is a main asset in our single market and we need to do more, so completing a European health union – also proposing a research investment and innovation union, as Letta just mentioned, I discussed with you about that. It is a very important asset moving forward.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, colleagues, the rise of certain non‑communicable diseases in the European Union is increasingly concerning. If we fail to act and learn from past experiences, like the COVID‑19 pandemic, we risk facing new outbreaks and epidemics. Twenty years ago, the European Union made a commitment to eliminate measles – to be measles‑free. Yet we are still far from that goal. The situation is further aggravated by growing societal scepticism, fuelled by misinformation and spread of unproven claims. In 2024, measles cases in the EU surged dramatically with over 32 000 reported diagnoses. This sharp increase highlights serious gaps in vaccination coverage, as 86 % of those infected had not been vaccinated. In an age where measles is entirely preventable through vaccination, it is unacceptable that this disease continues to spread, especially knowing that measles is highly contagious and can lead to severe complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis, and even death. To prevent further outbreaks, it is essential to ensure that at least 95 % of the population is vaccinated. Unfortunately, vaccination rates remain insufficient in many European countries. Governments must prioritise strong vaccination campaigns and actively combat vaccine hesitancy to protect public health. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine remains the most effective tool to prevent measles, and we must also work to harmonise vaccination schedules across Member States to ensure this. This is why it is crucial to foster collaboration among Member States, recognising that in the Schengen zone, where people can move freely across borders, disease can easily spread between countries. Additionally, the shortage of healthcare professionals, especially in regions with insufficient medical staff, particularly nurses, further contributes to lower vaccination rates. The recent outbreaks in Romania, along with nearly 20 preventable deaths, serve as a stark reminder to the urgency of this issue. These tragic losses highlight the need for immediate actions. HERA must also address the state of crisis preparedness and take steps to prevent the situation from escalating further. In a world where vaccines are widely available, measles should no longer be a threat. As cases continue to rise, collective action is urgently needed to protect vulnerable populations.

Mr President, dear Commissioner, you rightly mentioned that we are still 20 years speaking about the same problems. But now the digital union is not completed. The energy union is not completed. I know our railway infrastructure is in difficulties, and when we are speaking about the necessity to do something more, first of all, we need to stress very much that we need to develop pan‑European infrastructures in digital, in energy, in transport. And, of course, also Letta rightly mentioned the 'fifth freedom': freedom for research, investment and innovation. But it requires also infrastructure in our research and innovations. It means the life sciences strategy should be connected with the internal market strategy hand in hand, otherwise we can lose once again competitiveness, investment and progress. Made in Europe requires more integration.

Thank you very much, Mr President of the sitting, honourable Commissioner, colleagues, I will indeed speak as a participant in the struggle for freedom, a dissident who was interrogated seven times by the KGB, who was arrested twice, who signed the Declaration of Independence on 11 March of the 90s, Petra Gražuli. Thus, on the 14th of June of the forty-first year, Hitler occupied Paris. On the same day, Stalin presented an ultimatum to Lithuania and my parents spent 17 years in Stalin's gulags. I am glad that my father was a signatory of the 45th Baltic Memorandum. And thank you to the European Parliament, which on 13 January 1983 adopted a resolution on the freedom of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. I am also pleased that there are two names in this House: Simone Weil and Altero Spinelli. And thus, these two names magnificently remind us of what we have to do. For Free and United Europe, the Altiero Spinelli Manifesto. And today we need to make it clear: History owes me nothing, I owe it to history for peace, democracy and freedom.

Mr President, honourable Commissioner, colleagues. I want to say that I was in these positions as Commissioner responsible for public health and food safety, and I was involved in the authorisation of genetically modified organisms or, in this case, genetically modified seeds and imported feed. I want to say firmly that I am now elected by the Lithuanian electorate and, as I did then, I am now firmly of the opinion that the Commission's steps are legitimate, scientifically sound, legislated and in line with the requirements of the Treaty of Lisbon. Rule of law is common to all Members of the European Parliament, the Commission and the public. Here too, the law does guarantee what the Commission is doing. Therefore, I cannot be hypocritical and I support the Commissioner's statement today.

Mr President, dear colleagues. In Lithuania, when the Supreme Council of Lithuania published the March 11 documents, we listened with great attention to the Dalai Lama who visited us. At that time, the adoption of the Dalai Lama by the Supreme Council, or the Lithuanian Parliament, was unspeakably difficult. On the other hand, he risked everything. And in this case, we can say once again that, yes, Lithuania feels a great commitment and a great deal of respect for Tibet. And today, when we are discussing a very sensitive question about the restriction of religious freedom, we, the representatives of a democratic Lithuania, here in the European Parliament, once again stand in solidarity with the Tibetan people, with the Tibetan Buddhist community and, in fact, call for our support, in this case, to actively contribute to the adoption of this resolution.

Mr President, colleagues, as in the previous European Parliament Jutta Haug, Alain Lamassoure and Guy Verhofstadt stated, gross national income-based contributions from Member States are complicated, full of various rebates, compensations, exemptions and full of indigestible calculations. Lack of transparency is clear, and I fully agree with this position. Member States conceive of it as transferred from their national treasuries to Brussels. The European Parliament has no say in the decision on European Union resources. This goes against democracy. Fully funding the European Union's policies with independent sources of revenue – this is only one way to put an end to the practice of Member States' so-called 'fair return' approach. We need an autonomous European Union budget composed mainly of EU own resources. The 1 % of gross national income limit is outdated. We need minimum 2 % of GDP, and it is only one way to fulfil our promises about enlargement, policies, defence, health and other issues.

Mr President, dear Commissioner, dear Maroš, I welcome your statement today. The predictable unpredictability of Trump's policies is a challenge, and Trump's brutal tariff war and nationalist protectionism are a real threat. We must stay united and determined in promoting and defending rule‑based global trade and multilateralism, and, of course, we need to intensify trade with other markets like Mercosur, and modernise and capitalise on the benefits of existing free trade agreements, as with Canada and Mexico. But we must also urgently complete our single market, urgently provide EU‑wide targeted support for impacted European industries and our affected regions. State aid to our industries and small and medium-sized enterprises is necessary. We must buy European goods and services and promote Made in Europe products. Our strategic, industrial and autonomy demands it.

Madam President, we stand at a pivotal moment. The SANT Committee has heard a clear call to forge a competitive, knowledge‑based European Union, and where better to ignite this ambition than the urgent realm of rare diseases? We have about 35 million patients, but only 5 % of identified rare diseases have a therapy. No country can treat those patients alone. Rare diseases can be our pan‑European pilot, a launchpad for Draghi's vision of a cutting‑edge research and innovation union empowered by Letta's 'fifth freedom' for researchers and driven by the transformative paradigm shift Letta envisions. Our current trajectory is not enough. Our policies – fragmented and sometimes overlapping – hinder the crucial leap from pre‑clinical promises to clinical reality. We possess the tools: the multiannual financial framework, the upcoming EU life sciences strategy and the EU Biotech Act. Let us build a pan‑European ecosystem for rare diseases that harnesses technological breakthroughs, invests in pan‑European data‑driven infrastructure for multicentre clinical trials, scales up newborn screening for early detection, and delivers personalised and innovative treatments for our patients. Let's encourage the Commission to act in this direction.

President of the meeting, honourable Commissioner, colleagues. The initiative to make 6 March the World Day of the Righteous in Europe is of immense value. I was born in 1951 in Stalin's gulags. My parents spent time in Stalin's gulags from 1941 to 1954. They were imprisoned. But I am also educated by the wonderful Jewish savior, Dr. Viktor Kutorga, who testified with a living example what it means to be a savior in tragic circumstances. Today I am observing neo-fascists, all sorts of nationalists who are under the guise of patriotism and who, with one foot, can enter into a new totalitarianism. But let's remember Mussolini's fascists, German Nazis, Stalinists all. They are all enemies to whom the righteous of the world will remind us of what it means to be rights.

Mr President, dear Commissioner, colleagues, of course, we just listened to what was done in the area of the diseases from 2017 when we launched the European reference network, but now we can tell openly it is not enough. We need urgently, we need urgently to introduce not only a European Union action plan on rare diseases, but to keep in mind to have a strategy on real disease, including much more aspects. First of all, we need to provide more systemic and uniform approach, bridging gaps and addressing remaining unmet needs and inequalities. Of course we need to focus on national strategies and include national strategies in such strategic plan on a more comprehensive or more harmonised approach. We need to unite our forces, and we need to think that such European Union strategy would be a second building block of the European health union, because it can help us to make pace with new technologies, new values, new expectations. And of course, we need to also include social aspects of people who are staying with rare diseases – as in cancer survivorship, the same is in the area of rare diseases. We need to include those issues also in our strategy.

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, once again at the European Parliament we discuss the tricks of Lukashenka's regime to further tighten the grip of his power. I totally agree that we should impose sanctions against the individuals running the Investigative Committee. But we should also discuss how we can help each and every political prisoner who is held behind the bars by the regime, especially for those high-profile political prisoners such as Mikalai Statkevich or Maria Kolesnikova. We need to seek a prisoner exchange similar to the one organised with Putin's regime in August 2024. I am not naive – Lukashenka will not stop persecuting political opponents. But I believe that with the right political will, it would be possible to help at least a few of the longest-serving political prisoners. And in no way will it be a concession to the regime, as it was not a concession to Putin during the prisoner exchange with Putin's regime.

Mr President, honourable Commissioner, I am delighted to actually see and welcome the highlights of your report. They are actually optimistic. However, I want to point out that a social Europe must also include a Europe of health. And universal health coverage, access to health treatment, and the provision of public services to the health sector are a major challenge, especially for poor people. The most vulnerable people live shorter lives and suffer the most. And they face both a medical problem, a shortage of medicines, a shortage of doctors, and a lack of infrastructure. And therefore, we really need to point out that the European Commission's efforts with the Member States must be consistent, and the further development and further development of the European Health Union is also an integral part of poverty reduction. And, of course, to conclude, I regret that the European Health Programme has been cut, which is a very bad sign.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, a resilient Europe is not built through force. It is built through trust and is based on a long-lasting holistic approach. We must embed civil, military and public health cooperation with the public health workforce as a strategic bridge between institutions, citizens and armed forces. By empowering people, by investing in citizen-led resilience hubs, we will achieve whole-of-society resilience and co-create local responses. Preparedness must start long before the military is called. The goal is civilian deterrence, building such a strong public health system that threats are absorbed, not amplified. We must train law enforcement and the military in public health, so they support, not replace it. And we must stop ignoring noncommunicable diseases and mental health, which silently erode resilience every day. They are not secondary. They are core security threats. Europe must act now by investing in prevention and in the public health system as our first line of defence. I will welcome that strategy.