What Vytenis Povilas spoke about.

6

Oct

2025

LT Speech

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Revision of the Visa Suspension Mechanism (debate)

President, Commissioner. Visa-free travel is based on the principle of mutual trust between the Member States of the European Union and third countries. And the visa suspension mechanism is an integral part of building trust in the visa-free regime, as the abuse of the visa-free regime is a challenge that destroys trust. If there is a threat, a review of this mechanism is necessary. There can be n…

6

Oct

2025

LT Speech

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Intergenerational fairness in Europe on the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner. I belong to the older generation. That is why I can safely say on behalf of that older generation, the sizes of pensioners, men and women, are too big, the differences are big, the differences between pensioners in Eastern Europe and those in Western Europe are too big. Poverty among pensioners is evident, loneliness problems among pensioners are high, access to health …

11

Sep

2025

LT Speech

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Solidarity with Poland following the deliberate violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues. Here a large part, a large part of our Parliament, spoke unanimously and expressed solidarity with Poland. Indeed, the activation of Article 4 of the NATO Treaty and the way in which consultations are now conducted are exactly what is needed most today. But this event reveals very well the farce that happened in Alaska when U.S. President Donald Trump took pictures w…

11

Sep

2025

EN Answer

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Summer of heatwaves in the EU: addressing the causes and providing adequate housing and health policies to address record-breaking temperatures (debate)

Absolutely, for sure. I think we all are like-minded here – the need to have EU4Health separate programmes from the Commission. Absolutely – because you have no chance to solve problems without very effective financial means.…

11

Sep

2025

EN Speech

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Summer of heatwaves in the EU: addressing the causes and providing adequate housing and health policies to address record-breaking temperatures (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, of course, summer heatwaves in Europe have become an urgent crisis, claiming over 175 000 lives per year annually, it's a very big challenge for all of us. Of course, it's not only an environmental or social issue, it is a public health issue and, of course, it costs a lot. It also creates a lot of economic challenges. The European Union must address the causes and cons…

11

Sep

2025

EN Speech

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A new vision for the European Universities alliances (debate)

Mr President, we need a clear legal status for alliances, which would make it easier for universities to initiate and lead European projects, pool resources, enhance their autonomy, reduce administrative burdens, attract funding and broaden their governance structure. We ask the European Commission to take further steps towards a European degree that is based on European criteria, as a step toward…

10

Sep

2025

LT Speech

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China’s unjustified decision to impose duties on imports of pork products from the EU and the need to support European farmers and workers (debate)

Mr President, I will speak Lithuanian. This is all the more so since, in relations between China and the European Union, tariff and tariff problems have always been on the table. It is worth remembering when the problem of African swine fever was complicated, and in this case, when that plague then moved to China, China also initially defended itself, defended itself against unjustified tariffs, b…

9

Sep

2025

LT Speech

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Strengthening Moldova’s resilience against Russian hybrid threats and malign interference (debate)

Mr President, honourable Commissioner, honourable colleagues. Today, President Maia Sandu's speech here in the European Parliament was based on facts, figures and irresistible arguments. Putin’s regime’s efforts to influence the outcome of Moldova’s parliamentary elections on 28 September and to seize Moldova through ballot boxes, in the most gross violation of international law, which is absolute…

9

Sep

2025

LT Speech

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Ukraine (joint debate)

President of the meeting, honourable Commissioners, colleagues. When I listen in this room to the statements of those representatives who call themselves patriots, I reluctantly remember the sentiment: Patriotism is often the last refuge of the bastards. Do patriots who call themselves that sometimes fail to grasp the meaning of this sentiment? And especially French patriots could turn to history …

8

Sep

2025

EN Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Mr President, dear colleagues, the EU faces a critical juncture marked by war in Ukraine, geopolitical shifts, transnational crises, EU internal difficulties and new political goals. A few months ago, the Commission presented us with a project for a new budget of almost EUR 1.8 trillion. The amount sounds impressive, but in reality it is not. If we take away the interest of Next Generation EU loan…

8

Sep

2025

EN Speech

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Public procurement (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, public procurement must drive social progress and sustainability. We need to include in public procurement mandatory social criteria, mandatory environmental criteria and also workers' rights. Of course, we need to promote European preference, to limit the number of subcontractors and to include the 'buy local' approach and, of course, fight against corruption, favourit…

8

Sep

2025

LT Speech

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Investments and reforms for European competitiveness and the creation of a Capital Markets Union (debate)

Mr President, honourable Commissioner, Mr Aurore, congratulations, excellent report! And now we need to convince all of us that without a capital markets union, without a banking union, without own resources, without attracting risk capital – let us stop talking about the investment climate. Investment is needed for everything, and for those who talk about agriculture, about social issues, about e…

10

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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Endometriosis: Europe’s wake-up call on the gender health gap (debate)

Mr President, dear Commissioner, let me start with some sentences. It is incredibly frustrating to see such a sensitive topic as women's health repeatedly scheduled for the very end of the European Parliament plenary agenda. This consistent demotion of health-related discussions suggests a worrying undervaluation of their importance. Why are these vital conversations related to health being margin…

10

Jul

2025

LT Speech

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Post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, thank you very much for the good visit to Lithuania and the excellent dialogue with the farmers. I have witnessed that both farmers and you are in favour of a progressive, sustainable, productive, just, resilient and viable agriculture. Thank you for all the initiatives, but we need a separate budget. Any fragmentation of the budget would weaken the European Union's …

9

Jul

2025

LT Speech

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Presentation of the Stockpiling Strategies - strengthening response capacities for a changing risk and threat landscape (debate)

I warmly welcome and particularly welcome both the stockpiling strategy and the stockpiling strategy for medical devices. They will further strengthen the first block of the European Health Union, which is based on a whole concept of crisis management, crisis preparedness, including HERA, including a vaccine strategy, including preparedness to procure tools to protect people. I would like to point…

9

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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EU Preparedness Union in light of the upcoming wildfire and droughts season (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, dear Commissioner, of course, wildfire has no longer affected only southern Europe, but also erupted in northern and central regions of the European Union and wildfires are now no longer a seasonal phenomenon. They are a persistent, systemic threat and they require a systemic response. Over 150 experts from the EU proposed an integrated wildfire risk management st…

9

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 26 June 2025 (debate)

Madam President, dear Commissioner, the European Union faces a critical juncture marked by geopolitical shifts, transnational crises and internal complexities. For geopolitical reasons, the European Union enlargement is high on the political agenda, but the European Union is not ready yet to welcome new members, either institutionally or policywise. You remember the excellent report which shows th…

8

Jul

2025

LT Speech

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Situation in Belarus, in particular the release of political prisoners (debate)

Mr President, colleagues, I would like to mention one name: Mykola Statkevič. He is the leader of the Social Democratic Party of Belarus, which has always been active in the fight for democracy and human rights since the declaration of independence of Belarus, and has always been the most active participant in the resistance against the authoritarian regime. We are all well aware that the European…

8

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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Presentation of the programme of activities of the Danish Presidency (debate)

Madam President, Prime Minister, your programme calls for a strong Europe in a changing world. But it would be good to enshrine one word: a strong social Europe in a changing world. And I trust the Danish Social Democratic Government, because you can do your best, strengthening the social dimension in the EU, because a social dimension means possibilities to convince European people to have much s…

8

Jul

2025

LT Speech

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Preparation for the 2025 EU–China Summit - Tackling China's critical raw materials export restrictions

Mr President, I would like to support the position put forward by the Commission and indeed call for the relaunched negotiations to raise issues that would be defined as upholding the priority of international law in all relations. In this case, it is particularly important to draw China's attention to the fact that the war that Russia is continuing against Ukraine must be stopped, as this undermi…

7

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Madam President, the Union is facing the urgency of change. The Danish EU Presidency is just beginning. Denmark has named its programme 'A strong Europe in a changing world'. This programme extensively discusses strengthening EU security, increasing competitiveness, emphasising the need to help Ukraine in political, economic and military terms. However, the EU stands at an obvious crossroads. Can …

19

Jun

2025

LT Answer

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Institutional and political implications of the EU enlargement process and global challenges (debate)

My answer is very clear: The Ukrainian people want to be in the European Union. I was there two weeks ago. And I believe that if I came to your country, I would convince your people, too, because they also joined the European Union with all sorts of corruption in your country. Corruption is worldwide. Stop speculating about it. It's just bigger or smaller. We will also overcome it, but we will ove…

19

Jun

2025

LT Speech

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Institutional and political implications of the EU enlargement process and global challenges (debate)

Mr President, honourable Commissioner, colleagues. The European Union is jerking up on the ground. Global challenges and the citizens of the European Union demand a stronger and more effective Europe and action. As early as 2023, the European Parliament submitted concrete proposals to the European Council with recommendations, taking into account the proposals of both citizens and the Conference o…

18

Jun

2025

EN Speech

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Electricity grids: the backbone of the EU energy system (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, may I remind you all of the joint declaration by Jacques Delors and Jerzy Buzek for a new European energy community. It was declared on 5 May 2010 – and still we are debating a European energy union. Can you imagine? 15 years – we are very slow! An energy union that delivers competitiveness, security, decarbonisation and a just transition will provide end users with …

18

Jun

2025

EN Speech

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Upcoming NATO summit on 24-26 June 2025 (debate)

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. …