What Vytenis Povilas spoke about.

9 Oct

2025

LT Speech

Declaration of principles for a gender-equal society (debate)

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First of all, I want to thank Commissioner Lahbib, and, as you can see, this debate proves once again how necessary this declaration is. Even in this hall, the rights of the family's people are attacked in the name of defending the family's rights. Kinder, Kleider, Kirche, Küche has long been regarded as a doctrine contrary to human rights. And it is clear that the issue of women's rights is an in…

8 Oct

2025

EN Speech

United response to recent Russian violations of the EU Member States’ airspace and critical infrastructure (debate)

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Madam President, dear Commissioner, we condemned – in the strongest terms – Putin's aggression against Ukraine and military and hybrid provocations against the EU and its Member States. The European Commission proposed: first, the protection of sovereignty and critical infrastructure of the European Union and its Member States; second, the creation of multi-layered anti-drone and air defence syste…

7 Oct

2025

EN Speech

Common agricultural policy (joint debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, of course, I am fully in line with you, and it is a very big achievement to see simplification – of course, not deregulation. And, of course, the whole package is very important to our farmers. But let me remind you that the common agricultural policy should be also kept in the hands of the European Commission, not at the level of national governments. There is a nee…

7 Oct

2025

LT Speech

The EU’s role in supporting the recent peace efforts for Gaza and a two-state solution (debate)

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President, colleagues, Commissioner. Let me say that today we are celebrating 7 October, two years, but we can also remember today the 30-year event that shocked the world when Icchak Rabin was shot dead by a Jewish extremist for laying the foundations for the emergence of the two states, the Oslo Accord. This is what he said loudly: “We who have faced against you, the Palestinians. We say to you …

7 Oct

2025

LT Speech

This is Europe - Debate with the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Luc Frieden (debate)

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Dear Prime Minister, indeed, you have rightly mentioned that you represent a small country in the European Union, but we are all well aware that there are only two types of countries in the European Union: small and those who do not understand that they are small! France and Germany are nationalists and patriots. They do not understand that they are small, and no one gets caught talking about the …

6 Oct

2025

EN Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Madam President, dear Commissioner, President Donald Trump's newly announced tariffs on pharmaceuticals are a direct threat to the European Union's pharmaceutical industry. These tariffs will inevitably push up drug prices and disrupt the supply chain, harming patients on both sides of the Atlantic. Ironically, it will be American citizens who will pay the price first and understand what 'America …

6 Oct

2025

LT Speech

Revision of the Visa Suspension Mechanism (debate)

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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

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

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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

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

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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

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

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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

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

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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

A new vision for the European Universities alliances (debate)

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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

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)

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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

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

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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

Ukraine (joint debate)

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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

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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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

Public procurement (debate)

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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

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

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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

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

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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

Post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (debate)

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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

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

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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

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

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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

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

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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

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

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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

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

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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…