Speeches

Dear President, Dear Commissioner Lahbib. Indeed, the list of all disability issues is very long and this debate is extremely valuable. However, I would like to draw particular attention, as a doctor and former Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, to the issue of the health of people with disabilities, to primary health care and integrated medical care, to screening accessibility of programmes for persons with disabilities and, in particular, access to dental care for persons with disabilities. This support is extremely problematic in all Member States of the European Union. It requires not only doctors, but also the establishment of infrastructure for dental prosthetics, operations, interventions, etc. for people with disabilities. Therefore, it would be very good for this to happen in the strategy. And I want to campaign for the introduction of mandatory minimum health and social standards across the European Union for people with disabilities, just as we have a minimum wage.

Mr President, honourable Commissioner. Before you in the Commission was Nicolas Schmit, another Luxembourgish, who was responsible for labour and social issues and, of course, the problems of the work of the agricultural sector, the problems of low wages, are very well known. However, I also want to point out that when it comes to health, one major problem is the remoteness of the health system from rural people. We call it Medical Deserts (Medical Desserts), where there is no primary care, no pharmacies or doctors, and those doctors are usually of a very high age. Therefore, my proposal for dealing with mental health, accidents (questions) Let us agree on the need for a separate programme not only for rural development, but also for improving the infrastructure for protecting human health in agriculture.

Mr President, honourable Commissioner, the subcontracting chain is, in fact, infinitely troublesome, as the exploitation of workers is by far the largest here. And, of course, it would be good for us to enshrine in the legislation the principle that the very first subcontractor in the subcontracting chain is responsible. He must be in charge of the whole chain until the end, no matter how many there sixteen ... (Word you can't hear). But the legal liability must be directed specifically at the first subcontractor. And I want to draw your attention to the shadow market and shadow mediators, especially in my health care sector, in long-term care, usually nurses with high qualifications are suddenly employed in lower qualifications and in really terrible conditions. This is a huge problem in the health sector.

Mr President, Mrs Roxana Mînzatu, you are from Romania and I am from Lithuania. And we are well aware that in the central and central part of the European Union, the right to strike, collective agreements and collective agreements are unfortunately very weakly implemented. And thus, we are well aware that the Pillar of Social Rights cannot be implemented without collective agreements, collective agreements and the right to strike. Mano pasiūlymas būtų, kad šalia Komisijos dabar iškeltos minties apie konkurencingumą ir investicijas lygiaverčiai būtų iškeltos sąlygos (conditionalities) structural support, public procurement, other European Union instruments. It is precisely to require Member States to implement 100% of the directives, to transpose and implement collective agreements and the right to strike in all 27 countries. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to talk about social Europe.

Dear Speaker, Dear Commissioner, I am probably the only one born in this room in Stalin's Gulag in 1951. My parents were arrested and deported to Stalin's gulags in 1941 for seventeen years. As a professional historian, I can certainly say that Putin's doctrine of falsifying history corresponds to the origin and meaning of authoritarian regimes. And here it is correct to consider it as the same composite function as Mussolini's fascists or the Nazis. It is the same group of dictators who use the falsification of history to justify their ideology. Therefore, the European Commission should really take steps to assess Putin's fascist ideology against Italian fascism and Nazi chauvinism.

Commissioner McGrath, I welcome the fact that the Commission has launched a procedure against TikTok and now the Commission must truly show its full strength as guardian of the Lisbon Treaties, guardian of our values and guardian of our democracy. It is quite clear that the functioning of the digital service platform must now be thoroughly analysed and you should present as soon as possible the steps that you should take collectively and especially in the Member States when it comes to regulating and harmonising the use of digital platforms during the electoral period. Monopolies and the ability to dictate and manipulate people's consciousness is a very powerful weapon. And we need, now more than ever, a very active coordination of forces, both in the harmonisation of elections at the level of the Member States and at the level of the European Union. We therefore welcome all steps and wish you speedy answers.

Commissioner, congratulations on the good initiative that has been launched. Let me recall not only Draghi's report, but Enrico Letta's report, in which he made it clear that the European Commission, the Council of Europe and the European Parliament need to add the fifth freedom, the freedom of research and innovation, to the four fundamental freedoms. When it comes to the ecosystem that should be exploited, I can offer you an excellent ecosystem, the European Reference Centres ecosystem, for the treatment of rare diseases, rare cancers and complicated diseases. 1,600 European centres in university hospitals connected by digital technologies. One million genomic initiatives, artificial intelligence and the ability to attract innovative industries would create a supranational ecosystem to fund innovations and discoveries in both treatments and medical devices. I would very much like to draw attention to European Reference centers.

I would like to point out, Commissioner, that when it comes to the issue of clean drinking water, it is indeed up to the Commission to implement a common strategy among the Commissioners. This is a matter of common strategy not only for you, but also for the Commissioner for Health, it is a matter of common strategy for the Commissioner for the Environment, for many others. It is clear that we need to address these problems among the 27 countries, also thinking about the need to build up drinking water supplies in times of drought and the need for rapid response and assistance. There can be no commercial interest here: drinking water is a human right, a health and a public good. Structural support and the possibility to set up water reserve funds with the help of those four or five countries facing drought and crisis must therefore be activated as a matter of extreme urgency. Of course, water pollution, hygienic conditions are the number one thing to implement immediately.

I would like to be very clear to say that aerosol smoking evidence is that it is harmful. It is harmful! Doesn't matter you are using it in public space or indoor and outdoor. It's science. It's evidence in our hands. Of course, you can tell me, 'Please look into details, for example, how the metres in the room,' and so on. You can find that it is helpful to those who are staying in the room. But generally speaking, if you are not stopping situation now to use such terrible issue, we can lose a lot of lives. You know, Dr Liese, better than me, because we are both colleagues. We need to stay and need to defend our right to save lives of our people.

Mr President, Commissioner, welcome. I am very happy to listen to you. Of course, tobacco remains one of the greatest public health threats and greatest killers in the modern world. We are losing every year a lot of numbers of premature deaths, colleagues. When we are speaking about tobacco, we are speaking about every citizen. Doesn't matter where he is living. And of course, the science is clear: there is no safe level of exposure to smoke or aerosol emissions. The need for stronger measures to protect citizens in both indoor and outdoor spaces have never been more urgent like today. By extending smoke-free policies to outdoor areas such as public transport hubs, near healthcare and educational institutions and in hotels and catering sectors, we will ensure a healthier environment for all. The goal of tobacco-free generation by 2040, as outlined in the European Beating Cancer Plan, is ambitious, but it is achievable. We must act now to implement stronger measures, ban harmful products from public spaces and if they are needed for medical purposes, regulate them accordingly, including making them available for sale only in pharmacies. It was my old proposal in 2013. When I am listening now to those arguments, nothing new from the industry side, nothing new from those who are lobbying such strange products as tobacco. Let's act now.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has turned, ironically, from a three-day Putin victory parade into a gruelling war that has been going on for almost three years. I admire all brave Ukrainians who are not afraid of the ruling Putin monster. Putin and Russia's constant request for help from almost all world rogue regimes, Iran and North Korea, first with ammunition and now with soldiers, only show that Putin's regime is weak. It is holding a clay neck that can crack at any moment. I have a question to all Putinophiles who are, unfortunately, still too many among Western politicians, but even more numerous among BRICS countries. Do you agree that in a modern world, one country can unilaterally redraw the borders by use of force? If you do agree with this, then a war will be on your shores and we can bury a modern international legal system, destroying cornerstones of peace and multilateralism. For me, answer is clear: we have to stand with Ukrainian people and do much more, and united for Ukrainian victory is only one right answer and our slogan.

Mr President, honourable colleague, Commissioner, today I think we can really assess that the G20 is a compromise, there is no doubt, because multilateralism unfortunately has to accept compromises. It is clear that the accents on war, on wars, on the Russian aggression against Ukraine are weak. The focus on the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is also weak. However, it must be said that the emphasis is on taxing the rich, on introducing climate change taxes, on paying more attention to generating income, because those who talk about education need to understand that education needs public finances. In order to obtain public finance for third countries, we need to tax the wealthier today. And here it is also absolutely necessary to say that the European Union needs to be given more competences, to be much stronger in the context of climate change, to have more powers. Only we can do that.

Dear colleagues in this Chamber, nationalists. You don't understand that the Finns have set a good example. Thinking Globally and Acting Locally. In this room, nationalists think differently: Thinking Locally and acting locally. This is the biggest mistake that has cost these nationalisms dearly. It must therefore be made clear once again that both Mr Draghi's report, Mr Letta's report and Mr Niinistö's report set a very clear good example. acting globally, thinking globally, but acting united. And we need the European Defence Union, the European Health Union, the European Security Union now more than ever. What is needed is that in every local place, in every city and in every capital, Europe will be able to respond to these enormous and numerous challenges.

Mr President, honourable Commissioner Mairead McGuinness, first of all, I sincerely pay tribute to you for your excellent work, for the wonderful and great energy you have put into the achievements of this mandate. Undoubtedly, no one, not even the vast majority of speakers, all supported the proposal to add Russia to the list of high-risk third countries. But the question is obvious: why are we late? This work could have been done much earlier. He could then have stepped up our efforts to control all sanctions. Because bypassing sanctions, the shadow economy, all those shadow schemes that are used to circumvent sanctions, they undoubtedly also rely on money laundering. That is why, in this package of 14 proposals, it was certainly necessary to think about this earlier, but it is necessary to do so as soon as possible.

Mr President, Honourable Commissioner. In fact, in your five-year term, you can now be sure of the essential fundamentals. Anti-Semitism has not disappeared in Europe, it is a long time ago. It is present in all countries, and it is clear that we are going through a major crisis in the Member States of Europe because we are not able to educate our children in the younger generation and in the education systems with an understanding and understanding of the tragedy of the Holocaust. At the same time, however, we must realise that covering up for one phenomenon as anti-Semitism, covering up for Islamic phobia or covering up for another form of hatred is also a path nowhere, honourable Commissioner. There is only one way that is absolutely clear: by analysing anti-Semitism, we must root it out, but we must also root out any form of hatred, especially if it is used for political purposes.

Mr President, I would like to draw attention to the unspeakable slowness of the European Union's railway projects. I will mention Rail Baltica, which was supposed to connect Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland. The project was created in 2004. Today we have 2024. As Commissioner, I travelled from Shanghai to Beijing with high-speed trains developed by Zeemens and others from EU Member States at a speed of 500 kilometres per hour. And this is an example of Europe having the capacity to build and properly infrastructural. There are many companies, but we need a European strategy that sets out rail investment priorities for the Member States, both in European industrialisation plans and in the context of defence. There is a need to revive the common European railway system.

Mr President, honourable Commissioner, it is indeed here that everyone has emphasised the very clear need for a plan of measures to combat quickly and effectively. Here, of course, we must give ourselves a clear answer to the question of how to strengthen the European Union Maritime Agency, how to encourage the Member States to work, because this is also a matter for the Member States, for the management of their ports and their ports, as well as their registers, for their inspections and, of course, for the private sector, which is undoubtedly involved in and mediating this shady transaction. A fortiori, diplomatic measures must also be applied, because we must understand that this is the same as with offshore firms and money laundering. Similarly, those third countries that sell their flags and enable them must also be blacklisted in order to solve this very complex problem in an integrated, rapid and efficient way. But, of course, the responsibility of the Member States is particularly great here.

Madam President, the interpretation was a little bit late. I will continue in the Lithuanian language. Honourable Commissioner, I really welcome your positions on the need for a very comprehensive plan to support the consistent implementation over the next five years of the instruments already adopted under the Digital Tools Act and other legislation. And this is right, but it is very important to note that we have unfortunately lost a broadcaster in the European Union, Euronews. Once upon a time there was an idea that it could be used for information about democracy, about enlargement, about human rights. We are weak enough now. Consideration should be given to a common platform that would also bring together national broadcasters from the Member States, which could contribute to strengthening democracy and countering hybrid attacks.

Mr President, the deputies sitting on the right here pointed to the left, which I will admit, I was born in Stalin's gulag and spent a lot of time deporting. That is why I say to those who say that the European Union needs fences, walls and barbed wire: The European Union is a fortress of human rights, international law and the rule of law and democracy, not fences and all others. There are no representatives of the Council of Europe here, and it is a pity that national governments and parliaments still do not implement the Migration Pact. Once again, the implementation of the Migration Pact is a matter of solidarity and responsibility for the governments of all 27 Member States. And all that the Commission is proposing must also be put into practice. That is why we must say once again that we are defending human rights.

Mr President, honourable Commissioner, honourable Minister, the draft tabled by the Council of Europe is unfortunately not in line with the priorities and those cuts for health, for Horizon, for Youth4Health are not in line with investment policy in principle, as it is part of investment policy, and for this reason I thank Victor Negrescu and all those working in the European Parliament who proposed a compromise on the draft and proposed increases specifically. It is good that the budget is not regressive and that is why we are very pleased (Chairwoman interrupted and asked to start again). And I would like to congratulate Victor Negrescu on his success, and I also want to say that the European Commission is right to say that it will support the European Parliament's proposal to increase spending, to increase investment in what has been proposed. Obviously, this is a compromise draft and we need to approve it as soon as possible, but, colleagues, the biggest problem in general remains that the Council of Europe has not yet adopted a stable own resource. Without stable own resources, we cannot move forward in the future. The budget of the European Union is generally too small. If we compare the budgets of all the Member States and if we are looking ahead to enlargement, the fact that 10 new members will have to be admitted, how can we think of the prospects with such a small budget for the European Union? It is clear that we also need to promote the revision of the Treaty of Lisbon, to stimulate the debate on the future. Otherwise, we will not achieve our goals.

Mr President, I will ask you in Lithuanian. You said you were in Moscow and saw a blossoming Russia. So the question is, were you in Putin's villa and there you saw that blooming Russia? Do you really know where you were?

Mr President, dear Vice-President of the Commission Margaritis, back in 2023 the Commission presented a comprehensive approach on mental health, aiming to address mental health holistically. It falls short of providing solutions to adequately address structural issues on the ground, and mental health strategy should also carry a very important point: mental health problems of health professionals. Access to care, waiting times, workforce shortages are not just policy points. They are the daily realities for millions of citizens across the EU and, moreover, affect the mental health of healthcare professionals. Of course, young people are being left behind on an outdated system, and while the current initiative and knowledge acknowledges the problem, it falls short of delivering the urgent action needed. Moreover, we have healthcare professionals on the brink of burnout, with over 80 % of nurses reporting psychological distress. Without investing in expanding their workforce and offering better support for mental health professionals themselves, how can we expect to tackle the growing crisis? Commissioner, there is no point in continuing to build a house on a crumbling foundation without a proper attack, attacking root causes of the disparities. Both the system and those who rely on it are at risk of collapse. I call on the Commission to come forward with a strategy and specific actions to make sure that this doesn't happen, and actions related to healthcare professionals. Mental health is very important now. We are looking forward.

Mr President, Mr Vice-President of the Commission, my colleague Margariti. Excellent, excellent presentation, well-discussed topics and great suggestions. A fortiori, this Chamber must respect the Treaty of Lisbon, which makes it very clear that the European Union is founded on all values: Humanism, democracy and the values of all religious cultures, from Christianity to Judaism, from Islam to paganism. The European Union is rooted in all its roots and all Member States are free, sovereign and therefore tolerance, dialogue and respect for cultures are the only way to further strengthen our democratic way of life. Thank you, Commissioner, and we must continue to strengthen the fight against intolerance.

Mr President, dear Vera, colleagues, as a former Commissioner, in the time of my mandate, I was fully involved in the creation of new laws: the Medical Device Regulation and the In-Vitro Medical Device Regulation. These regulations aim to create a robust, transparent and sustainable regulatory framework that is recognised internationally and that improves clinical safety for patients and creates fair market access for manufacturers and healthcare professionals. These regulations seek to increase the transparency of the system through the collation of key supply chains to create a central register of supply chain operators and notifying bodies, to allow the Commission to investigate when a notifying body does not seem to be fulfilling its function properly and to allow international authorities to control a notifying body's assessment of a manufacturers' documentation before it is placed on the market. Vitally, under the new directives, notifying bodies and supply chain operators remain almost entirely responsible for pre-market control. I believe the Commission has sufficient tools and instruments to implement the allocated tasks. Now it has to press the European Union's Member States, producers and the notifying bodies to implement the requirements of these regulations. I think the transitional period of 2027 is long enough. And we need to not make additional delays in this process. Please remember: patient safety first. It is our duty really to realise this.

Dear Chair of the meeting. Thank you, dear colleague, Commissioner Margarita. Thank you very much for presenting a truly comprehensive and comprehensive programme. And those who believe that there is only one cure in this difficult struggle are grossly mistaken. Similarly, those who often use the word fight. The drug strategy from 1946 to 2014 was a fiasco, recognised by the United Nations' complex commission, and Kofi Annan has made it very clear that these repressive measures killed more people than we expected. Therefore, truly integrated, science-based programmes based on principles and methodologies now endorsed by the United Nations must be pursued. But there is a responsibility here at the level of all states, and there must be coordination everywhere and at the same time at the level of the European Union. We have to deal with these problems in a complex and coordinated way, not in one-day campaigns.