What Vytenis Povilas spoke about.

3 Apr

2025

LT Speech

Establishment of a European Day of the Righteous (debate)

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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 mean…

3 Apr

2025

EN Speech

European Action Plan on Rare Diseases (debate)

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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 mor…

2 Apr

2025

EN Speech

Immediate risk of further repression by Lukashenka’s regime in Belarus - threats from the Investigative Committee (debate)

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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, especi…

2 Apr

2025

LT Speech

Topical debate (Rule 169) - Social Europe: making life affordable, protecting jobs, wages and health for all

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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. T…

1 Apr

2025

EN Speech

EU Preparedness Union Strategy (debate)

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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 ac…

1 Apr

2025

LT Speech

Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 20 March 2025 (debate)

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Mr President, Mr Costa, Mr Šefčovič, Commissioner. I would like to thank you for the conclusions, to say that they are indeed heading in the right direction. But can we make a promise that member states will implement the banking union, implement the capital markets union and complete the unification of the single market within two years? Can we say that the Multiannual Financial Perspective will …

31 Mar

2025

EN Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Madam President, we are now starting discussions on the 2026 budget and upcoming new MFF, the budget of our Union. Unfortunately, the budget for the EU4Health programme, a key component of the European Health Union, was reduced by EUR 1 billion following the last MFF revision. This is completely unacceptable. We are now facing a range of new challenges, including the urgent need to strengthen our …

13 Mar

2025

LT Speech

A Vision for Agriculture and Food (debate)

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President of the meeting, Commissioner. I would like to draw attention in my vision to these two sectors: to the sector Competitive and resilient sector and to the sector Future-proof sector. The two are infinitely related to one very important aspect. These are things that need to be addressed in a holistic way in the vision, when there are terrible challenges that do not depend on agriculture, o…

12 Mar

2025

LT Speech

Unlawful detention and sham trials of Armenian hostages, including high-ranking political representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh, by Azerbaijan

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President, Commissioner, colleagues. After the military action of Azerbaijan Artsakh Nagorno-Karabakh, which is home to ethnic Armenians, has disappeared. Only a dozen Armenians remained, all others had to retreat to Armenia. In essence, Azerbaijan has carried out ethnic cleansing, a crime that is a serious crime under international law. Azerbaijan has violated its international obligations, inclu…

13 Feb

2025

EN Speech

Cross-border recognition of civil status documents of same-sex couples and their children within the territory of the EU (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, of course, no child should be discriminated against because of the way they were born or the type of family they were born into. It is crucial. It is enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty, Article 2. Please read this article. We are all obliged to fulfil the requirements of human rights. All. It's not a question of religion. Those who are mentioning Christianity, please rea…

13 Feb

2025

EN Speech

EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement (debate)

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Mr President, dear Commissioner, colleagues, I heard a lot of misinformation and lies when we were speaking about sanitary and phytosanitary standards. Colleagues, European sanitary and phytosanitary standards are not negotiable! The EU has very stringent standards to protect human, animal and plant health, and any product sold in the EU must comply with the European Union standards. I have been C…

12 Feb

2025

EN Speech

US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, the World Health Organisation and the suspension of US development and humanitarian aid (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, of course, the United States' withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and WHO, and the suspension of US humanitarian aid is a shameful and irresponsible decision. WHO plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world's people, including all of us, including Americans, by addressing the root causes of disease, building stronger health systems…

12 Feb

2025

EN Speech

Commission Work Programme 2025 (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, you know very well, through excellent work, better regulation – not deregulation, not less regulation, but better regulation. We know how it is difficult to achieve, especially keeping in mind that jungles are rooted at Member State level. My first proposal is, yes, it would be good to see, to encourage, Member States, the Council to look into better regulation. Seco…

11 Feb

2025

EN Speech

Protecting the system of international justice and its institutions, in particular the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, Council, it is clear that ever since the ICC issued an arrest warrant against PM Netanyahu and a former Israel defence minister, Trump issued an executive order to impose sanctions against ICC staff and their family members. Autocrat Putin in Moscow is very happy with this Trump decision and maybe Salvini and Meloni also. The threat of imminent sanctions is already a…

11 Feb

2025

LT Speech

Wider comprehensive EU-Middle East Strategy (debate)

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Mr President, honourable Commissioner, honourable colleagues. The title of our debate is about the strategic and overarching policy of the European Union in the Middle East. However, I am much more offended by the absence of short-term actions. Trump's statement about the establishment of a riviera in Gaza is an object of cartoonists. But the silence on the part of the Commission and the silence o…

11 Feb

2025

LT Speech

The need to address urgent labour shortages and ensure quality jobs in the health care sector (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, Member of the Council. Indeed, I agree with the European Commission's assessment of the situation. Unfortunately, the health sector is currently facing a huge labour shortage crisis – a huge one – in all European Member States. And not only are there unevenly distributed institutions in the health sector, but we even see medical wastelands in individual countries. Medic…

11 Feb

2025

EN Speech

Preparedness for a new trade era: multilateral cooperation or tariffs (debate)

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Madam President, the European Union's response to Trump's actions is to take immediate retaliatory actions, both within the WTO and by using our trade defence instruments, imposing tariffs and pursuing remedies through the Enforcement Regulation, the Anti‑Coercion Instrument and the Safeguarding Regulation. We cannot afford to let Trump divide us. Only the unity of our actions will determine the s…

10 Feb

2025

EN Speech

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: the need for the European Union to contribute to resolving the humanitarian crisis of persons missing in wars and conflicts (debate)

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Mr President, Syria. Sudan. Ukraine. Gaza. Coming at the end of a long list of failures by the international community to prevent the abuse of human rights and mass atrocities, makes one thing clear: the direction of the human rights initiative today is no longer a question of advances and setbacks; it is a question of whether human rights will manage to remain relevant to international politics, …

10 Feb

2025

LT Speech

European Central Bank – annual report 2024 (debate)

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Mrs Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, Commissioner. Naturally, the great achievement of containing inflation, the tremendous achievement of guaranteeing the stability of the euro. It is essential to continue to draw our attention to the extremely complex international environment. The current administration in the United States is threatening tariffs. The Commission, in Jean-Claude …

23 Jan

2025

LT Speech

Cryptocurrencies - need for global standards (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner Brown, it is a great pleasure to welcome and a very, very good idea and in the right direction. Here one colleague talked about God's blessing, so I will remind him that God not only blessed, but gave the Decalogue and gave over three hundred commandments and ordinances. Thus, the regulation began with God. I wish everyone not to forget that. Secondly, I want to point ou…

22 Jan

2025

LT Speech

EU financing through the LIFE programme of entities lobbying EU institutions and the need for transparency (debate)

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Mr President, honourable Commissioner Petra Serafin, honourable colleagues, as former Commissioner for Food Safety and Public Health, I have worked on the European Public Health Platform with eleven thousand non-governmental organisations that have registered there. Eleven thousand. How Animal Welfare I have worked on the platform with many organisations that have also registered in hundreds. And …

22 Jan

2025

LT Speech

Links between organised crime and smuggling of migrants in light of the recent UN reports (debate)

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Mr President, honourable Commissioner, as you can see, you have listened to such passionate speeches here after President Trump, perhaps inspired by the many little Trumps here in the Chamber by the little Trumps group. But I must certainly defend the Commission's proposals and, nevertheless, campaign for a detailed proposal for the establishment of a legal migration road infrastructure as soon as…

22 Jan

2025

EN Speech

Addressing EU demographic challenges: towards the implementation of the 2023 Demography Toolbox (debate)

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Mr President, dear Commissioner, population ageing, a shrinking working population and labour shortages are the most pressing demographic challenges now in Europe. The shrinking birth rate depends on the decision of the young population. But there is another aspect that is reducing our population and workforce that we can better affect. This is the high number of premature deaths in the EU. Every …

22 Jan

2025

LT Speech

Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 19 December 2024 (debate)

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Mr President, Mr Costa, honourable Commissioners. It is a pity that Ursula von der Leyen is not among us. But I would like to pay close attention right away. Donald Trump's decision to leave the World Health Organization is shameful. This will be a tremendous blow to many things, starting with the terrible threats in the regulation of pandemics, the high number of deaths around, and it must undoub…

21 Jan

2025

LT Speech

Further deterioration of the political situation in Georgia (debate)

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Mr President, honourable Commissioner, colleagues, all those who have spoken, to a lesser extent, are in fact underlining infinitely clearly that a large part of Georgian society is ready to demand repeated and fair elections. And it is clear that we must clearly answer ourselves the question: What has the Commission done or failed to do in five years? When that was five years ago, it was called t…