Speeches

Dear President! I really want to welcome this United Nations agreement and congratulate both the Commission, the President of the European Parliament and the European Parliament delegation. I am fully aware of the unspeakably difficult, tense work that has been done between many delegations to get the document signed. There are times when goals are not achieved. And now we have a document that proves that multilateralism works. The United Nations system needs to be reformed, but it works, it needs to be reformed, because there is no other organisation that can replace it. It is therefore absolutely necessary to contribute to the further development of this solution and we should do our best to make the United Nations even stronger.

Mr President, Mrs Vera Jourova, Vice-President of the Commission. Congratulations to you. I do support the resolution, but I am a little different, because the European Union must show its enormous strength and influence. All the more so because in the Eastern Neighbourhood Policy we could have had a much greater influence on the democratic development of Georgian society for a long time. Everyone is so scared of Russia. I'm not afraid of Russia, but LGBT rights are being violated in the United States, Hungary and elsewhere. Let us be very clear. And here, in this building, there are representatives who would also violate LGBT rights. So that we have to ensure the problems of the pluralism of Georgia's youth and its progress, especially since their purpose is enshrined in the Constitution. Let us be strong and solidarity-based in Europe.

Mr President, first of all, dear colleague Stella Kyriakides, convey your warmest congratulations to Margrethe Vestager. All of you and we, in the past, have achieved a great victory in the Commission! It is important to note that this is only the beginning. Continue the fight against tax avoidance, tax laundering, aggressive tax planning and the exploitation of enormous lobbying influences to perpetuate unfair policies of tax competition between different tax advantages in Member States. It destroys everything. The European Union needs its own budget. We mean our own resources and the taxation of transnational stock corporations, banking corporations is a resource, and even the profits of transnational corporations are also a resource, so we must move forward and, most importantly, overcome the unanimity principle in the Council, because there will be a lot of trouble in the tax debate.

Madam President, honourable Commissioner, colleagues, friends, I will continue in my mother tongue because I think we need to use, for our neighbouring country, our own language – Lithuanian – because Lithuania is a neighbouring country with Belarus. Mr President, dear colleagues, this is not the first time that the European Parliament has debated political prisoners in Belarus. And it must be stated that in that country their situation remains extremely sad and even threatening. At the moment, more than 1,300 people in Belarus are considered political prisoners. The Belarusian regime continues to undermine human rights, international norms and even basic rights. And just to keep control of this regime in their hands. Within the European Union, Member States should make every effort to secure the release of political prisoners. And I support the main points of the resolution that talk about this. But although we do not consider Lukashenko de jure President of the United States, but we know that he de facto Controls the situation in the country. But one humanitarian option to save at least some political prisoners can be used. Even warring countries are able to carry out exchange operations for POWs. Recently, Western countries conducted a prisoner swap operation with Russia. Serious thought should be given to whether the same swap operation could be carried out to free Belarusian prisoners such as Maryya Kalesnikava, Mikalai Statkevich, Siarhei Tsikhanouski and others. My suggestion would therefore be to consider such a humanitarian option.

Mr President, dear Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, thank you for being here. Dear colleagues, the upsurge of Mpox cases in a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of continental concern. The current upsurge of Mpox in parts of Africa is an emergency not only for Africa but for the entire globe. The multi-country outbreak of Mpox is spreading rapidly via sexual contact across a range of countries where the virus has not been seen before. The WHO declared the current outbreak of Mpox a public health emergency of international concern. At the EU level, the ECDC has collected rapid scientific advice for public health authorities in the EU on its website, particularly related to information on: travelling to areas with ongoing Mpox transmission, diagnosis and isolation of cases, infection prevention and control measures, contact tracing, vaccination and others. It is clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop the outbreak and save lives. Dear colleagues, this outbreak shows that international pandemics are not over. The EU should continue sufficient financing of the EU4Health programme, sufficient financing of HERA and the ECDC, sufficient investment in vaccines production, and continued creation of a strong European Health Union. During this term of the European Commission, health should be high on the political agenda of this Commission and this House, and solidarity is needed. Health is not a national competence. It is an international concern and the challenges are global. We need to have a global health strategy. We need to achieve a pandemic treaty and have much stronger instruments addressing the global challenges which we are facing now.

Mr President, dear colleagues. Indeed, an attempt to freeze the conflict is disastrous for the European Union. And that formula – to support as much as needed – is not ambitious enough. Support should be provided as effectively, as much as possible, as quickly as possible and as coordinated as possible. That is why an increase in the percentage of financial support from all the countries of the European Union would be a good response. One cannot afford to support more, the other less. Solidarity, unity and strength! On the other hand, there is a clear need to curb the aggressor and defend the principle of inviolability of borders and territorial integrity. For this, it is necessary to act in an integrated manner so that the Zelenskyy peace plan can be fully implemented. There is no doubt that restrictions on the use of weapons supplied to Ukraine need to be removed. Ukraine must use them in the way it needs them most. Greater, faster and more effective integration of Ukraine into the European Union is a goal. The strengthening and creation of the European Union's defence is an objective. And the more effective, broader international diplomacy in isolating and restraining the aggressor is also the goal. Only complex, effective and strong measures can help us achieve a great victory and achieve peace, and at the same time defeat Putin's regime in Russia.

Mr President, honourable Commissioner, colleagues, we are indeed talking about an extremely difficult subject. Anti-Semitism has a tradition in Europe for thousands of years and, worst of all, it manifests itself in the most terrible Nazi bestialism. The Holocaust is an incomparable crime with no one, because it touches the foundations of human existence. Anti-Semitism is what is happening in Palestine. It is clear here that Netanyahu's actions in the Gaza sector are only fuelling and pouring fire on anti-Semitism. It goes without saying that there is no such thing as accusing Israel of committing genocide. No! But it is clear that we need to realise that this promotes hate phenomena. On the other hand, there are hate speeches in this room too, which, under the guise of defending oneself, suddenly begin to propagate anti-Islamism. These double standards can't go anywhere. We must defend human rights and fight against hate speech, against all forms of hatred.

Mr President, honourable Commissioner, colleagues, when you listen here to very ultra-patriotic speeches, you sometimes feel that this ultra-patriotism seems to be the last refuge for scoundrels. There is such a phrase, and it must be said that these speeches increase the fire of hatred, not anything else, but even more. In solidarity with the victims, the victims of Solingen, I want to tell those others – remember Breivik, who shot an enormous number of his compatriots in Norway. It had nothing to do with Islam. Terrorism has nothing to do with anything. It is a very complex human phenomenon. It is therefore very clear that the answer must be to implement the migration asylum pact. In the new multiannual financial framework, there is much more funding for Frontex, border protection, as well as support for third countries, social problems. There is a complex here, and only cross-cutting measures can help to resolve this, because the European Union is a Europe of human rights and of the solidarity that we have organised. And here the governments of the European Union need to be reminded...