Speeches

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, let me begin by answering the question of why we are actually talking about the European Education Area and what we expect from it. This space has actually existed for hundreds of years. Universities contribute significantly to its development. While tertiary education has included an international dimension from the outset, primary and secondary education is strongly embedded in the national and regional context. We are aware that the European Union has only a coordinating and supporting role in the field of education policy. But we all know that education is the key to life's success. We know how important it is for everyone and for society as a whole, and that is why we want to tap into the potential that the European Union has in itself: mobility, investment, vast wealth of experience and knowledge, and excellent research. The main reason for building a common education area is to create new concrete opportunities for education and employment. We expect the European Education Area to strengthen European belonging, promote economic and social prosperity and strengthen the EU's international competitiveness. We highlight the role of programmes such as Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps, which enable mobility and the sharing of good practice with European added value for thousands of pupils, teachers and volunteers. Finally, the European Education Area should meet citizens' expectations of the permeability of education systems across Member States. We know this is not easy, but our goal is to achieve automatic recognition of learning outcomes, including school-leaving certificates, graduation certificates and university diplomas. Acknowledging the different approaches of the Commission and the Council, we propose to develop a common strategy involving the EU institutions, Member States, including regions and civil society. If we want to turn an ambitious vision into reality, we need to find an agreement on the same priorities, targets and benchmarks. The most important of these should be the quality of education, i.e. the share of underachieving pupils should be less than 10% and the share of early school leavers should be less than 5%. There is a consensus on the principle of inclusion, that is, achieving quality education for all. No one should be left behind, and everyone has a talent that needs to be appreciated. At the center of our attention is the pupil and the key actor are the teachers. This is why the European Parliament calls for improved working conditions for teachers and supports their pedagogical autonomy. The European Education Area is a very suitable environment for developing specific tools such as the Digital Competence Framework, the EU Education Framework, citizenship education, the creation of European Centres of Vocational Excellence or the European Online University Platform. The European Parliament also proposes concrete measures to improve language competences and promote multilingualism. Member States should endeavour to ensure that all pupils at the end of second grade have a command of at least two other official EU languages, with an emphasis on English. Finally, the Union should educate its citizens on EU issues and provide them with information about itself, what the EU really is. This is why we call for the integration of the European dimension in education, from school programmes to teacher training. We commend the European Commission's initiative to establish a Teachers' Academy and propose that it bear the name of Jan Amos Comenius, Teacher of Nations. Ladies and gentlemen, today's discussion completes our annual work on this report. I personally have a very good feeling about it and I want to thank in particular all the shadow rapporteurs and advisors who have contributed to its quality. I look forward to today's discussion and further cooperation.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we all know that the protection of external borders is one of our basic tasks. If there is to be safe free movement within the Schengen area, we have no choice but to ensure 100% the security of the external border. I think that is what the countries on the external border of the European Union are trying to do, and they do not have an easy situation. Croatia is facing great pressure, and I trust the Croatian Government to ensure security and to respect human rights for refugees. I expect that the Hungarian-Serbian border will also be strictly protected, but at the same time it will allow the entry of refugees who are entitled to international protection. Hungary will undoubtedly be assisted in this effort by international forces, including those coming, for example, from Member States, including the Czech Republic, and I believe that Frontex will also return to assist Hungary. I personally visited Greece and was convinced that the conditions there had improved significantly. The current Greek government has the situation under control. It combines rigour, consistency and the necessary humanity with respect for human dignity. She was able to move unaccompanied children from detention centers to shelters and, above all, to the mainland, seeking to provide them with adequate care, including education. A lot of work is done by the non-profit sector, to which I would like to thank. The return policy and the length of asylum processing periods have also improved. Poland and the Baltic countries are facing a difficult situation. Refugees are being used by Lukashenka as weapons against the EU. We must reject this extortion. I understand how difficult it is for refugees, but they too need to know the truth, what game they're in and who they're supposed to serve. Poland and the Baltic countries have our full support in protecting their borders.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the cultural and creative sector has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and limited in the long term. It turns out that the resumption of cultural activities is not as fast as in other sectors. For example, while freight transport has increased to 105 % compared to the pre-pandemic period, the number of visitors to monuments and cultural events has not risen at all. Rather, it is a slow return. This makes it all the more important to support the cultural and creative sectors. This makes it all the more important that financial support from the Recovery and Recovery Fund of at least 2% actually goes where it should go. I thank the Commissioner for promising the Commission's support here, for listing all those programmes where the cultural sector is remembered, be it Horizon Europe, Creative Europe, InvestEU, Digital Europe, Erasmus+. Indeed, it is possible to support artists and workers from these programmes everywhere. And we will monitor how effectively these funds will be used. The cultural sector requires not only financial support, but also the creation of incentive conditions. I am not in favour of harmonising industrial relations, but I am sure that the exchange of experience from good practice and ensuring fair conditions for artistic creative activity in the internal market will help here. The European Parliament is therefore calling for the implementation of the Copyright Directive in the Digital Single Market. In fact, online space has become the main space for many artists during the pandemic, both for realisation and for earnings. It is therefore necessary to promote vocational training in the digital environment, and it is also necessary to ensure that authors are protected in their creations and that they receive sufficient remuneration. This should be facilitated by proper implementation. Here I would once again call on the Commission to work with the Member States on this implementation. Freedom of expression for artists and creators is also an important aspect, said my colleague Monica Semedová, who I want to thank for this report. I want to remind you that the European Parliament will always support the freedom of artists. This is our commitment in this European Parliament.

Madam President, the European Union, together with the Member States, is working to promote effective measures to combat financial fraud and money laundering, and must also enforce them. It is a great paradox that these rules should be actively enforced by one of the actors of the Pandora Papers scandal, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. If it were to tighten the control and transparency of financial flows, it would be against itself. The same Andrej Babiš who has been demonstrably convicted of a conflict of interest by the European Commission. This new revelation places him in an international society of financial adventurers who do business by all possible means, including illegal ones. Andrej Babiš faces criminal prosecution at home, which takes a suspiciously long time, defends himself in Brussels, and now he is awaiting further investigation, perhaps in France, in the United States. Therefore, instead of defending the interests of the citizens of the Czech Republic, he will have to defend himself before the police and courts in these countries. I appreciate the work of investigative journalists who have worked together around the world to uncover this case. It's not conjecture, it's facts. Andrej Babiš does not deny these transactions either. Already this Friday, citizens in the Czech Republic can decide on a change and have a chance to choose a new prime minister. A premiere that will be a credible partner in the European Union and will truly defend the interests of Czech citizens. So please keep your fingers crossed for us! So fingers crossed!

Mr President, the Hungarian law we are discussing deserves the attention of citizens in Hungary in particular, who should comment on it, because the organisation and content of education is a competence of the Member States. Both Hungary and Poland must be mindful of the protection of the human dignity of all their citizens, indeed of all. And I want to assure my colleagues, my colleague Biedrona, that she has my support and she does not have to worry, we will defend their human dignity. And it seems that these laws are indeed provocative and therefore create great contradictions among citizens, but they have no impact on other Member States, and I consider this to be important, so I think that they should be assessed primarily at national level. What is important and why I decided to speak: there are things, there are initiatives by the Hungarian government that have an impact on other Member States, and this is the Hungarian government's inflammatory disinformation campaign published in some European daily newspapers as paid advertising on 29 June. This happened in the Czech Republic, Spain and Denmark, and may not have been published elsewhere just because the newspapers refused to print it. The European Union is an empire, according to the Hungarian government, and the European Parliament is a dead end. We must reject these and other manipulative and false claims. And it is no coincidence that this disinformation propaganda of the Hungarian government appeared in newspapers owned by the Czech Prime Minister. From a political point of view, these advertisements are interfering in the public space of other states, as Russia does. And I think that we must object, which is why I also call on the Commission to assess whether Hungary is violating the legal principle of sincere cooperation between EU Member States. Commissioner, please intervene.