Speeches

Madam President, Commissioner, yes, what we want to say in this debate is that when friends are going through a crisis, they need help. It is not in vain that they say: ‘You will meet a friend in need.’ It is very good that the European Union has special trust funds through which we can help those who are in crisis today and those who are most in need. These are not symbolic amounts. In the case of Turkey, we sent around six billion euros to help refugees, and it was the European Union that was one of the largest contributors to the Syrian refugee crisis. But what needs to be said is that we need to have oversight and control over money. And that is what we have always advocated in the Committee on Budgetary Control. It's impossible to put money on someone's plate and not ask what they got for it. We need to talk to our partners and ask our Turkish partners where the money ended up and what the benefits are, what its purpose is and how it will continue to be worked with, and who the recipients of the money are. Yes, many things have gone well, but we need to keep going, and we need to keep this money going to those who really need our help. Finally, let me thank those who used this money and helped to get it to the most vulnerable, namely women, children and elderly people.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, Aristotle has already said that man is a social being. So let's get into these people, let's get a little empathy for us people. Let us not talk here about what Europe has done for people, but let us talk about what those people have experienced. This debate should also be about a certain approach and a change in our thinking. She should show us something. It's not just about talking about how good the European Union is. Some things just didn't work, and we have to learn from them. How does society exist when we can't meet? What was it when we couldn't exchange our opinions and were separated in social isolation? What was it like for families, families with children, mothers who had to do their job next to their job, or even fathers, to manage their work, which they did for a hundred percent or more? And we must also say that the pandemic has affected the most vulnerable, i.e. the elderly. It is very important to remember the stories of generosity from all the countries of the European Union. In the Czech Republic, people sewed masks, young people went shopping for old people, there were a lot of digitization projects. When I was helping in the hospital, I used mobile phones to contact seniors with their children. And I can tell you that these stories are very moving, and they still give me a chill. People who hadn't seen their relatives for months could just finally meet them. And I would like to say that we should learn from the negative. In the end, the whole pandemic has somehow managed and it is up to us how we will learn from it in the future.

Mr President, Commissioner, a healthy and prosperous democracy goes hand in hand with the responsible management of European Union money. We all know that democracy in the Member States of the European Union does not have the same level. That is why the budget of the European Union must be under stricter scrutiny, and we must clearly define what happens if the rules that we, as the European Union, require of other Member States are not complied with. So what happens to this money? Who will they go to and under what conditions? I think we are forgetting the most important thing, and that is the condition of the rule of law. Respect for the rule of law is the alpha and omega of the whole system. And then his enforcement. I think that today's debate is an appeal to the Commission to start addressing this issue. What else are we waiting for?

Mr President, Mr Vice-President of the European Commission, Mr Hoyer, yes, we care about making money from the European Investment Bank work efficiently, which is why it is called the Investment Bank. We have to invest in projects that will go into the future and that will be effective. It does not matter if the project is green, blue or purple, but it is important that the project really works as such in the European Union, which will trigger more and more projects. We should not create further barriers between Member States by supporting a sector in one and not in another. And I think we should focus all our efforts on efficiency. Some may not like it, but not everything that seems green at first glance can end up being effective and can lead to the goals we've set ourselves.