Speeches

There is a need to significantly improve the position of sexual and gender minorities across Europe. Changing the situation requires changes in both legislation and attitudes. The first LGBTIQ equality strategy in history, published by the European Commission in November 2020, is a good step in the right direction, but the situation in Hungary shows how far there is still a journey to tolerance and equality. In Hungary, a law passed in June effectively teaches children about discrimination and prevents organisations representing sexual and gender minorities from carrying out educational activities and communication in the country. Such a restriction of minority rights and a violation of human rights is blatantly at odds with the fundamental values of the European Union. It is clear that the EU cannot finance actions contrary to its values, which essentially include equality, freedom of expression and the upholding of minority rights. The Commission is now a great watchdog when it starts implementing the rule of law mechanism, which allows EU funding to be withheld from Member States that violate the fundamental values of the Union. In addition, the funds of the stimulus package should not be transferred to the Hungarian administration until the rule of law situation in the country has improved and the discriminatory law has been repealed. Similarly, at the Conference on the Future of Europe, which has now begun, we must find ways to ensure that human rights and fundamental values are more effectively implemented in all Member States.

Mr President, honourable Members, today marks the Safer Internet Day, celebrated in over 160 countries around the world. This day highlights the importance of making the internet a better place for everybody, especially our children and young people. This same key objective is a high priority of my mandate. In Europe, we can be proud of our unique framework to protect minors online. At its core is the Digital Services Act (DSA), requiring that all platforms accessible to minors ensure a very high level of privacy, safety and security. With the DSA guidelines on the protection of minors, we have set a global benchmark. The guidelines serve as a very powerful addition for enforcing our online safety rulebook, as many of the ongoing DSA proceedings – for example, those against TikTok, Instagram and Facebook – stemmed from our suspicion that minors are not protected on these platforms like they should be. We are working hard to advance these proceedings. For example, just last week, we preliminarily found TikTok in breach of our rules for its very addictive design features such as infinity scroll, autoplay, push notifications and a highly personalised recommender system. We have also requested detailed information from Snapchat, YouTube and both app stores about how they keep children safe on their services. Recently, we also expanded our action against X with regards to the risks posed by their AI model Grok. Overall, we are in constant dialogue with these platforms to ensure that our rules are understood, followed and respected. Another important part of our framework I would like to mention today is the Better Internet for Kids strategy with the EU co‑funded network of Safer Internet Centres operating in every Member State. Every day, their helplines, hotlines and awareness centres are concretely helping our children, young people and others to stay safe online. But all this does not mean that we cannot and should not do more. Too many children and young people across Europe are feeling hurt, sad and left out due to the increasing cyberbullying they face. Over the past five years, cyberbullying has consistently been the main reason for contacting these Safer Internet Centres. A recent EU survey among 12 to 17‑year‑olds confirms that especially our teenagers are facing very widespread cyberbullying: 1 in 4 have experienced it personally, and more than 1 in 3 have witnessed cyberbullying. This is why we present on this Safer Internet Day an action plan against cyberbullying. Our action plan is the result of very broad stakeholder consultations, including with more than 6 300 children. The plan is built on three pillars, all complementing our existing toolbox. Firstly, the plan ensures a coordinated EU approach to protection. We want to make sure that children and youth across the EU are all equally protected and empowered. Based on a shared understanding of what cyberbullying is, we call for all Member States to develop coherent national cyberbullying policies. We are making sure that all our relevant tools are fit to combat cyberbullying, and that we make use of the latest technologies when addressing it. Secondly, we boost also prevention and awareness. Preventing harm means acting early and everybody has a role to play here. It means promoting respectful and responsible digital behaviour. We focus especially on digital literacy, which is crucial for the resilience of our societies in this digital era. We will make also practical tools available at the EU level, developed together with children, parents, educators, mental health professionals and civil society. Thirdly, we will improve reporting and comprehensive support. Victims and bystanders must know where to turn to get help. We will support the rollout of an online safety app across European Member States, enabling our children and young people to easily report cyberbullying and also receive very concrete help. Honourable Members, now I look very much forward to hearing your views on this important topic, and I count on your support in protecting and empowering our children and youth online.

Madam President, honourable Members, today the Commission adopted the Digital Networks Act. This proposal is strategic for Europe's place in the world. At a time of geopolitical tensions and rapid technological development, connectivity is no longer just about faster networks. It's about our competitiveness, our resilience and our sovereignty. The Draghi, Letta and Niinistö reports all stressed the need to simplify and harmonise our legislation, allowing European companies to scale up, invest and innovate. Today's proposal aims to deliver on this – more harmonisation, more competitiveness and more simplification, leading to more investments, security and resilience. First, to achieve these goals, we need to move decisively. This is why we proposed a regulation rather than a directive. A regulation will allow us rules to apply directly and uniformly across our Union. The DNA merges four existing legal acts into one single, modernised rulebook for telecoms. Second, we need to strengthen the single market for connectivity. Europe cannot lead the digital economy if our network operators are facing 27 different regulatory regimes. The DNA now introduces harmonised and simple rules for facilitating the provision of cross-border networks and also services, enabling providers to grow and scale up. We propose here a single passport for operators active in several Member States, with harmonised rules for general authorisation. Also, we are proposing stronger coordination in spectrum, both in spectrum planning and release and how it is designed. Also, we are proposing an EU-level authorisation for satellite connectivity that ensures a level playing field among all satellite players, enabling European companies to scale, innovate and compete globally. Third, we need a competitive connectivity infrastructure based on future-proof, advanced networks, so that all citizens and businesses are connected to high-performance gigabit networks. To this end, the DNA accelerates the transition to full-fibre infrastructure by setting a harmonised framework for copper switch-off. We ensure that the phase-out of copper networks is sustainable and secures the best possible outcome for consumers and operators. The copper switch-off should start by 2030 based on national transition-to-fibre plans presented by Member States in 2029. Copper will be switched off only once fibre coverage and affordable conditions are met in that area. After 2035, the copper-switch off should be mandated in all areas, with the exception of areas where fibre deployment is economically not viable. Importantly, the proposal also includes safeguards to ensure that consumers are protected throughout this process. In addition to supporting fibre uptake, access rules will become more focused, while at the same time maintaining the ability of the regulators to act quickly if competition is under threat. The DNA also sets conditions for spectrum management that increase investment in the sector and bring innovation. With unlimited licence duration, streamlined licence renewals and the obligation to share spectrum, we will increase predictability and unlock also investments. Fourth, the DNA is also about simplification. It reduces administrative burden and reporting obligations across all its provisions, thus freeing resources for investments and innovation. Overall, it also provides an upgraded governance system, renaming the BEREC Office as an office of digital networks with broader competences. This ensures that the new rules are applied coherently throughout our single market. BEREC will also help with simplification through common reporting templates. Fifth, we need to also reinforce our security and resilience. Connectivity has become a strategic asset. Recent crises have shown how vulnerable our infrastructure can be, either to geopolitical shocks, cyberthreats or physical disruptions. Connectivity networks are critical infrastructure and Europe must be able to protect them and to ensure communication continuity in all circumstances. The DNA will introduce resilience and security as cross-cutting horizontal objectives. It will establish an EU-level preparedness plan, which will strengthen Europe's capacity to prepare for, prevent and respond to incidents and cyberattacks. Regarding harmful interference from third countries, the DNA also sets a stronger framework to react. Moreover, it also adds new obligations to help tackle fraud. It also introduces, as a condition for the right to provide electronic communications networks and services, an obligation to comply with the cybersecurity supply chain obligations of the Cybersecurity Act, which we proposed yesterday. Failure to comply with those requirements may lead to withdrawal of the authorisation. Finally, we need to boost innovation in a broader digital ecosystem. The DNA proposal preserves open-internet principles and empowers the Commission to provide more legal clarity regarding innovative services, such as network slicing. It also encourages voluntary ecosystem cooperation, contributing to more efficient and reliable traffic management. Let me finish by saying that the DNA reflects our broader vision of Europe as a confident digital power – a power that shapes global standards, invests in its own capabilities, and sees digital infrastructure not only as an economic asset but as a geopolitical one. The DNA is a very clear signal that Europe is ready to act, ready to invest and ready to lead, making Europe a true AI continent.

Mr President, honourable Members, I want to thank everybody for your comments and contributions. With the Pact on Migration and Asylum coming into force this June, we are at the beginning of a crucial year of migration management. So, this is the right time for a new European asylum and migration management strategy, which we will present very soon. The proposed return regulation, the anti‑smuggling directive, the visa strategy and our migration diplomacy all go in the same direction: to effectively manage migration in a way that fulfils our obligations to those in need of protection; protects our citizens and our borders; and also supports our economic competitiveness.

Mr President, honourable Members, the EU has turned a corner on migration policy. Irregular border crossings at the EU's external borders fell by 26 % last year. The number of persons detected ‑ 178 000 ‑ is at the lowest level since 2021. And this is not happening by chance. It is the result of policy changes by the EU and the Member states. It is the result of growing trust and solidarity among our Member States, and it is also because of strengthened cooperation with the partner countries along key migration routes. And now we must continue this good work. There are still far too many people in the EU who have no right to stay, and only 1 in 4 of them leave the Union today. So we must increase the effectiveness of returns. Improving the return rate is also what citizens expect. The proposed return regulation will help us to do that by creating a common European system for returns, by closing loopholes and making procedures faster. That is why we ask you to continue advancing in your work, so that the negotiations with the Council can start without delay. Doing our homework inside the EU is one side of the work, but this must be matched with equal investment in enhancing our cooperation on readmission and migration management. Cooperation with third countries has helped us to achieve good results we must build on. We need our international partners to play a role in a whole of road approach. To do this, we will further strengthen partnerships with countries of origin and transit, for example in fighting migrant smuggling. Last month, at the Global Alliance Against Migrant Smuggling, we received commitments from over 50 international partners, sending a very powerful signal to the smugglers that their business model will no longer work. We must also make better use of migration diplomacy, linking our migration priorities to international cooperation, trade and investments. Visa-free travel is another powerful geopolitical tool we can use in our migration diplomacy. Article 25a of the Visa Code already links visa policy with cooperation on returns and readmissions of their own nationals illegally staying in the EU. Under our upcoming visa strategy we will propose to strengthen the role of article 25a in promoting our values and interests, and at the same time, the new visa strategy will convey a clear message, the EU's visa policy needs to become a core strategic tool supporting our security and our global influence, and equally our economy and competitiveness on the global stage. This takes me to the importance of legal pathways as a part of our migration strategy. Maintaining our competitiveness and prosperity will depend on our ability to attract the best skills and talent from everywhere in the world. And to remain a world leader in innovation, Europe must become a destination of choice for the world's most skilled and creative individuals. For this purpose, the Commission will present alongside the visa strategy, also a recommendation to Member States on attracting talent for innovation. To make this happen, we must maintain the trust of our citizens and show them that the EU is in control of migration. Not the migrant smugglers, not the traffickers, not the third countries who try to weaponise migration against us. So these are the essential points under our forthcoming European migration and asylum management strategy. So first, preventing illegal migration, breaking the business model of criminal smuggling networks, protecting people fleeing war and encouraging talent to come to the EU and make our economy more competitive. In other words, a migration and asylum policy that is fair and firm, defending our interests and also true to our values. Honourable Members, our migration policy has reached a turning point. We have a solid international legal framework with the Pact on Migration and Asylum, which Member States need to implement this year. We made progress in our work with our partners. We cut irregular migration and we are now stepping up legal pathways. Let us continue this progress together.

Madam President, honourable Members, thank you very much for your contributions and also for the very positive feedback and strong support we have in this House. I think that we all very much agree that this proposal comes at a time where Europe is facing the most severe security threats for generations, we can say, and the complex geopolitical context and very rapid uptake of emerging technologies calls for our united and decisive action. With this Cybersecurity Act, we are really covering all our critical fields now – even though we focused quite a lot on 5G in our discussion, because there we have been already working several years, so we have had this voluntary toolbox in place already from 2020, although all the Member States haven't implemented it yet. There we have already a lot of experience, and now we are proposing making this 5G framework mandatory, but we are also proposing that we start to carry out Union-level coordinated security risk assessments on different sectors which are defined in our NIS 2 Directive – critical sectors like energy, transport, water, healthcare. We are already carrying out that kind of risk assessment, where we are really also identifying the key assets in the ICT supply chain, and we are also proposing targeted mitigating measures to address these identified risks. Of course, this also comes with careful impact assessment when we propose these mitigating measures. The Commission will also provide a catalogue of high-risk suppliers, so it will be very clear which are the high-risk suppliers in different critical sectors after that. I very much want to thank you for all the strong support I heard today, because I see that, now more than ever, we need to really equip ourselves with robust and efficient cybersecurity tools, tools that allow for seamless cooperation across the EU. As it was said here – we are only as strong as our weakest link when it comes to cybersecurity, because we see that the cyber threat to one Member State is really a threat to all Member States – that is why it's important that we are acting now together.

Madam President, honourable Members, today we adopted a new cybersecurity package, a proposal for a revised Cybersecurity Act and a set of simplification measures. This is what Europe needs now. Almost daily, we see cyberattacks against our critical infrastructure – on hospitals, energy, water management, transport or public administration infrastructure. These operations are often part of a wider hybrid campaign linking to espionage, prepositioning ransomware and also disruptive operations. With today's proposal, we adapt our cybersecurity policy to this new reality. First, by ensuring that we have a strong EU agency for cyber security, ENISA. Second, by ensuring that we de-risk our ICT supply chain. Third, by amending the European cybersecurity certification framework to make it efficient. And fourth, by amending the NIS2 Directive, simplifying our cybersecurity rules, making it easy for businesses to comply. We are making sure that ENISA is equipped to carry out its tasks and can properly assist Member States. In practice, this means: producing early alerts of cyber threats and incidents; providing a help desk to support companies in responding and recovering from ransomware attacks, a threat that is expected to occur every two seconds over the next five years; developing a common EU vulnerability management service capacity, a key feature for more sovereign and resilient cybersecurity ecosystem; and developing a single entry point for incident reporting, as proposed in the digital Omnibus. ENISA will also continue to play a key role in ensuring that we have workforce skilled at cybersecurity through the Cybersecurity Skills Academy and the first ever EU-wide skills attestation scheme for cybersecurity professionals. Our proposal is about protecting EU citizens and businesses by securing the ICT supply chains that support the critical sectors of our economy and society. In today's reality, every link in our complex and digitised supply chain is a potential target for exploitation by malicious actors and with potentially devastating consequences for our economy. So that is why we must now address this seriously. We can no longer be naive about threat actors' capacity to switch off the ICT systems running our critical infrastructure. This is a clear threat to our society, economy and defence readiness. Today, I am proposing to make the 5G toolbox mandatory, as was recommended by the Draghi and Letta reports. Secure and trusted 5G is an essential element in our security architecture. We need to finalise what many Member States have already done when it comes to de-risking 5G networks from high risk suppliers. But telecom networks are not the only area where we have concerns. In the joint communication on strengthening EU's economic security, we have highlighted many areas where dependencies on a single or very limited number of suppliers could pose a significant security risk – for instance, detection equipment at EU borders or solar inverters. This is why I also propose today a new framework for de-risking the ICT supply chain in our EU critical infrastructures. It is a risk-based approach, proportionate and targeted. It takes into account what we have tried and tested already with the 5G cybersecurity toolbox. The approach is about working together with our Member States and ensuring that any action is based on true assessment – not only assessing security risks, but also considering market implications, economic costs and impact on the supply of services in the internal market. We are also proposing further simplification measures complementing the digital omnibus proposal. These changes to the NIS2 Directive will be improving legal clarity and removing compliance burden from almost 30 000 companies, including more than 6 000 micro and small-sized enterprises. We are also introducing a new category of small mid-cap enterprises that will reduce the compliance costs for 22 000 companies. And finally, we propose also to simplify and streamline the cybersecurity certification framework so that cybersecurity certification can be quicker and also more effective. Honourable Members, thank you for your contribution. Now, I am very much looking forward to also hearing your thoughts about this new proposal we have on the table.

Madam President, honourable Members, presidency, I want to thank you all for your very important contributions, and I share your concerns. We need to work together further to ensure that, in the age of AI, the EU remains a safe and secure place, especially for our children. The spread of non-consensual intimate images and sexualised deepfakes reminds us that new technologies come with new forms of risks – risks that demand swift action and effective legal protection. Sexualised deepfakes are not a marginal or abstract problem. We know that they are a very serious form of digital violence. We need to coordinate a very strong enforcement of our existing rules across different platforms, providers and deployers of AI systems and general-purpose AI models. Like I said, I see that we have a very strong legal toolbox, and now our responsibility is to apply it fully in line with our fundamental values. But we will also carefully assess your proposals to make the unacceptable nature of these practices more legally certain. We will also consider whether explicit prohibitions are needed also in the AI Act.

Madam President, honourable Members, Presidency, sharing of non-consensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material is horrendous. It is a violation of fundamental rights, including human dignity, privacy and children's rights. These horrible practices are not new, but what is new is the scale and the speed with which artificial intelligence is now amplifying them. With AI, anyone with very minimal technical expertise can create very realistic sexual images and videos of people without their consent. Once created, such material can be shared instantly online without the victim's knowledge or control, leading to non-consensual sexualisation, gender-based violence and also harassment, psychological and reputational harm. This harm is very real and personal. At the EU level, we can respond to such risks through our comprehensive digital rulebook with platform governance, data protection, the AI Act and criminal law. The Digital Services Act tackles the spread of AI-generated content on online platforms. It requires very large online platforms to identify, assess and mitigate systematic risks linked to the amplification of illegal content and gender-based violence, including also non-consensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material. The platforms must assess the risks created by new features likely to pose systematic risks, such as generative AI, and put in place mitigating measures. Recent instances, including the creation and dissemination of non-consensual sexual images of women and children on X through the AI tool Grok are completely unacceptable. We take this matter very seriously in our enforcement work under the DSA. In December, we took the first non-compliance decision under the DSA, finding X in breach of three key provisions on data access, advertising transparency and dark patterns, and, based on this, levied a fine of EUR 120 million. In addition, we have been very closely monitoring the developments on Grok. We have issued a request for information to X concerning Grok, and we have ordered the platform to retain all internal documents and data related to it until the end of this year. At the Commission, we have been very vocal about the fact that this feature is totally unacceptable and needs to be urgently removed. As a result, X has taken steps to limit the possibility of creating such content in the EU. We are now examining to what extent X may, in any case, be in violation of the DSA, and we will not hesitate to take further action if the evidence so suggests. Let me now turn to the AI Act. The AI Act plays a key role in tackling harmful AI-generated deepfakes. While enforcement of the AI Act is yet to begin in August this year, it can already have an impact in different ways. First, the prohibition of harmful AI practices could be relevant for addressing non-consensual sexual deepfakes and child sexual abuse material. This depends on the type of harm they cause. When deepfakes do not count as prohibited practices, transparency rules are also playing a role here. We are currently preparing a code of practice on marking and labelling AI-generated content. The code is a voluntary tool for providers of generative AI systems to demonstrate compliance with the AI Act's obligations, also addressing the labelling of deepfakes and moreover the general purpose AI models with systematic risks. The AI Act requires providers to assess and mitigate the systematic risk posed by their model; this can include risks linked to the sharing of illegal, false or discriminatory content. In our criminal law, we have tools as well. The child sexual abuse directive makes the production and dissemination of child sexual material, including AI-generated material, a criminal offence. The proposed child sexual abuse regulation, requiring online service providers to prevent and combat the spread of child sexual abuse material, is in the final stages of negotiations. Moreover, under the directive of combating violence against women, Member States will have to ensure that producing and sharing sexually explicit deepfakes is punishable as a criminal offence. Lastly, our upcoming action plan against cyberbullying will also improve prevention, awareness and support measures to protect users from such emerging forms of online abuse. Let me underline that we will remain, and we are remaining, fully committed to the effective implementation and enforcement of our rules to protect EU citizens, especially our children.

Mr President, honourable Members, rapporteurs and shadows, thank you for all your work. And also thank you for this very timely debate. It very clearly shows a very strong commitment to deliver on European defence readiness by 2030, a commitment for Europe to step up, to invest in defence and also to be ready to defend itself. It is also good to hear your support for the EU‑wide military mobility area by 2027, to ensure a seamless movement of troops, equipment and military assets across the European Union. As we know, these are dual‑use projects, so it means that everyday these investments are also helping our citizens and creating a better single market. And let me assure you that in the Commission, we are now in full implementation mode to deliver on these objectives, and also with our clear milestone and flagship projects, we are reinforcing Europe's ability to deter and defend across land, air, sea, cyber and space, while contributing directly to NATO capability targets. But we need your support. We look forward to working very closely with this House to adopt the proposed legislation as soon as possible. You also play a very important key role in delivering on the next MFF, where we have proposed a fivefold increase in defence spending and also ten times more funding for military mobility projects. Honourable Members, to be ready by 2030, we need to move now, we need to move fast and we need to move together.