Speeches

Mr President, Commissioner, trade negotiations between the European Union and the United States are vital, but we must admit that eight months have passed since the election of President Trump and we are not moving forward. You said, among other things, that "soon". You used this phrase: We'll have the text soon. Can you tell us more about this text? What will the negotiations ultimately be? Because producers in the European Union cannot stand still. From my country, we have export of wine, we have export of agricultural products. What am I doing? They don't have the courage to produce, to invest for that capacity. And then you talked about agreements with other states. I agree. You want to make a deal with India. Trade agreements can undermine industrial production. And I'll give you an example: ceramic tiles from Romania, Poland, France are now on the ground. This industry is down because ceramic tiles have come in from India at half price. Because India, we know, is the biggest polluter. They don't respect anything, they don't pay anything. So how do we not undermine European industry?

Madam President, Commissioner, President of the Council, I must say that I was pleased, Mr Costa, when you said that you make your decisions on the basis of facts, not perception. Unfortunately, when the President of the Commission came, she only put out empty words: “must, must, must”. And in the conclusions after seven months, you have no point on the social life of citizens. Mr President, without people who have a financial situation with which to live, we will not be able to do anything. No competitiveness, no defense. Nothing, absolutely nothing. And it is disastrous that at seven months we do not intend, when we see that Europe has children in poverty, it has generations of young people in poverty, who cannot take housing, demographically, we are very poor, to have social policies in order to have a strengthening of the European population, which yes, to do something else. How to make a sick and hungry man competitive? I come from production. My worker cannot produce unless he has something to eat. So it's disastrous. And I ask the Council and the Commissioner to put this situation on the agenda at the next meeting. The social situation in...

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, 50 years of relationship with China and, if we take stock, we find that we have lost much of what we could have had in these 50 years. But I learned from an investor in President Ursula von der Leyen's country that you can't kill the competition, you have to learn smartly how to overcome it. That is why I believe that at the summit we need to put very clear conditions. We must be able to defend ourselves. Yesterday we discussed about packages, 91% coming from China, up to 150 euros, billions of packages without product safety, unfair competition for SMEs. That is why, Commissioner, I think very clearly that we need the relationship with China, but we must do it on similar principles. If China gives 20% to locals in public auctions, why don't we put these conditions in public auctions with China? And yes, the important and security infrastructure must not be sold by any of the Member States of the European Union. That's the only way we can have it. We cannot be alone in the world. With the United States, we don't have a good relationship, with China, we don't have a good relationship, with Russia, we know why it's not good anymore.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, product safety and compliance with e-commerce regulations (we are talking about products imported from third countries) must be increased. The number frightened me. In 2024, imports doubled compared to 2023. Millions of packages up to 150 euros have reached the citizens. We do not know whether the products are safe or not, but in any case, they make a great deal of unfair competition to small and medium-sized enterprises. That is why I am glad that we have this report under discussion. I am glad that we will also have a new Customs Code (I am the rapporteur), I hope that from 2026, through the established European authority and through the national authorities, because here we have to work together. Member States have a great responsibility to have well-trained and fair workers, as well as regulations and verification possibilities. Let us not forget that the Regulation on the protection of geographical indications for craft and industrial products will also enter into force from 1 December 2025. But if we do not have the possibility to defend these geographical indications, we will have all sorts of products (99% are from China) that actually counterfeit industrial products, but also handicrafts from the European Union. So the responsibility is very great, and I hope, Commissioner, that we can bring this to an end.

Enlarging the European Union's space, in my view, is a necessity, and you have said it yourself. Do you think that before making the accession process of other states, we should reform and amend the Treaty related to the possibility of initiative of the European Parliament? I ask you: Should the current context, with the war in Ukraine, lead us to the conclusion that the Republic of Moldova is in the accession process separately and not taken together with Ukraine?

Dear colleague, I did not understand, you said that Mr. Sánchez came to power illegally. I knew he was elected by the law of amnesty. Can you explain to me how it can go illegal for giving an amnesty law? This is 1 and 2, related to European funds, you know better that you are in the budget committee, European funds are controlled, there is control. I am in the Committee on Budgetary Control, how can a prime minister, a president, be guilty, for example, if someone misuses European funds?

Mr President, dear High Representative, dear colleagues, the upcoming NATO summit must start with the idea of peace and security, increasing the security of citizens. We are elected here and we represent the interest of citizens, and if we were to ask a question in all Member States, I think that citizens put security first. Of course we need schools, education, health, but if we don't have security, we can't do the others. The High Representative, that amount of the SAFE project, 150 billion, must be allocated to the Member States to produce, to have their own industry, not to import from third countries, because that is how we create jobs and solve social problems and income problems for citizens. I think very much that we need to understand, to communicate to citizens why we need a defence industry. Because the danger is at the border. I live in a country that is at the border with the conflict and yes, we must also think about the Republic of Moldova, to see how we integrate it in order to be able to have the safety of the Eastern flank. I believe that unity and solidarity must exist. Commissioner, the European Union must have a very strong position in NATO. We cannot leave the citizens of the European Union alone.

You said in your intervention that it would be good to invest in hospitals, in schools, in society and not in the defence industry. I ask you, do you think that under war, under bombing, you can do education, you can do health, you can do wage growth? How can we, under the bombing, for example, as it is in Ukraine now, do what you say? Don't you think that first we must have peace, we must have peace, we must not have war, and then we must invest in what you say?

Mr President, Commissioner, I returned from the Republic of Moldova on Sunday, I am first vice-president of the delegation for the Republic of Moldova and I go there very frequently. I participated in extraordinary actions at the Academy of Sciences, Buiucani Medical Association. We have seen hearty people who want this European path and we need to support them. The Republic of Moldova certainly has a place here. However, I am concerned about the elections in September and I have found, by discussing, having dialogue with civil society, with professional associations, with smaller, pro-European parties, that these pro-Russian parties are being organized and we must support this and we will have a delegation in July. I recommend the Republic of Moldova, the pro-European party, Mrs. President, to have a dialogue with the small pro-European parties, such as the Ecologist Party, the Green Party, the Social Democratic Party, in order to create a strong coalition, to have a pro-European parliament in September. That's the only way things can go on. And yes, I want the pre-accession money to be included in the next financial year, Commissioner, the citizens there need that money.

Madam President, Commissioner, I believe that today's debates and the content of the report convince the Commission and I also hope that the Council will make this 18-month extension. You said yourself, we still have 68 goals to meet and more than half the amount to spend. These funds are necessary and we need to adapt, because new conditions have emerged, so I do not think that the Member States did not want to spend this money. But let us think that in the meantime, in some states there have been elections, a government has made this program of recovery, others must apply it. The conditions have changed and I think it is pertinent to have flexibility, to have this extension and obviously a control of the money, because I am also in the Committee on Budgetary Control and we asked to know those end users, that list of companies that spend and the objectives. And yes, conditions have changed and perhaps in some Member States some projects are no longer useful and need to think about other projects. So, persuade the Council to extend the deadline.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we are talking about combating sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. There are murders, let's not run away from words. It must be the harshest punishment, and we cannot speak of consent here either. How to give consent to a 6-year-old, 7-year-old child, were situations of sexually abused 5-year-old children. How to give consent? No, it's not about this. It is a directive and it is the responsibility of the Member States to assimilate the directive with the most severe penalties and not a prescription. But let's also think about prevention, because if we look at the last few years, the measures we have taken have not borne fruit. Yes, education, from my point of view, sex education must be done gradually, it must be done in the family first, because parents know best how to approach the child, how to explain. And yes, platforms, artificial intelligence, how do we combat this? We have adopted legislation on the role of platforms and how they work, and in fact, no, we have to think about how we apply them and not just regulate them, because sexual abuse is the most horrible crime.

Mr President, Commissioner, you have inherited from the old committee a programme for the reindustrialisation of the European Union. I also asked the question: Do we want to have an industry or are we just talking? I have some statistics from last year. Countries like my country, Romania, but also Italy, and Spain, and France have the industry, for example, for ceramic tiles almost destroyed, because they are imported from India, from Egypt, from Turkey, with prices in half. People, companies (in my country there is only one company), have invested hundreds of millions of euros and risk closing factories. This is unfair competition with half prices. Because yes, India does not pay any green certificates, does not pay any CO2 When it comes to gas consumption, we know well that wages there are others, social protection does not exist. What do we do to make a protection? And I tell you, as Vice-Chair of the Committee on the Internal Market, do we want to have more industry, do we want to have jobs, do we want to increase people's incomes? Concrete action is needed and I look forward to these answers.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, strengthening rural areas is an extremely important objective. Commissioner, we need to think about the Cohesion Fund together with the Common Agricultural Policy, but not take money from the Common Agricultural Policy and put it into cohesion, because we have done nothing. We have opportunities and opportunities: to develop tourism, rural tourism, to develop and consolidate and preserve traditions, crafts, we can also develop trade. But for these things, the people there and especially the young generation do not return to the countryside because they have no conditions, no infrastructure. That is why I say that we need to think about consolidated projects: infrastructure, to have a doctor, to have a school, to be able to have an internet connection. There are whole rural areas where there is no possibility of connectivity. I hope, Commissioner, that you will argue for these rural areas to have targeted budgets, because if we budget a lot and there is another problem, it has been discussed here, we need to simplify the procedure for accessing funds by administrations in small communities or by small entrepreneurs.

Madam President, Commissioner, I have listened to you carefully and I must say that I am disappointed. You've given us some briefings, actually. The citizens who listen to us here have had enough of three years of us debating, making resolutions, the Commission noticing, and in fact not having anything happen. People are dying there, Commissioner. My country has welcomed refugees, children, and adults. Of course, we cannot move the entire population of Ukraine. I ask: Is there a solution for peace? Have you talked to the international community? Can one man defeat an earthly globe? It can't be! I believe that diplomacy has remained repetitive, no negotiations have been set up to put an end to this war and this slaughter. Because we are not only talking about economic objectives, we are talking about people here, we are talking about children who remain marked throughout the period. And they're hypocritical states. We voted for sanctions here in vain, when the states of the European Union imported further and supplied Russia's budget with money and not a few. So, Commissioner, I think that we need only talk when you come up with a concrete proposal. Or did you think Mr. Trump would make peace in 24 hours? Behold, he did not do it, but went to Ukraine to get riches there and deposits. I believe that we have a responsibility, the European Union, to tell our citizens what we can do to end the war.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, here we are talking about such an important subject ‐ spyware ‐ in a democratic space, when we know well that espionage was characteristic of states in which there was a dictatorship. I come from a communist state and it is difficult for European citizens to understand how we can not have measures to counteract these programs. If the Commission moves so hard, no action can be found after two years. It is necessary to protect not only the press or journalists, or, I know, prime ministers, but also citizens, Commissioner, because they are private citizens, they are spied companies, they are businessmen spied on, blackmailed, they are citizens who no longer want to enter politics because they are afraid of being followed and spied on. What do we do? What answer should we give home? If we fail to put an end to this, let us not be surprised by Euroscepticism and the lack of trust in the European institutions. You have to give a concrete answer: something can or cannot be done, because otherwise democracy is simply torn down and we cannot expect the best politicians if people are suspected and spied on.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, now, when we must rejoice that it is 80 years since the end of the Second World War, we are on a powder keg and I am certainly not populist if I criticise the President, because every time she comes, says and leaves, she does not listen to us. I would have liked to know how the European Union is contributing to the reconstruction of Ukraine, because we have helped Ukraine and it is natural to stand in solidarity, but the Polish Presidency has announced to us how many hundreds of billions are needed for reconstruction. Madam President, is the European Union also entering reconstruction? What are you doing with the neighboring states, neighboring Ukraine, which helped, were in solidarity with Ukraine? Are you helping them or facilitating their entry into the reconstruction of Ukraine? Peace is fostered through diplomacy and compromise. The European Union is passive, it lets Trump play all the games. Trump will go into reconstruction, America will go into reconstruction, and the European Union is losing. This is what the European Commission is asking: give us a roadmap, what happens to Ukraine after the end of the war and what do we do to end the war, to have peace?

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, today's topic is extremely important for the future of the European Union. Commissioner, negotiating power is extremely important from the point of view of negotiators, but also what arguments they have behind it. If we don't have a strong internal market, we don't have anything to negotiate with. If we do not take our fellow citizens to increase the purchase of European products and the development of European industry, we will not be able to convince him – it is Mr Trump’s freedom of decision, no matter how much we criticise him. That is why, Commissioner, of course, we have a 90-day respite, but what are we going to negotiate with? We have to go with strong arguments that yes, the European Union market is important, to make it tempting for the United States and to succeed in negotiating on the win-win principle. Otherwise, we try other agreements in vain. It's a consistent market. You said it yourself, the large volumes of investment, of trade, but I don't see an agenda and make it transparent. Tell us, with what arguments do you go there to negotiate?

Mr President, Commissioner, we are discussing a subject for which, it seems to me, the title has nothing to do with reality. I was also the Minister of Tourism in my country. I would prefer to do medical tourism only on what is related to nature, water, mud, air, but medical tourism, as we now understand it from what you have presented, is an ordeal for the patient. The patient should have the closest place to be treated. And my colleague said, to go from one country to another to get treatment is to fill out some forms, pay from you and wait for them to give you when they can. So if we want to do tourism, I would not call it ‘tourism’, I would call it ‘patients’ right’ to be treated in their country, in their place, in their region. Because ‘tourism’ means something pleasant, or the patient to carry it on his arms, to fly it, to carry it with rescue, is absolutely unpleasant. Because we also discussed rare diseases today. I believe that we really need to come to those directives that we have – the right of every European citizen to health, access to appliances. You can't stay and go to another country and get an X-ray. So here we have a lot of work to do, and my request is now, at the beginning of your mandate, that you ask, the College of Commissioners, that we really have a strategy for treating patients at home.

Mr President, Commissioner, imagine that 30 million sick people would have listened to what you said today. That's right, you told us it was going to be, we're going to be, we've spent five billion in 25 years, which means little in research. Do you think you shouldn't have presented us here with an exact situation or at least proposed us? What will you do to make cross-border treatment work? What will you do to ensure that research results in medicines for sick people? Parents who carry their children with muscular dystrophy on their arms, do you think they still believe in our slogan that no one is left behind? How do we do it? How can you be credible when you haven't come forward? You gave us some statistical figures we could find. I ask you, Commissioner, to come to the next session and tell us clearly what you are doing to prevent, to identify these rare diseases early on. What do we do to have medicines and access to medicines in all Member States? Because if you make a situation, you'll see how different it is. Every day I receive messages to donate money to treat these children or these adults with rare diseases.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, without a solid industry, you said yourself, Commissioner, we cannot have economic security and we cannot have social security. And yes, the metals industry, the cement industry, the chemical industry are energy intensive, they consume a lot of energy, but we need to have a combined plan, Commissioner. You presented the plan for steel and metals. Of course, other industries also need a plan. The key issue is energy. If we don't solve the cost of energy here, clearly, inputIt is he who gives the final price. And yes, we also need to resolve the protection of the internal market linked to entries from third countries that do not have as many restrictions as products from the European Union. Commissioner, you were with us in Parliament, I believe that the Commission needs to change two things: to make impact studies before establishing anything and the speed of decision. Because I was born in an area in Romania, where the steel industry had tens of thousands of jobs, almost all of them were destroyed. What do we do not to continue the demolition of the metal industry, steel industry and other industries? Concrete measures.

Mr President, Commissioner, cohesion, cohesion policy, keeps Europe united. If we do not understand this - and yes, you have now proposed to modernise, but, Commissioner, I think there should be a Commission exercise, to look at the impact, because we have always had money earmarked for cohesion policy, and yet regional disparities exist: the difference between rural and urban areas, the difference between areas far from the centres of the Member States. I ask you: Do you know if you also apply the geographical criterion when giving cohesion funds? Because we had the experience of a strategic investment fund to which we asked for geographical criteria, we put first come, first served and all the money was concentrated in four five states and created a difference between the member states. Therefore, I believe that modernization must take into account a few criteria. On the one hand, the geographical criterion that we really reduce these regional disparities, but also the efficiency of spending money, because it is important to see what happens with 100 euros spent. Therefore, the criteria I see that you should put are those related to efficiency, and geographical criteria.