Speeches

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, we are talking about consumer protection and fair competition in the market, Commissioner. Of course, we have debated today and we are debating online commerce. We have a lot of rules, you've listed them. I ask: Can a citizen, a consumer who has purchased a product online defend himself if the product is defective, if he gets sick, if the product is not compliant? We have regulations from labelling to the right to repair products. However, in the internal market there are very many non-compliant products from third countries and – I certainly do not give you a novelty, I think – also in online trade we have products from third countries because the agreements are not well made commercially. Compliance with product standards, European standards, is not emphasized, and then the question is: how do we apply them? Customs reform – for the first time we will have a European Customs Authority. The problem is enforcement, not regulation. We are lagging behind with implementation and I think that here we need to put emphasis together with the Member States, obviously, in order to really protect consumers.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, for ten years I have been on the Committee on Transport and we have been debating the need to improve the Single European Sky. Transportation by air is extremely important. I was talking earlier at Mr Letta's report about connectivity, about free movement. Commissioner, I have four flights a week – it is not only because of weather conditions that there are delays. Delays, as you said, are also common for other reasons: Lack of organization, sitting on the tarmac waiting for you not to have a flight path. This means that we need to apply this regulation and I support it, because work has been done on it, it improves the Single European Sky, and I believe that we need reformed transport also on aviation for, of course, economic efficiency in the internal market and, why not, for the protection of passenger rights. Prices don't change when you're late, but you arrive very late at your destination and sometimes you practically miss the appointments you've scheduled.

Madam President, Commissioner, Mr Letta, I also greet you this week. I'd say a lot. First of all, congratulations: is an accurate X-ray, but not only an X-ray, there are also concrete measures. I would ask you, do you estimate how much of this report will apply? Because, behold, the new committee does not have a Commissioner, there is no portfolio for the internal market. Who is in charge of the internal market? How do we proceed with the concrete measures you have said? You said that the single market unites us; Is it a single market now? I agree that we have the fifth freedom of movement, but at least one freedom of movement is lacking now, Mr Letta. Do you know how much a country that has not been in the Schengen area for 17 years and has transport costs has lost? How much did my country's economy lose? Then, we now have, when we speak, the border restriction within the Schengen area. So we must – the whole single market, it is true, you said it unites us – but we must take measures with pragmatism that lead to results and a better life for people.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, of course, we are debating on World Day for Combating Mental Illness, the possibility of having a strategy. Is that enough? No, it's not! We need to reassure citizens that we will have this strategy, and the strategy must go to the causes, not look at the effects. Prevention is very important and it is necessary to have budgets to do prevention. What are the causes? Obviously, poverty, lifestyle, isolation, bullying that starts in schools. How do we prevent these things? Sure, through targeted programs, health care. There are states that don't have enough doctors on either psychology or psychiatry. So, Commissioner, let us not remain in a debate, because citizens are tired of debating and not reaching concrete measures. Let go of a strategy and surely the Member States must also have their own strategy here. We need mental health. Data show that what is happening in the European Union with the high percentage of citizens with mental illness is already dangerous.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we are talking about ensuring decent housing throughout the European Union, especially for young people. Of course I don't want it to remain a slogan. We have to think about how we do this, because it's not enough to want. We have a commissioner on the house, it's very good. We cannot talk about demographic growth as long as young people cannot have a decent home and if they get married, they avoid having children because they cannot raise them there. So everything is connected and we have to think from the possibility of building, from the possibility of taxing construction works to the fact that a young person must have a certain income in order to be able to purchase a home. We can't talk about health, improving health. The human resource is very important because it creates the others. That is why I call, Commissioner, for it to come concretely. What kind of schedule does the Housing Commissioner come up with? Because yes, of course, it is subsidiarity, Member States also need to be concerned, but if we had a solidarity fund for housing construction, we would probably solve it faster.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I do not think anyone can think that the Republic of Moldova does not need support. It has a special year now, referendum and elections. And I think, Commissioner, you said a certain amount, more money is needed, but they need something else. I know the Republic of Moldova very well, I am in the delegation for three mandates, I know what is there, they need officials to support them and to train with officials from state institutions. You know that there are still problems in the judiciary, and Madam President, rightly so, President Maia Sandu said that she does not have enough human resources prepared for the institutions of the Republic of Moldova. So I think the European Union needs to mobilise. At the same time, an appeal to the citizens of the Republic of Moldova: we can help you, but you must mobilize, not to let the pro-Russians interfere in the elections and to choose pro-Europeans, because this is the place of the Republic of Moldova, of course, next to my country, Romania, but here and with all the support, go to vote and support the European path.

Mr President, Commissioner, I think you agree with me that an economy without industry has no future. You have just been nominated for a portfolio in the economy and I believe very strongly, Commissioner, that when a decision is made, deadlines are set for the industry, as was the case with the automotive industry, an important pillar which has 14 million jobs and has a positive balance. When a decision is made and deadlines are set, an impact assessment is carried out, but not as the Commission does, questioning a hundred people. The car industry is necessary for the European Union, but for that, I think we need to think about how we are helping the car industry to achieve what has been proposed here, and I think, Commissioner, that it is not enough just to have money. Of course we need money, but it also takes time. That is why I believe, as a man who has worked in the industry for 36 years, that it is no mistake to restore our deadlines if we believe that we are bankrupting European industry. And just as America has First America, I would be happy to have First Europe.

Mr President, Minister, Commissioner, very important words have been used here: competitiveness, innovative industry, jobs, raising living standards. I hope that next week's Council is not like that, just to tick the Draghi report and talk about competitiveness. How can we do, Commissioner, how can we do, Minister, with energy that is three times more expensive than in the United States? How can we have the same equality that was talked about here, in the single market, for which we no longer even have a portfolio? For the first time, the Commission does not have a portfolio for the Single Market, when we have a fragmented Single Market. Besides the costs we have with energy, entrepreneurs in my country also have costs with the state for hours at the border, because we are not in Schengen. Do you propose, Minister, by the end of the mandate, to discuss this issue as well, that we no longer have two spaces in the European Union, Schengen and non-Schengen? Do you propose not to introduce border controls in the countries that are now in Schengen? This is what we can talk about in order to have competitiveness, to have economic growth, to have secure jobs and, of course, to have an increase in living standards.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, this is possible! If we act, we can. This Apple penalty is an example that we have to go down this path, to recover the money, tax evasion. I voted for a lot of things here: profit to be taxed at large companies, where they do it, to pursue tax havens, not to kill SMEs, because when we protect these tax evasions at large companies, obviously we no longer have, as you said, Commissioner, equal ground in the internal market. I want to congratulate the Commissioner, who managed, at the end of her mandate, to do this extremely good thing, which can also be taken so that, if you want, a prevention for others, to stop doing these things. And yes, maybe the money we are recovering now, during this period – we also have the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, we also have OLAF – from evasion, should go to, look, the people who are now suffering from calamities.

Mr President, Commissioner, first of all, let me express my condolences to the families of Romania and other Eastern countries who have lost loved ones and sympathy for those who are now standing in the water and in the rain and without homes. Commissioner, you said, among other things, that we need to make an assessment of the impact on farmers and reduce the effects of floods. I ask you, after five years, do you think that everything has been done to put into practice concrete measures to adapt to climate change? You believe that the common agricultural policy, which I have asked many times to be changed, to be fair - the farmers in my country have another subsidy - is not a common agricultural policy, and I ask you specifically, Commissioner, you have probably heard that in Romania animals, sheep, because of diseases, the answer I received from the AGRI Committee was that we do not have a vaccine, we do not have solutions. What shall we say? I'm going to meet the farmers tomorrow. Tell them what? Leave something for the next commissioner?

Mr President, Commissioner, we have discussed here and there have been pros and cons on the issue of the Hungarian card and the Schengen area. I'm not going to add anything. I will relate to what a colleague said: "the biggest conquest is the Schengen area" and on this statement I will put a question to the Commission and a question to the Minister. Commissioner, I know that it is not you who should give the answer, but this House has voted seven resolutions for my country, Romania, to be in the Schengen area. If this is the greatest conquest, then why are Romanians, millions of Romanians and Bulgarians, kept out of space? Maybe the Schengen area is safer if they come... (The President interrupted the speaker) I have a question for the Minister I just met today. Minister, all the states that have held the presidency, at least since 2014, since I have been here, have committed in plenary that yes, until the end of the mandate, Romania will be in Schengen. What can you tell us from this point of view? What can I say to the people of my country?

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I can only begin by offering my condolences to the families who have lost their lives in the countries of the East. There are 8 dead in my country. It is a disaster if one doubts the magnitude of the disaster. Look at the pictures: children who remove mud from school; soldiers, gendarmes, volunteers work to take people out on their arms. Commissioner, maybe you are listening to me, it is important not to call for solidarity, but to do it by deeds. That is why I believe that funds must be allocated immediately, not as much as we have in the budget, but as much as we need, because nothing is more important than people's lives. They can't stand in the cold, in the rain, in tents. Commissioner, and I challenge you, tell the President, let us all show solidarity. Donate your allowance for a month. We calculated and we would make 1,000 houses if we all donated the allowance for a month. People also need support through deeds and to increase confidence that we are not only debating and apologizing or praying for them here, but making concrete helpers. Not every single country will be able to cope on its own, and you must immediately give the money.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we are talking about a subject that is extremely important, because on energy, you know, Commissioner, competitiveness depends, the possibility of reindustrialisation depends and, in the end, people's lives depend. That's why I allow myself to say something from the Draghi report. Mr Draghi tells us here that Europe's fundamental values are prosperity, fairness, freedom and peace. If we take them in a row, we don't really have them, because if the cost of energy is two or three times higher in Europe than in the United States, in my country, in the east, than in the west, we don't really have the possibility of prosperity for very many citizens. We have no equity, we have no freedom, because poor people, from my point of view, cannot be free, and there is no peace. What do I think, as an engineer and former industrialist? Commissioner, the pace at which we are moving from conventional to green energy must be managed in such a way that we can invest, as Mr Mario Draghi said, to be able to change technologies. No, we're not tearing down the house until we build another one. Then, I would ask a concrete question: you said ‘50 % of carbon-free sources’; we have reached 50% of carbon-free sources, but then why is energy more expensive? And we must stop having two Europes, as Mr Macron wanted, we must have a single energy market.

You talked about the Draghi report, which I also listened to carefully. My question is: one point in the Draghi report is that we have strong education and health systems in Europe, and it said this as a strong point in the report – do you agree that we have strong education and health systems? From my point of view, precisely here is the weak point and, if we are talking about competitiveness, without a strong education system and without a strong health system, we cannot reach competitiveness.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, it is sad that we are witnessing fake news live. Colleagues from the far right called this document, which has been extensively worked on, censorship, although the Commissioner announced from the outset that there was no moderation of the content. I know this document very well, as Vice-Chair of the Committee on the Internal Market, and I tell you with all my faith: I believe that you have either not read the document or you are creating fake news as you have created in your country to be elected. We want to remove, through this regulation, in fact, illegal activities and the spread of disinformation, which disrupts all elections, which disrupts, if you will, the scale of values in any European state and in the European Union. So it is sad for me today, when we should be discussing differently – how we apply in each Member State and how we apply this uniformly, that no more children die. There were children who committed suicide precisely through falsely transmitted information. There were women raped, there were people killed for money. So, dear colleagues, read before you speak.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I condemn from the outset, I condemn war and the killing of innocent people. Romanians are also dying there because part of Ukraine... in Ukraine, part of the historical territories were Romania's. What I want to say, Commissioner, is: I was very attentive to communication. I believe that we need to change the way we communicate in order to have the support of the citizens. Summing up sums of money that we give without explaining to citizens why Romania, my country, has helped Ukraine more than, perhaps, sometimes, it has helped its own citizens, because we understand that we need to help – the question is what is the European Union doing, what pressure is it putting on the UN, the United States, the other world powers to get Russia to stop this aggression and mass killing of people? This is important for the citizens to know, because otherwise we will not have the support of the citizens. We don't give money out of our own pockets. We give money to citizens, in fact, and we have to stop this hideous... the most hideous form of manifestation is war.

Mr President, you have said what is right and what is wrong from your point of view. What needs to be done? Tell the Commission, tell us, what are the steps to stop the slaughter. Because it's... (The President interrupted the speaker) You have said what is right and what is wrong from your point of view, but what is the concrete measure or what are the concrete measures? Tell them here: What do we have to do to stop the slaughter? Because that's what this is all about. Should we let Ukraine be conquered by the Russians or give nothing more? What needs to be done? That's essential, that it's easy to make a statement. You have to say from your point of view what needs to be done.

Commissioner, President, ladies and gentlemen, we are discussing an extremely important document, we are talking about the future of agriculture. Commissioner, you have made some very important points, but know that there is still the concern of the European Agricultural Community and I will tell you why. You talked about fair incomes for farmers. Well, how can they have fair revenues when, on the one hand, they do not have money for investments, on the other hand, they have permanent unfair competition in the internal market? I have been Vice-Chair of the Committee on the Internal Market for 10 years and I am fighting for all products, not to have unfair competition. On the other hand, you talked about the bureaucratic burden. Do you know how many hundreds of pages a small farmer has to submit when he has to access a national or European fund? Very many ... enhanced veterinary supervision: In my country, animals die, in the last commission, because I have here the members of the commission, it was said: “We don’t have a vaccine”. How do we protect the farmers? How do we protect agriculture? The CAP also needs to be reformed. You were talking about fair incomes, but shouldn't we also have fair subsidies to farmers? My country has been a member since 2007 and has other subsidies than the other farmers. In conclusion, I believe that this document must be worked with farmers and put in place concrete measures so that we can really reach an internal agricultural market that will ensure our food future, for us, for the European Union.

Mr President, Commissioners, ladies and gentlemen, it is good and necessary to look at economic governance and to strengthen the budget of the European Union. It was necessary, there are some good things done, which lead to the possibility that Member States could press on the acceleration of investments, for example, not taking into account the deficit of co-financing on strategic investments. It is not an ideal model, but it is a step taken and we must always think, when we change this governance, that the Member States are not developed equally economically. We can't put a bed of Procust's. External debts are different in the Member States and, of course, we also think about the Treaty, because there is a lot of subsidiarity here, in tax policies and in everything that states have the right to determine in the national context, depending also on the economic situation in that Member State. The steps are good, the fact that the social pillar is also taken into account - let's not forget that we still have a lot of people in poverty, a lot of children in poverty, and we also have to think about this, and about social cohesion. That is why I believe that this is only a first step and must be continued with economic governance, with the flexibility of the European Union budget.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we are looking at competitiveness at the end of the mandate, at the statement by the Commission and the Council. The President of the Commission is performing well, because in five years she has not been able to sit in any plenary to hear the views of MEPs to the end. What performance should we talk about, Madam President? You have shown the greatest lack of transparency! You are the only Commission President to have a negative opinion from all institutions: from the European Parliament, the Ombudsman, the Court of Auditors, on discharge. How can you talk about competitiveness? How can you talk about a fair policy? You have said this several times. What right policy is that you leave a market divided? You failed in your five-year term to make the single market. You have failed to plead and argue with Austria that Romania and Bulgaria should join Schengen. You didn't do anything on this warrant! I think it would be an honor to withdraw your candidacy, because you won the first one with only four votes.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I believe that we are ending this mandate with extremely important reports: combating forced labour. Although we have a convention from 1930, we must say that forced labour has not decreased. In just five years, from 2016 to 2021, it has increased by almost 3 million people who actually suffer from this forced labour. Why? Who are the worst? The poor, the children, the women. And yes, it has been said here: we must not say that this is only happening in third countries, it is also happening in the European Union, and it is very good that today we are debating and I hope that we will vote on this regulation that eliminates forced labour. It is horrible to know that people are being put to work and not being paid, not being able to support their family or their own lives with the money they earn. And I think it is good to have uniform sanctions in all Member States and to eliminate forced labour. Very often we enjoy cheap products, but we have to think that those cheap products are made with forced labor. That is why I think it is very good that we end this mandate with a regulation that protects people.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I think it is an extraordinary thing that I am ending my mandate with this extremely important package. As co-rapporteur on behalf of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, we obviously wanted to make this package in such a way as to protect, on the one hand, vulnerable consumers, on the other hand, to take care of small and medium-sized enterprises, because, obviously, the pressure on the price of utilities can drive them out of the market. That is why I want to congratulate the whole group that worked on this package, because, in the end, as Mr Geier said, we have improved the committee's proposal, we have put out an acceptable package, it is not ideal, but of course we can still work. We are going on the idea that, especially in the cold season, they should not be disconnected and we managed to put this amendment. Negotiating with the Commission and the Council has not been easy, but in the end we have succeeded and I believe that the message that we must now give to the Member States is to be attentive to the implementation of the package, because ultimately responsibility is shared. It is very important how each state implements this important energy and gas market regulation package.

Mr President, Commissioner, honourable Court of Auditors, I must say that I am frustrated when I heard the Commissioner say that the Commission's transparency is at the highest level. At the same time, we are well aware that we are struggling, both the Ombudsman, the Court of Auditors and we, the Committee on Budgetary Control, to find out what happened to the money and contracts concluded by the President. There is a double measure. In Parliament's discharge report, where I am rapporteur from my group, I find that there are strange amendments in which we have to show the notes, keep the coffee, water and paper vouchers that we buy in cabinets. At the same time, a lot of money and the minuses and negative opinions given by the Court of Auditors are not taken into account. I believe that we need to look very seriously, to treat with the same unit of measure the discharges of the Parliament, but also of the Commission, the Council and the agencies, obviously, because this is the only way to protect the financial interests and the citizens' money, after all. I would therefore like the Council to stop giving discharge so easily and for colleagues in Parliament to be demanding. I did not vote on the European Commission's discharge last year and I probably will not vote on it now.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, today's resolution is a sign that Romania needs solidarity. We are members of the European Union, we need support. Commissioner, you said it was a bilateral issue. Yes, but what is the purpose of the Union, after all? You should know that Romania is not now asking for the first time for the return of the treasure and to end with the robbery made by Russia. For over a hundred years in history, Romania has demanded these rights. He didn't make it. It is time for this resolution, of course, with the support of all colleagues who will certainly vote, to be taken over as a document, Commissioner, and not put aside, because here, in this Parliament, we have voted a lot of resolutions and nothing has happened to them. Citizens of Romania are waiting for this sign. Is there solidarity or not when a Member State is wronged? It is the right of citizens to recover this treasure, for which generations have worked to have it. I therefore ask you, Commissioner, to put this resolution, which will be voted on today, into action. It is Romania's right to hope for solidarity.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I believe that the Commission has taken the wrong approach, the Commission has taken the wrong approach: that environmental protection, the Green Deal, is in opposition to industrial policy. No, it must be neither industrial policy against environmental policy, nor vice versa. However, we must keep in mind that the transition from one technology to another needs a transitional period and the fact that we want to make monocolour – one technology – will lead to a huge problem in the internal market and for citizens, who will not be able to buy their new expensive cars, and for industry. Comparison of colleagues here with China – who pollutes more, the European Union or China? China must take action to reduce pollution, the United States must take action, India must take action. The European Union is the least polluting and we cannot destroy an industry. We also have an industrial policy strategy. Why is this industrial policy strategy not taken into account? I believe that the correction that Parliament has made with the Council is balanced.