What Ivan spoke about.

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EN Written Statement

Presentation of the programme of activities of the Slovenian Presidency (debate)

The presidency of the Council of European Union is held by the Member States that rotate the presidency every six months and determine long-term objectives of the European Union. Slovenia took over the rotating presidency in July and strive to facilitate the EU’s recovery and reinforce its resilience, reflect on the future of Europe, strengthen the rule of law and European values, and increase sec…

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SK Written Statement

Preparation of the European Council meeting of 23-24 June 2022, including the meeting with Western Balkan leaders on 23 June - Candidate status of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia (debate)

For years, the people of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia have consistently shown unwavering support for their countries’ European path and embraced European principles and values. I am therefore pleased that the European Parliament has accepted the membership applications of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia as an expression of the European aspirations of the people and the…

11 Apr

2024

EN Speech

Discharge 2022: EU general budget - Commission (A9-0139/2024 - Isabel García Muñoz) (vote)

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Mr President, the amendment is as follows: ‘Highlights that SMEs make up 99 % of European businesses in the EU and that the setup of the SME Envoy post is key in providing a strong voice to hundreds of thousands of SMEs across the EU; underlines that a high level of expertise and specialisation are needed for an SME Envoy and that this was the case in the selection of the successful candidate; wel…

11 Apr

2024

SK Speech

Attempts to dismantle Rule of Law and media freedom in Slovakia (debate)

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Madam President, the proposal for political domination of public radio and television in Bratislava would have been envied by the government by the communists before 1989. It is crying out that this is happening at the very time when we approved the Media Freedom Act in this House, based on the protection of freedom of speech, pluralism of opinion and of the media, and on their better transparency…

12 Mar

2024

EN Answer

State of play of the corporate sustainability due diligence directive (debate)

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Thank you for this question. My answer is ‘no, I’m afraid not’. We are not simplifying the regulatory environment. We are not cutting our legislative, regulatory burden; we are just achieving the opposite. We are putting more and more additional regulatory burdens. Unfortunately, you are right that in some countries we have already such rules, but in many, many countries we do not have them, and w…

12 Mar

2024

SK Speech

State of play of the corporate sustainability due diligence directive (debate)

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Madam President, our way of life is based on its protection, respect for human dignity and respect for and enforcement of the law. Based on these principles, we have also built a democratic society in Europe, achieved economic growth that can be a model for the rest of the world. I'm sure he's an inspiration today. It is also essential that, despite growing global competition, we regain our leader…

28 Feb

2024

SK Speech

Regaining our competitive edge - a prosperous EU in a fragmented global economy (topical debate)

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Mr President, thanks to European cooperation, we are experiencing almost eighty years of peaceful coexistence and half a century of economic prosperity on our continent. We must realise that this is mainly due to the development of small businesses, which make up half of the European product and create 100 million jobs. The development of a small business is directly proportional to the developmen…

7 Feb

2024

SK Speech

The fight against hate speech and disinformation: responsibility of social platforms within the Digital Services Act (topical debate)

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Mr President, social networks are the primary source of information, especially for young people, who have seen an overall increase in media coverage of 11% in the last year alone. It is therefore essential that, as there are control mechanisms and penalties for spreading hate and fake news in the physical and public space, this is also the case online. It is good that after large platforms, the D…

17 Jan

2024

EN Speech

Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 14-15 December 2023 and preparation of the Special European Council meeting of 1 February 2024 - Situation in Hungary and frozen EU funds (joint debate - European Council meetings)

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Mr President, dear colleagues, the European Union has been created on the basis of close cooperation between countries, with the goal of lasting peace on our continent. For this reason, we share common values of prosperity, democracy and peace. Our shared values are now being defended by the blood of the Ukrainian people, who have chosen their path for democracy. With this in mind, allow me to app…

16 Jan

2024

SK Speech

Role of preventive diplomacy in tackling frozen conflicts around the world – missed opportunity or change for the future? (debate)

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Madam President, our European area will be as safe as our countries in our neighbourhood. With a package of more than €50 billion a year, the European Union is today the largest financial promoter of stability and democracy in the world. We are also active in humanitarian and diplomatic assistance. It is important that we remain on this path at a time of increasing tension. However, it is essentia…

15 Jan

2024

EN Speech

Ozone depleting substances - Fluorinated gases regulation (joint debate - Gas emissions)

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Mr President, dear colleagues, the deal reached on the new F-Gas Regulation sets us on the path towards the ambitious goal of reducing emissions by the equivalent of 40 million tonnes CO2 in the next six years, and achieving a full phase-out by 2050. Standing here on behalf of Sara Skyttedal, rapporteur for the ITRE opinion, I have to say that this path is not only ambitious, but also realistic. T…

13 Dec

2023

SK Speech

European Defence investment programme (EDIP) (debate)

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Madam President, let me make three remarks on this important subject. Firstly, the Russian criminal invasion of Ukraine shows us that the Union must do much more for the defence industry than before and must do so in a more coordinated manner with the Member States. Secondly, it is clear that our defence depends on a viable defence industry, which must be able to respond to our changing immediate …

13 Dec

2023

SK Speech

Planned dissolution of key anti-corruption structures in Slovakia and its implications on the Rule of Law (continuation of debate)

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Mr President, justice and equality before the law are under threat in Slovakia today. Prime Minister Fico began his exercise of power by attacking independent media, as well as independent institutions and anti-corruption bodies. The government is proposing to abolish the Special Prosecutor's Office, which is a key institution in both the fight against corruption and the protection of European fin…

12 Dec

2023

EN Speech

EU-Taiwan trade and investment relations (debate)

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Mr President, dear colleagues, our European Union is, as a matter of fact, the largest investor in Taiwan with current amount of more than EUR 40 billion in foreign direct investment, representing 28% of all foreign investments in Taiwan. As it is our strategic partner, not only in economic terms, definitely we need to send a positive signal to our investors that we take it seriously. We need to i…

22 Nov

2023

EN Speech

Latest attacks against women and women's rights defenders in Iran, and Iran's arbitrary detention of EU nationals

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Madam President, dear colleagues, the current Iranian Government has not only ignored the voices of change but has intensified its crackdown, detaining numerous activists and exerting oppressive force against peaceful dissent. The tragic case of Armita, a schoolgirl of only 16 years old who has been in a coma since 1 October, following a confrontation with metro officers over mandatory hijab regul…

22 Nov

2023

SK Speech

Reducing regulatory burden to unleash entrepreneurship and competitiveness (topical debate)

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Madam President, I am pleased that we can talk about reducing the regulatory burden, because this is an important topic for improving the business environment and for improving our competitiveness on a global scale. First of all, from my point of view, we need to talk about using the resources we have. And the main means is our common market. We not only need to use it, we need to complete it, and…

21 Nov

2023

SK Speech

Packaging and packaging waste (debate)

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Mr President, legislation on packaging and packaging waste is an important milestone towards a sustainable packaging economy in Europe. It affects almost every producer, every distributor and therefore every consumer. What is key, however, is to emphasise a level playing field and a level playing field. This legislation extends the obligations for producers of beverages, especially non-alcoholic b…

18 Oct

2023

SK Speech

New European innovation agenda (debate)

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Mr President, as President of SME Europe, a support organisation for small and medium-sized enterprises, I am following very closely the development of the situation regarding the new European Innovation Agenda. I am particularly interested in how the €10 billion package from Horizon Europe will be used to stimulate the innovation potential of European small businesses. Innovation is a prerequisit…

18 Oct

2023

SK Speech

Fighting disinformation and dissemination of illegal content in the context of the Digital Services Act and in times of conflict (debate)

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Mr President, only recently have new rules for the online space come into force that bring better protection to consumers and their fundamental rights online through better transparency and a clear liability framework for online platforms. In addition, the Digital Services Act also creates space for innovation, growth and competitiveness within the common market. Based on my own experience, even r…

17 Oct

2023

SK Speech

Effectiveness of the EU sanctions on Russia (debate)

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Mr President, sanctions against the Russian aggressor not only make sense, but also have a significant impact. The figures show that bilateral trade with Russia has fallen below 2 percent. Imports decreased from 9,6 % to 1,7 % and exports to less than half. If anyone claims that Russia has not been harmed by the sanctions, we should ask why they are buying weapons from a country like North Korea. …

5 Oct

2023

SK Speech

Financial services contracts concluded at a distance (debate)

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Mr President, with the growing trend towards the use of digital technologies, the proportion of financial contracts that our citizens conclude online is also growing significantly. Whether it's car insurance, pension insurance, or just opening a current account with a bank. This also opens the way for the development of new and innovative services and projects. However, due to the rapid developmen…

4 Oct

2023

EN Speech

Energy Charter Treaty: next steps (debate)

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Madam President, after the fail – on 22 November, when the Council denied agreement on an updated text – of the Energy Charter Treaty to become more compatible with the Paris Agreement and Green Deal, it’s final time for Europe to coordinate its withdrawal from this treaty. Now we should concentrate on building a new, much more efficient and competitive energy system that prioritises and protects …

14 Sep

2023

SK Speech

Segregation and discrimination of Roma children in education (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, several Member States have long faced problems in the education of Roma children. It has been several years since the European Commission launched a breach of the Racial Equality Directive against several Member States, including Slovakia, as the Commissioner mentioned. The fact that segregation of Roma children was indeed taking place has also been confirmed by deci…

13 Sep

2023

EN Speech

Human rights situation in Bangladesh, notably the case of Odhikar

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Madam President, dear colleagues. I do believe it’s time to express our deep concerns about current developments in the area of human rights and its violation in Bangladesh. The mass arrests of more than a thousand opposition representatives, the excessive use of force against protesters and persecution of human rights defenders, union workers and journalists, it is the current reality in this lar…

13 Sep

2023

SK Speech

SME Relief Package (debate)

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Mr President, we are all aware that small and medium-sized enterprises are key to success in terms of economic growth, employment or the transition to innovative and sustainable solutions in an increasingly challenging competitive environment. As President of SME Europe, which brings together small and medium-sized enterprises in Europe, I am also very sensitive to the need for a number of reforms…