What Ivan spoke about.

13

Sep

2023

EN Speech

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State of the Union (debate)

Madam President, thank you for your wise words. I also do believe that after many crises, the EU is stronger than before. And also it is thanks to your leadership, to the first action and also our ability to cooperate. Nowadays, many countries want to join the EU and we know that Ukrainians are even dying for this goal. Our European response to the criminal Russian aggression was strong and we sho…

12

Jul

2023

EN Speech

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State of the SME Union (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, SMEs create more than 100 million jobs in the EU and they create also half of European GDP. And also we have to recognise that half of them are family businesses. So family, it is not only a cornerstone of our social life and our development, but also it is the place of work and growth. However, the current state of SMEs is not very positive.…

31

May

2023

SK Answer

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Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (debate)

I will vote against this text because it goes beyond the proposal originally intended by the European Commission. And when you ask if companies have knowledge of their suppliers, of course they do. But not all companies in this form can adhere to what is proposed. This Directive is not enforceable. I have met many investors who invest in the European Union and say that they cannot control all thos…

31

May

2023

SK Speech

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Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (debate)

Mr President, responsible entrepreneurship is important not only for the creation of new jobs, but also, by way of example, for the development of society as a whole. Many companies began to follow the principles of responsible business based on their own decision. I believe that responsible business is not achieved by the administration, nor do we need additional statements, reports or regulation…

9

May

2023

SK Speech

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Empowering consumers for the green transition (debate)

Madam President, our common European market, the 30th anniversary of which we are celebrating this year, is one of the most successful European projects. This is also because we place great emphasis on consumer rights and protection, becoming the number one on a global scale. But even here, with the advent of new technologies, we need to innovate our legislation. An integral part of a responsible …

18

Apr

2023

EN Speech

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Machinery products (A9-0141/2022 - Ivan Štefanec) (vote)

Madam President, this regulation is very important because it simplifies the current situation also. First of all, it reflects the situation on the market, it reflects the consumer needs, but also the potential needs from small and medium entrepreneurs, which is very, very critical. So I am very happy that after a long, long trilogue we came to the conclusion, because there were many, many technic…

18

Apr

2023

EN Speech

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The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, there is a clear learning from current international development, and that is that democracies should stand together. And this learning is even more applicable towards China. China’s growth means really an economic opportunity, but China’s growth means also a serious threat in terms of military, in terms of critical raw material, in terms of its growing influence in …

30

Mar

2023

EN Speech

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Resumption of the sitting

Madam President, 35 years ago, a very important event took place in Bratislava that changed the history of Czechoslovakia and Europe. This was the Candle Manifestation. Thousands of people peacefully protested against communist tyranny by praying with lit candles. At that time, the communist government brutally suppressed this peaceful assembly with water cannons, batons and arrests. The European …

14

Mar

2023

SK Speech

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Data Act (debate)

Madam President. Digitalisation is changing and will change our lives. Therefore, in order to improve the entire digital landscape in the European Union, we need, above all, to improve the infrastructure, digital skills and the right digital framework for working with data. And that's what this important Data Act is about, as we will process data more and more. Access to data will be crucial for n…

14

Feb

2023

SK Speech

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CO2 emission standards for cars and vans (debate)

Mr President, we are all aware that transforming our economy into a sustainable form is essential. Today we are facing an important vote. Reducing emissions is our self-evident goal, but Europe's transformation must be managed sensibly, especially with regard to the sustainability of our jobs and the development of new technologies. It is good that we set ourselves ambitious goals for the protecti…

2

Feb

2023

SK Speech

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Preparation of the EU-Ukraine Summit (debate)

Madam President. In Ukraine, the future of Europe is being decided. The question is whether we will protect life, protect the rights of the weaker and democratically decide our future, or whether the other side will win – disrespect for life, lawlessness and arbitrariness of the dictator. Ukrainians defend our space, defend freedom and democracy across Europe, and it is our moral duty to help them…

17

Jan

2023

SK Speech

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Consumer protection in online video games: a European Single Market approach (debate)

Mr President. Video games are one of the fastest growing industries in the cultural and creative industries. The market size in Europe is estimated at over €23 billion, more than in the music or film industry. More than 90,000 jobs are related to the sector, and this number is growing steadily. It is therefore essential that we also pay sufficient attention to the sector and set balanced rules for…

16

Jan

2023

SK Speech

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30th Anniversary of the Single Market (debate)

Mr President. I believe that the common market is the most successful European project. It has contributed to millions of jobs, to a higher standard of living for citizens in the Union and to peace and cooperation between countries that have struggled with each other for centuries. Today, after thirty years, the single market faces multiple challenges at the same time. It is the Kremlin's aggressi…

24

Nov

2022

SK Speech

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Establishing the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030 (debate)

Madam President, both the success of the economic level of the whole Union and the level of life of our citizens depend on the level of digitalisation. In my view, three areas are important. First, it is the level of infrastructure. We need to invest more in digital infrastructure. We need to incentivise private investors to invest in digital infrastructure, and this goes hand in hand with our leg…

23

Nov

2022

SK Speech

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A truly interconnected Energy Single Market to keep bills down and companies competitive (topical debate)

Madam President, the situation on the energy market shows us that the consequences of Russia's criminal aggression are being borne by all of us in the European Union, especially through higher prices for energy and goods. All the more we need to stick together, all the more important are common European solutions, all the more important is a functioning European energy market. This is also importa…

22

Nov

2022

EN Speech

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EU response to the increasing crackdown on protests in Iran (debate)

Madam President, the current situation in Iran is extremely concerning. In the last three months, thousands of people have been arrested and more than 600 of them have been killed. And they’ve been killed just because of their fight for a free country and for their fundamental rights. Let me express my deepest admiration to all of the Iranian citizens who continue to protest despite the horrible s…

19

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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Presentation of the Court of Auditors' annual report 2021 (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, the findings of the Court of Auditors are very important. As a matter of fact, the results have shown that the usage of European funds has not been improving. In 2021, 15 cases of suspected fraud have been identified and reported to the European Anti—Fraud Office. Consequently, five investigations have already been opened. The suggestion coming from the comparison…

19

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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Preparation of the European Council meeting of 20-21 October 2022 (debate)

Madam President, due to the Russian invasion and therefore emergency situation on the energy market, we are in an extraordinary situation and therefore we need extraordinary measures to deal with it. New measures can be a useful step for market stability leading to the necessary price drop. We can overcome the current situation only by common European solutions. Common purchases, combined with sol…

18

Oct

2022

SK Speech

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Growing hate crimes against LGBTIQ people across Europe in light of the recent homophobic murder in Slovakia (debate)

Mr President, Matúš and Juraj have become victims of a young extremist and our thoughts are still with them and with the survivors. It is shocking that today we are witnessing terrorism against a minority. It is shocking that the killer promoted racism and hatred with impunity on social media and it is shocking that he threatened society as a whole, especially elected officials. Let's just remembe…

4

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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The death of Mahsa Amini and the repression of women's rights protesters in Iran (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, current demonstrations in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini have been going on for almost 20 days now. These protests, which have spread to all Iranian provinces, have been brutally repressed by the Iranian regime and so far led to 400 deaths and many injuries of people, including college and university students. In reality, the number of deaths could be much h…

4

Oct

2022

SK Speech

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AccessibleEU Centre in support of accessibility policies in the EU internal market (debate)

Madam President, I am pleased to welcome this report, which aims to help the 87 million inhabitants of the European Union and to help them overcome, on a daily basis, the common obstacles that we healthy people often take for granted. The establishment of the Centre will have the challenging task of sufficiently mobilising and connecting practitioners with the different national authorities respon…

4

Oct

2022

SK Speech

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Radio Equipment Directive: common charger for electronic devices (debate)

Madam President, the importance of digitalisation is constantly growing, and with it the importance of the devices we use on a daily basis. Whether it's phones, laptops, or speakers. We all know them, and we all know the charging devices. These facilities must serve and make life easier for people. That is why this proposal is very important and I am glad that I was at the origin of this initiativ…

15

Sep

2022

SK Speech

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State of the SME Union (debate)

Madam President, in the last three years, small businesses have been facing really difficult tests. First it was a pandemic, and then it was a break in supplier-customer relations, a rise in prices. Now the rise in energy prices, mainly caused by Russia's criminal invasion of Ukraine. The situation is not easy, as we know, small businesses employ the most workers and create the most jobs. Thus, he…

13

Sep

2022

SK Speech

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EU response to the increase in energy prices in Europe (debate)

Madam President, the topic of energy prices is, of course, a primary topic not only for all of us, but also for the whole, for all European citizens. We must not forget that this topic is primarily caused by the criminal Russian war invasion. Therefore, the long-term solution is, of course, not to finance Russian war crimes and cut off these energies. We need to diversify energy sources, diversify…

8

Jun

2022

SK Speech

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International procurement instrument (debate)

Madam President, I am pleased that, after many years of negotiations, we have on the table today a mechanism that is balanced and that will simplify public procurement on the one hand and help protect our entrepreneurs from unfair practices from outside Europe on the other. It is important to be aware of the strength of the single market and the importance of competition. That is why we are the le…