Speeches

Mr. President! Dear Chair, Colleagues. As rapporteur for the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, I have a clear message. European taxpayers' money must be spent transparently, economically and with the aim of improving the lives of Europeans. But I have two more points. First: I would like to highlight the cooperation between the Commission and the agencies. For years, in my discussions with the agencies, I have been unhappy that the Commission outsources certain tasks and analyses to other institutions, while having specialised agencies with top-level expertise. And secondly: I remain critical of bureaucratic obstacles in the discharge of the Commission. I call for a simplification of the absorption of the European Social Fund Plus. Our aim should not only be to spend money, but to ensure that this money actually improves the standard of European citizens.

Madam President! Today, the European Union is facing challenges that are not only economic or environmental, but also social. In the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, we therefore call for further clear and decisive budgetary support for social policies that can meet people's real needs. Child poverty, youth unemployment, the housing crisis, in-work mental health, an ageing population, inequality between regions, rising cost of living – these are not exceptional situations, but the reality of millions of Europeans. All these challenges need to be addressed with sufficient financial measures. Europe cannot move forward if it neglects its people. The budget must therefore be a mirror of our values. Europe must remain the territory of the countries that manage the best social models, and the 2026 budget must be a tool to help maintain this.

Mr President. As part of my work, I focused mainly on the discharge of the agencies that ensure the smooth functioning of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee. I am pleased that their transactions were generally legal and regular. I am also pleased that the agencies are working more and more closely together and are putting a lot of effort into reducing their costs and not disguising certain tasks. However, I am particularly concerned about the carry-over of appropriations to another financial year – not just to the agencies. Consistent planning is also crucial for the European Commission. I would also point out that, in the past, the European Commission has commissioned studies from other contractors and overlooked the agencies which are its first support. The European institutions must carry out their work in a professional and transparent manner. They are responsible for spending money on their business for all Europeans.

Mr President. Today's reality is not the same as the one in which we will live in three years, let alone later. Therefore, we need to plan the use of funds with the utmost responsibility. European funds are intended to address disparities in development between regions. It is crucial that the money that taxpayers contribute to the European budget comes back to them. For years, there has been a significant weakness in the use of funds – excessive administration. In order to draw more efficiently from Brussels, we do not need additional barriers, but we need simplification. I want a budget without conditionality, but with controls that prevent fraud. Last but not least, as rapporteur for the opinion of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, I am concerned about the pooling of funds and the abolition of funds and the distribution of unused funds. I am pleased, however, that we have not forgotten the demographics in this document.

Madam President! Dear Commissioner. When it comes to democracy, integrity and transparency and the fight against corruption, I cannot ignore the Slovenian case. Dear colleagues! The Slovenian Parliament does not operate according to the principle of democracy, but uses its superiority to silence the opposition. The President gives reprimands. The coalition is simply taking away the word of the opposition MPs. It also says a lot about the fact that the vast majority of... (The Chair interrupted the speaker and explained that no interpretation into English was available.) When it comes to democracy, integrity, transparency and the fight against corruption in the European Union, we cannot ignore the Slovenian case. Dear colleagues! The Slovenian Parliament does not operate according to the principle of democracy, but uses its superiority to silence the opposition. The President gives reprimands. The coalition simply takes away the word of opposition MPs when they don't like what they say. Much is also said by the fact that the vast majority of parliamentary sessions are convened exceptionally and laws are adopted under an expedited procedure. We have excellent legislation through... legislation in the field of corruption, but corruption is still flourishing, it is present on a large scale. This is also recognised by the OECD. Of course, with government politicians and the Prime Minister at the forefront. I wonder, of course, colleagues, when the European Commission will be, when our institutions will operate with the same criteria for all countries.

Mr. President! Dear colleagues, Commissioner! In parallel with many problems, Europe faces one of the greatest challenges of its time, the preservation and development of its talents. Too many of our best people are looking for opportunities beyond our borders, which, of course, we are losing and losing those that are the basis of our economic and social development. If we want to remain globally competitive, then we urgently need to stop this trend. There are currently 3 million unfilled vacancies in the European Union. Young people should be informed about which professions are most in demand during their studies. We have often heard that education systems need to work better with industry and that we need more lifelong learning, accessible not only in big cities but also around them. Of course, within the European Union, there are some countries that are very successful in doing so, and we should learn from them how to match skills, supply and demand in the labour market. Europe must be, because it can be attractive to talent, it is a space that stimulates innovation, where we offer huge business opportunities and, most importantly, we reduce administrative burdens for businesses. It is up to us, dear colleagues, to create such an environment. It is up to us to decide what kind of space we will have.

Thank you very much for your question. Of course, this is a complex matter, but above all, I am afraid that here we are colliding with a rule that we have in the European Union. This is a rule of subsidiarity, where we, too, cannot influence European policies in the way we would like to see all the problems – let us say, in this particular case – solved in the health sector. If this were possible, then I would of course also like the European Commission to come to the rescue and help improve the healthcare system in Slovenia. For it is obvious that my government, which is the left-wing government, is currently unable to solve this problem without the help of the European Union.

Mr President. Dear Commissioner, dear colleagues! A serious crisis in the health system is not a novelty. The fact that more than one million health workers, doctors, nurses and midwives are missing in the European Union is also not new. We also know the reasons why this happened. There's demography in the back. Demography, which means the ageing of our population and greater needs in health care, as well as demography on the part of health workers who retire and cannot find or are not adequately compensated for. However, I clearly believe that working conditions, poor wages and the burnout of health workers are at the forefront here. How have we dealt with this so far? We hired medical staff from abroad outside the European Union. However, I would like to draw attention to something else. Namely, more developed Member States employed health personnel from less developed Member States, causing additional damage and weakening health systems in those Member States that are least resilient. Of course, there are some solutions: long-term, short-term. Above all, we need to improve working conditions and invest further in education and training. However, since my colleagues drew attention to the situation in their countries, what is the situation in my country? I come from Slovenia. Today, as I was preparing for this speech, I looked at the data. If you went for knee surgery to a clinic, an orthopedic clinic in the capital of Slovenia, you would order today and the waiting time is five years. If we had a ‘quick’ referral, the waiting time would be just over four years. But this is no longer a problem of the shortage of health workers, but a problem of the collapse of the health system.

Mr. President! Dear Commissioner Dubravka Šuica! Thank you very much for your presentation today. Thank you, of course, for all the work you have done so far in the field of demography in the previous term. Europe is experiencing a significant decline in birth rates, an increasingly ageing population and marked territorial imbalances. This deep demographic decline has important consequences for social protection systems, for the labour market, for pension systems, for healthcare and for social cohesion, which, of course, requires targeted policies. I am saddened by the fact that the current European Commission does not have a specific department for demography and that this topic is distributed to as many as four Commissioners. The Commission should also be a key player in managing the demographic transition. Demography is not just about the elderly. With the coming demographic winter, all generations, every segment of society, will face difficulties. I therefore believe that the dimension of demography should be included in all the horizontal documents that we adopt at European Union level. I am pleased, however, that the political groups in the European Parliament have recognised the importance of demography and that we have an officially approved demography group in which we will make sure that we do not forget the ageing society, young people and women, the families that are the foundation of our society.

Madam President, honourable Commissioner! Persons with various disabilities are an equal and equal part of society and it is right that they also get equal opportunities in society. Of course, I support the idea of updating the strategy for the rights of people with disabilities, particularly in the field of employment, but at the same time I would like to draw attention to two facts. Firstly, not all people with disabilities should be put in the same bin. Individuals are very different from each other, they have very specific obstacles and therefore also specific needs. For example, a sensory impaired person in the workplace needs completely different adaptations than a physically impaired person. We talk too much about the rights of people with disabilities in general. Each disability has its own specifics, which should be addressed. Secondly, many countries already have well-regulated employment systems for people with disabilities. For example, in addition to promoting employment in the open labour market, the system of sheltered workshops, where at least 40% of persons with disabilities are employed, works very well in Slovenia. They also employ professional staff. Employees have all the support they need. It is a system that has been in operation for over 70 years. Unfortunately, Slovenia was not included in the study that led to the European Commission's new strategy. That is why, of course, we fear that the new strategy would interfere with systems already in place and might jeopardise their implementation. I therefore appeal to you, Commissioner, that the measures proposed and the new strategy must not interfere with the existing solutions on the labour market, which are working very well.

Mr President. In a society where corruption is taken for granted and where independent institutions that should prosecute it do not work, something is gravely wrong. We also have a lot of problems with corruption in Slovenia. We are reminded of this by the European Commission, as shown by the indexes on perceptions of corruption. We have a Prime Minister under investigation by the Anti-Money Laundering Commission for suspicious transactions. We have a mayor of the capital city who is considered corrupt by the majority of the population. We have a police director who is found by a court to be illegally appointed. We have a government that supervisory institutions find has carried out a series of suspicious transactions, thereby damaging public finances. All this is clear and proven, but nothing changes. Obviously, for some who are politically the right color, corruption is allowed. They also have law enforcement and service journalists in their hands to protect them. This is how the circle is closed. Penalties are imposed on those who warn of irregularities, and nothing happens to criminals. I have repeatedly raised the issue of corruption in Slovenia in the past term. Also, the report of the Commission on the Rule of Law is an unreliable document on the state of the country. Today, when we know who held this report, Commissioner Reynders, we no longer wonder why. It's very clear. Dear Commissioner, I hope that you will change this and that the Rule of Law report will become a truly credible document.

Madam President. Today we are deciding on a team that will take care of the welfare of the European Union in the coming years. What am I afraid of? I fear that, despite different forecasts and promises, the Commission would still impose new and new burdens on people, farmers and businesses. I am afraid of what the future of the European Union and the future of Ukraine will be if it is cared for by the Commissioners who were informers of the secret communist police proposed by the pro-Russian Government. There are also 14 Commissioners from my political group on this team. This is not only a great power, it is also a great responsibility and I count on you. What do I expect from the Commission? To protect the European way of life. To protect our European borders. To answer how Europe will survive the international, economic and demographic battle. That you will be transparent, responsible and committed to judging according to the same criteria. Don't disappoint us!

Mr President. I am very pleased that the European Court of Justice has raised no objections to the legality and regularity of the financial statements in any of the agencies whose activities cover the work of the EMPL Committee. All agencies performed their mission in a quality manner and provided assistance and support to our work through their work, for which we are of course especially grateful. Agencies, commendably, regularly participate in exchanges of views at committee meetings, where they are encouraged to participate even more, especially in the sharing of costs for the same services. 2022 was a very specific year with a sharp drop in purchasing power, but despite inflation, agencies managed their costs efficiently. Finally, I would like to emphasise that transparency and citizens' awareness of the agencies are essential for their accountability. Eurofound, Cedefop, ETF, EU-OSHA, ELA, sincere thanks for your quality work.

Mr President. We should look forward to the Media Freedom Act. It aims to protect journalists, ban political interference in public service media and ensure transparency of ownership. However, I doubt that will be the case. Why? Commissioner Jourová, I do not trust you. Speak one thing, do the other. You demand transparency, but you yourself are very opaque. Since the far-left power has been in power in Slovenia, I have been informing you on a weekly basis about what is happening to the public media - full politicisation, harassment of journalists, purges. And what did you do? What have you done for media freedom and for the protection of journalists in Slovenia? Nothing, absolutely nothing. You even supported power and gave sneaks to those who did it. Probably because the government is very close to you. I do not believe in you, so I also have doubts about whether the new European legislation will achieve its purpose. Maybe one day it will be, but under a different Commission. At this point, we want someone who has the same standards and who truly protects journalists and media freedom. And it's not you.

Madam President! The actions of the Slovenian Government undermine the fundamental values of the European Union. After the political takeover of RTV, the same happens in other Slovenian institutions, which should be independent, but are not. A few days ago, the Prime Minister publicly said that the Slovenian police should be cleansed of Janshists. Clean it up. These are horrific announcements of political purges that have no place in the democratic world. The coalition partners of the ruling quasi-liberals, lions and socialists, who wrote lies in the politicised resolution on Slovenia two years ago, are now silent and involved in the destruction of Slovenia. The European institutions have already shown that they can condemn breaches of the rule of law. I hope this time, just because it's a left-wing government, they won't stick their heads in the sand.

Madam President, Vice-President of the Commission, Mrs Jourová! In the new media legislation, you highlight in particular the safeguards for the independent functioning of public service media. You stipulate that the process of appointing executives must be transparent and that the administration's mandate must be inviolable from political interference until its regular expiry. Something has recently happened in Slovenia that is completely contrary to the requirements of the media act. There has been a complete political takeover of the public broadcaster. The Left Government Coalition has even amended the law to remove executives, editors and journalists who it believes are not firmly enough on their political line. You say you are protecting independent media and journalists, but unfortunately your actions do not confirm this. Even though you were kept informed, you did nothing to prevent it. Even more, you have publicly defended what your law explicitly prohibits. How is that possible? Have you been silent because the ruling party belongs to your political option? This puts a really bad light on you and on the whole Commission. You only listen to one ear. In the case of Slovenia, you are not protecting the public media, nor independent editorial politicians and journalists, but protecting those who are demolishing it. Therefore, please explain to the Slovenian citizens who are paying the public media what you will do to believe that this time you really mean it? What will you do to repair the damage done to the public media in Slovenia with your help? And will you respect what you wrote in this media law?

Mr President. The unusual weather this summer caused a lot of damage in Europe and in the wider world. Extreme precipitation, high temperatures, fires, droughts, and heavy winds not only caused great damage to nature, but of course also took homes and, unfortunately, human lives. At such moments, we rely on one of Europe’s fundamental values – solidarity. To the feeling that we are not alone in an accident and that we live in a community where we care about our neighbour, our fellow citizens, our fellow human beings. A month after the severe floods in Slovenia, which affected two-thirds of our country, I would like to take the opportunity this time to thank everyone who offered Slovenia help to our people. From the Commission, from the countries, and most importantly from all those volunteers who were on the ground and who helped clean up the devastation caused by the wild rivers. But even when the cameras shut down, the affected places still need help. I therefore ask my colleagues in advance to press the 'yes' button when we vote on Slovenia's assistance from the Solidarity Fund in this House. Thank you very much.

Madam President. Dear Commissioner! When the Commission announced its annual reports on the rule of law, our expectations were indeed high. After four years, it is clear – you have not filled them in. You have completely missed the point in Slovenia. The rule of law is falling apart, and there has been a complete political takeover of the public broadcaster. And you're looking away. Your colleague Jourová even visited the Constitutional Court during the procedure itself on the review of a law that is constitutionally controversial, which is an intolerable political pressure. An NGO from an organisation that was one of your main sources of information and, of course, advocates the political takeover of the media, suddenly became the President of the Council of RTV Slovenia. What would you write in the report if this happened under the right government? Since you have double standards and do not try sincerely to improve the rule of law, but act politically, your report is also a political pamphlet for me and has no added value.

Thank you very much. On 16 May this year, the Slovenian Government abolished the National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Communism. It is an unprecedented and reprehensible act, a humiliation of innocent victims and a denial of basic civilizational norms. It is a mockery of European values and democracy. Slovenia has never adopted a European Parliament resolution on European conscience and totalitarianism. The communists and their successors prevented this. They still celebrate communist crimes today, but on the other hand, they deny their innocent victims, including children, the right to the grave and even to memory. It is dangerous when the power is vested in a politician who praises the communist regime and promotes ideological struggles. Today in Slovenia, tomorrow somewhere else. But even though they are trying to silence us, they are threatening us with death, we must not remain silent, because this is also a great danger for our future in the European Union. I therefore call on the European Parliament, as a defender of European values, to strongly condemn the revival of communism and the denial of the horrors caused by this totalitarian regime. Thank you very much.

Madam President! Dear Sir/Madam, Independent journalists are also key to the functioning of the rule of law, and we must, of course, protect them. We owe it to you. But we will probably not find any government in the world to admit that it is trying to subjugate the media, and no journalist in the world will admit that it is a political activist. This is the case, at least in Slovenia. For example, what do you think of journalists who call me a fascist because of my political affiliation and scold me with expressions that are difficult to repeat in public? And even more, they work with reputable organisations such as Reporters Without Borders and receive awards. According to the research, more than 75% of the media space in Slovenia is occupied by left-wing media. The consequence of this, of course, is that they do not report on major affairs involving left-wing politicians, including, for example, the pressure exerted by the Prime Minister, who appeared here yesterday, on the police, which led to the resignation of the Home Secretary a few days ago. There are no reports of corruption scandals, clientelism and many other controversial issues concerning members of the left-wing government. However, this is clearly not enough, as one of the first moves of the new Slovenian government was to amend the Law on National Television and Radio. The politician who passed the law claims that it is depoliticization. Of course, that's not true. I have also drawn the attention of the committee responsible in Parliament, as well as of the Commission, on several occasions. They say, it's all right. I say, you have double standards. In a few months, they will brutally deal with those rare exceptions that are critical of the Slovenian government. They'll set up their own, and they'll declare them independent. This... (The President takes the floor.)

Madam President, honourable Prime Minister Dr Robert Golob. I listened with interest to your speech, where you highlighted the energy crisis, the green transition and the enlargement of the European Union to the Balkans. I am pleased that you have suggestions on how to tackle all these challenges. I would be even more pleased if we had solutions for Slovenia, where the situation is really worrying. In addition to issues related to increasing costs, the rule of law and media freedom are under threat. Thousands of people in Slovenia have been without a doctor in just six months of your government. Staff purges are taking place and citizens are paying one of the highest electricity prices in Europe. They are worried about how they will survive the winter with high inflation. The economy warns that your actions are too slow, too complex and not effective enough. At the same time, the burden of solidarity with the most vulnerable in this crisis must be passed on to all sectors, from the energy sector, pharmaceutical companies to the banking sector, to which these and past crises have brought huge profits. You lied to the members of the national parliament. Your past and present role in relation to energy deals is full of unanswered questions. Bypassing the rules, the Speaker of Parliament, your close party companion, determines what elected Members can and cannot ask and compares the leading police officers to Eichmann. Journalists who discover affair and the inefficiency of your government are subject to threats and pressure on a daily basis. It is obvious that you use very autocratic approaches in leadership. Yesterday, because of this, one of the co-founders, who does not agree with your policy, resigned from your party, and it is becoming increasingly clear that you are trying to establish complete power in all institutions and at the same time silence those few smaller media that are critical of you. Unfortunately, your actions at home in Slovenia do not reflect what you are saying. However, much information about the slippages of your government is difficult to get to the public, as you are protected by the main media and political activists. What you do is far from democracy. This is not in line with European values. All this will be felt most by the citizens of Slovenia, but the destruction of democracy and brutal interventions in the media space should also concern the European institutions. A few days ago, as mentioned above, your Minister of the Interior resigned, accusing you of directly interfering with the police on the grounds that you personally requested the dismissal of certain persons. But words are not enough, people expect measures that will provide them with effective health care and help to cope with high prices. Instead, they got higher taxes. If I return to your speech, then, of course, we would most like everything you have said to the European public to come true in Slovenia. The economy expects action immediately, not next winter. And we all expect you to respect the rule of law and renounce the demolition of democracy and the establishment of an authoritarian system in Slovenia.

Dear President-in-Office, Commissioner. Those who work must receive a wage that enables them to live a decent life. This is clear, but not, unfortunately, as self-evidently as it seems. Wage ratios, as well as the relationship between remuneration and social transfers, are often completely incomprehensible. That is why, of course, I support the idea of a minimum wage at European level. However, given that the economic environment and the development of social dialogue differ from one Member State to another, it is essential to leave the details, including the setting of the level of the minimum wage, to the Member States. We must be aware that the minimum wage is the starting point and also affects all other wages as well as other transfers. It is therefore important to be extremely vigilant so that companies that create jobs are not put at risk by making the wrong decisions. And, of course, a sensible government and sensible social partners will make sure that they find win-win solutions in the dialogue.

Dear President, Honourable. As part of my work in the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, I have focused on the discharge of agencies in the remit of this committee. These are EU OSHA, Eurofound, CEDEFOP and the ETF. As also noted by the Court, all transactions in 2020 were legal and the financial position of the agencies was fairly presented. The European institutions must carry out their work in a professional, efficient and transparent manner. They spend budget money on their business and are therefore accountable to all Europeans. It is commendable that agencies reduce costs by joining a common network. This avoids overlapping tasks and optimizes their operations. The agencies also responded to all past alerts and successfully resolved them. Finally, I would like to point out the complaints of the staff of the agencies, which indicates a lack of communication. The COVID crisis may have contributed to this, as well as a new, more digitalised way of working. However, this does not justify the fact that some employees have turned to acquaintances in the European Parliament with their problems. This will have to be changed and appropriate communication between management and employees will have to be established.

–Mr President! Four years ago, in the European Parliament, we dealt with the case of the laundering of billions of euros of money of Iranian origin in Slovenia's largest state bank, with Parliament's referral to the institutions of the rule of law. To date, no one has been held responsible for this worldwide crime. Slovenian judges, who did not comply with the expectations of the system, are subjected to harassment and prosecution. We have first-class citizens who, because of deliberate procedural errors, escape justice and second-class citizens who have been fighting for their rights for decades. Slovenia undoubtedly has a number of problems with the rule of law stemming from the previous system. The recent visit of the LIBE Informal Group should also aim to identify the extent of these problems. Unfortunately, instead of serious problems with the rule of law, they mainly dealt with the issue of delegated prosecutors and the funding of the STA. The Government has been restricted in the appointment of prosecutors by Slovenian law. The search for a solution has led to delays, which will not in any way affect the effectiveness of the work of the European Prosecutor's Office, if the will is there to do so. I am pleased that the matter has been resolved, including the STA, and that there is thus an open way to prosecute all those who have used European money to cheat and spend on various suspicious and overpaid projects. You are probably wondering why this item is even on the agenda today. The answer is clear. This is a new attempt by the Slovenian opposition to harm its own government. I look forward to such experiments, of course, in the future. They will become more and more brutal, but also more transparent, as was the last attempt of my colleague Fajon with the so-called proofreading of the report on the visit to Slovenia. With all the problems currently affecting the European Union, it is unacceptable and extremely harmful for the European Parliament to be used for the purpose of internal political accounting.