Speeches

Dear President Sassoli, Dear President von der Leyen, Dear Prime Minister Janez Janša. First of all, sincere congratulations, my country Slovenia, for 30 years, for everything that you have experienced, survived and stood on this path of independence. With ambitious goals and a programme, Slovenia is holding the presidency of the European Union at a time when we want to know from Europeans what the European Union of the future should look like. As far as the future is concerned, Slovenians have always been able to make the right decision, which is why we have an independent state. We want freedom in the broadest sense and the rule of law for all. We want cooperation and we want respect. Over the past year, the government has shown that it can and does. With effective measures in times of crisis, the country has become one of the countries with very good forecasts and very good results. Just as the government is committed to working for Slovenia, the Slovenian Presidency is determined to help the European Union achieve the economic, social, health, environmental, digital and all other goals that lie ahead. At the same time, it is of course essential to realise that the European Union has no future if it is led by overvoting and excluding it, and that the Union is a united nation with different pasts and also different views on the future. Dear President, I would like you to use your experience and wisdom to help strengthen cooperation, to use your perseverance to encourage us to overcome differences and to seek with dedication what binds us together. Good luck with your second presidency, which I have no doubt you and the whole team will do with excellence. Good luck, Slovenia. Good luck, European Union.

Dear President-in-Office, welcome Commissioner, Dubravka Šuica, I very much welcome today's debate in the European Parliament. Finally, the area of demography is on the agenda. Europe is really getting older, and if we do not anticipate the consequences of this ageing today, we will really be in a great deal of trouble tomorrow. I would like to draw your attention to the increase in the epidemic of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. We need, of course, additional funding for research, but above all for investment in human resources that will take care of the sick and elderly in the future. These are increasingly lacking today. Demographic challenges do not affect all countries in the same way, but the trend is worrying everywhere. There has also been an increase in hostile behaviour towards older people in recent years and this situation has become even worse during the pandemic. I also expect from the Commission the directions and policies through which we will promote intergenerational cooperation. Older people are our wisdom, which can be enriched into a common success with bold ideas from younger people.