Speeches

Madam President, Madam Commissioner, on 19 August this year, the Bishop of Matagalpa, Ronaldo Álvarez, together with other clerics, was arbitrarily arrested and placed under house arrest by the Nicaraguan regime. I condemn in the strongest possible terms the politically biased arrests and the persecution of the Catholic Church and others in Nicaragua and call for the immediate release of those arbitrarily detained. Bishop Álvarez is publicly outspoken and openly calls for the respect of democracy and freedom of religion in his country. I lived all my life with similar histories that the Communist regime did in my country. The Bishop Čule of Mostar, who was held in a prison for 10 years because he wanted to build a cathedral in a town where it was never allowed until the ‘80s, or with Cardinal Stepinac, who was poisoned in prison for defending his people and the right to freedom of religion. I praised all the groups that they finally understand that the persecution of Christians and Catholics and the church that stands with their people, that it is important in this place that we speak about that. With this resolution, we repeat the message and show support to the people of Nicaragua and the Catholic Church. We will remain with that. And I will finish and close with Cardinal Stepinac’s words, ‘when they take everything away from you, the only things you have is two hands; you start praying and you are the strongest then’.

Dear President, Honourable Commissioner. Tomorrow we are voting on the New European Bauhaus report we have been working on for the last year, which for many was not a clear concept when it was proposed at the start of this Commission's work. Since then, this concept has gained visibility through the joint work of all those who want Europe in the future to be primarily a comfortable place to live for all our citizens wherever they live, from the most remote islands and villages to cities and urban areas, so that the construction of the Europe of the future is safe and stylishly adapted to our rich historical and cultural heritage in accordance with the needs of the modern way of life, and above all a healthy and beautiful environment for our youngest and oldest members of society, who were most exposed in this pandemic, earthquakes, floods and fires. The main message of the New European Bauhaus, which we will vote on tomorrow, and which I had the honour of working on behalf of the EPP Group, is precisely the fact that the future architecture of happiness will not only be the privilege of the more developed and rich, but also the refuge of the weakest. I congratulate my fellow rapporteurs for their excellent work and call on the European Commission and the Member States to create, in line with this report, a sustainable tool to implement the vision of a human-centric Europe.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, as this report states, the security, prosperity and stability of our European Union are dependent on the security, prosperity and stability of our neighbourhood. With our dedicated strategy, we can build on the existing partnership and work on a common political agenda and reforms benefiting us all. Coming from a country at the European external border, I can’t stress enough the need to cooperate on migration. Our southern neighbourhood is still a point of passage for thousands of people trying to reach our borders via irregular migration routes. The political instability in the region serves human traffickers, extremists and other criminal organisations. We should engage with our partner countries to strengthen judicial and police cooperation with the EU and continue the development of effective return and readmission cooperation. Meanwhile, our investment in the regions should lead to better socio—economic standards and build a thriving business climate. Economic diversification and education should foster innovation. As partners, we can help the region to become more thriving and more prospering.

Madam President, dear colleagues, the Three Seas Initiative has been established at the joint initiative of Croatia by our former President, Madam Grabar—Kitarović, and Poland during the inaugural summit in Dubrovnik in 2016. It’s encouraging to see the continued common commitment of the 12 Member States and their partner countries to boost cooperation in matters of energy, digitalisation and transport. By joining forces in the investment of infrastructure we strengthen regional interconnectivity and mutual support while reducing the dependency on energy suppliers such as Russia. By strengthening the north—south axis and stimulating these countries’ cohesive economic development we also contribute to the strategic sovereignty of the European Union. As an initiator of the format, Croatia has delivered on its promises by the construction of the LNG terminal on the island of Krk. At the latest Three Seas Initiative Forum, Prime Minister Plenković even announced Croatia’s commitment to increase its terminal’s capacity to more than double the current maximum. We can only tackle the question of energy security and resilience through close cross—border cooperation, and the Three Seas Initiative offers concrete solutions.

Mr President, today is a very interesting day. We voted the report on Bosnia and Herzegovina, where an overwhelming majority rejected the Strategic Compass – the document that was intended to prevent and to start having a real policy on the security and safety of European Union. We are discussing the Northern Ireland Protocol Agreement and the Good Friday Agreement. The UK Government is trying to play its part in the Western Balkans, and everywhere around, in order to cover up what they are doing in Northern Ireland. So I think that we should start paying attention in respecting the Dayton/Paris Peace Agreement and the Good Friday Agreement, and to start to do preventive diplomacy and pay attention to power—sharing governments everywhere in the world, in order to preserve peace and security for all the citizens.

Madam President, the countries in the Western Balkans need a sincere and credible European perspective. From their side, the enlargement countries should show their willingness to adhere to European values, standards and principles. Serbia has made considerable progress on its reform agenda, but still has not delivered on a few critical aspects. While facing the security threats in the east of Europe, it should be clear that no further integration can happen without clear alignment with our common foreign and security policy. I welcome that the representative of the Croatian minority was elected in the recent election to the Serbian Parliament. However, minority rights of the Croatian community in Serbia, and especially the status of non-discriminatory use of the Croatian language, are still below European standards. This must change. Finally, we are still asking Serbia for the truth about missing persons from the Homeland War in order to move forward and to allow families to grieve with dignity.

Dear Chairman, Honourable Commissioner, we once understood each other. We lived in a country where the law of the majority brought about the great disintegration of that same country. It wasn't that long ago, it wasn't me, it wasn't you. We still remember that moment. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country that was created by the Dayton-Paris Peace Agreement, an agreement that marked the peace of a bloody conflict that we are seeing today. That was ‘95. I was a refugee in London until '99 when the bombs stopped, in London tube when it was made Good Friday Agreement. We are discussing here whether we should preserve the Dayton-Paris Peace Agreement or whether we should enter into another crisis. Tomorrow, the leaders of the political leaders of Serbs, Bosniaks and Croats meet in Brussels. I expect one positive agreement that after the elections, which are held in the 10th month, which, unfortunately, will be implemented without an agreement on the electoral law. Will we enter another deeper crisis or will the elections mark a continuation of peace, a continuation of a long road to the European Union or will we stay... (The Chair took the floor)

Madam President, I will follow on from your remarks on Montenegro. A few weeks ago I was with the Committee on Foreign Affairs, first in Albania, then to Montenegro. The lack of administrative capacity makes me really sad, as the co-rapporteur for IPA III funds, that we do not have these absorption capacities and prepared projects. I welcome Montenegro’s new government and the inclusiveness that they showed and the inclusiveness regarding ethnic minorities this time. It looks like there is finally some understanding in the Western Balkans region that this plays a crucial part – to be inclusive in order to have everybody on board and to apply European principles. But still there is work to be done regarding Croatian cultural heritage in the Bay of Kotor and respect for the language. So I am watching with great interest for what the Montenegrin Government will continue doing in the future. We are the greatest advocate for Montenegro because we need the success story in the Western Balkans and we will follow with all the support that we can from our side. It is unfortunate that we are discussing this issue tonight so late, with the empty room that shows the respect for the Western Balkans, and I hope that in the future we will have more attention, we will have success stories and we will have success for the summit as well, for these countries that really deserve it. Because for what’s happening in the Western Balkans, if we don’t deal with it, tomorrow it will be in France, it will be in Germany, it will be somewhere else. The borders are not ending just on the Croatian side.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, this year we celebrate the 35th anniversary of Erasmus+. More than 12 million European citizens have participated in this exchange programme. The programme has evolved over time and has offered life—changing experiences, from students to young professionals, from higher education to vocational training. Despite its great success, the programme still can be improved and increase its accessibility to more participants. The report that we will vote tomorrow assesses the inclusivity of the programme and recommends measures to widen the audience even more. We want to provide chances to those citizens with fewer opportunities and to people living in more remote areas such as peripheral regions and islands. Based on the EPP proposal, the report calls for more cooperation with countries in the Western Balkans and the Eastern and Southern neighbourhood. I would like to thank the rapporteur for including all our suggestions as well. In addition, we call for more assistance to Ukrainian students and more support to be provided to sustain Ukraine’s higher education and academic community. In the report, we also call to lower the administrative burden, to better access to impact of actions by national agencies and to facilitate participation of people with specific needs and disabilities. Erasmus+ is a not a privilege. It must be available to all. And I hope that this report will serve as a guideline for the Commission as well to make it happen.

Madam President, I would like to commend the follow—up report of Mr McAllister and Madam Nathalie Loiseau on the common foreign, security and defence policy after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There’s nothing much to say. We have the strategic compass that really clarifies our position, the European Union position, on how we should form our future security and defence policy, we have the Althea operation and we have the consequences of the war. In this Parliament, I would like also to raise awareness that what we are lacking really is preventive diplomacy. Preventive diplomacy is the key to resolve the issue. Preventive diplomacy is the key to stop the crisis. For example, today we had a position on election financing in Bosnia and Herzegovina, for the future election. Twenty—five years after the Dayton Peace Agreement we still have half a sovereign country. There is no preventive diplomacy, as is happening with other frozen conflict areas. So please, dear colleagues, try to do preventive diplomacy. As somebody who has gone through war, I know that war does not resolve anything.

Mr President, I would like to congratulate the rapporteur, Ms Santos, for an excellent report, and also the shadow rapporteurs, to have this really good and comprehensive report on Albania. We are going as the Foreign Affairs Committee next week, and I will have the pleasure that we convey the messages that we are having today here. But the one message that we should convey to the Western Balkans, to Albania and to all the other countries – North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro – is that they are not forgotten. They are not forgotten, they are there and we are there for them. We want them in the European Union. The enlargement must continue without stopping. There is no other Union than the European Union. There is no other choice than European Union. There is no peace and security without the Western Balkans in the European Union. As well, I repeat, as I repeated with North Macedonia, together with Moldova, together with Ukraine, we have to consider the European Union as a peace project. It is how it started, and on the way maybe it lost its sense, but now we are coming back to our roots. The European Union is a peace project. We have to bring the Western Balkans to the European Union. We will start with Albania, North Macedonia, and continue. This process will not end.

Mr President, today we heard Maia Sandu, who asked for membership of Moldova to the European Union. I fully support that. I support the candidacy and the opening of Moldova, of Ukraine, of Eastern Partnership countries. This is a peace and stability issue. Ilhan Kyuchyuk, I congratulate you on your report. You know what ‘minority’ means, being of a minority in Bulgaria. But some people here don’t know the history of the former Yugoslavia. Identities matter. Identities in the Western Balkans matter more than all, so we should resolve this dispute. North Macedonia is close to my heart, the same as Bosnia and Herzegovina. Shared power, the Ohrid peace agreement, the Prespa agreement – all these agreements should be respected. Otherwise this fine balance after Milosevic’s attack on all these people will never be resolved. So for all these people in the Eastern part who never went through what happened with Yugoslavia, how it dissolved, I would ask you to just learn a bit about history. What Milosevic started we should really resolve. There are lessons to learn, exercise and try to respect, and not to allow any ‘Milosevic’ to appear again and the majority to rule over minorities. So respect the agreements, respect minorities, respect shared power, respect the Dayton Peace Agreement.

Mr President, Madam Commissioner, in recent years, the security and humanitarian situation in the Sahel and Western Africa has declined sharply. Terrorist groups have increased their presence. Democratic principles are being further undermined. People are suffering from food insecurity and inter—community violence, and over land and resources, is rising. The severity of the situation was highlighted by the departure of French troops two months ago. After years of active involvement to restore stability in the region, the relations between Paris and the authorities in Mali reached its deepest point. The EU has also announced that it will halt military training missions in Mali. These developments are extremely worrisome. Security in Europe and Africa are closely interlinked. It is of utmost importance for us to remain active on the ground and to help our partners to foster institution building and deliver on a good governance. Therefore, I welcome the reaffirmed commitment of the Council for a solid and long—term partnership between the EU and the Sahel. Together with our partners such as the G5, the African Union and ECOWAS, the European Union has the power to make a difference in the region, to protect and defend democracy and stability, and to take significant steps towards sustainable peace, because that’s our security as well.

Mr President, cyberattacks are a fast—growing criminal activity. While the Russian invasion in Ukraine is mostly an offensive on the ground, experts warn for increasing cyberattacks as a countermeasure against our sanctions. The EU has to be prepared. We cannot allow a reactive approach. We need a proactive cyber—defence. I regret to learn that the Court of Auditors recently concluded that the European Union bodies and agencies are insufficiently secured. A few days ago, the head of EU Cybersecurity Agency said that its incident reporting system is too bureaucratic and does not work. I call on the negotiators of the update to the EU Directive on the security of network and information systems to address these issues and to provide the blueprint for a better—secured European Union. Digitalisation is crucial for our economic well—being, but the more we digitalise key infrastructures and critical sectors, the more vulnerable we get for cyber—criminality. We have called for a stronger European defence, and cybersecurity is an essential part of it.

Mr President, the latest publication of Open Doors on North Korea is a highly worrisome one. The organisation reports that in North Korea, an underground church has been discovered and all of its members killed. This is another sad example of how the authorities in the DPRK treat believers in their country. North Korea imposes a full restriction of freedom of expression and access to information. Any violation of this rule can lead to a sentence in a prison camp or even a death penalty. People are exercising their human rights on the freedom of religion and belief in secrecy and insecurity. I strongly condemn this form of state repression that has been exercised systematically for decades. The regime continues to put the dictator as the centre of universe but history teaches us that this is never lasting forever.

Madam President, dear High Representative, on 24 February, the day the Russian war against Ukraine started, we were returning from an AFET mission to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The aim of the mission was to learn about security consequences of the chaotic departure of the international community from Afghanistan. We were explained about the imminent danger of Islamic State spreading further and the humanitarian catastrophe that will happen in the country. Such events will create new migration waves and will increase the security challenge on our borders. We cannot allow this to happen and have to insist on the fulfilment of the region’s counter-terrorism commitments. In the meantime, the EU has to rethink its security and defence mechanism. In addition, women are suffering under the Taliban rule. Nowhere have women and girls’ rights been challenged as they have been in Afghanistan. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs has been dismantled. Participation of women in leadership roles is restricted. Women leaders, officials and activists are persecuted. Female activists’ activities in public life have ceased to exist. I strongly condemn the recent decision by the Taliban to bar secondary education for girls. Women and girls are crucial contributors to a resilient and prosperous society, to a strong economy. Without the right to education, women are pushed into poverty and submission. I welcome the EU support to the Afghan Women Leaders Forum and its aim to facilitate an inclusive dialogue for Afghan women from various sectors. But finally, we cannot tolerate or cooperate with societies until they stop denying equal opportunities for women to thrive.

The follow-up question regards Operation Althea. In Compass, Croatia insisted on putting three constituent people as a balance for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s future, on the basis of the Dayton Agreement. You know very well that Althea has to be approved by the end of the year by the Security Council. What are you going to do in order to maintain this necessary balance in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the legitimate representation and also, to relax all the sides, to have the extension of Operation Althea going through the UN Security Council?

High Representative, I will ask you a simple question that I’ve been asking many times here. I congratulate you on Strategic Compass and the big achievement that has been done. But what are we going to do with the key point that we put on the Western Balkans and situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the electoral law? How are you going to resolve this issue? Because the elections are coming and the leaders have not been brought to Brussels to discuss this issue. I think it’s a peace and security issue and Operation Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina is increasing. People are getting nervous, they are being scared, rumours are running around and we are behaving like business as usual. Can I just ask you, what are you going to do about that as a conflict prevention issue?

Madam President, cultural heritage, national or religious, is a representation of people’s identity. These artefacts, buildings and monuments are built with the greatest care and devotion. It is something that people are proud of. Respect and protection of cultural heritage is not only part of our European values and European neighbourhood policy, it is also enshrined in several international conventions and treaties. If these monuments are destroyed or desecrated, it is an insult and a direct attack. By erasing cultural heritage, history is altered. The evidence of the existence of an entity vanishes. In conflict areas, such as in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, monuments and religious buildings are often targeted because of their symbolic value, something I deeply deplore and strongly condemn. It is just thanks to the inherent meaning that cooperation on, and mutual respect for, cultural heritage has a power of reconciliation, a power to promote coexistence, a power that can lead to peace. First is to take stock of the status of cultural heritage in the region. I call on UNESCO and the international community to urgently organise a fact—finding mission in and around Nagorno-Karabakh and I call on the states of Azerbaijan and Armenia to fully cooperate. UNESCO’s motto is that war starts in people’s heads, and it’s there where peace begins.

Madam President, the events in Ukraine have struck us all. The violence is a threat to our European peace and it is still unclear what consequences the war will have on our lives. I lived through war. I know what war means. One thing is certain: the world has changed and the EU has changed with it. Within days, even hours, European Member States have shown their unity by condemning the aggression and by taking concrete measures to safeguard our security. Over the last two weeks, we have witnessed why European strategic sovereignty is so crucial. The EU is showing that it has the leverage and the power to make proactive policies, to reduce its dependency, and to increase its cooperation with like-minded partners. Although the end game is not yet in sight, let us use this clear momentum to create a real security union. Let us improve our resilience and defence capacity, based on a strong strategic compass, in cooperation with our transatlantic partners. While managing the crisis today, we should ensure our peace and stability for tomorrow. Let’s work for peace – because families and those who are fearing for their loved ones only want peace at this moment.

Mr President, today once again we are discussing the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This time it is the security context. For me, this discussion should be a public appeal to the politicians responsible to negotiate a solution to the real problem that the country is facing on the eve of its elections. The people, and not the international community, should be able to sanction politicians with their votes. In order to allow the people to make politicians responsible for their policies of the last four years, including war rhetoric, separatist rhetoric and unitarist rhetoric, we should give them the only possible tool invented by democratic society: a functioning electoral law reformed in accordance with constitutional and international court decisions. For 12 years, the citizens of emblematic Mostar did not have the privilege to elect their officials due to the hesitance from the international community’s side to push for a solution. Now, Mostar is a success case. Let us make Bosnia and Herzegovina and its electoral law a success and give the people a chance to use their power – that they deserve – to decide, as every vote counts.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, in less than two years West Africa has known four coup d'état. This reflects the political challenges the countries in the region are coping with. Next to the effect on the local economy, the life of citizens and the institutional stability, this deteriorating situation creates a breeding ground for terrorists and extremist organisations that are already active across the Sahel region. This morning, we have heard the official announcement of President Macron about the coordinated departure of French troops and their European allies from Mali. Although we cannot predict the consequences of this decision, as a security partner to Africa we should be cautious not to allow the extremists to take upper hand in the region. In this light, I express my concern about the recent coup d'état in Burkina Faso. I call on the military leadership to continue working on the transition process and to return to a democratic system with respect for constitutional order. I also call for the immediate release from house arrest of President Kaboré. The protection and safety of civilians is one of the key tasks of any government. Human rights should be respected. The authorities in Burkina Faso play a crucial role in combating terrorist organisations and in facilitating the work of humanitarian organisations. In both aspects, the country benefits from close partnership with the international community. Today, the EU–African Summit starts in Brussels, and I call on the leaders to reconfirm their commitment to the security of the African continent and work together on the common challenges.

Madam President, it was only yesterday that we had the debate on our common security and defence policy. This morning, we are talking about a prime example of a threat to European security. The military tensions at our eastern borders show once again the need to develop a strong European strategic sovereignty. We need to increase our common capacity. We need to develop a decisive and assertive foreign policy. I express my solidarity with the people of Ukraine that live in uncertainty and prepare for the worst. Over the last weeks, EU Member States have shown unity and close cooperation with our transatlantic and NATO partners. It is through this joint stance and continued search for a diplomatic way to de-escalation that we have managed to keep the peace. We must remain vigilant and we must remain united.

Madam President, first I want to congratulate David McAllister, Nathalie Loiseau and Arnaud Danjean on this excellent report and everything that we should do in foreign affairs policy, security, stability and the global role of a European Union. Dear High Representative, I will not spend this minute giving lectures. I would just like to thank you for calling three leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina a few days ago, Milorad Dodik, Bakir Izetbegović and Dragan Čović and try to make some sense of the Dayton Peace Agreement. Croatia has a crucial role as a frontier country. This is our peace and stability issue. I saw the paper that is circulating around saying that some other third countries should play some role – Turkey, Serbia or whoever. I think, dear High Representative, in order to make things straight and to have an equidistant approach to this issue, you have finally to bring back the Dayton Peace Agreement to its origins – and three people have to have a stake in this state. And please do your best because while we are resolving the crisis in Ukraine, another crisis is just going to happen if you don’t take on your responsibility.

Madam President, dear High Representative, this week’s summit is an important opportunity for EU-Africa relations. We can lay the foundation for a renewed and deeper partnership. We should move away from the old donor-recipient mentality and head towards a partnership on equal footing. More and more external actors find their way to Africa. We require an EU strategy that will increase our visibility and preserve our achievements. An economic partner, the EU should actively support regional, economic and political integration in Africa. This will boost economies and education, foster job creation and enable sustainable development. The EU is also a security partner. Recently we have witnessed several uprisings and coups d’etat in Africa. We need to create conditions for stability and peace so our African partners can take ownership of their own security. African stability leads to European security. With the shared history and facing the same global challenges, Africa is and will remain a key partner of the European Union.