Speeches

Dear Chair, Vice-President, Commissioner, colleague and colleague. In the context of the Banking Union report, I would like to draw attention to the problem of permissible and tacit overruns faced by European citizens. The Croatian National Bank has determined that 70% of consumers in Croatia with open current accounts have an authorised overdraft facility. At the same time, more than 95% of all exceedances are tacit ones, which are on average 30% more expensive than allowed. Unfortunately, consumers are not aware of these facts, which is why it is necessary to work on better informing them about the financial products they use. The CNB analysis thus showed that the financial instrument of tacit overdraft burden, which should be an exception, became the rule. At the same time, consumers are at risk of having credit institutions recover the amount of the tacit overdraft without being obliged to allow them to repay their debts in instalments. In this sense, consumers are exposed to arbitrariness. It is therefore necessary to oblige banks, through a revision of European legislation, to offer consumers the possibility of repayment in instalments when they seek to recover overdrafts. Less and less would impose a disproportionate burden on citizens. In addition, stronger cooperation within the European System of Central Banks is needed to address this problem. Therefore, let me once again make a strong commitment from this lectern to address the problem of overruns, which are vital for many European citizens, and invite us to put this issue high on our list of priorities.

As part of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the implementation of the national plans should strengthen economic growth, create jobs and ensure economic, social and institutional resilience. It is, however, particularly important that this mechanism pays unprecedented attention to rural areas, islands, outermost regions and regions which suffer from severe and permanent demographic problems, in line with what I am committed to doing in this Parliament. In this way, we allow for convergence, i.e. reducing the gap in development between different parts of the EU, which is of strategic importance to us. Investments need to be channelled into sectors that have suffered the most in this crisis, such as the health and transport sectors, the tourism sector we discussed yesterday as well as service activities and small and medium-sized enterprises to help them recover their jobs. In addition, it is essential to focus as much funding as possible on science and innovation. Our aim is not to create low-paid, low-productivity jobs, which unfortunately dominate in some Member States, but to create a high-wage, technologically developed economy that can compete in the global market. In order to achieve all this, the funds of the mechanism must be used for real reforms, not to fill budgetary loopholes. It is now essential that the adoption of implementations and plans be scrutinised strictly, but that this monitoring indeed be based on effective control of respect for the law and the rule of law, rather than on ideological and political accounting at European and national level. It is crucial that all of this enables us to achieve our goal of economic recovery and a better life for all European citizens.

In parallel with the outbreak of the pandemic, the world was hit by an infodemic, i.e. a flood of inaccurate information placed with the aim of creating panic among citizens. Unfortunately, we are witnessing a systematic anti-vaccination campaign on social media every day, spreading false information, which has a direct impact on the number of vaccinated and sick people. Knowing that vaccination is the best public health weapon against COVID-19, we need to create protocols that will allow to filter out inaccurate and remove illegal content from social networks. I therefore welcome the Digital Services Act as an important but not sufficient instrument to tackle false information on online platforms. This is a deep problem, the resolution of which includes criminal law, media legislation, relations with third countries, but also the education sector, which must shape new generations that will be able to distinguish accurate information from disinformation, which would also be welcome for some of our colleagues here. In doing so, of course, we must prevent censorship and the use of social networks to promote an ideological option.

The tourism sector plays an extremely important role in the economy and society of the European Union. In 2019, it generated 10% of total GDP and 27 million jobs in as many as 3 million companies. The pandemic has affected EU tourist destinations in different ways, while maintaining differences in the types of tourism offer, travel restrictions, the size of tourism markets and the importance of tourism for the local economy. In some Member States such as Croatia, the country from which I come, the contribution of tourism and related industries reaches as much as 20 percent of GDP. Therefore, they are much more economically affected by this pandemic than others. I believe that the Union and its Member States, such as Croatia, have acted in the right way in the crisis. Continuous financial support was crucial for the survival of the tourism sector, but also for related activities. Many jobs have been saved and severe long-term consequences for the economy have been prevented. I also welcome the introduction of COVID-19 certificates this summer. They have allowed European citizens to re-use their right to free movement in the full sense and have also been an essential factor in the recovery of tourism without discriminating against anyone. In addition, the introduction of the European Safety Seal has restored consumer confidence in the tourism sector. Finally, I would like to point out that this crisis has shown the importance of tourism for the European way of life, but clearly also its vulnerability. We need to work on long-term solutions, including financial resources, to make the tourism sector as resilient as possible to future crises that are imminent.

In recent years, we have witnessed a steady increase in malicious cyber operations against the European Union and its Member States by various state and non-state actors that have exposed the insufficient protection and vulnerability of the Union in this area. To achieve foreign political, economic and security objectives, malicious cyber activities support the development of disinformation campaigns, limit internet access and disrupt the operation of IT systems. Also, cyber threats are increasingly targeting critical infrastructure facilities such as energy, health and transport. A coordinated response at Union level is needed, including joint support capacities of Member States, and enhanced cooperation based on exchange of information on best practices and exercises. It is of strategic importance to increase investment in cyber defence capabilities to improve the resilience of the EU’s and Member States’ strategic capabilities, in particular through the Digital Europe and Horizon Europe programmes. It is particularly important to underline that cyber defence has both a military and a civilian dimension and requires stronger cooperation at European level in both aspects. This is a problem that cannot be solved by the Member States, even the largest ones, and joint European action is needed. This is just one topic that shows that the European Union simply has to profile itself as a relevant geopolitical player, which unfortunately, and we all think we are aware of this, is not the case at the moment. There is no other way to protect the European way of life as we know it today.

Dear Chair, Commissioners, colleagues, earlier diagnosis of malignancies, better traffic management or more rational use of energy are just some examples of the obvious benefits that the use of artificial intelligence brings. However, if not properly regulated by law, AI can endanger an individual’s privacy and lead to different forms of discrimination. It is therefore not surprising that as many as 88 percent of citizens believe that it should be carefully managed. The fight against sophisticated, well-funded and equipped terrorist and criminal groups in the 21st century cannot be imagined without the use of artificial intelligence. On the other hand, the example of AI is particularly sensitive in the area of criminal law, as it includes the possibility of geometrical recognition and algorithmic decision-making. To protect citizens from misuse, but also to become a world leader in smart technologies, the European Union needs a new, comprehensive approach to AI. Such an approach should prohibit the concept of social evaluation, which can use algorithms to collect a wide range of data on citizens and their behaviour. On the other hand, the use of biometric identification systems, namely facial recognition in publicly accessible spaces for the purpose of law enforcement in accordance with the principle of proportionality, should be limited to situations such as the search for a missing child, the prevention of a specific and imminent terrorist threat and the detection, location, identification or investigation of a perpetrator or suspect of a serious criminal offence. We need to strike a balance between using artificial intelligence to capture criminals on the one hand and protecting human rights on the other, but without spreading the hysteria and paranoia that we are unfortunately witnessing here today.

Dear Chair, Commissioners, colleagues, due to the extraordinary circumstances caused by the pandemic of unprecedented scale, exceptional efforts have been made to develop and study COVID-19 vaccines to be approved and available as soon as possible to all our citizens. By investing hundreds of millions of euros in research projects and more flexible procedures, the European Union coordinated and funded joint efforts to ensure the rapid deployment of vaccines, which was ultimately successful. Initial procurement problems, especially with some pharmaceutical companies, have shown that transparency is necessary as a precondition for encouraging and maintaining public trust in vaccines, fighting disinformation, but also strengthening the legitimacy of the decision on joint medical procurement of vaccines across the European Union. The public deserves to have as much information as possible about public-funded vaccine procurement contracts, of course within the legal possibilities. In this context, I particularly welcome the introduction by the Commission at the beginning of the year of the principle of reciprocity and proportionality in the framework of the vaccine export authorisation transparency mechanism, which has significantly improved export transparency and protected the interests of all Member States of the European Union as well as its citizens. And that's exactly the path we need to take. In any case, we should commend everything the Commission has done so far in terms of transparency and the data it has disclosed so far, but of course we should do our utmost to make this transparency even greater when concluding future contracts. Of course, the EU’s common approach to procuring vaccines, which has accelerated the process of developing vaccine availability and approval, should be praised in general, and we have been given more vaccines under better conditions and for a better price because of our better negotiating position. By jointly procuring smaller vaccines, smaller and economically less developed Member States have been given equal access to vaccines, and the European Union has thus sent a message that there are no first- and second-class citizens in Europe, which I think is the most important thing here. In the end, despite some problems and objections, the European Union successfully passed the test, ensuring equal access to vaccines for all its citizens. A strong message of security and unity and trust has been sent.

The European Union is the world's largest food importer and exporter. Yet it is frightening that as many as 33 million people in the European Union cannot afford a quality meal every other day. This is especially worrying when we know that as much as 20% of the food produced is wasted. On the other hand, there is a growing problem of obesity. More than half of the adult population suffers from overweight, and in this connection, it is estimated that more than 950 000 people died in the EU in 2017 as a result of unhealthy diets, mainly as a cause of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the fragility of the supply system in the face of health threats. It is therefore essential to ensure the transition to a sustainable food system, and this will only be possible with a fair implementation of the Farm to Fork Strategy. As rapporteur of the European People's Party for the Farm to Fork Strategy in the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, I want this strategy to ensure that citizens have access to healthy, varied and affordable food. However, it must not lead to a reduction in production and food shortages, nor should the cost of its implementation be borne by consumers, and unfortunately there is a real danger today. We also need to protect our farmers from unfair competition from lower-quality products coming from third countries, and in doing so we need to see farmers as partners we need to help, not as enemies, which unfortunately some political groups are also working in this Parliament. Finally, only a fully informed consumer can make the right decision to buy food products. That is why I strongly advocated the introduction of labels on the nutritional composition of products on the front of the packaging, and not as was often the case so far on the back, in small letters, which, unfortunately, consumers very often could not read. Finally, I am pleased that today we have the opportunity to speak about the European Union's contribution to the transformation of global food systems. However, our contribution to this transformation starts with the transition of the European Union itself to a sustainable food system.

To date, there have been over 759,000 Covid-19-related deaths in the European Union. In such circumstances, as many as 66 percent of our citizens believe that the European Union should have greater powers in the field of health. Nevertheless, even within the existing powers, the European Union can and must do more to tackle health threats beyond national borders. It is the Regulation on serious cross-border threats to health that creates a European Health Union and protects our citizens from current and future health threats. Today, it is quite clear that the World Health Organization was late in declaring the pandemic. The adoption of this Regulation provides us with an instrument to declare a public health emergency independently of the World Health Organisation. As rapporteur of the European People's Party in the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, I have proposed a mechanism of prior authorisation by the European Commission to impose export restrictions on medical countermeasures. I am proud that this proposal was adopted as part of this report. The introduction of export restrictions in the midst of the pandemic, contrary to the principle of solidarity, exposed our citizens to shortages of essential equipment such as masks and gloves, especially in those Member States that do not have developed their own production of medical equipment. The introduction of this mechanism prevents health threats from undermining the functioning of our health systems at a critical time. The pandemic has shown us that health threats such as infectious diseases know no borders. Building on the lessons learned, we are now building a safe and health-resilient European Union for the benefit of all its citizens.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the importance of cooperation in research and innovation to quickly find solutions to the biggest problems, such as vaccines, but also the importance of research science for the continued resilience of the economy and society. The Multiannual Financial Framework, the Next Generation EU instrument, while necessarily linking the public R&I system more closely to the private sector and the economy, can lay the foundations for a modern and sustainable Europe and reduce the backlog for other parts of the world, such as the US. As a Member of the Croatian Parliament and former Assistant Minister of Science, I stress the need for the implementation of the widening participation package and the strengthening of the European Research Area to support less successful Member States and address the causes of their weaker participation. I am sure that, in synergy with investment in infrastructure and human potential, this objective can be achieved through cohesion policy, while maintaining excellence as the main criterion and guiding principle. Excellence on the one hand and widening the participation of the less developed Member States are not in contradiction with each other. This is the only way for all parts of the European Union to participate equally in the growth and development we hope for.