What Viola spoke about.

18

Oct

2022

DE Speech

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Keep the bills down: social and economic consequences of the war in Ukraine and the introduction of a windfall tax (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. While Putin loses militarily, he hopes for a victory with the change of seasons. He relies on cold temperatures, on falling temperatures and thus also on falling solidarity in the EU. Even if we have no influence on temperatures, we have an influence on cohesion in the EU. With Russia's energy blackmail, millions no longer know how to pay their bills. Small and …

5

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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Countering the anti-European and anti-Ukrainian propaganda of Putin’s European cronies (topical debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, before Russia used tanks, Russian propaganda took aim at Ukraine and the EU. They unleashed their trolls, paid bloggers and corrupt politicians. They infiltrated European governments. They bought up radio frequencies and other critical infrastructure. All this while we stood idly by. It is high time to grow a spine and stand up to the Russian aggression, not…

5

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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Russia’s escalation of its war of aggression against Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, Putin is neither a master strategist nor a geopolitical genius. He is a terrorist who is only capable of bombing children and blackmailing us with doomsday. In these efforts, useful idiots are his main asset, these useful idiots, and they are plenty – from politicians to tech entrepreneurs, should not be allowed to define the narrative. The chaotic mobilisat…

14

Sep

2022

EN Speech

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Human rights violations in the context of forced deportation of Ukrainian civilians to and forced adoption of Ukrainian children in Russia

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, seven months ago, shortly before Russia launched its unprovoked war against Ukraine, I stood here predicting exactly the demise of Russian imperialism. I warned President Putin of the lethal mistake that every warmonger dictator makes sooner or later – the imperial overstretch. Back then, it was already clear that the brave Ukrainians would not surre…

5

Jul

2022

EN Speech

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2021 Report on Kosovo (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, I would like to thank you mainly for your very positive feedback on this report, but also for your continued support for possible to advance on its reform and EU integration path. Kosovo has made a significant progress in recent years in many areas, maturing as a democracy and as an international partner. The success of the Kurti Government will be measured in del…

5

Jul

2022

EN Speech

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2021 Report on Kosovo (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, dear friends of Kosovo, let me thank all colleagues who contributed so actively to this report. This year’s Kosovo report comes at a special moment, the one when we see again the horrors of war in Europe. As Kosovo has also recently experienced war, its government demonstrates full solidarity with Ukraine, for which I want to thank them. This year’s report only scrat…

5

Jul

2022

EN Speech

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2021 Report on Serbia (debate)

Mr President, despite all efforts of the European Parliament, Serbia is not much more democratic than it was after the 2020 election boycott. It is a country that still lacks genuine democratic plurality, media freedoms and political culture, which will prepare it for the EU. Yet I do not want to go into details of the report, but instead I would like to remind President Vučić about the utmost nee…

22

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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Preparation of the European Council meeting of 23-24 June 2022, including the meeting with Western Balkan leaders on 23 June - Candidate status of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, we are all witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime general shift in Europe’s history. Ukraine is spilling blood, defending both Europe and itself from the imperial evil of Putin. Moldova accepted thousands of refugees and is now resisting the huge economic pressure caused by the war. Georgia was the first one in the region to be punished by Russia for its legit…

8

Jun

2022

DE Speech

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Violations of media freedom and safety of journalists in Georgia

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! The hopes in the country were high after Georgia was the model for many states in the post-Soviet space for years. The fight against corruption, social modernisation or even police reform – all of this made the country stand out. The possibility of transforming a politicised judiciary sector into functioning rule of law institutions should be at…

7

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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Security in the Eastern Partnership area and the role of the common security and defence policy (debate)

Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, originally, the Eastern Partnership was created to extend a helping hand to our European neighbours in the East, to share with them European markets, values and prosperity, to shape the Europe of tomorrow together. Fourteen years later, we see that economic prosperity and democratic cooperation are fragile if they are not grounded on the fundame…

7

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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The EU’s Foreign, Security and Defence Policy after the Russian invasion of Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, dear rapporteurs, on 24 February, when Putin launched the war of aggression against Ukraine, the world changed, and Europe changed with it. This brutal invasion reminds us of some obvious facts. The peace we have enjoyed in the EU for almost 80 years should not be taken for granted. This, for European history, unprecedented peace was fought hard. It was earned by bra…

18

May

2022

EN Speech

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Prosecution of the opposition and the detention of trade union leaders in Belarus (debate)

Madam President, when we condemn Putin for his cruelty in Ukraine, we should never forget that he is not acting alone. The missiles on Lviv, Kyiv and Vinnytsia were fired from Belarus. Russian troops entered Bucha and Irpin from Belarus, from Gomel. When the Russians started to retreat from Kyiv, they used places in Belarus to send the looted goods. Russians did all this because the Belarusian dic…

18

May

2022

EN Speech

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EU Association Agreement with the Republic of Moldova (debate)

Mr President, Moldova is truly European. It has a European government that, in a short time, managed to make significant democratic improvements. It has generous people who have received thousands of Ukrainian fleeing the war. Despite being a progressive country, Moldova also faces many challenges. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and illegal military presence in Transnistria threaten Moldova. Pove…

5

May

2022

DE Speech

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The impact of the war against Ukraine on women (debate)

Madam President, What we have just heard about the extreme right in this Parliament not only leaves me speechless, but also stunned. It embarrasses me. We have today adopted a resolution on the impact of war violence on women in Ukraine. And it's about working together to find solutions to the suffering that especially women are experiencing in Ukraine at the moment. And then we act as if we don't…

5

May

2022

EN Speech

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State of play of the EU-Moldova cooperation (debate)

Mr President, ‘Ukraine and Crimea, Belarus and Moldova, that is my country’. These rhymes were chanted on the eighth anniversary of the Crimean annexation in Moscow this year, a month ago. Putin himself addressed this rally in Russia’s biggest stadium packed with war supporters. As the invasion of Ukraine teaches us, the Kremlin’s signals should never be ignored. During the ongoing invasion of Ukr…

4

May

2022

EN Speech

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Discharge 2020 (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, this discharge was conducted under special circumstances. Not only had we had the pandemic, but also, of course, the war in Ukraine. Despite these circumstances, year after year, the exercise on the Commission discharge is more of a dialogue of the deaf rather than a constructive exchange, with a view to improve the oversight on legality and effectiveness…

3

May

2022

EN Speech

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EU preparedness against cyber-attacks following Russia invasion on Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, before Russian bombs fell on Kyiv, Odesa and Mariupol, there were Russian cyber-attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure. Microsoft alone documented over 200 such attacks. In 2015, the Russian military intelligence hacker group, Sandworm, shut down critical infrastructure and triggered a power cut for thousands of Ukrainians. The Kremlin tried to repeat that trick two weeks ago but, thank…

6

Apr

2022

EN Speech

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Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 24-25 March 2022: including the latest developments of the war against Ukraine and the EU sanctions against Russia and their implementation (debate)

Madam President, over 300 massacred Ukrainians lay in a mass grave in Bucha. Their murderers, Russian soldiers did a sloppy job covering them with earth. Limbs of victims still stick out from the soil. Other bodies, with hands tied and a bullet in the forehead are scattered all around the destructed cities. In another town – Irpin – Russians shot down two girls and ran over their bodies with tanks…

23

Mar

2022

EN Speech

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Debriefing of the European Council meeting in Paris on 10 March 2022 - Preparation of the European Council meeting 24-25 March 2022 (debate)

Madam President, Russian bombs in Ukraine are falling not only on kindergartens and maternity wards, but also on silos and tractors. In today’s global world, a grain field burnt down by Russia in Sumy spells hunger in Yemen. Ukraine is a major exporter of wheat and other crops. The poorest states in Africa are facing a looming famine because one man in the Kremlin wants to destroy a nation. Millio…

10

Mar

2022

EN Speech

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Destruction of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh

Madam President, the Caucasus, and particularly Nagorno-Karabakh, is the crossroad of civilisations. For millennia, different cultures, nations and religions have been creating masterpieces here. These masterpieces belong not only to the people of the Caucasus, but also to the world. It is our common obligation to preserve them. What took millennia to build in times of peace can be destroyed in a …

9

Mar

2022

EN Speech

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Debate with the Prime Minister of Estonia, Kaja Kallas - The EU's role in a changing world and the security situation of Europe following the Russian aggression and invasion of Ukraine (debate)

Madam President, dear Prime Minister, High Representative, the world that was is no more. It changed irreversibly when Putin’s troops crossed the Ukrainian border and started killing civilians. Putin did exactly what some of us have been warning you about for years. Yet I don’t feel pleasure for saying I told you so. It’s no time for pointing fingers, it’s time to stand up for Ukraine and bolster …

8

Mar

2022

EN Speech

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Foreign interference in all democratic processes in the EU (debate)

Mr President, first of all, I would like to thank the rapporteur for her very cooperative approach during the course of writing this report. Putin’s Russia is at war with Ukraine and, with that, Putin is challenging the entire democratic world. The current war is fought not only with guns, but also with disinformation. Eighteen months ago, we decided to combat disinformation. Today, Russia’s actio…

16

Feb

2022

EN Speech

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EU-Russia relations, European security and Russia’s military threat against Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, ‘war is so unjust and ugly that all who wage it must try to stifle the voice of conscience within themselves.’ These words belong to one of the greatest pacifists, Leo Tolstoy, who ironically also happens to be the person who President Putin claims to have influenced him most. Evidently, the Russian President has stifled his voice of conscience and brought our continent to the brink …

15

Feb

2022

EN Speech

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Implementation of the common foreign and security policy – annual report 2021 - Implementation of the common security and defence policy – annual report 2021 (debate)

Mr President, with Russian troops on the Ukrainian border and the European continent on the brink of a large-scale war, we are reminded once again that peace should not be taken for granted. Peace should be aspired to and built. A stronger, more united EU is the best way to establish peace in Europe, its neighbourhood and in many other regions worldwide. Such an ambitious goal requires ambitious t…

19

Jan

2022

EN Speech

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Situation in Kazakhstan

Mr President, congratulations also from my side. The people of Kazakhstan have long enough tolerated hardships and injustice. Their patience reached its limit and they have started protesting peacefully. Increased gas prices are not the root cause of discontent, but a symptom of a larger social injustice. It is a common practice in an autocratic state that growing dissatisfaction is abused by a fe…