What Klemen spoke about.

14

Feb

2023

SL Speech

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Establishment of an independent EU Ethics Body (debate)

Indeed, a colleague, independent ethical body of the European Union should already exist. But what if it looks like it's some kind of tale about a yoke of snakes? It may be more appropriate to sweep before our own threshold and make sure that our own ethical criteria and standards are strengthened, in particular by enforcing and upgrading them, especially with regard to the control of how former M…

14

Feb

2023

SL Speech

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Question Time (Commission) - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans

Dear Commissioner. Following the granting of candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the start of negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia, it appears once again that the enlargement process to the Western Balkans has come back to some kind of free-running. I therefore ask you whether, given what is happening on the ground, where we actually see complete stagnation in some candidate co…

18

Jan

2023

EN Speech

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Humanitarian consequences of the blockade in Nagorno-Karabakh

Mr President, the blockade of the Lachin corridor has humanitarian as well as geopolitical consequences for the stability and security of the Southern Caucasus. Azerbaijan’s aggression on sovereign Armenian territory, in combination with the Nagorno—Karabakh blockade, are following the pattern we have witnessed in the past in the Balkan wars and also in the tragic war of Russian aggression in Ukra…

17

Jan

2023

SL Speech

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Implementation of the common foreign and security policy - annual report 2022 - Implementation of the common security and defence policy - annual report 2022 (debate)

Mr. President! The complex security situation in Europe and the world requires us to build common European defence capabilities. Although the political debate is focused on the issue of qualified majority decision-making, which I personally see as a historical necessity, today, with the war in Ukraine raging, the real issue is the provision and maintenance of the necessary military capabilities. I…

22

Nov

2022

SL Speech

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New EU strategy for enlargement (debate)

Dear Sir/Madam, Let's ask ourselves what is the goal of enlargement today? Is it a tool of geopolitical deterrence for China, Russia, Turkey? Is the objective to strengthen the stability of democracy and prosperity on the European continent and its full integration? What is the real goal of enlargement? Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not uniform in the EU. There is no single answer,…

19

Oct

2022

SL Speech

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Outcome of the first meeting of the European Political Community (debate)

Dear Sir/Madam, The European political community is an initiative that has come at the right time for Europe and the EU. However, I am not sure whether it will also deliver the results that the worsening geopolitical situation in the wider European area requires. I myself hope and expect that it is an idea of crucial integration of the broadest possible community of European countries, which, in t…

19

Oct

2022

SL Speech

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EU-Western Balkans relations in light of the new enlargement package (debate)

Madam President! The enlargement policy to the Western Balkans needs a radical overhaul. The revised methodology did not bring practically any of the expected quality objectives of the process. The fundamental objective cannot and must not be merely the technical and legal fulfilment of the criteria, but must pursue concrete substantive objectives. It must ensure the transformation of the economie…

15

Sep

2022

SL Speech

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Implementation of the Updated New Industrial Strategy for Europe: aligning spending to policy (debate)

Dear Sir/Madam, The aim of the overhaul of the industrial strategy was to incorporate the insights and experiences gained during the epidemic. But what we have on the table today goes beyond that basic ambition. We have before us a document that, if followed by appropriate concrete actions at the level of the European Union and the Member States, can significantly strengthen the resilience, compet…

5

Jul

2022

SL Speech

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2021 Report on Serbia (debate)

Dear Sir/Madam, Unfortunately, the report on Serbia's progress, or rather its lack of progress, towards the European Union before us does not tell the whole story of a country that is somehow unable or unwilling to make a political effort to definitively define itself as a European path. The issue of sanctions against Russia is only the tip of the iceberg dilemma, to which Serbia and its current a…

5

Jul

2022

SL Speech

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2021 Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina (debate)

Dear Sir/Madam, After more than two years of work in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I can conclude that our European engagement in BiH is neither geopolitical nor strategic. We missed the historic opportunity to maintain stability for a country that, despite all the threats, obstacles, the predictions of the secession, the desire for a third entity, what else could be found, and which, together with the …

23

Jun

2022

SL Speech

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Gas storage (debate)

Mr President-in-Office! It is one of the key measures to ensure the energy security or gas supply of European consumers. We have before us a set of measures of a temporary nature, which are primarily a response to the brutal Russian aggression against Ukraine and the related Russian energy blackmail. Like food, natural gas has become Putin's weapon of blackmail and destabilisation of the European …

22

Jun

2022

SL Speech

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2021 Report on Montenegro (debate)

Madam President-in-Office, following the political crisis caused by the resignation of the previous government, Montenegro is facing an important turning point. The formation of a new minority government allowed the resulting political crisis to be resolved democratically and within constitutional frameworks. It can be said that Montenegrin politics has demonstrated a certain level of political ma…

22

Jun

2022

SL Speech

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This is Europe - Debate with the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković (debate)

Madam President-in-Office, honourable Prime Minister, welcome also on behalf of Renew Europe, and allow me to raise a few questions and dilemmas on which I would like to hear your opinion. We are pleased that Croatia will join the euro area and I see this as a great opportunity for both Croatia and the European Union as a whole. However, I would like to know what the Croatian Government will do to…

19

May

2022

SL Speech

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The REPowerEU Plan: European solidarity and energy security in face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including the recent cuts of gas supply to Poland and Bulgaria (debate)

Mr President, dependence on Russian energy has taught us above all that we need a single and well-functioning European energy market that is not dependent on a single supplier. Therefore, as envisaged in REPowerEU, we need measures to diversify our energy sources. We must in no way replace one dependency with new dependencies, even if this means that, at least temporarily, we need to rely more on …

4

May

2022

SL Speech

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Use of the Pegasus Software by EU Member States against individuals including MEPs and the violation of fundamental rights (topical debate)

Dear President, Honourable, Honourable. The use of spyware has been historically proven. Control over the use of these technologies has always been subject to parliamentary scrutiny, and what is being shown in the Pegasus case is, in fact, that this parliamentary scrutiny has shown the vulnerability of our democracies, because it has somehow, we might say, failed either because of the fervent figh…

5

Apr

2022

SL Speech

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Trans-European energy infrastructure (debate)

(Start of speech with microphone off) ... TEN-T must provide infrastructure that will provide sufficient amounts of energy for all European consumers, both households, which are particularly vulnerable in the circumstances, and industry. In doing so, we must ensure that this energy is affordable and competitive for industry and households. Of course, the so-called projects of common interest or PC…

8

Mar

2022

SL Speech

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Rising energy prices and market manipulation on the gas market (debate)

Dear Sir/Madam, The only way to achieve strategic autonomy, and in this context also energy autonomy, in the European Union will be to deliver on the green transition. In the short term, vulnerability can be mitigated by diversifying resources, but we need to remember, and we need to be careful not to get into new dependencies, as we witnessed in the 1970s with the oil embargo. The long-term solut…

8

Mar

2022

EN Speech

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The situation in Bosnia Herzegovina (debate)

Mr President, what Bosnia needs today is understanding and, above all, a message of hope in a better, more prosperous European future. European security depends on peace and stability in our neighbourhood. As you can see in Ukraine, there is a thin line between peace and war. Bosnia and Herzegovina is in our close neighbourhood and it needs our attention. It needs our support. It is threatened by …

16

Feb

2022

SL Speech

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

Dear Sir/Madam, The crisis at the Ukrainian-Russian border proves that we live in an unpredictable world of uncompromising competition, in which the use of force is unfortunately becoming a reality. The current crisis not only determines the future of Ukraine, but also breaks the spears of the future of the European security architecture, which has ensured relative peace and stability in Europe fo…

15

Feb

2022

SL 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)

Dear President. The European Union needs a more credible and, above all, a more united foreign and security policy. We live in a time of great power competition, and if the European Union is to become a geopolitical player, it must adapt to it. We must honestly ask ourselves what kind of common foreign and security policy we want and, above all, how we will approve and define it so that it reflect…

19

Jan

2022

EN Speech

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Situation in Kazakhstan

Mr President, the recent events in Kazakhstan have once again proved how fragile the situation is in Central Asia. Two weeks after the tragic events in the country, we still don’t have a clear picture of what actually happened. There is an official account of the events with limited credibility and a flood of unofficial reports with a greater or lesser degree of credibility. What we know for sure …

16

Dec

2021

SL Speech

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Forced labour in the Linglong factory and environmental protests in Serbia

() it is not directed against Serbia, its citizens, but it is a warning to the Serbian authorities that violations of fundamental rights, such as those witnessed in the case of the Linglong factory and environmental protests, are completely unacceptable for a country wishing to become a member of the European Union. Both cases, despite their extreme nature, point to the wider problem of Serbia as …

14

Dec

2021

SL Speech

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Cooperation on the fight against organised crime in the Western Balkans (continuation of debate)

Mr President, colleagues, colleagues. The fight against organised crime is an issue closely linked to corruption. Both in the Western Balkans are concerned with the rule of law. The fight against corruption and organised crime in the Western Balkans will only be more successful if we have an independent judiciary and prosecution services there. And the reform of both must become the focal point of…

24

Nov

2021

SL Speech

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Fundamental rights and the rule of law in Slovenia, in particular the delayed nomination of EPPO prosecutors (debate)

Mr. President! The current government, fearing the mechanism of conditionality of access to European funds, after practically destroying the STA as a public information service, only paid part of the planned funds and temporarily appointed a delegated prosecutor, who, it seems, according to the draft amendments to the law, will be recalled again. This gives the impression that Slovenia is in the b…

23

Nov

2021

SL Speech

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Situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina (debate)

Madam President! Why is today's debate on Bosnia important and why we need to send a very clear message to Bosnia and, in particular, to Mr Dodik and his friends. Because what is happening is affecting not only the region, but because it is happening in our immediate neighbourhood. The blockade of institutions and the threat of secession of the Republika Srpska not only threatens peace and stabili…