Speeches

Dear Mr President, The European Parliament has taken an important first step in the illegal interception of European citizens, and the Pegasus Commission of Inquiry has been set up. The task of this committee of inquiry, broadcast live in public, is to listen to the Hungarian Minister of Justice, Judit Varga, with whose knowledge and permission civilians, politicians and investigative journalists were observed and listened to in Hungary. As a member of the committee, I will also take the initiative to request and examine the eavesdropping permits, because it seems that a significant number of them were not needed at all, and even the government used them only and exclusively to listen to its political opponents in order to keep power. In the Hungarian Parliament, no committee of inquiry can be set up today, which is initiated by the opposition, but the European Parliament's control over the protection of Hungarian and European citizens cannot be eliminated. That is why we have a special responsibility in this matter. I ask you, on behalf of the intercepted Hungarians, to do everything possible to ensure that the Minister of Justice finally has to explain to the Hungarian and European public why they are constantly spying on the privacy of their own citizens.

Dear Mr President, The European Union is often criticised for being too slow, too bureaucratic and therefore indecisive and weak. Even if there were grounds for these criticisms and accusations, the Russian aggression against Ukraine has forgotten many negative stereotypes. Europe has shown what it is like to lay aside excessive bureaucracy and start acting like a great power. This is also critically important because a united Europe freed from Russian influence may today be more feared by Putin than by NATO. But in 2022, it would also be time to act as a unified great power in cyberspace. To do this, we need to build together a digital shield around Europe and move quickly. A few weeks ago, for example, it was revealed that Putin has been involved in all the digital systems of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for years, they have access to even the most secret information. All this with the knowledge of the Hungarian government, which undermines the security of both Europe and NATO. This is why in the 21st century we need more Europe, not less. Let us free Hungary and Europe from Russian influence and finally act as a great power in the newest stage of modern wars, including cyberspace.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Russia invaded Ukraine 12 days ago. In these 12 days, the Russian army has leveled Ukrainian cities and hundreds of thousands of refugees have been forced to head west. What do we see when any of us opens a Russian news portal? Instead of bombed residential areas and attacked nuclear power plants, he is confronted with lies about a peace mission, a Russian peace mission and Ukrainian aggression. Russian propaganda is so effective that it can tear families apart. Relatives exposed to disinformation believe Putin's lies more than their anxious relatives in hiding places in Kiev. But Putin's methods do not stop at the borders of the European Union. In the immediate vicinity of Ukraine, also in Hungary, Putin is telling lies on Hungarian state television, and Hungarian Facebook is full of sites relaying Russian propaganda. It was a good step for the EU to ban Sputnik and Russia Today from its territory, but we need to take further steps because Vladimir Putin wants to invade not only Ukraine, but also the consciousness of the European people. And we can't let that happen.

Dear Mr President, Commissioner Reynders, fellow Members, thank you very much for your supportive speeches. Unfortunately, the approaches of the European Union remain very fragmented in the management of civic space. I am not saying that the EU is not doing anything, but I am saying that what it is doing is fragmented and has serious shortcomings. To what extent, it also shows that in Hungary, three days before the outbreak of the war, for political reasons, I dare to risk how, as part of the election campaign, the Hungarian authorities invaded the church and civil society organisations of Gábor Iványi, whom you are familiar with. They have ignored even the most elementary procedural guarantees, attacking those who still stand in the way of power, and who, by the way, represent social solidarity, help the most in need, often performing public duties instead of the state. Our report not only calls on the Commission and the Member States to take action, but also makes concrete recommendations on how to improve civic space. Working together in this report also demonstrates how important it is for all of us, regardless of the faction, to provide secure legal, financial support and protection for civilians and to distinguish them from GONGOs, and I think this debate shows how important this is. I would like to send a message to my fellow Members who are no longer in the room, but what they are talking about is precisely this distinction, because civil society organisations are not right-wing or left-wing, but independent. That's exactly what this report is about, protecting it, because it's the only way they can do their job against all kinds of repressive interference. It is in our common interest to stop the Russian-style policy that labels civilians as foreign agents because we see where it leads: oppression, war and destruction. My fellow Members, I ask you to listen to the requests of civil society organisations and to vote in favour of this report so that we can send a clear and strong signal to the Commission and to the Member States, so thank you very much for your support and please vote in favour of this report.

Mr. President, please. Residential areas bombarded with heavy artillery, nuclear power plants attacked with weapons, residential areas affected by humanitarian catastrophes, populations sentenced to suffering: Just a few snapshots of the horror that is happening right now in Ukraine, in the neighbourhood of the European Union. Bombs, missiles and machine guns are chasing millions away! Children and families are forced to leave everything behind to escape into the unknown, and when they cross the border while fleeing, who helps them first and foremost? Not soldiers, not politicians and not officials, but ordinary people, ordinary people and NGOs who want nothing more than refugees: To live and work in peace and quiet. They are the ones who realized that we can only create a better world if we do something about it, that we are ultimately dependent on each other, regardless of nationality, language or borders. My fellow Members, last week I was also at the Hungarian-Ukrainian border, and from there I bring the message of local civic helpers to you. They ask us to help their work and to do everything we can to ensure that they can do it undisturbed. They ask us to support them, those who represent humanity and justice in everyday life, in line with the EU's founding values. They are asking us to protect them from repressive governments who are persecuting them on the Russian model. Their message is particularly important when we are talking about this report. Indeed, it is clear from the report that in several Member States governments are hampering the functioning of civil society organisations. The shrinking civic space is directly linked to the EU’s lack of support for its core values of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights over the last decade. This has led to the creation of hybrid regimes in the middle of Europe. These regimes have not only undermined the essence of civil society organisations and civil society with the pseudo-civil society organisations they fund, but have also normalized attacks on non-government NGOs. Legal, administrative and administrative procedures are used to control organisations that perform public tasks in response to state omissions. These forms of abuse of power should be the subject of a strong EU response from the outset. We must create the European legal and administrative environment that would provide adequate guarantees for the creation and smooth functioning of civil society, because we cannot speak of democracy without an independent civil society organisation and an independent civil sphere. There is therefore a need for a European framework that also clarifies the cross-border possibilities for funding civil society organisations, so that they can donate on equal terms to European citizens, civil society organisations from any EU country. At the same time, we need a political response, a clear and decisive political response, to the political actions that are targeting civilians. That is why there is a need for a civil society strategy at European level and for an examination of the situation of civic space to be included in the annual Rule of Law Report! But not only at the level of mention, but in a separate chapter. My fellow Members, last but not least, I would like to thank the factions and shadow rapporteurs for their support. From the outset, I felt that, given the importance of the report and its need to fill a gap, the factions had given all their support to achieve the strongest and most forward-looking report possible. In the light of this, I would ask the Commission to follow up on this proposal as soon as possible so that we can establish all the foundations for the protection of civilians in this term. Thank you very much in advance!

Mr President, civil society is the beating heart of our European values and our democracy. Still, in many Member States, civic space is shrinking as governments are taking every step they can to exercise control over society. The non-profit organizations that are threatened by such governments need European minimum standards and legal protection. The report we are debating now is essential because it will finally put in place a long—awaited European legal environment to nurture civil society. Dear colleagues, it is our duty to protect our European values and strengthen civic space. This report does exactly that, and I urge the Commission to act upon this own-initiative report and provide a protective legislative framework for civil society in Europe.

Dear Mr President, fellow Members, Recently, Viktor Orbán wanted to censor the content on Facebook. Unable to censor it, he decided to flood it with his own propaganda. Not surprisingly, according to its custom, public money makes billions of dollars, bypassing the current campaign spending rules. Today, Hungarian Facebook and YouTube users are confronted with the lies of the government on a daily basis in an astonishing amount. Today, a child cannot watch a story on YouTube without being interrupted at least three times by Viktor Orbán's hate propaganda. And this is not only outrageous, but unacceptable and untenable. My fellow Members! The right thing to do is to regulate digital platforms at EU level. Finally, European decision-makers have recognised that this is the only way we can protect European citizens, both from profit-hungry, bypassing technology giant platforms and from autocratic governments, but we should also monitor more closely how these platforms work during elections. It's time to say the responsibility of Facebook, Google and all major platforms for what happens on their platforms during election campaigns. Otherwise, these platforms will become slot machines for election scams. The winner is the one who pays the most and democracy loses.

Mr President, the European Union was founded on the idea that the nations of Europe share a common fate in history. After centuries of meaningless wars, the citizens of Europe sent a clear message to their leaders: instead of hatred which divides, we need to stand united and work together so that we can all prosper. Still, there are autocrats left in Europe who reject this message and defy the will of the people. We all know them. To cement their powers, the leaders of Poland and Hungary wage an immoral war on Europe, defying laws of the Union and entertaining the idea of leaving it. And where does this lead us? Here we are in the 21st century, facing the greatest ecological crisis in the history of mankind, and Europe is busy with petty power plays orchestrated by self—serving politicians. Let us be clear, we need to put an end to this madness, and we need to use every tool in our power to strengthen Europe. Because together we stand, divided we fall.

Mr President, climate change, extreme poverty, growing inequalities, the rise of illiberal and authoritarian regimes: these are challenges we are all facing in the 21st century. These challenges are different in nature, yet they share the same consequence: if left unaddressed, they all lead to the mass migration of populations. As I address you today, thousands of refugee families are fleeing their homes with hopes for a better future. Still, Europe stands divided on how to treat these people. For six long years, we haven’t been able to come to terms with our broken migration policies. Yet, in the midst of all these debates, there is something we can all agree on: we need a strong European asylum agency which fulfils at least three important criteria. First, it must ensure that Europe is at the forefront of upholding human rights within and at its borders. Second, it must be able to provide operational and technical support to the Member States in need. Third, it must serve as a bridge between Member States whose ideas might differ on asylum management. The proposal tabled achieves these objectives as it transforms the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) into a fully-fledged agency. Dear colleagues, it is now up to us to support this change and make sure that we will not see another refugee crisis. We are living in uncertain times, but we can take back the initiative. To do so, we need a strong and united Europe with strong and clear solutions. This proposal is such a solution. Hence, I would like to express my gratitude for the flexibility of all the Groups involved and for the great cooperation among the negotiating team and the institutions to make this much-needed agreement happen.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Matchmaking, contact, entertainment, orientation are important aspects of our lives, which are determined by very complex algorithms in the online space. The algorithm, however, cannot distinguish between real and unreal, right and wrong, right and wrong, because the algorithm, following capitalist logic, sees only profit in front of it. If you want to make a profit, you have to make choices. If it's for profit, he's chaining young people to their phones, ignoring the fact that it's ruining their mental health. If it is necessary for profit, it poisons users' consciousness with fake news and conspiracy theories, and ultimately polarizes society. Algorithms determine what we read about and what we think about. And malicious actors do not hesitate to take advantage of this and spread it with personalised pseudo-information, flooding the various social media platforms of users. Fellow Members, we cannot stand by and watch the community remove from social media the focus on profit and money instead of people. It is time for the European Union to take effective and immediate action to regulate very large platforms, including in the fight against fake news. It is time to take tougher action against those who spread disinformation, whether they are inside or outside Europe, whether they are individuals or governments, because disinformation is currently the greatest threat to a united Europe. A strong Europe and, above all, a democratic Europe.

Dear Madam President, In spring 2022, there will be parliamentary elections in Hungary. The stakes of these elections are huge, because despite all the anti-democratic measures of the Hungarian governing party, there is a real chance that Viktor Orbán will be replaced. It is no coincidence then that the Hungarian government will be revealed this summer: the only person in the European Union to use Pegasus spyware at state level. And not in any way: against its own citizens – the phones of journalists, students, lawyers, opposition politicians were hacked and intercepted. In comparison, we are only dealing with this dark matter in one-minute speeches here in the European Parliament. This is completely unacceptable, because what is this, if not a trampling on European values, democracy and the rule of law? That is why I am calling for the establishment of an independent European Commission of Inquiry and for Viktor Orbán to be heard and held accountable in the European Parliament. It is time for Europe to finally put an end to and prevent further rule of law destruction.

Mr. President, please. This is the umpteenth debate in which we are talking about Viktor Orbán's unjust system. We have been arguing for years, but the Hungarian people have so far received no real help except empty words in their struggle against the inhumane system. Yet this is not only the struggle of the Hungarian people, but the struggle of Europe as a whole, and while Europe is arguing and hesitating, Viktor Orbán is not sitting idly by. It brings Chinese communist university Fudan to the heart of Europe, indebting generations. Through Fidesz foundations, he outsources national wealth and Hungarian higher education to his own pocket and sells Hungary's motorways under concession. Finally, in order to divert attention from all this, he enacts a divisive law that translates Hungarians against Hungarians, stigmatizes, divides and incites hatred. My fellow Members, I would like you to finally understand that Hungary does not need empty words, but real actions. We must protect the Hungarian people, because Hungary is not the same as Viktor Orbán. This is what European solidarity means, and while we are discussing the rule of law and divided laws, remember: It is about human lives and destinies.