What Ivars spoke about.

6

Feb

2024

LV Speech

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Russiagate: allegations of Russian interference in the democratic processes of the European Union (debate)

Dear Madam President, dear colleagues, I think that the history of the twentieth century shows us all what happens when we allow our democratic institutions to be used for destructive, anti-democratic, totalitarian purposes. And it seems to me that our Member States have learned something from this, but the European Union as a whole looks like very little. I think that this recent case with this L…

5

Feb

2024

EN Speech

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Measures for a high level of public sector interoperability across the Union (Interoperable Europe Act) (debate)

Mr President, I would like to thank the colleagues of the Council, Commission, and fellow Members of the Parliament, especially my shadow rapporteurs, who worked on this legislation. It is indeed a small but an important milestone in our journey towards seamless digital public services in Europe. I’m glad that we achieved some of the key priorities for those negotiations. We stressed the need to e…

5

Feb

2024

LV Speech

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Measures for a high level of public sector interoperability across the Union (Interoperable Europe Act) (debate)

Dear Chair, The motto of the Interoperable Europe Act could be ‘think before you do’ – to reflect and assess how our new decisions can be implemented digitally; how the new rules we want to adopt here will affect the ability of citizens, entrepreneurs to receive public services smoothly, digitally and without unnecessary borders across Europe; whether any new information system that we are going t…

13

Dec

2023

LV Speech

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European Defence investment programme (EDIP) (debate)

Dear Madam President, Mr Breton, Our discussion today takes place in such a rather turbulent context, because the coming days will indeed be such an hour of truth for European security. If the European Council does not act, the security of Ukraine and of Europe as a whole will be seriously threatened and, I think, it is in this context that we should urgently move forward with this programme for c…

12

Dec

2023

EN Speech

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Environmental consequences of the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the need for accountability (debate)

Mr President, Vice-President, Russia’s actions in Ukraine can clearly be described as ecocide. The environmental damage to Ukraine is enormous. The estimates of the cost vary, but it is clear this is at least EUR 60 billion. The full extent of the damage will only be known once the war is over. However, in the meantime, Europe must act. We must find legal ways to hold Russia accountable for this e…

22

Nov

2023

LV Speech

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Reducing regulatory burden to unleash entrepreneurship and competitiveness (topical debate)

Dear Madam President, Dear Commissioner, I and the entire team working here in Parliament on our report on the competitiveness of start-ups naturally support the Commission's objective of reducing the reporting burden by 25%. And I really hope that the Commission will put this principle into practice – think small first – and put forward proposals for all these one in, one out initiatives. However…

19

Oct

2023

LV Speech

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European Citizens' Initiative 'Fur Free Europe' (debate)

Dear Madam President, dear Commissioner, Keeping wild animals in cages and slaughtering them for fur is, first of all, ethically unacceptable. This is a question of humanity and humanism. And this initiative and many surveys here show that European societies have changed and most of them no longer accept such cruelty here. But this is not just a matter of morality. It is also a matter of public he…

13

Jul

2023

EN Speech

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Global Convergence on Generative AI (debate)

Mr President, dear European Commission, I find it deeply symbolic that the discussion process about the generative AI initiated by G7 leaders a few weeks ago is named a Hiroshima process. This name invokes analogies with nuclear energy, which can be both immensely destructive and also a highly constructive force. Generative AI, with its immense power, necessitates efficient governance to ensure it…

12

Jul

2023

LV Speech

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Putting the European economy at the service of the middle class (debate)

Dear Mr President, Dear Mr Gentiloni, It is clear that the recent years have certainly not been easy for the middle class of Europe, as the cost of living is increasing, job security and business security are decreasing. The gap between those who are and those who are not in economic security is also widening. I believe that the best we can do at European level to support this middle class is to c…

11

Jul

2023

LV Speech

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Ecodesign Regulation (debate)

Mr President, Dear Commissioner, Dear colleagues, One of the most important tasks of this Regulation is to eliminate the various stunts of manufacturers, which are aimed at buying increasingly new and new products. These tricks deliberately make products prematurely obsolete or non-functional, unrepairable or reparable only in a very limited number of authorised repair shops. Therefore, in additio…

14

Jun

2023

LV Speech

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Torture and criminal prosecution of Ukrainian minors Tihran Ohannisian and Mykyta Khanhanov by the Russian Federation

Madam President, Commissioners, Colleagues ! I do not know whether Tihran and Mikita planned to defend their homeland against the occupiers by partisan methods. I do not know if they have succeeded, but I know that defending my people against genocide is an honor and pride. I know that the kidnapping, deportation and re-Russianisation of Ukrainian children is a war crime for which Putin and his ar…

15

Mar

2023

LV Speech

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Strengthening the EU Defence in the context of the war in Ukraine: speeding up production and deliveries to Ukraine of weapons and ammunitions (debate)

Madam President, Dear Commissioner, Peace in Europe now depends on Ukraine's defence capabilities, and Ukraine is now defending all of us in Bahamas so that we can sit here and decide. It is regrettable that the European Defence Agency has not been able to reach common defence procurement in these 13 months. This is why we, the European Parliament, must act through the European Defence Industry Re…

17

Jan

2023

LV Speech

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Surge of respiratory infections and the shortage of medication in Europe (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, The shortage of medicines in Europe has become chronic, and we have adopted not only a policy document, but it does not become sweeter from being labelled ‘halva, halva’ in the mouth. I would like to emphasise two things here. Firstly, there is a need for a simpler, more modern regulation of medicines, as the current compliance of medicines with the obligations and proc…

14

Dec

2022

LV Speech

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Defending democracy from foreign interference (debate)

Dear President, Dear Commissioner, Our debate today comes at the same time as the Belgian court hearing, which rules on the accusation of our colleagues suspected of being involved in such unlawful influence from abroad. All this shows that democracies must have teeth. And I think that the sword of Themis remains the most important tool in protecting our democracy against hostile authoritarian reg…

14

Dec

2022

LV Speech

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Tackle the cost of living crisis: increase pay, tax profits, stop speculation (topical debate)

Dear Madam President, Mr Gentiloni, Of all the solutions to the cost-of-living crisis, I would like to emphasise the key principle of targeted support for the vulnerable. But this calls for our support systems to be designed in such a way that they can be clearly seen and quickly reached without unnecessary bureaucracy and delays. These are the most vulnerable groups of the population, such as sin…

22

Nov

2022

EN Speech

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EU-China relations (debate)

Madam President, Mr Borrell, EU-China relations are as much about securing the rules-based international order as about realistic assessments of Europe’s strategic interests, not least in the areas of trade and investment. Much has been said already about screening inbound investment in strategically important sectors from chips to ports, but equally important is a hard-nosed attitude towards outb…

21

Nov

2022

LV Speech

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Implementation report on the European Innovation Council (short presentation)

Thank you, Madam President. The European Innovation Council is an instrument to bridge Europe's innovation gap, which is a particularly important task in this challenging geopolitical context, and it is our duty, as representatives of the European institutions, to treat it responsibly. This has not been fully achieved so far, and this delay in the cost of money due to inter-institutional struggles…

19

Oct

2022

LV Speech

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Lukashenka regime's active role in the war against Ukraine (debate)

Madam President, Dear Commissioner, Belarus' increasing support for Russian aggression allows us to clearly see the axis of the new terrorist countries that are Russia, Belarus, Iran, North Korea. Yes, Belarus is involved in the Russian war! It has just renounced the status of a nuclear-free state in order to allow the use and deployment of nuclear weapons on its territory. In my opinion, this for…

19

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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

Madam President, Mr Commissioner, for over a decade, the once-praised EU enlargement process stalls. And, unfortunately, an end to this stagnation is not coming any time soon. In practice, it means that we have willingly turned a blind eye to the creation of a more safe and stable EU regional neighbourhood and given our adversaries an advantage for their geopolitical aspirations. Now more than eve…

6

Jul

2022

EN Speech

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The Three Seas Initiative: challenges and opportunities (topical debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, all 12 member states of the Three Seas Initiative have had one chapter in their history in common, and this is the Iron Curtain, which denied the development and natural growth of this region for a half a century. It caused a distinct polarity between European regions in economic development but, most notably, it showed how ineffective and uncompetitive the regional …

7

Jun

2022

LV Speech

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Binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States (Effort Sharing Regulation) - Land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) - CO2 emission standards for cars and vans (joint debate – Fit for 55 (part 2))

Mr President, Dear Mr Timmermans, The Green Deal is the path to Europe's energy independence and the independence we now need in the face of Russia's aggression. Therefore, climate and security policies must complement each other and not combat each other. The target of reducing these emissions by 55% by 2030 is very ambitious, and that is why we cannot leave any green local resource untapped. I a…

4

May

2022

EN 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)

Mr President, spying on journalists, opposition politicians, judges and activists is, of course, totally unacceptable. The European Parliament should investigate and strongly condemn such activities, by whatever Member State they have been undertaken. Along with that, we should be aware of the new technological realities of today – that crime, terrorism and even war have moved to technological spa…

3

May

2022

EN Speech

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

Mr President, when Vladimir Putin plans a so-called ‘special military operation’, he probably hoped for a quick and victorious war. However, Ukrainian resistance turned out to be fierce and Western support for them is helping Ukrainians to fight back so heroically. It is obvious now that Russia is going to use all possible non-conventional means to hurt Ukraine and its allies, and the increased in…

9

Mar

2022

LV Speech

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European Semester for economic policy coordination: annual sustainable growth survey 2022 – European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social aspects in the annual sustainable growth strategy survey 2022 (debate)

Dear Madam President, Dear Mr Dombrovskis, A few weeks ago, the European economy was recovering from the shocks caused by the COVID pandemic, at a significantly faster pace than expected, also due to the targeted support provided by the European Union and Member States to the sectors most affected by the pandemic. This, in turn, already brought all Member States back to pre-pandemic levels of deve…

8

Mar

2022

EN Speech

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

Madam President, Madam Commissioner, what we are seeing right now in Ukraine makes some things crystal clear. We in Europe have always protected freedom of speech, freedom of information as our fundamental values, and at the same time we have allowed aggressive, authoritarian dictatorships to use information as a weapon against us. It is now urgent to change this approach. Europe has to engage muc…