Speeches

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I think the best thing about the Western Balkans summit was that it took place. But I must honestly say: The results of the Western Balkans Summit are disappointing, not very much how generally the Western Balkans policy of the European Union and especially the European Commission has been really disappointing in recent years. And I want to say: We as the EU – and the European Commission as well – must be much, much more present in this region. If we go through the countries one by one: Serbia and Montenegro, where there is great concern that recent developments, especially in media freedom and civil rights issues, are not moving in the right direction. North Macedonia and Albania – two countries that have undertaken major reforms but are still not getting the promised response from the accession negotiations, simply because a Member State is blocking this issue for domestic reasons. Kosovo, visa liberalisation, but also, for example, the double crisis in Bosnia, which we are experiencing, and in particular the recent steps taken by Dodik, which may lead to the country facing tears – I do not understand the silence and inactivity of the Commission and Commissioner Várhelyi on this issue at all. We must finally get in the aisles here and prevent this nationalism, which is incited there, from again causing a wildfire in the Balkans. You can't look away, you finally have to act!

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Energy prices are rising across Europe, and the coming winter will be the test of whether we succeed in ensuring that the response to climate change is also a socially just answer, whether we succeed in coping with climate change in a socially just way. We need to prevent energy poverty. No one should be allowed to freeze in Europe, not even in the coming winter. In other words, we need a package of measures: Temporary reductions in taxes on energy, the improvement of stockpiles, the independence of imports from abroad, the expansion of renewable energy – and that rapidly with pipelines – and also energy saving and energy efficiency must be high on the agenda. This is where we can deal with the essentials. If we want to combat energy poverty and rising energy prices, we must now also invest in a massive expansion of renewable energy. Also in line with the motto that energy saving – i.e. less consumption – must be at the forefront according to the motto: The best power plant is the one that doesn't even have to be built because we act efficiently. From this point of view, the discussion in the European Council will also show whether the European Heads of Government are willing to deal with precisely these issues in a socially just manner. Just closing your eyes will not be enough.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Yesterday was a special day in the world of online and apps. However, the failure of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp should be Mark Zuckerberg's least problem. It would be much more important not to mislead the public as it has been done so far. These days there is also a hearing in the US Parliament, and Frances Haugen, the whistleblower, says how much profits are made with fake news, with hateful content. She says there: “Damns children and harms democracy.” She is right – unfortunately she is right. It's not just an example, Facebook. Google and others are among them. These developments are dangerous for our democracy, and young people are particularly at risk, and studies show that young women and girls in particular are also at risk. What we see very, very clearly is: The path of voluntary self-control does not work. He failed. He's not the way to go. What we need now is a system that breaks exactly this logic, namely that algorithms are designed in such a way that with hate content More attention and therefore more profit is generated. We must break this logic, and we do not have to expect Mr Zuckerberg to do so, because Mr Zuckerberg simply wants to maximise profit. Therefore, we need to put an end to all these mechanisms. We must therefore also see that not only is it regulated, and trust that self-regulation and advisory councils will regulate this issue, but we must create regulations to put an end to it. We must also discuss whether these monopolies that have arisen here must also be dismantled. For a separation of all this power, of economic power and of information power, is necessary because it is harmful and unhealthy for our democracy. And we can't let that happen. We need to fight this as soon as possible.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! The Arctic is our northern neighbour, our northern neighbour – a huge sea of ice, but also a habitat. And yes, the change of recent years, especially climate change, the thawing of the North Passage for shipping traffic, is also increasingly placing this region at the center of world politics: Russia's military build-up, China's investment in ports along the northern route. However, critical earth resources in the region and on the island will also be relevant for the green transition in the EU. Climate change may also have an impact on the balance of power, but – and this is the very, very important point – the Arctic should and must remain the zone of low tensions as it is now. We must not export or import other conflicts into the Arctic. It is a successful model of stability and engagement between the EU or EU countries, Iceland, Norway and Russia. And one of the few forums in which the EU also talks with Russia is the Arctic Council, which works well and which we must also keep open as a platform for dialogue and solutions. But the Arctic is also a region where climate change is hit three times as hard as the global average. The retreat of ice, the impact on biodiversity and the impact on the habitat of four million people living in the Arctic are important here. For all these questions, it is urgent that the European Union also develops an Arctic strategy that gives exactly the answers to these questions. I am glad that we have succeeded in presenting a balanced report with all the parties involved, which presents exactly the position of Parliament, but also exactly the position in which the European Union is to go in Arctic policy. I agree with the previous speakers: We need more European Union in the Arctic and more Arctic in the European debate.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, The Pegasus affair is a new negative low on all these issues of surveillance and espionage. Pegasus is a dangerous tool used to spy on unwelcome journalists, NGOs and civil society, human rights activists and critical politicians, in the hands of authoritarian regimes, state leaders and even private companies. And that raises many, many questions. How can such technology be effectively banned in the future? What measures, what better rules, what know-how do we need in the European Union to protect our freedom? We must resolutely defend ourselves against such practices! We must protect our democracy from all forms of cyberattacks, disinformation and espionage!

Madam President, Mr President, Mr Vice-President! We got mail from Budapest. After the discussion in the European Council, Mr Orbán wrote us a letter in which he wrote about the gross anti-democratic political attacks against Hungary. That is, frankly, completely insane. The opposite is the truth! The truth is: Hungary is attacking fundamental human rights – of homosexuals, of journalists, of artists. All these people have no more chances in Hungary, are oppressed and are treated badly. It's not against Hungary either. It is against this Hungarian government, which restricts human rights there. And what we also have to say very clearly is: Those who circumcise human rights in one country circumcise them throughout Europe. That is why this outcry must also come from all over Europe: We don't accept that! I expect every European government to cry out against these grievances in Hungary and to make one thing clear: that this right-wing populism is always accompanied by corruption, and we must also fight against this corruption.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, To Mr Krah, who has spoken here before, I would like to say one more thing on his way, namely: Human rights are universal rights for us. They apply to every person in the world. That is why it is so important that the European Union, especially the European Union, is not only a global actor in human rights, but can also be even better in the future. That's why this law exists, and that's why it's good, and that's why I find it a bit difficult to take their tolerance as it is here so seriously. Because otherwise, when it comes to fellow citizens in their own country, you do not have them so much. But it is also about us becoming active in foreign policy. That is why unanimity must go away, and that is why it must also be possible to include economic corruption in this catalogue. This is why we need this EU global human rights sanctions regime As soon as possible.

Madam President, Mr Vice-President. Disinformation is a threat to democracy in Europe and also to stability. Often the aim is simply to spread anti-EU, anti-democracy sentiment outside and within the European Union, outside and within Europe. From Russia and China, disinformation campaigns emanate from outside. However, there are also serious threats from within, such as the Western Balkans and its neighbouring countries. This is particularly problematic for the study, from which we also quote here: Serbia and Hungary. In Hungary, for example, it can be seen that there is increasing investment in the Macedonian media market by Hungarian media, which are particularly close to Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán. Hungarian media outlets, which have grown because the government has given them one order after another, are now investing in North Macedonia to use it to launch numerous disinformation campaigns – against the government, for example, against the Prespa Agreement, for example, but also against the country’s Euro-Atlantic efforts. Therefore, Mr Vice-President of the Commission, the Commission must find ways to put an end to these practices. It is not acceptable for EU Member States to interact with neighbouring countries and create an anti-EU mood. We must take a clear stand here.