Speeches

Madam President, Commissioner, I believe that we have a red code of disinformation in the European Union and we need to wake up, because I recommend one thing that I do regularly: read, Commissioner, the press magazine of the Russian Federation every week and you will see how a state constantly encourages disinformation and distortion of reality. We are not just talking about media outlets, we are not just talking about platforms, we are talking about politicians who encourage hate speech and try to present the European Union differently than we know it. And it is precisely these realities that compel us to act with great responsibility and courage to take forward the objectives for which the European Union was created. And that is precisely why I think we need modern tools to combat disinformation.

Madam President, Commissioner, I congratulate the rapporteur on presenting an exact situation with regard to the situation related to cybersecurity. But it is enough to look at yesterday, when practically all of us have seen what it means to have a cyber crisis, when the big players on the market are facing security or management problems. The whole world was affected. That is why I believe that it is essential for the Commission to take all the steps to make the Cybersecurity Competence Centre, set up in Bucharest itself, in my country, operational, because we need the necessary antibodies to face these challenges that exist. There are not only interest groups that pursue political, economic or social goals by which they cyberattack our states. Worse, there are states that use technology to attack other states, and here we are most exposed, and we need to act more forcefully to defend our citizens, to defend our institutions, to defend our democracy.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I believe that one of the greatest challenges is facing the European Commission, because the public health crisis generated by Covid has presented us with a great challenge. You have a huge responsibility, Commissioner, because, of course, I also heard from the President today, here in Parliament's plenary, your commitments are extremely important, extremely serious, extremely well thought out and substantiated, but it is essential that from commitment to implementation you work together with national governments, so that all areas that have been heavily affected by the coronavirus, all social categories strongly affected by the pandemic, are supported. It is clear that there have been strong socio-economic imbalances in our societies, which have accelerated inequalities between people. Around 91 million people, including 18 million children, are at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the European Union. We must pay due attention to them in order to maintain the European Union's commitment that no one should be left behind from this crisis, going through this crisis. One of the hardest hit industries across the European Union is HoReCa. In my country, specialists claim that 30% of this industry will never recover. That is why you need to put the necessary pressure, work together with national governments, so that the recovery and resilience plans achieve the effect that the Commission is counting on.

Mr President, Commissioner, rapporteur, congratulations. It is a necessary measure, it is a reform that millions of citizens around the world have been waiting for. I do not think it is a measure either of the left or of the right, it responds to a need because the European Union is and has become home to many citizens outside the European area. But the measure we are taking is a response to an expectation of millions of citizens who are highly qualified and want to come and build a future here, and we needed this political message to send to all those who look with confidence and hope to our continent. We needed clarity, we needed de-bureaucratization, we needed a new, well-placed framework that would provide security and credible prospects for those who want to come and build a future here in our home, Europe. Well, congratulations.

Madam President, Commissioner, I congratulate the rapporteur on responding with this document to an emergency and I believe that it is essential to treat with great responsibility both us and the Commission, because this area needs urgent regulation. Technological advances have enabled the digital economy to grow rapidly. But there are not a few vulnerabilities that we all see. That is why I believe it is essential that the European Commission, as soon as possible, come up with a legislative initiative in order to be able to provide those who work in this area with real guarantees. These people are engaged in lucrative activities and need very clear regulations in order to be protected. But it's not just those who run and develop online platforms that need these legal regulations. It is vital that the final consumer is also protected from the regulations that Member States expect from the European Union. I think it is absolutely essential to understand that technological advances have brought us new challenges, and we must keep up with these expectations that society has of us.

Madam President, Commissioner, it is a positive message, the one I want to convey. Today's debate refers to the annual report on the functioning of the Schengen area. But the question is, Commissioner, how can we talk about a real functioning of the Schengen area, when three Member States of the European Union are not in the Schengen area today, and two countries, Romania and Bulgaria, have been waiting for more than 10 years to be accepted. You cannot imagine how much this unfair decision affects the over 20 million Romanian citizens, given that we know what efforts we have made as a nation and state to meet all the conditions. We came to the club later. We know well what we have to recover and correct at home, but we consider ourselves not fully integrated, as long as this situation we find ourselves in has been waiting for more than a decade and we believe it is our place here, in the area without borders. All citizens of the European Union felt again during the pandemic what the reintroduction of border controls means. That is why, after this pandemic, we must remove any barriers that still separate us.

Madam President, honourable colleagues, first of all, we must congratulate the two colleagues who carried out this initiative to put to the debate a resolution on extending the measures to cover this law inspired by the Magnitsky Act. I believe that human rights must remain a cornerstone and a priority of the European Union's external action. But let us not forget that there are states that are controlled by oligarchs or dictators who sit at the table with oligarchs and enjoy freedom, all the advantages that our societies offer. That is why I believe that corruption must be introduced into the sanctions regime that we must provide for, and the law must be applied uniformly throughout the European Union. There can be no double standards and no dialogue with those who violate our values. That is why I firmly believe that we must put the necessary pressure on this law to produce its effects, and those who steal public money, those who keep dictators alive must respond personally and we must sanction them with the tools we have. Only then will it be a strong Union, a Union that people all over the world will look forward to all the time with hope.

Madam President, I believe that we are in the midst of a war, a war with non-military weapons, because what is happening today, we know very well, they are creating fake news, they are misinforming, they are manipulating, Putin suspends human rights at any time when interests dictate, undermine democracy and our response must be very tough, Mr High Commissioner, because I believe that the whole architecture of the Union needs to be rethought when it comes to defending against disinformation. We need a Commissioner for countering disinformation and defending democracy. We need a fund of one billion euros to defend the free press in the associated states and the member states. We have to fight, because, I see, on 11 July there are elections in the Republic of Moldova – a state associated with the European Union. Putin has personally created parties and 20 media outlets that try to keep the state in its area of influence. We need to do more and I call on the citizens of the Republic of Moldova to vote on Sunday to get rid of Moscow's influence.