Speeches

Mr President, Commissioner, today I want to address a subject relating to Serbia, a state aspiring to join the European Union, but when Romania took this path, it made respect for this status conditional on granting rights to national minorities. The Romanian minority is extremely numerous in this country, but fundamental rights are still restricted. Here, too, I would like to pay tribute to the vicar of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Serbia, who has been severely persecuted by the authorities during his 20 years of activity, the Deanery of Dacia Ripensis in the Timoc Valley in Eastern Serbia. I assure him of all respect and I believe that Serbia must reach the European Union, but it has the obligation to respect all its citizens, including the Romanian minorities.

Madam President, Commissioner, Russia's war of aggression violates any rule of international law, destroying the hard-won peace on the European continent, and those who destroy peace must be severely punished. If the instruments of the International Criminal Court are not enough to ensure that justice is done, having no jurisdiction over the crime of aggression, then we need a new instrument, a special court for Ukraine. The message sent today by the European Parliament through the vote is extremely clear and powerful. Liderii de la Kremlin, împreună cu criminalul Putin trebuie să plătească pentru distrugerea unei țări și pentru miile de vieți omorâte în acest război crunt și fără sens. We have a duty to do justice not only for Ukrainian citizens, but for all the citizens of the world who must live in peace.

Madam President, I follow with great interest every year the Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World. As a member of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, I have a responsibility to follow up on violations of individuals' fundamental rights. And here I want to bring to attention a situation that we know very little, namely the situation of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova in the area occupied by the Russian Federation, for more than 30 years. In the Transnistrian region, thousands of children face a regime every day that restricts their right to education. Lor, profesorilor și directorilor acestor școli care încearcă să studieze în limba de stat a Republicii Moldova, iar Federația Rusă nu le permite acest lucru, le aduc cu o profundă recunoștință, pentru că sunt un caz grav de încălcare a drepturilor omului aici, în Europa. Yet another proof that Russia has always defied and curtailed fundamental freedoms.

Madam President, Commissioner, I believe that this is an important moment, an important achievement for the European Union, and I am starting from the four freedoms that define the single market - the free movement of persons, the free movement of goods, services and capital. And, of course, there are objectives that place the Union on an extremely solid footing for future generations, but I draw attention to the fact that the two freedoms provided for in the Treaty, such as the freedom of movement of persons and goods, are seriously violated by states that, in the Council of the European Union, reject the enlargement of the Schengen area, as happened at the JHA Council of 8 December last year, when Romania and Bulgaria, unjustifiably, were denied this right. The Union will be strong when the Single Market is fully integrated.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I think this topic is very topical, because when we hear about clandestine meetings with politicians, incitement to violence, destruction of evidence, anti-competitive acts and much more, things that we have noticed and we have been able to discover with astonishment in thousands of documents published in Uber's files, it shows how vulnerable our society is and how important it is that Directive 1937 on the protection of individuals, which reports breaches of Union law, works, is implemented exactly as its spirit is, because people can bring up, they can bring up illegalities that only happen when they feel protected, and I believe that European citizens expect this: answers from the European institutions, from national governments, so that we can avoid these agreements that are beside the law. I am an advocate of dialogue with the business community. I believe that it is essential for a democratic society, for a society where competition and capital are the key to development, but it is important that the law is respected by all actors involved. Or, these practices that encourage the violation of the law are downright dangerous for European society. That is why we need very high standards in terms of transparency and enforcement. Otherwise, the European Union will face an extremely dangerous enemy, who adapts on the go precisely to break the law.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I think this topic is very topical, because we see that with technological advances, those who live by promoting hate speech, those who deny the evidence, those who misinform are making extremely effective use of these tools. That is why, Commissioner Johansson, I believe that it is essential for the European Commission to come up with a series of new regulations, because we have a new generation of children and young people exposed to this extremely aggressive wave that threatens European democracy. With the war unleashed in Ukraine, we have seen how much solidarity there is in quotation marks among those who promote conspiracy theories, who question the effort made by European states to combat Putin and stand in solidarity with Ukraine. So all these phenomena are extremely dangerous and they must be fought firmly. We cannot remain indifferent to disinformation, to these extremist groups that feed only on hate speech that tries to mislead the population and citizens of the European Union. It is essential to create mechanisms through which, through education, we protect children and the young generation from this wave, which is increasingly dangerous and poses a real threat to European democracy. I think we need much stronger instruments, much clearer, much better prepared to face all the challenges that, unfortunately, technological advances also offer to those who hate democracy and cherish it.

Mr President, Mr Vice-President, a year ago, on 15 February, more precisely, we were debating in this room the annual report on foreign policy for 2021. Nine days later, Mr. Borrell, Russia is attacking Ukraine. The whole fate of Europe has changed after this diabolical conflict triggered by Putin, I felt it on my own skin. In my home, three Ukrainian women and six children have lived for almost four months, because this is how I felt we had to stand in solidarity with these innocent people affected by this criminal war. We must stand united and teach this Putin a lesson that must be brought to justice and answer for every innocent victim of this diabolical conflict.

Mr President, we are celebrating 30 years of the single market. But what defines the single market? These are the four fundamental freedoms of the European Union: freedom of movement, freedom of goods, free movement of capital and services. However, we observe how two of these fundamental rights are restricted to Romanians, because, although since June 2010 the European Commission has been asking the Council to accept Romania into the Schengen area, through political games extremely foreign to the European spirit, twenty million Romanian citizens are kept away from the free movement of the European Union. It is unacceptable for a chancellor like Neihammer, an anti-European, to blackmail a country of 20 million Romanian citizens. I have here a document published on 19 December, on the last day of the Council of the European Union, asking Austria to respect the Schengen area. However, here we are already discussing other things that no longer have anything in common with the European spirit and I ask the Swedish Presidency to put the enlargement of the Schengen area on the agenda.

. Mr President, Commissioner, it is no longer a secret for anyone when we talk about disinformation, about corruption, about the attempt by some state actors to actively engage in political campaigns in Europe. All this has been happening for a long time and obviously this debate and the improvement of legislation is also welcome. But until we create effective tools to combat Russia and other state actors interfering in our democratic processes, obviously these problems will exist. That is why I call on the Commission to create a set of extremely clear criteria by which we impose a red line that no one can cross, so that we can defend the values we have, so that we can defend democracy, so that we can send a very strong message to those who believe that Europe is weak and can be exposed to these challenges continuously. It is unacceptable to have political parties that are funded by state actors interested in weakening the democratic game in the European Union. It is unacceptable for state actors to finance the press that would undermine the European project. For all of this we need to have extremely firm, clear and quick answers.

Madam President, I come from a country where rail transport is underdeveloped even though it has great potential. Therefore, I specifically wanted to express my full support here today for the implementation of the Action Plan to boost long-distance rail passenger transport across borders. I consider this transport extremely important and, above all, convenient. I myself always prefer rail transport to car transport. I come to Strasbourg most often by train and I encourage everyone to do the same. Of course, for this we need a well-developed railway infrastructure, connections, travel conditions that encourage the use of the train instead of other means of transport. That is why I voted for this report with the confidence that all this will happen as soon as possible.

Madam President, as mentioned in the report, more than 30% of the population of the European Union lives in rural areas. I come from a country where almost 50% of the population lives in rural areas. Unjustly, however, their degree of development is far from satisfactory. Rural people are the engine of the agricultural sector and should have equal access to services and equal opportunities. I therefore voted for this report precisely because it underlines this need and describes the concrete ways of development. It is necessary to call things by name, even if they do not always describe an ideal situation. It is clear that investments and their correct and efficient management are needed. But we must also say that the procedures for accessing European funds are often complicated for those who want to develop rural communities. It is vital to harness the huge potential of rural areas. It's just for the benefit of all of us.

Madam President, there are approximately 87 million people in Europe who have some form of disability. Of these, too many children with disabilities are left behind. Stigmatisation, lack of access to inclusive education, lack of appropriate care services push children with disabilities to the margins of society without giving them a chance to realise their potential in life. Compared to children without disabilities, those with disabilities are 49% more likely to have never attended school. 41% more likely to feel discriminated against and 32% more likely to be subjected to severe corporal punishment. We need a more ambitious European agenda that ensures equal opportunities for children with disabilities, removes physical, communication and attitude barriers that keep them out of society, ensuring birth registration, health services, nutrition, equitable education and access to care.

Mr President, I am addressing Commissioner Johansson directly. Unfortunately, the JHA Council annulled two important Treaty articles that allow us to dream that we have the same rights as other citizens of the European Union, namely the freedom of movement of European citizens and the free movement of goods, which are set out in the Treaty. Commissioner, I call on the Commission to defend the Treaty of the European Union. This is unprecedented discrimination, and we, Romanians and Bulgarians, deserve to be treated exactly like all other citizens. That is why, in the name of the spirit evoked in the Treaty, I ask you to go to the Court of Justice of the European Union, to defend the Treaty of the European Union. It is unacceptable what a country has done, blocking our access to the Schengen area, to the Council of the European Union.

Mr President, Commissioner, Mr Bogdan, you said that it was a vote against Europe and you asked for the Commission to be referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union. You are a political leader in Romania. Ask the Government of Romania, which is a privileged applicant in this situation, to complain to the Court of Justice of the European Union about this abuse, because the Council of the European Union cannot block Romania.

The Covid crisis has exposed some of the vulnerabilities of our economic cooperation with China. These vulnerabilities, however, increased with the outbreak of war in Europe, a war triggered by Russia, which blackmailed Europe and, obviously, directly attacked some of our critical infrastructure. In addition to the tools you have mentioned so far, which you recommend to the Member States, such as the Direct Investment Monitoring Mechanism, what other recommendations do you have for the Member States so that we can better guard our critical infrastructure, our strategic infrastructure, so that our economy is both secure and safe from any challenges in the future?

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the pandemic, the energy crisis, the security crisis, the refugee crisis have confronted us with a new reality, and obviously this instrument is an extremely important one, because it gives us the chance to help children in vulnerable areas more, and any serious analysis we look at shows us how policies for children's well-being and development can generate a four times higher return on investment in society. That is why it is essential to allocate consistent resources, so that these objectives proposed by the guarantee for the child do not remain mere statements or idealistic objectives. Member States have an obligation to act much more decisively and decisively in supporting children who need good quality healthcare, education, care, decent housing and, obviously, adequate nutrition. That is why I think it is extremely important that we do not remain only in this area where we propose a series of objectives, and they are not implemented by the Member States. Here, too, I believe that the Commission must be much stronger and, obviously, the States must create conditions so that the child guarantee becomes a reality and brings more well-being to vulnerable children.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the free movement of persons and goods are fundamental freedoms of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Although Romania has signed the accession to the European Union since 2005, these freedoms are still denied to it. Although Romania fulfils the conditions for accession to the Schengen area, which has been repeatedly confirmed since 2011, this right is still being violated today. The European Commission has confirmed that Romania has the right to Schengen, the European Parliament as well. The only institution that refuses without any justification Romania's right of alignment with the other European states is the Council of the European Union. I therefore call on the European Commission to take immediate action against the Council of the European Union before the Court of Justice of the European Union and to block such anti-European actions that violate the Treaties of the European Union.

Mr President, I supported this resolution, this Year of European Youth is already coming to an end. The future of young people in Europe was also discussed in this plenary, in the Conference on the Future of Europe, but I believe that we are doing too little for the transition from school to work and we need much stronger tools to be able to support the young people who today are deeply affected by all the transformations. We have moved from the public health crisis to a new crisis that deprives young people of many opportunities and I believe that the Commission has an obligation to ensure that Member States implement the Child Guarantee and the Youth Guarantee, mechanisms through which we can offer new practical solutions so that young people feel much better integrated and protected in European society.

Mr President, I believe that the security crisis has brought us new challenges and the European Union has always overcome all the obstacles it has had with two major decisions: on the one hand enlargement, on the other hand more integration. The states affected by the Russian aggression received the same response, they were invited to join the European Union. However, in order to help Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova today, we still need an extremely important step, namely that Austria and the Netherlands do not oppose the integration of Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen area. Moldova and Ukraine can receive as much money as we can offer, but they cannot survive economically if they do not have the Schengen border next to them in order to be able to integrate quickly economically. The delay in the enlargement of the Schengen area is aggravating very much, also from an economic point of view.

Mr President, I am one of the initiators of this resolution and I find it extremely important to remember the message that we received immediately from Moscow, as soon as this resolution was adopted by a large majority. But it amazes me that we have almost 100 colleagues who do not understand that Russia is a state that supports forms of expression through acts of terrorism. 22,000 civilians were killed in Mariupol, 95% of this city of over half a million citizens was destroyed. This regime supports and acts through terrorist methods, and the fact that they immediately reacted by attacking the portal of the European Parliament is a clear proof that they felt targeted and obviously that we need to go further and support Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova to face these aggressions from Russia.

Mr President, Commissioner, at this very moment we are noticing how the website of the European Parliament is no longer working. Just hours after we voted on this resolution declaring Russia a state sponsor of terrorism. I do not believe in coincidences, I hope so, but it is extremely serious if we do not understand that what Putin is doing today, if we do not stop him at the right time and do not support the Ukrainians to the end, can mean a much greater loss later. These people have killed in recent months at least 22,000 citizens in Mariupol, a city with over half a million citizens, where they destroyed everything 95%. At this time, when we are debating in Parliament, Ukraine is under attack, all energy infrastructure is under attack. I think we do not need more arguments to go all the way and support them and, obviously, support the reconstruction of this country affected by a state that supports terrorism.

Mr High Representative, 6.5 million tonnes of grain passed through Romania, taken from Ukraine and transferred further. Just a few days ago, a new border crossing point was inaugurated on the north of the country, in relation to Ukraine, in order to be able to help them even more. But the question I raise is the following. The Russian Federation is conducting an extremely aggressive disinformation campaign in many states in the Middle East or Africa, which puts us in an extremely delicate situation. Given that we are helping the grain from Ukraine to get where it is needed, to its destination, Russia, however, is conducting a disinformation campaign, trying to present the distorted reality and I believe that more communication is needed here in order to be able to explain that we are helping, not Russia.

Madam President, I think it is a historic vote, it is an extremely important vote for Croatia. I gave it with all my conviction, because I very much want Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria to achieve this goal of a step of deeper integration into the European Union this year. The European Union has always overcome its problems related to internal crises when it took courageous decisions, either through enlargement or through more integration, and I believe that Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania must integrate this year into the Schengen area, because this is how we can also help the states in our immediate vicinity, exposed to these threats constantly coming from the Russian Federation. I very much want Croatia to enjoy, like all other states, free movement, because it is a Treaty right. It is an obligation of the Council to take this implementation forward, because, unfortunately, Romania and Bulgaria have been unjustly blocked in the Council of the European Union for more than 11 years.

Madam President, the national recovery and resilience plans, created in response to the coronavirus pandemic and the consequences that this pandemic has produced, have produced positive consequences among Member States. But it was not only the health crisis that hit the European Union. We have the security crisis triggered by the Russian Federation and we also have an energy crisis that was also triggered by the Kremlin and with the aim of blackmailing the European Union. We need new mechanisms to support Member States to help citizens cope with these unprecedented increases and, obviously, to create new mechanisms to protect the internal market and, obviously, solutions that allow us to be totally energy independent in the future, not to depend for a moment on energy sources coming from the Russian Federation.