Speeches

Mr President, after the Second World War the founding fathers created the Coal and Steel Community because that is how they saw the solution of most of the problems facing Europe at the time. Regardless of the challenges that existed during the Cold War, the European Union responded with integration and enlargement. Today when we have a new security crisis on the European continent, I think it is essential to understand that we can no longer remain in this trap that Putin set when he basically turned Gazprom into a weapon that he uses against Europe. That is why we need energy autonomy and I believe that the time has come to stop the waste of money that we are making, with which we are basically financing the war machine. Every day one billion euros go to Russia from European countries. That is why I think we need to focus on this energy autonomy.

Mr President, for too long, hundreds of multinational companies operating in the world and in the European Union have continued to avoid their tax obligations, through various legal tricks and by shifting profits made at the expense of European citizens to tax havens. All this while SMEs, the engine of the European economy, are suffocated by taxes, the pandemic, inflation and struggling for survival. However, for the first time in history, we have a global agreement that no longer allows tax avoidance and that introduces a minimum tax rate of 15% for large companies. More than 130 countries, representing more than 90% of the global economy, are part of this agreement, and the European Union must ensure that it is implemented correctly and as quickly as possible. That is precisely why I voted "in favour" and I believe that the European Parliament must support this Commission proposal on this agreement. Europe must remain an attractive market for multinationals, but only if they respect the rules that are made for all.

Mr President, Belarus, unfortunately, is another state captured today and ruled by a tyrant who only responds to Putin's orders. We see how he has aligned himself in this war situation and supports Russia's atrocities in Ukraine. Even more serious is that retaliation against its own citizens continues, in flagrant violation of human rights, and the institutionalisation of terror in Belarus is a wake-up call because the death penalty against anyone, any political opponent is an extremely serious matter, and here we need to act much more forcefully to stop this attempt to put this state in complete parenthesis and torture people just because they have a different opinion than this tyrant called Lukashenko.

Mr President, Commissioner, Yana Stepanenko, an 11-year-old child, was left, on 8 April, after the attack on the Kramatorsk railway station, without both legs. Her mother, 43-year-old Natalia Stepanenko, was left without her left leg. For all these crimes against civilian citizens there is a responsible. He has a face and a name. The main culprit for all tragedies in Ukraine bears only one name, is Putin. And we have a political obligation to do everything in our power to bring this murderer to court. Otherwise, we will not be able to defend further the values on which the European Union is based.

Madam President, today I had the honour of hearing the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, in the plenary of Parliament. I am glad because I know very well the situation in the Republic of Moldova, personally Mrs. President, but I want to bring up another topic related to the Republic of Moldova, namely the illegal presence of the Russian Federation troops, for over 30 years, in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova. There for over three decades, children, people of all ages have been subjected to a diabolical process of denationalization and restricted their rights. There are people who fight every day for their dignity and I am glad that, in Tiraspol, the only institution with teaching in Romanian is resisting, and recently its director, who served her for almost three decades, Ion Iovcev, has also released a book, ‘Host in his own country’, in which he accurately describes what is happening there. We need to do more for Transnistria and the Republic of Moldova.

Mr President, Commissioner, I have visited Albania very many times and obviously progress is being seen from one year to the next. But we must not sanction a European nation, with a European vocation, which aspires to reach the European Union, just because the administration sometimes does not do its homework. That is why I think it is essential to emphasize, in the negotiations with Tirana, the values on which the European Union is built, because democracy, freedom of expression, human rights are not values to be negotiated with someone, especially with a state that wants to become a member of the European Union. Obviously, it is a country with a lot of turmoil, with a lot of internal difficulties in understanding and implementing a series of reforms, but our assistance is essential, because it is in the strategic interest of the European Union that Albania becomes a member of the EU as soon as possible.

Mr President. Commissioner, I think that the debate is very appropriate in this context, but there will always be pretexts for being more lenient towards certain states. That is why I believe that we must never put an equal sign between the administration and the people. Obviously, the citizens of North Macedonia are Europeans, they want to be members of the European Union, but we should not deviate from the rules. And I very much want all disputes that exist for cultural, linguistic and historical reasons to be handled with a lot of caution, with a lot of efficiency, so that the things that separated us in the past will remain there, in history, and the future will be built on new coordinates that have made us strong, because this is what the European Union means: peace, protection, innovation and obviously a much safer future for our citizens. So North Macedonia must be a strategic part of the European Union.

Madam President, Commissioner, the rule of law together with democracy and fundamental rights are at the heart of the European Union and, in the current geopolitical reality, we see how these values are what distinguish us Europeans from other states and make us stronger together, especially in such challenging circumstances. They are not optional. Respect for the rule of law is binding on all Member States of the European Union. Therefore, we must all follow the same rules of the game, and those who deviate from them must be seriously punished because the European project must withstand any challenges. If we Europeans cannot fully respect the rule of law at home, how can we expect to be credible in external contexts? That is why I think it is essential to think about the consequences that deviations from the rules can produce and it is essential to put the necessary pressure on those who trample on the values that are the foundation of the European Union, because those governments produce only conflict, suffering, isolation and silence.

Mr President, Commissioner, I congratulate the rapporteur, Mr Tudorache has done a very good job, but I want to emphasise a matter relating to the political decision that the European Union must take. Let's not forget one very important thing: The Republic of Moldova is a victim of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, it is a former Soviet republic, which, like the Baltic countries, was a victim of criminal agreements. That is why today, through the speech delivered by President Maia Sandu, she highlighted an extremely important issue, namely that the people of the Republic of Moldova are European. Romanians in the Republic of Moldova speak an official language of the European Union. A large part of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova are already citizens of the European Union and that is why it is essential to accelerate this process and to do the justice that the citizens of the Republic of Moldova deserve.

Mr President, Mr President Ciolos, you said that the Republic of Moldova is facing an extremely dangerous economic crisis and the European Union must act immediately. You've given a few examples. I kindly ask you to detail these examples, because they are essential and they must also reach the Republic of Moldova.

Mr President, Commissioner, I am very pleased that this debate exists today in the European Parliament. In 2000, when Putin first arrived in the Kremlin, in the Republic of Moldova only 5% of its citizens wanted a European perspective. Russia was extremely involved and had a total influence on Moldovan society. I was directly involved in the process of removing the Republic of Moldova from Russia's influence, right on the front line. In response, the Russian Federation declared me persona non grata. But today, Commissioner, we have another reality beyond the Prut, in the Republic of Moldova, because over 50% of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova are citizens of the European Union and we must give them a clear European perspective, because the citizens of the Republic of Moldova have demonstrated by voting, by democratic means, that their place is here, together with us, and we must give this perspective.

Madam President, Commissioner, Member, you mentioned that you are dissatisfied with your time. Exactly, what do you propose? Because it seems to me that this is an extremely important topic that you have touched on.

Mr President, Commissioner, over EUR 52 billion left the European Union from 1 January 2022 to 1 May this year. I think this figure says it all, because we take oil, gas and coal from Russia and, in exchange for these trade facilities, we support a country that no longer abides by any rules. That is why I welcome the new sanctions announced today by President Ursula von der Leyen, but I think that is not enough. We need to do more to weaken Russia, to convince Putin to give up this useless, pointless war. I think it is important to stop importing oil, but even more important is to find solutions to completely stop importing gas and to support states so that they can withstand any challenges in the future. Moreover, more than five million citizens of Ukraine have left their homes and are now in the European Union. I hope that at the next plenary, Ursula von der Leyen will let us know that a refugee fund has been created. There are five million citizens waiting for concrete support from the European Union. The Member States have done their best in this crisis situation, but from now on we need to act institutionally, to support the people, to integrate them into our societies, until we are able to go there, to Ukraine, to rebuild it, after this absurd war is over. They need their homes, they need a European perspective and only together can we build it, through concrete actions, implemented immediately.

Mr President, we are only talking about the acute crises facing humanity, but no one is talking about a silent crisis that tacitly destroys the stability and prosperity of states in the medium and long term: the global education crisis. One in three children in the world still does not have access to the internet. Too many children do not have access to education, live in poverty or attend school that does not lead to learning. 617 million children fail to acquire minimal skills in reading and mathematics, even though two-thirds of them go to school. The European Union, as the largest donor of development assistance, has a responsibility to advance and finance a strategy that promotes education in partner countries. We cannot continue to endanger the future of entire generations of children. I supported this report.

Mr President, we need to eat better and healthier. Our quality of life is indisputably dependent on environmental protection and consumer-focused agriculture. So we need organic farming. However, we are currently at risk of a global food crisis caused by Putin's Russia-led war, which has massively disrupted food production and further increased prices in Europe. First of all, we need to talk today about food security in Europe. Increasing agricultural productivity in Europe, providing more direct subsidies to farmers, reducing VAT on indispensable food and ambitious measures to encourage sustainable production are essential. I supported this report.

Mr President, the European elections are the democratic basis of the European Union. The constitution of the European Parliament represents and should continue to represent the will of European citizens that gives full legitimacy to the European project. This means that young people must be encouraged to express themselves politically on matters that interest them, to be able to vote even from the age of 16. This means that the principles of electoral equality and equal opportunities, especially between women and men, must be strengthened. This also implies that the success of the European project should take shape at the national level, at the level of each citizen, which is why I voted against it.

Mr President, Commissioner, I have been to Ukraine for the last two months at least four times. I was there to be with people who are going through extremely difficult times. I've seen people who are scared of war, I've seen people who have left their homes forever that no longer exist. But it is essential to understand that, in addition to this war triggered by a criminal who is temporarily in the Kremlin, because it is not eternal and our life will return to normality, we must do what is necessary to help the European economies heavily affected. One of the most vulnerable segments at this time, because in addition to this crisis generated by war, we also have the energy crisis, is tourism. From this point of view, I believe that it is essential to create the necessary resources, the necessary support and policies that need to be implemented immediately, so as to help this vital segment for Europe.

Mr President, Commissioner, technological advances have brought us tremendous opportunities and changed our lives for the better, but we see that when states such as the Russian Federation use modern tools to attack states, to attack entities, to endanger European democracy, this requires a swift and united response. It is essential for the European Union to create a common cyber unit because we need common defence on this extremely dangerous ground. The other day, thousands of cyber attacks were directed against Romania and I think it is absolutely essential to understand that this enemy we have, this empire led by a criminal is becoming more and more dangerous and we need modern tools to defend our values and democracy day by day.

My next question is related to the fact that: if the Commission takes into account the future joint purchase of gas, the purchase of these stocks related to reserves?

Madam President, Commissioner, it was necessary for Putin to show us that Gazprom is more efficient than the Red Army in order to discuss the need for energy autonomy in Europe. It is known that at European level we do not have as good a framework for gas reserves as we do for oil. And my question to you is: what concrete measures has the Commission taken to support states to increase their gas storage capacity?

Madam President, I too would like to congratulate the rapporteur. I think it's an extremely important topic, first of all because technological advances have given us a new digital world that has fundamentally transformed our lives. And with this transformation, extraordinary opportunities have been created that must first and foremost serve our people, our citizens. But at the same time, we must also look at risks, and that is why I believe that the rules we are preparing must be extremely clear, so that they inspire confidence. And, here, it is the role of the Commission to ensure that investments in artificial intelligence are consistent, so that we can recover the distance that exists between us and the other states, because this is the only way we can become again and occupy the place that we deserve on the globe.

I want to bring to attention a topic that needs to trouble us more, because the food crisis that is being announced is generated on the one hand by energy price increases. But let's not forget that the main seat of these problems comes from the Kremlin, because this criminal who started the war against Ukraine never thought that, in addition to Ukrainian citizens, hundreds of millions of citizens around the world are affected by the price increases that are generated, and the food crisis obliges the European Union to take a series of preventive measures to support the European Union's agriculture. One of the measures is to increase subsidies. I believe that doubling subsidies at this time is essential to prevent a major crisis against European citizens. From this point of view, let us not forget that wheat, which cost 200 euros a year ago, today the tonne is 400. And this signal says it all.

I was born in the Soviet era in the USSR, today Ukraine, and I lived fully this prohibition of attachment to spiritual identity. The church was banned at the time. It is not far from the situation we see today when Patriarch Kirill, along with Putin, under the pretext of defending interests we do not understand, attacks Christians in Ukraine by demolishing churches. I have been to many countries from the European Parliament: In Iraq, where I met with the Patriarch of Babylon and saw what it means to be a Christian in Iraq, what it means to have the courage to assume this identity. And I think it is important to debate these issues and I congratulate the initiators of the report.

Mr. President, dear colleagues, Putin is a criminal. Today's Russia is a captured state, a state transformed into a Gulag. For Putin, notions such as life, human dignity, freedom of thought, do not exist. Among his main concerns today are propaganda, disinformation, torture, mass killings. What has happened in recent weeks in Ukraine forces us to seriously reflect on the consequences of this war. We're not allowed to let innocent people die in torment anymore. That is why I voted with full conviction for this resolution, because I believe that we have an obligation to impose a total embargo against the Russian Federation. We cannot allow another day for commercial reasons to allow Putin to attack Europe.

Mr President, education is the necessary cornerstone of a democratic society and I believe it is essential to provide future generations with modern tools that help them understand what unites us, the values that define us and, obviously, to create tools to stop populism, disinformation. All these new challenges are created to divide our states. Or we are gathered here to defend values, to demonstrate our attachment to democracy, to defend the free world in which we believe and I believe that it is essential that civic education be the engine that gives future generations a new European consciousness, in which we each keep our own specificity, but at the same time we are united in values.