Speeches

Mr President, Russia brutally attacked Ukraine. It gives Europe a reason to stop all imports of energy from Russia. This is where the REPowerEU project is doing a really important job. It will allow us to switch to renewable energy sources – zero-emission energy sources – faster than we had thought. In this respect, Europeans' safety, climate and environment are holding the same hand and cooperating well. The new funds are important, as is the reallocation of old funds to free Europe from energy dependence on Russia. This is also support for Ukrainians. At the same time, it is important that we do this in a wise way. We will make sure that the new major achievement, transparency, increases, i.e. that the largest income earners become public and that the citizens also see where their funds are going. The whole thing is worthwhile.

Madam President, Commissioner, 2022 was a record year at international level in terms of AML fines. Financial institutions paid more than EUR 5 billion in fines for breaching AML rules – an astonishing figure. It is clear AML rules need to become stricter, better enforced, and loopholes need to be closed. Therefore, we have to look into the procedure to identify high-risk third countries. Although the Council has the right to ask for a postponement, the listing of these countries should be a no-brainer as it follows clearly the FATF assessment. However, to avoid any geopolitical pressure in future and to make the AML rules more effective, we need to reform this procedure, today more than ever. As co-rapporteur for the AML regulation, I therefore support an autonomous EU listing process as proposed by the Commission and stand ready to work with the Council to reform the process in order to ensure robust action.

Mr President, the European Investment Bank has a key role and a good history in achieving the Union's objectives. Today, it is stepping up investment in the green transition, digitalisation, infrastructure projects and research and innovation. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EIB supported the development of vaccines and facilitated the situation of SMEs. Now the Bank is demonstrating its great value in supporting Ukraine. The use of public funds always requires careful implementation and auditing. The European Parliament plays an important role in this oversight. The practices of the European Investment Bank deserve praise in many respects. I hope, however, that the level of ambition will be raised. I hope that the Bank will take more ambitious steps to improve transparency and openness. I would particularly like to highlight measures to combat abuse and fraud. When more funds are distributed, the importance of strict controls is emphasised.

Madam President, thank you very much. Sweden has played an important and constructive role during its previous presidencies. Swedish foreign policy is well known and respected. Sweden has also always stood up for democracy, human rights and equality. What will the new government's approach look like? Will it be different from the previous one? Mr Prime Minister, it is worrying that a government is dependent on a far-right support party. In the European Parliament, we hope that Sweden will continue its commitment to the rule of law and democracy. Support for Ukraine must continue without any doubt. Strong action is needed to stop climate change. The reform of the electricity market – citizens also expect it. But don't forget the important work Sweden needs to do for a social Europe, gender equality and better working conditions for platform work. Without a social Europe, we have no Europe at all.

Mr President, REPowerEU is an absolutely important and truly worthy initiative. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine requires quick responses from the Union as a whole and we really need a whole new kind of energy independence. All dependence on Russian fossil energy must be stopped. The phasing out of Russian imported energy, on the other hand, requires action from all Member States. Investments in renewable and zero-emission energy sources must now be prioritised. Then we have one particular problem. It's a different kind of bureaucratic time play in permitting processes. The Union as a whole and each Member State must simplify their permitting procedures in order to really speed up the transition to zero-emission energy sources. The Council has made its own proposal. Parliament should aim for a rapid outcome of the negotiations so that the citizens can see the results.

Mr President, next year's budget is certainly not normal. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has put both the European Union and its citizens at an extraordinary challenge. The Union must support Ukraine for as long as necessary. At the same time, we know that the consequences of the war – high inflation, higher energy prices and security of supply risks – are also reflected in Europe. This, too, must be taken into account in the short-term EU decisions. The economic crisis is also affecting Member States and all EU citizens. It is important that the EU budget responds to these challenges and prioritises spending. Knowledge, research and Ukraine need funding. At the same time, Parliament should lead by example and be restrained in its own spending, now is not the time for large-scale construction projects.

Mr President, the EU must defend its own values. The Union is not just about money and the economy. It is also a community of values where democracy, human rights, the free press and the rule of law are protected. Parliament has been consistent in this regard. It has ensured that we have new legislation that allows us to deal with abuses. The Commission has finally taken action. It has stopped the delivery of EU funds to Hungary and made clear what reforms are needed. It is now necessary for the Council, representing the Member States, to adopt the Commission's decision. That's the absolute minimum. Real reforms are expected from the Hungarian Government in order to safeguard the rights of Hungarian citizens and ensure the proper use of budgetary resources. A strict line is also needed to ensure the rights of future generations.

Mr President, Europe is not just an economy and an internal market. Europe is also about values and equal rights for citizens. Commitment to common values, democracy, the rule of law, a free press and human rights is particularly necessary today when we see what has happened outside the Union, especially in Russia. Europe must live as it teaches. Recovery grants to Poland cannot be disbursed as long as Poland has not complied with the rule of law requirements. The European Parliament and the European Commission must remain firm. Every EU citizen must be able to trust that their democratic rights will be realised – ultimately through joint decisions. The EU cannot distribute grants where the powerful put them in their own pockets and build the repressive machinery of the new era. We must defend the fundamental rights of citizens in Poland, Hungary and the Union as a whole.

Mr President, we have cause for concern about developments in Turkey in recent years. The problems of democracy, the restriction of media freedom, the concentration of power and also Turkey's foreign policy positions raise serious questions about where the country is going and whose friend it wants to be. Today, the Turkish leadership is insulting Finland and Sweden by blocking the progress of their NATO membership applications. The Turkish leadership's action is not about fighting terrorism – as the fight against terrorism is a matter internalised by every EU member state – but about using Finland's and Sweden's NATO membership as a pawn to further the other political and military objectives of the Turkish leadership. The European Parliament is now expected to adopt a clear position defending the fundamental right of all EU countries to choose their own security policy orientations. I am surprised that the representative of the Commission did not intervene in this matter at all in his recent speech. Finland and Sweden deserve the support of all of us.

Mr President, I would like to thank the rapporteur, Domènec Ruiz Devesa, for his thorough work. There are a lot of things in the show that you can be happy about. This is the case, for example, with respect to gender equality in the selection of candidates for elections. Alongside the European idea, another important principle should be kept in mind when reforming the electoral law, and it is the principle of subsidiarity. Deciding on matters as close as possible to the citizens and delegating matters to EU decision-making – for example, in the Electoral Act – only when there is added value. I would leave the exact date of the elections to national decision-making in the Member States. We know that there are different voting day traditions. And transnational lists of candidates: prefer elections close to people and give voters the opportunity to choose from candidates they really know and know. Of course, this is particularly important for small countries, such as Finland, Sweden or Denmark, so I hope that the needs of different Member States and different citizens will be taken into account when reforming the electoral law.

Mr President, everything we experience in Europe today advocates that the Union should strengthen its own capacity to act, both in foreign policy and in security policy and defence. The Union is also a security community and citizens expect membership to meet their security needs. In the field of security and defence policy, it should be noted that the Member States include both NATO members and non-member countries. It is important that the Union, in its action, takes into account the security needs and rights of all Member States. It was regrettable that the Union woke up very late to realise that Russia's negative stance on NATO enlargement also offended many EU countries, such as Finland and Sweden, which are not now NATO members, but whose sovereign rights include the possibility to apply for NATO membership if they so wish. The EU must now take firm action to ensure that there is no return to any new spheres of interest.

Mr President, 30 years have passed since the adoption of the first money laundering directive. Since then, four other directives have been adopted. Yet the recent report by the European Court of Auditors is a sad read. Anti-money laundering measures in the Member States have been implemented in a fragmented manner and without clear priorities. Money laundering continues to be a real billion-dollar problem. Legislation will bite ordinary small depositors, but hundreds of millions of euros will still be transferred from one account to another without any real hindrance. Criminal money also poses a genuine security threat to our community. Strong action is needed. Binding legislation instead of directives. Alongside national supervisors, a European supervisor is needed. The real beneficiaries of financial transactions must be identified, and countries with a high risk of money laundering must be listed without hesitation.

Mr President, the fact is that our European taxation is still like Swiss cheese – with very large holes. The Lalucq report before us is an attempt to reduce these tax loopholes and deserves the strong support of all of us. I would like to thank the rapporteur and the other negotiators for their good work. Member States are finally required to be determined and committed to building a fairer tax system. However, yesterday's news on the Council's list of tax haven countries is not very encouraging. Access to the EU list of tax havens is now too difficult and again too easy. I am the rapporteur for Parliament's report on the reform of anti-money laundering legislation. The Pandora Papers indicate that anti-money laundering regulations also need to be reformed and controls improved. At the same time, we must also look at the obligations, for example, on auditors and other professionals who have their own responsibilities in enabling money laundering. By adopting the tax report now under discussion, Parliament sends a strong signal to the Council and the Commission as to the direction in which taxation urgently needs to be developed.

Mr President, the new revelations of investigative journalists, these Pandora Papers, open up a world of incomprehensible secrecy. It is worth thanking journalists and the free press – once again. What do I have to do now? There is a need to increase the transparency of corporate ownership. The actual beneficiaries of complex corporate structures must be made public. The practices of blacklists in tax haven countries need to be tightened up. Anti-money laundering legislation needs to be reformed. The tax practices of international companies need to be harmonised. An agreement must be reached on the level of minimum corporate taxation. In all these matters, the key to a solution lies with this Parliament and the Council. Only strict European legislation can ensure that the world of fast-moving money has at least some level playing field.

Mr President, the Arctic region faces a wide range of geopolitical interests, but the most important thing for the European Union is to promote regional and practical cooperation. It is in the interest of all the northern Member States and of the Union as a whole that military tensions in the Arctic are kept to a minimum and that peaceful exchanges and cooperation are promoted in the region. The EU should activate its own action in Arctic cooperation. The Union should seek observer status in the Arctic Council, which would formalise the Union's direct influence. The protection of the sensitive nature of the region must be particularly important in the EU's Arctic activities. Investments in the area must adapt to the conditions of nature. The EU must contribute to the promotion of new transport links within the limits of nature.

Mr President, it should be self-evident that all EU Member States are committed to the democratic rights of citizens and the rule of law. That is not the case now, however, and that is why we are again discussing this issue here. Democratic elections, a free press and an independent judiciary are all necessary to be accepted by every Member State and also by anyone who wants to join the EU. At the same time, however, rule of law violations continue in some Member States. They test the credibility of the Union as a whole and also the use of EU recovery funds. When billions of stimulus money are distributed, there must be certainty that the money will go to need and help people, and that it will not be accessed by any wet hand of corruption. The Commission must now take action. Obvious violations need to be addressed. Waiting is not good.