What Sunčana spoke about.

17

Jun

2025

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Combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child sexual abuse material and replacing Council Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA (recast) (debate)

Dear Chair, Honourable Commissioner, Colleague Lenaers, Colleagues, Protecting Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation is not a matter of competence or ideology, I think it is a matter of common sense and that is how we should look at it. In 2023 alone, look at the figures in the European Union, more than 30 million reports of child sexual abuse content. The numbers are frightening. The digital space has become the main battlefield. Over 85% of child sexual abuse material is detected on platforms. I'm going to give a good example from my country. Croatia is one of the few countries that have aligned national laws with the Lanzarote Convention and is actively developing multidisciplinary protocols for intervention. However, no Member State can do this alone. It is our duty, as legislator, to create a framework in which no child, whether in Strasbourg, Zagreb or Tallinn, becomes a victim because institutions were not fast, cooperation was not effective or algorithms looked the other way. I therefore think that the directive is extremely important. Criminalisation, non-obsolescence and reporting mechanisms. It's our responsibility.

8

May

2025

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80 years after the end of World War II - freedom, democracy and security as the heritage of Europe (debate)

80 years since the bloodiest war in human history, Europe has raised the bravest project of peace, but today it is tempted. As the war rages again on European soil, we see a rise in populism and authoritarianism. Fear replaces reason. We have to ask ourselves if we will defend what makes us European. Europe is not just a market community, but a community of values. Europe is not just a geographical area. Europe is the idea, the idea that differences are not weakness, but strength and that freedom is not meant. We know this very well in Croatia. When we talk about freedom and peace, we know how precious freedom and peace are because, unfortunately, we experienced the brutality of the Greater Serbian aggression against Croatia only thirty years ago. And we won. But we also remember the victims after the Second World War. I remember Macelj, Bleiburg and the Way of the Cross. Therefore, we all have to bear in mind that Europe is not a finished story. Europe is written every day, and the question is simple: Are we going to be its authors or observers?

7

May

2025

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The fine against TikTok and the need to strengthen the protection of citizens’ rights on social media platforms (debate)

For me, the fine against Tik Tok is not a victory, I would say that this may be our late reaction and confirmation that our data protection systems do not work effectively enough. More than 175 million European citizens use Tik Tok. Children, teenagers and young people. Their data ended up on Chinese servers for years, and we continue to observe and discuss. So it's time to do something. I'd say it's not digital sovereignty, it's our slowness. At the same time, platforms like Tik Tok, X and Instagram, nothing new to say, and others, are overwhelmed by a number of disinformation. In addition, they earn on our data, every action: what we look at, how long, what we like, is used to create profiles and this data can end up outside Europe without our knowledge and potentially be used for surveillance, manipulation and political influence. Therefore, we ask very concretely to know where our data is and who accesses it, why and how it is protected. And yes, data is not numbers, it is our digital personality and we need to know how it is protected.

1

Apr

2025

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Presentation of the New European Internal Security Strategy (debate)

According to available Europol data, 821 criminal networks operate on the territory of the European Union. Main activity: drug trafficking, human trafficking, cybercrime and, of course, money laundering. I therefore welcome this initiative, which brings us first and foremost the integrated work of security agencies, which means deeper cooperation between national security services, Europol and Frontex. In addition, what matters, we want to improve cyber security, new technologies to detect and neutralize cyber threats, of course, by wanting to protect the digital infrastructure and data of our citizens. What is very important is a clearer and more important control at the external borders of the European Union. The fight against disinformation is something that I have been talking about all the time, for years in this parliament, and this applies above all to media literacy towards our citizens who are just entering into life. In conclusion, by implementing these measures, we want to increase the resilience of the European Union. And of course, what's most important... (Chair took the floor)

1

Apr

2025

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Human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter – annual report 2024 (debate)

Dear Chair, colleagues, I will address the impact of digital technologies on human rights. I will only remind you that fragile democracy can be extremely dangerous because it is subject to internal and external threats and they can lead to its collapse or transition into so-called autocratic systems. Here are some key reasons why this is a serious problem. First of all, susceptibility to manipulation and populism because they often have weak institutions, which allows populists and authoritarian leaders to take power by manipulating public change. Disinformation and propaganda are causing polarisation in society. Weakness of the rule of law. Security context. We have complex security threats that include cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure, institutions and private companies. Disinformation campaigns aimed at destabilising democratic processes. In this context, we are also reaching this point, which is a serious violation of human rights in many segments.

12

Mar

2025

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Union of Skills: striving for more and better opportunities to study, train or work in the EU and to bring our talents back home (debate)

Dear President, Commissioners, colleagues, if we want a strong Europe, we need to give people a reason to stay and a reason to come back. While primary education is, as you know, a Member State competence, Europe can help here. For example, the Erasmus+ programme has already enabled more than 13 million young people to study and train abroad. Let us not forget the ALMA initiative, which opens the door to those who find it difficult to find a job. But these programs must provide real opportunities, not just temporary experiences. We also need to make our countries places of opportunity. Geopolitical challenges and global competition are a warning that we need to ensure that our workforce remains competitive. Croatia, the country from which I come, offers, for example, facilitations for the return of young professionals, and the Commissioners, you mentioned the STEM area, so let me say that in Croatia 35.4% of female students are in the STEM field and therefore we are in the top five countries of the European Union. We must, of course, invest in well-paid jobs, digital skills and industries of the future, because a strong Europe is the one from which people do not have to leave in order to succeed. To remain relevant, the European Union needs to adapt its Union of Skills concept to new technological, environmental and societal challenges. This means reforming education, strengthening reskilling and lifelong learning, and of course focusing on the digital and green economy.

11

Mar

2025

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Roadmap for Women`s Rights (debate)

Dear Chair, Commissioners, colleagues, women continue to constitute a minority at the top of political, economic and social structures. That's what we concluded today. I don't think we've discovered anything new. However, I would like to remind you that for every euro earned by a man, a woman earns 0.87 euros. The current situation in the European Parliament, a woman is about 40 percent, but among leaders of political groups and individuals, the number of prime ministers is much lower. Obstacles such as the gender pay gap, the glass ceiling and paid domestic work continue to limit women. Policies that support access to quality education, entrepreneurship and financial resources and of course a better work-life balance, including in rural areas, are crucial to us. However, more than half of the world's population is made up of us, women. There are 52% of us in the European Union. We have the potential to reshape power systems, economics and social values. But not as a rigged orchestra, not as an ideology, but as those who really want to use politics to improve women's conditions and make it better for all women in the European Union. We won't do that if we're just going to compete on who's right and who's not. I will conclude, economic independence only allows for freedom of choice and we need to work on it.

10

Mar

2025

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Cutting red tape and simplifying business in the EU: the first Omnibus proposals (debate)

More than half of GDP in the European Union is generated by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Once again, these people employ almost a hundred million people. Colleagues on the left, you say, we don't need an omnibus package. So tell that to those people who have to find money every day to have to produce, to be able to pay their workers. Of course, the omnibus package will not solve everything, but we will free up time and resources that are now trapped in endless paperwork, bureaucratic labyrinths and excessive administrative burden. So we're going to give companies what we're talking about, what the U.S. has, what some other more developed countries have, and we don't have, which is: innovation, growth and competitiveness. And I'll conclude, simplification is not an end in itself. It is a tool to strengthen our entrepreneurs and achieve a stronger, more competitive and resilient European market. This should not be an ideological question. It's a matter of reason.

12

Feb

2025

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Silent crisis: the mental health of Europe’s youth (debate)

Dear Chairman, Commissioner, first of all I would like to thank you for not only listening, but also hearing. You mentioned cyberbullying, a topic we discussed even before your appointment, and once again I would like to invite all member states that do not have cyberbullying criminalized to do so as soon as possible. Why am I saying that? According to the latest available data from 2021, almost 50 percent of Generation Z members have experienced some form of online violence. However, mental health is affected by social networks in general, digital pressure, low confidence, cyberbullying, academic pressure, economic insecurity, Covid 19 pandemic, generational constraints, social isolation. All this is alarming data, we heard the numbers here tonight, which cause anxiety in children and which seek change and which send us a desperate cry: Help us! Therefore, I will conclude, research shows that every euro invested in mental health brings 24 euros in savings. Let's not think about money, but about the future.

12

Feb

2025

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Commission Work Programme 2025 (debate)

Dear Chair, colleagues, we have detected problems and I thank the Commission for this. However, what I want to say on behalf of farmers, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, on behalf of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, from which I received feedback, Europe must not be a continent of bureaucrats. Therefore, we need to deliver real solutions for workers, entrepreneurs, craftsmen, farmers and families across Europe. Let's take a look at our industries. Producers face high energy costs and complex regulations. I agree that clean industrial deal important, but we need to cut red tape, speed up permitting for clean energy projects and lower the price of clean energy. If we want to be a leader in technology, we need to invest. This is just not support for big tech companies, but we need to help startups and entrepreneurs create the next big steps. Let's not forget, structural barriers to competitiveness have been detected, but actions are expected immediately, not in a year.

22

Jan

2025

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Failure of the negotiations in Busan for a UN plastic treaty and the urgent need to tackle plastic pollution at international and Union level (debate)

Dear Chairman, Dear Commissioner, yes, we have all regretted the lack of consensus in Busan, which also points to the complexity of aligning global priorities, but I would say that this must not discourage us. Even though we are aware that we have a plastic crisis, I would call it that, obviously we are not aware that we need to reduce the use of plastic because according to all indicators we consume or create more plastic waste, almost 30%, than we did. I'd like to give you just one piece of information. Plastic waste is becoming a crisis of our time. With more than 11 million tons of plastic, we're choking the oceans. I'll just give you a comparison. That's 11,000 large Boeing 747s, or with 11 million tons of plastic, you can fill 50,000 Olympic swimming pools. We are so irresponsible. However, we, as the European Union, must continue our initiatives such as the European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy and the Single-Use Plastics Directive, which have already laid a strong foundation, but of course more needs to be done. And Commissioner, here you will have our full support.

22

Jan

2025

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Addressing EU demographic challenges: towards the implementation of the 2023 Demography Toolbox (debate)

I would like to thank the Honourable President, the Honourable Commissioner, above all for your work over the past five years on this very important topic. Demographic revitalization is not only a social responsibility, but also a key prerequisite for preserving economic, cultural and political sovereignty. Without active and long-term measures, negative demographic trends can have irreversible consequences. I want to give you an example of my country, Croatia. In December last year, the Croatian government adopted a number of demographic measures divided into four main areas: improving the parental support system, increasing parental benefits, support for families, building an enabling environment for families and children, measures for the affected areas through depopulation and measures to encourage the re-immigration of Croatian emigrants. This is only part of the package to be adopted by 2033. However, we at the level of the European Union need to address the problem of employment, high housing prices and all the problems that plague young people, including in rural areas.

21

Jan

2025

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Need to enforce the Digital Services Act to protect democracy on social media platforms including against foreign interference and biased algorithms (debate)

The Honourable Chairman, the Honourable Vice-President, the Colleague and the Colleagues, has been spoken here in Goebbels style several times a lie today, namely that the DSA allows censorship. Therefore, once again, as a former journalist, the Digital Services Act is not a censorship act, but freedom of expression does not mean freedom of hate speech at the same time. I hope we all agree. And colleagues on the right and colleagues on the left. However, I would like to point out something else, as well as the Vice-President. I think we need to be more careful in our words. We cannot talk about illegal hate speech or illegal hate speech. So either it's hate speech or it's not, so please be very precise. So, without these mistakes happening to us maybe somewhere in the translation. As far as regulation is concerned, I still believe that we, as a high degree of democracy that we have reached, must protect our democratic values. So I invite you, let us not use lies, let us use the truth, because the truth always wins in the end.

17

Dec

2024

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Situation of female politicians in EU candidate and neighbouring countries facing harassment and cyber violence (debate)

Dear Chairman, dear Commissioner, you mentioned Bosnia and Herzegovina, but I will also add Serbia, and Kosovo, and Montenegro, and Albania. So, in many other countries, we find examples of this. It is a fact that women in these countries face a combination of political polarisation, gender discrimination and weak protection mechanisms against online violence. Politicians are often the target of sexist insults that have nothing to do with their political views, but are focused mainly on appearance, personal life or traditional gender roles. Common phrases such as ‘go back to the kitchen’ or allusions to their appearance and dress appear regularly on social media. Threats of sexual violence and physical assault are common methods of intimidation. Women politicians who publicly oppose traditional values or often nationalist rhetoric face intense threats. Discredit through disinformation, including organised campaigns, often puts out fake news about female politicians, including allegations of corruption or loyalty to foreign interests, false claims about their private lives, including fabricated scandals or so-called affair stories. The aim is, of course, to destroy their reputation and voter confidence. Let's not forget the continuous, already known coordinated attacks through social networks, with the support of bots and organized trolls. However, we need to talk about something else, which is a patriarchal mentality. Gender roles in candidate countries are often deeply rooted in patriarchal values, which gives women an additional burden to prove themselves. Politicians who oppose dominant narratives or advocate liberal policies often become targets of attack. Colleagues, in many candidate countries laws against cyberviolence exist but are insufficient or not effectively enforced. And I agree, it is our role to take them into account in the enlargement process.

17

Dec

2024

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Misinformation and disinformation on social media platforms, such as TikTok, and related risks to the integrity of elections in Europe (debate)

Dear Chair, colleagues, there is no doubt that social media is also used to influence political processes, including elections in Europe. I'll just remind you. Spreading disinformation and fake news during European election campaigns – Germany, France, Italy. Disinformation campaigns were present on social media. Bots, fake profiles, organized campaigns. Foreign influences, hybrid warfare, especially Russia. Social media has been used to influence elections in Europe. Think of the Brexit referendum. Think of the election in France. As well as hacking attacks and leaks. Think of Macron Leaks in 2017. Voter micro-targeting and manipulation. The Cambridge Analytica scandal showed how private data can be misused to manipulate voters. Polarization and echo chambers, where users see only information that confirms their existing attitudes, which deepens divisions within society. It's just a reminder of what's already happened. We heard today that EASA commits major online platforms to keep detailed records of political advertisements and their targeting criteria, which we are witnessing does not happen all the time. A special report shared by the signatories of the Code of Practice on Disinformation after the European elections shows the devastating facts – how much data had to be downloaded, how quickly disinformation tactics evolved and how much use is involved. deep fake content and content generated by artificial intelligence. Since you haven't noticed my blue cardI will now ask you to allow me ten seconds to respond to a colleague who unfortunately is no longer here in the hall to be responsible in their political actions, to grow up and not to use deep fake sadr...

28

Nov

2024

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Foreign interference and espionage by third country actors in European universities (debate)

Honourable Chair, Honourable Commissioners, Colleagues and colleagues, I would say that this is not just an academic issue. This is a political and strategic challenge and we are witnessing a really worrying trend where foreign powers are exploiting our academic openness to, let's be honest, say: intellectual property theft, undermining innovation and influencing political discourse. Through universities, ideological messages and political propaganda are often marketed to influence young intellectuals. Funding of certain programs, lectures or student organizations by foreign governments can also be used to promote, of course, veiled interests. As for young students and researchers, they are often targets for recruitment for data collection, and approaches such as financial incentives, promises of career progression or ideological recruiting are often used. Students with scholarships abroad are particularly vulnerable and they may be exposed to pressure from domestic or foreign actors. Strengthening cooperation between universities and intelligence services is not a matter of creating surveillance states. It is about protecting the intellectual assets that drive our economies and protect our security. This means ensuring that European innovation benefits our citizens and not foreign actors. For governments, this is a test of commitment to protecting our people, values and sovereignty. For Europe, this is an opportunity to show the world that academic openness and security can coexist.

28

Nov

2024

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Strengthening children’s rights in the EU - 35th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (debate)

The Honourable Chair, the Honourable Commissioners, the Colleagues, some of you in the room, when this convention was adopted, were just born, were children. And they didn't think that 35 years after their birth, we would face the same questions. A striking fact is that one in five children in the Union still live at risk of poverty or social exclusion. One in two children in Ukraine had to leave their home because of the war, and about 700,000 children were transferred under duress to Russia or to Russian-controlled territory. This is today's data. The contemporary challenges we face are expected from a policy of solutions - for education, the environment, social justice. The rise of anxiety and depression among young people, a lot of talk about him today, indicates the need for better mental health support. And what I will pay particular attention to, what I talked about in the last term, is regulation for a safer digital environment, data protection and criminalization. cyber bullying. We need to be responsible for the future of our children.

26

Nov

2024

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Full accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen Area: the urgent need to lift controls at internal land borders (debate)

26

Nov

2024

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Question Time with Commissioners - Challenges in the implementation of cohesion policy 2021-2027

26

Nov

2024

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Question Time with Commissioners - Challenges in the implementation of cohesion policy 2021-2027

23

Oct

2024

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Seven years from the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia: lack of progress in restoring the rule of law in Malta (debate)

Dear Chair, Commissioner, colleagues, for starters, I would like to say that the protection of journalists is not an exclusive right of colleagues from the left. No, it's not. And you mention the crown from which I come. And don't use words about a country you don't know anything about. And now I'm going back to the topic. She was 53 years old, had three children, investigated corruption, published an article and was murdered 30 minutes later. These are the facts. Her death represents not only a personal tragedy, but also a profound attack on media freedom, all media, democracy and the rule of law. Despite all this, Malta's progress is below expectations. To protect these principles, but the political, economic and social forces that often undermine our efforts, the European Union is taking a number of measures. However, we are aware that this is not enough. The murder of Dafna has sparked global condemnation and raised serious questions about the rule of law, not only in Malta but also more widely in the European Union, and this case has become a symbol of threats to the independence of journalism in democratic societies, but also pointed to structural weaknesses in the judicial and political system. Problems such as corruption, pressure on the media and political interference in the judiciary are present, although to a lesser extent, but disinformation, threats, defamation are new terrible tools of various actors who want to exert political or economic influence and, I will end up, and on this path they see freelance journalists with their own integrity as a threat.

22

Oct

2024

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Guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States (debate)

It is clear to all that the policy to promote employment and social protection of the European Union faces a number of challenges that require further adjustments and reforms. Digitalisation, the green transition, the fight against youth unemployment and precarious forms of work, as well as the fight against social inequalities, are problems that we would have to address in order to ensure what we want, and above all sustainable growth, social cohesion and high-quality jobs, and here we have heard today affordable housing for young people, which is a major problem in many members of the European Union. I come from Croatia, which has the lowest unemployment and the highest employment in the last ten years. 308,000 jobs were created. The average net wage increased by 76%. My country's credit rating is a minus, with a positive outlook. The precondition for this was, of course, political stability, which enabled the continuity of policies, and the correct policies. However, there is a significant difference in employment rates and social protection across Member States. They face greater challenges, including high unemployment, weaker social networks. In 2017, our colleagues adopted the European Pillar of Social Rights, including 20 principles, one of which is equal opportunities and access to the labour market. What we now emphasize is that we have not completed it and that there is still a lot of work ahead of us, and there are job opportunities ahead of us that we have not yet met. To ensure long-term stability, I will conclude that additional measures and structural challenges, as well as the demographic challenges ahead, need to be addressed.

22

Oct

2024

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Question Time with Commissioners – Situation of animal health in Europe: how to prevent and prepare for future sanitary crises in agriculture

The Honourable Chair, the Honourable Commissioner, I would like to address a question that is also related to the topic that we want to talk about, which is how we can prepare for the next crises and how the Commission can ensure that our farmers, as well as citizens, have good food supply chains and, on the other hand, that farmers have as little damage as possible. Recently and in my homeland of Croatia, unfortunately, we were faced with both swine fever and new challenges. Therefore, we also need financial support and we need safety in the health sense both for good and safe supply routes, and I also believe that we need to have a better exchange of information at the European Union level. We are facing, of course, both the black market, which we have not yet eradicated, and the bad goods, which still appear on our market. Therefore, I ask you to answer my question on how we can prevent this, help citizens and help farmers.

9

Oct

2024

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Protecting the EU budget and ensuring that EU funds do not benefit entities or individuals linked to terrorist or Islamist movement (debate)

Honourable Chair, Honourable Commissioner, in these late hours I regret that some colleagues are in fact easily blamed and say that the European Commission intentionally finances terrorist organisations. So that's another madness we've been witnessing here tonight. I think it is quite obvious that we all expect, and that is what our citizens who elected us expect, to control the budget money that all member states of the European Union allocate to the common budget. Our means must, of course, under no circumstances end up in the hands of those who oppose the European principles of freedom, democracy and human rights. Unfortunately, we are faced with worrying reports showing that EU funds, including the Erasmus+ programme, have been misused to finance entities linked to terrorist and Islamist movements. Of course, terrorist financing remains a serious threat, as it uses the weaknesses of our financial system to support violent extremist groups. Dear Commissioner, we need to strengthen control mechanisms and law enforcement, and we also face the challenges of new technologies and cryptocurrencies, and we need to be there and give a much stronger response.

8

Oct

2024

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The crisis facing the EU’s automotive industry, potential plant closures and the need to enhance competitiveness and maintain jobs in Europe (debate)

Dear Chair, Commissioner, I believe that you have heard the word, feel free to put on your headphones, I believe that you have heard the word innovation today and I believe that in order to protect jobs and maintain Europe's global leadership, we must prioritise innovation over restrictive regulations. Digitalisation and new technology must be catalysts for change and an opportunity to boost competitiveness. Let me just remind you what the situation is today. The average age of vehicles in the European Union is 12 years. In some less developed countries, 15 to 17 years. We must also take into account the different economic and social circumstances within the European Union. Development of electric vehicles: Yes, but we still do not have enough infrastructure in the whole of the European Union. We also don't have the same opportunities to buy electric vehicles that are still too expensive. And yes, that way we will be able to keep our jobs. And yes, in this way we will be able to slowly go into the green transition, but taking into account the circumstances that are realistic.