Speeches

Madam President, dear colleagues, as an associated country and one aspiring for EU candidate status, Georgia must adhere to the basic conditions, including respect for human rights. Unfortunately, over the past years, we are witnessing a serious undermining of media freedom, which is part of the broader trend of democratic backsliding in the country. I believe that these trends are counter to the Georgian people’s desire to live in a free, democratic and sovereign Georgia, as well as their European aspirations. I therefore call on the Georgian authorities to utilise fully Georgia’s legal framework for guaranteeing the freedom of expression and the freedom of media, to press on with reforms to ensure independence of the judiciary, to stop political polarisation and reverse the democratic backsliding. I also believe an important step to support the European path of Georgia is to impose targeted sanctions on the oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili for his destructive role in the Georgian politics and economy. Finally, let me stress that as a friend of the Georgian people, we will not stand idly by while media freedom continues to deteriorate and there is democratic backsliding, which goes against the Georgian people’s European aspirations. We stand with the Georgian people.

Madam President, dear colleagues, the latest evidence shown in the Xinjiang police files confirms that what is taking place today in this province is systematic state-driven crimes against humanity and genocide. The evidence of the CCP’s crimes are there. They are collected and documented. Now it is time for action and political will to adopt the corporate due diligence framework and to bring in as soon as possible a ban on the products made by forced labour, as promised by the Commission. We must also ensure full implementation of the export rules to ensure that our technology is not used for surveillance or other forms of repression. Finally, it is necessary to sanction the Ministry of Public Security, including its head, Zhao Kezhi, and all those responsible for crimes against humanity and genocide in Xinjiang. It is time for the CCP regime to face consequences for its crimes and for us to stand with the people of Xinjiang and across China and Hong Kong who are constantly oppressed.

Madam President, dear colleagues, it is absolutely mind—blowing that we are standing here and having this absolutely disturbing debate on the possible future decision of an independent court of our democratic partner in the face of serious global challenges. At almost every single plenary, we are having resolutions on so-called sexual and reproductive rights, despite the very clear provisions of our founding treaties that this area belongs exclusively to the Member States. We are not only commenting on this topic without any competence to do so, but we also want to criticise the USA for something that hasn’t even happened yet. I am wondering how far are we to go in crossing our competences? – Našich občanov sme sa rok v rámci Konferencie o budúcnosti Európy pýtali, v akej Európe chcú žiť. To si vážne, kolegovia, myslíme, že riešiť budúce možné rozhodnutia súdov iných štátov je to, čo občania od nás očakávajú? V čase vojny, obrovského zdražovania a ďalších ekonomických problémov znásobených dopadmi pandémie? Pre mňa najväčším problémom Európskej únie je to, že neprinášame riešenia na problémy, ktoré občania cítia a sú v našej kompetencii. Ale naopak, strácame čas ideologickými zápasmi, ktoré do našej kompetencie vôbec nepatria. Zaradenie tohto bodu na plenárne zasadnutie je výsmechom občanov a európskej demokracie a je v rozpore so základným právom na život.

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, the Eastern Partnership initiative was always envisaged to support our eastern neighbours in truly building a ring of friends. Unfortunately, the Russian Federation under Vladimir Putin has instead continued to view these countries as its sphere of influence. It regards people’s desire, states’ sovereignty, territorial integrity, undermining the very principles of European and international security. Today, Putin’s Russia is the number one source of instability for our eastern partners. As such, the European Union, together with our allies, must do all in our power to support our neighbours’ resilience and independence. We must smartly employ both our hard and soft tools in careful synergy. For example, we continue to support Ukraine materially as well as through micro-financial support. We must also support the Belarusian people’s desire for freedom. It is also vital to continue to work with our neighbours on addressing the country’s energy insecurity and to stop Russia from using frozen conflicts and occupied territories to further destabilise these countries. Finally, we must strengthen societal resilience against disinformation seeking to demoralise and confuse. Although the challenge in front of us is significant, we do have our right tools. What we require now is more strategic foresight and political will to ensure they are fully utilised.

Mr President, dear colleagues, every day we hear new evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine – military attacks, including on civilian targets, rape, torture, mass executions, forced deportations, looting and many other barbaric acts continue to be perpetrated against Ukraine and its people. They remind us of some of the worst excesses of Stalinism. We must ensure that these crimes are thoroughly documented, investigated and those responsible are brought to justice. That is why I welcome the setting-up of a UN International Commission of Inquiry and the launching steps of the ICC prosecutors’ investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity. However, we must also do all in our power to establish a special tribunal for the punishment of crimes of aggression. We are witnesses of a tragedy that we thought we would never see, and to which we said ‘never again’. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and we must stand up to those seeking to suppress human freedom and dignity. It’s our moral duty.

Madam President, last week, Hong Kong police arrested the brave and peace—loving Cardinal Joseph Zen and three other trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund. The fact that the four trustees have been arrested for collusion with foreign forces under the so-called ‘national security law’, just days after the election of John Lee as the new Chief Executive, shows without any doubt that Beijing intends to intensify its crackdown on basic rights and freedoms in Hong Kong. European leaders must condemn these arrests and finally adopt targeted sanctions under the EU Magnitsky Act against individuals and entities responsible for actions undermining international agreements and for oppressing the people of Hong Kong. Today’s global struggle between the free world and non-democratic regimes requires bold leadership. Because if we are not willing to speak up for freedom everywhere, we cannot expect to enjoy freedom anywhere.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, the illegitimate regime of Aleksander Lukashenko continues to terrorise and oppress the Belarusian people. Today, there are over 1 200 political prisoners in Belarus and 275 civil society and human rights organisations and numerous media outlets have been closed down. I want to especially mention the case of my brave friend, Pavel Seviarynets, who has already spent nearly 10 years in Lukashenko’s jails and who, a year ago, was sentenced to seven more years. It is because of brave people like Pavel, who every day pay a terrible personal sacrifice that we mustn’t forget about the plight of the Belarusian people. On the contrary, as we continue to support the people of Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, we must also redouble our support for the people of Belarus, because we cannot have free and sovereign Ukraine without a free and sovereign Belarus.

Mr President, dear colleagues, the loss of any innocent life is a tragedy, and so is the death of Shireen Abu Aqla. I am equally disturbed by the violence seen at her funeral, but the rush to any judgement before the conclusion of a credible investigation is irresponsible. Shireen Abu Aqla was killed during the Israeli anti-terror operation following the murder of 19 Israelis in a spate of terror attacks within the past few weeks. Despite overtures by the Israeli authorities to conduct a joint investigation with the Palestinian authorities, the Palestinian side has refused this offer. The tragic death of Shireen Abu Aqla is a sad reminder of the spiral of violence taking place that continues to haunt this region. That is why we must seek the truth by supporting a joint inquiry rather than fuel any flames of hate and violence. Finally, let me also state that we must do all in our power to ensure mechanisms and safeguards to protect journalists. In 2021 only, 55 journalists have been killed around the world, while a free press is one of the key pillars to support freedom and democracy and society that protects human rights. Here in Europe, the brutal killings of Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta and Ján Kuciak in Slovakia are a stark reminder that the pressure from international communities to impartial investigation plays an important role in ensuring the truth is exposed and the perpetrators are brought to justice.

Madam President, the totalitarian apparatus of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to suppress and destroy human freedom and dignity. In the case of organ harvesting, as with forced labour, they even profit from their crimes against humanity. Let me thank the Independent Tribunal Into Forced Organ Harvesting for their important work. It is thanks to their efforts that the evidence and truth is today undisputed and indisputable. Today, the CCP is using forced organ harvesting to target dissidents to their regime, ethnic, religious or other minorities, such as the Uyghurs, Tibetans, Muslims, Christians, political prisoners, or Falun Gong practitioners. It is part of the widespread system of oppression in China. Nobody in China is safe. For too long we remained silent about the CCP’s wide—scale crimes. Today, it’s time for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate these crimes, and for us to do all in our power to stop this abhorrent business and hold the CCP responsible for all its crimes against humanity.

Madam President, the Conference on the Future of Europe is an important opportunity to work together to find creative solutions to make Europe deliver for our citizens. With the social, economic and geopolitical consequences of the pandemic, of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and of the growing assertiveness of the Chinese Communist Party, we must ensure that Europe is capable of facing the many challenges ahead. That’s why I find it essential that we return to the heart of the principle of subsidiarity, one of the founding principles of the European Union. We need to use the conclusions of the Conference not only to focus on where the EU institutions should do more. Instead, we must discuss which levels, including local, regional and state level, can best contribute to addressing specific challenges and bring solutions. This also means that the EU must not interfere into the exclusive competencies of the EU Member States. We must respect the division of competences between the different levels of governance, and make decisions as close to our citizens as possible, and thus ensure the unity, resilience and future of our Union.

Mr President, dear colleagues, more than half a million people have now been forcibly deported from Ukraine to Russia, including over 120 000 children. Moreover, from Russia-occupied territories, some 2 300 children have been kidnapped in order to be adopted by Russian families. These forced deportations and moving of people to transitory camps, where they are vulnerable and live in appalling conditions, smack of the worst Stalinist excesses. We are witnesses of a tragedy that we thought we will never see again and to which we said, ‘never again’. It is our moral duty to stand up to those seeking to suppress human freedom and dignity. We must ensure that these crimes are thoroughly documented, investigated and that those responsible are one day brought to justice under Nuremberg-style trials.

Mr President, dear colleagues, education is fundamental for future global development, and also for the strengthening of human dignity itself. That is why it is crucial that in our development aid, the EU and its Member States redouble efforts to support education around the world. At the same time, we must ensure that the standards are in line with our values and carefully monitor any attempts to abuse education, undermine peace, call to violence or spread hate, including anti—Semitism. For this reason, I believe it is necessary to ensure that our funding, including to the Palestinian authorities, as well as UNRWA, is conditional on ensuring compliance with our values. We must have a mechanism in place to guarantee transparency and to respond to any abuse of our funding. By failing to do so, we risk undermining the aims and objectives of our development aid and the very values on which our Union has been founded.

Mr President, from Nigeria to China, the state of religious freedom continues to deteriorate. From genocide to legal restrictions, hundreds of millions of believers – be they Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, or other groups – are facing terrible suffering every day. While I welcome the EP’s report on the persecution of religious freedom, I cannot help but express my dismay at the way this report has been hijacked to stigmatise religion itself. Today, religious persecution is one of the key drivers of many of the challenges the world faces. And that’s why not ideological anti—religious stands, but firm support for the persecuted around the world, together with the appointment of a new special envoy for freedom of religion, supported with the right instruments, must be the priority.

Mr President, as the Kremlin continues to engage in aggression and war crimes in Ukraine, it is also turning increasingly repressive at home. Nearly 16 000 people have now been detained for peacefully protesting against Putin’s aggression – like the brave Yelena Osipova, survivor of the siege of Leningrad, whose only crime was carrying a placard saying ‘peaceful and honest Russia for all’. We cannot remain silent. As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote: ‘In keeping silent about evil… we are implanting it, and it will rise up a thousand fold times in the future. When we neither punish nor reproach evildoers, we are not simply protecting them, we are thereby ripping the foundations of justice from beneath the new generations.’ Let us support those brave Russians, so that one day peaceful and democratic Russia triumphs over the forces of oppression.

Mr President, more than three decades since the end of the Cold War, the free world once again faces a struggle: a struggle between freedom and democracy on the one hand and oppression and authoritarianism on the other. As I stated multiple times in this Chamber, it is time to stop closing our eyes and falsely believe that dialogue and economic interdependence will help us to transform non—democratic regimes. Today, from Ukraine to Xinjiang, we see the true cost of this. As the EU—China Dialogue showed, the Chinese side is unwilling to be a responsible global actor and use its leverage to stop Putin’s aggression. It cannot, and will not, because of its own crimes and oppression across mainland China and Hong Kong; because of its coercive behaviour against third countries; or because of its design against the free people of Taiwan. It’s time to spell out to the Chinese Communist Party the consequences of these actions. Particularly today, we need to speak about the costs for the complicity in Putin’s aggression, including any future steps China might take to help Russia avoid sanctions or lessen their impact. How we respond today will determine the world in which we will live tomorrow. Russia and China claim that their friendship knows ‘no limits’. We should not underestimate this, but we should make it clear to both that our determination to defend freedom and democracy knows no limits too.

Mr President, after horrifying images from Mariupol, Bucha, Irpin and other areas, we see more and more crimes committed every day. Bombing of civilian areas, killing of innocent people, rape, torture, looting, forced deportation of people to Russia. This is the true nature of Putin’s special operation, not a liberation, as Kremlin propaganda lies day after day, but a scene of brutal war crimes. A real hell on earth. The crimes committed by the Russian soldiers and security servicemen must be fully documented. And those responsible, from the highest ranks to the lowest, must be held responsible and brought to justice. That is why I welcome the announcement of the European Commission supporting a joint investigation mission to Ukraine to document these unspeakable crimes. To remain silent and not stand up to the evil means supporting utter moral bankruptcy.

Madam President, Putin's aggression against Ukraine has been causing horrors and suffering for almost a month. Millions of people, mainly mothers, children and the elderly, have been forced to seek refuge in EU Member States. Evacuations are becoming more and more difficult, all the more so when it comes to vulnerable groups. Nearly 3 million people with disabilities live in Ukraine, of whom more than 150,000 have managed to flee to neighbouring countries. However, many of them are unable to do so because of their health problems. In addition, attacks are often targeted at hospitals or social facilities. I therefore thank all organisations and volunteers who provide targeted assistance to vulnerable groups, both when fleeing and when receiving in neighbouring countries. At the same time, I call for support for states hosting people fleeing the war so that they can also provide assistance for persons with disabilities, taking into account their specific needs.

Mr President, Commissioner, first of all, I would like to emphasise the importance of the new strategic framework for health and safety at work. This framework represents an important milestone in the protection of workers, which is more than necessary due to major changes in the labour market due to digitalisation, demographic changes, but also due to the pandemic. Faced with new conditions, we also need to set up new strategies to protect workers from adverse effects on their physical or mental health. There are new challenges in the labour market, in the form of the need to adapt the labour market for older workers or people who have recovered from serious illnesses and wish to re-enter employment after prolonged absence. It is for these workers that we need to develop effective strategies that include, for example, job adaptation or flexible work organisation. Digitalisation itself, but also the current pandemic, has shifted a lot of work to the online environment, which for many has meant working from home in often unsuitable conditions and combining work with caring for children or relatives. Unfortunately, this has contributed to an increased level of stress and mental health problems. We know very well that stress and psychological discomfort also contribute to the development of various serious diseases, including autoimmune diseases, rheumatic, inflammatory, but also oncological diseases. We have to reflect on all of this. Therefore, let us promote prevention and a healthy lifestyle. Let us protect workers from the negative effects of the job, but also from stress and a lack of work-life balance. On the other hand, it is also necessary to think about those vulnerable and disadvantaged workers, as well as people with disabilities, who want to fully participate in the labour market. Colleagues, we must do everything we can to ensure that everyone can reach their full potential. I also want to mention hundreds of thousands of women, especially women, who are seeking refuge in our country from the war in Ukraine. Exploiting our full potential will make us stronger at this time when history is breaking.

Mr President, how we respond today to Putin's aggression against Ukraine and its people will define what kind of world we will live in. Today, Ukraine is fighting for our shared values, freedom and democracy, and we must do everything we can to end this aggression and the heartbreaking human tragedy. Hundreds of thousands of women and children are fleeing the threat of war. Hundreds of thousands of women and children whose future has been transformed from day to day into one big question mark. I myself was involved in coordination in the first hours and days, and I personally met with volunteers and organisations that have been helping these people since day one. Thank you for all these expressions of humanity and solidarity. I am glad that people are able to unite to help those in need. This unity and solidarity across Europe, across my country, Slovakia, gives us the chance to return, by its very nature, to the primary values on which a free, democratic, prosperous and peaceful Europe was built after the Second World War. As Pope Francis said almost two years ago, when we faced the beginning of the pandemic: "We are in the same boat, all fragile and disoriented, yet important and necessary, all called to row together". Because only united in truth and principles can we solve the challenges we face. Only united can we stop the tragedy unfolding before our eyes. And only united will we defend freedom and democracy.

Madam President, for the first time in decades, Europe is facing a wide—scale war. This is also highlighting the failure to remain consistent with our values. For too long, we were naive, falsely believing that by engaging with authoritarian and totalitarian regimes, we can change them. Today, we see the consequences of this naivety. Instead, these regimes have been seeking to corrupt our democratic processes, degrade our economic strength, divide our society, undermine our alliances and rewrite international norms to suit their malign interests. Even worse, they seek to subvert the very notion of truth. How we respond will determine the world in which we will live. We must remain united and, above all, to seek and defend the truth and the very values on which our Union has been founded, because truth and our values make us stronger and are the best weapon we have to fight back against those wishing to subvert our freedom.

Madam President, the situation of young people has deteriorated significantly during the pandemic. Many of them were hit by the measures at the time they were looking for their first job. Others have lost the opportunity to study or intern abroad. This was compounded by social distancing, the impossibility of sports or culture, and the long months spent behind computers. Education has been moved online for almost two years. All of this is linked to the mental health of young people. According to statistics, it is a much bigger problem than we expected. In Slovakia, a survey comparing the mental health of young people before and during the pandemic showed a shocking deterioration caused, among other things, by cyberbullying and inappropriate content online. We recently voted in favour of the Digital Services Act, which tackles such content. But our work is far from over. We need to look for other ways to protect young people from the negative impact of the online world. The second aspect I would like to mention is unemployment. In order for a person to start a successful life, start a family, and take their future into their own hands, it is crucial that they find work and self-realization. Unfortunately, even in this area, the pandemic has significantly worsened the situation. I consider this to be two fundamental areas on which we must focus in the coming years. Otherwise, we may find ourselves in a reality where we realize that we have lost an entire generation of young people.

Madam President. We have here the first plenary session of this year, when the election of the new leadership of the European Parliament is the dominant agenda. Congratulations to Roberta! I wish you strong decisions, strength in values and wisdom in decisions. Therefore, there is less space for an ordinary agenda. And all the more incomprehensible is the fact that the topic of so-called sexual and reproductive rights is again included on the agenda. Recently, we have talked about it and voted on it so often that I do not remember a single plenary session where it would not appear. As I am constantly reminding you, this subject falls within the exclusive competence of the Member States and, by opening it up to the European institutions, we are grossly interfering in the – from the outset agreed – reallocation of competences by the European Union and its Member States. By such a constant interference with the principle of subsidiarity, which is one of the fundamental pillars of our integration, we are setting a dangerous example for its further and repeated violation in other areas. At the same time, I am very sorry about this development, also because this is a very sensitive value issue that should not be treated in such an ideological and, above all, polarising way. Because it is precisely through the heated debate that we are deviating from what should be our goal, namely the protection of human life, human dignity and the rights of each one of us, the protection of health, quality health care provided to mothers and children, and support for families. Women in difficult life situations deserve our help and support. And it is precisely achieving the protection of any life that would otherwise be lost for economic or other reasons that should be at the heart of all our efforts, while respecting the clearly agreed reallocation of competences between the European Union and the Member States.

Mr President, let me begin by thanking my colleagues from across this House on excellent cooperation in drafting this resolution on the worsening human rights situation in Hong Kong. Our cooperation is a testimony to the strong cross-party consensus on standing with the people of Hong Kong. The latest worrying developments show how the PRC is stifling the life and the soul of the freedom-loving people in Hong Kong. I am glad that we are able to agree on clear messages that the European Union must take. First, implementation of the targeted sanctions against those responsible for the ongoing human rights crackdown. Second, review of the EU-Hong Kong Agreement on customs matters. Third, support a UNHCR special session on the deterioration of the human rights situation in mainland China and Hong Kong. Fourth, implementation of the EU Council conclusions from July 2020. And we reiterated that any ratification of the EU-China agreement on investment must take into account the ongoing human rights situation and China's commitments to the Sino-British Joint Declaration. Let me also welcome that we once again called on the EU leaders to decline invitations to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics. Not because we want to politicise sport, but because we cannot turn a blind eye to the dire human rights situation across mainland China and Hong Kong. Finally, I think it is imperative that we express solidarity with Lithuania in the face of the PRC’s economic and political coercion and speak out clearly in defence of our EU single market. Nevertheless, while I am glad that this House has delivered such a strong and united message, it must be followed by concrete action. Freedom-loving people in Hong Kong and across the world must know that the European Union stands by them.

Mr President. I am very pleased that today we are discussing this legislative milestone towards a safer and more ethical digital environment with clear rules that protect the user. Because the Digital Services Act is clearly such a step. From many sources and evidence, we can see that the online world, if it does not have clear rules, can be very toxic for all of us, but especially for our young generation. Illegal content, which is becoming more and more prevalent, be it content depicting, for example, violence, child abuse online, or content related to illegal products, can harm us all in areas ranging from financial to mental health threats. Algorithms that we often do not understand and do not even know are used on us by platforms for higher profit purposes multiply these threats. Platforms thus subtract from us content that is more beneficial to them, often deliberately polarizing or disinformation, often regardless of the concrete effects of their unethical actions on the individual and on society as a whole, democratic institutions or even freedom itself. I am therefore very pleased that today we have before us a horizontal regulation which, if applied correctly, will put an end to such practices. I appreciate not only clear rules for downloading illegal content as quickly as possible, but also, for example, rules that will protect users from excessive pressure from platforms to give consent to the processing of their personal data. And while we still have a lot of amendments to vote on, I believe that we can agree on a common position to open the way for swift implementation of this important piece of legislation. Let us give the green light to a safe and ethical online world, so that the good of a person and his or her dignity are always at the centre.

Mr President, the Linglong tyre factory construction is emblematic of the current growing impact of China’s economic footprint in Serbia and across the Western Balkans. We observe the potentially devastating impact of these projects on the wider environment and on human rights, as well as the surrounding population, all covered under a veil of non-transparency. This extremely sad situation highlights the consequence of the Chinese investments. Although political leaders may be swayed by grand projects and the promise of jobs and investments, it is impossible to ignore the corrosive impact that Chinese investments have on society, governance and on the environment. The protests of the Serbian people over the past weeks show that they care about their country and the environment in which they live. After all, we are all home-building creatures, and it is a basic human instinct to care for one’s home. This is why I call on the Serbian Government to provide a clear action plan moving forward on how they are going to address the existing issues, to honour and follow both their own domestic legislation to the full extent of the law, as well as the regulations passed down as part of the EU accession process. This is particularly important in cases of corrosive investments from authoritarian and totalitarian countries. Also, let me welcome the decision of the Serbian Government to withdraw the law on expropriation and the amendments to the law on referendum, and to investigate and address the conditions at the Linglong factory. At the same time, let me welcome the opening of cluster 4 of the negotiating chapters with Serbia. I sincerely hope that the opening of the new chapters will provide the Serbian authorities with the impetus to ensure the relevant legislation concerning the mentioned cases. It is very important. In this context, it is also important to ensure that investors – regardless of their origin – are not above the law. To conclude, let me highlight that it is imperative that the European Union supports the resilience of the neighbourhood and candidate countries.