What Matej spoke about.

8

Jul

2026

SL Speech

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The abduction, forced conversion and child marriage of Maria Shahbaz and the protection of girls in Pakistan

Madam President, colleagues! When I get into Marie Shahbaz's story, I'm horrified because I have a 13-year-old daughter at home. And when I imagine someone kidnapping her, forcing her to change her faith, forcing her to marry, and reporting it to the police, the police wouldn't react at all. The police wouldn't give my daughter back. What should I think of such a country? And that is exactly what …

7

Jul

2026

EN Speech

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2025 Commission report on Ukraine (debate)

Madam President, Ukraine is not only writing its history today, it's writing our shared European future. Ukraine has already reached 84 % implementation of the Association Agreement. Yet some still play games with vetoes instead of building a common Europe. EU enlargement is not a charity. It is a strategic necessity. A bigger Europe is a stronger Europe. But the process is not just one way. We, t…

7

Jul

2026

SL Speech

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Urgent measures to strengthen the competitiveness and safeguard quality jobs in the EU’s automotive sector (debate)

Madam President! The future of the automotive industry may be electric, but I'm not sure we're ready for an electric future today. Are the grids ready for this, or is electricity generation ready for this? Do we have the minerals needed for electric batteries? The answer is no. And that is why, of course, we need a reasonable transition period, where we will ensure technological neutrality. Europe…

17

Jun

2026

SL Answer

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Electrification Action Plan (debate)

17

Jun

2026

SL Speech

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Electrification Action Plan (debate)

17

Jun

2026

SL Question

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Electrification Action Plan (debate)

A colleague would ask a very simple question. I agree that renewable energy sources are important. What if the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing? Why is there no greater enthusiasm in your queues for nuclear energy?…

16

Jun

2026

EN Speech

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An EU future for the Western Balkans (joint debate)

Madam President, colleagues, Commissioner, enlargement is not a vague ambition. It is a concrete commitment. And let me state it plainly: I support the enlargement of the European Union because it strengthens our Union strategically, politically and economically. North Macedonia belongs to the European Union. Its European path must not be held hostage by hesitation or artificial obstacles. A credi…

15

Jun

2026

SL Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

21

May

2026

SL Answer

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Need for an adaptation of the EU legal framework on sustainable biofuels (debate)

Dear Sir/Madam, As you are aware, the production of biofuels varies greatly, and we must adopt all the technologies available here. And waste is also very often used for the production of alternative fuels. And here, above all, I see an opportunity for further development, because Europe has a huge amount of waste and there is no need to scare that the production of biofuels will lead to food shor…

21

May

2026

EN Speech

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Need for an adaptation of the EU legal framework on sustainable biofuels (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, do we want decarbonisation that works in the real world or only on paper? Sustainable biofuels are available today. They reduce emissions today. They work with existing engines and infrastructure today. Climate neutrality will not be achieved by banning technologies. It will be achieved by scaling every sustainable technology that reduces emissions toda…

20

May

2026

SL Speech

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High time to deliver on the Single Market, providing certainty and predictability for EU businesses and quality jobs (continuation of debate)

President-in-Office! Europe has a huge number of hardworking and hardworking people. Many are extremely talented. We also have innovative companies. We have billions of savings in the accounts of European citizens, which also means tremendous purchasing power compared to other parts of the world. But the question is why do we not turn all these advantages in our favour, in favour of Europe's econo…

19

May

2026

SL Speech

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EU governance under pressure – institutional responses to global challenges (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues. We all know that, in a way, we have become accustomed to the European Union being a scapegoat for all sorts of nonsense at the present time. Many European leaders stick to the strategy: If that's not the case, then we're blaming Brussels. But the results of this game are more or less known, and the country that has left us, at least I do not see that honey and milk f…

27

Apr

2026

SL Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Madam President! Following the recent elections in Slovenia, people have made it clear that they want change. And if a new government law is approved in parliament this week, as it seems, Slovenia is getting a new centre-right government, which is a good sign. Therefore, I sincerely ask you not to fall for all those who are scaring these days, arguing that with the centre-right government in Slove…

25

Mar

2026

SL Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Madam President, colleagues! I would like to inform you that we had elections in Slovenia on the last Sunday. The coalition lost 13 seats and the opposition won eight. The difference between the first and second parties is less than a percentage, which means that the chances of forming a future government are still very open. I was surprised, however, by the interview of Prime Ministe…

25

Mar

2026

SL Speech

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Energy security, independence and supply in the geopolitical context - ensuring market stability and affordable energy for industry and citizens (debate)

Mr President, colleagues! Can you imagine a country in the Republic of Slovenia where the government claims that we have enough fuel for the next three months? Due to catastrophic poor communication, the government causes panic that diesel is running out at gas stations. Unbelievable, but this case speaks to you in favour of the fact that sometimes the responsibility for energy prices is al…

11

Mar

2026

SL Speech

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Rise of political violence, notably by far-left organisations (debate)

10

Mar

2026

SL Speech

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Cutting red tape to enable a competitive and clean transition – the urgent need to shorten and simplify permitting (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues!  Lithium, cobalt, graphite, rare earths, nickel. What do these raw materials and their exploitation have in common with the European Union? A lot, but unfortunately nothing good. They are a symbol of our inefficiency and an indicator of deep economic dependence. But without these raw materials, there is no green transition, there are no electric vehicles, there…

10

Mar

2026

SL Speech

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Recommendation on enhanced EU-Canada cooperation in the current geopolitical context, including the threats to Canada’s economic stability and sovereignty (debate)

Mr. President! Colleagues and colleagues, and especially dear brothers and sisters from Canada, whom I understand as our American colleagues! We have a lot in common, we have a lot of similarities, and it is right that the European Union and Canada work together in depth. Over the years, Canada has certainly proven to be a reliable partner. Last but not least, when it came to defending …

10

Mar

2026

SL Speech

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Presentation of the Energy Package (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues!  In recent years, we have been dealing with high energy prices. We spent a lot of hours discussing these things, and we found that our electricity prices were higher than the competition in the US or China. And when things seem to have calmed down a bit, bam, a new war, a new crisis, and again, a new energy crisis is announced that will ra…

11

Feb

2026

SL Speech

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Targeted expulsions of foreign journalists and foreign Christians in Türkiye under national security pretexts

Mr. President! Today it may seem that we are talking about Turkey, but we are actually talking about a much broader thing, namely whether the European Union is ready to defend its values. Is she ready to defend freedom of religion? Is she prepared to defend her Christian foundations? Under the guise of national security, Christians have been targeted in Turkey for years. People who live there lega…

11

Feb

2026

SL Speech

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Urgent actions to revive EU competitiveness, deepen the EU Single Market and reduce the cost of living - from the Draghi report to reality (debate)

Madam President! The Draghi report is an embarrassing truth that we have to face one way or another. Today we have an absurd situation. European savings are financed by American companies, while European companies are looking for money outside the European Union. Our citizens are saving money in Europe, while this money creates growth and jobs elsewhere, on other continents. And money does not lea…

10

Feb

2026

EN Speech

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Building a stronger European defence in light of an increasingly volatile international environment (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, for many years, European defence has relied on the presence and capabilities of our American allies. But we must also be realistic. We cannot assume that this presence will always be there. Europe is a Union of 27 Member States, each with its own armed forces, its own command structures and its own strategic priorities. This fragmentation is a vulnerabili…

22

Jan

2026

EN Speech

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Drones and new systems of warfare – the EU’s need to adapt to be fit for today’s security challenges (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, the war we are witnessing today is not a technological revolution; it is a structural one. Drones have transformed the battlefield into a permanent zone of exposure, where movement, logistics and even survival are constantly contested. But one lesson from Ukraine is clear: drones do not replace traditional military capabilities; they reshape them. Drones are powerful…

19

Jan

2026

SL Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Mr. President! In this house and in this European Union, we often talk about equality and freedom. The question is whether it is the same for everyone. The European Union finances many, very different things, and rightly so. But lately, it has been a well-known example of organisations defending the family, human dignity and also the sanctity of life, such as World Youth Alliance Europe, or the Fe…

16

Dec

2025

SL Answer

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European Citizens’ Initiative ‘My voice, my choice: for safe and accessible abortion’ (debate)