What Matjaž spoke about.

11

Feb

2025

SL Speech

Watch

Political crisis in Serbia (debate)

Madam President! Dear High Selection! The loud echo of the demands of Serbian students must become the echo of the European Union. What we are witnessing today in Serbia is not only a reflection of individual tragedies, but a dignified and peaceful protest by thousands against the over a decade-long dismantling of democratic institutions, the rule of law, the trampling of the fundamental rights of…

21

Jan

2025

SL Speech

Watch

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

Madam President! Yesterday, on Trump's oath, we witnessed something completely new. He put the owners of the biggest tech giants in the front row, making it clear who will have an impact on his agenda and to whom he will primarily serve. It's not human, it's not nature, it's capital, it's oligarchs. Today we already know that the emergence of social networks a few decades ago represented a turning…

20

Jan

2025

EN Speech

Watch

Ceasefire in Gaza - the urgent need to release the hostages, to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to pave the way for a two-state solution (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, after fifteen months of bloodshed, at last Palestine and Gaza will be able to catch their breath. Hope has been restored also for the families of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, many of whom were detained without charges. I sincerely welcome the ceasefire, and I hope it will lead to a peaceful coexistence and to the establishment of a Palestinian state. H…

18

Dec

2024

SL Speech

Watch

Preparation of the European Council of 19-20 December 2024 (debate)

Madam President. Tomorrow, European leaders meet for the first time under President Costa. They face a challenging agenda and many challenges. This year has started and also ends with two difficult conflicts before the European Union. The European economy is already showing signs of cooling. The increase in the cost of living continues to be felt by our citizens. We shouldn't forget who's coming t…

17

Dec

2024

SL Speech

Watch

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

Mr President! Dear High Council! We are facing a flood of disinformation, which poses a growing threat to democracy and, in particular, to electoral processes. This was also the case with the 2016 Brexit referendum. And although today's discussion focuses mainly on the TikTok network, it is no less, but perhaps even more problematic, Musk's X-platform, which, under the guise of freedom of speech a…

26

Nov

2024

EN Speech

Watch

Continued escalation in the Middle East: the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank, UNRWA’s essential role in the region, the need to release all hostages and the recent ICC arrest warrants (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, in the light of the daily war crimes committed in Gaza and Lebanon, the ICC arrest warrants are a grim consolation for tens of thousands of victims. I welcome the ICC's decision and call on all states to respect it and to defend international law and institutions. Let us be clear: protecting international law and ensuring accountability for all, regardless of nationa…

26

Nov

2024

SL Speech

Watch

2025 budgetary procedure: Joint text (debate)

25

Nov

2024

SL Speech

Watch

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (debate)

Mr. President! We live in a world where women build our society, but at the same time die in their homes. Every day 140 women die as a result of violence. Femicide happens every 10 minutes. Statistics are an alarming reminder that we have failed as a society. Violence against women is a violation of fundamental human rights and requires our collective responsibility. That is why we need a redefini…

14

Nov

2024

SL Speech

Watch

Enhancing Europe’s civilian and defence preparedness and readiness (debate)

Madam President! Dear High Council! The effects of climate change are worsening every year and more than fifty different conflicts are taking place around the world. They testify above all to the dark side of human nature. We would be naive in the belief that we do not feel all the consequences both on the moral, human level and, of course, on the tangible ones. Strengthening a common European str…

23

Oct

2024

SL Speech

Watch

Managing migration in an effective and holistic way through fostering returns (debate)

Madam President! It is not the policy of Pedro Sanchez or that of Spain that is the problem, but the ineffective and integrated migration policy of the European Union, which is not yet operational. Today, migration is driven by complex causes and crisis hotspots around the world, and our problem is not returns. But on the contrary, our biggest problem is that Europe continues to fund authoritarian…

22

Oct

2024

SL Speech

Watch

General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2025 – all sections (debate)

Madam President! Dear High Assembly, geopolitical challenges, conflicts, climate change, natural disasters require a robust European budget from the Union. This must necessarily have an enhanced social dimension, and I therefore welcome, first and foremost, Parliament's requests for an increase in funding for the Union Civil Protection Mechanism. This may not be sufficient for all needs, but it is…

22

Oct

2024

EN Speech

Watch

Urgent need for a ceasefire in Lebanon and for safeguarding the UNIFIL mission in light of the recent attacks (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, what is happening in Lebanon and in Gaza must shock us. With impunity, Israel is daily committing war crimes. While rejecting peace, Netanyahu got what he wanted: a regional war and destabilised neighbours. He turned the region into his playground. In the strongest terms, I condemn Israel's attack on the UN peacekeeping mission and civilian infrastructure. So, dea…

9

Oct

2024

EN Speech

Watch

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

Madam President, dear colleagues, let us be very clear: the EU has strict rules in place which control and oversee the financing of the budget. Those rules were even reinforced last year with clear provisions and excluding any financing of terrorism. Today's debate that was put forward has nothing to do with terrorism, but is simply placed in the hands of the Netanyahu Government's agenda and thei…

8

Oct

2024

EN Speech

Watch

Escalation of violence in the Middle East and the situation in Lebanon (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, what we are seeing in the Middle East is horror. We know how complex the region is, and tensions are running high for decades. Since the brutal Hamas attack a year ago, the whole Middle East has been drawn into this nightmare. Too many innocent people are dying every day since. Israel bombed seven different countries in the last week. International law and institu…

8

Oct

2024

SL Speech

Watch

Preparation of the European Council of 17-18 October 2024 (debate)

Dear President! The world seems to have been put to a serious test. We are facing one of the darkest periods since the end of the Second World War. The conflict in the Middle East is escalating sharply, especially as those most in need of peace are the ones who reject it the most. The situation also remains serious in Ukraine and in more than fifty hotspots around the world. At the same time, it i…

7

Oct

2024

SL Speech

Watch

Need to fight the systemic problem of gender-based violence in Europe (debate)

Mr President. Dear High Council! In today's daily news, it's hard to avoid the black scenarios that women face in one way or another. Psychological violence, physical violence, extortion, sexual abuse, femicide. A staggering statistic that hasn't improved at all from year to year. What's more, the media landscape is overwhelmed by shocking and hard-to-understand stories of grave, years of abuse. D…

7

Oct

2024

SL Speech

Watch

The reintroduction of internal border controls in a number of Member States and its impact on the Schengen Area (debate)

Mr President. Dear High Council. The Schengen area is increasingly becoming a historical memory as one of Europe's greatest achievements. Although we adopted the Migration Pact and the reform of the Schengen rules just before the elections, Europe remains in a crunch. External crises, including the deepening conflict in the Middle East, are driving migration flows in Europe. Closing borders is not…

18

Sep

2024

SL Speech

Watch

The deteriorating situation of women in Afghanistan due to the recent adoption of the law on the “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice”

Mr President! My 60 seconds of speech today go to women in Afghanistan, women who have been deprived of every second of speech, all freedom, the right to education and employment. They are practically erased from public life, but their silent screams for help are very loud. It is our moral duty to do everything in our power to end their nightmare as soon as possible. The Union must take on the rol…

18

Sep

2024

SL Speech

Watch

The devastating floods in Central and Eastern Europe, the loss of lives and the EU’s preparedness to act on such disasters exacerbated by climate change (debate)

Mr President! Dear Commissioner Lenarčič! Last year, devastating floods hit Europe, including my country, Slovenia. It was one of the worst natural disasters we can remember. Europe's rapid action has also been crucial in these difficult times. I therefore welcome the rapid mobilisation of the European Solidarity Fund, which, among other things, has allocated EUR 428 million to the Republic of Slo…

17

Sep

2024

SL Speech

Watch

War in the Gaza Strip and the situation in the Middle-East (debate)

Madam President! Dear High Council! We are on the brink of a year-long war in Gaza. Israel is also committing genocide through the supply of Western weapons there. More than 41,000 people have been brutally killed, most of them children and women. Day after day, Israel continues to attack targets that enjoy special protection. These are schools, refugee centers, United Nations offices. No conseque…

18

Jul

2024

SL Speech

Watch

Statement by the candidate for President of the Commission (debate)

Dear President! The last five years have not been easy. The mandate was marked by crises, war on European soil, COVID, as well as natural disasters. The European Commission reacted quickly. You have also responded to the historic floods in Slovenia, for which I thank you on behalf of the citizens. We won't forget that. On the other hand, you failed the rule of law test. I am also talking here abou…

24

Apr

2024

SL Speech

Watch

Recent attempts to deny dictatorships and the risk of Europe returning to totalitarianism (debate)

Mr. President! Today's debate comes at a crucial moment, symbolically, also at the last sitting of this European Parliament. Because the actions of individual political groups and the events of recent times are alarming, because they are too reminiscent of those from the recent history, after which the alarms were ringing in silence. Many of us felt terrible consequences on our own skin, on the sk…

23

Apr

2024

SL Speech

Watch

Establishing the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans (debate)

Dear President! Dear High Council. The Western Balkans are once again high on the European Union's agenda. The fresh wind of enlargement policy has brought about a number of positive decisions by the European institutions, and it is right to do so. It also proves that Europe is serious with the new financial instrument for the region that we need. Tomorrow! And I very much welcome this instrument.…

23

Apr

2024

SL Speech

Watch

EU-Egypt strategic and comprehensive partnership and agreements with key third countries (debate)

Dear President. Dear Commissioner, Honourable High Assembly. The Commission and the renewed Team Europe have agreed on a joint declaration with Egypt. This agreement with Egypt is problematic in several respects. Firstly, because it is again just a kind of public statement and because it is not an international agreement with the EU. Total contempt for the European Parliament and, last but not lea…

23

Apr

2024

SL Speech

Watch

EU’s response to the repeated killing of humanitarian aid workers, journalists and civilians by the Israel Defence Forces in the Gaza Strip (debate)

Dear President! Dear High Council! The war in Gaza has been going on for more than seven months. The number of casualties has already exceeded 34,000. Last weekend alone 139 people were killed in airstrikes. Refugee camps are also targeted. The Israeli army withdrew from the south of Gaza, but still the area of attack from the air. Western countries continue to deliver weapons to Israel. Violence …