What Matjaž spoke about.

Mr President, it’s about time. Today Parliament is discussing, at my request, this groundbreaking ruling on Schengen. It has been six months since the European Court of Justice ruled that Austrian and Italian border controls have been illegal under EU law since November 2017. But despite this ruling, nothing has changed. Austria and five other Schengen states again blocked the controls for another six months, breaking EU law yet again. I strongly condemn these controls. We need to act now, dear colleagues, because the Commission has said nothing so far about this ruling, because the Commission also never issued an opinion on these controls as law demands. While the Commission itself said in court that these controls were not in line with European law, I want to know: what will the Commission do now? It’s time to step up and protect the rule of law and Schengen. Start infringement procedures, issue opinions on the controls? Can you really accept this complete disregard for rule of law just because France and Germany are breaking it? Are we going to let Schengen slip away in front of our eyes? Ladies and gentlemen, the law needs to be respected. The court decision needs to be respected. Dear colleagues, we have to cherish and protect our Schengen, because if we lose Schengen, we lose the European Union.

Mr President, good day! The last enlargement of Schengen took place in 2007, when new Member States, including Slovenia, entered the area without internal borders, and in 2008 Switzerland. Then this process stalled and is in a dead end. Romania and Bulgaria met all the conditions already in 2011, but Member States kept them in the waiting room until then. In the S&D Group, we strongly support the enlargement of Schengen and demand that the Council lift the blockade and take an immediate decision on the accession of Romania and Bulgaria. Schengen is one of the most tangible achievements of the European Union. It has been in crisis for many years. Today, six countries still illegally carry out internal border controls. Austria with Slovenia. This is despite the fact that, in the case of the same threat, the Court of Justice of the European Union, ruling on the matter, has declared those controls to be unlawful since 2017. If we want to protect and preserve Schengen, we must not accept such an intolerable and gross violation of the judgments of the courts. The Commission must therefore take immediate action to protect Schengen by all means before it is too late.

Mr. President! The European Union was founded for the sake of peace and to protect freedom, democracy and the rule of law, of which a free, independent media is a key part. I am very sorry to draw your attention, dear friends, to the worrying and unsustainable situation on Radio Television Slovenia. After two years of Janez Janša's reign, and when he declared war on the media, the bitter battle after the Slovenian Press Agency is now also being fought by RTV. The political leadership, i.e. the political takeover of leadership, was first followed by the blocking of necessary legislative changes. Now, in the eyes of the viewers, the institution itself is being dismantled, with the abolition of broadcasts on restrictions on journalistic freedom and editorial autonomy and threats of sanctions by the management. What's happening on RTV, Reverend, is politicization and death by meal. I therefore urge you, and in particular the Commission, to take immediate and decisive action before it is too late.

Madam President-in-Office! The Three Seas Initiative is an important forum of twelve European Union countries located between the three European seas. This has developed in the hope of greater connectivity of the region and in the light of the promotion of joint investments, namely in infrastructure, transport, energy and digitalisation. One of the objectives of the initiative is also to reduce the energy dependence of Central and Eastern European countries on Russia in the field and energy policy issues in general. It is precisely the Russian aggression against Ukraine that has given it even greater prominence. An important shift in the initiative was made in 2019 in Brdo, Slovenia, under the leadership of President Borut Pahor, with the creation of an investment fund. This has led to the launch of several large-scale cross-border infrastructure projects. The Three Seas Initiative must remain an important forum for dialogue and cooperation, but it will not be a complete whole until both Ukraine and the Western Balkan countries are involved, and, of course, only together can we realise the true potential and opportunities that we have at hand.

Madam President-in-Office, as a very important fact, I consider it an opportunity to highlight here today, in my first address, the importance of the European Union's enlargement policy. Montenegro's progress report is clear. We particularly welcome the country's commitment to European integration, but without respect for the rule of law, full implementation of electoral and judicial reforms and an active fight against organised crime and corruption there will be no progress at all. I would like the country to be able to close one of the open chapters as soon as possible, namely to maintain its status as the leading country in the region when it comes to the enlargement process. The new – and as the only – government in Europe, led by a representative of a minority, fills me with optimism. Mainly because of its European perspective. At the same time, we also need a strong pro-European stance as a message, a basic message coming from this region. Dear, let us not forget, as representatives of the European Union, that we need the region and the region needs us. Now is the moment, now is the time. We therefore welcome Montenegro's progress.