What Kateřina spoke about.

18

Jan

2023

CS Speech

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Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 15 December 2022 (continuation of debate)

Madam President, the absent President of the Commission stayed with us for exactly an hour. It also shows something about the Commission's interest in the views of MEPs. Thank you, Mr. Michel, for staying with us until the end. I'm terrified of what I'm hearing here. If you imagine supporting Ukraine by supplying more tanks there, I'm sad. Other sanctions, military support, €3 billion already mobi…

17

Jan

2023

CS Speech

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Surge of respiratory infections and the shortage of medication in Europe (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the problem is the system itself, and all the adjustments we are making here are simply cosmetic and do not solve it. Under the current legislative situation, there are a number of measures that can at least mitigate medicine shortages. Let me remind you that years ago the Commission came up with a new Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe, in which i…

16

Jan

2023

CS Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the Czech Republic has long lacked essential medicines on the market. Unfortunately, this is not a result of an increased incidence of respiratory diseases, but rather a systemic problem. We mainly lack penicillin and other antibiotics and medicines for children such as cough syrups, etc. The blackout is the worst in 30 years and can last for several more months…

16

Jan

2023

CS Speech

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30th Anniversary of the Single Market (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, at first glance, the idea of a common European market is a great thing. Unfortunately, if we take a closer look at the veneer of one of Europe's great freedoms, we will find that everything is not as rosy as it seems at first glance. It is considered that the Czech Republic has clearly benefited from an open common market. However, the fact is that…

14

Dec

2022

CS Speech

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Tackle the cost of living crisis: increase pay, tax profits, stop speculation (topical debate)

Madam President, we have been hearing from the European Commission all the time over the past year how we must be humbled so that we can then read in the press how much richer they have become again – the crisis of the non-crisis. And your solution? To pass on the economic burden to citizens, whose standard of living will in many cases fall fundamentally this year. In the Czech Republic, real wage…

21

Nov

2022

CS Speech

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Prevention, management and better care of diabetes in the EU on the occasion of World Diabetes Day (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, let me first of all thank the rapporteurs for their exemplary cooperation in negotiating this resolution, which I have had the honour to chair. I hope that the consensus that we have had throughout the process can also be translated into a smooth vote. What has not been agreed on, however, and I regret it, is once again the issue of patent right…

18

Oct

2022

CS Speech

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Mental health (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, as regards the newly announced initiative on mental health, I would like to see a comprehensive plan that protects the rights of people with mental health problems, raises awareness and puts an end to stigma and discrimination in the field of mental health. In order to do so, the EU must take the path of developing a comprehensive long-term strategy or mental health pla…

5

Oct

2022

CS Speech

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Russia’s escalation of its war of aggression against Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the time to play with words has passed. The conflict in eastern Europe has entered our homes and threatens to savagely attack the quality of life of people across Europe in winter, and the dangers of nuclear war have increased dramatically. At the moment, the Czech government, the European Union and NATO are doing nothing but adding oil to the fire. There is an …

4

Oct

2022

CS Speech

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Radio Equipment Directive: common charger for electronic devices (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased that now we finally have the opportunity to come close to the end of the fight for common chargers for mobile phones and many other electronic devices. And it certainly wasn't a short fight. After all, we have been trying for over a decade to push the Commission from the ground of the European Parliament to take action and come…

3

Oct

2022

CS Speech

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European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control - Serious cross-border threats to health (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, by adopting these two regulations, we are completing the work that started with the COVID-19 pandemic. While I have strong reservations about the three main documents making up the European Health Union, I firmly hope that their timely and smooth implementation will allow us to prepare sufficiently for the next pandemic, which will undoubtedly come. Unfortunately, th…

13

Sep

2022

CS Speech

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EU response to the increase in energy prices in Europe (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, Minister, this point is entitled ‘The EU response to the increase in energy prices in Europe’. And if you were to ask the citizens of your countries what the answer is, I guarantee you that a long silence would follow for most of them, just silence. Indeed, in this case – as in the case of pharmaceutical companies during COVID-19 – the European Union is just watching…

6

Jul

2022

CS Speech

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Presentation of the programme of activities of the Czech Presidency (continuation of debate)

Madam President, Prime Minister, it is not very often that I agree with something that has been prepared by the Czech right-wing government of Petr Fiala. I may surprise many, but I consider 4 out of 5 priorities of our government for the Presidency to be right. However, the problem lies elsewhere – the reality is often harsher than the high-pitched words of the Czech government. It's much tougher…

7

Jun

2022

CS Speech

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Binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States (Effort Sharing Regulation) - Land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) - CO2 emission standards for cars and vans (joint debate – Fit for 55 (part 2))

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Mr Timmermans, first of all, I would like to ask you to really consider how you will vote tomorrow on the proposal to reduce CO2 emissions for cars. I would like to stress that this regulation will have huge economic and social impacts across the European Union. The automotive industry in the European Union employs millions of people and generates up to 8% of GD…

7

Apr

2022

CS Speech

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Mental Health (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the frequency of suicidal thoughts has increased enormously for up to 70% of hospitalised patients, the number of emergency services for self-harming children has increased by several hundred%, new depressive and anxiety disorders have developed, especially for children who have not yet been in psychia…

5

Apr

2022

CS Speech

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EU Protection of children and young people fleeing the war against Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, I support and support the resolution on the protection of children who are forced to flee the tragic war in Ukraine, because the position of the weakest in the war needs to be all the more protected. However, I will not forgive myself for commenting on this resolution. Central Europe, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania are facing an unprecedented number …

15

Feb

2022

CS Speech

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Strengthening Europe in the fight against cancer(debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, dear Véronique, dear colleagues, I think we have managed to adopt a fairly good report in the special committee. It was a very long journey complicated by the pandemic. Unfortunately, the pandemic will continue to complicate the implementation of both the BECA plan and our report in the near future. Especially from the point of view of its financing. Each step in the…

24

Nov

2021

CS Speech

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A European Action Plan Against Rare Diseases (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, let us face it, we need a plan for 30 million of our fellow citizens living with a rare disease in the European Union for the next decade. The last one is 12 years old, and that's a shame. The needs of patients with rare diseases require a greater level of cross-border cooperation in healthcare. Despite the existence of a directive on cross-border healthcare to facil…

24

Nov

2021

CS Speech

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The EU's role in combating the COVID-19 pandemic: how to vaccinate the world (topical debate)

Madam President, I ask myself: What year is it, anyway? Are we really talking for a year and a half about temporarily relaxing the rules on intellectual property protection in relation to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines at the WTO? We're discussing it from left to right while thousands of people are dying all over the world and we're happily creating new mutations. You just have to ask yourself th…

22

Nov

2021

CS Speech

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A pharmaceutical strategy for Europe (debate)

Madam President, I am not at all happy with the outcome of the negotiations on this report. First of all, the text has very little ambition in terms of reforming intellectual property rights both inside and outside the European Union. After two years of the pandemic, we basically stayed on the same challenges that we presented five years ago in the resolution on access to medicines in the European…

22

Nov

2021

CS Speech

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Coordination of Member States’ measures in light of increasing cases of COVID-19 in the EU (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, a year has passed and we are almost the same way. This is due not only to low vaccination coverage in some Member States, but above all to the reluctance of Member States to cooperate more in the fight against the pandemic. In fact, the only two successful projects in almost two years are the joint purchases of vaccines and the introduction of COVID passports. In order …

21

Oct

2021

CS Speech

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Insurance of motor vehicles (debate)

Mr President, rapporteur, fellow Members, I am very pleased that we will be able to conclude work on the directive on insurance against civil liability in respect of the use of motor vehicles today, and I thank the rapporteur, Mrs Dita Charanzová, very much for her work, as we have succeeded in removing the controversial requirement of compulsory liability for electric bicycles, scooters or garden…

6

Oct

2021

CS Speech

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Pandora Papers: implications on the efforts to combat money laundering, tax evasion and avoidance (debate)

Madam President, I would like to begin by saying that I am certainly not doing political agitation here before the elections that await us in the Czech Republic, because the KSČM, my party, has been raising this issue as the only political entity on the Czech political scene for years. Once again, we have lists of the world's rich and politicians who, through various machinations and so-called opt…

5

Oct

2021

CS Speech

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EU Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority: ensuring a coordinated EU approach for future health crises and the role of the European Parliament in this (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, I strongly disagree with the establishment of HERA, either as a stand-alone agency or just as a unit within the Commission. I believe that this task should have been entrusted to ECDC and it seems to me that HERA is merely robbing the powers of ECDC. Under the proposal, it should provide an assessment of cross-border health threats. And I'm asking: Does the ECDC not …

4

Oct

2021

CS Speech

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EU Road Safety Policy Framework 2021-2030 – Recommendations on next steps towards "Vision Zero" (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, first of all, I would like to thank my colleague Kountoura for her well-conducted motion for a resolution on the crucial issue of road safety. Every year around 22 700 people still lose their lives on the roads of the European Union and around 120 000 are seriously injured. I am therefore positive that EU countries confirm their long-term strategic goal of achieving clo…

14

Sep

2021

CS Speech

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Natural disasters during the summer 2021 - Impacts of natural disasters in Europe due to climate change (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, when we are talking about natural disasters, I would also like to share with you one that my country, the Czech Republic, has experienced. At the end of June, a tornado struck South Moravia, leaving billions of crowns worth of damage and, worse, casualties. Of course, this could be discussed for a long time, but I would like to underline two things…