What Paulius spoke about.

18

Dec

2024

EN Speech

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Restoring the EU’s competitive edge – the need for an impact assessment on the Green Deal policies (topical debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, the European Union has the highest goals for decarbonisation. However, Europe itself is not the main problem. The Asia-Pacific region leads global carbon dioxide emissions with approximately 18 000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, driven largely by China, which alone accounts for about 30 % of global emissions. Following this is North America…

26

Nov

2024

EN Speech

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The Autumn 2024 Economic Forecast: a gradual rebound in an adverse environment (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, while the Commission's autumn forecast predicts a modest return to economic growth in the EU – 0.9 % GDP in 2024 – this cautiously positive outlook must not blind us to the reality. Let us compare that to global growth predictions, which are 3.2 %, United States 2.6 %, and China 4.8 % growth. Who is losing? Also, it is vital to address geopolitical r…

13

Nov

2024

EN Speech

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EU-US relations in light of the outcome of the US presidential elections (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, Donald Trump won the elections. So should we Europeans feel lost in despair, cornered, and let Viktor Orbán do the talking? Are we going to watch, with gloomy faces, Orbán and Robert Fico popping the champagne? Please. The United States is a democratic country and has been our strongest transatlantic ally for decades. We have always stood together against tyrants.…

24

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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Closing the EU skills gap: supporting people in the digital and green transitions to ensure inclusive growth and competitiveness in line with the Draghi report (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, Europe is in a vicious circle. We all knew it, but Mario Draghi clearly stated it: the king is naked. We are not competitive anymore. We lack innovation. But who creates innovation? The people. But we are in a big shortage of those people. First of all, the demography. We are dying out. Secondly, the immigration does not solve the problem of shrinking l…

23

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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

Madam President, dear colleagues, Europe is full. In parallel with a strategic and cautious integration policy – which is a long‑term solution – the only answer is fostering returns. We should be especially alert in the context of instrumentalised immigration. During Lukashenko's hybrid attack on Lithuania, Latvia and Poland, around 150 000 illegal crossings were registered in a short‑time slot, a…

22

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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Establishing the Ukraine Loan Cooperation Mechanism and providing exceptional macro-financial assistance to Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, we are talking about money here. I have a few questions for you. How much does a life cost? How much does one Ukrainian cost? Mother, father, daughter, son, sister, brother. Hundreds of thousands lost their lives in Ukraine. No billions can bring them back. Second question: why does the war last so long? Because we have been debating for too long; about tanks and F-1…

8

Oct

2024

LT Speech

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The democratic backsliding and threats to political pluralism in Georgia (debate)

Dear President, Dear Commissioner, Dear Colleagues. We Lithuanians love Kartvelians very much. I believe that the Kartwells love us too. This communion between peoples has accompanied us for decades, although it is not so easy to explain. After all, we do not have a common border, we are quite far from each other, but we feel each other. And I feel that most Kartvelian peoples are pro-European, th…

8

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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The crisis facing the EU’s automotive industry, potential plant closures and the need to enhance competitiveness and maintain jobs in Europe (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, after the resurrection from COVID, the automotive industry of Europe faces new big challenges. And this is really painful because we were always leading industry in the world. Dear colleagues, if I would ask you to close your eyes and imagine a car of your dreams, I am sure that most of you would imagine the European brand. There are many obstacles. Com…

7

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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

Mr President, dear colleagues, in my opinion, we cannot solve the problem with internal borders while not solving the issues on our external borders. The EU experiences almost 400 000 illegal crossings yearly. Immigrants hoping for economic benefits and trying to reach the EU's major economies first travel to the EU border states. Sometimes such states as Greece, Italy or, on the other side of the…

7

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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One year after the 7 October terrorist attacks by Hamas (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, a year ago, the world was horrified by the unprecedented barbarism of the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel. I witnessed video footage from that tragic day and was shocked by the brutal reality. Hamas terrorists had complete disregard for human life and showed deep hatred towards random, innocent civilians, as if the terrorists were shooting at people on the street…

18

Sep

2024

EN Question

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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)

Dear colleague, first of all, my condolences and solidarity with those who suffer. But still, do you agree that we cannot tackle this problem and solve this problem alone? We have to have on board America, Asia, Africa, and then we can solve the problem of global warming. Because alone we cannot do it, do you agree?…

17

Sep

2024

EN Question

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Continued financial and military support to Ukraine by EU Member States (debate)

Once again, as your colleagues, you are convincing us that sending arms to Ukraine, supporting Ukraine, is a wrong pathway towards peace. But tell it to Mr Winston Churchill. Tell it to the millions who died in the Second World War protecting, defending and fighting back the aggressor. The only way to have peace is to fight back the aggressor.…

17

Sep

2024

EN Question

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Continued financial and military support to Ukraine by EU Member States (debate)

Dear colleague, don't you understand that if we do not support Ukraine and Ukraine will lose, then Putin will not stop. And maybe the next year we will discuss here how to help Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Finland, Romania. Because Putin hasn't stopped. Do you want that?…