Speeches

President, Commissioner. Deinstitutionalisation is a great idea that I really support and support. It would be perfect if, at any stage of our life, we were among our loved ones and could feel dignified and necessary. However, such a desire will face more and more challenges. An example is the spreading culture of childlessness, which is supported by the strangest explanations, ranging from children aggravating climate change to those more associated with growing individualism and social isolation. In such an environment, even with a high degree of motivation, it can become very difficult to find guardians for children without parents, and it will become increasingly difficult to find those who want to take care of persons with disabilities or those who have reached a decent age. And in order to allow a person to live in an environment that is close and acceptable to him, you need a number of specialists, because the social fabric of society is significantly shattered. It is therefore important that problems in individual areas should not be overlooked and that they should cover all areas. One such problem is the demographic crisis.

Madam President, Commissioner, the RRF has become a unique opportunity to help EU countries recover from the pandemic and strengthen their economic, energy and health resilience. However, there are still many issues related to the use of these funds. The first concerns the assessment of the reforms and targets set by the Member States. I believe that the assessment is rather subjective and that a possible negative assessment does not avoid speculation in an attempt to cover up some incompetent political decisions in the Member States. Another issue concerns the timing of the use of funds. And, despite the mutual efforts of the European Commission and member states, there is a considerable risk that some funds may not be available at the right time for various reasons – geopolitical changes, inflation, other challenges. Well, and the third important question is the flexibility of such instruments in response to the changing context. In today's context of strengthening preparedness and defence, the use of some funds could and should be reviewed in the light of the changed geopolitical and security context.

Mr President, Commissioner. According to Eurostat data, Lithuania’s rural population will decrease by almost fifty percent by 2050. Today, therefore, it is more important than ever to talk about the right to stay in the regions. In the face of demographic challenges, it is important to understand the importance of preserving the education system in the regions. Especially since a lot of investment has already been made in the renewal of educational institutions in the regions, in the training of teachers. Another important area is the provision of health services, which is a growing challenge as the population ages. Primary health care should be as close to the population as possible. However, other services, such as oncological screening programmes, should be as accessible as possible. It is necessary to increase the availability of mobile screening tools, to develop telemedicine, as currently regional residents, due to inequalities in services, are later diagnosed with the disease, it is more difficult to access specialized assistance. As regions are more exposed to medical shortages, it is essential that regions are given sufficient attention in the European Health Programme, the European Cancer Plan and other instruments.

Dear colleagues, this is the second debate in Parliament on health, which is the last in plenary. Well, the time of day when the debate is taking place is a very good illustration of what Parliament thinks about mental health in the workplace. However, if we do not talk about Parliament, this is undoubtedly an important topic. The good mental health of workers undoubtedly contributes to higher productivity, which in turn would greatly contribute to improving the competitiveness of the European Union, as mentioned in the Draghi report. There are many important aspects of mental health at work, starting with reducing the stigma of mental health disorders. This would make it easier to spot problems and talk about them. There is a need to raise awareness of issues such as addictions, which are not cured by dismissal. However, a proper understanding of them, required by the employer, and the necessary incentives from the employer can help to solve such problems. In view of the current demographic trends, it is essential that special attention is paid to the mental health of workers raising children, taking into account their specific needs and, most importantly, their work-life balance.

Colleagues. Health is not everything, but without health everything is nothing. Unfortunately, we often understand this too late. It is a pity that today the broad and very different health themes of infectious and chronic non-infectious diseases, which require very different solutions, have been brought together in a single debate. It is very good that the European Commission has the ambition to extend this term of office to include a plan to combat not only oncological diseases, but also cardiovascular diseases. And there will be a number of occasions in this term of office to show our serious determination to tackle these health problems. Let us start with the fact that under no circumstances can we allow it to happen again in order to cut funding for health programmes and research. I would like to believe and hope that health expenditure will not be the last place in the next MFF, as this debate in plenary, because there are always more important matters. And a lot of work needs to be done. And while health is a competence of the Member States, there are areas where joint action could contribute to solving the problems of all Member States. We will need to find solutions to the shortage of health professionals. From the suggestions I hear today, they would not only not solve the problems, but would deepen them. I very much welcome the Commission's ambition for a crucial Medicines Act, which can and should create an opportunity for pharmaceutical manufacturers to come back and operate in the European Union, and joint purchasing of medicines can speed up the availability of innovative medicines in the Member States, especially the small ones, which are currently unattractive as small markets. In the 21st century, oncological patients in different countries have different access to treatment and assistance, and some are even forced to litigate to receive such assistance. This is unacceptable. Today, we are talking a lot and rightly so about increasing defence capabilities and strengthening security. However, the reality is that it is impossible to raise a healthy young generation. Many of them are unfit for military service due to health problems. In this mandate, we will have the opportunity to revise the Tobacco Products Directive, and I want to believe that health will be a priority in its revision and that there will be enough wisdom to deal with new products, such as e-cigarettes, that are flooding Europe, because we already have more than enough data today that they do not solve but create new health problems.

Mr President, the act of capitulation signed on the eighth of May 45 meant neither the end of the war nor freedom for Lithuania and the other Baltic countries. By presenting themselves as liberators, the Soviets ‘forgot’ to leave the liberated countries, and the liberators began to zealously destroy all people with at least some civic affinity. Thousands of animals were transported to Siberia. Deprived of land and homes, destroyed civil society, non-governmental organizations tried to resist with a weapon in the forests, were tortured in prisons, killed and desecrated in city squares. Attempts were made to destroy language, restrict religious freedom, the media became mouthpieces of propaganda, history was falsified and children's brains were washed with fakes. This happened to me, and then to a child who grew up in Soviet-occupied Lithuania. Unfortunately, the Soviet Union did not have its Nuremberg for all crimes, and communism was not universally condemned. The so-called liberation for us has turned into long decades of occupation. Therefore, we urge the world to learn the lessons of the Second World War and not to repeat them.

Mr President, colleagues. As new military conflicts erupt around the world, it is crucial that Ukraine and its support do not remain forgotten. While Russia is talking about peace, it is clear that it does not want any peace, and Ukrainian cities continue to be attacked and killed by civilians. Therefore, until a peace agreement is reached, the necessary military assistance to Ukraine must be continued. It is very important that the aggressor Russia has as little financial means as possible to finance its war machine. Therefore, ensuring energy independence and sanctions remains of paramount importance. At the same time, it is equally important that the promises made regarding Ukraine's membership of the European Union are kept. Russia must also pay for the damage it has caused. The burden of Ukraine's reconstruction should not fall only on international donors. This must be primarily a matter of the aggressor's responsibility. Those who support the war must feel in their pockets that supporting such actions has a price and that frozen Russian money must be used for this. To help our neighbours, we need to be strong and ready to face external threats. Ukraine has proved that it is only possible to defend oneself with a clear will.

Mr President, Commissioner, these days we have to rethink the importance of trans‑European transport infrastructure, rethink having in mind the Draghi and Niinistö reports. If we want to rebuild EU competitiveness, we must have transport arteries developed and functioning well, for both civilian and military purposes. It is not acceptable from a competitiveness and security point of view to operate on Russian gauge. In the current geopolitical context, the Rail Baltica and Via Baltica projects must be successfully finished. Lithuania and other frontline countries already have the disadvantage of being less attractive to investors because of possible aggression from countries like Russia. If, to that context, we add bad road infrastructure, this problem becomes even bigger. Road infrastructure is also very important if there is a need for military defence, because military mobility limitations can become deadly bottlenecks for supplying defence forces.

President-in-Office, Commissioner, thank you for your initiative to address the shortage of critical medicines. The COVID pandemic has shown very clearly what it means to be dependent on production from third countries, but at the same time has shown that, with sufficient will, the European Union can mobilise funds in the short term for the development and production of important preparations. The belief, based on the global economy, that it is not necessary to produce everything yourself has led to the relocation of the production of important active ingredients to third countries and the resulting shortages of medicines. The solution to these problems is already being considered, but I miss the perception that there is also a relative shortage of critical medicines, which is not linked to a physical shortage of medicines, but to a relative shortage where the medicine is simply unaffordable. Therefore, I would like to ask you not to forget about innovative medicines when considering the critical medicines file and to envisage the possibility of setting up a mechanism to assist countries through a voluntary joint negotiation and purchase mechanism for medicines.

President, colleagues. The scale of mental health problems is of great concern. Data show an increase in suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders. Social isolation is on the rise, and more and more young people are declaring that they have no plans to create a family or have children. Helping those who have problems is undoubtedly very important, but given that we are facing a shortage of professionals and the need for help is growing, we need to look for ways to reduce the scale of the problem, i.e. to engage in primary prevention. Let's start with strengthening control over the use of psychoactive substances. We still have a problem with the use of tobacco, alcohol, e-cigarettes, and we are facing a growing desire to legalize illegal drugs, such as marijuana, whose drug potential has increased and whose use will lead to an increase in schizophrenia. We must therefore do our utmost to reduce the availability, use or legalisation of these substances and to avoid legalisation. Physical activity is one of the factors that reduce the number of mental health problems. And if in the past the yards were full of running children, now a significant number of them are stuck in smart devices. We must do everything we can to ensure that physical activity is sufficient.

President, Commissioner, Minister, back in 2023 The Economist published an analysis that showed that there is a direct correlation between the funds allocated for defence and support to Ukraine and the distance to Moscow. And that's natural. Nearest neighbors with a very painful historical experience, as no one else understands the need for such spending. However, the efforts of these countries alone will not be enough. Let us remember the hybrid attacks carried out through Belarus with the help of migrants, let us remember the destruction of critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. This is a threat to the European Union as a whole. Let us also understand the damage that the neighbourhood with its imperial aggressor does to the economic and investment attractiveness. It is therefore important to strengthen both the physical and military protection of these countries in the eastern flank of the European Union, while at the same time not forgetting the socio-economic problems of border regions, as insufficient investment there may mean greater social vulnerability of the population, which would undoubtedly be exploited and already used by countries that are not friendly to us.

Mr President, dear colleagues, first let me ask why we are so surprised by labour shortages in health, education and other sectors. If we think we can print people with 3D printers instead of solving real demographic problems, we will face even deeper problems. So first things first, we have to start to solve demographic problems. Immigration and stealing health workforce from developing countries is not a solution. So, first demographic problem. Second, respect and follow the WHO code and practice on the international recruitment of health professionals, in order to avoid artificially created shortages in lower‑income countries. Third, stop creating relative shortages like in Lithuania, opening pharmacies on every corner and creating relative a shortage of pharmacists in cities and a real shortage in the countryside. Fourth, create a working environment and financial incentives which would motivate young people to choose health professions. And fifth, start early – instead of brainwashing children with gender ideologies, educate them about responsibilities and civic duties, extremely important professions, and even to romanticise if needed.

President-in-Office, dear colleagues, so far only Finland has had the courage to take real action and, at the very least, to detain the shadow fleet vessel that violated the Estlink 2 cable. And it is necessary to take real action, and not just to express another deep concern, neither for Russia nor for other potential players, about the destruction of critical infrastructure. As more and more countries of the European Union gradually implement energy independence measures, more and more attempts to damage critical infrastructure can be expected. The Baltic Sea became a NATO lake. Now it is very important to confirm these words with real action, and we could take the example of Finland, which I have mentioned. Such vessels should, as a minimum, be confiscated together with the cargo and used for at least part of the damage compensation. At least that would be a sign of deterrence.

Mr President, dear colleagues, long-standing self-deception that we will regulate size of chicken cages and America will take care of our security is over. During his first term, Trump clearly stated that other NATO members must also invest in their defence. Then he was criticised. Now we have painfully realised that we do not have the resources even to help Ukraine to win a war. And if even the war in Ukraine did not make some countries think about investing in defence, maybe Trump will. Like a Trump in the EU, we see that the ideology-based green policy harmed the competitiveness of EU industry, and CO2 emissions in the world even increased. Perhaps now we will understand that at a time when floods and fires are already happening, we need to stop living in fantasies and start caring about adaptation and survival. I hope we will also return to common sense when we talk about the end of the gender ideology and cancel culture. As Europe freezes in demographic winter, waking up to biological reality and ending the brainwashing of our children could be a good start.

President, Commissioner. There is a good saying that a community is as strong as its weakest and most vulnerable member. A society that can enjoy the opportunities of a healthy person still does too little to take care of people with disabilities. I am not talking about adapting the environment for people with visual, hearing or mobility disabilities. I am talking about the fact that new technologies can fundamentally change the quality of life of some people with disabilities. I am talking about the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence, IT technologies, the development of robotic technologies and exoskeletons, and so on. However, because of the small number of users, such technologies are not attractive for those who develop or produce them, and because of their high price, they are difficult to access for the average citizen. I therefore call for this to be taken into account and thought of as a possible investment at European Union level.

Mr President, colleagues. The Baltic States are well aware of the meaning of the new world order carried by the Lenins and Stalins. That order came to us along with the stinking woven fabric, chaos, famine and Holodomor for Ukraine. The new creators of nations drowned millions in blood, exiled millions, and tried to create a new reality for the rest, falsifying history, trying to destroy language and faith. Putin, who has now taken over their ideas and boasts of the luxury created by the ‘rotten Western world’, is trying to redraw the map of the world and decide on his own what was, is or could be. Former KGB colonel Putin is well aware of the need to spread false narratives. He is well aware that informational and ideological warfare is no less important than physical warfare. Putin is trying to convince Russian society that he is fighting fascism in Ukraine, even though he is the real promoter of Russofascism. The destruction of the Ukrainian nation and the destruction of civilian infrastructure carried out under his direction has no and cannot have any justification. And now the "order" they carry remains ruins, burned land, killed people. All this is justified by cheap historical and ideological speculation. Such manipulation cannot be allowed to achieve its purpose in the European Union.

Mr President, dear colleagues, it is very important to talk about smoke-free and aerosol-free environment. Referring to so-called rights of smokers, there is understanding that my rights ends where the rights of other people begins. Simply speaking, nobody has any right to damage my health. And no matter what is the reason. Exemption is only for self-defence. Talking about possible impact on hospitality industry, we have already something to see from the past. Smoke-free legislation in bars and restaurants was introduced in many countries. There was also fear that this will negatively affect hospitality industry. Nothing like that happened. This was much-supported legislation by society, at least in Lithuania. Support for this increased over the time. There is another very serious reason why we have to think about regulation of passive smoking and new tobacco products: passive smoking not just creates harm to health, but it normalises smoking in the eyes of children.

Mr President, colleagues, the Member States that are currently bordering unfriendly Eastern countries, and the European Union itself, are being intensively tested by transporting illegal migrants at the border, spreading disinformation and carrying out cyber-attacks. Other critical infrastructures are now being tested, such as vulnerable cables, self-igniting parcels and GPS signal jamming. This is an attempt to test the readiness and work of our services, the reactions and responses of countries, the reactions and resilience of societies. Only the reaction of the European Union will determine how far or how far it will go. The European Union must therefore respond very seriously to these attempts by hostile states to destabilise countries' critical infrastructure and societies, and the protection of critical infrastructure must become an important object of the European Union's readiness to defend itself.

Dear President, Colleagues, the document drafted by Mr Niinistö is a moment of vision. It states that the EU does not have a clear plan in the event of an armed attack on a member. The document details what is needed for the EU to be ready. The document is also mentioned in a letter from the nominated Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, H. Lahbib. However, there are no recommendations on how the health sector can and should prepare for external threats. It is only about preparedness for infectious diseases and public health challenges. This is very important, but it is only partly related to external threats. The EU plans to invest in the defence industry, and the preparedness of the health sector, which would be used in the event of an attack, is not given any attention or even mentioned. Military mobility is a good example of how investing in transport infrastructure can solve several systemic problems. Investment and preparedness in the health sector must therefore also be considered when preparing for external threats.

Mr President, dear colleagues. The time of a safe and carefree life has come to an end. On the one hand, another Member State of the European Union is confronted on a daily basis with hybrid threats of various kinds, the main purpose of which is to create confusion, destabilise the lives of states and their citizens, and threaten the functioning of critical areas. Instrumentalised illegal migration, attempts to affect critical information technology systems, spreading disinformation, etc. are not an exhaustive list of threats faced by the countries of the European Union. The readiness of Member State authorities to identify and manage those threats is becoming critical. However, the threshold is very thin, and this should not be used as a pretext for cancelling or a so-called cancel culture, where simply having a different opinion becomes a sufficient pretext to silence the opponent, because it does not contribute to the development of civil society.

Mr President, colleagues. In 2022, Russia launched a full-scale war against Ukraine, hoping for a quick victory. However, Ukraine and its people have demonstrated their will to fight for the freedom, sovereignty and European future of their state. Having failed to conquer Ukraine, Russia has very systematically sought to break it in other ways: attacking hospitals, schools, strategically and vitally important energy facilities, threatening nuclear facilities. It is up to the aggressor to pay for the restoration of this damage. Russia has to pay for what it has done in Ukraine. Ukraine cannot function normally and provide itself with the necessary income from its economy, since it must devote sufficient resources to defence against the aggressor and to the reconstruction of infrastructure constantly being destroyed by Russia. Therefore, financial support for Ukraine in its fight against the assailant is necessary to ensure the essential functions of the state, macroeconomic stability and bring Ukraine closer to victory over Russia.

Mr President, dear colleagues, we urgently need a comprehensive and proactive EU mental health strategy where the primary prevention of mental health conditions should be considered as important as the treatment of such conditions. When we are grown‑ups, there are measures to reduce risks of mental health problems by choosing a healthier lifestyle: quitting smoking, reducing alcohol consumption, increasing physical activity. But there are moments when it's not up to us to make anything different. On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, I want to draw your attention to foetal alcohol spectrum disorders caused by exposure to alcohol before birth. FASDs have lifelong implications, including physical, mental, behavioural and learning disabilities. This hidden problem has been under-recognised for too long, and we see the consequences today. We forgot that FASDs are 100 % preventable. The only thing we need for this is proper information for people who are in reproductive age.

Mr President, it is indeed a very important problem and an extremely important debate. It is very important to talk about drug smuggling and its prevention, about the crimes associated with it. However, I would like to draw attention to two aspects that I do not hear much about in this debate. I would like to ask what is or will be the Commission's reaction to the Member States which, despite the United Nations Convention on Narcotic Drugs, legalise narcotic drugs. And I'm talking about legalizing marijuana, even knowing that THC, the concentration of the active ingredient in this plant, has increased more than tenfold since the 1960s. I would also like to ask what is planned to be done with the completely uncontrolled market for liquids and devices for electronic cigarettes. And it is these devices and fluids that are used to distribute illegal drugs and disguise them in schools.

Mr President, dear colleagues, firstly, I would like to suggest looking to housing from the perspective of demographic winter. As highlighted by researchers, the housing market is an example of social structural factors that can inadvertently impact age at first birth. In countries where it is easier to obtain a mortgage or enter the public rental market, individuals are more able to establish themselves and enter into family formation earlier. Research also showed the impact of affordable housing on child development. They found that when families spent more than half of their incomes on housing, their children's reading and math ability tended to suffer. Secondly, if we really want to take a critical step towards making houses more affordable and creating the conditions to promote families, we have to rethink very strict regulations on energy neutrality of houses and environmental transition. That definitely makes houses less affordable.