What Aurelijus spoke about.

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.

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, after the COVID pandemic, we are facing significant issues related to trust. Trust in vaccines – even those that have been used safely for many years – trust in manufacturers and even trust in medical professionals. We have vaccination of children going down. We must learn from past mistakes. Therefore, in this case, we need to act precisely and to avoid unnecessary measures and restrictions. To do this, we must gain a clear understanding of how the virus is changing and spreading. Genetic sequencing is essential for this purpose, and the EU can assist affected countries, particularly those dealing with Mpox, in developing this capability. From the presentation to the ENVI Committee by the ECD, we understand that this situation is not comparable to previous pandemics and that there are different modes of transmission involved. It is important to remind risk groups about safety measures, and to acknowledge how mortality rates are associated with inadequate health care conditions in affected countries. We have to support affected countries. Every outbreak is significant, but we must not lose focus or be distracted from other dangerous infections such as HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, etc..

Mr President, it is indeed a difficult debate, and no one is arguing, perhaps here in this Chamber, that there must be no incitement to violence on social media or that we should all come up with ways to limit Russian propaganda. But some of those sitting in this room still remember what it means to live in a situation where all information is controlled, censored, and there is something that determines what is good, what is wrong. And isn't it that under the guise of good wishes and child protection, there is simply a desire to shut up those who think differently? Here many colleagues talked about the need to protect children from dangerous information. But when there is a negative objective reality for the same children, it is said that people can change gender, or when the legalization of drugs is presented as harm reduction, it does not bother anyone. Are the standards really the same for everyone?

Mr President, dear colleagues, Lithuania was once waiting for help. In the middle of the last century, he went out to fight in the forests and, without help, drowned into decades of occupation and massacres. Today, Ukraine is waiting for that help, and for those who say that war is the worst solution, I would suggest that we say that to Putin, who has attacked Ukraine. And he, even today, can take this war and end it. And when we all decide whether to provide more assistance to Ukraine, I think that the key question is whether there is a will to resist. And that will to resist is obviously there, because those who planned to occupy Ukraine within a week are in a long war today and Ukrainians are fighting for their freedom and independence. Helping them is the duty of all of us.