What Ondřej spoke about.

2

Apr

2025

CS Speech

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The importance of trans-European transport infrastructure in times of stalling economic growth and major threats to Europe’s security (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, I think I'm going to say something that you wouldn't expect from a conservative, but I'm going to say it: Europe cannot afford to slow down, because at a time of economic uncertainty and security threats, a strong transport infrastructure is not only key to prosperity, but also to defence and geopolitical position. High-speed rail, as a key element of the trans-European…

2

Apr

2025

CS Speech

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European Steel and Metals Action Plan (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, steel is a strategic raw material, we do not need to remember that here. It is necessary not only for the green transition, but also for the completion of the defence capabilities that we urgently need. The European steel industry must therefore not remain stuck in a corner. I will mention two elements that I consider important in the action plan. The first thing – s…

13

Mar

2025

CS Answer

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Action Plan for Affordable Energy (debate)

Madam colleague, if you know, the Czech Government is working on other matters concerning Green DealSpeaking of the automotive industry. As far as the ETS is concerned, we are developing initiatives that will lead at least to the postponement of ETS2 by a year or two. As for the other things I've been talking about here, I'm in contact with people who have something to say in the Council, they lis…

13

Mar

2025

CS Speech

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Action Plan for Affordable Energy (debate)

Mr President, I may start out surprisingly positively. I appreciate three things about the action plan we're discussing here today. Firstly, to strengthen networks; secondly, to speed up permitting processes; and thirdly, to include the core. But this is all a long run, and we need to look for faster ways to lower energy prices. And the Commission must stop alibiistically giving up the most effect…

12

Mar

2025

CS Speech

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Action Plan for the Automotive Industry (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, I am glad that you are devoting a special action plan to the automotive industry. There are a number of good steps for the future, such as the emphasis on autonomous driving or battery production in Europe. On the key issue of fines, however, you came to the industry to help only half the gas. Give him five years, as required by ACEA, which aggregates the attitudes o…

11

Mar

2025

CS Speech

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Clean Industrial Deal (debate)

Madam President, I am sorry, but the Clean Industry Agreement shows that the Commission is still on the old tracks that lead to the "open-air museum" destination. Yes, the document also contains some positive measures, but it does not address the real causes of the crisis in European industry, making it difficult to increase its competitiveness. Perhaps because the Commission insists on a commitme…

13

Feb

2025

CS Speech

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Threats to EU sovereignty through strategic dependencies in communication infrastructure (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, without secure infrastructure, the digital technologies on which our economy and society depend will not work. I am glad that the Czech Republic is a pioneer in this area. The so-called Prague proposals for building 5G networks from 2019 preceded the 5G Toolbox in the following year. 5G Toolbox needs to be consistently applied across the European Union, but we also need…

23

Jan

2025

CS Speech

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Cryptocurrencies - need for global standards (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, we must take a constructive approach to cryptocurrencies. The MiCA Regulation has been in force since last year and I believe that it is being implemented without major problems. In the Czech Republic, thanks to our MP Jiří Havránková, we managed to enforce both the automatic right to set up a bank account for crypto-entrepreneurs and the tax exemption for the sale o…

20

Jan

2025

CS Speech

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Powering Europe’s future - advancing the fusion industry for energy independence and innovation (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, I was a little doubtful whether the Commission would pay sufficient attention to nuclear fusion, because I did not read anything properly in the nomination letters of the new Commissioners. But when I then spoke to Ekaterina Zachariev, Commissioner for Start-ups, Research and Innovation, and saw today's debate on the agenda, I was convinced that it would be a little …

18

Dec

2024

CS 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, ladies and gentlemen, let us put this debate back where it should be. Because what we have been experiencing for the last five years since the European Commission was one big nightmare. We often received suggestions that either didn't have any impact assessmentor they had an impact assessment that was simply done to get what the European Commission wanted. Sometimes we read that the …

16

Dec

2024

CS Speech

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A European Innovation Act: lowering the cost of innovating in Europe (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, I am very pleased that the European Innovation Act is one of the first initiatives that the new Commission presents to us. I believe this is a clear signal that you are serious about the competitiveness of the European Union. In the EU, we need globally successful companies that can innovate. We need start-ups that not only grow up here, but stay there. If our companies…

27

Nov

2024

CS Speech

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Rise of energy prices and fighting energy poverty (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, I find this whole debate rather absurd. Yes, there was an energy crisis because of the Russian aggression in Ukraine. But let's look in the mirror. We have caused high energy prices in the European Union mainly through our own energy policy and wild decarbonisation. We need four things: putting European regulation back on track, investing in energy infrastructure, in…

26

Nov

2024

CS Speech

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Outcome of COP 29 and challenges for international climate policy (debate)

13

Nov

2024

CS Speech

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UN Climate Change Conference 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan (COP29) (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, Secretary of State, I have been saying for a long time that we cannot unilaterally push through the ambitious commitments that are affecting our industry and that European citizens are also feeling on their wallets without the vigorous involvement of other regions and states, such as China or India. Yes, we must strive for a global agreement, that is absolutely clear. O…

23

Oct

2024

CS Speech

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Need to strengthen rail travel and the railway sector in Europe (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, we all know that the EU is based on the principle of the free movement of goods, services, capital and, above all, people. And this ideal is best described by modern high-speed railways. The rapid and efficient movement of people between Member States and major cities is crucial for our future. In the context of decarbonisation, we need to promote transport that…

23

Oct

2024

CS Speech

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Tackling the steel crisis: boosting competitive and sustainable European steel and maintaining quality jobs (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, two weeks have passed and we have another debate about a sector that is at risk in the European Union. Steel is irreplaceable, you cannot build a single wind farm without it, nor can a single train run without it. This is why we must finally begin to see it as a strategic raw material. In the same way, we must start to see strategically needed production capa…

8

Oct

2024

CS 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)

Madam President, Commissioner, the European car industry is facing a crisis, we all know that. But could we not avoid this debate? Let's see how we got here. The closing Commission, applauded by the Socialists and the Greens, systematically tightened the screws. All bets were on one card: electrification. The automotive industry is facing increasingly complex and unpredictable regulation and unrea…

7

Oct

2024

CS 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, Commissioner, the free movement of persons and the Schengen area are something that our citizens consider to be one of the greatest benefits of the EU. I am very concerned that internal controls, instead of an emergency measure, are becoming the new normal in the conception of some Member States. If migration is the main motivation, the situation is not sustainable in the long run. W…

18

Sep

2024

CS Speech

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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)

Mr President, Commissioner, the current floods have caused great tragedy and have caused human and material losses. More damage in the Czech Republic was prevented by a timely response from the government and state authorities. The extent of the floods is greater than in 1997, but the damage is lower. When minimizing the damage, it became clear that the state had sufficient meteorological data and…

17

Sep

2024

CS Speech

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State of the Energy union (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, I would like to thank you for presenting the report on the State of the Energy Union. The ending Commission, in cooperation with the Member States, has undoubtedly done a great deal of work after the outbreak of the Russian-induced war and in the context of the energy crisis. It's a good thing we got rid of our one-sided dependence on our risky partner. We must continue…