Speeches

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 commitment to reduce CO2 emissions2 90% by 2040, without knowing what the situation will look like in 2030. I therefore call on the Commission to address, as a matter of priority, the problem called the ETS. ETS1 must be more predictable and ETS2 must be postponed for at least two years. But what we need the most is cheap energy for our companies. We will see what concrete legislative proposals will look like, but so far I see the Clean Industrial Deal as a much missed opportunity.

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 to further reduce strategic dependencies on countries that are not our trusted partners. We need a regulatory environment in the EU that makes life easier for our companies. We need more support for research and development, and we also lack a functioning cybersecurity certification system. And in this context, Commissioner, I also asked the committee, we still do not have an evaluation report from you on the Cybersecurity Act. Then please deliver it.

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 of cryptocurrencies after three years. I think that other European countries could be inspired by this approach. On the contrary, I would not recommend ideas such as taxing unrealized profits from cryptocurrencies that we hear from some countries. Americans have a different approach to regulating cryptocurrencies, so I believe that achieving global standards is not an option at least at this time. That is why we should be careful with any other possible regulation from us in the European Union. It is important that excessive regulation and an unpredictable legal environment do not motivate start-ups and other companies to flee Europe. When we talk about blockchain, it is the technology of the future that offers a number of practical applications. Next Tuesday, I'm hosting an event in Brussels that I'd like to invite you all to. Among other things, the project of the Czech Technical University will be introduced and it will be an innovative blockchain platform for decentralised issuance of bonds for small and medium-sized enterprises. Why don't you come by?

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 different after all. Nuclear fusion energy is a promising future, but it's a little bit longer. Therefore, it is important to support mainly the international ITER project, but also other projects that contribute to its development. From this point of view, I am somewhat disappointed that the EU has ended its financial contribution to the UK's JET project, in which the EU's scientific community has also participated. But there are other sub-projects from other Member States. For example, I am proud that Czech scientists have been creating experimental tokamaks for many years and are currently building a new modern tokamak COMPASS-U, which is the first in the world to create conditions similar to those in the reactors of future fusion power plants. By the way, Mario Draghi’s report also highlights – and this has already been said here – that nuclear fusion can play an important role in the future, a low-carbon, climate-friendly, affordable and safe alternative in our energy sector. We need to work not only on development and demonstration, but we need to prepare for subsequent commercialization already now. We will need an environment that stimulates industrial innovation and facilitates public and private investment for the deployment of fusion energy. I therefore believe that the Commission will listen to Mr Draghi's recommendations, prepare an overarching innovation strategy for fusion energy and promote public-private partnerships.

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 measures do not affect the European budget, but then we found that they affect either the budgets of the Member States, the budgets of companies, the budgets of people, or somehow all of them. If the Commission wants to have at least some elementary confidence, it should follow these following principles. Firstly, a mandatory part of any legislative proposal should be impact assessment and otherwise Parliament should not be concerned at all. The same applies to delegated acts. Secondly, it must be clear what will happen to whom, including an analysis going down to the level of individual Member States and relevant sectors. And thirdly, if there are major shifts during the negotiations, it is absolutely essential that we impact assessment They were ready again and they knew what we were all up to.

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 are to innovate, it must be easy for them to translate research into practice. But we hear from all sides that the main problems are overregulation and access to finance. Regulation and the associated administrative burden is a horizontal problem that affects SMEs the most. Therefore, a thorough inventory of obligations and, above all, a sensible approach to any future legislation is needed. When it comes to money, I agree that the big problem is the lack of a Capital Markets Union, but that is not going to happen. That is why I think it is imperative to immediately kick-start public and, above all, private capital in the European Union. We can't move without it.

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, including interconnections, simple approval of new sources, including nuclear, and enabling capacity mechanisms. If we do this, we won't be dealing with energy poverty at all.

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. Of course, I will be glad if there is a significant shift at COP29, but unfortunately there is no indication of it at all so far. We have little reason to be optimistic, and the results of the EU's climate diplomacy so far are very unconvincing. The Commission simply needs to do much more. And when it comes to the European Union's climate and energy policies, we cannot continue to shoot ourselves in the foot and pretend that we can somehow manage it. It is necessary to take into account economic and social reality, otherwise we will continue to rush down the hill.

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 is sustainable and environmentally friendly. But one thing is crucial: speed, not only of trains, but above all of decision-making. We cannot afford endless bureaucratic delays. Firstly, we need simple permitting processes, and secondly, we need money, enough money, to finish all the projects that we have now on paper. Only in this way will Europe be functional, competitive, strong and fast.

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 capacities and set EU policies accordingly, which is not happening at the moment. There are several factors that have a negative impact on the steel industry. In addition to Chinese overproduction, the problem is mainly in high energy prices, as my previous speakers have already mentioned. These are logically the ones most impacting the energy-intensive industry and emission allowances are further aggravating the situation. If we want ‘green’ steel, we must create the right conditions to do so and also ensure the availability of scrap, which we do not have in Europe. At the beginning of European integration, we had the European Coal and Steel Community, and I can somehow understand why coal is in decline, but getting rid of steel production in the European Union will come back to us like a boomerang, and I really don't want to shine a light on it.

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 unrealistic emissions requirements. It's impossible to pretend we can keep going up against the wall. The automotive industry has more than a century of tradition in Europe and employs millions of people. It is necessary to stop and thoroughly reassess the current direction. The Commission should act immediately. For example, we already know that car manufacturers cannot meet CO2 emissions requirements.2 and imminent fines just aren't fair. We need a revision of existing legislation as soon as possible, we need to give space to different paths to decarbonisation, otherwise we will end up badly to the detriment of the car industry, our citizens and the EU as a whole.

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. We urgently need to improve the security of external borders and continue work on asylum policy, including cooperation with third countries. Member States introducing controls should also openly say whether there is a mistake in not enforcing all applicable rules, such as those on expulsions. Or in their generous welfare system, attracting even economic migrants who would not normally get asylum at all.

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 hydrological predictions. So let's invest in modern technology, including space technology! The flood situation must not be misused to mislead us into making green policy tougher. We need prevention, not tightening the Green Deal. Waterworks played a positive role and therefore, despite the resistance of many activists, we must continue to build more. The Union should provide maximum funding for the reconstruction of the affected areas, from all financial instruments at its disposal. People need to know that next time we will be even better prepared and that they will get help from the European level as quickly as possible.

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 to work on the diversification of gas supplies, but also on the diversification of electricity production. The development of renewables places great demands on strengthening the transmission systems of the Member States, and we also need to complete interconnections between transmission systems. But we shouldn't just look in one direction. The conditions in each region of the European Union are different and nuclear energy is an important low-carbon source for a number of countries, including the Czech Republic. In this respect, we must strictly respect the principle of technological neutrality and the right to choose our own energy mix. I want to believe that in this, the new European Commission will not throw a wrench at the Member States. I believe that we should also be cautious about setting new climate targets. We should first reflect on the situation for 2030 and only then discuss the parameters of the 2040 target.