Speeches

Madam President, dear colleagues, would you rather be a Belarusian or a Ukrainian? Belarus has cheap energies, oil and gas, their industry doesn't fail, their farmers don't strike, they export fertilisers around the world, they have a decent public health system and they are not short on critical medicines. They are hindered only by sanctions, which harm us as well as them, and we should abolish them. But, more importantly, Belarus has peace. They still remember the horrors of a Nazi genocide much worse than in Poland. Their constitution explicitly excludes military aggression, and they are doing what they can to keep their country away from foreign wars. Now, compare it to Ukraine after the Maidan putsch and after six years of Zelenskyy. The country destroyed, their sons dead, and those who return will find their land and minerals owned by foreign capital. Belarusian leaders are not perfect. Which ones are? But if the West tries to impose on them some new Zelenskyy, they will look across their southern borders and say 'no, thank you'. We should respect that. Yes, it is not our country, but theirs.

Honourable colleague, I would like to ask one question. Belarus is not a member country of the European Union. What, in your opinion, is our right to judge who is leading the country? And what is our right to intervene into their domestic matters and to decide who is their legitimate president and who is not?

Madam President, the Czech Parliament has decided to punish for political convictions. According to the amendment to the Criminal Code, the spread of ideas of communism is to be punishable, support for the communist movement is to be punishable, the use of communist symbols is to be punishable. All of this has been under a five-year prison sentence since January. Several countries, good partners of the European Union, have communist symbols in their flags. Will we be afraid to take pictures with their diplomats so you don't get arrested in the Czech Republic? The Communist Parties shall operate properly in the Member States of the Union. Their politicians represent voters in national parliaments and even in this parliament. Whoever publicly expresses his political opinion, for which he was elected, will have to avoid the Czech Republic in order not to lock him up there. This is unacceptable and absurd. I call on the institutions of the European Union to protect the fundamental political rights of citizens of the Union, to call on the Czech Republic to stop criminalising their execution and to put an end to this criminal abomination.

Thank you, Ms Bosse, it's my pleasure to communicate with you. The Czech Republic is not one of them, at least, because there are much bigger and stronger entities, but they are only tools. And how we deal with the tools is the issue of our political culture. Of course, we need to protect against hate speech and things coming from abroad. But the worst things we are doing for ourselves. This is my opinion and this is how I see it.

Mr President, today's theme is 'Protection of European Sovereignty'. This title is a bit misleading. Sovereignty is a conceptual emblem of states. Europe, even in the sense of the European Union, is not a state, therefore it does not have sovereignty. It has only conferred powers which can be revoked at any time by the States. Member States have sovereignty, which must be protected. Unfortunately, especially at election time, the digital space is overwhelmed by the products of political entities paid for from EU grants, from the sources of friendly embassies or from one of the parties to the information war taking place in the United States. There have even been cases where the secret services of State A have influenced the elections in Member State B through controlled leaks to the media. And the lack of restraint of the European institutions, including this Parliament, in commenting on national elections is becoming legendary. It makes no sense, colleagues, to seek technical solutions for something that is a manifestation of a lack of respect and political culture in relation to the sovereignty of individual Member States.

Madam President, many speeches by the European Commission show that we really need to protect democracy. Sixty percent of citizens do not want Ursula von der Leyen. Are six out of ten European Union citizens Russian agents or fools under the influence of hybrid threats, as it sounded today? No, they want someone who will not lead the European Union to decline. Will this unpopular politician resign? No, and he still wants to establish a ministry of truth to suppress criticism. Members in the Corruption Case Pfizergate triggered a vote of no confidence in the Commission, were identified as a pro-Russian hybrid threat during the discussion. No, they're not a hybrid threat, they're doing their job. Influencing the Election: Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you. We are paying putschists against the Georgian government, you will let one of the parties in the Moldovan elections here agitate in Parliament and slander the competition. Prime Minister Fico's Slovakia will continue to be visited by you. And when there was an election in the United States, did you show respect to the American electorate? You said: Will we work with whomever you choose? No, you ran a campaign against Trump, and now it's backfired on you. So please protect democracy, great, but start with yourself.

Mr President, I would like to ask the Commissioner politely why you did not take Mr Šefčovič and Mr Síkela from Global Gateway And you didn't accompany Slovak Prime Minister Fico to Beijing last week? Trade diplomacy in the next century will require mutual respect. If you had come to China, a key trading partner, to wish you an anniversary, you would have solved pork or electric cars or even critical medicines. And maybe you would improve the European Union's negotiating position vis-à-vis the United States, so you wouldn't have to sign unbalanced agreements on golf. Europe is open in China. It's an industrial powerhouse. It needs global trade to work. There is no real reason for conflict, but there are many possible synergies. All you have to do is go across the street. Or you can insult them like Kaja Kallas, but then you don't sell the pork and the farmers suffer the damage. Commissioner, in my opinion, you are officials. You should conduct high-quality trade diplomacy and benefit the prosperity of the Member States. Can't it really get any better?

Madam President, on Georgia, I would like to call for moderation and respect. Georgia experienced the collapse and disintegration of the welfare state after the collapse of the Soviet Union. After the Color Revolution under Saakashvili, they were given dictatorship and war. Today, under the Georgian dream, they have economic growth, a regenerating health system, investment from China and, last but not least, peace. You don't like it? Don't you think that's enough? Compare this with the fate of Ukraine under Zelenskyy. The European Parliament is now de facto demanding a coup d'état and the cancellation of elections from Georgia, otherwise it threatens sanctions, visas and the suspension of cooperation. How would you like it if the United States interfered in who is the head of the European Commission? So why are you doing this to Georgia? And what are you offering them? Fighting for Western interests to the last Georgian? Georgians have properly elected a government that is not anti-European, but only protects the security of their small country located in a hot spot between great powers and conflicts. You won't change it if you put pressure on them. We just lose a friend, a partner and an ally.

Dear colleague, I would like to ask for a clarification. You speak against communists, but I'm not aware of communists liquidating the steel industry, liquidating the car industry, liquidating the pharmaceutical industry. From 1949, we in Czech Republic were able to manufacture our own antibiotics, penicillin. Now we are unable. So why are you speaking against communists when the problem is somewhere else?

Madam President, in the light of current events, let us recall what NATO is not. First of all, the alliance agreement is not a charity. The purpose of membership is to reduce security risks for members, not increase them. The admission of a new member implies, for each Member State, the acceptance of a military commitment to defend it. If it is judged that NATO enlargement will only increase the risk of war with a third country, any member can legitimately veto NATO enlargement. Let's count on it. Second, NATO is a defensive alliance, not an instrument of imperialist policy. If a NATO member militarily joins Israel's aggression against Iran and receives an appropriate military response, there is no reason to activate Article 5. European NATO members can therefore be recommended not to join the aggression even indirectly, for example by providing bases, as even this can be seen as an act of war that is not a defence and the consequences of which are not covered by the NATO Treaty.

Madam President, the rule of law and the transparency of finances are important objectives of the Union. However, their surveillance must not be misused for political attacks. This is what happened during the recent mission of the Committee on Budgetary Control to Slovakia. This mission was proposed and led by a colleague Zdechovský, an MEP of the outgoing Czech government hostile to the Slovak government. Another member was a colleague Wiezik from Progressive Slovakia. Half of the four-member delegation was thus clearly biased. Zdechovský has no formal education in law or auditing. On the other hand, he abused the position of Head of Mission for political propaganda by proclaiming Slovakia to the media as a ‘banana republic and an untrustworthy state for investors’. This offended not only the Slovak government, but Slovakia as a whole. Whoever uses a surveillance mission to self-promote and insult a Member State, instead of impartial control, undermines the dignity of the European Parliament. I therefore call for control missions to be conducted from now on by people experienced in law or audit and with no political ties to the controlled country and who know how to behave.

Mr President, honourable colleagues, last time in Strasbourg, Valérie Hayer of Renew decided to attack Members who honoured millions of victims of Nazism by placing flowers at the grave of an unknown private. She used a speech in plenary that could not be answered. That's why I'm doing it now. We are solely accountable to our constituents for our political views, not Mrs Hayer or the Renew faction. We are ready to discuss with you, but you will not dictate to us. The journey took place in strict compliance with the rules of this Parliament, and to say otherwise is a false accusation. The Gospel says, ‘Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but ignore the beam in your own eye? It's a hypocrite. Pull the beam out of your own eye first, and then you will see through to pull the splinter out of your brother’s eye.’ You are blaming opposition politicians for fabricated corruption. And yet you elected Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, with full knowledge of her Pfizergate. It is now the biblical beam in your eye, after the judgement of the Court. I therefore call on you to remove the beam from your eye and express with us this Commission's distrust or remain silent on transparency matters forever.

Madam President, honourable colleagues, millions of Allied soldiers have given their lives for the victory over Nazism. Unfortunately, we forget those who have made the most sacrifices. I am ashamed of my colleagues who claim that only the Americans liberated Czechoslovakia. Would you tell the mothers of the Soviet fallen in the liberation of our country? Would you tell the impoverished prisoners at Auschwitz that with the arrival of the Soviet army they were not liberated, but occupied? I am ashamed of my government for not honouring the fallen members of the Soviet army, and I am glad that Prime Minister Robert Fico will do so for the former Czechoslovakia, although he is disgraced for it. I have therefore decided that tomorrow I too will lay flowers at the grave of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow. I do this for three reasons. First of all, from the personal conviction that the fallen are not forgotten. Secondly, by the will of my constituents, who still remember the horrors of Nazism. Third, the will for peace. Celebrating the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazism unites us and can open the way to peace, to diplomacy, to the resolution of the current conflict, which has no military solution. I wish all statesmen a happy journey, wherever they go to celebrate, and I ask them to spread the will for peace in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter. I'll do it tomorrow.

Mr President, honourable colleagues, Commissioner, the problem of patients with rare diseases is the availability and reimbursement of treatment. The so-called Transparency Directive was intended to guarantee that the reimbursement of medicines would be decided by States in a fair process according to criteria known in advance, with the possibility of judicial review. The Czech Republic has formally introduced an official decision-making system that is as complex as Egyptology and roughly as relevant to what patients receive at the end of the day. In the real world, this depends on non-public deals between the pharmaceutical business and payers, and the corrupt bonuses that pharmaceutical companies give to hospitals. If these players don't agree, patients simply don't get the cure. They can sue, but unfortunately it's often too late before they win. The first step towards redress is to find out, on the basis of hard data, what is really happening in the Member States and what patients actually receive, and then start enforcing the rules and rights of patients that have long been in place. This is a cross-party task and I will be grateful for any cooperation between my esteemed colleagues and the Commissioner.

Mr President, dear colleagues, I had an opportunity to be a part of a European Parliament mission to Thailand, and we tried to build friendly relations, which we need because we are in danger of trade wars and Thailand is and can be a valuable partner to the European Union. Firstly, I see it as wrong to 'strongly condemn' somebody who should be our partner – and 'strongly condemn' is the wording of the declaration – in case we are not a court of law and we cannot assess what actually happens there. The position of Thailand is that the Uyghurs are safe. There are safeguards in China that are put in place. The opinions of our colleagues are different, but we should leave it to the court to resolve these things. Another issue is the critique of internal laws like the criminal lese-majesty law. Thailand has a kingdom for 800 years, and it is not very respectful from us to intervene in their domestic affairs. Please reconsider.

Madam President, the shortage of essential medicines is a failure of the Union's economic policy. We used to be self-sufficient in manufacturing, we even had state medical supplies that had those warehouses when we talked about supplies. We are now dependent on the import of active ingredients from Asia, the interruption of which would be fatal. That is why I pragmatically call on those responsible for foreign policy to refrain from trade wars with states on which we depend in medicines, which is China in particular. Secondly, I call for the removal of those regulations that prevent the resumption of production of essential medicines in Europe, as it used to be, in order to phase out import dependency. Third, we see pharmaceuticals as a strategic commodity more important than weapons. We had a shortage of antibiotics in 2023, and it wasn't nice at all. Instead of trillions on ReArm, let's give space to the development of our own pharmaceutical production. Fourthly, many of the blackouts are in fact the result of an infringement of competition. These drugs are, but because of distribution monopolies, they don't get to smaller pharmacies and patients. The Commission has long had powers to stop this atrocity, but it only needs to start using them. Then let's do it!

Good morning, Mr Niedermayer. I hope you will respond to my question. Do you really think it would be a good idea to transfer deciding about war and peace from Prague – or other capitals of sovereign nations – to Brussels, and let Brussels institutions decide if our sons will go to war? Because this is a necessary aspect of the common European defence you propose.

Madam President, honourable voters, I have four reasons why I voted against the resolution on Georgia today. The first reason is that the European Parliament should address Europe's difficulties, not resolutions on foreign countries. It's disrespectful and useless. They have their problems, we have enough of our own. The second reason, the criticism of the Georgian elections, is misinformation. Neither the OSCE mission nor the European Parliament mission had fundamental reservations about them. Georgians have clearly chosen the Georgian dream. The European Parliament has no power to determine who will be prime minister or president in Georgia. The third reason is that the resolution calls for a coup d'état and for the financing of the riots with the money of European citizens. He calls for the same foreign interference that we are constantly criticizing here. President Zourabichvili's term of office has come to an end. Let him go. Ex-President Saakashvili was sentenced in due process for abuse of power. Let him execute his punishment. The fourth reason, the policy that the resolution imposes on Georgia, would prepare it for a fate similar to that of Ukraine. Georgia is not here to pawn the West in the fight against Russia. I hereby apologise to Georgia for the attempted destabilisation by Parliament. I wish her sensible government, peace and prosperity.

Madam President, today's topic reminds us that international treaties can be withdrawn and that even the best ideas can be destroyed by stupid activism. Thirty years ago, there was a demonstration in my homeland for nature conservation. Today, after the abduction of Gretami's ecology, you'll be spitting in beer for the climate agenda, or you'll be asked: When are you going to cancel like Donald Trump? The World Health Organization once shared admiration for eradicating smallpox, fighting tropical diseases, and delivering medicines to crisis zones. Even Donald Trump wouldn't have thought of leaving it. His own voters wouldn't let him. After the failures and the politicisation in times of COVID-19, this happened. As a public health professional, I am sad, but not surprised. A small warning: The European Union is also just a set of treaties negotiated by the Member States for greater prosperity. If we are served with bankruptcy, dearness and, as a bonus, denunciation of conservatives, it will turn out like the World Health Organization with Donald Trump. Let's try to prevent it.

Mr President, dear colleagues, the interest of Ukraine or of Ukrainian people is not necessarily the same to interests of Zelenskyy regime, and the interest of Zelenskyy regime is not identical with the interests of central European states, as seen on the gas debate. Thanks to the new Trump administration, we know for certain that the United States sponsored, by billions of dollars, the media, the NGOs, the quasi-fact checkers who violently attacked anyone who was anti-war in Europe and even in the United States. This abomination needs to be ended. We cannot suffer this foreign influence. The real interest of Ukraine is the end of war and return to normal life. Our interest is a resumption of trade and prosperity. Let us discuss the option openly. I heard here that you would like to prohibit opinions or being told. This is not possible. Each of us MEPs has a full right to say what our political position is. Every child knows that.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, after the election of Donald Trump, let's face it: Europe's security will be harmed if we sponsor American armourers and wage foreign wars. The Czech Republic has paid hundreds of billions for American F-35 fighters, which the world has not seen, because they will be delivered to us maybe in five, maybe in ten years, and in the meantime they will be even more expensive. Is that what we're supposed to be indebted to? Should we take money from pensions or health care for this? Now that we're armed, let's at least shop in Europe. When it comes to wars, we have no reason to fight foreign wars, as we did in Ukraine, which started with a coup in 2014 fueled by billions of dollars from the United States. If it weren't for the British, the war would have ended two years ago. Ukraine's neutrality and the restoration of normal relations are the best solutions for Europe's security. This is the only achievable solution. Our security will not benefit or support the coups in Georgia or Belarus and destroy these countries in the same way that Syria was destroyed. Please take this into account when we are talking about the security of Europe in the years to come.

Madam President, my colleague, I will speak Czech, we are Czechs. If foreign interference bothers you, it is not the right tool to introduce the equivalent of American interference. Foreign Agents Registration Act So that everyone who speaks for foreign interests has to declare that they are paid from abroad? We don't mind. We don't have foreign money behind us, even at the best audit, but it would show exactly who is speaking for Trump, for Musk, for the Chinese, for the Russians, or for George Soros. Isn't that a better idea?

Madam President, dear Commission and Rado - partly absent - you support the colour revolution in Georgia and you are pouring billions into Ukraine, but you are failing desperately in economic policy, which is your main task. Citizens don't care what you send to Zelensky, citizens care that automakers are going bust. The European Union was supposed to be the strongest economic unit in the world, but unfortunately, under your leadership, it fell under both the United States and China. Your regulation is choking the industry. You have brought a price to households, debts to Member States. Mrs von der Leyen, there are zero points for talking about geopolitics. You are not NATO, and without the consent of the national parliaments, you do not have a single soldier anyway. You better do what you're paid to do. Work for prosperity. Revise the Agreement Green DealBring energy back to reality. Yesterday was too late. To you, colleagues from the mainstream factions, I would like to draw your attention: This is your Commission, not ours. Either you bring her to her senses, or you answer to the citizens in the next election!

Mrs. MEP started again with misinformation, because I am not a communist, even though the communists are our esteemed coalition partners. In international affairs, I am of the opinion that we are moving from a unipolar world to a multipolar world and should be concerned with European affairs, not meddling in matters between non-member states.

Mr President, fellow Members, this Parliament has decided in its resolutions that it knows better than Venezuelans who is to rule in Venezuela and better than Georgians who is to rule in Georgia. For a while, we even knew better who was supposed to rule America. Now we have to keep this embarrassment to the Allies quiet. On the contrary, no one minds that he organized a campaign for the Czech president and is still advised by a lobbyist of an American company. No one cares that social networks in Slovakia are full of hate speech from nonprofits paid by the end of the Biden administration, nor the assassination of the Slovak prime minister, which was the fruit of this hatred. My suggestion is: "Let's leave foreign countries alone. In the Member States, let’s protect freedom of expression.” People are not stupid and know better than Jours or Nerudas or Gregors what they might think. If we want to improve something, let's adopt FARA as in the United States or Georgia. Let everyone say what they want, but let them be seen when they are paid from abroad. For many nonprofits and many democrats, this will tell us everything we need to know.