Speeches

Dear fellow Members, Hungary is committed to the protection of pollinators, as these species play a key role in the maintenance of ecosystems and the safety of food production. In recent years, Hungary has taken several practical measures to improve the habitats of bees and other pollinators, in particular through agricultural practices and support schemes. We have a shared responsibility to preserve our environment, especially bees. Honey can be imported, but pollinating bees cannot. We welcome the Commission's efforts, but at the same time it is important that nature protection is balanced, taking into account scientific and economic aspects. Measures to protect pollinators should not lead to the destruction of farmers, especially at a time when food security is a priority. Hungary supports EU legislation that takes into account the different natural and agricultural structural conditions of the Member States and provides the opportunity to restore nature in a way that is feasible in practice and agreed with farmers.

Dear Mr President, As a Transcarpathian Hungarian, I know exactly that hundreds of men and their families living in Ukraine are anxious about whether they are taking him to the front unjustly today. No wonder, as they see that a person with heart disease is forcibly recruited and dies during training, that university students are detained with a valid postponement, that men are taken from the streets, from bicycles, pushed into cars and buses. As long as people in Ukraine die as a result of forced recruitment and disregard for human rights, progress in the EU accession process is unacceptable. Their deaths are not accidental tragedy, but the unlawful practice of Ukrainian recruitment agencies. This is the result of the Ukrainian state's permissive attitude and the European Commission's inaction. War is a tragedy, but it cannot be an excuse for Ukraine to set aside its fundamental legal and moral obligations. The European Union is not only abandoning people with this policy, it is also threatening its own credibility.

I strongly reject the fact that the Hungarian government has abandoned its fellow Hungarians living in any foreign region. I think that our political community has put a lot of deeds on the table over the last twenty years instead of words, and what my fellow Member says is also not true in the case of the Beneš decrees. The government has indicated its reservation, discusses this issue and provides legal aid to those who are being punished for it.

Dear Madam President, It's a comedy again. The People's Party believes that it is placing the issue of the deprivation of rights of the Hungarian community in Slovakia on the agenda of the European Parliament. But, as the title of the debate suggested, and as most of the speeches that have been made so far have shown, that is not what this debate is about. Is this how the People's Party, including the Tisza Party, would stand up for the protection of national minorities? There's nothing new under the sun. The indifference of the European Parliament's left-liberal mainstream has been felt many times, most recently in the report on human rights and democracy, when none of our amendments protecting national minorities were adopted. Not even the one we quoted from the Treaty on European Union, resulting in an exclusionary human rights document that completely disregards the protection of traditional national and linguistic minorities. It's a shame. As a Transcarpathian Hungarian, I know exactly what it is like to live as a minority, and unfortunately, I also know very well what exclusion and discrimination based on nationality mean. I therefore strongly condemn any legal or political instrument that entails the principle of collective guilt, discrimination on grounds of nationality or restrictions on freedom of expression. This is also the case in Ukraine, where there are daily violations of minority rights and serious human rights violations. This is not addressed by the EU institutions either. Officials Kaja Kallas and Marta Kos confirmed this in their statements. There are also human sacrifices. Brussels is guided only by its geopolitical goals, and human fates and tragedies leave it cold if they are not politically useful.

Madam President, I'm sorry. I sincerely regret that the European Parliament's human rights reports are drifting away from real EU values every year. This report is another document driven by geopolitical interests and applying double standards. You have deliberately, on the basis of a political decision, refused to include the protection of traditional national and linguistic minorities in the text, in addition to ethnic minorities. With such decisions, they make communities invisible, ignoring their problems and the violations committed against them. They are being abandoned, as they do with the national minorities living in Ukraine, including the Transcarpathian Hungarian community, whose rights remain limited and cannot count on the support of the EU. This selective protection undermines the credibility of the European Union. We will only truly represent human rights if we guarantee the rights of all minorities in the same way, as required by the Copenhagen criteria. We have to stick to that.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Parliament's position on critical medicines, which is clear, is to be welcomed: bad decisions in recent years have left Europe vulnerable in the field of pharmaceutical supply. Investments in strategically important medicines should be supported to ensure the safety of European patients. Production in Europe must be strengthened, not by slogans, but by concrete decisions. The problem and overregulation must be named after him. The European pharmaceutical industry needs reasonable, proportionate standards that protect both the environment and the supply of citizens, as well as the competitiveness of the sector. My country, Hungary, ranks third in the European Union in terms of corporate pharmaceutical R&D expenditure as a share of GDP. It is precisely the protection and recognition of such strong and innovative national pharmaceutical centres that can be the guarantee of European security of supply.

Mr. President, please. The war in Ukraine, which has been going on for almost four years, is both a geopolitical and a health challenge for Europe. In addition to frontline and hinterland residents, the population of EU border regions is also affected. As a result of the conflict, the burden on healthcare systems and uncontrolled movements are already showing an increased risk of spreading HIV and hepatitis infections. It is therefore particularly important to ensure unhindered access to vaccines and preventive health services in border areas. At the same time, we must not forget that the only real solution to the suffering and insecurity caused by war is peace. Only in this way will we be able to create the stability that presupposes safe access to the necessary treatments and vaccines for patients everywhere in Europe.

Mr President, Commissioner, dear Members, the Commission proposal is not an investment agenda, it is economic suicide, a political illusion that will destroy our competitiveness. Europe does not need a new target. Instead, it needs stability, innovation and affordable energy. The proposal is the same failed Green Deal recipe. This is not ambition, but arrogance. Some in this House ignore reality and live in their own green Brussels bubble, while Europe faces high energy prices, deindustrialisation and citizens are paying the price. You talk about investment security, yet nothing could be further from the truth. We cannot rebuild trust while destroying the industries that keep Europe alive. We won't save the planet by bankrupting our own people. The target is not a pathway to climate neutrality, but leads to further decline. That is why we must reject it.

Thank you for the question. With regard to Ukraine's accession to the EU, I believe, precisely with regard to my minority Hungarian origin, that this issue is not timely at the moment, since the rights of Transcarpathian Hungarians and other national minorities are not currently settled in Ukraine. This is described in the basic documents of the European Union, in the Copenhagen criteria, as the number one condition for the accession of Ukraine. That is my view on this issue.

Mr. President, please. In Ukraine, a Ukrainian flag flies on the graves of those who died in the war. In September, when I visited the Calvary Cemetery in my hometown of Uzhhorod, I was greeted by a heartbreaking sight. Silent silence, names of Ukrainian and Hungarian fallen, endless waves of flags. And if it's just one of many cemeteries. How many more people have to die? There is no family in the country without loss and grief caused by the nearly four years of war. Young and old are experiencing physical and mental suffering. The people of Ukraine, including Transcarpathian Hungarians, want peace, security and tranquility. Why don't their leaders hear this? We Hungarians consistently and persistently stand up for the cause of peace by opposing pro-war forces. Despite these attacks, we are firmly committed to an early ceasefire and peace talks to save lives and stop suffering. We need to create at least a chance for peace as soon as possible. This is also your duty. Don't stop him!