Speeches

Honourable chair, rural areas make up most of the territory of the European Union and are one of the most important sources of resources, from agriculture, cultural content to tourism. However, we still face a lack of investment in infrastructure. Public transport, housing, healthcare, as well as digital infrastructure, in particular high-speed internet, are particularly prominent here. In 2025, when most of Europe uses AI every day, some of our fellow citizens in rural communities do not have access to the internet. That is why I am pleased to see the growing calls for rural areas to be digitalised, but such requests must be accompanied by concrete financial resources. I have worked on digitalization and the introduction of high-speed internet for several years, as the mayor of a smaller city, and we are among the first to start such projects together with the Krapina-Zagorje County, which was named the European Entrepreneurial Region for this year. And I am glad that thanks to these activities, access to high-speed internet is soon becoming a reality for a large number of citizens. It's good when national initiatives catch up with local levels and support our projects, no matter how late.

Honourable chair, rural areas make up most of the territory of the European Union and are one of the most important sources of resources, from agriculture, cultural content to tourism. However, we still face a lack of investment in infrastructure. Public transport, housing, healthcare, as well as digital infrastructure, in particular high-speed internet, are particularly prominent here. In 2025, when most of Europe uses AI every day, some of our fellow citizens in rural communities do not have access to the internet. That is why I am pleased to see the growing calls for rural areas to be digitalised, but such requests must be accompanied by concrete financial resources. I have worked on digitalization and the introduction of high-speed internet for several years, as the mayor of a smaller city, and we are among the first to start such projects together with the Krapina-Zagorje County, which was named the European Entrepreneurial Region for this year. And I am glad that thanks to these activities, access to high-speed internet is soon becoming a reality for a large number of citizens. It's good when national initiatives catch up with local levels and support our projects, no matter how late.

The housing crisis in the European Union is becoming deeper every day, and affects young people the most. Research conducted in Croatia shows that as many as 70% of young people cannot afford to rent or buy an apartment. The main reasons for the inability to finance independent housing are low incomes, high rental and utility costs and high living costs caused by inflation. Nearly half of young people said that buying is possible, but only with the financial support of parents, partners or through credit. However, young people have proposals for solutions and expect concrete measures from us. They are primarily seeking an improvement in credit conditions and an increase in government subsidies for the purchase of the first real estate. 56% believe that we need to regulate the rental market through price caps. Dear colleagues, it is time to listen to young people and offer concrete solutions and stop the market rampage. Housing is not a mechanism for profit, but a fundamental human right.

At the beginning, I would like to thank Commissioner Lahbib, who was in charge of the processes surrounding the text of this roadmap for women's rights, but I would like to thank our colleague, Commissioner Roxana Mînzat, who is here with us today and who has fought vigorously for all the priorities important for girls and women across Europe to be part of this vision. The text that is actually presented is good and shows that despite the resistance we have at the highest levels in the Commission, there is enough strength to protect women's rights and to improve them. But we need to be aware that this text is just a drawing of a kind of vision and that we have only a real job ahead of us in the new gender equality strategy. This strategy must include concrete commitments and proposals and tangible legislative and non-legislative measures. In addition, what is important to say is that the strategy needs to be accompanied by very concrete financial resources and we will seek a separate and clear budget line to deliver on all priorities in the field of gender equality, because in the times as they are today, full of instability and channelling funds towards defence and security, it is important to stress that gender equality is one of the fundamental conditions for social security and progress. We will not allow this topic to be marginalized and efforts in this part to be diminished or neglected. Be sure of that.

Dear Chair, when discussing this agreement on MERCOSUR, we should also take into account the specificities of smaller countries, such as Croatia, where the skeleton of agriculture is actually small farmers and they will be most affected by this agreement - various sectors, from cattle breeding, arable farming, poultry farming, and even winemaking, where I am aware that a large market is opening up, primarily for the wine industry of large countries, i.e. the market of MERCOSUR. However, what worries me is the possibility that we will be flooded with cheap wines of questionable quality from South America and thus - and in combination with what the wine sector is facing today, and these are, I will remind you, vine diseases, that the European Commission is again announcing schemes grubbing up-a, that is, grubbing up vineyards - can create numerous dangers for the wine sector in smaller countries such as Croatia, I repeat, which has no problems with overproduction, where small winemakers form the basis of this production and which wants to protect and develop its indigenous varieties.

Today, reality is a system in which housing, instead of law, has become a mechanism for profit. When discussing the issue of housing policy, it should be recalled that Europe is not just an urban part. It is made up not only of the cities of the European metropolis, but also of rural areas, which cover 83% of the territory of the European Union. There are 137 million people living there. They also struggle with the issue of housing availability and affordability, as well as with the issue of energy sustainability. In addition to rural areas, one of the groups that suffers the greatest consequences of the housing crisis are young people. That is why without concrete financial programmes and support, young people will not be able to afford their own roof over their heads. I am here again urging the Commission and the Commissioner for Housing not to forget our rural areas and our young people when designing their housing strategy, as they are the most valuable asset Europe has.

When we talk about the priorities of the European Union for the 69th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, we must be aware of the socio-political context in which the session will take place. It is undeniable that we are far from achieving the goal of the five sustainable development goals on equality and that, if we continue at this pace, it will take many years for us to achieve full gender equality. At the same time, we are faced with many initiatives at European and global level that seek to aggravate the situation of women. We are constantly witnessing how the achieved women's rights are questioned and limited. Some of the colleagues in this Parliament are leading the way, and this is a disgrace to them. The rights of women and girls are not something that we will open a debate about here or anywhere else and allow you to relativize and deny them. We will fight it by all means. Our main message as the European Union at the UN Commission must be clear and loud: full commitment to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This means continuing to develop a legal framework that will guarantee the rights of all women and girls across Europe and the world, with strong resistance to those who trample on these rights.

Dear Chairman, Commissioner Hansen, about 40 million jobs today in the European Union depend on agriculture. 93% of agricultural operators are family farms. In my country, Croatia, of the 170,000 registered farmers of family farms, there are about 160,000. From these figures it is clear that family farms are the cornerstone of European agricultural production. Consequently, our actions to improve working conditions and rights must recognise the multiple problems they face. For example, to facilitate and simplify processes in agricultural activities, to ensure adequate income and to protect the rights of all agricultural workers to the highest standards. Also, let us not forget that one of the fundamental objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy is to ensure a fair standard of living for farmers. Safe and fair working conditions are a prerequisite for this, as well as improving the quality of life of farmers through better public services and adequate infrastructure in rural communities. The European Union must stand behind its farmers.

Every year 2,300 women are killed in Europe by a partner or ex-partner. I will repeat that one in three women has been the victim of physical or psychological violence, that one in two women has experienced some form of sexual harassment. It is a reality in Europe today, a black and terrible reality that can and should be prevented by better laws, more effective prevention mechanisms and strong penalties. Unfortunately, the Istanbul Convention did not come to life in Europe as we had hoped. Why? Because some Member States, instead of focusing on fighting violence, focus on imaginary enemies, hidden in the so-called gender ideology. Correcting the failure to implement the Istanbul Convention in the European Union, a new directive on combating violence against women was adopted. And that text was targeted by absurd criticism. That is why, for example, EU standardisation has been omitted when it comes to the crime of rape, and it is important to emphasize that sexual violence in Europe is on the rise. Statistics show that there are over 230 000 cases every year at European level. The responsibility to change that lies with all of us.

Dear President, colleagues, if we care about every citizen and every area of the European Union, then we must dedicate the same importance to smaller urban centres, rural units, mountainous areas, islands, border areas, as we dedicate it, for example, to large cities. Today, unfortunately, this is not the case and we do not have balanced regional development. Croatia stands out because all of these areas face serious problems, from the lack of affordable housing, poor public transport, which hinders access to education, health services and the labour market, to deficient infrastructure. Young people are leaving these areas, and local governments do not have the fiscal capacity to address these challenges. I know that very well as mayor of Pregrada. That is why cohesion policy must offer solutions through the financing of local and regional projects. Cooperation between all levels of government and simplified access to these funds can significantly improve the situation. Our smaller urban centres, rural communities of the region are the solution, not the problem. It is time to provide them with the necessary financial resources.

Honourable colleagues, rural areas make up 83% of the territory of the European Union and are home to 137 million people. These areas are crucial for the production of basic resources such as food and energy. Nevertheless, despite their importance, rural communities are systematically marginalised through concrete policies and funding programmes. Yes, there are documents such as the Rural Pact and the Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas, which are good guidelines, but their implementation is slow and problems are accumulating. Emigration, lack of public services, inadequate infrastructure are the everyday life of local communities in rural areas, and the lack of support from higher levels of government creates an unsustainable situation. Today, rural Europe is also facing natural disasters due to climate change, from landslides, droughts, floods to earthquakes and fires. And for such situations, we need faster and simpler financial mechanisms. This is why it is essential to provide direct and easily accessible European funds to ensure the development and sustainability of rural areas and the survival of people in them.