What Kristian spoke about.

Madam President, Commissioner, I reiterate our deep concern regarding the Commission's continued authorisation of genetically modified organisms in direct defiance of this Parliament's repeated objections. The European Parliament has rejected nearly 50 GMO authorisations, raising concerns about biodiversity, food safety and environmental sustainability. Yet despite this consistent opposition, the Commission continues with approvals, often without a qualified majority and against the will of both Parliament and a divided Council. The risks posed by GMOs are not hypothetical. They are rooted in legitimate scientific uncertainty and long-term concerns about the loss of biodiversity through monocultures, potential harm to pollinators, dependency on herbicides, and resistant crops. These authorisations mainly serve the commercial interests of large, primarily US-based companies, rather than European farmers and consumers. We believe in a sustainable agricultural future rooted in science, responsibility and democratic legitimacy. Therefore, our opposition to GMOs will remain.

Mr President, dear colleagues, Serbia remains a key partner and an essential part of our shared European future in the European Union. Its path to membership must remain open but strictly conditional on real progress in democracy, the rule of law, the fight against corruption, media freedom and the protection of minorities. As the 2023 and 2024 Commission reports underline, progress has been made, yet serious shortcomings persist. Most telling, I believe, are the massive protests led by Serbian students recently, sparked by the canopy collapse of the Novi Sad train station that tragically claimed 16 lives. They were not just about the victims; they expose the deeper public frustration with unaccountable governance, misuse of public funds and the erosion of democratic norms. These protests are not a threat to stability, they are a call for it – a call for normalisation and democratic accountability. There is no need for a fundamental change in the EU's approach towards the country, although we must remain clear about the values we defend. Our assessment should take into account the complex geopolitical position of Serbia. Respectful but firm communication is a better option than disengagement, and this is what those hundreds of thousands of peaceful protesters expect from us.

Member of the Commission. - Mr President, colleagues, we welcome the initiative of the G20 to start working towards a fairer taxation of the ultra-rich. In recent decades, their taxes have fallen globally, leading the richest to become even richer, and divisions and social inequalities have deepened. The richest generate their income growth primarily from their available wealth. They also have much easier opportunities to exploit mismatches and divergences between countries' tax legal frameworks. I truly hope that this initiative will bridge these gaps so that we can begin to bring justice back to today's interconnected and increasingly unsustainable world. Taxing billionaires is just a first step. The European Union must speed up work on harmonising tax systems in the Member States so that individuals or corporations do not benefit from loopholes in legislation. Only in this way will we be able to generate additional resources for policies that matter to people. Tax justice is also becoming a central issue for the socialists in Bulgaria, and we are in favour of a comprehensive tax reform – the abolition of the flat income tax and the return of progressive taxation. Introduction of a second tax rate on the profits of companies and specific measures for corporations that realize ....

Mr President, dear colleagues, although there are just 12 days until the elections and referendum in Moldova, the EP cannot remain silent following the scale of foreign interference in the internal affairs of the country. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the strong, destructive role of oligarchs in the national politics in Moldova is not an exception. We have seen and still see such cases not only in our eastern neighbours, but also in central and eastern Europe. The deep and complex influence of such figures distort the political process and often deprive citizens from choosing freely the future of their own country. I raise my concern on the possible implications of the current situation on the security in the country, as well as on the relations of the government not only with Transnistria, but also Gagauzia. We need to act responsibly, and I would advise that we work closely with the OSCE, its mission to Moldova, and respectively with ODIHR and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. The EU membership perspective has created additional tools for the international community to help Moldova restore its territorial and political integrity, and we should not allow that these new tools are misused in the opposite direction.