Speeches

Mr President, I liked Mr Bütikofer very much, as he said that America is no longer what it used to be. And he's very right. However, it remains our important trading partner and also a strategic partner with which we share many common goals. But of course, we have different opinions about something and sometimes we compete. More or less. However, this cooperation should not be underestimated and we need a greater exchange of views, and I therefore support the proposals in this report concerning, for example, the establishment of the Transatlantic Council or proposing, for example, closer cooperation between the parliaments of the United States and the European Union. However, we must not be content with anything. I therefore believe that we should always insist on a responsible appropriate level of participation, including from the United States of America. Mutual respect between partners is an important condition for our cooperation. And whether we like it or not, this cooperation is definitely a necessity. Our common task is to continue to promote mutual trade. Although the United States is not our largest partner, it is an important trading partner for the European Union. And also to respect the conditions in this international trade that flows between us. Together, we can do more not only in this area, but also in the area of, for example, the promotion of democracy, human rights, but also joint research, whether classical or, for example, in space exploration.

Mr President, I agree with Commissioner Borrell that we should have a vision of economic security for the European Union, because we need to reduce the risks and provide a plan for where we want to go as a Union. Strengthening our competitiveness is not easy in a global connected world, where we are not only competing with our neighbours, but with everyone, and we need to protect our industry, our jobs and, above all, we need to preserve them. In order to have economic security, we need an economy that works. So we need to secure the energy supply, to ensure cooperation, so that we do not miss the energy. We need to secure the supply of raw materials so that our production and our industry can continue to function. Our technological security is also a very important issue, because we need to defend ourselves against attacks and data theft, but also, for example, the personal data of our citizens. We must not be at the mercy of third countries, and therefore there is strength in unity. I am very pleased that this Parliament has adopted a position on how to defend itself against threats from third countries. The European Union must work together to achieve the status of a strong, credible and predictable partner.

Mr President, with the increase in teleworking, teleworking, but also due to COVID, we are increasing the use of the internet and other means. There is more stress, people have health problems, anxiety, depression, burnout syndrome and are not able to disconnect. They are still at work, demands for their work are constantly coming, and they are forced to answer them. I think we should insist on respecting working hours, not accepting shortened deadlines, and also on protecting employees in general and protecting their rights. They have the right to free time and the right to personal space. I think we can all agree on that. Unfortunately, the negotiations between the social partners have failed, and I would therefore like to ask the European Commission here to insist on reopening the negotiations and to present a European regulation on the right to disconnect, on which we all agree, as soon as possible. We really have three years after this European Parliament decided that we would want something like this. It is something we can all agree on and it is our duty to protect the rights of workers, people, their health, because they have only one thing. And even this mental health is only one and it is very difficult then the way back to normal normal life.

Mr President, I consider this agreement on the sustainability of the extraction and supply of critical raw materials to be very important. We have a responsibility not only towards our citizens, but also towards third countries, where such extraction often takes place. We know that we need raw materials for industry and for our further development, especially technological ones. But we should act responsibly. I am therefore very pleased that we are supporting much more recycling of already existing materials in this proposal, that we are raising this target to 25%, that we are supporting it more than another new extraction, and that we will no longer, for me, export so much electronic waste to Africa and other countries where it can kill young children. We will also start to make more money in Europe. I also consider this 10% target to be very important. This means that we also want to increase production capacity in our manufacturing industry and reuse the raw materials we already have extracted. In doing so, we will reduce our modern colonialism as the European Union does by extracting raw materials in third countries. We will use what we already have. I also consider the target of 40% of processing in Europe to be very good, as it brings more jobs for our citizens.

Madam President, colleagues, I will talk about the situation of farmers in the Visegrad Four in the east of the European Union. I think that we should protect these farmers and not destroy them, as is now common practice, because they ensure food sovereignty for all of us in the East. I speak for four countries: for Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. For farmers from these countries, who just last weekend had a meeting in the Tatras in Slovakia, where they also adopted a common position, which I would like to present to you. These farmers are asking us to stop the crazy imports of products from Ukraine, because they are really destroying our agriculture in the East. Our farmers are suffering, their costs are increasing and they are unable to sell their produce further. And indeed they are flooded with products and products from this country, where farmers from Ukraine do not have to comply with standards like we do, they do not have to deal with quotas and so on, because they do not have these quotas at the moment. I would like to ask that we really think about the review of the quota-free or duty-free system with Ukraine, which will be in place until June next year. If we want to support people in regions and on farms, we really should give them the opportunity.

Mr President, twenty years ago, when I was studying at a university, the European Union was still for us a place where everyone was equal, and such a European Union was a place where we entered as the Slovak Republic. This proposal, which is on the table, may have some good things, but many of them are, in my opinion, also wrong and not good. But who will benefit from this is always the question we ask ourselves with every proposal. Why do we make such a proposal? I think the whole discussion needs peace. People do not want some of these proposals, and the Member States certainly do not. We are talking about unanimity, which we want to abolish. I am absolutely opposed to the abolition of the right of veto, because it is precisely this right of veto that makes it possible for the European Union to speak one language, because we must always agree on a consensual text. Limiting the number of Commissioners is also a very good question, which countries will retain those Commissioners and whether we will pull it out of the hat as a rabbit or whether it will be decided in advance for the big Member States. Also at the beginning of this debate it was Orbán, then we said it was because of enlargement, today we say it's because of Trump. I still think we're sitting on a very high horse. We should get down there, talk to the citizens. And that mistrust in the European Union is growing, not because we do not have the right speedy decision-making, but because we approve of stupidity.

Madam President, we all want good healthy food and we must protect these from pests. This is part of the European Union's food security. The proposal to reduce the use of pesticides is inherently good, but I consider a halving of the area to be wrong. There are differences between the Member States of the European Union. For example, Slovakia has very low pesticide use compared to intensive agriculture in Western Europe. I cannot therefore support the legally binding nature of the reduction targets for the use of plant protection products and, in particular, the target of reducing them to 50% and gradually reducing them to a minimum or to zero in some areas. This will have a negative impact on the functioning of Slovak agriculture and forestry. Colleagues, we probably disagree, but I think we all agree that we should have less fanaticism and more realism in this, in this Chamber, and we have to grow food because people have to eat. We also need to protect crops, as we want to grow them, and I think that more should be done to look for alternatives, such as some bio-protection or banning monocultures, and more support for farmers as such.

Mr President, we must not only restrict and ban our efforts to protect the planet and clean air, but also appreciate those who are trying to help. Not only to limit emissions because we fail to do so, but also to limit the capture of these emissions. These carbon sink certificates, which will reward the effort, are, in my opinion, a good way out of it. However, I agree with the AGRI rapporteur that we must not risk replacing food cultivation with carbon sinks. However, I see the proposal as positive, because if we can come to the right agreement in the dialogue, we can get more of our own financial resources into agriculture, for example, as a reward for supporting afforestation and the care of land and forest. I believe that since it is about using scientific methods of carbon calculation and sequestration, it will be objective and true counting. I also believe that such a step will encourage further research, which may open up new possibilities to deal with the cleaning up of our environment from the negative effects not only of carbon but also of other harmful emissions. Carbon certificates will allow the financing of projects to reduce not only CO2 but also other greenhouse gases, which is why I currently support this proposal.

Mr President, reparability is a key aspect of sustainability. To facilitate the repair of goods, we contribute to reducing waste, minimising resource depletion and ultimately reducing our environmental impact. In addition, this is in line with the principles of economic efficiency. We stimulate local businesses by supporting repair businesses and skilled professionals. We also contribute to job creation, especially in the SME sector. By extending the lifespan of products through repairs, we reduce the demand for new production, helping to save raw materials and energy. Consumers should have the right to have the products they own repaired and manufacturers should make this process as accessible and simple as possible. Enabling repair strengthens consumers, promotes a sense of ownership and reduces dependence on one-off and often more expensive alternatives. People once had fewer things and often inherited, and when they broke down, they repaired them. Today, there is a tendency to buy new things, to throw away old things, and endless ads encourage us to buy more and more. I support Mr Repasi's proposal to promote and protect consumer rights on the issue of repairing goods they have purchased.

Madam President, the child does not choose which family he will be born into. That's why it's up to us as politicians and society to help him throughout his life. Every child has the same rights, whether they were born in France or Slovakia, whether they were born into a palace or into a small one-room apartment. However, how many children are still at risk of poverty, despite our efforts? Luckily, it's rare for children to die of malnutrition, but what are their options? Warm food is not commonplace for every family every day. I am also not talking about healthy fruits and vegetables, which are also unavailable for some children during the winter due to high prices. The school cannot be chosen by every child as he or she would like, because it is often chosen according to the financial capacities of the families and according to the possibilities of travel that the family can pay. And we're not talking about other options like rings that help kids support their talents, because when a family doesn't have the money to do it, they just don't. Children are our future and should have the same good conditions so that they have every chance for the future, so that they can be astronauts, doctors, researchers or builders.

Mr President, I think the Energy Union is a very good project and I would like to break down the five pillars. In the eighth report, we are talking about security and solidarity, which is actually the first pillar of this Energy Union. And we are also talking about the fact that we have still not achieved enough security and we still have to work on it because we are at risk of various crises. Therefore, we need more support for energy supply. Full integration of our networks, I think, is going very well. In my opinion, energy efficiency, which is the third pillar, has two parts, and it is certainly that what is the price efficiency of the energy we produce. So what is the final price for our consumers and whether they can really afford it. And here I would like to say that we really should do more to make sure that the energy we produce is cheap and accessible to all citizens, and that it is really an opportunity for them. The second part of this energy efficiency is, in my opinion, the impact that constantly supported renewables have on nature. What is the cost of producing solar panels, for example, and whether wind power really does not cause problems for our farmers as well. The fourth pillar is decarbonization. And here I would like to stress that I would be more supportive of nuclear energy and I am very pleased that Slovakia has become part of the Nuclear Forum. And the latest research in which we should look for new possibilities, such as small modular reactors.

Madam President, mental health is as important as physical health, which is why we should not downplay it. Our employees are faced with stress, which causes not only deadlines, but also a huge burden, when often the work of several employees is on one employee and they really have to do for a lot of people. Our employees are also often the target of mobing, but I think the biggest problem is that we are still online, that we are still required to deal with our requests at weekends, at night. They show us pictures of how great it is for someone to be able to respond instantly. The man who sacrifices himself for his work is the one who is perfect. And we appreciate these people, we reward them and we put them on a pedestal. Work becomes so important to us that it is at the expense of our family. I think people need rest. People need the right to disconnect, they need clear working hours, they need support, not to be mocked if they have any such mental and mental health problems. I think that work is part of our life, but it is not our life, and that we only work to pay the bills, and we do not live to work.

Mr President, Uzbekistan is the most populous country in Central Asia and also the country with the youngest population in the region. I consider it very important in recent years that progress has been made in improving working conditions. Child labour in this country has been eliminated, as has labour that we consider to be forced. However, I think it is important to point out that although Uzbekistan has already acceded to some ILO conventions, there are still some international standards that it still does not have adopted in its national legislation. And we should support that. For example, fair remuneration of people working on field fighters, or safety at work. I consider Uzbekistan to be an important regional partner capable of ensuring stability and security in the region, and therefore we should also work much more with it at the diplomatic level, and our contacts should be much more regular. I think we should improve these relations bilaterally. We should also improve our mutual trade with this country and fight organised crime, terrorism together, as well as promote the green transition in this country and more use of green energy.

Mr President, the right choice of partners is very important when trading and concluding an agreement. The European Union is constantly looking for like-minded partners who care about, for example, respect for workers' rights, consumer and environmental protection, or justice in the labour market. The European Union has a lot in common with Switzerland in terms of economy, social affairs or even culture. In the case of Switzerland, we have certainty that the above conditions will be respected, and moreover, the country's long-standing good relations with its neighbours indicate stability and credibility. At the moment, I consider the European Union's relations with Switzerland to be unbalanced. We need each other more than ever. Maybe it's time for us to strengthen our relationship with this country. What would I ask in this House? For example, as mentioned in the fight against money laundering or social dumping. We have already missed a number of such opportunities in the past, particularly in the field of security and research, and have underestimated or even wasted them. And we shouldn't repeat this. I think that support for such a report will be more or less unanimous in this House.

Mr President, Slovakia, or my country of origin, is one of the countries that does not recognise the existence of a separate and independent Kosovo. Nevertheless, I wish that these two ethnicities in the territory, ethnic Serbs and Kosovo Albanians, can live side by side in peace and tranquility. Kosovo-Serbian relations have undergone further turmoil in recent days, and tensions in the northern part of Kosovo are very high, and firefights may occur at any time in the future. It should be noted that it is not only Serbs who are responsible for the unsolvability of this problem. And we should also take into account the frequent provocations faced by the Serbian minority living in Kosovo. When diplomacy fails, weapons are then used to resolve the conflict. War and armed conflicts have never solved anything and have only brought loss of life, misery and suffering. I therefore consider it important, in this context, that the two ethnic groups living on this territory return to dialogue and work seriously on solutions, as they claim to see their future in the European Union. But the price of becoming part of the European Union is that they really have to work together so that there is no further loss of life.

Madam President, the European Union was established seventy years ago as a cooperation of economic countries that were perhaps not the greatest friends. This economic cooperation has evolved to what we have today in the European Union. I am very pleased that today we are discussing an instrument to help perhaps the weaker members, or some of us who are being attacked in some way by the countries of the European Union in this economic and trade area, because together we are the strongest only when the weakest link is the strongest. I am glad that, in this way, we can combat coercion from these third countries in the area of trade or some economic cooperation, and that we will have the tools to help these countries, which in some way will be constrained by other countries, to move forward. I am very pleased that the rapporteur for this proposal was our colleague Bernd Lange. I would very much like to congratulate him on this proposal, because it is really very good and our political group absolutely supports it, and we consider it to be a great success.

Mr President, it is irrelevant whether this is part of hybrid warfare and whether it is Russian propaganda or whatever. But the fact is that we have a huge amount of grain flowing from Ukraine to the European Union, which, in fact, we cannot completely control. I would like to know, Commissioner, whether, as has been said several times today, we know how much grain has already arrived in the territory of the European Union and how much we have actually exported, because the so-called 'Goodreads' have been exported. Solidarity Lanes they were designed to support, in fact, countries that are suffering from hunger, such as those in Africa and so on. I think that in order to help, we need to be strong and we cannot weaken the eastern border of the European Union and the countries that are on it, and our farmers, because once after the war, these farmers will have to continue to operate. We cannot afford to destroy these farmers and destroy agriculture in the east of the European Union. It will also be very interesting in the debate we will have on the next programming period and also on the common agricultural policy. And colleagues, when today we were able to approve 300 million for weapons, for the joint purchase of weapons, I do not think that we should be somehow resistant to approving such an amount in support of farmers and in support of bread in the east of the European Union.

Mr President, we all know today how we can designate, for example, Tokaj wine, in which region it can be produced. Just as we know in which region bryndza can be produced. I am very pleased that we will be able to discuss today and that tomorrow, I hope, we will all approve this proposal, and we will also be able to geographically identify products that are of an industrial or craft nature. We protect people's work, we create new jobs, we support the intellectual property of these people and I am very happy that, I hope, soon we will all know where in Slovakia or where in the world, for example, Modra ceramics or Karlovy Vary porcelain can be produced, or our Slovak beautiful embroidery or lace, which will be protected in this way. We will thus support the truly handmade, traditional, regional handicraft products that these people have been doing for centuries, and such protection of their origin and geographical indications of these products can help against counterfeiting, against counterfeiting. And indeed, the people who will buy these products will know that they really come from the region as intended. And I am very pleased that we will finally adopt such a proposal as the European Union.

Mr President, dear colleagues, in Kyrgyzstan, we are witnessing a deficit of freedom of speech. Our colleagues, the Social Democrats, are being persecuted. Activist Aijan Myrsan, for her criticism of the president, was sentenced to a large sum. Deputy Kadyr Atambaev was fined heavily for his criticism and allegations of corruption towards capital city officials. It is unacceptable to hold trials against deputies for their opinions and statements. The media outlet Bishkek 24 was also convicted for airing the deputy’s opinion. The Koi-Tash events court case has been ongoing for four years and the statements of 1 700 victims during the military suppression of the civilian population are not being considered by law enforcement agencies. Women, deputies, people with disabilities have been forced to attend court hearings three to four days a week for the trials, and all of them have lost their jobs and ability to earn. The freedom of public organisations is also under threat. There is a continuing attempt to raid the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan, whose computers, equipment, offices and bank accounts have been closed and sealed for over four years. This is unacceptable for a democratic state. Something must happen and Kyrgyzstan has to remain the democratic country we would like it to be.

Madam President, how can we make Europe an attractive place for investment? I think we need three components. Europe must be a good place to live. Europe must be assured of good laws and rights. And Europe needs to promote innovation and ideas. A good place to live for me means that the people who work are smiling. They are good employees. They are people who know what rights they have, what duties they have, they have sufficient education, they know how to do their job, they have good working conditions, they have protection and thus fewer problems arise, thus fewer injuries and fewer staff turnover. This is the certainty that investors are looking for. The certainty of good laws and law means that our laws and law will be predictable. The fact that the open debate on the legal changes that we are preparing in the European Parliament, in the European Union as a whole, is taking some time means that everyone can prepare for it. The involvement of citizens and civil society in such a debate is also very important so that the whole of society can prepare for it. Expertise and clear goals for the future are also what define the European Union as a good place for investment, as well as our strategic thinking and the fact that we are preparing these things very far ahead. Fostering innovation and ideas means investing in people, in their education, including in ways such as Erasmus, by investing in schools. This means conditions for schools to educate well so that they can make exchanges between their staff and students. Investing in research and education, investing in creating a supportive environment for start-ups and new companies, supporting digitalisation and technology. I think that our investors should be predominantly our citizens, our Member States. Only then can we look for investors from abroad. This is what we should focus on, because Europe is a good place to invest.

Madam President, when I look at this room today, it is after ten o'clock in the evening, but we can see who is really interested in young people in the European Union. We've got a year to go to the polls and we're the faction. It is a great honour for me to sit here today with my colleagues from a youth organisation who have been fighting together and working on this for more than a decade. I'm very glad that Alicia is here, that Brando is here, that Saul is here, that I can be here as a former representative of our youth organization. But it is a little sad that after ten years we are still talking about whether young people should be paid for their internship. I think it definitely does. I think we need a directive. The European Union must be a leader in this matter. We need to set these rules because we too have European institutions that do traineeships for free, and this is not acceptable in the 21st century. If someone works, they should receive a reward for their work. And the fact that we are discussing this is absolutely shocking and inconceivable to me. I am sorry that there are also colleagues among us who are still sitting here in this European Parliament, for whom trainees have worked for free. And that's really something that we, as an institution, have to fight against. We have to take the lead and we, as a faction, stand there.

Madam President, childhood is also associated with good food for all of us. For me, it was fresh tomatoes, peppers and lečo at one grandmother's house and boiled potatoes with sour milk at the other grandmother's house. These foods were healthy, homemade, and they were just great. Personally, I therefore think that what we can do for European agriculture and for its resilience is, first and foremost, to appreciate the hard work of these people farmers, who carry it out so that we all have something to eat. I think we need to motivate young farmers to stay in the regions to engage in farming, because it is a beautiful job. I think that we will also support our food sovereignty by promoting the local regional products that we produce in the European Union. For example, we will not import avocados from Mexico, but we will support healthy apples coming from Slovakia, Poland, oranges from Spain, parmesan from Italy, olives from Greece and so on. I also think that the very important thing we can do for farmers is to equalise payments to farmers in all parts of the European Union, because this will promote their equality and their equal support.

Madam President, batteries are such a big innovation today that they can store electricity or energy as such, which we really use in large quantities. We use them not only in means of transport, where we may use them more and more, but also for the various products and appliances we use. I consider it very important in this regard to increase the capacity of batteries and also their lifespan, because this is very important. And as they become more and more used, we really need to think about what we're making them from and how we can actually recycle that waste that comes from batteries, because it's really very dangerous. But also how we will use and collect the resources that we will use and need to produce batteries, because many of the elements that are found in batteries are very precious metals, precious materials that are often not even found in the territory of the European Union and that is why we have to import them from outside. That's why recycling is very important to me, and we need to think about improving recycling. And we also need to think about, when we import from third countries, whether this is not the modern colonialism that we are using, and whether those conditions are really beneficial for those third countries.

Mr President, every country, and of course everyone in the European Union, has the right to sovereignty over its own territory and to pass laws that it thinks are right for its people. And I do not like to comment very much on one of the Member States of the European Union, but I think that the adoption of this law, which we are currently discussing, in Poland, is not exactly the right step towards democracy. The creation of a special commission that can prevent people from running for democratic elections, for example, is absolutely wrong. For example, if we look at it only from a legal point of view, one commission cannot make a decision by, for example, doing an investigation, examining whether someone is an agent of a foreign country, and at the same time making a decision. This requires that the special courts designated for this purpose be targeted. I think that Poland should consider this decision because it is not entirely positive. But at the same time, I would like to add that when we are talking about the removal of Poland's presidency as a Member State of the European Union, I absolutely do not support this, because the Presidency is something that is symbolic, which is given very far ahead, and I do not think that this is a decision in the right direction.

Madam President, it is said in vain that Ukraine is the grain of Europe. And above all, this grain, which we are all still talking about here, should have been destined for Africa, and indeed for people who are poor and who are starving. We in Eastern Europe or in Central and Eastern Europe do not really want this cheap uncontrolled grain, because we do not know what its very specific origin is. And as has already been said. We have samples in Slovakia that prove that this grain is not suitable for consumption according to our standards. Commissioner, you said that the Slovak Republic has received around 800 thousand tonnes of grain over the last period. But the compensation according to the new approved schedule is some five million euros, which gives me about 6 and a half euros per tonne. And that doesn't seem quite right to me. This is Eastern Europe, we have to say. This is Eastern Europe. If it were France, Germany, Italy, we would all talk differently. As has been said, also by several speakers. You know, our countries that are most affected now by this problem of grain from Ukraine are also countries where there are now very many Ukrainian refugees. Where our people really aren't at their best, and I think we should take care of their health and what they want. These countries, these five countries, make up one-fifth of the European Union and one-fifth of its population. This is how we should approach it.