Speeches

Mr President, Bulgarian and Romanian citizens turn to us with just discontent that for more than 10 years nothing has happened and the Council has not taken the decision to admit Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area. There's always some excuse, some hypocritical argument for it. Last week the last hypocrisy used by the Netherlands disappeared, and this is the official termination of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism against Bulgaria and Romania. This delay or reluctance on the part of the Netherlands and Austria to accept the decision must be overcome. Nor can we apologise for any, be it local elections in Austria or now early parliamentary elections in the Netherlands. I call on the Commission, in the person of the President of the Commission as well, to speak to the current caretaker government of the Netherlands. We can no longer wait for any election anywhere. Bulgaria and Romania should be part of the Schengen area this year.

Mr President, Mr Commissioner, colleagues, for several years now, we have been witnessing the dire situation unfolding in Lebanon with a social, economic and political crisis entangled to create an extremely worrying situation which is becoming more difficult day by day. We must address this and advocate for a sustainable path towards political stability, prosperity and progress. I would like to urge all stakeholders in Lebanon to prioritise the national interest. It is time to work towards a unified vision to ensure that Lebanon has a future. The election of a president and putting together a government is a crucial step towards restoring stability, ensuring governance and rebuilding trust in the institutions, especially in the aftermath of the Beirut blast. But Commissioner, we can do even more. We should also think about personal targeted sanctions for those who are blocking the political transition and economic recovery of Lebanon. The international community, including the European Union, has to stand with Lebanon. The people of Lebanon deserve a safe and predictable future.

–Mr President, I would like to move the following oral amendment to Amendment 5 on paragraph 4: ‘Condemns the ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor, which is worsening the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh; condemns the deadly incident between Azerbaijan and the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh on 5 March 2023, which resulted in multiple deaths and once again jeopardised the process towards establishing peace between the two countries.’

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, I hear your voice and I share your sadness about the decades—long non—resolution of this conflict causing so much suffering for all people in the region. This is a failure not only of the Minsk Group co-chairs, but of the entire international community. For a long time we left the initiative to Putin, and his only goal is to increase his influence in the region and the dependence of the state of Armenia by Russia. I share the view of all of you that we should support much stronger EU involvement as a facilitator and mediator of the peaceful resolution of this terrible current situation. The key points are: immediate de—blocking of the Lachin corridor, effective guarantees for the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh; a peace treaty between both sides, with all the elements we counted before. But the most important thing is that the people in the region should have a peaceful future, should invest in their education, in their career, and not in weapons and not in fight and not in hate and not in discrimination. I call again on Azerbaijan to de—block the Lachin corridor and a serious, effective, fruitful peace treaty with Armenia.

Madam President, dear colleagues, Commissioner, tomorrow in the context of the ongoing three—month long blockade of the Lachin corridor, we will vote in the European Parliament on the report on EU—Armenia relations. I have proposed amendments to reflect the cutting of this vital connection with Armenia, which is worsening the humanitarian crisis for the population of Nagorno-Karabakh. I urge Azerbaijan to take all possible measures to ensure unrestricted movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin corridor in both directions. This is the decision also taken by the International Court of Justice on 22 February this year. In addition to this first comment, the report we are going to vote on tomorrow transmits a number of important messages. We reiterate the principles of the United Nations Charter and the OSCE Helsinki Final Act, namely the non—use of force, the territorial integrity and the equal rights of self—determination of people. Only the full respect of all these principles can lead to a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. I am very sad to see that the Minsk Group failure to lead for a reliable solution. We stick for decades to the format and we must finally admit its failure. Two of the main principles of this basic principle were violated. Force was used and there was no will to respect the self—determination of people. We cannot consider Russia as a fair facilitator, but only as a regime that wants to keep and increase Armenia’s dependence on it for as long as possible. In the report, we call on Armenia to consider diversifying its security partnership and move away from its reliance on Russia, where Putin’s regime has demonstrated it cannot be a trusted partner. I welcome the establishment of the EU mission in Armenia after a successful EU monitoring capacity between 20 October and 19 December 2022. To make full use of the strong EU engagement, I would like to urge Azerbaijan to allow the EU mission access to its side of the border as well. This is an important confidence—building step between the two countries. A key element is a reliable international guarantee for the future of the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, in the area of security, social life, religious freedom, education, among others. The other important aspects for a peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan are: the process of border delimitation and demarcation; the signature of a peace treaty; the establishment of a transport link between Lachin and the western regions of Azerbaijan; the release of all remaining Armenian prisoners, both military and civilians; the prevention of any future destruction of cultural heritage; and the agreement to refrain from using hate speech and violent rhetoric, especially at the highest level of state and government. It is important also to mention and welcome the steps towards normalisation of relations between Armenia and Turkey, including through the act of solidarity of Armenia in relation to the tragic earthquake which hit Turkey and Syria on 6 February. In the text of the report, we also welcome the entry into force of the EU—Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement and encourage Armenia to continue working towards its full implementation. We also note the progress made by Armenia in reforming the judiciary, carrying out constitutional and police reform, as well as working together with the EU on a wide range of fields of cooperation with Europol, the European Migration Network, Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, Creative Europe. We call for the completion of the process of visa liberalisation between the EU and Armenia in order to support people—to—people contacts, closer bilateral ties and reform processes. The section on human rights and fundamental freedoms includes provision of gender equality, combating violence against women and protection of LGBTIQ community. I would like also to raise another point related to members of the opposition parties in Armenia. It is always questionable when members of the opposition are denied the possibility to participate in meetings of the European parties to which they are affiliated. Let me finish by thanking my colleagues for the great cooperation on this report, and I look forward to a fruitful discussion today.

Thank you very much, dear Olivér, for what you said. And I followed very closely also the negotiation framework and the implementation of this prerequisite for the starting of the second governmental conference. But can you please confirm that this is not only the change of the constitution but also the respect of the treaty from 2017, which – it is very important to mention and to emphasise the treaty – which, with the two protocols, are also something which the Commission is monitoring for the starting of the negotiations? Thank you very much.

Mr President, Commissioner, dear Oliver. First, I would like to start by thanking you for your efforts in the accession process of the countries of the Western Balkans, despite all the multi-layered problems related to the candidate countries, historically related to identity, regional and religious issues, as well as the influence of Russia. Macedonian Bulgarians, like all other citizens, must live in security and tranquility for themselves and their families. They must have equal opportunities for education and career development and live in an environment free from discrimination and hatred towards them. This is the basis of our European Union and it is not some banal bilateral dispute. Winning populist, pseudo-nationalist voices with this theme works against the interests of the citizens of Macedonia. That's what I want to ask you. What else can the Commission and you personally do to overcome this momentum of the past, to overcome hatred in public speaking, in the academic world, in the political circles in the Republic of North Macedonia? To help this country join the European Union more quickly, which is in the interest of all of us.

Madam President, Commissioner, nature has confronted us with a huge tragedy that shows us once again how fragile human life is. There is no way to bring back the more than 35,000 who have so far died in Turkey, no matter how many in Syria, but at least we can reduce the suffering of those who have experienced this horror. The European Union has shown in practice that it is based on the idea of solidarity, compassion and empathy. This support of ours cannot only be fleeting, it must be permanent. Turkey is our neighbor and our thoughts are with our friends. The European Union must redouble its efforts to help the people who have suffered in Syria. Support needs to be increased because the number of casualties is growing daily, and the situation in Syria is turning into a terrible humanitarian catastrophe, in addition to the 12 years of war in the region. I would like to express my gratitude to all those who immediately came to the rescue. I thank the European Commission, the national rescue services, including the Bulgarian one, the millions of European citizens who donate every day. Every life saved is a ray of hope. All help gives hope that our human civilization, with joint efforts, will be able to survive every challenge.

Madam President, there is no justification for the Kremlin's crimes in Ukraine and they cannot be left without consequences. There can be no impunity. The European institutions and the Member States must now take the initiative to establish an international tribunal for the aggression against Ukraine. There must be justice for the hundreds of thousands of victims, which include Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Romanians, Moldovans, Tatars, Belarusians, Hungarians, Poles, Jews, Armenians and many other peoples. Let us not forget the Russians themselves, who are also suffering and dying under the blows of Kremlin aggression, as well as the Russian soldiers who were victims of their superiors. I want to end with an insightful thought by Vasil Levski, the titan of the Bulgarian national liberation of the 19th century. When asked what he would do after the Liberation of Bulgaria, he replied: ‘When Bulgaria is liberated, then I will go to Russia and set up committees, because there the people are oppressed more than we are.’ In Russia, this was in the 19th century, it was in the 20th century and, unfortunately, to this day. If this is not to be the case in the future, the example of Germany after 1945 must be repeated. The Tribunal will also be in favour of the future of a democratic Russia.

Mr President, 11 years, 11 years, we repeat the same thing, the Commission, Parliament, the independent security experts, that Bulgaria and Romania fulfil all the technical criteria and there is always someone in the Council who says that because of the internal and political situation, be it elections, local, national or other internal policies, this is not the moment. I can no longer listen to these explanations now is not the time or the search for other arguments, such as the rule of law mechanism, which is for all countries in the European Union, which has no connection with the technical Schengen criteria, which both Bulgaria and Romania fulfil. Bulgaria contributes to the security of all European citizens. We are part of the Schengen Information System, our Border Police officers protect both Dutch citizens, Austrian citizens, Swedish citizens and every European citizen. This behavior was unworthy of last week, it must be corrected as quickly as possible and no action in terms of separation of the two sides, here it must be said very clearly, because colleagues did not say it before. There can be no division of Bulgaria and Romania, they fulfil the same criteria and should be in the Schengen area at the same time as quickly as possible.

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, the European Union and Egypt are partners and friends and as such, we can share our concerns and engage with goodwill and in good faith for the improvement of the human rights situation in Egypt. We believe that only with such positive engagement can we achieve good results for the benefit of the citizens of Egypt, as well as for the civil society, the free media and all minority groups in the country. We do not believe that we can achieve this goal by pressuring the government with non—constructive resolutions. We need to engage with open minds and at a different level with the Egyptian Government and civil society as the EU and the Commission has already been doing. Egypt is a key and strategic partner for the EU and an important regional player in a region defined by instability and conflict. The EU-Egypt relations entail a multitude of important areas from energy, trade, science and cultural cooperation to the fight against international terrorism. The EU has supported Egypt in its security, economic and political challenges, and the European Commission has allocated EUR 100 million to Egypt from the mechanism Food and Resilience Facility in order to mitigate the impact of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. We observe the work of the Egyptian presidential pardon committee, which conducts investigation of cases of prisoners’ situations that are not complying with international human rights standards. Up to this moment, we have seen over 1 000 detainees released, which is a step in the right direction. However, we should like to see all people arrested in relation to the protests in Egypt released. Following the ninth EU-Egypt Association Council meeting this summer it is critical to keep up and reinforce the EU commitment and willingness to cooperate with Egypt in the important area of democracy, fundamental freedoms and human rights, gender equality and equal opportunity, as well to address the root causes of terrorism and extremism.

Madam President, the European Union must double or triple its efforts for the accession of the countries of the Western Balkans, especially in the current geopolitical environment. That should be one of our top priorities. However, I will deal specifically with Serbia, because its politics have influence in many countries of the former Yugoslavia. It is in the interest of both Serbian citizens and the European Union that this country becomes part of the European Union as soon as possible. However, by adopting all elements of our policy, including with regard to Russia, it is regrettable that Serbia is currently acting in support of Russian interests in the Balkans. This has a very negative impact on neighbouring countries. It is sad that North Macedonia is still not addressing hate speech and discrimination against citizens who identify as Bulgarians. The shameful act of a few days ago, when a club of the Bulgarian community was attacked, must be condemned by the political class of this country and it must make efforts not to repeat this. Mr Pizzola, colleagues, this is not a bilateral issue, but a fundamental democratic value that is not a given, but must be defended every day, both in the European Union and in the countries that want to join. Here, too, I have always argued that, in terms of foreign and defence policy, the European Union must be flexible and quickly adapt to the geopolitical environment around us. Therefore, there must be a qualified majority for decision-making. But enlargement policy is not a foreign policy. When deciding with whom to be together in a family, this is not a foreign policy, and therefore there must remain unanimous decision-making.

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, we should demonstrate again our constructive role the EU wants to play in the Middle East as a key partner and a credible mediator. I welcome the positive developments in the region, as has been mentioned: the normalisation of democratic relations between some Arab countries and Israel through the so-called Abraham Accords, the agreement between Lebanon and Israel on their maritime border, the decrease in the number of attacks around the Gaza Strip, the signature of the Israel—Egypt Memorandum of Understanding on Energy, among others. However, there are also quite a few remaining and very concerning challenges: the difficult economic, political and financial situation of Lebanon, fuelled by Iranian proxies there, the lack of positive change in Syria and the continued challenges posed by refugees in the whole region. I believe we need to acknowledge our strong cooperation with this vital—for—us region. The Commission and High Representative’s Joint New Agenda for the Mediterranean provides a solid basis to continue and build on our good relations. I also insist that security and prosperity in the Middle East must include the effective fight against terrorism and extremism. The EU and our southern neighbours are facing the same challenges. The war in Ukraine, which is Europe’s biggest political threat today, has also affected the Middle East heavily, from food and energy insecurity to Russian disinformation campaigning through the region. The EU needs to take into account the diverse impact of the war in the region, while also encouraging our southern neighbours to take a strong position to condemn the Kremlin’s aggression.

I am, unfortunately, disappointed by yesterday's decision of the Parliament of both the government and the opposition in North Macedonia to create new obstacles for the Bulgarian organizations in this country, to create an atmosphere of hatred and discrimination against the Bulgarians in the Republic of North Macedonia. This has to stop and we have to be together.

Thank you very much, Vice-President, for this answer. One second issue on the responsibility of big platforms, Internet platforms. We have now the DSA and the DMA, but we see that these big platforms, especially private companies, US companies, are monetarising disinformation. Democracy cannot fall victim to a business model of a private company. We see that the fact—checkers, content moderators and trusted flaggers, especially in small—language markets, are not good enough to fight against disinformation campaigns started by the Russian Federation. Especially in small—language markets like in central and eastern Europe, we see a lot of spread and visibility of such Russian propaganda on the Internet platforms, especially on Meta, on their platform Facebook. So, the implementation of DSA/DMA: how can we push these companies that they do their best to demonetarise the visibility of disinformation?

President, Vice-President, I am going directly to the two questions which I have. It is common sense that a perpetrator who is guilty of destroying infrastructure and making a lot of casualties needs to pay for this destruction. We talked a lot about the assets of the Russian Federation – state and local authority assets – in the territory of the European Union, but also the assets of the Russian National Bank. And when we talk with High Representative Borrell, who was answering that the EU is looking for a possibility to seize or use these assets for the restoration of the damages in Ukraine. Where is the stage now? What we are going to do in this direction? And many of these assets, the properties are used for espionage in the territory of the European Union, pretending this is cultural or educational entities where they are using them for espionage. And I will ask my second question on the on the Internet.

Madam President, Vice-President of the Commission, Minister Beck, it is true that we have been discussing this topic in plenary for 11 years. I would like to express my great gratitude to the vast majority of colleagues who have always defended justice and the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area, which is already written in the pre-accession treaties. It was not requested by Bulgaria and Romania in 2011, as the previous speaker said, it is written in the pre-accession treaties that this will be a fact and this fact has not happened since 2011 through no fault of Bulgaria and Romania. Both the Commission and the European Parliament, and at expert technical level, have always assessed that Bulgaria and Romania are absolutely ready. We are part of the Schengen Information System, we feed information from our services into the information system, we contribute to the security of the European Union, of all European citizens, and we also protect the external borders of the European Union, of course, in solidarity with all Union instruments, with Frontex, etc. But citizens are tired of this debate. Bulgarian citizens are tired of hearing the same thing every time that one or another country in the Council does not take the decision because of their internal problems. Dear Minister Beck, I thank the Czech Presidency for taking up this topic and I really wish you success, success to all of us in December this year that this happens, that this justice is done and that there are no different categories of European citizens. Bulgarians and Romanians deserve to be full citizens not only in the European Union, but also in the Schengen area. The Bulgarian economy, as well as all fair-minded people, believe that the decision should be made.

Mr President, Ukraine has fought bravely against Russian aggression since the start of the war in 2014. Ukrainian citizens, regardless of their ethnic origin, are selflessly defending their country. All the expectations of the Kremlin aggressor that their victory will happen quickly do not come true. Ukraine’s counter-offensive has forced Putin to take insane steps, trampling on elementary international and moral norms, to illegally annex the territories of a neighbouring state, sovereign and independent, recognised by the UN within its borders, and recognised by the Russian Federation itself with the guarantees it gives in the Budapest Memorandum. The game with the atomic card represents another irresponsible escalation of tension and blackmail. The European Union and its Member States are obliged to continue with massive support for Ukraine – military, financial, intelligence, economic, infrastructure, medical, humanitarian. Ukraine's desire for NATO membership must be respected. The behavior of Petkov's previous Bulgarian government, which did not support the sending of military equipment to Ukraine, was shameful. Colleagues on the left, this was done in favor of your party. It is sad that Bulgaria also did not join the position of the Central and Eastern European countries on the topic of ‘Ukraine and NATO’, although the vast majority of Bulgarians voted for pro-European parties in Sunday’s elections. Bulgaria now needs a stable pro-European government. GERB will guarantee this and will do everything possible to make it happen.

A concrete question: did you contact President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan for a possible date of their next meeting? Under EU mediation for sure.

Mr President, dear High Representative, peace and stability in the South Caucasus region can be only a result of serious and irreversible confidence-building measures. All prisoners of war must be released and all hostilities must stop immediately. The EU must play a very important role as a mediator. Russia, we see very clearly, is not interested in solving the issue, but is interested to have a leverage to stay there in the region and to increase their influence. I was shocked by the recently published videos on these atrocities committed against Armenian prisoners of war. A full and impartial investigation must identify those responsible and they must be held accountable. So my concrete question is: is the European Union ready to participate in this investigation to find out what exactly is happening, who is responsible? And to be very clear also on Azerbaijan, that Azerbaijan must clearly distance itself from these perpetrators and condemn all kind of violence. A second question one: does the EU have a plan for confidence-building steps between Armenia and Azerbaijan? And this is very concrete what needs to be done – returning of all prisoners of war – that was the resolution of the European Parliament, the goal was to stop all hostilities, achieving a clear demarcation of border and finding a sustainable resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

. – Madam President, Commissioner, Alex, dear colleagues, the main motivation for adopting this legislation is to make everyday life easier for millions of European consumers of electronic devices, not just mobile phones. We have waited long enough for the market to regulate itself. Now is the time to act. I am happy that after the abolition of roaming charges in the European Union, we will also vote on the single charger. With this act, the European Parliament has once again demonstrated its ability to meet the needs of citizens and facilitate their daily lives. I thank the rapporteur, Mr Alex Aliva, all the colleagues with whom we have worked on this file, and also the Commission. Thank you for making a joint effort to extend the scope of this act. I will not repeat what my colleagues said about which devices it is about. This is a huge achievement of the European Union. It creates convenience and saves citizens money while benefiting the environment by reducing the generation of e-waste. At the same time, we do not stop scientific and technical progress and will regularly take into account and adapt the state of the art, including the single wireless charger, as Alex just mentioned. We will also consider the possibilities of introducing a single charger for many other household and household areas, wherever there are no technical restrictions on the use of the single charger. Also, let's not forget that with this act we also set a standard for the world. I am sufficiently convinced that many other parts of the world will follow our act, so once again the European Union is a pioneer. With this legislation, we give freedom to consumers. They will be able to choose whether to buy a product with or without a charger. Last but not least, labels on device packaging will be easy and clear enough for citizens to know exactly what they are getting. Thanks again, everybody. I think this is a very good day for European consumers.

Mr President, Commissioner, honourable Members, the rule of law cannot be considered selectively only if it meets the political objectives of a party. Is it a coincidence that on the day Mr. Boyko Borisov was arrested, he stated publicly that he would support sending military equipment to Ukraine. At last, second instance, the Bulgarian Court found that the detention order did not meet the standards of legality and non-arbitrariness. Who made that decision anyway? It was a personal decision of the then Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, who gave instructions to the Ministry of Interior, to Boyko Rashkov about the arrest of his predecessor and brutally interfered with the name of the European Public Prosecutor's Office in this shameful act. In this way, Petkov tarnished the image of this new institution, which we support in the fight against corruption, money laundering and fraud. Two other people were illegally arrested, the former finance minister and the PR of GERB. The same Kiril Petkov found himself in the scandalous situation as prime minister to be a witness before the police of an oligarch who fled from the Bulgarian justice in Dubai and in his cabinet as prime minister. Petkov's government pursued the most pro-Russian, pro-Kremlin policy in Bulgaria. We did not send any weapons to Ukraine, we increased the financial flows for the budget of the Russian Federation three times compared to the last period of last year. Democracy requires us to condemn any act of political arbitrariness and repression, regardless of our political sympathies for someone or likes or dislikes. That is why I expect the Commission, the Council, all the political parties here, the Greens, the Socialists, the Liberals to clearly condemn this act of illegal arrest of anyone, in this case the leader of the largest opposition party in Bulgaria. The fight against corruption is not a personal war against the opponent, but an effective judicial reform and practice, which we propose from GERB and support. GERB is determined to restore the negative consequences of the deplorable management of Petkov and a company with a clear pro-European program, solidarity with Ukraine, compensation for the high prices of energy products, accelerated completion of infrastructure projects that were stopped by the government of Petkov.

Madam President, I welcome the European Commission's will to continue its support and solidarity towards Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, who are fighting for our common freedom against the Russian aggression. The Bulgarian motto ‘United we stand strong’ should also guide the members of the European Council. The more united we are on all topics - energy prices, the recovery and competitiveness of our European economy, social compensation and the creation of a hydrogen market - the faster we will overcome the challenges ahead of us. As we are talking now, Madam President, High Representative and the President of the Council, we have another mutually conflict on the sovereign territory of Armenia. I urge you very much that the European Union is doing the utmost to stop this killing of people. In the last two days, tens, if not names of people are changed. The civil infrastructure is destroyed. This must stop. I do not believe that the Russians are interested in a long-standing peaceful solution. They like to stay there and to have their influence there, but not to have a peace in the Caucasus region. So this is up to us, the European Union, to take the role of a mediator to stop this conflict.

Madam President, Kosovo has shown commitment to implementing the necessary reforms, there is huge public support for European integration, and now is the time for the government to use its stable majority in parliament and continue with the necessary reforms. At the same time, as we have often said, European integration is a two-way street. The European Union, the European Council must deliver on its promise and finally allow Kosovo citizens to travel visa-free for short-term tourism trips to the European Union. This should happen as soon as possible, I would say. I also expect decisive action from the government to move forward with relations with Serbia, and here the clear goal, we just said it during the debate with Serbia, is that the ultimate goal is the mutual recognition of the two countries. I am happy that in the text of the draft resolution there is also a paragraph on the Bulgarian minority in Kosovo, which calls for their petition to the Kosovo Parliament to be respected and for their rights to be respected and enshrined in the laws.

on behalf of the ALDE Group. - Mr President, on three main points, I would like to address. Serbia is the only candidate country for membership of the European Union that has not yet joined the European Union's common foreign and security policy, especially now with regard to Russia and Russia's aggression in Ukraine. Belgrade gives very often signals, now also, about close cooperation with Russia, both political, economic, energy and military. The Serbian political elite must clearly choose, with the European Union or with the Kremlin, or perhaps seek something similar, as in Tito’s time, for non-alignment. When we talk about Serbia, very often on paper the situation looks good, but in reality, unfortunately, things are not so. An example of this is the so-called National Minority Councils. They are subordinated entirely to Belgrade through the installation of people close to Mr Vucic's party, whose priority is to promote Belgrade's policy, which does not always correspond to the specific interests of the particular minority, both economic and social. In the case of the Bulgarian minority, there is indeed a risk of an environmental catastrophe, in addition to the economic and social one. We also look forward to decisive progress on Kosovo as soon as possible, with the clear objective of mutual recognition of both parties.