Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI

Policy topics Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI is active on

What Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI has said (51)

• 2026-03-18 “Answer given by Ms Lahbib on behalf of the European Commission 18.5.2026 Written question The Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030 [1] recognises the crucial role of men and boys, as agents and beneficiaries of gender equality. It recognises that gender inequalities significantly impact access to healthcare and that gender norms associated with traditional masculinity can adversely affect men and boys’ health, including discouraging help-seeking and increasing engagement in harmful behaviours. The strategy refers to gender mainstreaming in health research under the framework Programme for Research and Innovation (Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe) [2] and into the health actions of the EU, including the EU4Health programme [3] . The communication on a comprehensive approach to mental health [4] supports a comprehensive and inclusive life-course approach that focuses on effective prevention and access to care for all population groups, including men. Life expectancy and healthy longevity are extensively covered in the Health at a Glance 2024 report [5] and informed actions under the EU4Health programme. The EU Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) acquis [6] , comprising the framework Directive [7] and related OSH Directives, ensures a minimum level of protection against OSH risks and requires employers to carry out a risk assessment and implement preventive and protective measures, also considering gender aspects. The EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2021-2027 [8] aims to improve prevention of workplace accidents and illnesses and addresses also psychosocial risks at work. The Gender Equality Strategy refers to the upcoming Healthy Workplace Campaign on mental health and psychosocial risks at work of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work in 2026 [9] . [1] https://commission.europa.eu/document/1f5fa936-9fba-4435-93f5-32fa220bac82_en. [2] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/research-area/health_en. [3] https://health.ec.europa.eu/funding/eu4health-programme-2021-2027-vision-healthier-european-union_en. [4] https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/comprehensive-approach-mental-health_en. [5] https://health.ec.europa.eu/state-health-eu/health-glance-europe/health-glance-europe-2024_en. [6] https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies-and-activities/rights-work/health-and-safety-work_en. [7] Council Directive 89/391/EEC of 12 June 1989 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/1989/391/2008-12-11/eng. [8] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52021DC0323. [9] https://commission.europa.eu/document/1f5fa936-9fba-4435-93f5-32fa220bac82_en.”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• 2026-03-03 “P-000870/2026 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission The EU uses all tools at its disposal to protect its interests and address key concerns, including Iran’s nuclear and ballistic programmes, its military cooperation with Russia, hybrid attacks on European soil, and the human rights situation in the country. This approach has been confirmed after the start of the military escalation on 28 February 2026, with the statement by the High Representative/Vice-President 1 on behalf of the EU reiterating that the EU ’will continue to contribute to all diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and to bring about a lasting solution to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon’. The EU confirms its commitment to a comprehensive policy approach vis-à-vis Iran considering all tools at its disposal. The diplomatic presence of Iran in EU Member States is delimited by bilateral agreements in line with the provisions of international law. At this stage, Iran has not expelled any specific categories of diplomatic staff of Member States. 1 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2026/03/01/statement-by-the-high-representative-onbehalf-of-the-european-union-on-developments-in-the-middle-east/.”
  EU-Iran relations
• 2026-02-24 “E-000763/2026 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission fully supports the successful operation of the mObywatel application. Poland is constructively cooperating with the Commission and is efficiently implementing a comprehensive development plan managed by the Ministry of Digital Affairs, positioning itself as one of the frontrunners in the development of European Digital Identity Wallets. Under the European Digital Identity Regulation 1 , Member States are required to provide European Digital Identity Wallets by December 2026. The Commission has been informed that Poland is preparing a new version of mObywatel application, which will comply with the requirements for the European Digital Identity Wallets. According to the information received, the European Digital Identity Wallet will constitute an additional component of the mObywatel application ecosystem. All documents used in mObywatel will stay accessible to the users. Existing national eID solutions and the European Digital Identity Wallets may continue to coexist. Poland is actively participating in the European pilot projects POTENTIAL 2 and APTITUDE 3 supporting the development and testing of digital identity wallets. The experience gained contributes to the design of the Polish implementation of the European Digital Identity Wallet. The Commission cooperates with Member States through these projects and the broader implementation process to ensure that European Digital Identity Wallets meet legal requirements and function across the EU. 1 Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market and repealing Directive 1999/93/EC, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32014R0910. 2 https://ec.europa.eu/digital-buildingblocks/sites/spaces/EUDIGITALIDENTITYWALLET/pages/924976339/LSP-POTENTIAL. 3 https://aptitude.digital-identity-wallet.eu/.”
  Electronic identity
• 2026-02-19 “E-000719/2026 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission According to Article 168(7) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union 1 , Member States are responsible for organising and delivering health services and medical care. The EU supports Member States with tools and initiatives such as technical assistance, knowledge sharing, funding and policy guidance. The European Semester provides a framework to identify and address policy challenges in Member States, ensuring coordination at EU level while safeguarding the principle of subsidiarity. The latest European Semester Polish country report’s health annex 2 shows that Poland’s health system is comparatively hospital-centred. Poland had one of the highest numbers of hospital beds per 1000 population in 2023, 6.3 vs 5.1 for the EU, with concurrent low occupancy rates. However, Poland has not received a country specific recommendation regarding the closure of maternity wards. The findings in the health annex are analytical in nature and do not, in themselves, entail a recommendation to close facilities. Decisions on the organisation of hospital networks, including maternity wards, remain a national competence. To the Commission’s knowledge, there is no direct link between analyses presented under the European Semester and the closure of maternity wards in Poland as raised by the Honourable Member. 1 eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:12012E/TXT&from=en. 2 https://economy-finance.ec.europa.eu/publications/2025-european-semester-country-reports_en.”
  Public and private sectors role in healthcare services · EU competences on health
• 2026-02-10 “E-000536/2026 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission The European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) ‘Stop Destroying Video games’ was submitted to the Commission on 26 January 2026. On 23 February 2026, the Commission met with the ECI organisers to enable them to present the objectives of the initiative in detail, clarify its requests and provide further background information. By July 2026, the Commission will adopt a formal reply, in the form of a communication, setting out its conclusions on the initiative and the measures, if any, it intends to take. As regards the substantive issues raised by the ECI, the Commission refers to its previous reply to written question E-003581/2025. The ECI does not concern price differences for video games in the EU, and this matter is not being addressed by the Commission in the context of its reply to the ECI. EU consumer legislation, in particular, the Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU 1 requires traders, including video game providers, to provide consumers with information about the total price of their offers but it does not regulate the level of prices. Copyright-protected services, such as video games, are not covered by the principle of non-discrimination under the Geoblocking Regulation (EU) 2018/302 2 . However, other rules in the Regulation, such as on blocking access to online interfaces or re-routing without the customer's prior consent as well as discrimination for reasons related to payment, apply. 1 http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2011/83/oj. 2 http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/302/oj.”
  EU rules on digital competition · Radio equipment (common charger)
• 2026-01-27 “E-000299/2026 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission recalled the applicability of the General Data Protection Regulation 1 in its reply to written question E-000182/2025, including requirements to ensure security of processing and conditions for the transfer of personal data to third countries. In addition, the gaining of access to personal and non-personal data in the terminal equipment of a user are governed by Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive 2 . The Network and Information Systems Cooperation Group, the Commission and the European Network and Information Security Agency, conducted a cybersecurity risk assessment on connected and automated vehicles which demonstrated espionage and physical security risks 3 . The report contains mitigation recommendations. In addition, the revised Cybersecurity Act 4 proposed by the Commission sets out a framework to deal with strategic risks and de-risk EU critical infrastructure from high-risk suppliers. The Commission would be able to propose measures to address identified risks in key information and communication technology (ICT) assets, ranging from requiring supplier information in the ICT supply chain and data processing within the EU, to prohibition for EU critical infrastructure to use, install or integrate such ICT components from high-risk suppliers. Connected vehicles are not foreseen as an area for future European cybersecurity certification. For technical risks, vehicle type-approval rules 5 require vehicle manufacturers to identify and assess risks and apply appropriate measures to manage those risks and that vehicle manufacturers obtain a cybersecurity management system certificate to ascertain its implementation. 1 Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation), OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, pp. 1-88. 2 Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2002 concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (Directive on privacy and electronic communications), OJ L 201, 31.7.2002, pp. 37–47. 3 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/toolbox-improve-ict-supply-chain-security. 4 COM(2026) 11 final. 5 Regulation (EU)2018/858, Article 5(1) and Part 1 of Annex II; Regulation (EU) 2019/2144, Article 4(5)(d) and Annex II; UN Regulation No 155.”
  International data transfers · Scope of EU cybersecurity obligations
• 2026-01-19 “E-000195/2026 Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission Advanced biofuels are defined in Directive 2018/2001/EU 1 (Renewable Energy Directive) as those biofuels that are produced from the feedstock listed in Part A of Annex IX to that Directive. The most recent data show that, in 2024, the total EU demand for advanced biofuels in transport was 5.3 Million tons of oil equivalent (Mtoe) (according to the SHARES database). This represents an increase of 1 Mtoe compared to 2023. This is about 30% of the total demand for biofuels in all transport modes. For comparison, the liquid fuel demand in road transport was 241 Mtoe in 2023, according to data reported by Eurostat. According to an ongoing modelling exercise, supporting also the quantification of the baseline of the Impact Assessment accompanying the proposal to amend the regulation on CO2 emission standards for cars and vans, a significant and growing share of biofuels used in road transport will be advanced biofuels. This is in line with the findings of the Impact Assessment supporting the 2040 Target Plan communication 2 , which states that ‘the use of biomass and waste is projected to increase by 30%’ and that ‘this evolution is mostly driven by advanced liquid biofuels and biomethane’. At the same time, the recently adopted Strategic Framework for a Competitive and Sustainable EU Bioeconomy 3 , adopted in November 2025, recognises that the availability of sustainable biomass remains finite and its use is most effective in hard-to-abate sectors. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02018L2001-20240716. 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52024SC0063. 3 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52025DC0960.”
  Road transport environmental policy · Biofuels (RED II)
• 2025-10-01 “E-003825/2025 Answer given by Mr Tzitzikostas on behalf of the European Commission 1. The policy of certain airlines to discontinue printed boarding passes in favour of smartphone-only boarding passes could raise issues of compatibility with relevant rules of the EU, notably as regards general consumer protection, accessibility and non-discrimination, depending on the way in which this policy is implemented. 2. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 1 does not address the question raised by the Honourable Member. As regards the European Accessibility Act 2 , this aims to ensure that all products and services in the EU are accessible to persons with disabilities, which could require that airlines offer reasonable accommodation for passengers who may not be able to use a smartphone for boarding. Banning printed boarding passes and making smartphone apps mandatory could also lead to discrimination against passengers who do not use smartphones, adversely affecting in particular older passengers, those with disabilities, or passengers from socioeconomic backgrounds where smartphone use is less common. 3. The Commission will monitor the situation and – within its competence – ensure that the relevant EU rules are duly respected. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2004/261/oj/eng. 2 Directive (EU) 2019/882 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on the accessibility requirements for products and services.”
  EU Competition policy · EU policy on aviation safety
• 2025-09-25 “E-003726/2025 Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission The EU is committed to reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, as enshrined in the European Climate Law 1 . Achieving these targets requires ambitious policies and decisive actions to ensure a swift and sufficient decrease in emissions across all sectors. This transition will bring co-benefits to air pollution and contribute to reducing Europe’s reliance on imported fossil fuels. To achieve these aims, the transport sector must reduce its emissions by 90% by 2050. The Fuel Quality Directive 98/70/EC 2 (FQD) establishes minimum quality requirements for petrol and diesel fuels placed on the EU market. Under the current provisions, the maximum permitted ethanol content in petrol is set at 10% (E10), thereby prohibiting the placing on the market of E20. The current Commission work programme does not envisage a revision of the FQD or an assessment of an introduction of E20. The EU-Mercosur agreement contains trade provisions that make it easier and cheaper for EU companies to import certain biofuel-related products from Mercosur countries (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay). Specifically, ethanol and ETBE (ethyl tertiary-butyl ether) are exempted from tariffs or subject to reduced tariffs. In addition, Mercosur countries commit to removing any export duties previously applied to these fuels. By facilitating imports of ethanol and ETBE, which are bio-based and lower-carbon alternatives to fossil fuels, the agreement can help decarbonise the transport sector faster. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52020PC0080. 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/1998/70/oj/eng.”
  Road transport environmental policy · Biofuels (RED II)
• 2025-09-16 “P-003560/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Séjourné on behalf of the European Commission The Industrial Action Plan for the European automotive sector 1 sets out measures to ensure the competitiveness of the industry in the green and digital transition. The third Strategic Dialogue on the future of the European automotive industry held on 12 September 2025 allowed to take stock of the implementation of the Action Plan and to discuss strategic questions. The Commission will further accelerate the implementation of the Action Plan to support the automotive industry. This will include measures to stimulate the demand for zeroemission vehicles, with a legislative proposal on corporate fleets, and measures to strengthen the supply chain in Europe, notably with the Battery Booster and EU content requirements to be developed through the Industrial Accelerator Act. Following a call for evidence and a public consultation on the review of the Regulation setting CO 2 emission standards for cars and vans 2 , the Commission will prepare an impact assessment and is committed to finalising the review by the end of the year. The new Small Affordable Cars initiative 3 is one of the measures to strengthen the business case for producing cars in Europe. The objective is to work on a supportive framework that will allow the European automotive industry to improve the business case to build small affordable electric cars profitably in Europe. This will require most likely a combination of different measures, which will be prepared in consultation with the relevant stakeholders. A need for direct financing from the EU budget has not yet been identified at this stage. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52025DC0095. 2 https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/14765-Revision-of-the-CO2-emissionstandards-for-cars-and-vans_en. 3 Announced by President Von der Leyen during the last State of the Union speech on 10 September 2025, https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_25_2053.”
  Road transport environmental policy · Corporate fleet electrification: binding zero-emission quotas vs. voluntary approach · Vehicle content rules: mandatory EU components vs. open global sourcing for carmakers
• 2025-08-25 “E-003287/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission In the Communication on the implementation of the EU 5G Toolbox 1 , the Commission assessed that Huawei (and ZTE) present materially higher risks than other 5G suppliers. The Commission has committed to avoiding exposure of its own corporate communications networks to mobile networks using these suppliers and to reflect this decision, in accordance with its competences under the respective governance rules, in all relevant EU funding programmes and instruments. The Commission also considered that Member States’ decisions to restrict or exclude these suppliers from 5G networks are justified and compliant with the 5G Toolbox. It urged all Member States to implement the Toolbox and take measures to mitigate the risks linked to these suppliers. The concerns surrounding Spain’s contract with Huawei, particularly regarding managing and storing judicial wiretaps data, involve key aspects of data protection governed by the Law Enforcement Directive 2 (LED), along with its national transposition. In particular, Article 4(1) (f) lays down principles relating to processing of personal data, including ensuring appropriate security of personal data processed for law enforcement purposes such as judicial wiretapping. Article 29 lays down further requirements such as preventing the unauthorised inspection, modification or deletion of stored personal data. The contract concluded by the Spanish Ministry of the Interior with Huawei can potentially create a dependency on a high-risk supplier in a critical and sensitive sector that would increase the risk of foreign interference. Therefore, adherence to the LED is crucial to preserving data integrity and security. 1 C(2023) 4049 final. 2 Directive (EU) 2016/680.”
  Surveillance equipment & spyware · EU law enforcement cooperation in criminal matters
• 2025-08-13 “P- 003230/2025 Answer given by Mr Dombrovskis on behalf of the European Commission In the Polish recovery and resilience plan 1 (RRP), the HoReCa (hotels, restaurants, catering) sector is supported by measure A1.2.1. The measure does not compensate firms for losses but aims to support the resilience of firms by encouraging upscaling and diversification of activities. The measure was included in the Council Implementing Decision (CID) adopted on 17 June 2022 (number 9728/22) 2 and was part of the Polish submission from 3 May 2021. The RRP was assessed as being in line with the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) Regulation 3 . Support for the HoReCa sector is not explicitly required by the Regulation, but is an option, provided it fits the objectives and conditions of the RRF. Measures to support the HoReCa sector are present in some, but not all, national RRP’s. Examples of Member States with HoReCa include Italy and Spain. The respective measures are being assessed by the Commission in the context of Member States’ payment requests and are subject to the RRF audit and control framework. Targets under measure A1.2.1 are part of the 6th and 9th instalments of the Polish RRP. So far Poland has not submitted payment requests for these instalments and the Commission has therefore not assessed the satisfactory fulfilment of the targets nor disbursed any funds for this measure. Any RRF disbursement requires a satisfactory fulfilment of the conditions set out in the CID in line with the RRF Regulation. In case of possible irregularities, the Commission may suspend all or part of the financial contribution (per Article 24), request recovery of funds already paid, and reduce future disbursements. 1 https://commission.europa.eu/business-economy-euro/economic-recovery/recovery-and-resilience-facility/countrypages/polands-recovery-and-resilience-plan_en. 2 https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/7120e605-3b02-11f0-8a44-01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 3 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/241/oj/eng.”
  Accounting and auditing of EU budget · Conditions to access EU budget
• 2025-07-03 “E-002732/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission The Digital Services Act 1 (DSA) sets new rules to protect minors online. Article 35 of the DSA, applicable to very large online platforms and very large online search engines, enlists age verification as a reasonable, proportionate and effective measure to mitigate systemic risks related to children's rights. The guidelines on protection of minors 2 under Article 28 indicate that providers of online platforms accessible to minors should adopt access restrictions supported by age verification in certain cases (e.g. access to pornographic content). The guidelines clarify that age assurance should be privacy-preserving and respect data protection principles established under the General Data Protection Regulation.3 On 11 February 2025, the European Data Protection Board adopted a statement on Age Assurance to ensure a consistent European approach to age assurance that complies with data protection principles. On 14 July 2025, the Commission released 2025 a blueprint for a user-friendly and privacypreserving age verification solution, building on state of the art privacy technology. 4 Based on the technical specifications of the EU Digital Identity Wallet, 5 which sets a global benchmark for privacy-preserving technology, this solution includes a template app allowing users to prove they are over 18 to access age-restricted services without sharing their exact age, identity or other personal information. When the user presents the proof of age, its issuer, such as an app provider, is not notified in any way. It is not possible to track, see or reconstruct what content the user is consulting. Proofs are issued in batches, and no proof of age is used more than once. Hence, it is also not possible to do any kind of cross-site tracking by online services. 1 Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act) https://eurlex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/2065/oj/eng. 2 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/commission-publishes-guidelines-protection-minors. 3 Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj/eng. 4 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-makes-available-age-verification-blueprint. 5 https://ec.europa.eu/digital-buildingblocks/sites/display/EUDIGITALIDENTITYWALLET/EU+Digital+Identity+Wallet+Home.”
  Privacy & detection of online child abuse · Safety features & content control for child protection online · Electronic identity
• 2025-06-26 “E-002591/2025 Answer given by Mr Hansen on behalf of the European Commission 1. Following the publication in the Official Journal of the Union of the application for registration of ‘Döner’ as Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG) the Commission received many oppositions. Therefore, the procedure was longer than usual. At the end of the opposition procedure the applicant and the opponents did not reach an agreement. The Commission has now to decide on the registration, in the light of all the elements that have been submitted by the applicant and by the opponents. 2. The application concerns the name ‘Döner’. If ‘Döner’ is registered as TSG that name will have to be used within the EU only with reference to a product that complies with the product specification of ‘Döner’ TSG. 3. As mentioned in (1), many Member States opposed to registration of ‘Döner’ as a TSG. The opposition procedure was concluded without an agreement. The Commission has now to decide on the registration, in the light of all the elements that have been submitted by the applicant and by the opponents.”
  EU framework for voluntary quality and sustainability terms in food marketing
• 2025-05-27 “E-002124/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Fitto on behalf of the European Commission The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) invests to strengthen the competitive position of and create jobs in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), irrespective of whether those investments are geared towards innovation, digitalisation or the green transition. Micro-enterprises are included in the definition of SMEs. In the case of funds under shared management like the ERDF, it is up to the national and regional managing authorities to launch calls and select projects. They can decide to launch calls specifically focussing on micro enterprises. As for monitoring and analysis, the Commission monitors support for SMEs under cohesion policy. In the period 2021-2027, more than EUR 23 billion of EU support under the ERDF has been planned to go to strengthening of SME’s growth and competitiveness. Simplification is a key priority for this Commission. Under cohesion policy, the Commission promotes the use of tools like Simplified Cost Options (SCOs) and Financing Not Linked to Costs (FNLC). SCOs are an innovative way of reimbursing grants under cohesion policy: instead of reimbursing ’real costs’, SCOs allow the reimbursement of expenditure according to pre-defined methods based on process, outputs or results. Thus, when SCOs are used, it is not necessary to trace every euro of co-financed expenditure to individual supporting documents. Almost EUR 110 billion of the cohesion policy budget, i.e. 21% of the total, is expected to be reimbursed in 2021-2027 through SCOs and FNLC by the end of the programming period. Under InvestEU, the Commission is deploying together with the European Investment Fund the competitiveness guarantee product which is facilitating general access to finance for SMEs and micro-enterprises in particular.”
  Cohesion and rural funding
• 2025-05-16 “E-001976/2025 Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission The Commission continues to work on revising the Tobacco Tax Directive. The upcoming revision is based on an impact assessment and public consultations in line with the principles of Better Regulation. The Commission is assessing a number of options in line with the Council conclusions of June 2020 on the structure and rates of excise duty applied to manufactured tobacco. Harmonisation of excise duties on tobacco products necessitates careful consideration of public health and fiscal objectives, while respecting national competences. The Commission is committed to supporting Member States in line with the objectives of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan 1 . 1 https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/promoting-our-european-waylife/european-health-union/cancer-plan-europe_en.”
  Smoking regulation · Heated tobacco products · Electronic cigarettes
• 2025-04-09 “E-001434/2025 Answer given by Ms Roswall on behalf of the European Commission 1. Under the current EU legal framework, it is for the national authorities in the Member States to assess and, if necessary, to monitor the impact of individual windfarms on the environment and protected species. The Commission is not aware of any EU-funded wind energy investments being suspended. 2. To the Commission’s best knowledge, the share of windfarms that has been subject to court fines for environmental damages is extremely marginal, which does not support the idea that electricity prices in Europe could have been influenced by such fines. 3. For Natura 2000 sites, in line with the relevant provisions under the Habitats Directive 1 , it is for the national authorities in the Member States to determine, on a case-by-case basis, the adverse impacts of a new windfarm development 2 . A similar case-by-case approach would also need to be applied when assessing possible environmental impacts on other valuable nature sites, nature reserves, parks or forests. The Commission has adopted a recommendation 3 and guidance 4 on permitting for renewable energy projects, which stresses the necessity to identify likely significant effects on the environment and measures envisaged to prevent, reduce and offset them as much as possible. In the recommendation, the Commission stated that Member States ‘should provide clear and transparent information with reasoned justification on restrictions related to distance to housing and military or civil aviation zones’. 1 Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora, OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7–50. 2 Guidance document: Directorate-General for Environment, Guidance document on wind energy developments and EU nature legislation, Publications Office of the European Union, 2020, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2779/457035. 3 Commission Recommendation (EU) 2024/1343 of 13 May 2024 on speeding up permit-granting procedures for renewable energy and related infrastructure projects, C/2024/2660, OJ L, 2024/1343. 4 https://energy.ec.europa.eu/document/download/ad850f73-ab84-4ce1-9e667430f8f0c7e5_en?filename=SWD_2024_124_1_EN_autre_document_travail_service_part1_v3.pdf.”
  EU policy on permitting for renewable energy projects
• 2025-03-11 “E-001044/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission The conduct and the organisation of elections are the competence and responsibility of the Member States, in accordance with their national constitutional and legislative rules, while respecting their international obligations and EU law. The Digital Services Act (DSA 1 ) requires providers of very large online platforms (VLOPs) and very large online search engines (VLOSEs) to assess and mitigate systemic risks linked to electoral processes and civic discourse while protecting fundamental rights, including the freedom of expression 2 . The Commission issued guidelines for VLOPs and VLOSEs on the mitigation of systemic risks for electoral processes, which recommend different options for mitigation measures 3 . The Digital Services Coordinators (DSCs) coordinate work at national level with the aim of ensuring compliance with the DSA, including during electoral periods. The European Board for Digital Services, composed of the DSCs, compiled a DSA Elections Toolkit 4 aiming to support DSCs in this task. DSCs can namely organise election roundtables to facilitate information sharing between relevant stakeholders such as online platforms and civil society organisations. If requested by the DSCs, the Commission may provide support in this exercise, as it did ahead a number of recent national elections. These roundtables are not public and it is for the DSCs to decide and communicate on what was discussed or who participated. The Commission has so far not received any request from the Polish DSC and is therefore currently not involved in a potential roundtable in Poland. 1 Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act), OJ L 277, 27.10.2022, p. 1–102 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/2065/oj/eng. 2 Articles 34 and 35 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065. 3 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52024XC03014&qid=1714466886277. 4 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/dsa-elections-toolkit-digital-services-coordinators.”
  Disinformation & online freedoms · EU Supervision of the Rule of Law
• 2025-03-03 “E-000889/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Ribera on behalf of the European Commission The Commission's preliminary review into potential distortions in the internal market linked to potential foreign subsidies in the wind sector is ongoing. At this stage, it is too early to draw any conclusions. Critical technologies used in connected and automated vehicles (CAV) could have cybersecurity associated risks. They can potentially be remotely accessed and manipulated. They can also potentially collect and store sensitive data about citizens, infrastructure, and external environments which could be exposed to malicious actors. Member States, together with the Commission and European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), are currently working on a risk assessment on CAV within the framework of Article 22 of the Network and Information Systems (NIS) 2 Directive with the objective to identify and assess cybersecurity risks posed by those vehicles, taking into account both technical and non-technical factors. The risk assessment will be finalised in the coming months. The Commission is taking steps to ensure that the deployment of energy from renewable sources includes appropriate cybersecurity risk management measures. Article 26(1)(a)(ii) of the Regulation (EU) 2024/1735 on establishing a framework of measures for strengthening Europe’s net-zero technology manufacturing 1 provides that auctions to deploy renewable energy sources shall include pre-qualification criteria related to cybersecurity and data security. Additionally, the Commission is conducting a cybersecurity risk assessment for wind energy infrastructure, in collaboration with the industry, following Action 5 mentioned in the Wind Power Action Plan 2 . 1 Regulation (EU) 2024/1735 of 13 June 2024 on establishing a framework of measures for strengthening Europe’s Net-Zero Technology manufacturing ecosystem and amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 (Net-Zero Industry Act). 2 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the regions - European wind power action plan, (COM/2023/669 final).”
  EU policy on screening foreign investment in strategic sectors and critical infrastructure · Chinese clean tech competition: trade barriers and investment caps vs. open market
• 2025-02-25 “E-000836/2025 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission The EU policy vis-à-vis Iran is outlined in the Council conclusions of December 2022 1 and is complemented by the European Council conclusions of March 2024 2 , April 2024 3 and October 2024 4 . EU Foreign Ministers discussed Iran in the Council most recently in March 2025 under the chairmanship of the High Representative/Vice-President. The EU will use all tools at its disposal to react to issues of concern with Iran, including the adoption of new restrictive measures (‘sanctions’), which are decided by the Council of the European Union. The EU has listed more than 500 Iran-related individuals and entities under different sanctions regimes 5 . Those sanctioned are subject to a travel ban (individuals) and an asset freeze (both individuals and entities). Moreover, EU individuals and entities are prohibited from making funds or economic resources available to those listed. Finally, a number of sectoral restrictions apply, which prevent Iranian individuals and entities from procuring certain sensitive items 6 . At the same time, the EU is committed to avoiding and mitigating any potential unintended impacts of EU sanctions on humanitarian action. Food, medicine and other emergency supplies do not fall under EU sanctions. 1 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/12/12/iran-council-approves-conclusions/ 2 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/70880/euco-conclusions-2122032024.pdf 3 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2024/04/18/european-council-conclusions-onukraine-and-turkiye/ 4 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/2pebccz2/20241017-euco-conclusions-en.pdf 5 E.g. Restrictive measures in view of Iran’s military support to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and to armed groups and entities in the Middle East and the Red Sea region; restrictive measures in relation to the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; restrictive measures in relation to serious human rights violations in Iran; restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. 6 E.g. An embargo on equipment which may be used for internal repression and on equipment that may be used to monitor or intercept the internet and telephone communications on mobile or fixed networks; the arms embargo, restrictive measures related to missile technology, restrictions on certain nuclear-related transfers and activities, and provisions concerning certain metals and software which are subject to an authorisation regime.”
  EU-Iran relations · Disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons · EU-Russia relations (from March 2022)
• 2025-02-11 “P-000611/2025 Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission 1. Under the EU emissions trading system (ETS), soda ash producers are considered to be carbon leakage sectors and so have their competitiveness supported through higher free allowances. The Commission is working with third countries for the wider establishment of carbon pricing, including with Türkiye which is in the process of adopting national legislation. 2. The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) puts a price that mirrors the EU ETS on the embedded carbon emissions of imported goods under its scope, and aims to encourage cleaner imports into the EU. A study on a potential scope extension of the CBAM is ongoing and the chemicals sector is part of this assessment. 3. For the period 2021-2027, potential redundancies in the Qemetica Soda Polska plant in Janikowo could be supported through the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF), if a Member State applies and the criteria defined in the Regulation 1 are fulfilled. In addition, the Commission uses trade defense instruments to tackle unfairly dumped or subsidised imports of such products harming EU producers. EU industry suffering because of unfairly traded imports should contact the complaints office of Directorate-General for Trade (DG Trade) for advice 2 . 1 Regulation (EU) 2021/691 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021 on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF) and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013, OJ L 153, 3.5.2021, p. 48–70: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2021.153.01.0048.01.ENG 2 trade-defence-complaints@ec.europa.eu”
  Climate efforts · Trade relations with Turkey · Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
• 2025-02-11 “E-000626/2025 Answer given by Mr Serafin on behalf of the European Commission The Staff Regulations 1 prohibit discrimination based on any ground and promote equal opportunities. In the new mandate, the Commission will continue to improve recruitment and talent management to attract and retain a skilled, diverse, versatile, and motivated workforce 2 . As part of its Human Resources Strategy 3 , the Commission is working on attracting and catering for the needs of diverse staff, including people with disabilities, and aims for a discrimination free and accessible workplace. The Diversity and inclusion in the workplace action plan 2023-2024 4 includes more targeted actions in this area. The European Personnel Selection Office and the Commission provide support to candidates with medical conditions and offer reasonable accommodation 5 . Fostering access to quality and sustainable jobs is one of the priorities of the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 6 . The Commission cooperates with stakeholders focusing on specific disabilities, and financially supports organisations such as Autism Europe. The Commission also takes into account the European Parliament Resolution of 4 October 2023 on harmonising the rights of autistic persons 7 in its action. 1 OJ L 56, 4.3.1968, p. 1. 2 https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/58e66b7e-850f-439f-b448652cc4f6743e_en?filename=mission-letter-serafin.pdf. 3 C(2022) 2229 final, 5.4.2022. 4 https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/196676b9-9b29-4034-84cad75d3cd5912c_en?filename=fact-sheet-diversity-inclusion-in-workplace-action-plan-2023-2024_en_0.pdf. 5 C(2004)1318, 07.04.2004; https://eu-careers.europa.eu/en/selection-procedure/equal-opportunities-diversityinclusion. 6 COM/2021/101 final, 3.3.2021. 7 P9_TA(2023)0343.”
  Recruitment policies in the EU · EU policy on disability inclusion & accessibility
• 2025-01-16 “E-000182/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Ribera on behalf of the European Commission 1. Based on the limited information available to the Commission, it is not possible to assess whether such data-collecting activity may infringe the EU competition rules. This would require an in-depth investigation of all the facts of the case which may require, for example, the definition of the relevant market(s), Volkswagen Group’s position on the market(s), and the conditions under which the data is collected. 2. When personal data are processed, controllers must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 1 . This includes the obligation to comply with principles related to the processing of personal data, including data minimisation, storage limitation and integrity and confidentiality 2 . Controllers are required to implement technical and organisational measures to ensure a level of data protection and security appropriate to the risk of processing 3 . The GDPR lays down obligations for controllers in the event of a personal data breach, including the obligation to inform the competent national supervisory authority and, where the data breach is likely to result in a high risk, the data subject 4 . In 2020, the European Data Protection Board issued guidelines concerning the application of the GDPR to connected vehicles 5 . 3. Without prejudice to the competences of the Commission as guardian of the Treaties, the enforcement of the GDPR in individual cases lies primarily with the competent national supervisory authorities and courts, who would be well placed to answer these specific questions. 1 Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation), OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, p. 1-88. 2 Article 5(1) GDPR. 3 Articles 25 and 32 GDPR. 4 Articles 33 and 34 GDPR. 5 Guidelines 01/2020 on processing personal data in the context of connected vehicles and mobility related applications, https://edpb.europa.eu/our-work-tools/our-documents/guidelines/guidelines-012020-processingpersonal-data-context_en”
  Privacy & digital economy
• 2025-01-15 “E-000131/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission acknowledges Poland’s efforts to align its legislation with the Digital Services Act (DSA) 1 . Commission takes note of the information available to it regarding the proposed amendments to the Electronic Services Act to establish an administrative procedure allowing the President of the Office of Electronic Communications (UKE) to issue removal orders against certain types of illegal content aiming to ensure a swift and predictable response to uphold legal standards. At this stage of draft legislation, the Commission has not performed a formal assessment of their compatibility with EU law which would take place in the context of the notification requirements set out in the Single Market Transparency Directive 2 . The DSA does not empower national authorities to issue orders against illegal content but acknowledges that they may do so based on other applicable national or EU laws. When such orders fulfil the conditions set out in Article 9 of the DSA, this Regulation sets out an obligation for the providers concerned to inform the issuing authority of any effect given to those orders. The absence of content authors’ involvement prevents delays but must be complemented by fair appeal mechanisms allowing the affected provider and users to seek redress. The DSA sets out clear independence criteria that the President of the Office of Electronic Communications as Digital Services Coordinator under the DSA needs to abide by. The Commission will remain vigilant concerning compliance with the transparency requirements for Digital Services Coordinators under the DSA. 1 Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act), OJ L 277, 27.10.2022, p. 1–102: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/2065/oj/eng 2 Directive (EU) 2015/1535 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 September 2015 laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical regulations and of rules on Information Society services OJ L 241, 17.9.2015, p. 1–15: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2015/1535/oj/eng”
  Digital platforms liability for harmful and illegal content · Disinformation & online freedoms
• 2024-12-11 “E-002854/2024 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Ribera on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is aware of the economic and social challenges that coal regions, including in Poland, face in view of the transition towards climate neutrality. The Just Transition Mechanism accompanied with the Just Transition Fund 1 or the Coal regions in transition Initiative 2 , among other initiatives, aim to ensure that the transition leaves no one behind and to support the economic diversification and reconversion of the territories concerned by the transition. The mentioned report has been written by external authors as part of the Commission’s Coal regions in transition Initiative 3 . As a general rule, such reports, if written by consultants, cannot be considered as representing the views of the Commission or its official position. As regards public support for the Polish mining industry, the Commission is in close and constructive contact with the Polish authorities. The Commission is neither in a position to comment further on the content of such discussion, nor can it predict the timing or outcome. Pursuant to Article 263 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the Court of Justice has jurisdiction to review the legality of acts of the Commission. 1 Regulation (EU) 2021/1056 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 establishing the Just Transition Fund (OJ L 231, 30.6.2021, p. 1). 2 For more information see: https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/clean-energy-transition/eu-coal-regionstransition_en 3 The Secretariat for Technical Assistance to Regions in Transition, which is made up of a consortium of external actors, listed here: https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/carbon-management-and-fossil-fuels/eu-coal-regionstransition_en#the-secretariat”
  Energy (green transition)
• 2024-10-29 “E-002292/2024 Answer given by Mr Tzitzikostas on behalf of the European Commission The Commission acknowledges the potential inconvenience and confusion for passengers which result from the many different hand luggage policies in place at different airlines and for different classes of tickets, while noting that airlines’ practice of unbundling products allows them to offer lower basic fares to consumers. The Air Services Regulation 1 provides for pricing freedom of air carriers, and also requires that the final price (including unavoidable and foreseeable taxes, fees and charges) must at all times be indicated. Safety rules require minors to sit either next to or within one row from an adult with whom they are travelling, and compliance with safety rules should not be subject to additional charges. The Commission notes that the charge for infants seated on an adult’s lap is typically much lower than a full adult fare and includes the carriage of equipment such as pushchairs and infant car seats in the hold of the aircraft. The Commission has called upon the airline industry to engage fully with other relevant stakeholders to establish common industry standards on the weight and dimensions of hand luggage, for example in the letter 2 from the Commissioner for Transport dated 6 December 2023. The Commission services continue to work with all stakeholders, including passenger representatives, towards a sector-wide solution. A review of the Air Services Regulation was announced in the 2020 Commission Work Programme and will be put forward in the current mandate. It could include inter alia possible measures to improve price transparency, providing greater clarity on what constitute ‘unavoidable and foreseeable’ price elements. 1 Regulation (EC) 1008/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules for the operation of air services in the Community (Recast). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32008R1008 2 https://transport.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-12/Open_letter_Commissioner_Valean_hand_luggage_202306-12_0.pdf”
  EU policy on aviation safety
• 2024-10-29 “E-002295/2024 Answer given by Mr Šefčovič on behalf of the European Commission On 6 December 2024, in the margin of the Mercosur Summit in Montevideo, the EU and Mercosur countries reached a political agreement concluding the negotiations of the EUMercosur agreement. The Commission conducted the negotiations based on an authorisation from the Council. The EU focus in the negotiations has been to ensure that the agreement delivers on the EU’s sustainability goals, while respecting the EU’s sensitivities in the agricultural sector. Throughout the negotiations, the Commission has also been regularly meeting representatives of farmers’ organisations to discuss both opportunities and challenges of the agreement for EU producers. The EU is the world’s largest exporter of agricultural and food products, and EU farmers largely benefit from trade agreements, with an increasing trade surplus (about EUR 70 billion in 2023). Mercosur is a highly protected market with real economic potential for increased exports of EU agri-food such as olive oil, malt, some fruit and vegetables, wines, spirits, nonalcoholic beverages and processed foods such as chocolates or biscuits. Regarding sensitive EU agricultural products, the EU has negotiated limited concessions in the form of tariff rate quotas that represent a small fraction of EU consumption. These partial openings will be introduced in gradual stages to allow for a smooth transition. They will be coupled with safeguard clauses to protect the EU market in case of serious injury caused by Mercosur imports. The Commission believes that those mechanisms will safeguard and protect the interests of EU farmers. Still, in case the implementation of the deal would result in market disturbances, the Commission stands ready to support farmers.”
  GMOs
• 2024-09-18 “E-001750/2024 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Vestager On behalf of the European Commission Under Article 56 of the Digital Services Act (DSA) 1 , the Commission has powers to supervise and enforce the Regulation in relation to designated providers of very large online platforms and search engines. Since the DSA does not regulate content nor individual content moderation decisions 2 but rather the systems and processes online platforms have in place, these powers do not cover specific content moderations actions. Codes of conduct are voluntary commitments within the framework of the DSA. Pursuant to Article 45(2) of the DSA, the drawing up of such codes may involve a broad array of stakeholders, as well as a regular reporting framework on any measures taken and their outcome. The Commission is a facilitator of these processes but does not intervene on individual content moderation decisions. Under the DSA, records of all interactions with very large online platforms and very large online search engines are kept as part of the relevant case files. Article 84 of the DSA regulates the professional secrecy of information acquired and exchanged. Article 79 of the DSA regulates the providers’ access to case files in case the Commission issues preliminary findings regarding a potential infringement, while Article 80 of that Regulation requires the Commission to publish certain decisions taken in the enforcement of the DSA. 1 Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/2065/oj 2 That is a matter for specific laws and the courts to determine, same as for offline content.”
  Disinformation & online freedoms · Digital platforms liability for harmful and illegal content
• “Madam chairman, the fact that the agreement will be approved is evidence of the fact that even though some don't like Trump, we need to talk to Americans and we need to maintain relations in the spirit of business as usual. America is a very important market for our carriers, for our airlines. We should therefore be less emotional when it comes to the behavior of the administration in 2024. We had more than 70 million passengers. This is the scale of this agreement. So I think that the next step within this agreement should be the implementation of the rules on the passenger protection, especially when it comes to flights managed by carriers from outside of the European Union. At this moment, the protection is available only if a flight takes off at an airport which is located in the European Union, and a European passenger should be protected in the same way, whether they take off from Europe using the European airlines or American ones. Thank you very much.”
  EU-US trade relations
• “Thank you. President. Ladies and gentlemen, I think it's wonderful that after just six months, we seem to be debating plans to deregulate and simplify almost every week. I'm delighted to see that the commission is trying to align its ideas with reality. If it is to do something, it should do that. Rather than focusing on doing away with plastic straws and similar measures. Cutting red tape. Doing away with bureaucracy is important. And there's something else which also needs to be cut and abolished. It has a colour in its name. I'm talking about the European Green New Deal. The problem with these policies is the costs of this are enormous. In my own constituency, with a whole series of plants, including chemical plants, plants which are likely to be closed down. This would lead to the closure of a whole series of subcontractors and suppliers and my constituency risk constituency.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• “Thank you very much. I would like to thank Madame de Moser for having prepared this report and for her constructive report in discussing it. There is absolutely no one is this room who does not consider the good of children. Uh, an absolute good. We some of us are parents, some of us are grandparents. And the average age of an MEP is 50 years. So usually we are the people who did not play video games, who did not have smartphones or access to the internet when we were children. But we should try to understand. Although I must say, as politicians, sometimes we fail to understand what is happening. Parents of minors are 20 plus, 30 plus or 40 years old. So they grew up playing video games. They grew up with access to the internet. They may still continue playing video games with their children. Young parents are very well aware of what tools are available to protect their children online. We can try to make it easier for them to protect their children, but we should not be under a false impression that EU legislation is going to protect children for them and is going to replace them. We allow parents to decide whether they want to buy hamburgers or chips for their children. It is their decisions. We cannot forbid for parents to buy additional contact content in video games for them. We can also not introduce obligatory verification of identity in those places where content is not strictly for adults only. So we need to create a balanced, marriage based approach and that is adapted to the current reality. Thank you.”
  Safety features & content control for child protection online
• “Madam chairman, the fact that the agreement will be approved is evidence of the fact that even though some don't like Trump, we need to talk to Americans and we need to maintain relations in the spirit of business as usual. America is a very important market for our carriers, for our airlines. We should therefore be less emotional when it comes to the behavior of the administration in 2024. We had more than 70 million passengers. This is the scale of this agreement. So I think that the next step within this agreement should be the implementation of the rules on the passenger protection, especially when it comes to flights managed by carriers from outside of the European Union. At this moment, the protection is available only if a flight takes off at an airport which is located in the European Union, and a European passenger should be protected in the same way, whether they take off from Europe using the European airlines or American ones. Thank you very much.”
  EU policy on aviation safety
• “Ladies and gentlemen, first they were proud declarations from the commission. We will ban the combustion engine cars from 2035. When we asked whether the industry would be able to keep up and whether the Europeans would be able to afford it, we were told that it didn't matter because the planet was burning more ambitions. Not only did Brussels build a gallows for the car industry, which once was pioneering and innovative, but now it also invited China to help tie the noose and then tighten it. And now that the industry is hanging on the gallows, the commission admits that something has gone wrong. But as a solution to the problem, it proposes to paint the gallows green and wants to pass on the costs of its construction to businesses. Ladies and gentlemen, the gallows must be dismantled while our industry is still breathing. We demand a complete withdrawal of the ban on the sale of new combustion engine cars. The Green Deal kills Angelika Niebler.”
  Road transport environmental policy
• “It is a pleasure to welcome the ministers from Poland and the Transport Committee. I have a question or two to Minister Klimczak. You have mentioned multi-modal transport in the context of a passenger transport, but multimodal transport is the best way to cut costs to protect the environment. It is a priority in every document adopted by the European Commission. I think the president knows about it very well, but in Poland we are doing away with such a project. For Project. For example, in my region, um, there is an investment in a multi-modal terminal in Emelianov that has been stopped. And a lot is being said about, uh, postponing, um, forever, yet another similar type of investment project in Poland. Why doesn't the Ministry of Transport want to invest in environmentally friendly, multimodal terminals, contrary to EU logic and contrary to what the presidency says in general? This is the first question and the second one is as follows. We have a problem with parking places in Europe drivers, although according to the law they should find decent parking places that are safe. On the one hand, uh, for um, the goods that they transport. On the other hand, for themselves, they should be able to take a shower and to rest adequately. We do not have enough such spots. Such places in Europe, and it is not possible to fight against this problem without the participation of European funds. Does the presidency have any ideas how to counteract this and how to fight for a decent workplace for the drivers? There has been talk about it in the EU for quite some time now, but there's only talk and not much is being done. Um, this hardly, uh, many of them in Europe.”
  EU transport infrastructure integration
• “Mr. president, ladies and gentlemen, I think we all agree that the single market is one of the most important projects in the EU. So the EU, instead of dealing with things it shouldn't be dealing with, like the absurd Green Deal policy, which gives us more problems than tangible effects. The EU should focus on developing of the single market. And there are many areas where the single market still is not functioning fully. For instance, services, digital services, geo blocking, for instance, is one of the major pains for any person who travels throughout Europe. You go outside of your country and then it turns out you no longer have access to your favorite TV show. Because in a given country, no license for that was ever given. This is about a trivial example, but the problem is much more serious. Geo blocking undermines the principle of free movement of services and goods. If our single market is to be something more just empty words, we have to do away with this.”
  Geo-blocking
• “Mr. president, when it comes to developing innovation, you don't only need money, but above all, clear rules and regulations which do not discourage investors from investing and taking risks. Unfortunately, this is an area where the European Union notoriously loses out to global competition. And this is why the deregulation announced by the Commission cannot remain mere empty words and further slogans. It has to be based on fact. The withdrawal from future work on the AI liability directive, I think, is going to be the best proof of honest intentions in this sector. The commission withdrew about four months ago in all areas that, ladies and gentlemen, I think of the economy. Then the European Union has to move away from subordinating policies to ideological ideological goals. And this concerns industry, transport, agriculture, but also new technologies. And it's only in this way that we are going to get ourselves back onto the path of development. Thank you.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• “We.Are moving from horse-drawn vehicles to cars that took over 100 years, and we want to carry out our electric revolution in ten years with a view to protecting the climate. We know that the legacy of the French Revolution, other revolutions, etc. that took quite a long time. But I do have a question for the Commission. Let us assume that we achieve this objective, and we do have clean mobility. In about ten years time, will we have a better climate? Can you perhaps tell me how many degrees on average the global temperature will come down, thanks to the fact that in ten years time we will have clean mobility. We're already paying for our clean mobility. What about HGVs? Lorries? Where it's not possible to replace conventional lorries with E lorries, it is just not possible to pay for this kind of transport. This is unrealistic. Well, revolutions are up until now have led to a collapse and this will also lead to the collapse of European industry, the European automotive industry. Thank you.”
  Road transport environmental policy
• “A president. Ladies and gentlemen, we are now negotiating regulation 261 about the rights of passengers in aviation. And the council is blocking all proposals from the council that would raise the level of protection with the same argument. It will reduce the profitability of European air carriers. And they are right, because airlines are a business and they need to make money. That is the principle of the market. But it's not the right to compensation that is problematic. The free spot for a child next to the parents, or the possibility to take a pram on board or a wheelchair on board. But it's the costs incurred by our carriers are increasing because of our environmental policy and requirements on the sustainable fuels. This is the problem. I spoke about this in this chamber back in 2022 when I was criticizing the objectives. They are increasing the prices of European carriers and they are transferring those into tickets bought by passengers. We need to change those unrealistic objectives because they are unachievable for airlines or for the fuel industry. We need to show courage to give up on goals which destabilise our aviation market, lower the competitiveness of our airlines, increase the prices of tickets and indirectly they also harm the level of protection of passengers. The Green Deal kills.”
  Decarbonisation of aviation sector
• “Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sitting here and I'm just listening to it, listening to you. And I don't understand anything. We are we do produce sustainable fuel SAF with the same chemical composition of conventional fuels. And then we burn them and we get the same result. Yet SAF is sustainable and other fuels are not suffer. Fuels cost 300 to 400% more than coff caff caff fuels. So we need to figure out a system which would support the burning of the more expensive fuel and make it less expensive. Well, this cannot be done. You cannot square the circle. Not even with certificates. This is a road to nowhere. This is a path that leads us to a catastrophe.”
  Decarbonisation of aviation sector
• “Yes. Thank you very much, president. Ladies and gentlemen. Children are our pride and joy and our future. We would all agree that they have to be protected from the pathologies, from pathologies, including online. Internet is like the forest. You can explore it. You can relax there, you can spend time with others. But in the forest, just like on the internet, there are dangers and it is easy to get lost in both of these places. And nobody would imagine that children would be safe there without the care of their parents. And in both cases there is a need for education. There is a need for awareness of the threats and dangers and responsibility, and not another helping of union bureaucracy. The idea that the commission can ban the use of social media top down is runs counter to the principle of subsidiarity. These decisions have to be taken as close as possible to the citizen in the Member States. We have to teach our children how to use technology safely, and only then will parents and grandparents be able to sleep soundly.”
  Safety features & content control for child protection online
• “Thank you to the two chairs for co-chairing this meeting and organizing the hearing, even if it's a little late for Imco, but it's better late than never as far as Imco is concerned. I've got a question for Borisov. Mikulski. I have the impression that we both agree that if we want to impose a legal age for access to online media across Europe, that it would not be the best solution, both in terms of practicality and legality. Personally speaking, what counts for me is recognizing that there is no authority at EU level, so it cannot intervene in the affairs of member states despite the ambitions of certain politicians and bureaucrats. But I would like to know your opinion. As an expert who is campaigning for online safety of children for years, I have certain doubts, certain fears. I think that Its users will be able to bypass all of these checks very quickly, and the identity and age check will, in fact, be detrimental to our online safety because it will create databases full of sensitive information which enemy powers can access without too much difficulty. I think. That is the potential downside. I think some people think, oh, you ban video games until 15 and then everything will be okay. No, I think the problem is that you is going to be solved by education of children, parents, grandparents, educators. They need to know how to safely use this technology, how to recognize its pitfalls and actively respond to the dangers and also effectively draw attention of children to these dangers. And without those skills, they'll get lost in the digital world.”
  Safety features & content control for child protection online
• “Yes. Thank you very much. The only mistake we see here is the actually purpose or objective. It says clean mobility. It should say perhaps cleaner mobility. Clean mobility means that we want to achieve certain objectives and in ten years time only have EV vehicles. So we're looking ahead. I don't know how many years, but.”
  Road transport environmental policy
• “Dear Chair, ladies and gentlemen, after the negotiations so far, we see clearly that the issue of protecting the minors is a topic that unites us all, but on the other hand, it also divides us. We all agree about the need to make the internet a safer place, especially for children, but we differ in terms of views on how to achieve that objective. But it is in diversity that we find our strength. We represent different countries, different cultural traditions, and different upbringing practices. The consolidated EU system does not see those national nuances, but there is something that unites us, which is the family, which is the most important element of our societies in all the countries. It is the parents that impact the conditions and the patterns that the children are taught at home. It is the parents who are the most important keepers of the good of their children. That is why I don't understand the amendments that are rejected and that underline the key role of parents in terms of protecting their children on the web. I am against all the European norms regulating how long children should be permitted to stay on the web or when they should be able to have an account set up on Facebook and other portals. It is the parents that should decide that. The state or the EU should not interfere with the ways children are brought up, and the EU should not have the possibility to verify our identities on the internet and also verify what content we are watching. This would be mere censorship. Of course, one can add more and more obligations on social platforms, but even the most important safeguards and blockades will not be sufficient if children are clever enough and able to circumvent them, and they normally are. Ladies and gentlemen, we need fewer top-down obligations and prohibitions. We should place more trust in families and in the children and parents that they do the best that is for their children. Thank you very much.”
  Safety features & content control for child protection online
• “Thank you very much. I will try to be very brief during the debate on the DSA. I also pointed out that there may be some elements in this document, in this law, which may allow censorship. And indeed we see the report by the Congress, by the American Congress that Brussels tried to influence content published on American portals. Ladies and gentlemen, we have the DSA. We have the AI act, we have other regulations. And at the same time, Mr. Gozi would not be able to Boast of his achievements to American voters. It is the Americans that have the technology that they have these companies, which means that the European that European law doesn't work very well. Why? Why has no one in Europe come up with the idea to create another Facebook. Now we cannot complain that President Trump. Uses such visa bans and other sanctions. You can use the internet also in your homes. You don't have to go to the US to do that. When I read about the monitoring of by civil society, this reminds me of communism in Poland, where scouts were monitoring what was being published in papers.”
  Disinformation & online freedoms
• “Thank you very much. I will try to be very brief during the debate on the DSA, I also pointed out that there may be some elements in this document, in this law which may allow censorship. And indeed we see the report by the Congress, by the American Congress that Brussels tried to influence content published on American portals. Ladies and gentlemen, we have the DSA. We have the AI act. We have other regulations. And at the same time, Mr. Gozi would not be able to Boast of his achievements to American voters. It is the Americans that have the technology that they have these companies, which means that the European that European law doesn't work very well. Why? Why has no one in Europe come up with the idea to create another Facebook. Now we cannot complain that President Trump. Uses such visa bans and other sanctions. You can use the internet also in your homes. You don't have to go to the US to do that. When I read about the monitoring of by civil society, this reminds me of communism in Poland, where scouts were monitoring what was being published in papers.”
  Disinformation & online freedoms
• “Ladies and gentlemen. Well organised public transport is the way for people to get to school, to work, to the doctor safely. This is the way to deal with transport exclusion, which is a serious problem in many European regions. That means investing in road and rail infrastructure. We have European rail vehicle manufacturers, not least in my own home town of Bydgoszcz, which where they manufacture railway carriages and trams. In the new multiannual financial framework, there should be resources for local authorities and regions which want to invest in public transport and public transport, vehicles and infrastructure made in Europe. That for that we should be supporting our own industry.”
  EU funding for transportation
• “Europe must become more enterprising, not more bureaucratic enterprises. Businesses must be able to grow. Don't forget, the average company in Europe is a small and medium sized company, but they are caught up in a jungle of red tape. I think we should take the needs of SMEs as our starting point. I'd like to ask the commission whether it's willing to put forward the idea of think small first in European legislation. I am not in favour of a double position. Csr could have been part of our legislation for many years. We also have implementing rules via national contact points. What does the Commission intend to do so as to ensure that existing international agreements, such as the Us-eu directive, can be a starting point? This is a good first step, but a lot more has to be done. We have our work cut out. We have to ensure that our businesses and our entrepreneurs can have trust in legislation and are willing to invest.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• “President Commissioner. For months, Poland has been warning about spoofing over the Baltic and the growing threat that represents for civil aviation and maritime traffic, as well as for our town, Bydgoszcz. We've also talked about the need to reinforce monitoring and defense systems. What's happened today is another form of Russian aggression. Russia has violated our airspace. Doesn't. More drones were shot down by the army over Poland? And congratulations to our soldiers for their effective action. Russia is ever more brazen and is going beyond yet another red line. We've got cyber attacks. We've got jamming of signals. Knowles. Now we have an overt physical threat to Europe and NATO's security. Let's show solidarity. Let's not neglect this threat. Let's reinforce our resilience and react with resolution. Russia only understands the language that it is talking to the world with.”
  EU-Russia relations (from March 2022)
• “Thank you chairman. The ECR is in favor of bolstering the transport ties between the EU and the UK, as the UK used to be a member of the European Union. It no longer is, but it's still in the same place geographically wise. So there is a need to make sure that transportation between both sides is made easier. We need to make sure that everything runs smoothly, as it was the case before the UK's departure.”
  EU transport infrastructure integration
• “Thank you very much, Mr. Commissioner. I have a very local question which pertains to my constituency, Janikowo. It's a little town and since 1950s we had a factory there that has been in place for many, many years. And finally, the owner had to close it down. Uh, he is moving his production to the US. Um, and apparently the production will be profitable there. Uh, and, uh, the same owner has a similar production site in the next city, and he will be producing the soda, the washing soda there. If both his companies are closed down, costs in Poland will skyrocket. And many cooperating factories, um, will be in trouble. This is a direct outcome of the Green Deal. Do you still believe that ETS is a good idea? So should it be extended and developed further? So are you planning to at least. Use the sebum taxes for these products, for the for the for the washing soda. And because Chinese competitors do not have to bear the same costs that the European producers have to bear. Would you be willing to go to the town of Janikowo and speak to the to the citizens there, telling them the Green Deal is a positive thing for them?”
  Carbon leakage support
• “Thank you very much. I have a few questions which are quite specific. Every now and then in Brussels, it is being said that 2035 is not unrealistic when it comes to the ban on registering cars with the combustion engine. We are talking here about huge costs, social costs. But it seems that sooner or later this decision will be taken to the detriment of the industry. The car making industry is struggling, including in Germany. They are Barely surviving. What is your stance going to be? Will you exert pressure on the commission to abandon this deadline or not? And the related question the European Commission wants to green the fleets of our cars in the private sector, in car dealers, in leasing companies, which would mean that a certain percentage of green cars would be required. Perhaps it's feasible for passenger cars, but it's not feasible. And it's not acceptable for heavy duty cars, for heavy duty vehicles, because it will simply be too expensive. Transport will become more expensive. Heavy duty vehicles. Heavy duty lorries with green technologies are less effective. Are you going to support this? Idiotic. This bizarre idea or not. My third question is on sustainable aviation fuels. Some objectives have been stipulated, but they are not realistic. The current production is not enough. The production of such advanced fuels is currently taking place on a small scale. If we were to introduce it. The costs of airplane tickets would skyrocket. People would stop flying. The staff of airlines would be fired. Are you going to show some common sense here or not? Presidency.”
  Road transport environmental policy · Decarbonisation of aviation sector