Harald VILIMSKY

Policy topics Harald VILIMSKY is active on

What Harald VILIMSKY has said (26)

• 2026-06-17 “(10:37:27 – 10:38:40): Ladies and gentlemen. We tend to ask whether the EU is banging its head against a brick wall, and we can ask that question when we see the EU opening negotiating clusters with Ukraine. It is a country at war embroiled in corruption. Millions of euros and dollars have disappeared into a black hole. There've been no elections for years to lend democratic legitimacy to the government. The EU is going beyond the pale. Ukraine may be a long term option or a medium term option for enhanced partnership as a partner, but the idea of pulling the Ukraine into the European Union is mad, and it should not happen. Thank you.”
  EU enlargement
• 2025-09-23 “P-003685/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Fitto on behalf of the European Commission The Commission has a variety of tools to monitor the implementation of the budget in all Member States and ensure the protection of the EU’s financial interests. The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) control framework includes strict mechanisms to protect the EU’s financial interests, notably through the prevention, detection and correction of fraud, corruption and conflicts of interest. In line with the RRF Regulation 1 , Member States bear primary responsibility for safeguarding these interests and ensuring compliance with both EU and national law. In cases of serious irregularities affecting the EU’s financial interests not adequately addressed by the Member State, the Commission may reduce the support granted under the RRF and recover any amounts due to the EU budget 2 . Concerning cohesion funds, the Commission has a robust assurance model in place based on an efficient use of resources in the context of the single audit principle with programme audit authorities in the Member States. The Commission considers the national audit authorities reliable, based on its continued supervision and review of their methodologies, processes and re-performance of their activities 3 . Close cooperation with the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) further strengthens the EU’s capacity to effectively oversee RRF and cohesion policy expenditure. The Commission pays close attention to investigations and recommendations by OLAF and EPPO but does not interfere with ongoing investigations 4 . The Commission follows up on conclusions reported by these independent offices. The Commission is not aware, nor has it been informed by OLAF or the EPPO, of any systemic mismanagement in the allocation or use of RRF or cohesion funds in Romania 5 . 1 Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 February 2021 establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility, OJ L 57, 18.2.2021. 2 The Commission carries out assessments of the adequacy of national control systems and may recover funds in cases of a serious breach of the Financing Agreement signed with a Member State, or in cases of fraud, corruption or conflict of interest, where the Member State fails to take corrective action. 3 The Commission carries out audits of the authorities and re-performs a sample of their audit work to assess the reliability of the audit results they communicate to the Commission. Where deficiencies are identified, the Commission requests and monitors remedial actions. It also reports on any such issues in its respective Annual Activity Reports. 4 OLAF and EPPO are independent bodies responsible for investigating and/or prosecuting crimes against the EU’s financial interests. 5 It should be noted that the ‘Casa Verde’ programme is not financed under the REPowerEU chapter of Romania’s Recovery and Resilience Plan.”
  Accounting and auditing of EU budget
• 2025-09-23 “E-003689/2025 Answer given by Mr Kubilius on behalf of the European Commission In a debate in the European Parliament on 9 September 2025 1 , the High Representative/VicePresident reiterated EU’s commitment to security guarantees and a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine. Despite diplomatic efforts, Russia’s illegal war of aggression continues and there are no signs that Russia’s objectives to subjugate Ukraine has changed. The EU stands unwavering in its support of Ukraine, its sovereignty, and its right to chart its own future. Only by putting more pressure on Russia and supporting Ukraine, can Ukraine protect its interests—which align with those of the EU. The EU remains steadfast in the support of Ukraine and its people: So far, the EU and its Member States have provided EUR 177.5 billion of assistance, including almost EUR 63.2 billion of military support. Moreover, the EU provides training to Ukrainian soldiers through the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine. According to the current mandate, all mission activities are located on EU soil. Member States contribute to the mission by offering training modules and personnel, with the equipment being funded through the European Peace Facility. The Commission supports Member States effort in supporting Ukraine, a vital European security interest. It also fosters closer defence industrial cooperation between the EU and Ukraine, as well as common procurement of defence products to aid Ukrainian defence against Russia’s illegal war of aggression. Through such gradual defence industrial integration, Ukraine, with its defence innovation, helps protect Europe as a whole. 1 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-10-2025-09-09-ITM-002_EN.html.”
  Defence spending · EU competences on defence
• 2025-09-23 “E-003686/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Fitto on behalf of the European Commission Under the Common Agricultural Policy, (CAP), Cohesion Policy and the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), Member States have the flexibility to design forestry interventions based on their national and regional needs. Cohesion Policy can finance forest fire risk prevention and preparedness measures, for which EUR 2.2 billion 1 are allocated in the 2021-2027 period. The CAP also gives support for prevention and restoration of forest damages, including fires, with allocation of EUR 2.9 billion 2 for the period 2014-2022 and minimum planned allocation of EUR 925 million 3 for 2023-2027. Under these instruments, and in line with the programmes agreed with the Commission, managing authorities oversee selecting the specific projects addressing, in this case, fire prevention. In the RRF, Member States have allocated an estimated amount of around EUR 14.5 billion to investments in climate change adaptation and risk preparedness, including for wildfire prevention. The Commission is following up to the European Court of Auditors report on EU funding to tackle forest fires 4 . On recommendation 1 of the report, the Commission will promote good practices to target projects with the greatest potential impact. In line with recommendation 2, it will identify sources of information if available to support the assessment of effectiveness of projects. Moreover, the European Forest Fire Information System provides wildfire risk information with an approach contributing to a structural wildfire risk assessment for Europe, which can serve as the basis for the allocation of funds. Lastly, research at EU and national level strengthens the evidence base for risk assessment, prevention and restoration, informing the design and updating of these measures. 5 1 EU funds. 2 Total public expenditure. 3 Total public expenditure. 4 European Court of Auditors Special report 16/2025: EU funding to tackle forest fires – More preventive measures, but insufficient evidence of results and their long-term sustainability https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/publications/SR-2025-16. 5 See EU-funded projects such as, but not exclusively SILVANUS https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101037247, FirEUrisk https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101003890, TREEADS https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101036926 or ForestFireAI https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101206950.”
  EU policy on infrastructure for preventing climate-related disasters (floods, droughts, extreme weather etc.) · Agricultural funding
• 2025-09-23 “E-003687/2025 Answer given by President von der Leyen on behalf of the European Commission 1. The EU’s migration policies aim to ensure effective and sustainable management of migration and to bolster the protection of its external borders. The Pact on Migration and Asylum aims to prevent abuse, tackle illegal migration and alleviate pressure on national systems. The Commission is also planning to propose to enhance Frontex and Europol to address border security and organised crime. The Commission will also present the EU Strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life 1 to protect communities and uphold shared values from prejudice. As announced in ProtectEU – a European Internal Security Strategy 2 , the Commission works on a new EU Agenda to prevent and counter terrorism and violent extremism. 2. NextGenerationEU has been key for Europe’s economic recovery after the COVID-19 crisis, enabling investments and reforms for fair growth and modernisation of infrastructure. The Commission takes action to foster innovation, strengthen competitiveness, support EU societies, sustain EU’s social model and quality of life. This includes initiatives, such as the roadmap set out under the Competitiveness Compass, the Affordable Housing Plan, or the Anti-Poverty Strategy. 3. The Commission focuses on safeguarding a strong democracy and upholding EU values, amid increasing attacks and attempts of anti-democratic forces. The European Democracy Shield counters foreign information manipulation and interference, enhances media literacy, while applying the Media Freedom, Digital Services and Artificial Intelligence Acts 3 fosters secure and informed societies. Actions to strengthen the rule of law ensure societies and economies work, safeguard EU fundamental rights, protect democracy and tackle corruption. 1 COM/2021/615 final. 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52025DC0148. 3 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1083/oj/eng, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/2065/oj/eng, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj/eng.”
  EU competences on human rights · EU political integration
• 2025-09-23 “E-003688/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Fitto on behalf of the European Commission The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and the cohesion policy control frameworks include mechanisms to protect the EU’s financial interests, notably through the prevention, detection, and correction of fraud, corruption, and conflicts of interest. Member States bear the primary responsibility for safeguarding EU financial interests and ensuring compliance with both EU and national applicable law. The Commission carries out assessments of the adequacy of the management and control systems both under RRF and cohesion policy and, where necessary, proposes measures to address shortcomings. Under RRF for example in cases of fraud, corruption, or conflict of interest, the Commission may proportionally reduce the support granted and recover any amounts due to the EU budget. Under Cohesion policy, the Commission may interrupt or suspend payments and apply financial corrections when serious deficiencies are identified and the Member States failed to take action in first instance. The Commission identified some issues on the protection of whistle-blowers through its audits in Romania. These issues are being closely followed up. To ensure transparency and traceability of recipients of EU funds, Member States should collect data on final recipients of EU funds including for their beneficial owners in the case of Cohesion. Romania published data on the 100 final recipients receiving the highest amount of funding from the RRF and Kohesio database presents data on all Cohesion beneficiaries. The Commission cooperates closely with the European Anti-Fraud Office and the European Public Prosecutor Office. This further strengthens the EU’s capacity to effectively oversee RRF and cohesion policy expenditure.”
  Rule of law and democracy in the EU (political compass) · Accounting and auditing of EU budget
• 2025-06-23 “E-002515/2025 Answer given by Mr Serafin on behalf of the European Commission Gross National Income (GNI)-based contributions from Member States are the largest revenue source for the EU budget. As outlined in the Communication ‘A dynamic EU Budget for the priorities of the future - The Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034’ 1 , a modernisation of EU financing is proposed, including an enhanced new own resources package that will diversify the revenue sources to the EU budget. The power to levy and set taxes is a national competence. The EU does have autonomous powers of establishing new categories of own resources to finance the EU budget. It must be agreed unanimously by all Member States and approved by the Member States in accordance with their respective constitutional traditions. The EU budget is not a simple accounting exercise of who pays and who receives. It serves as a collective investment tool, addressing cross-border challenges and delivering European added value in areas like competitiveness, climate resilience, security and cohesion. The EU budget creates an added value for all, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity. With its reduced number of programmes, harmonised rules, stronger focus on performance and increased synergies and flexibility, the Commission’s proposal for the multiannual financial framework 2028-2034 2 aims at more efficient allocation of resources by simplifying procedures and reducing administrative burden for beneficiaries and Member States. This will enable the allocation of resources to high-impact projects, support efficient spending programmes, and optimize administrative processes, ultimately maximizing value of every euro invested. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52025DC0570. 2 https://commission.europa.eu/publications/multiannual-financial-framework_en.”
  Own EU resources · Size of EU budget · Accounting and auditing of EU budget
• 2025-06-23 “E-002507/2025 Answer given by Ms Zaharieva on behalf of the European Commission The Commission ensures that centrally managed research and innovation (R&I) flagship projects deliver European added value – addressing cross-border challenges that no single Member State can tackle alone. These projects, enablers of innovation, are strategic public investments through which Europe can foster competitiveness, technological excellence and global leadership, while supporting European core values such as sustainability and equality. Their competitive selection and independent evaluation ensure their impact, excellence and efficient implementation. EU R&I funding boosts company performance and delivers high economic returns – up to EUR 11 per EUR 1 invested 1 . Beyond funding, the EU’s regulatory framework promotes technologically neutral R&I in key areas such as the Copyright Directive 2 , the Data Act 3 and the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act 4 to ensure fair and competitive conditions. The EU also stimulates demand through the start-up and scale-up strategy and the forthcoming European Innovation Act, helping innovators to grow and compete globally. The Commission's strategic initiative, the ‘Competitiveness Compass’ 5 strengthens the EU's technological independence and competitiveness by investing in critical technologies like AI, quantum computing and cloud infrastructure, enhancing innovation capacity and long-term economic benefits. The AI Continent Action Plan 6 recognises the need to incentivise large investments in cloud and edge capacity and announced the Cloud and AI Development Act, which will tackle obstacles for the development of cloud and data centre infrastructure. This will allow the EU to at least triple its data centre capacity within the next five to seven years and support technological sovereignty 7 . 1 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_1115. 2 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/copyright-legislation. 3 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/data-act. 4 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/regulatory-framework-ai. 5 https://commission.europa.eu/topics/eu-competitiveness/competitiveness-compass_en. 6 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/ai-continent-action-plan. 7 While the EU remains open to providers that comply with its rules and values, technological sovereignty will require highly secured EU-based capacity.”
  EU digital & tech sovereignty · Overall simplification of regulation in the EU · EU research funding
• 2025-06-23 “E-002513/2025 E-002514/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Séjourné on behalf of the European Commission The Clean Industrial Deal 1 is the EU’s strategy to leverage decarbonisation and circularity as drivers of competitiveness and economic growth. It recognises the central role of energyintensive industries and proposes concrete measures to support these sectors. Challenges to the EU industry competitiveness are driven by a combination of economic and geopolitical factors, particularly high energy costs, the high upfront investments required for decarbonisation, and in some cases unfair global competition. The Commission is working to provide comprehensive support to energy intensive industries, such as by facilitating access to affordable low-carbon energy, supporting the creation of lead markets for European industrial products, boosting a more circular economy practices or improving our trade defence tools. Additionally, the Commission intends to extend the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) 2 to downstream products and by strengthening anti-circumvention tools. The Commission also intends to propose using the revenues generated by CBAM to support production at risk of carbon leakage. The EU Competitiveness Fund proposal 3 will facilitate access to funding instruments in support of competitiveness and decarbonisation. The Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework 4 simplifies State aid rules, for instance accelerating the process for Member States to provide electricity price support to energy-intensive users as well by providing more flexible criteria to grant aid for decarbonisation investments Furthermore, to ease the take up of power purchase agreements among industrial users, the European Investment Bank published new schemes of counter-guarantees between clean energy developers and industry. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52025DC0085. 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/956/oj/eng. 3 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52025PC0555&qid=1753718158728. 4 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/3602/oj.”
  Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) · Climate efforts · State Aid
• 2025-06-23 “E-002516/2025 Answer given by Mr Jørgensen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is closely following the investigations into the causes of the recent Iberian blackout. While the underlying factors are still being examined and no conclusions can be drawn before the end of the investigations, the enhancement of the resilience of our critical infrastructure continues to be a high priority. Member States are currently implementing the Directive on the resilience of critical entities 1 and the Directive on measures for a high common level of cybersecurity across the EU 2 . Moreover, in February 2025, the Commission and the High Representative presented the Action Plan on Cable Security to further enhance the protection of submarine critical infrastructures 3 . In addition, both the Affordable Energy Action Plan 4 and the EU Preparedness Union Strategy 5 announced the review of the energy security framework by 2026. Stable energy supplies are critical for economic resilience, continued access to affordable energy and avoiding extreme price volatility. In line with this, the main objectives of this revision will be, among others, to make the framework fit for our evolving energy system as well as to better handle emerging risks, including natural hazards or man-made threats. An impact assessment will carefully evaluate policy options. The energy crisis of 2022-23 has shown the risk of relying on fossil fuels, 93% of which are imported with risks of volatility or supply disruption 6 . The implementation of the REPowerEU plan and of the Fit-for-55 package are expected to significantly reduce this dependency and lower energy prices. Increased share of domestic energy production and deployment of renewable energy sources will – in combination with energy efficiency measures – reduce the need for fossil fuel imports. 1 Directive (EU) 2022/2557. 2 Directive (EU) 2022/2555. 3 Join(2025) 9 final, 21.2.2025. 4 COM(2025) 79 final. 5 Join(2025) 130 final, 26.3.2025. 6 Eurostat, figures from 2022.”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources) · EU approach to electricity market and prices · EU energy infrastructure integration
• 2025-04-23 “E-001639/2025 E-001640/2025 Answer given by Ms Zaharieva on behalf of the European Commission The project ‘White Islam: A New Religion for Europeans’ 1 , funded by Marie SkłodowskaCurie Actions (MSCA) under Horizon Europe 2 , is conducted at the University of Amsterdam with part of the research at George Washington University. It studies the Murabitun World Movement, a transnational network of European converts to Islam. The proposal was assessed based on scientific excellence by independent experts. The University of Leiden's 'Entangled Universals of Transnational Islamic Charity' 3 project analyses the influence of Islamic charities on poverty alleviation, while the University of Amsterdam's 'EcoIslam in Indonesia' 4 examines Islamic impacts on sustainability in Indonesia and its policy effects. Funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under Horizon Europe following independent peer review evaluation based on scientific excellence, both projects aim to address global challenges. Istanbul Bilgi University and Oxford University received ERC funds under Horizon 2020 for ‘Nativism, Islamophobism and Islamism in the Age of Populism’ 5 , which explores the role of nativism and Islamism in populism, and ‘Choosing Islamic Conservatism’ 6 , which studies Muslim youth's embrace of conservatism in Europe and the UK and its effects on social cohesion. These projects, selected only based on scientific excellence, strive to address societal challenges through innovative research. MSCA and ERC support doctoral education, postdoctoral training of researchers and investigator-driven research across all fields of knowledge. Projects are monitored for scientific and financial progress, adherence to EU laws, and ethical standards. The granting authorities remain uninvolved in specific matters pertaining to the content or implementation strategies of the projects, as long as the activities carried out are in line with the award decision and the signed grant agreement, thus preserving academic freedom and scientific excellence 7 . The ERC has funded since 2007 more than 17 000 projects and over 10 000 researchers, across Physical Sciences and Engineering, Life Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities 8 . 1 For an overview of the project’s results, please consult https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/892075. 2 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-opencalls/horizon-europe_en. 3 For an overview of the project’s results, please consult https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101124597. 4 For an overview of the project’s results, please consult https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101125011. 5 For an overview of the project’s results, please consult https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/785934. 6 For an overview of the project’s results, please consult https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101019016. 7 See Article 13 of the CFREU: “The arts and scientific research shall be free of constraint. Academic freedom shall be respected”. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/charter/pdf/text_en.pdf. 8 Within the social sciences and humanities projects which represent around a fourth of ERC grants, topics span an extensive range of disciplines, including Economics and Finance, Law and Political Science, Sociology, Psychology and Linguistics, Literature and Philosophy, History and Archaeology, Geography and Environmental studies, Anthropology, Arts and Cultural and Religious Studies – the category in which fall the mentioned projects.”
  Research priorities within the EU · EU policy on Islam
• 2025-04-23 “E-001638/2025 Answer given by Ms Zaharieva on behalf of the European Commission The Financial Regulation 1 (FR) sets out rules for the award of funds to entities, based on objective criteria. In addition, the Commission carries out rigorous selection processes, including several different checks on grant beneficiaries based on objective criteria. Horizon Europe, Creative Europe and the European Research Council’s funding is not linked to any religious considerations. Funding is allocated solely on the basis of scientific merit and the quality of the proposal. Horizon Europe funding is assigned on the basis of a rigorous assessment by independent evaluators against three main criteria: Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation. These evaluations ensure that projects are selected based on their scientific and societal value, irrespective of any religious, political, or ideological affiliation. The selection of Creative Europe projects for funding is also based on a rigorous and independent assessment using criteria such as Relevance, Quality of content and activities, Project management and Dissemination without consideration of any religious background. The European Research Council (ERC) likewise guarantees that all funded projects undergo strict and independent scientific and ethics evaluations. These assessments, carried out by panels of independent experts, prioritise scientific excellence and compliance with EU legislation and ethical standards, with no consideration given to the religious beliefs or affiliations of applicants or institutions. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/2509/oj.”
  Research priorities within the EU · EU policy on Islam
• 2025-04-23 “E-001641/2025 Answer given by Mr Brunner on behalf of the European Commission The Commission does not fund programmes or projects to promote any religion or belief. The Commission is committed to ensure that it does not grant funding to persons, entities, organisations, that are involved in criminal or unethical practices including terrorism-related offences or any actions contrary to European values, regardless of their religious or other affiliation. Proposals are evaluated against pre-announced selection and award criteria by independent experts and only the highest ranked proposals are selected for funding. The Financial Regulation 1 lays down rules and procedures to ensure compliance with the basic principles of equal treatment, transparency, co-financing, non-cumulative award, no double funding, nonretroactivity and no-profit. Before awarding EU funding to beneficiaries, the Commission carries out rigorous selection processes, including several checks on grant beneficiaries based on objective criteria, such as the exclusion criteria or the EU restrictive measures. Applicants also need to sign a declaration on honour, declaring whether they are in a situation of exclusion. In case of serious crimes such as fraud and corruption, irregularities, serious breaches of contractual obligations, grave professional misconduct including the violation of EU values, the grant may be suspended, terminated or reduced and funds may be recovered. In such instances the concerned entity may also be excluded from receiving further EU funds in the future under the Early Detection and Exclusion System. 1 Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 September 2024 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (recast), OJ L, 2024/2509, 26.9.2024.”
  EU policy on Islam · EU research funding
• 2025-02-03 “E-000458/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Mînzatu on behalf of the European Commission The Council Implementing Decision 2022/2056 (CID) 1 sets out measures to protect the EU budget from breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary under the mechanism established by the Conditionality Regulation 2 . Under Article 2(2) of the CID no legal commitments shall be entered into with any public interest trust established on the basis of the Hungarian Act IX of 2021 or any entity maintained by such a public interest trust. The CID stipulates in its Article 2 that the Commission (and the implementing bodies that it entrusts with budget implementation in indirect management such as the Erasmus+ National Agency in Hungary) cannot enter into legal commitments with these public interest trusts or entities maintained by them, as listed in the Annex to this Act. This list includes 25 higher education institutions where there is a risk of possible conflicts of interest in the boards of these trusts. As regards the Modul University Vienna, an assessment of its ownership structure, carried out by the Erasmus+ National Agency in Austria on the basis of documentation provided by the university itself, concluded that since 12 May 2023 it is to be considered an entity maintained by Mathias Corvinus Collegium, a public interest trust listed in the Annex to the Hungarian Act IX of 2021. Communication on this assessment was conducted exclusively with Modul University. EU-funded projects, including under Erasmus+, managed by entities that are not concerned by the Hungarian Act IX of 2021, continue to be implemented. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2022/2506/oj/eng 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2020/2092/oj/eng”
  EU Supervision of the Rule of Law · Conditions to access EU budget
• 2025-01-15 “P-000165/2025 Answer given by Ms Kos on behalf of the European Commission In its 2024 Albania report 1 , the Commission positively noted the continued implementation of justice reform and the vetting, leading to significant improvements in the functioning of the judiciary, including strengthening its independence. The Commission also recommended that Albania ensures further improvements in accountability, quality and efficiency, addressing identified shortcomings 2 . EURALIUS 3 , was an EU funded project with over EUR 20 million allocated for the period 2005-2022, implemented by consortia involving authorities from several Member States, that played an important role in supporting the roll out and implementation of justice reform. The Commission has taken note of the decision of the Albanian government to impose a ban on TikTok, following concerns over risks to users’ well-being. As a candidate country, Albania is expected to progressively align its legislation with the EU digital acquis. The introduction of a temporary ban is a sovereign decision by Albania. The Commission will continue to assist Albania in its EU alignment to ensure that any measure is compatible with EU acquis and European standards. EU enlargement is a merit-based process. Based on the revised enlargement methodology 4 , negotiations on Cluster 1: Fundamentals are opened first and closed last. Related progress, including on the functioning of the judiciary, public administration reform, fight against corruption and organised crime, determine the overall pace of negotiations. On 11 October 2024, the EU adopted its Common Position for negotiations on this cluster 5 , based on the progress made, which sets out benchmarks Albania has to meet in these areas. 1 https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/albania-report-2024_en. 2 Id., p. 5. 3 https://www.euralius.eu/index.php/en/about-us2. 4 https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2020-02/enlargement-methodology_en.pdf. 5 EU Common Position on Cluster 1: Fundamentals Albania: https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/AD-18-2024-INIT/en/pdf.”
  EU enlargement
• 2024-10-15 “E-002073/2024 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the Commission The European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) 1 is a key pillar of the strategy to tackle disinformation as announced in the Commission Communication ‘Tackling online disinformation – a European approach’ 2 . The way EDMO classifies disinformation is based on the work of independent European fact-checking organisations. Such organisations adhere to the highest ethical and professional standards established by reputable fact-checking networks such as the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN) 3 or the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) 4 . EDMO is co-financed through the Digital Europe Programme 5 . The work of the hubs is coordinated by a central platform which is managed by the consortium led by the European University Institute. Elections24Check 6 is a comprehensive fact-checking database for the 2024 European Parliament elections which is not managed by EDMO. The database was implemented by EFCSN with a coalition of over 40 fact-checking organisations across Europe. Many of those organisations are also part of the EDMO community. In view of the independence of fact-checking organisations, the Commission neither monitors the Elections24Check network nor how EDMO categorises disinformation. 1 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/european-digital-mediaobservatory#:~:text=The%20European%20Digital%20Media%20Observatory%20%28EDMO%29%20is%20a,o ther%20relevant%20stakeholders%20to%20collaborate%20with%20each%20other 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52018DC0236&from=EN 3 https://efcsn.com/ 4 https://www.poynter.org/ifcn/ 5 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/activities/digital-programme 6 https://elections24.efcsn.com/”
  Disinformation & online freedoms
• “And that is why I welcome the council's proposal that we vote in favor of peace. Yes. It's fine. We want to be strong. We want to be powerful. You know, I will heed all of those calls. Yes. Of course. You know, we've got Rheinmetall and Blackrock and all the Blackrock and all the others who are benefiting from the war. And we've got voices here, Viktor Orban, for example, who has been pleading for peace for a long time. We've got the president of the Czech Republic again. He is pushing for peace. We've got Robert Fico again. Let's thank him. He, too, has been advocating for peace as well as a future chancellor of Austria, Herbert Kickl, again, who has been calling for peace. And we are going to strengthen that alliance of the voices who are calling for peace. So at the end of my speech, let me say to you that peace is the only right way forward. War can never, ever be any kind of a solution. And so I'm expecting more from Europe, More from Europe. We should be raising our voices in favor of peace, putting an end to this war and not fanning the flames any longer. Apart from all that, Merry Christmas.”
  Russia-Ukraine conflict (10th term)
• “Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen, first of all, allow me to wish you a very pleasant festive time. So this is something which, of course, transcends our political parties. And I think this is the spirit that should imbue our policy making, our politics. And really, we should, at this time of the year, be promoting peace and not war. And, Mr. Weber, yes, we can celebrate Easter, but right now let's celebrate Christmas. And I think it's important to use this opportunity to really try and find the right path. But let me pick up on what previous speakers said, miss von der Leyen and Mr. Weber talked about a war, but in actual fact we have to recognize it as being part of a political process and for all of us to strive for peace. And that is why we have to think of the 350,000 victims of this senseless war. We've got thousands who are in prison. We've got children who have lost their parents. We've got a whole host of tragic situations. And so that is why. Well, fine. Yes, we can condemn Putin for what he has done. We've got all these successive packages of sanctions which have come to nothing. And the path that we have pursued so far has not brought us an inch further forward. And so that is why it is high time that we take a decision to go down a different road.”
  EU-Russia relations (from March 2022)
• “Ladies and gentlemen, today we're talking about Ukraine and your favorite politician, Zelensky. But look at what happened yesterday. Uh. Golden toilets. Uh. Wrapped in plastic. We've heard directly from what is being done with Zelensky. A huge kickbacks as part of bigger deals, and now we're talking about a further €200 billion being pumped to Kyiv. According to one famous institute, there will be a further 400 billion that will be needed in order to keep Ukraine alive. But we have less and less cash available here in the EU. Inflation is through the roof and I have to say, end this end of all of this with the support of Ukrainian energy oligarchs. We need to ensure that peace comes back and we need to ensure our own prosperity.”
  Russia-Ukraine conflict (10th term)
• “Mr. president, ladies and gentlemen, I can't help but use a little bit of irony in view of the situation that we're in. You may remember the European Union for many years. Still not able to have a, you know, a have warm water here in Brussels and in Strasbourg in the plenary. Now so what, you know, what are we capable of? What is what kind of an example are we setting? What are we going to do? Are we going to send tanks of soldiers out with their EU flags, uh, and declare war on Putin and Trump at the same time? It's ridiculous. It sounds ridiculous, and it is ridiculous. So I'd like you to just focus on what the real problems are. For example, outside Parliament here yesterday, since yesterday, we've had thousands of people, farmers who weren't against any body or anything. They just asking to be recognized, to be able to continue actually living and making a living. And we're worried about the Mercosur deal undermining that living. Mercosur hasn't even come into force yet. But we're already talking about India, for heaven's sake. This is the end of farming in Europe, the economy, the automotive industry. And this is something that is just weakening our force and power in Europe. But there are some reasonable voices to be heard, such as Viktor Orban, for example Andrej Babis, Mr. Phizo there are some voices that are in this right wing alliance which are taking us forward along the right path. But of course, we're not going to go ahead with self destruction, which is what you all seem to be interested in.”
  Trade relations with Mercosur
• “Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. When it comes to democracy. This is the so-called key debate this week. The president of the Commission, miss von der Leyen. Wasn't even able. To listen to Mr. Oust and ducks every time when it comes to arguments. It's wonderful that you're there, but. But you're not the commission president, as far as I know, that the president will should have the courage to face up to a parliamentary debate, to listen and to take part of the political discourse. That's the first thing. Secondly, it's good that we're talking about the question of European business and quality jobs. Yesterday we wasted the day on. Handing out some sort of um. Orders. And because somebody. People were placed in the seats and because people couldn't, uh, didn't want to listen to somebody like Angela Merkel. Merkel who brought in millions of people from Africa and.”
  Von der Leyen
• “Thank you very much. Members of the House. If I could ask you just to think for a moment about what's gone on here. The European Union is in a very difficult situation, perhaps the worst since the Second World War. War is at our gates, and sanctions packages and money and weapons are feeding into that war. We're destroying hundreds of thousands of jobs at the same time with the Green Deal stealing families futures. We're stealing people's freedoms with, uh. And what have you. But at the same time, we have open borders, and we're destroying the culture of the continent with people flowing in. We're africanizing Europe. And then, Commissioner, president, you come here and say that we have to be patriotic and that you're going to guarantee sovereignty. Please write down it's not those who are fighting for freedom and that are the enemies of Europe, those who want the rights of their parliaments in member states to be respected. It's your lot. Who are the enemies? Those who are repressing people's freedoms.”
  Asylum & border control
• “Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen. I think we should be happy that the days of the Mullah regime are coming to an end. They counted 35,000 dead people in the first couple of months of this year. These are people who in Iran stood up for freedom and wanted a decent future. And they were slaughtered away by this regime. Do not forget that Iran has been doing has been threatening the region. And don't forget that Iran is seen as a terrorist hub for activities, terrorist activities in Europe. I'm an active politician in favour of peace, but I do understand what Trump and Netanyahu have said. We cannot continue to watch these people massacre and slaughter their people and Europe. Well, what are we supposed to be doing? Just sitting back and watching the petrol prices go up rather than negotiate? Or we should be trying to manage this so that energy prices are affordable for people. We have to make sure that the Iranians have a decent future. Very often we see that people are going to be invited. Well, what about Reza Pahlavi? Maybe it could be invited to hear what a future would be for Iran. And I think these are the kind of things we should be accompanying. That would be our task.”
  EU-Iran relations
• “Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm delighted to be discussing something which is not a rainbow topic. Um. A subject that sort of is all about Trump and Orban bashing, but a subject that is really at the heart of Europe's concerns, which is the high cost of living problem that can't be solved without addressing the causes of this problem, which can be identified in your policy. This began with a wave of lockdowns during the corona crisis. Um, all of these rules and regulations that could happily be dumped. Then there was the invasion of Ukraine. The day after that, the president of the commission flew to the US and agreed to, uh, importing much more expensive LNG to the EU from the United States instead of from Russia. So you've been putting your heads in the sand when a Ukrainian commander blew up a gas pipelines. Uh, You have put the German car industry into the death zone. You have swamped, uh, industry with rules and regulations. Instead of respecting your one in, one out rule with regard to European regulation, in order to free European companies from the weight of bureaucracy. And I think that Europe will only have a rosy future when you put an end to this policy of the bureaucratization and idealization of politics, instead of addressing people's needs.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• “Thank you very much, president. Ladies and gentlemen, in the light of the presentation of this morning's work programme, one honestly gets the conclusion that all we have is inflated bureaucracy, which is going to carry on and an inappropriate structure. Likewise, there are too many commissioners, 27 commissioners who are simply generating endless regulation, which is making life very complicated for the citizens. And all they want to do is carry on in their current way. Our approach is not populist. I would simply refer you to the Lisbon Treaty and say that really, that body is an institution with 18 commissioners, not 27. And the exceptions that have been generated along the way have led to this woefully inflated commission with woefully inflated ideas and woefully inflated numbers of regulations, which are a millstone around the neck of every company and worker in Europe. Where's the one in, one out proposal which we heard about in the past? What's happened to that? It's just disappeared. You're just signing up to endless measures of a bureaucratic nature, which, as I say, are a millstone around the neck of ordinary people. Your inflated numbers of regulation and aspirations are absolutely irrelevant. In ten years you've not resolved the problem of illegal migration. You've not achieved anything other than de-industrialized the continent with your Green Deal. What about the conflict with between Russia and Ukraine? You've learned nothing there. You haven't managed to deliver a ceasefire. Endless people are losing their lives. There's endless deaths on the battlefields there. Change your policy, finally. Otherwise, the electorate will get rid of you.”
  EU political integration
• “(10:02:51 – 10:04:28): you very much, ladies and gentlemen. When it comes to democracy, this is the so called key debate this week. The president of the commission, miss Vondelayen, wasn't even able to listen to mister Oust and ducks every time When it comes to arguments, it's wonderful that you're there. But but you're not the commission president as far as I know. The president will should have the courage to, face up to a parliamentary debate to listen and to take part of the political discourse. That's the first thing. Secondly, it's good that we're talking about the question of European business and quality jobs. Yesterday, we wasted the day on handing out some sort of orders and because somebody people were placed in the seats and because people couldn't didn't want to listen to somebody like Angela Merkel who brought in millions of people from Africa and Mister, Wilmski, please stick to the topic, that we're debating.”
  Von der Leyen