Tomasz FROELICH

Policy topics Tomasz FROELICH is active on

What Tomasz FROELICH has said (33)

• 2025-07-22 “E-003028/2025 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission Freedom of expression is a fundamental right and a cherished value in the EU. It is protected under Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (“the Charter”). The Commission is committed to ensure the respect of the Charter, within the remit of its competences. According to its Article 51(1), the Charter applies to Member States only when they are implementing EU law. From the information provided by the Honourable Member, the national measures in question do not appear to involve EU law. The right to freedom of expression is also protected by Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The ECHR, which the Honourable Member refers to, is however an international treaty and not an instrument of EU law and its application is overseen by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. It is the competence of Member States, including their judicial authorities, to ensure that fundamental rights are effectively respected and protected, in accordance with their national legislation and international human rights obligations, such as the ECHR, and in full respect of the values on which the EU is founded.”
  Disinformation & online freedoms · Rule of law and democracy in the EU (political compass)
• 2025-07-17 “E-002991/2025/rev.1 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission We thank the Honourable Member for bringing this case to the attention of the Commission. Freedom of expression is a fundamental right and a cherished value of the EU. It is protected under Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (‘the Charter’). The Commission is committed to ensuring the respect of the Charter within the remit of its competences. According to its Article 51(1), the Charter applies to Member States when they are implementing EU law. From the information provided by the Honourable Member, the national action in question does not appear to involve the application of EU law, and the Commission is accordingly not in position to comment on the case referred to. In such cases, it is the competence of Member States, including their judicial authorities, to ensure that fundamental rights are effectively respected and protected, including for applicants for the legal clerkship, in accordance with their national legislation and international human rights obligations, and in full respect of the founding values of the EU.”
  Rule of law and democracy in the EU (political compass) · Disinformation & online freedoms
• 2025-06-04 “E-002260/2025 Answer given by Ms Zaharieva on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is aware of the significant impact that endometriosis has on individuals and healthcare systems. The EU is at the forefront of supporting research and innovation with the aim to improve and protect the health and well-being of citizens by developing innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose, monitor, treat and cure diseases. Over EUR 1.3 billion have been invested in more than 700 research and innovation projects related to women’s health and gynaecological diseases through the EU framework programmes for research and innovation, Horizon 2020 1 and Horizon Europe 2 . Recognizing the challenges and the burden these conditions place on those affected, the Commission is committed to fund research on women’s health and gynaecological diseases, including endometriosis, so that health priorities align with the broader needs of the population. The Commission does not intend to focus call topics specifically addressing particular health conditions in Horizon Europe. Horizon Europe offers a variety of funding opportunities for health research 3 , through calls for proposals that are broadly defined and open for innovative approaches to address specific call requirements. All proposals, including those on endometriosis, submitted to these calls are evaluated by independent experts based on predefined criteria, focusing on excellence, impact, and quality and efficiency of implementation 4 . In this regard, the quality of proposed research in submitted proposals is defining which projects will be funded and contributes to the thematic research portfolio. 1 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-opencalls/horizon-2020_en. 2 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-opencalls/horizon-europe_en. 3 Information about currently open and upcoming funding opportunities for health research including on gynaecological diseases, e.g. endometriosis, can be found through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/home. 4 https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2025/wp-14-generalannexes_horizon-2025_en.pdf.”
  EU competences on health · Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• 2025-03-17 “E-001124/2025 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission Freedom of expression is a fundamental right and a cherished value. There is, however, a line drawn by fundamental rights law: it must not be exploited to incite hatred and violence. Hate speech represents a systemic risk for democracy and fundamental rights, and a threat to the common values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy and equality enshrined in the Treaty on European Union 1 . Freedom of expression is protected by Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU 2 (‘the Charter’) and the Commission is committed to ensuring its respect within the remit of its competences. According to its Article 51(1), the Charter applies to Member States when they are implementing EU law. The Commission firmly believes that the protection of children and the safeguarding of the fundamental rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) people are not mutually exclusive. The Commission remains fully committed to addressing inequality and discrimination, as outlined in our LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025 3 . As announced in the Commission President’s Political Guidelines 4 and in the 2025 Commission Work Programme 5 , the LGBTIQ Equality Strategy will be renewed beyond 2025. Where EU law does not apply, Member States remain bound to respect fundamental rights under their national legislation and international human rights obligations, and where applicable, to investigate and prosecute instances of hate speech. The Commission does not comment on ongoing investigations at national level. 1 Treaty of the European Union, OJ C 202, 7.6.2016, p. 1–388. 2 Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, OJ C 326, 26.10.2012, p. 391–407. 3 Union of Equality: LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025, COM/2020/698 final. 4 https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/e6cd4328-673c-4e7a-8683f63ffb2cf648_en?filename=Political%20Guidelines%202024-2029_EN.pdf. 5 https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/7617998c-86e6-4a74-b33c249e8a7938cd_en?filename=COM_2025_45_1_annexes_EN.pdf.”
  LGBTIQ+ · Role of education (social change vs. tradition)
• 2025-01-27 “E-000361/2025 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission Based on the information available, it does not appear that the matter raised by the Honourable Member is linked to the implementation of EU law. Therefore, it is not in the Commission’s competence to take action or provide information about occurrences in Member States.”
  Rule of law and democracy in the EU (political compass)
• 2024-12-13 “E-002930/2024 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is committed to safeguarding pluralistic and independent media, essential for democracy and the rule of law, and to the functioning of the internal market for media. The European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) 1 provides a reinforced framework for media service providers. Article 4(1) EMFA, applicable as of 8 February 2025, provides that media service providers shall have the right to exercise their economic activities in the internal market without restrictions other than those allowed pursuant to EU law. Article 21 EMFA, which will apply as of 8 August 2025, sets out requirements for all national measures taken by a Member State that are liable to affect media pluralism or editorial independence of media service providers. Credit institutions, like other economic operators, have the contractual freedom to decide with whom they want to enter into a business relationship. With some exceptions, the Payment Accounts Directive (PAD) 2 provides consumers residing in the EU, and acting outside their professional activities, the right to a payment account with basic features. In addition, the PAD requires that consumers are not discriminated based on residence, nationality or other grounds, including political opinion, when they apply for or access a payment account within the EU. EU law does not oblige payment service providers to justify the termination of a framework contract. There is however an obligation under the PAD 3 to give at least a 2- month notice to the client. The Commission will continue to monitor media freedom and pluralism in Austria, including in the context of the annual Rule of Law Report 4 . 1 Regulation (EU) 2024/1083 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 establishing a common framework for media services in the internal market and amending Directive 2010/13/EU (European Media Freedom Act). 2 Directive 2014/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 on the comparability of fees related to payment accounts, payment account switching and access to payment accounts with basic features Text with EEA relevance OJ L 257, 28.8.2014, p. 214–246. 3 Article 55 of Directive (EU) 2015/2366 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2015 on payment services in the internal market, amending Directives 2002/65/EC, 2009/110/EC and 2013/36/EU and Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010, and repealing Directive 2007/64/EC (Text with EEA relevance) OJ L 337, 23.12.2015. 4 https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/upholding-rulelaw/rule-law/annual-rule-law-cycle_en”
  Disinformation & online freedoms · EU support for traditional (non-digital) media
• 2024-12-08 “E-002817/2024 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission Democracy is one of the founding values on which the European Union is built. Free and fair elections are at the core of democracy. The conduct and the organisation of elections is a competence of the Member States, in line with their national constitutional rules and legislation, and with their international obligations and EU law. National authorities and courts are primarily responsible to control the respect for applicable rules. The Commission has no comment on the decision by the Romanian constitutional court of 6 December 2024 to annul the first round of the Romanian presidential elections. This is a responsibility of the Member States. The Commission supports Member States on elections, mainly in the framework of the European Coordination Network on Elections 1 . This network brings together national authorities with responsibilities that are relevant to electoral matters. It allows for exchanges of information and best practices and to identify and discuss challenges. 1 https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/democracy-eucitizenship-anti-corruption/democracy-and-electoral-rights/european-cooperation-network-elections_en”
  Rule of law and democracy in the EU (political compass) · Disinformation & online freedoms
• 2024-11-21 “E-002624/2024 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission Article 21(1) of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights provides that ‘any discrimination based on any ground such as sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation shall be prohibited.’ Article 11 of the Charter recognises the right to freedom of expression, which is not absolute and may be subject to restrictions. The Commission ensures, within the remit of its competence, the respect of fundamental rights enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, including the right to freedom of expression 1 and the right to non-discrimination 2 . However, according to Article 51(1) of the Charter, its provisions are addressed to Member States only when they are implementing EU law. In this case, the legal framework at issue seems to be the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the German Constitution. The Commission is only competent when it comes to the application of EU law and will not comment on statements from a UN body or on the competences of a national constitutional court. 1 Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. 2 Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.”
  Disinformation & online freedoms · EU competences on human rights
• 2024-11-21 “E-002611/2024 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is committed to ensure that there is no place for hate in the EU, whatever form it takes and regardless of whom it is directed to. The Joint Communication on ‘No Place for Hate: a Europe united against hatred’ 1 states that every individual, every community, and every faith deserves equal respect and calls to combat hatred, scapegoating, and the denigration of any person due to their racial and ethnic origin as well as their faith. The 2008 Framework Decision on combatting racism and xenophobia 2 requires Member States to criminalise hate speech, defined as the public incitement to violence or hatred, on a number of protected grounds, including religion. Under the Commission’s High Level Group on combating hate speech and hate crime 3 , the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights leads a working group to improve hate crime reporting, recording and data collection through standardised methodologies that enable the identification of possible bias motives 4 . The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which is an active partner in the High Level Group, collects hate crime data provided by both public authorities and civil society organisations. The ‘Hate Crime Report 2023’ 5 , published in November 2024, indicates that on a total of 9,891 reports by civil society organisations and international organisations from 47 OSCE participating states, 583 were cases of anti-Christian hatred. The Commission will continue prompting harmonised systems for hate crime and hate speech data collection across Member States, with a view to produce comparable data on all grounds of hate speech and hate crime. 1 https://commission.europa.eu/document/c60c451c-ccd2-406a-be3a-ef65123f2bb6_en 2 Council Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA on combating certain forms and expression of racism and xenophobia by means of criminal law OJ L 328, p. 55 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/en/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32008F0913 3 https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/combattingdiscrimination/racism-and-xenophobia/combating-hate-speech-and-hate-crime_en 4 https://fra.europa.eu/en/themes/hate-crime 5 https://hatecrime.osce.org/hate-crime-data?year=2023”
  EU policy on integration and ethnic, racial and religious discrimination · EU engagement with Christian communities inside and outside the EU
• 2024-11-21 “E-002610/2024 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is inscribed in the Algerian Constitution and constitutes a key element of EU-Algeria relations, as enshrined in the Association Agreement 1 and reinforced in the Partnership Priorities 2 . Human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of religion or belief, are addressed during the regular EU-Algeria political, security and human rights dialogue. The EU financial assistance to Algeria does not entail direct transfer of funds to Algerian public authorities. The EU finances projects implemented in the country by international organisations, European public bodies and development agencies, private companies and civil society organisations. The EU financial assistance is framed by programming documents 3 and all projects are subject to monitoring missions during their implementation and to audits ensuring that funds are used to the agreed purpose and according to the agreed procedures. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A22005A1010%2801%29 2 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2017/03/13/eu-algeria/ 3 Multiannual Indicative Programme (MIP) 2021-2027: https://neighbourhoodenlargement.ec.europa.eu/document/download/18c0dcae-9074-40e0-a8ca-765abb44b281_en”
  EU engagement with Christian communities inside and outside the EU · EU-Algeria relations
• 2024-11-21 “E-002627/2024 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) is the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination 1 (ICERD) by its state parties. The Committee issued on 21 December 2023 its concluding observations 2 on the combined 23rd to 26th reports of Germany, as state party to the ICERD. The Committee subsequently published on 11 December 2024 the information received from Germany 3 on follow-up to CERD concluding observations. This process is in line with the reporting obligations of state parties; states that have ratified the ICERD are required to submit regular reports to the Committee, detailing the progress in upholding the rights described in the Convention and measures taken to implement it. CERD examines these reports and issues recommendations on the implementation of the ICERD in that state – including in the area of education as per Article 7 of the ICERD: ‘States Parties undertake to adopt immediate and effective measures, particularly in the fields of teaching, education, culture and information, with a view to combating prejudices which lead to racial discrimination’. The EU remains a staunch supporter of the United Nations (UN) human rights system, including the independence of the treaty bodies responsible for monitoring the implementation of human rights treaties, as well as their independent mandate. Council Conclusions on EU Priorities in UN Human Rights Fora in 2024 4 reaffirmed that the EU ‘will continue calling on all states to fully engage with the UN human rights system, including the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms, such as the Special Procedures and the Universal Periodic Review, UN-mandated investigative bodies and the Treaty Bodies’. 1 https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-convention-elimination-all-formsracial 2 https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4033353?v=pdf 3 https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/g24/226/22/pdf/g2422622.pdf 4 https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-5311-2024-INIT/en/pdf”
  EU competences on foreign affairs · EU competences on human rights
• 2024-11-21 “E-002626/2024 Answer given by Ms Lahbib on behalf of the European Commission The European Union is built on the principles of equality and non-discrimination as enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on the European Union. Specific legislation was adopted to protect people from discrimination on the grounds of racial or ethnic origin 1 . The Commission put into place an EU Anti-racism action plan 2020-2025 2 to take concrete steps to combat racism to strengthen the Union of Equality. The action plan recalls that racism is often deeply embedded in the EU societies’ history, intertwined with its cultural roots and norms. It recognises that racism comes in different forms, including individual racism, racial discrimination and structural racism. The fight against racism and discrimination on any grounds is a fundamental objective of the EU’s human rights agenda in external relations. This is reflected in relevant EU international agreements and external action policy documents, including the EU action plan on human rights and democracy 2020-2027 3 . The International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) is central to the EU’s fight against racism, in the cooperation and political dialogues with partner countries, as well as with regional and international organisations. As regards recommendations addressed by the United National Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to specific State Parties of the ICERD, it is not within the mandate of the Commission to assess the compliance with these recommendations by Member States. As regards racial discrimination, the Racial Equality Directive indicates that there shall be no direct or indirect discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin. The Commission works on the basis of the definition enshrined in the acquis. 1 Article 2 II, Council Directive 2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32000L0043 2 https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/beb25da4-e6b9-459e-89f7bcdbd3a8f0c8_en?filename=a_union_of_equality_eu_action_plan_against_racism_2020_-2025_en.pdf 3 https://www.eeas.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/2024/Action-Plan-EN_2020-2027.pdf”
  Disinformation & online freedoms · EU policy on integration and ethnic, racial and religious discrimination
• 2024-11-21 “E-002625/2024 Answer given by Commissioner Šuica on behalf of the European Commission Addressing demographic issues requires a comprehensive strategy that goes beyond interventions on population size and age structure through fertility or migration. The EU's strategy on demography is framed around the Demography Toolbox Communication which considers a wide range of adaptation measures on the labour market, social infrastructure, health systems and long-term care provision, intergenerational fairness and territorial cohesion, along the four pillars of parents, youth, older people and where necessary attracting talent from outside the EU. The toolbox encourages Member States to make use of the tools available at EU and national level for addressing and managing demographic change, in line with their national and regional circumstances. As for the economic impacts of migration, the Commission takes into consideration a wide array of studies and expert analyses when formulating policies. For fiscal costs, a critical assumption concerns the return probability and the likelihood of remaining active in the labour market until pension. Studies by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 1 and by the Commission 2 converge in highlighting the need for labour market policies targeted at increasing labour participation of migrants with skills that can fill in shortages in the labour market skilled to generate higher fiscal gains. They also suggest that migration alone will not be sufficient to ensure the sustainability of European welfare states, and as indicated in the Draghi report 3 , Europe should make use of all forms of activation of labour to strengthen the EU’s competitiveness. 1 International Migration Outlook 2021, https://doi.org/10.1787/29f23e9d-en 2 Projecting the Net Fiscal Impact of Immigration in the EU, https://migrantintegration.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2020-11/fiscal_impact_report_final_online.pdf 3 https://commission.europa.eu/topics/eu-competitiveness/draghi-report_en”
  Legal migration · EU strategy on population growth
• 2024-11-07 “P-002467/2024 Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission The Draghi report demonstrates that matching climate policies with an industrial plan presents a significant economic opportunity for Europe. Since 2018, the EU has implemented a comprehensive framework for sustainable finance. Early indications show that the framework is gaining traction, as market actors are embracing the opportunities it offers. At the same time, the Commission is aware of the challenges the framework presents and is exploring ways to improve it. The Commission already put forward measures to simplify sustainability reporting, for instance by postponing sectorspecific European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) or raising the thresholds for which companies need to report. Additionally, the framework will apply gradually. Reporting under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive 1 will only start in 2025 for large, listed companies, progressively expanding by the end of the decade. The Due Diligence Directive 2 will be progressively rolled out to cover companies over 1000 employees and turnover over EUR 450 million by 2029. As announced in the Commission President’s political guidelines, the Commission will continue to focus on simplification and burden reduction as part of its new mandate. Beside simplifying the regulatory rules, the Commission will present its strategy in its Clean Industrial Deal. This is consistent with the Draghi Report, which highlighted turbulences faced by EU industry, in part due to high energy prices relating to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The EU’s ambitious climate agenda is accompanied by extensive international cooperation and robust climate diplomacy, supporting and encouraging international partners to develop climate policies of their own. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32022L2464 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L_202401760”
  Energy (green transition)
• 2024-10-21 “E-002184/2024 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission The rights under the EU-Switzerland Agreement on free movement of persons 1 may be restricted only by means of measures justified on grounds of public order, public security or public health. In this context, Switzerland is to apply Directive 64/221/EEC 2 , which provides that such measures shall be based exclusively on the personal conduct of the individual concerned. Such restrictive measures may be taken only following an assessment whether an individual is a genuine and sufficiently serious threat affecting one of the fundamental interests of society 3 . The concept of public policy, where used as a justification for derogation from the fundamental principle of free movement, must be interpreted strictly 4 . Present membership of an organisation may be taken into account where an individual participates in the activities of the organisation and identifies with its aims or designs. Organisations do not need to be banned to be able to restrict the rights under the Directive 64/221/EEC, as long as some administrative measures to counteract its activities are in place as a result of it being considered to be socially harmful 5 . The person concerned should always be informed of the exact nature and the consequences of any measure taken pursuant to the Directive, and have a right of appeal. More generally, Switzerland is subject to human rights obligations stemming from, among others, the European Convention on Human Rights. 1 http://data.europa.eu/eli/agree_internation/2002/309(1)/2021-01-01 2 http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/1964/221/oj 3 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:51999DC0372 4 41/74, van Duyn, ECLI:EU:C:1974:133, paragraph 18. 5 41/74, van Duyn, ECLI:EU:C:1974:133, paragraph 17 et seq.”
  Asylum & border control · EU policy on integration and ethnic, racial and religious discrimination
• 2024-09-26 “E-001842/2024 Answer given by Mr Reynders on behalf of the European Commission The Commission does not have competence on matters related to foreign funding of national political parties possibly circumventing national legislation, such as those raised by the Honourable Member, which are for Member States to investigate. In its Recommendation on inclusive and resilient elections, adopted as part of the 2023 Defence of Democracy package, the Commission encouraged Member States, among others, to minimise the risk of interference from third countries in the activities of political parties, including by promoting transparency of the funding of political parties, and limiting or otherwise prohibiting donations and other funding for political parties from third countries and entities based in third countries, in full respect of the principle of proportionality, democratic values and fundamental rights.”
  Foreign interference in Europe
• 2024-09-24 “E-001804/2024 Answer given by Mr Serafin on behalf of the European Commission The Commission does not use United States’ spyware or assimilated software. As part of the technical systems in place to protect and safeguard its digital workplace infrastructure from harm and misuse, the Commission uses a web filtering proxy. The 'Der Status' website is not restricted within the Commission.”
  Disinformation & online freedoms · Transparency requirements of EU institutions
• 2024-09-05 “E-001629/2024 Answer given by Mr Reynders on behalf of the European Commission Based on publicly available information, the Commission understands that a scrutiny committee for the Thuringian constitutional protection office is presently in place. The Commission also understands that, following the parliamentary elections in Thuringia in September 2024, new parliamentary committees are in the process of being constituted.”
  Rule of law and democracy in the EU (political compass)
• 2024-09-03 “E-001608/2024 Answer given by Mr Reynders on behalf of the European Commission The Commission’s decision to withdraw its reasoned proposal of 2017 and thereby close the procedure under Article 7(1) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) for Poland is based on a thorough and objective assessment of the rule of law situation in Poland. It is important to bear in mind that what is assessed is the ‘clear risk’ of a serious breach of the rule of law within the meaning of Article 7(1) TEU. The acknowledgement by Poland that rule of law shortcomings exist which need to be addressed, the adoption of a clear programme in the form of an Action Plan, and the fact that the first concrete steps had been taken to implement the Action Plan, as well as the commitments made to the primacy of EU law and to the implementation of judgements of the Court of Justice of the EU and of the European Court of Human Rights, led the Commission to conclude that there is no longer such a clear risk of a serious breach of the rule of law by Poland. The Commission discussed its assessment with Member States in the General Affairs Council and took those exchanges into account when adopting its decision. The Commission will continue to regularly monitor the measures under the Action Plan, as well as other steps to promote the rule of law in Poland, in particular under the Rule of Law Report process.”
  EU Supervision of the Rule of Law
• “President, Commissioner. Acid attacks on Andrew Yunus and Mohammed Rushdie need to be condemned. We should stand in solidarity with them. The soldiers involved in that is a bad sign. Clearly, there was a lack when it came to oversight of security forces. However, the UN charter addresses this to. Four soldiers were brought before a court and human right. What's happening is that human rights are being respected and measures are taken against female genital mutilation. This is a good thing, but I believe that this is not mentioned enough in the charter. This is a key country in Southeast Asia. They've got a lot of economic potential, and a lot of countries are reaching out to it. We should improve our influence in this country. So constructive criticism is important, but we need dialogue, cooperation instead of lecturing and moralizing.”
  EU-Philippines relations
• “Yes. Thank you very much for your presentations. You wrote a letter on the 22nd of July to a member, and here it says that we need to deal with right wing narratives. And I think that's a bit one sided, but why not mention left wing narratives? It is not necessarily the case that the political right has a monopoly on human rights violations. And I would also like to pick up on the comments that were made by colleague Mularczyk, because if you look at this letter and take that as a basis for work, then it explicitly talks about the mandate of the rapporteur dealing with Poland being extended. And Mr. Mularczyk mentioned the time that the article seven procedure has been started against Poland, even though the Tusk government has only just made announcements and nothing has yet changed in the status quo. And actually has done more than the previous peace government would have dreamt of. So I would be interested to know why this is included in your letter to members, how you would explain the Commission's approach when it comes to the article seven procedure. There have been announcements and then all of a sudden it's dropped. Is that perhaps politically motivated, that decision? And how would you assess the new government of Donald Tusk? You have said that there is a need to continue to observe that situation, and perhaps that's the reason why Mr. Mularczyk mentioned it. Perhaps that is the reason why the monitoring is being continued as requested in this letter.”
  EU Supervision of the Rule of Law
• “Thank you very much for your presentations. They were very striking. I have a question. You're making a suggested approach, and you're saying that Afghanistan is it has a name of the graveyard of the Empire for a reason. For historical reasons. The English were in the country back in the day. The Americans have been in Afghanistan. How can you react to this? How can you account for all this? And now you have the Taliban. Are people working with the Taliban? Are people trying to just use rhetoric to undermine the Taliban because the Taliban are they have their own, uh, aid people. But then at some point, people have to work with the Taliban because they are the official representatives. So it's a difficult balancing act. And how can you work with the authorities? I was in Afghanistan myself, and I spoke with Afghanistan Afghani women, and I spoke to some authorities as well. And they were talking about a pragmatic dealing with the Taliban. There was a study from the Conférence Sciences-po, where it was being said that it doesn't make sense to completely exclude the Taliban. And why was this? Well, because if you're imposing your own moral, moral when you, uh, approach the country and then you look at this radicalization, well, you have. This would mean that women are going to suffer more. You have to work with the Taliban, perhaps. So until over 2020 and 2021, over €4 billion in assistance was given to Kabul. And a lot of this was aimed at supporting women's rights. But I don't know if this achieved anything. So what could be better done in your view, to ensure that there would be this money would be more effectively used? Thank you.”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• “President, time and again we talk about Georgia. Why? Because it's different. It embodies Christian values. It protects citizens from woke ideology. And it has a pragmatic approach when it comes to its foreign policy. They don't want to turn into Kiev, and it's their right to be like this. They're a sovereign state and we need to respect that. But we're trying to teach them lessons. We're calling on protests against the government doing this through NGOs, 3000 NGOs for population of 4 million. That is unheard of across the world. Now. Government buildings are being attacked. And now you know. You want freedoms to apply. That's unacceptable. Let's look at. Let's look at the facts. 8% economic growth. We can only dream of that. If you don't look at the government index, they're doing better than certain member states. And they have a number one spot in central and Eastern Asia when it comes to the economy. They don't need to be taught any lessons. They don't need regime regime change. They need respect, respect for national sovereignty.”
  EU-Georgia relations
• “Yeah. Um, yes. Perhaps this question is a bit philosophical, but we have this conflict with human rights on the one hand, and human rights as we might interpret human rights. And then on the other hand, there's the respect for cultural traditions in other countries and regions of the world. So there is then this issue as to whether there's a definition of what we would regard as human rights and the implementation of that in other parts of the world. Can this become a kind of neocolonialism or a new form of imperialism? So how do we find our way through this dilemma? How can we ensure that our approach is credible? Because I think it's quite tricky. Recently we had terms coming up in a debate such as gender apartheid. And of course, that is something that we might be critical about. But the question is, how will other people see it and what policy implications would that have? For example, if we are regarded as arrogant people preaching from on high, it's rather an interesting tension that we need to try to get to grips with. But perhaps it's too much of a philosophical point.”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• “Weil es Klein. Geistig. Verlaufen und dem Kern. Totalitaire ist ja Russland hat die Ukraine angegriffen und ja wir das auf aber können die russische sportler dafür sie schreiben unschuldig zu nehmen unschuldig. Sippenhaft. Das ist ein civilization frischer und es ist pure doppel moral Dann wird der ausschuss amerikanischer sportler gefördert als die USA in Vietnam einmal sind Oder ein Guatemala Oder in Cambodia or in Granada, or in Nicaragua, or in Panama, or in Somalia, or in Yugoslavia, or in Afghanistan, or Iraq, or in Lübben, or in Iran. Wo war da ihr sippenhaft. Wo da ihr schultheissen wo war da ihr nichts null nada nach ihrer hatten die USA bis einziges mal an Olympian spielen dürfen bei Allergie gegen die sie geführt haben und nine bitte nicht verstehen auch das war den amerikanische sportler können genau so wenig für die politik, wie ihrer regierung die Russische der sport soll. Volker Verbinden, aber sie missbrauch sport für Spaltung ihre ganze ist sie ist ein Zeichen von Zweck in der Ukraine haben sie nicht erreicht die Milliarden in eine Einführung in Kiev, Unser Folgt immer mehr erfahren sie anderer verzichten dabei aber selbst auf diplomatie Zimmermann sie Die uns mehr als Russland sie verlangen durch das Nur den Krieg Internazionale nimmt si niemand mehr Ernst Überall ist brussel aussen vor das was sie hier betreiben ist hausliche symbol politik auf und mehr können sie nicht diplomatische versagen Gephardt Mitt geopolitical bedeutung schade das Europa. So tief gesunken ist.”
  EU-Russia relations (from March 2022)
• “Bad relations with the USA. Bad relations with China, no relations with Russia. We are slowly getting the impression that the European Union is being marginalized around the world. We've seen this week where the EU High Representative talked about China as being cancerous. She doesn't seem to understand what's going on in the world now. Azerbaijan has suspended parliamentary relations with the EU. This demonstrates how irrelevant we're becoming. The problem is the Azerbaijanis sick of moral judgments from the European Parliament. And I agree with them. Why? Those people who constantly seem to claim the moral high ground have got no credibility. They were. The Uscirf was dissolved. Religion was dissolved. Hundreds of thousands of deaths, hundreds of thousands of Armenians fled systematically. We saw how the cultural heritage of the first Christian state in the world was destroyed. What did the European Parliament do? Nothing but hiding behind stupid resolutions. Several times. Cdu politicians were condemned because of corruption by the Israeli Azeri government, €4 million of bribes, so as to ensure that they would look away when Christians were being slaughtered. I describe that as a shame, as shameful. And the European Union once again expressed selective indignation that, combined with corruption, undermines the values in your foreign policy. However, relations are starting to normalise between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which is a good thing, of course.”
  EU-Azerbaijan relations
• “There was someone like George Floyd, who was shot. But he didn't get a minute of. Commemoration. Hilaria. Hilaria Salas immunity wasn't lifted either. There is a lot of violence against the RFD, but you want to ban the AfD. But we have Mélenchon's militia group that won't be banned. You talk about tolerance, but tolerance for you only goes in one direction. Some of your thinking is perverted. You don't convince others with arguments, you have no arguments. So instead you use censorship and violence. I detest you. You from the left because you have caused death, the death of Catholics and of others. What you are doing in Antifa, in jungle, there is blood on your hands. The blood of Quentin. You took Quentin away from us, but you have created thousands in his stead.”
  EU policy on integration and ethnic, racial and religious discrimination
• “Yes. Thank you very much. I'd like to thank our speakers for their presentations. I'd actually like to draw attention to another issue that relates to Bangladesh. And this is something that the our colleague from the Patriots already mentioned a persecution of Hindus. But it's not only Hindus that are being persecuted in Bangladesh, Christians too. And essentially, I mean, this is something that takes place in many places. But I want to talk about the Christians in Bangladesh on this occasion. I've read reports that state that attacks on Christians in Bangladesh are increasing in number massively, and that the government is not really doing anything about it. These are reports from the US Foreign Ministry, for example. And also Christian organizations in Bangladesh are documenting these attacks. But they don't dare publish their reports because they're worried about retaliation. So my question to all our speakers is can you confirm that this is going on, because this is something that is of great concern. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. I'm going to give the floor to our speakers five minutes each to respond to the questions. But before I give them the floor I just have a couple of questions. You mentioned the Rohingya refugees. Just very briefly. How is humanitarian assistance reaching them? Is it is their situation improving? Could you give us some information on that? And then there's this idea of an electoral process, what's possible during the near future, and what would be the conditions necessary for it to be organized. So those are my two questions. You have five minutes each, please.”
  EU engagement with Christian communities inside and outside the EU
• “Madam Commissioner, Mr. president, I know people who suffer from endometriosis in my circle of friends and family, and I was really shocked when I found out more about this. Up to 15% of women in Europe suffer from this. This could be easily 1 in 7 children. People, women, sorry. And these are serious symptoms of chronic pelvic pain. Risk of infertility. Many women wish to become mothers but are prevented from this by endometriosis. Is there anything better in the world than having children? As a proud father of a daughter, I can say. No, there is nothing finer. So. The frustration and of such wishes for women can lead to serious mental suffering as well. As well as the economic damage done by a leave of absence, which causes losses of around €50 billion a year. It's all the more surprising, then, that so little is being invested in research into this disease in Germany. Up until 2022, only around €500,000 had been invested over a decades. That is really nothing. Things have improved a bit since 2022, but still, far too little is being invested where we bear in mind the sort of nonsense that the German government is happy to spend money on. At European level, the situation is not much better. 0.02% of research is into endometriosis at European level. That's much too little. So I think the wrong priorities are being pursued at the expense of women, at the expense of health at the expense of democracy and at the expense of the economy. So I think we need a reset and across the board politically. That's why in June, I tabled a resolution in the Parliament that members of various different political groups are supported. And I would like to warmly thank them for that support. And perhaps this kind of pressure was necessary for Parliament to finally put this debate on the agenda. Research into endometriosis is chronically underfunded. We need more financial support, more research, more awareness, more awareness raising. This is really vital for all of us. And certainly the women who suffer from this have deserved more effort.”
  Sexuality and reproduction
• “Mr. president, Niger is a fragile state. Poverty, instability, corruption, Islamist terrorism. These problems have persisted for many years. The military coup has further destabilize the country. President Mohamed Bazoum has now been arbitrarily detained for over two years. Many states of the region have condemned this. One might think that this has nothing to do with us. After all, Niger is far away. But that is not the case. Under President Bazoum, Niger was an important strategic partner for us in the fight against Islamist terrorism, but also in border management. This matters because Niger is a key transit country for migration and has a rapidly growing population. The ongoing destabilisation of the country threatens us with even more mass migration and expansion of Islamist terrorism. This is neither in our interest nor in the interest of Niger. We therefore call for the immediate release of President Mohamed Bazoum, and we must find ways to cooperate with Niger in the fight against terrorism and in migration management. Thank you.”
  EU policy on Sahel and Sudan
• “Europe finally needs to carry out its foreign policy with our own interests in mind. Uzbekistan is a strategically important Central Asian country. It was on the Silk Roads. It has important commodities and resources, and it plays an important role in terms of security in the region. At the moment, we need pragmatic partnerships. The EU, though, is isolated as never before. And this is your doing, Madame Kallas. We need to have these secure allies. We need new markets and we need allies who can help us fight terror and extremism. That's why it's so important that we have close cooperation with Tashkent. There has to be mutual respect and cultural sensibility. We shouldn't be trying to teach them morals. We otherwise will be driving them into the arms of Russia, China or the United States. And that is one of the reasons why we are constantly losing our influence.”
  EU policy on Central Asia
• “Mrs. von der Leyen, you're making Europe a laughing stock. You stand for corruption, censure, green deindustrialization and geopolitical insignificance. Now you react in horror to Trump's peace plan. Where's your peace plan? And you have torpedoed Orban's plan, and now you're starting to come on board. Why not sooner? You could have spared Ukraine as well as all of us a great deal, including three years of recession, and we've got billions being funneled to a corrupt elite in Ukraine. And you have got 19 sanctions package which do more harm to us than to Russia. That's not a peace plan. That is sheer stupidity. We've got very poor relations with the US, poor relations to China and poor relations with Russia, declining influence worldwide. And that's no way to conduct a foreign policy. So, yes, of course we need strategic autonomy. We need our own industry, our own sovereignty. And we need realism, not moralism. We need smart diplomacy. And we don't need infantile feminists in suits. So we need to make Europe great again. That is what we need to do without you. Please resign.”
  Russia-Ukraine conflict (10th term)
• “At last. But this highly sensitive time, this due political childishness to abandon these relations. Over decades, we've seen exploding prices and existential threat to our economy. This is why pipeline gas from Azerbaijan is something which our industry simply can't do without. We've deprived ourselves of Russian gas, and LNG from the USA is much more expensive. If we continue to play with Azerbaijan in this way, you'll deal a final blow to Europe's energy security. It's fine for us as MEPs. We earn good money, but people outside this house are finding it hard to survive. So we need a strong European poll in the new Multi-Polar World. Order. Order! But if we do want to play a serious role in this new multipolar order, you have to rethink things through. We need strategic partners. We need new policies. We need options. If you want to be sovereign, you have to have alternatives. So the time really has come to stop throwing away such alternatives. Postcolonial discourse is a thing of the past. Global government has also disappeared. We're talking now about future opportunities and our ability to build long standing cooperation. Moral imperialism is something which can only undermine our industry, our prosperity, and the standard of living in our continent.”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources)