Adrián VÁZQUEZ LÁZARA

Policy topics Adrián VÁZQUEZ LÁZARA is active on

What Adrián VÁZQUEZ LÁZARA has said (21)

• 2026-03-19 “Answer given by Ms Roswall on behalf of the European Commission 11.5.2026 Written question The Commission closely monitors the implementation of EU law in the Member States, including the application of the case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The ruling of the CJEU mentioned by the Honourable Member is now reflected in the Commission proposal for a regulation on speeding-up environmental assessments [1] whose Article 4(4) reads: ‘Competent authorities shall consult the public concerned by the environmental decision-making procedure relating to a plan, programme or project subject to an assessment in accordance with paragraph 1 at the same time as they consult the authorities likely to be concerned by that plan, programme or project (…)’. It is worth noting that under Article 16 (6) of the Renewable Energy Directive [2] Member States are required to ensure that administrative and judicial appeals in the context of a renewable energy project and related infrastructure, including appeals related to environmental aspects, are subject to the most expeditious administrative and judicial procedure that is available at the relevant national, regional and local level. [1] COM(2025) 984 final. [2] Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources, OJ L 328, 21.12.2018, p. 82, as amended by Directive (EU) 2023/2413 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 October 2023, OJ L, 2023/2413, 31.10.2023.”
  Environmental crimes and justice · EU policy on permitting for renewable energy projects
• 2026-02-25 “P-000784/2026 Answer given by Mr Šefčovič on behalf of the European Commission Indeed, in November 2025, safeguard measures were imposed on four ferro alloys. However, silicon and calcium silicon are not covered by those measures, as the criteria to include them were not met at the time, in particular, there was no increase of imports for silicon and calcium silicon was not produced in the EU. The safeguard instrument does not provide for changing the scope of measures, which are already in force. Nevertheless, market conditions can change rapidly in the current volatile trading environment. The Commission is ready to engage with industry to explore all possible options available under the trade defence instruments. These instruments can be applied in cases where an increase of imports causes injury to EU producers. For the anti-dumping or antisubsidy instrument, dumping and subsidisation also need to be demonstrated. As regards monitoring, the Commission has put in place the import surveillance tool in May 2025. This tool monitors any changes in import patterns in terms of volumes and prices. However, information on injury to EU producers, which includes data such as developments of production, sales, market share, profit/losses is not available to the Commission and can only be provided by the industry concerned.”
  Trade relations with China · EU policy on custom fee on non-EU imports
• 2025-09-10 “E-003500/2025 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission The European arrest warrant (EAW) is an entirely judicial procedure between judicial authorities in the Member States based on the particular circumstances of each individual case where surrender is requested. Neither the Commission nor the Member States' governments can interfere, or influence decisions taken by judicial authorities. The Commission will continue to monitor the transposition by Member States of Framework Decision 2002/584/JHA on the EAW and stands ready to take action if needed, including via infringement proceedings.”
  EU law enforcement cooperation in criminal matters · Jurisdiction conflicts between EU and national courts
• 2025-03-06 “E-000961/2025 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission The Commission does not comment on individual cases.”
  EU Supervision of the Rule of Law · Rule of law in Spain
• 2025-01-02 “E-000004/2025 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission The Commission places great importance on ensuring that all EU Member States uphold rule of law. It has various instruments at its disposal to actively promote and protect the rule of law, as part of its rule of law toolbox. This includes monitoring through the annual Rule of Law Report and in the context of the European Semester, as well as the possibility to initiate infringement procedures when necessary. Further, the Conditionality Regulation 1 applies in case of breaches of the principles of the rule of law, which affect or seriously risk affecting the sound financial management of the Union budget or the protection of the financial interests of the EU in a sufficiently direct way. The Commission also provides technical and financial assistance to the Member States to support judicial reforms, ultimately boosting the rule of law. The Commission does not comment on the role of the Senate in the Spanish constitutional system, which is a matter of Spanish law. In its role as guardian of the Treaties, the Commission remains committed to taking necessary measures to ensure compliance with EU law in all Member States and will continue to work with the Spanish authorities to promote the rule of law. 1 Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2092.”
  EU Supervision of the Rule of Law · Rule of law in Spain
• 2024-12-18 “E-003019/2024 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission In the 2022, 2023 and 2024 country chapters on the rule of law situation in Spain 1 , the Commission underlined that stakeholders had raised concerns about public statements made by politicians criticising the judiciary. In this context, the Commission recalled that, according to European standards, while courts are not immune to criticism and scrutiny, the judiciary must enjoy public confidence to be successful in view of its special role in society. This is particularly important in relation to statements by members of the legislative and the executive branches, as all powers of the State must foster and protect the trust of the general public in constitutional institutions including the judiciary. This is an issue not specific to Spain alone, and in the Rule of Law Report the Commission has recalled these standards in comparable situations in other Member States. 1 https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/abdcd1f9-681e-43be-980bf4205c3e0556_en?filename=23_1_194017_coun_chap_spain_en.pdf, https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/62fdb34b-78d4-4d53-b9ea67286facc01e_en?filename=23_1_52576_coun_chap_spain_en.pdf and https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/2bd09a6f-ef56-494a-8303e0de808ee981_en?filename=23_1_58063_coun_chap_spain_en_0.pdf”
  Rule of law in Spain
• 2024-12-04 “E-002748/2024 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is not in a position to comment on political appointments in Member States. Protecting media freedom and pluralism is a priority for the Commission, which has taken measures to curb the abusive use of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) through a Directive 1 and a Recommendation 2 , enhanced the safety of journalists through a Recommendation 3 and adopted the European Media Freedom Act 4 . Most provisions of the European Media Freedom Act shall apply from 8 August 2025, with the aim amongst other to protect journalists against interference. Ensuring a swift and effective implementation of the Act will be a priority for the Commission in the coming months, as it will be the ensuring a correct implementation of the anti-SLAPP Directive. The Commission will also continue monitoring Member States’ actions to put in practice the Recommendation on the protection, safety and empowerment of journalists and the Recommendation on protecting journalists and human rights defenders who engage in public participation from manifestly unfounded or abusive court proceedings and will use this information in future reports on the Rule of Law 5 . 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32024L1069 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ%3AL%3A2022%3A138%3ATOC 3 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/recommendation-protection-safety-and-empowerment-journalists 4 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L_202401083 5 https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/upholding-rulelaw/rule-law/annual-rule-law-cycle_en#rule-of-law-report”
  Rule of law in Spain · EU support for traditional (non-digital) media
• 2024-11-25 “P-002647/2024 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission Upholding the rule of law and ensuring that national investigations and judicial proceedings are conducted fairly, independently and transparently remains, first and foremost, a competence of the Member States and their national authorities and judicial bodies. The political guidelines for the new Commission put democracy and the rule of law at the heart of a successful EU and highlight that strengthening this further will be the Commission’s daily work and duty. In its role as guardian of the Treaties, the Commission remains committed to taking any necessary measures to ensure compliance with EU law and upholding the rule of law in all Member States and will continue to work with the Spanish authorities to promote the rule of law, including within the framework of the rule of law cycle 1 . The handling and disclosure of personal or confidential data must strictly comply with European and national regulations, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2 . The supervision and enforcement of the GDPR falls within the competence of national authorities, in particular the independent national data protection supervisory authorities and courts. Independent data protection supervisory authorities have all the powers necessary to enforce the GDPR, including investigatory and corrective powers. 1 https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/upholding-rulelaw/rule-law/annual-rule-law-cycle_en 2 Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation).”
  Rule of law in Spain · EU Supervision of the Rule of Law
• 2024-10-30 “P-002327/2024 Answer given by Mr Wojciechowski on behalf of the European Commission Through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), Member States may programme, besides risk management tools, support for farm investments restoring the production potential. These come on top of a robust system of income support. To make farms more resilient towards disasters and to reduce impacts of events, support to invest in appropriate preventive actions and infrastructure is encouraged. Farmers may also invoke force majeure when complying with legal obligations is impossible. Based on the legislative proposal 1 put forward by the Commission on 21 October 2024 Member States, besides reinforcing their restoration measures may amend their Rural Development Programmes for 2014-2022 to introduce support of up to EUR 42 000, under certain circumstances, to those affected by natural disasters such as a hurricane occurred after 1 January 2024. On 21 October 2024 the Commission adopted RESTORE (Regional Emergency Support to Reconstruction) 2 a legislative proposal to mobilise additional resources from cohesion policy, complementing those already available under the EU Solidarity Fund, to help Member States recently affected by natural disasters. The proposed targeted amendments will provide immediate liquidity to affected Member States and ease budgetary pressure through flexibilities in providing EU support to reconstruct and repair infrastructure and immediate help to the population affected by the disaster. Spain as a Member State recently affected by a natural disaster may make use of RESTORE flexibilities depending on the nature of the damages involved - once co-legislators agree the proposed changes and the amendments enter into force. 1 Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2020/2220 as regards specific measures under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) to provide additional assistance to Member States affected by natural disasters, COM(2024) 495 final. 2 Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council: RESTORE – Regional Emergency Support to Reconstruction amending Regulation (EU) 2021/1058 and Regulation (EU) 2021/1057, COM (2024) 496 final.”
  Agricultural funding · Direct payments to farmers (pillar 1)
• 2024-10-30 “E-002328/2024 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Séjourné on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is aware of its confidentiality obligations in the context of infringement procedures and takes them very seriously. As the Honourable Member Mr. González Casares has publicly acknowledged in the press article referred to by the Honourable Member Mr. Vázquez Lázara, the Commission met with him upon his request on 17 July 2024. At the start of that meeting, the Commission stressed that details of infringement procedures are, by definition, confidential, to preserve the trust between the Commission and the Member State with a view to find a solution. Consequently, no specific elements about the infringement procedure, concerning the extension of motorway concessions AP-9 and AP-66 1 were disclosed during this meeting beyond those that have been made public through the press material issued by the Commission at the time of the decisions taken on this file. As required, the Commission provided general explanation about the objective, organisation, steps and usual length of infringement procedures and pointed out that it is in principle for the Member State concerned to put forward possible solutions to respond to the grievances raised by the Commission and to remedy the infringement. 1 INFR(2021)4052: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/EN/INF_21_4681; https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/inf_24_1941”
  Transparency requirements of EU institutions
• “(17:51:29 – 17:51:59): Thank you Chairman. I'm glad to see you here Commissioner. Two quick questions. Could you tell us a little bit on how it went in the Regulatory Scrutiny Board? Any news on that? Did the thing go through with no problems or otherwise? And the second one is more on IP related issue. When it comes to the SU interaction with existing EU IP tools such as the Unitary Patent, do you think that we will need further convergence to deliver real value for scale-ups mainly? Thank you.”
  Intellectual property rights (IPR)
• “Thank you very much, chair. A warm welcome to the Deputy Prime Minister. Now, we've had a lot of exchanges with your predecessor, Mr. Marushka. And so, first of all, I think, uh, we very much welcome the efforts that have been made. We think it's going in the right direction. We have a firm and unwavering support with the Ukrainian people. But there are also things we want to see to improve our future relationship. So perhaps you could tell us a bit more about the strategic reforms in the judicial system. Now you've taken a little bit about what was happening with the Constitutional Court. Which unfortunately hasn't been successful up to now, and I'd be interested to know when that will move forward. Thank you.”
  EU enlargement
• “Thank you very much. President, Commissioner. Colleagues, Europe has got the economic ability and the talent to be able to be a technological giant. And despite the fact that some people are saying the opposite, Europe is not missing anything that it needs to have the greatest success. There is only this fragmentation that we can see. We've been trying to set up different types of European companies over years without any success. Uh, there have been hundreds of different regulations have been approved that were not understandable, that were not necessary, and that for our workers were just more paper. They don't need more paper now. They need more security, more ability to be able to innovate. This 28th regime could be the answer, a true European framework that would give companies the chance to be able to work throughout the entire European Union with one legal structure and with a common logic based on growth, without having to come up with a new system in each country. We need an ambitious system, but which is also simple and harmonised. A true European company that would be recognised in all member states with minimal amounts of capital, digital registration 48 hours or less, and without administrative barriers which are unnecessary. We need Europe to be a continent in which entrepreneurship is not some heroic act, but and where trying to grow is not just jumping into the void. We need to create a Europe with less bureaucracy and with clearer rules, and with rules, which are also much simpler. Thank you.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• “Thank you. Chairman. I'll read the notes from from Lukas Mandel, the shadow, as he cannot be here today. Um, first, I would like to thank the rapporteur in advance for his work. And I'm looking forward to working together on this important file. The PPE Group has long maintained that the solution to Europe's challenges is not always more legislation, but better implementation of what already exists. Eu law must be applied fully, correctly and on time, not just reading well in Brussels, but working effectively in Paris, Madrid, Vienna and Copenhagen. I therefore welcome the Commission's continuing political priority on enforcement as much as for enforcement that starts from the legislative drafting phase is essential to uphold the rule of law, ensure legal certainty and preserve a level playing field in the single market. But challenges remain. I still see too many delays in transposition, inefficient handling of complaints and infringement cases that take far too long to close. It is crucial for the Commission to prove its case management and to provide greater transparency around compliance and new pilot procedures. At the same time, I strongly support the link between simplification and enforcement. Enforcement should not mean more bureaucracy as highlighted in the Dragon Letter reports. Complexity undermines compliance and Europe's competitiveness. The focus must shift from adding more rules to making existing ones work better and faster. Let's not forget the user community of law. Proper implementation is the foundation of trust for citizens, for business, and for the future of the EU. Thank you.”
  EU Supervision of the Rule of Law
• “Yes. Thank you. Chairman. And I'd like to thank you, uh, to the European Ombudsman. Welcome to our committee. And congratulations for doing all the work that you're doing to defend transparency in the European Union as public administration from the European Parliament and from our committee. We have repeated on a number of occasions that the European Commission has to be far more careful when it comes to complying with the directive on access to documents, because we've seen on a number of occasions that they show far too much discrimination and refusals. There's an area very close to your country of Portugal, Galicia. There's a motorway that's being built, a very complex situation, and from within the regional government, we've spent years asking the Spanish government to say what kind of allegations they've made to the European Commission. We have not received a reply, and we've taken this to the European Commission and asked them to provide the information, because we're not getting the information in Spain, and we would like it to be you to demand of the European Commission that ask that the Galician regional government Find out just what the situation is of the AP 11, this particular motorway. This is just a further example of showing that the Commission is making a discretional use of access to documents and information, and it doesn't only affect our regional government, but also the rule of law, because you can't have accountability if you don't have access to documents, information. And this undermines the trust of the citizens in the institution. So your role is of paramount importance. And you, I think, act as a counterweight to the European administration and the administration of certain member states when they forget that what they're doing is subject to law, respect of law and rule of law. So what you're doing when it comes to guaranteeing transparency is important. And I'd like to hear your opinion when it comes to trying to solve this problem that we're facing.”
  Transparency requirements of EU institutions
• “Thank you, Mr. President. In an extraordinary situation like the one we had in Galicia, we saw an extraordinary reaction. It was a collective effort. Institutions working together, public officials, firefighters, neighbors, citizens who responded in unison. But clearly we have to improve our reaction to such emergencies. We have to move towards climate neutrality. We have to create a permanent basis, as we have done in Galicia for firefighting. And we need as well more action in the field of prevention from the Commission. So I would urge you to reopen the file on environmental crime. We need to be much more severe with people who are responsible for environmental crimes. And a point to Miss Miranda. You know, it's enough. It's enough. We've had enough of you bringing your propaganda and spreading fake news in this house. Make a proposal instead of criticizing all the time. I'm proud to have a government with professionals. People doing a good job, not people like you in power.”
  Environmental crimes and justice
• “Thank you. Well, a couple of things which fall within your scope of competencies. The start up strategy. I don't know whether you can give us a taster of what the European Union is going to be doing, because there's a lot of red tape, which is basically holding up our start ups when it comes to developing. And is there any specific strategy from the from the Commission to protect European companies from coercive actions from third countries and avoid these kind of conflicts in the future? Thank you.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• “Thank you very much, chair. A warm welcome to the Deputy Prime Minister. Now, we've had a lot of exchanges with your predecessor, Mr. Marushka. And so, first of all, I think, uh, we very much welcome the efforts that have been made. We think it's going in the right direction. We have a firm and unwavering support with the Ukrainian people. But there are also things we want to see to improve our future relationship. So perhaps you could tell us a bit more about the strategic reforms in the judicial system. Now you've taken a little bit about what was happening with the Constitutional Court. Which unfortunately hasn't been successful up to now, and I'd be interested to know when that will move forward. Thank you.”
  EU enlargement
• “Muchas gracias. President. Prime Minister. Thank you. Chair. I'd like to thank the ministers for being here today. It's a great pleasure to have you here. Mr.. There is a recent report on the rule of law by the European Union. It states that a number of member states are moving away from the principles of distribution of power. And this, of course, impacts article two of the treaty. What will the presidency do to reinforce those mechanisms to enforce the rule of law in member States, especially with regard to judicial independence. And I would also like to highlight that many of the governments who are opting for that avenue are not extremist parties. Often these governments are made up by central left, central right governments. And in that regard, we need the support of governments like yours to combat these changes. So that was for the Minister of Justice, Mr. Bosco, during your presidency. The omnibus package. If we don't achieve that, then how will companies be able to respond to the previous directive? Because this is of course, going to impact their competitiveness. And I would urge you to support this chamber so that this package does pass, so that we can achieve proper simplification of administrative burden and ensure that companies become competitive once again.”
  EU Supervision of the Rule of Law
• “Thank you. Chair. Minister Bodnar, first of all, thank you for joining us here at the Juri Committee. Congratulations on the work you've done as a prosecutor and also the work being done now, which won't be easy to revert the attacks on rule of law and bring the country back into what Europe really requires. I'd like to refer Coming to the fact that as presidency of the council, your work isn't only about Poland, it's also about sharing good practices and fighting against these same events, which are politicizing justice, or, for example, trying to control national media in other member states. And in many of those countries where these things are happening, there are many European citizens hoping that you, with the fight that you have waged in your country, will be able to do the same in other countries. Regarding some of the requirements that are being discussed in Trilogues, I heard you say that you're trying to conclude some of these points before June, but things aren't going that well, so I'd like to know your vision and whether you can provide a push so that we can conclude this very important legislative package before the end of the presidency. Thank you.”
  EU Supervision of the Rule of Law
• “Thank you, Madam President. Over the last five years, the EU has produced over 13,000 standards, three 3500in the US during the same period. Draghi has calculated that this is €150 million, 1.3% of GDP annually. We can't go on like this for the sake of our competitiveness. More than ever now we have to compete in an ever more complex and insecure world. So the Commission is right to change track. But our companies have invested millions in adapting to the financial reporting requirements. And now they're asking, how much are they going to have to pay to re-adapt to the new reality? So we don't say, go back on it. We say freeze and work on a new, serious standard to give certainty and predictability to our different active sectors, particularly SMEs and startups. In that way, we'll be able to attract and retain talent and innovate. The socialists and the Greens may see competitiveness as a nice add on. It's absolutely vital to our welfare systems and to our security. We have to look, though, at the way we're going because for just because we approve companies doesn't mean we know where we're going.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU