Branko GRIMS

What Branko GRIMS has said (7)

• 2025-10-22 “P-004175/2025 Answer given by Ms Lahbib on behalf of the European Commission The Commission adopted a new LGBTIQ+ 1 equality strategy 2026-2030 2 on 8 October 2025. The Commission firmly believes that the protection of children and the safeguarding of the fundamental rights of the LGBTIQ+ community are not mutually exclusive, remaining strongly and equally committed to both. Equality and non-discrimination are founding values and fundamental rights enshrined in the EU Treaties, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union 3 and the European Pillar of Social Rights. The new LGBTIQ+ equality strategy is precisely about ensuring that all people, including LGBTIQ+ people, are treated equally and not discriminated against in Europe. It builds on the current Strategy 4 which has been in place since 2020. The Commission fully respects the competences of Member States, and it is for them to determine the conditions under which legal gender recognition is granted. The protection and promotion of the rights of the child is a core EU objective. In accordance with Article 24 of the Charter, which guarantees the protection of the rights of the child by the EU institutions and by Member States when they implement EU law, the child’s best interests must be a primary consideration in all matters concerning them, and have the right to express their views freely, with those views taken into account in accordance with their age and maturity 5 . The EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child 6 promotes a rights-based, inclusive and participatory approach, ensuring that every child enjoys the same rights and be able to live free of discrimination, recrimination or intimidation of any kind. Finally, the right to gather peacefully is a fundamental right to be ensured across the EU. It is enshrined in the Charter and a core element of our democracies. 1 Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, non-binary, intersex and queer. 2 https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/b4952371-4308-47ad-b99502c539b75dda_en?filename=JUST_template_comingsoon_standard.pdf. 3 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/treaty/char_2012/oj/eng. 4 https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/5100c375-87e8-40e3-85b51adc5f556d6d_en?filename=lgbtiq_strategy_2020-2025_en.pdf. 5 In line with article 12 of the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child. 6 https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/rights-child/eustrategy-rights-child-and-european-child-guarantee_en#the-eu-strategy-on-the-rights-of-the-child.”
  LGBTIQ+ · Sexuality and reproduction
• 2025-08-15 “P-003246/2025 Answer given by Mr Brunner on behalf of the European Commission Communications companies are the only actors that are capable of detecting explicit videos or videos that are child sexual abuse material. Currently they are encouraged to do this voluntarily – a practice that has existed for over a decade and proved essential for child protection. Many major investigations in recent years have succeeded thanks to this approach. The Commission proposal for a Regulation to prevent and combat child sexual abuse 1 seeks to make this approach mandatory. The proposal is clearly defined, the terms are closely monitored by data protection authorities and provide guarantees. A similar approach is already being widely used to detect malware and spam. The proposal focuses on prevention. The proposal includes provisions on detection orders, which are measures of last resort when prevention measures are insufficient. They target only high-risk services, or, where possible, specific users or groups. Such orders are issued by a judicial or independent administrative authority balancing all the rights at stake and after a thorough assessment of their necessity and proportionality. The impact assessment 2 analysed and assessed the risk of false positives, which for some technologies is estimated at no more than 1 in 50 billion 3 . Nonetheless, the proposal includes safeguards to address such risks, including requiring providers to deploy technologies that are the least privacy-intrusive in accordance with the state of the art in the industry, and that limit the error rate to the maximum extent possible, as well as judicial redress if needed. Available data shows that detection by companies has led to the rescue of a significant number of victims and to the arrest of perpetrators 4 . Child sexual abuse is illegal and needs to be combated in an appropriate manner in order to safeguard children’s fundamental rights. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52022PC0209. 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52022SC0209. 3 https://www.congress.gov/116/meeting/house/110075/witnesses/HHRG-116-IF16-Wstate-FaridH20191016.pdf. 4 For sample cases, see the Impact Assessment accompanying the proposal, see footnote 2, Annex 7, p. 267.”
  Surveillance equipment & spyware · Privacy & detection of online child abuse
• 2025-06-30 “P-002649/2025 Answer given by Ms Lahbib on behalf of the European Commission 1. Beneficiaries of EU funds have the obligation to uphold EU values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities, in full compliance with the values and rights enshrined in the EU Treaties and in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. A beneficiary’s grant may be reduced or terminated if such provisions are not respected. In view of risk management and safeguarding of EU funds, the Commission follows up any reports of potential wrongdoing with the relevant national or executive agency and other stakeholders as necessary. 2. Both Directive (EU) 2024/1385 1 and the Council of Europe Istanbul Convention 2 provide a definition of domestic violence that covers any act of physical, sexual, psychological or economic violence between members of the family or domestic unit, irrespective of biological or legal family ties. The definitions are formulated in a gender-neutral way to encompass victims and perpetrators regardless of their gender. The Directive requires Member States to ensure that victims of domestic violence have access to specific protection and support measures, including specialised, age-appropriate medical and psychosocial care, and the best interests of the child should always be taken into account. The Commission Recommendation on integrated child protection systems 3 promotes a zerotolerance to any form of violence against children. 1 Directive - EU - 2024/1385 - EN - EUR-Lex https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/1385/oj/eng. 2 Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence https://rm.coe.int/168008482e. 3 Commission Recommendation (EU) 2024/1238 adopted 23 April 2024 on developing and strengthening integrated child protection systems in the best interests of the child; https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32024H1238.”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion · Support for families
• 2025-04-02 “P-001374/2025 Answer given by Ms Lahbib on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is not aware of any substantiated allegations as regards the misuse of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funds in the EU and is not competent to launch investigations into the application of non-EU funding in the Member States. The Commission has not received any USAID funding.”
  Transparency requirements of EU institutions · Regulation of NGOs in Europe · Disinformation & online freedoms
• 2025-02-20 “E-000791/2025 E-000825/2025 Joint Answer given by Executive Vice-President Fitto on behalf of the European Commission The Ljubljana Wastewater Collection and Treatment Plant project is essential for Slovenia to meet its obligations under the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive 1 . In its ruling of 30 November 2023, the Court of Justice of the European Union found that Slovenia is not in compliance with the Directive due to insufficient collection, treatment, and monitoring of wastewater in the agglomeration of Ljubljana 2 . While the realisation of the wastewater treatment system project in Ljubljana - including the C0 connecting channel - is important to ensure compliance with EU legislation and that the Court’s ruling is met, the Commission emphasises the responsibility of the Member State to implement the project while protecting the environment and human health. Should the project be found in breach of the law, the Commission expects the national authorities to take appropriate corrective action. The Commission will continue to follow developments closely, including ongoing administrative procedures regarding the environmental consent and building permit, to ensure EU funds are used appropriately and in line with environmental and human health objectives. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A31991L0271 2 C-328/22: https://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=281904&pageIndex=0&doclang=EN&mode= req&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=1284411”
  EU policy on water management · Water pollution
• 2025-02-12 “P-000655/2025 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission The Commission will not comment on individual judicial proceedings in Member States.”
  Rule of law and democracy in the EU (political compass)
• “(16:00:55 – 16:02:44): Thank you very much. My speech will differ much from others because first of all, we talk a lot about DSA today as it is a great achievement. As a matter of fact, DSA is something that is against the basic human rights of freedom of speech and should never be, accepted as it is now and should be abolished completely, with all the consequences. That's the first problem we're facing today. The second is that, we talk about how to protect children. If we want to protect our children, the children of the European nations, we should protect our borders, close them, and make their immigration. That will be the best we can do to protect them and also to protect women and all the rest, inside the European Union. And with this, what we are facing today, I don't see, something that will protect kids. Kids will protect their parents if they speak to them freely, if they make clear limitations. I did it with my 3 kids, and they're beautiful and have never had any problems. So I'm speaking, as a father. And, we don't need a state to do this for us. As a matter of fact, I'm afraid that all we are speaking about is just about control, about the ending of the freedom of speech on the Internet as it is has has been and as it is now. And, this is why I oppose this completely and absolutely. Thank you very much. Thank you. Who you are taking the your start, Mr. Volmann, and that will be your final remarks.”
  Disinformation & online freedoms