Petras GRAŽULIS

Policy topics Petras GRAŽULIS is active on

What Petras GRAŽULIS has said (39)

• 2026-07-09 “Lithuania is a country on the Baltic coast as well. Lithuania, as I say, is a coastal country. And. There is close contact between Lithuania and Russia. Of course, Lithuania banned industrial fisheries, but Russia didn't do that. They didn't ban industrial fishing. As a member of the European Parliament, this is an unacceptable situation. The legislation we have in place at the moment is stupid. Russia is taking advantage of industrial fisheries in Lithuania. Cannot do the same because the fish is being taken by the Russian fleet. I think that the initiatives from the commission are absolutely ridiculous.”
  Environmental regulation of fisheries
• 2026-07-09 “Mr. Commissioner, a lot problems have been touched upon with regard to the fisheries policy, as I've said. Lithuania borders on the Baltic Sea and there is a common border with Russia. In 2023, commercial fisheries fishing was banned in Lithuania. Russia is very happy about it and our fishermen had to destroy their ships. Of course, they got compensation from the European Union for that. That was supposed to actually improve the situation for the Russian fisheries fishermen. How are you going to resolve this situation? Aren't you going to review your common fisheries policy, which is not beneficial to the European Union member states, including Lithuania, each member of the European Parliament has touched upon that.”
  Environmental regulation of fisheries
• 2026-07-09 “(11:53:43 - 11:54:41): In order to strengthen the single market, I believe we have to harmonize our taxes. In Lithuania, the VAT rate is amongst the highest in the European Union and, especially high it is, for our food products. In most European countries, the VAT on food is much lower. I believe that it's important to make sure that the VAT applied to food products would be 0, especially for the the main food, products. I have put forward several proposals, but no government ever wanted to act on them. Wouldn't the European Union think that it is important to make sure that food products would be taxed as low as possibly? That would help us overcome poverty, which reach reaches sometimes 20% in my country.”
  VAT harmonisation
• 2026-07-08 “(14:51:00 - 14:51:36): Please. Okay. Ashmunalka, the mess. I think that we will all agree that we shouldn't speak about the left or the right or about the ideology. We all see a huge problem. Drug trafficking is flourishing in Europe. Don't you think that, the structures of power have certain links with drug traffickers. 12 officers were detained in Lithuania, also, workers of municipalities who were helping the our traffickers. Don't you see this problem as a wider 1?”
  Anti-money laundering regulation
• 2026-07-08 “(10:35:16 - 10:35:38): 30 seconds. EU social democrats are fighting against climate change. EU, require for 0 c o 2 emissions, and European Union has made a lot of progress. Industry is stagnating. We have no c o 2 emissions, I would say, almost,”
  Climate policy
• 2026-06-17 “Meps. It's very interesting to see what we're discussing here today. When Lithuania is guilty. It's due to the Liberals and the conservatives. Clearly we're paying with Lithuania's security. It's already as far back as 2024, when there was a recommendation adopted on increasing the security. The cyber security, in fact, of this center of registers by setting up two factor authentication. However, this was not done and the Ministry for information at that point. Who's the chair of the party? Decided not to follow this recommendation. Now, this has not been done today either. But we have to reinstate order here. We have to address these issues and we don't have to. Then we have to. We have to solve them at home and not bring them to Brussels.”
  Electronic identity
• 2026-06-17 “MEPs, it's very interesting to see what we're discussing here today. When Lithuania is, guilty, it's due to the liberals and the conservatives. Clearly, we're paying with Lithuania's security. It's already as far back as 2024 when there was a recommendation adopted on increasing the security the cybersecurity, in fact, of this, center of registers by setting up a 2 factor authentication. However, this was not done. And the ministry for information at that point, who's the chair of the Chalamet's party, decided not to follow this recommendation. Now this has not been done today either, but we have to reinstate order here. We have to address these issues, and we don't have to then we have to we have to solve them at home and not bring them to Brussels.”
  Electronic identity
• 2026-06-17 “(16:23:00 – 16:24:07): Missus Vondelein, the president of the commission, recently acknowledged that giving up nuclear energy was a systemic error. It caused an enormous harm to the European economy. When Lithuania was joining the European Union, we also had to shut down a nuclear plant. Back then, our our electricity was amongst the cheapest, and our nuclear plant could have worked for another 10 years or more, but we had to shut it down. I would like to ask whether the European parliament doesn't agree with the president of the commission that giving up nuclear energy was a big mistake. And we there are other parts of the world that use nuclear energy, and they're more competitive than than we are. And we can't compete with China and and the The US. Thank you. The debate is closed. Thank you to the”
  Nuclear energy
• 2026-06-17 “(10:54:10 – 10:55:22): Well, we all agree that the biggest problem in the EU is unfettered migration. Currently, we have over 62,000,000 migrants in the EU. I cannot agree with the left that a migrant entering Europe is not bound to abide by our laws. Just 10% of the European population is, migrants, but they're accountable for 30% of all crimes. Member states need to be able to send these people back. Of course, we need to ensure that they are sent back to safe countries with a familiar culture for them. We need to look at migration and how it damages our labor market and our culture. And so I welcome, the vote today.”
  Asylum & border control
• 2026-06-17 “Thank you. Do not think that gender ideology, which you're in favor of, is to blame. There are so many genders today. Isn't that causing more damage to children than social media? Thank you. I think there was an issue with the translation.”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• 2026-06-16 “(11:48:40 – 11:49:49): First of all, I would like to ask you a question. Why MEP Zipper can ask so many questions? Why can he make statements? And he's here a previous 1. I want to ask questions according to the blue card procedure, and I am not allowed to do that. I was surprised by colleague, Vitalius Androcitis. I very often support him, but I want to say that president Trump and the Israeli president should be declared persona non crata. But, we are welcome Israel's capability of produce its weapons. We know Israel, pushed from its territories Iran pushed from its territory 7,000,000 people. You are not saying anything about that. It develops its nuclear weapons. I want to say to Europe, you are not playing any role even when seeking peace. Pakistan is the main player. Europe is talking to itself. Thank you very much.”
  Relations with Israel - Palestine
• 2026-06-16 “(15:55:53 – 15:57:11): Mister commissioner, I am from a neighboring country from Lithuania, and I've been an elected politician for 28 years in Lithuania. When I entered into the European parliament, I was shocked at the bureaucracy here. My adviser and several advisers of mine have been recruited, and this process took six months. And when I talk with people about this, they say that this should last for one week probably. Now Christian Democrats, liberals, the left, you are in the majority, and you have created this bureaucratic apparatus. You are responsible for the fact that business in Europe has been shrinking and is not withstanding competition because of bureaucracy. Would those who have created this bureaucracy manage to manage it? And wouldn't it be better for you to raise a white flag and call new elections because you are driving Europe to collapse? Thank you.”
  EU political integration
• “Meps. I would like to draw your attention to a very strange policy in Europe regarding fertilisers. We don't put sanctions on fertilisers, neither Russian or Belarusian fertilisers. But last year we increased customs duties. However, the transit via Lithuania is sanctioned. Why? Why? Because it's very convenient to Putin, to Russia, because all Belarusian fertilisers are moving not via Lithuania, but via Russia via Russian ports. This accumulates profit to Russia. So why do you serve the interests of Russia? Why do you pursue the policy of Putin here? If you took off sanctions on fertilizers, on Belarusian fertilizers, fertilizers will become cheaper to the whole of Europe. Why don't you do that? Don't listen to Putin. Don't do what Putin demands you to do.”
  Use of fertilisers
• “Honourable members of Parliament, let me react. Also in support of the address, my colleague Vytenis Andriukaitis. We are criticizing Trump because he is negotiating with Putin. But let me ask if the leaders of the European Union were determined and principled, should America interfere into this war of Putin against Ukraine? But we are fragmented. We are not unified, and Putin is mocking us. And let's recognize he started mocking Trump as well. And the German president, Schulz, said that he was not going to give tourists. Mertz said that he was going to give him. But today there's none of them. There's neither financial nor military support today. So let's wait. Let's look at us. Have we done everything instead of Trump? I wouldn't give anything. Let Europe deal itself because it is a powerful union.”
  Russia-Ukraine conflict (10th term)
• “There are scams. All manner of scams. But MEPs are not raising concerns there. They don't levy fines elsewhere. No fines levied by the European Union because it is driven by gender based ideology. And this should not be the case.”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• “Thank you very much. Now, the USA is our ally indeed in NATO and in other contexts. And in that case, maybe we should sit down at the negotiating table, and we should be talking about energy exports from the US as a replacement for Russian energy. I don't really see enough dialogue at the moment, don't you think so?”
  Relations with NATO
• “The chairman has urged. Let us wake up the sleeping giant of Europe. The EU member states have promised by 2030 to allocate at least 5% to defence from their budgets. But according to the data of 2025 five EU member states. The small ones hadn't allocated even half percent. 11 EU member states allocated around 2% for defence and only five countries, including Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Greece allocated more than 5% of their GDP to defence. It is highly difficult to wake up a giant, but it is a giant and if one country allocated even all of its budget, no matter how small it is, that wouldn't tackle the problem of defence. Europe needs solidarity and it lacks solidarity. If we looked at war in Ukraine now, we are blaming us for doing little. But Europe is doing even less. Look at Trump, he urges India not to buy Russian oil while we are signing the free trade agreement with India, without even raising this obligation to renounce Russian oil. Let us be united and principled.”
  Defence spending
• “Dear rapporteur, dear colleague, you, together with von der Leyen, have been governing the European Parliament and Europe. Dear, dear speaker, dear speaker, dear speaker, you your party, together with madam von der Leyen, have been governing for two terms the European Parliament and the European Commission. You have created in ten years these problems. You are not managing migration. You are not following Christian values. No country in the world respects you, neither China nor United States, nor India.”
  Von der Leyen
• “Europe is not defending neither its citizens nor its business. Europe is flooded by low quality Chinese goods. More than €100 billion is the trade deficit with China alone, and this deficit is only growing. Endless requirements for business are raised by the Green Deal bureaucracy. Part of the businesses are moving to the USA and other countries, and now we are signing an agreement with Mercosur. And Europe is not going to withstand this competitiveness. The European agricultural workers are not going to support it. Some of them will bankrupt. Europe is over poured with low quality foodstuffs. Are we going to withstand this competitiveness, or are we going to make our businesses fail instead of creating the single market? We are making it to fail. Thank you.”
  Trade relations with China
• “It's working or not? I would like to ask you the following. Why doesn't the EU have a unique position concerning the conflict in Iran? We know that Iran is not a democratic country. It poses a nuclear threat to the whole world. So I would be in favor of a more strong of a stronger European position.”
  EU-Iran relations
• “Gave us the European parliaments.The European Parliament. I believe, is the root of all evil. Propagating LGBT and other things that are harmful for children. Shouldn't that propaganda stop? And that would reduce abuse of children. What do you think?”
  LGBTIQ+
• “Speaker I agree with your ideas, but what should we do to make sure that the ruling majority wakes up? 1006 hundred scientists claim that we are witnessing natural climate change, among them Nobel Prize winners. But the ruling majority refuses to hear them. Most recently, the Volkswagen company has outsourced its manufacturing to China because of green, uh, Requirements. We are not able to to compete. What should we do to make the ruling majority wake up, to make them realize that this course is leading us to perdition?”
  Climate efforts
• “A colleague. Esteemed colleague. You represent the largest group, the EPP. You should assume the largest degree of responsibility for the Green Deal which has turned into religion. Will this crisis in Spain, Portugal and France be enough for the governing majority to understand that there are other kinds of energy resources, such as nuclear? Nuclear power plants were closed down in many member states? Are you going to change your approach, or are you going to follow in the same vein and will continue to pray to the Green Deal? Thank you.”
  Nuclear energy
• “I don't understand what is happening. The draft budget will appear in a week and we are discussing it already. It's absurd. I have never seen it. President Trump has therefore called the EU the global bureaucratic, bureaucratic institution. There is nobody to talk to and there's nobody responsible. Reduce bureaucracy. Why do we need this presidency, which wastes millions, don't we? Wouldn't be enough to have the Parliament and the Commission. We should work in a rational way to hire a staff worker. I need half a year. I have experienced this only when I became an MEP. To fire a worker also takes half, half a year. We work in Brussels. We work in Strasbourg. Each month 10,000 workers travel by trains, cars and so on.”
  EP seat in Strasbourg
• “Colleagues, I think that the Green Deal should be balanced. It should not overshadow our general economy in many areas. We are not competitiveness due to the Green Deal. I think we should follow tendencies in the overall market and we should not destroy our businesses. But we are failing to maintain the balance and we are pushing through the Green Deal and we are destroying our businesses. We are witnessing what is happening in the European Union. Our car industry is suffering. Our farmers are protesting. Therefore, we should think about a better balance while applying the Green Deal policies procedure.”
  Energy (green transition)
• “I want you to pose a question so on that to many different institutions in the European Union. I wanted to pose a question. Don't you think there are too many institutions in the European Union? We already have the European Parliament, the European Commission, president of the European Commission. Why on earth do we need the presidency? Why does member state has to be the presidency? Uh, we can say that, uh, too many cooks spoil the broth. We don't know anymore who is responsible for what. Don't you think that we need less bureaucracy?”
  EU political integration
• “(10:48:30 – 10:49:37): Europe is not defending neither its citizens nor its business. Europe is flooded by low quality Chinese goods. More than €100,000,000,000 is the trade deficit with China alone, and this deficit is only growing. Endless requirements for business are raised by the Green Deal bureaucracy. Part of the businesses are moving to The USA and other countries. And now we are signing an agreement with Mercosur, and Europe is not going to withstand this competitiveness. The European agricultural workers are not going to support it. Some of them will bankrupt. Europe is overpoured with low quality foodstuffs. Are we going to withstand this competitiveness, or are we going to, make our businesses fail instead of creating the single market? We are making it to to fail. Thank you. Speaker on,”
  Trade relations with Mercosur
• “We've heard that Brussels supported the Democrat candidate in the elections and humiliated Trump. And now the EU is doing the same thing.”
  Foreign interference in Europe
• “I'd like to ask your opinion. What do you think? Isn't it Europe itself that caused huge problems in the housing market. Construction license takes almost a year to be issued, while as regards more complicated construction, it would take even longer. There should be various requirements that have to be met, such as heating requirements, a plus plus, etc. so is this governing majority that created such bureaucratic obstacles in receiving permits and making construction so expensive? Would you be able to remove these rules? Thank you.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• “The colleagues who spoke before said that the European Union and Brussels supported the Democrat candidate in the US elections and humiliated Trump. And now again, people in the EU are mocking Trump. The European media are doing that. Some heads of state are doing that. Some people are saying that Trump is more dangerous than Putin. Isn't it time to say sorry to President Trump and the USA?”
  EU-US relations
• “Dear colleague. I believe that all people in the EU, old people, children, women, men, uh, are paid equal attention towards, uh, receive equal attention. Nobody is discriminated against the treated equally. So it is really strange that women are complaining so much. Of course attention must be paid and treatment must be provided to all diseases with no distinction between women, children or anybody else. Um, now we have so many genders we don't have women or men anymore.”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• “Honourable members. I would like to talk about Lithuania. In Lithuania, the previous government privatised monopoly Ignitis electricity company without and did that secretly and they wanted profit and they pay a lot in dividends. And the private company invests into third countries into Latin America. At the same time, they do not invest enough into Lithuanian grids, and Lithuanian citizens cannot access renewable sources of energy because there is no power, there is no capacity. Current government. The Social Democrats don't put enough efforts in order to buy out the shares. And and this monopoly, uh, has a board, uh, the representatives of which are representatives of private capital. And I address the commissioner indicating the problems in Lithuania, but I never received the answer. I do hope I will receive it.”
  Ownership of strategic assets
• “Your colleague Europe was in a trap. Uh, Russian of of Russian gas. And it's planning to wriggle out of that trap in In 2027. Whereas now, by choosing only green energy, we will be in the Chinese trap since, uh, we need energy for the e-cars. Uh, and we need solar energy. Don't you think this is what is in the future? In the future for us Chinese trap?”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources)
• “Members of Parliament, especially those who are in power. Obama said 15 years ago. But we need more spending on defense. So what lesson was learned from that? None at all. It's been said again and again. More spending on defense in Europe is required. But what was done? Nothing. In 2024. In Europe, less than 1%. 1% was spent on defense. So we are dependent on the USA. We should be ashamed. You should be ashamed if we are to be united. And if we'd been strong, then Russia would never have attacked Ukraine. And we don't need the USA. And its proposal for peace plans. Take a look at yourselves. You're not strong. You are weak. You have. Been looking at Ukraine so that it would just end up in a situation where it was. And this then is also a violation of this convention.”
  Defence spending
• “My Europe. You are the capital of bureaucracy. For four years you've been taking decisions. I'm not saying you won't buy Russian gas. And now you're saying that you won't buy any more. As of 2027. And as for oil, well, we haven't even said when we're getting out of oil. When are we going to stop buying fossil fuels from Russia, including oil? Uh, you just talk, talk, talk and don't do anything. What about the sanctions on coal and Rosneft? You've been inviting to impose these sanctions. And Trump has proposed a peace plan, which you reject, but you haven't proposed your own plan to Putin. Putin isn't even in negotiations with you. So look what where are you politically? You're nowhere. You don't even defend your own principles. All you do is talk.”
  EU-Russia relations (from March 2022)
• “If the European Union were to regulate the sector less the business sector here, would our businessmen and companies not be able to adapt to the world conditions, the conditions at world level and competition. What do we need to do for the European Union? Not to worry about these or not to create these industrial obstacles to European Union, because we're losing.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• “Dear members of the European Parliament. I wonder every day. And I would like to put the same question to you. Who in the world decided that there are countries that are entitled to have nuclear weapons, and the others are not entitled to have it? Iran is being bombed. For pursuing that program. But according to Iran, this is an uranium enrichment project for peaceful purposes. According to Israel, Iran is the threat. We're not bombing Russia or China. Are they democratic countries? No. But those countries are entitled to have a nuclear weapon. Who has decided that? If Ukraine didn't give up on its nuclear program. The Budapest Protocol never would have been signed and Russia would never have attacked them. Thank you very much. This is after.”
  EU-Iran relations
• “We. We have a saying that God takes away the reason when it wants to Uh, punish somebody. We have stopped nuclear power station as it was done in Lithuania, which was forced to do this. And as prices increased, people can't pay for the energy industry has lost its competitiveness. Europe cannot compete in the world. We have given up on fossil fuels as well. We buy gas from Russia for a higher price than we give to Ukraine. So with one hand we support Ukraine, but with the other hand we show our love to Putin. Trump and the US have given up on the mad. Green deal. When we will understand that we are taking the wrong paths.”
  Energy (green transition)
• “European competitiveness. I discussed very often in the European Parliament. I think that we have learned these problems by heart, its bureaucracy, the green agenda, corruption and of course, immigration. But this ruling majority which has created these problems will not deal with them. They are getting deeper. Spain and Portugal and parts of France suffered a blackout because of the green agenda. But we're not talking about that and don't recognize that this is the problem caused by the green agenda. I think that the EU should learn from its mistakes and draw conclusions, but it only does cosmetic changes and neglects the problems. It therefore doesn't have a future and will not be competitive globally.”
  Climate efforts