Hanna GEDIN

Policy topics Hanna GEDIN is active on

What Hanna GEDIN has said (50)

• 2026-02-25 “Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission 11.5.2026 Written question The Commission generally does not comment on draft legislation. Accordingly, it is not in a position to provide an answer to the questions submitted by the Honourable Members.”
  EU Supervision of the Rule of Law · Asylum & border control
• 2026-02-19 “Answer given by Mr Brunner on behalf of the European Commission 5.5.2026 Written question Member States are responsible to assess the merits of return cases in accordance with the Return Directive [1] . This directive applies to illegally staying third-country nationals including minors. When returning a minor, national authorities must take due account of the best interests of the child and family life, notably in proceedings leading to a return decision. Article 24 of the EU Charter establishes that in all actions relating to children, whether taken by public or private bodies, the child’s best interests must be a primary consideration. It is at the discretion of national authorities and courts to interpret and secure such interests in individual cases. The Return Handbook [2] provides guidance to Member States on the Return Directive, including on the return of minors, although only legal acts produce legally binding effects and can be invoked before a national jurisdiction. Legally binding interpretations of Union law can only be given by the Court of Justice of the European Union. The Commission is in regular contact with all Member States on the implementation of the Pact of Migration and Asylum [3] , including on aspects related to minors in migration. [1] Directive 2008/115/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on common standards and procedures in Member States for returning illegally staying third-country nationals. [2] Commission Recommendation (EU) 2017/2338 of 16 November 2017 establishing a common ‘Return Handbook’ to be used by Member States' competent authorities when carrying out return-related tasks, OJ L 339 of 19.12.2017, p. 82. [3] https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/migration-and-asylum/pact-migration-and-asylum_en.”
  EU policy on integration and ethnic, racial and religious discrimination · Asylum & border control
• 2025-11-03 “E-004291/2025 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provides the general framework for all processing of personal data, including the processing carried out through the use of closedcircuit television (CCTV) cameras. It is possible to lawfully process personal data through video surveillance on the basis of a Member State law that is proportionate to the legitimate aim pursued. In addition, the GDPR provides that personal data may be processed only to the extent it is relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purpose of the processing. Furthermore, the operators are obliged to provide data subjects with clear information on the existence and purposes of personal data processing. The Commission considers that the GDPR provides sufficient protection to data subjects against unlawful video surveillance. Furthermore, Member States are allowed to provide for more specific rules to ensure the protection of personal data in the employment context. While there is no requirement in EU law to create a system where the use of video surveillance is based on a permit by a data protection authority, the latter has all the necessary powers to investigate possible violations of the GDPR and take the necessary enforcement action if it identifies such violations, including in relation to the use of CCTV. Finally, the GDPR provides a data subject with the right to mandate an organisation to act on his or her behalf if that body is constituted in accordance with the law of a Member State and has statutory objectives in the public interest relating to the protection of data subjects’ rights and freedoms.”
  EU rules on hazardous working conditions · EU regulation on worker representation in company decisions
• 2025-07-24 “E-003071/2025 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission The High Representative/Vice-President (HR/VP) and the Commission have reiterated on numerous occasions that all parties fighting in a conflict are obliged to respect international humanitarian law, be they governmental forces or non-state armed groups. In particular, civilians cannot be deprived of liberty unless there are imperative reasons of security, and internment may never be used as a form of punishment. At the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in May 2025, the HR/VP announced a review of Israel’s compliance with Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement 1 . The review was presented at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 23 June 2025 2 and concluded that there are indications that Israel would be in breach of Article 2. On this basis, the EU engaged in a frank and principled dialogue which led to Israel’s agreement to take significant steps to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. At the July 2025 Foreign Affairs Council, the HR/VP announced the humanitarian understanding with Israel and informed Member States that the EU will continue to closely monitor the implementation of the agreed actions and report to Member States. On 29 July 2025, the Commission proposed to partially suspend Israel's participation in Horizon Europe 3 . The suspension, which comes as a reaction to the review under Article 2 of the EUIsrael Association Agreement, specifically concerns the participation of entities established in Israel in activities funded under the Accelerator of the European Innovation Council 4 . For the Commission's proposal to be adopted, it must receive the support of a qualified majority in the Council of the EU. 1 https://eeas.europa.eu/archives/delegations/israel/documents/eu_israel/asso_agree_en.pdf. 2 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/fac/2025/06/23/. 3 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_1921. 4 https://north-africa-middle-east-gulf.ec.europa.eu/news/commission-proposes-partial-suspension-israelsassociation-horizon-europe-2025-07-29_en.”
  Relations with Israel - Palestine
• 2025-06-11 “E-002358/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Ribera on behalf of the European Commission The Commission confirms that it has been in contact with Sweden concerning the framework law for new nuclear power plants in Sweden and the envisaged support for the financing of future individual nuclear projects. As these contacts are ongoing the Commission cannot, at this stage, comment on any potential next steps or predict their outcome.”
  Energy transition (state support) · Nuclear energy
• 2025-05-02 “E-001781/2025 Answer given by Mr Brunner and Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission The Commission would like to recall that legislation applicable to prostitution is a matter that remains within the competence of Member States, which have different approaches and legislations in this area. 1. Restrictions on the right to move and reside freely on grounds of public policy and public security are set in Chapter VI of Directive 2004/38/EC 1 , Articles 27 to 33. Member States retain the freedom to determine the requirements of public policy and public security in accordance with their needs, but they must interpret those requirements strictly. Restrictive measures, including a detention measure or ending a right to reside in or enter a Member State, may be taken only on a case-by-case basis where the personal conduct of an individual represents a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat affecting one of the fundamental interests of the society of the host Member State 2 . 2. The Anti-Trafficking Directive (Directive 2011/36/EU) 3 provides for minimum common rules for Member States to address the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation as a purpose of trafficking in human beings, in so far as the other elements of the offence (i.e. the intentional act and the means) are met. It is for Member States to assess if, in individual cases, these elements are fulfilled. The Directive is without prejudice to the way in which Member States deal with prostitution in their national law. 1 Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States, OJ L 158, 30.4.2004. 2 C-331/16 and C-366/16, K and H. 3 Directive 2011/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 April 2011 on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims, and replacing Council Framework Decision 2002/629/JHA, OJ L 101, 15.4.2011.”
  Legal migration · EU law enforcement cooperation in criminal matters
• 2025-02-06 “E-000552/2025 Answer given by Mr Síkela on behalf of the European Commission The EU has been and remains committed to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), as enshrined in the European Consensus on Development 1 , the EU Global Health Strategy 2 , the Gender Action Plan III 3 , the EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 and the new Roadmap for Women’s Rights 4 , among other policy and legal frameworks. The commitment to SRHR translates into a wide range of actions in development and humanitarian settings. This for example includes programming under the Team Europe Initiative on SRHR in Africa and financial contributions to civil society organisations and multilateral organisations such as the United Nations Population Fund. Everyone in the international community must shoulder their responsibility as the scale and complexity of the current global needs require a collective response. To uphold EU’s commitment to global health and SRHR, the Commission engages in partnerships based on equal footing, co-ownership, mutual interest and strategic priorities. These partnerships involve policy dialogue and programmatic initiatives at global, regional and country levels. Stakeholders include EU institutions, Member States, partner countries, civil society, private sector, and development and humanitarian partners, including United Nations agencies. The EU also provides operational grants for framework partners who work on SRHR matters to ensure facilitation of their work. 1 https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/policies/european-development-policy/european-consensusdevelopment_en 2 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_7153 3 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52020JC0017 4 https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/genderequality/gender-equality-strategy_en”
  Sexuality and reproduction · EU development policy (gender conditionality)
• 2025-01-23 “E-000306/2025 Answer given by Mr Serafin on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is fully committed to supporting civil society, including by financing nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) in line with the rules of EU financial programmes, as adopted by the co-legislators. The new Commission guidance 1 does not restrict the work of these organisations but clarifies the types of activities which should not be supported by EU financing. Civil society entities financed by EU programmes remain fully autonomous and free to establish their own views. Certain references in annexes to grant agreements under the EU programme for the environment and climate action (LIFE programme) 2 were brought to the Commission’s attention by the Committee on Budgetary Control in 2024. The Commission acknowledged that it is not appropriate to enter into agreements which foresee that NGOs lobby the European institutions for a specific political content, as part of their work programmes. Before issuing the guidance, the Commission carefully weighed the importance it attaches to a vibrant civil society and the reputational consequences of such references. The objective is to take an approach that balances the need for a healthy and independent civil society while protecting the EU’s financial interests and avoiding reputational risk. Independent civil society organisations are an essential part of the EU’s democracies and instrumental for putting into practice fundamental EU values. The Political Guidelines for the Commission 2024-2029 3 include a clear commitment to step up engagement with civil society organisations and to ensure that civil society is empowered and better protected in its work. The Commission will present in 2025 a Civil Society Strategy which will include actions to foster the engagement with civil society. 1 https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/common/guidance/guidance-fundingdev-impl-monit-enforce-of-eu-law_en.pdf 2 https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/programmes/life/life-operating-grants_en 3 https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/e6cd4328-673c-4e7a-8683f63ffb2cf648_en?filename=Political%20Guidelines%202024-2029_EN.pdf”
  Transparency requirements for interest groups · Regulation of NGOs in Europe
• 2025-01-22 “P-000269/2025 Answer given by Mr Jørgensen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission shares the Honourable Member’s view that housing affordability has deteriorated over the last years. Most Member States are suffering critical housing shortages, and citizens in many Member States consider access to affordable housing a major priority. The Commission President´s decision to appoint an EU Commissioner responsible for housing reflects the strong commitment of the Commission to contribute to solutions. The Commission has established a Task Force for Housing to coordinate effectively the work strands across the Commission services, and support the Commissioner for Energy and Housing in putting forward the first-ever European Affordable Housing Plan. This plan will inter alia reflect on the work of the European Parliament´s Special Committee and aims to address structural drivers of housing crisis and help unlock the public and private investment needed. The Commission has started working with the European Investment Bank to establish a panEuropean investment platform for affordable and sustainable housing, engaging also with international financial institutions, national promotional banks and institutions and other stakeholders. In addition, the Commission plans to tackle systemic issues with short-term accommodation rentals and the inefficient use of the current housing stock. As a first step, the EU has adopted a Regulation 1 . The Commission is also examining how State aid rules for housing could be revised to enable housing support measures for affordable housing and energy efficiency. This assessment will take into account among others, the necessity to avoid undue distortions in the commercial housing market and a detrimental effect on social housing, which supports the more vulnerable. 1 Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 on data collection and sharing relating to short-term accommodation rental services (OJ L, 2024/1028, 29.4.2024 https://eurlex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1028/oj/eng) will apply from 20 May 2026 and aims to increase transparency and obtain data from platforms on short-term accommodation rental services supporting national and local governments in taking evidence-based decisions.”
  EU regulation of short-term rentals · EU housing policy
• 2024-12-18 “E-003015/2024 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission The EU strongly supports the fundamental aspiration of the people of Iran for a future where their universal human rights and fundamental freedoms are respected, protected and fulfilled. The EU continuously engages and supports civil society both inside and outside Iran through the Commission, the High Representative/Vice President, in cooperation with the European Parliament. In the December 2022 Council conclusions 1 , the EU reconfirmed its resolute commitment to human rights in its policy towards Iran. Fundamental rights such as freedom of expression, both online and offline, freedom of assembly and freedom of association must be respected in all circumstances, and this can only be ensured by the existence of a strong and free civil society. The EU has reacted promptly, both publicly and privately, to human rights violations in Iran, including by strongly supporting United Nations accountability mechanisms. The EU’s humanitarian assistance has been instrumental in supporting the lifesaving needs of displaced Afghans in Iran, the world’s largest host country for refugees. In 2024, the EU allocated EUR 12.45 million 2 for humanitarian programmes to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable, notably women and children, focusing on food security, health and education, among other areas. The humanitarian assistance funded by the EU is delivered in partnership with United Nation’s agencies, international organisations and non-governmental organisations. 1 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/12/12/iran-eu-adopts-council-conclusions-andadditional-restrictive-measures/ 2 https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/where/asia-and-pacific/iran_en”
  EU competences on human rights · EU-Iran relations
• 2024-12-18 “E-003022/2024 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission The EU is one of the main supporters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The European Council condemned any attempt to repeal the 1967 agreement between Israel and UNRWA and to attempt to obstruct its capacity to operate its mandate 1 . It is of utmost importance to counter the disinformation campaign aimed at UNRWA. For this reason, the European External Action Service monitors and documents the campaign closely, within the mandate ‘to counter and expose disinformation in countries neighbouring the Union’ outlined in the 2018 Action Plan for Disinformation 2 . The EU and its Member States also continue to reach out to the Israeli authorities, and to highlight concerns through diplomatic outreach and public statements. The European Council, on 21 March 3 , 27 June 4 , 17 October 5 and 19 December 2024 6 has consistently reiterated that the services provided by UNRWA are essential. The High Representative/Vice President discussed ways of supporting UNRWA with foreign ministers at the Foreign Affairs Council. The EU will continue to provide both political and financial support to UNRWA. In 2024, the EU provided EUR 92 million in support to UNRWA. This came in addition to the EUR 48.5 million of EU humanitarian funding in 2024. 1 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/2pebccz2/20241017-euco-conclusions-en.pdf 2 https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/b654235c-f5f1-452d-8a8c-367e603af841_en?filename=eucommunication-disinformation-euco-05122018_en.pdf 3 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/70880/euco-conclusions-2122032024.pdf 4 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/qa3lblga/euco-conclusions-27062024-en.pdf 5 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/2pebccz2/20241017-euco-conclusions-en.pdf 6 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/jhlenhaj/euco-conclusions-19122024-en.pdf”
  Relations with Israel - Palestine · Support for international humanitarian organisations · Disinformation & online freedoms
• 2024-12-18 “E-003014/2024 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Ribera on behalf of the European Commission Concerning the first and second questions, the Commission cannot take position without further details. Both questions seem largely related to the interpretation of the national law, which the Commission cannot comment on. Nevertheless, Article 345 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union expresses the principle of neutrality in relation to the rules in Member States governing the system of property ownership. This implies that public bodies, such as municipalities or regions, may also carry out economic activities and then constitute undertakings, as defined in the jurisprudence of the EU Courts. However, the classification of such an entity as an undertaking is always relative to a specific activity. An entity that carries out both economic and non-economic activities is to be regarded as an undertaking only with regard to the former. It follows that EU competition law, including EU State aid law, does not require to qualify a municipality or region that carries out different activities, some of them economic and some non-economic, as an undertaking with regard to all its activities, but only with regard to those that are economic in nature. As such, these rules do not require to qualify the entirety of a municipality or region that, amongst many activities, also carries out the economic activity of primary agricultural production as a farmer, but rather only those activities that constitute such primary agricultural production. Moreover, the Commission is committed to bring down electricity prices for households and businesses to support the energy transition and the Union’s competitiveness. Therefore, the Commission is working on the Clean Industrial Deal and an Action Plan for Affordable Energy to be published in the first hundred days of this Commission, in line with the mission letters by the President of the Commission to the Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition 1 and to the Commissioner for Energy and Housing 2 . 1 https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/33d74e86-3a17-472c-ba9359d1606bbc20_en?filename=mission-letter-ribera_0.pdf 2 https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/35154547-48c1-4671-8d3413e098859a57_en?filename=mission-letter-jorgensen.pdf”
  Energy (green transition)
• 2024-10-31 “E-002384/2024 Answer given by Ms Albuquerque on behalf of the European Commission Ordinary road trucks are not subject to an export ban within the EU restrictive measures vis-àvis Syria, as established in Council Regulation (EU) No 36/2012 1 . However, when exporting such trucks to Syria, EU operators should ensure that no funds or economic resources are made available to listed persons. The responsibility for the implementation and enforcement of EU sanctions lies with the Member States. In case of doubt, EU operators are encouraged to seek assistance from the relevant Member State national competent authority. The Commission stands ready to support Member States in the uniform application of EU sanctions, including by providing clarifications where necessary. The Commission works in close coordination with the Member State national competent authorities to monitor the implementation of EU sanctions. This close coordination ensures that the EU’s Syria sanctions are responsive to any issues observed during the implementation of EU sanctions. In the event of any possible breach, the Commission brings this to the attention of the national competent authorities. It is then for national authorities to investigate the matter. For EU operators to minimise the risk of engagement with designated persons or entities, the Commission recommends a risk-based approach consisting of risk assessment, multi-level due diligence and ongoing monitoring. 1 OJ L 16, 19.1.2012, p. 1–32.”
  EU-Syria relations
• 2024-09-20 “E-001779/2024 Reply The European Union is committed to a lasting and sustainable peace in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, on the basis of the two-state solution, with the State of Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous, sovereign and viable State of Palestine living side-by-side in peace, security and mutual recognition. The European Union will continue to work with international partners towards reviving the political process to this end. With regard to the occupied Palestinian territory, the European Union has condemned the Israeli government’s decisions to further expand illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank and has urged Israel to reverse these decisions. The EU has also strongly condemned extremist settler violence and imposed sanctions on a number of specific individuals and entities concerned under the EU restrictive measures against serious human rights violations and abuses. The EU will take work forward on further restrictive measures against extremist settlers and against entities and organisations which support them 1 . As regards arms trade, the Council recalls its reply to Written Question P-003630/2023, and that the control on the export of arms by Member States is subject to national legislation, Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP 2 and the Arms Trade Treaty 3 (ATT). The competent authorities of the Member States take the final decision on whether to authorise or deny an individual export or transit license for military equipment, in accordance with the said legal frameworks. The Council, through its competent Working Party, works towards increased convergence amongst Member States’ arms export policies. This includes recent exchanges of views on the application of the criteria set out in the Common Position, in the light of the conflict in Gaza. 1 Cf. European Council conclusions of 21-22/03/2024, 27/6/2024 and 17/10/2024 (https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/70880/euco-conclusions-2122032024.pdf, https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/qa3lblga/euco-conclusions-27062024-en.pdf, https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/2pebccz2/20241017-euco-conclusions-en.pdf. 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32008E0944. 3 https://thearmstradetreaty.org/treaty-text.html?templateId=209884.”
  Relations with Israel - Palestine
• 2024-09-11 “P-001681/2024 Answer given by Mr Lenarčič on behalf of the European Commission Responding to a request for assistance from the World Health Organization, the Commission is currently coordinating the effort to implement medical evacuations of Palestinian patients to the EU through the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) 1 . As of 19 September 2024, four operations have taken place, evacuating a total of 37 paediatric patients and 79 relatives from Egypt to the EU. These operations have involved five Member States (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Slovakia), which have offered transport capacities and hospital beds for these patients. Additional medical evacuations of Palestinian patients have been also organised bilaterally by Member States over the past months. The decision to conduct such medical evacuations bilaterally or within the UCPM framework is voluntary and rests with the sovereign discretion of each Member State. The role of the Commission is to support medical evacuation operations conducted under the UCPM notably by offering support to Member States in terms of coordination, logistics and co-financing. The Commission is continuously in contact with Member States to ensure a coherent and collective Team Europe approach and to support national civil protection and health authorities in these complex operations. The Commission is strongly committed to continuing its coordination efforts with Member States and other actors involved to move forward with additional medical evacuations. 1 https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/eu-civil-protection-mechanism_en”
  EU competences on foreign affairs · EU Development & Humanitarian Aid
• “Thank you. Thank you, chair, and thank you. Uh, the rapporteur, I think this is a very important topic. And as you have mentioned, chair, we worked very hard on achieving good results when it comes to public procurement file and subcontracting. I'm also happy that this topic now has its own report. And this is a question of huge impact, not only for the economy, but even so and more importantly on people. And I reiterate what I've been saying about what happened in Sweden, in my country, in Sundbyberg in 2023, where this elevator on a construction site fell 20m down, five people were killed. And in that specific construction site, there were 119 different companies operating. And now everyone is blaming everyone because there is no accountability. And the responsibility lies is unclear. So people's lives are at stake here. And these rules needs of course, to be improved. And I think this draft report and the draft opinion are very good starting points, uh, recognizing the issue and drawing the necessary connection to public procurement, I think are very welcome. And I think, however, as well, we need to also bear in mind the root causes of all this, that the problems that are accurately described in this report and opinion that is increased risks, um, related to fraud, criminal infiltration, the occupational health and safety of workers, as well as healthy internal market competition. All this comes from the fundamental principle that the freedom of profit seeking for companies in the EU treaties always trumps the safety and well-being and even lives of workers. And I think it is our responsibility as lawmakers to balance different interests, and actually can't think of any more important interests than making sure people don't die from just doing their job. So I'm really, really looking forward to work on this file. Thank you.”
  EU rules on hazardous working conditions
• “This is risible, but at the same time very serious. The insistence of an idiot or a parrot. We are hearing the right wing and the commission repeating ad infinitum. Simplify the rules, simplify the rules, simplify the rules. And what the commission and the right wing mean with this is competition. But when rules are there to protect us, are taken away. It's others who suffer. We see workers rights being precision targeted to introduce slave like circumstances. In Sweden, 44 workers died last year. Mothers, fathers who left their children in creche in the in the morning, but never had an opportunity to pick them up in the afternoon. In many of these cases, it wasn't too many rules. That was the problem. It was too few rules. Simplifying rules is about deregulating society, about policies. And people shall have less and less to come with and we'll see less and less appropriate rules. A race to the bottom, and there'll be only a few winners where everybody else will be losers.”
  EU rules on hazardous working conditions
• “So I saw, I saw so Israel's andreeap for Iran and a high price for jet system in EU that goes. For all the window. Zvi Plötzlich bir sindur bora for. **Nicolae ȘTEFĂNUȚĂ @Chair: There is no English translation. I'm being told in the room. Do we get. Can I get the confirmation? I'm really apologize. You can start. Sure.”
  Relations with Israel - Palestine
• “If we lower requirements, then that can actually ultimately cost lives. Of course, member states have to be able to set requirements that we find are reasonable, such as personal details, a name, and an address. Then there's another aspect to this. In Sweden, we saw Tesla choose to fly in posted workers in order to undermine and break the Swedish right to strike. That could be such a requirement that a member state may see the need to add to the list. In this case, we need an open list. I also want to stress that carrying out controls is, of course extremely important. We don't just need to make life easier for businesses, we also need to make it easier to have better and more comprehensive inspections. We don't do that by reducing the number of rules and making it unclear for inspectors what they actually need to check. Finally, I'd like to take this opportunity to put a question to the commission who are here today. We have proposals to have these data requirements in a delegated act. Who will be consulted when the delegated act is drafted? Will you consult the social partners or is it more business oriented? Thank you.”
  EU regulation of cross-border and posted workers
• “Thank you. I think I'll avail myself of the possibility of a speaking Swedish, especially as we have a Danish commissioner with us. Well, I'm glad this discussion was organized, and I'm looking forward to the negotiations on this important piece of legislation. Uh, the investigation into a Russian gas imports is absolutely crucial, and it's important for us to show a strong hand, particularly as far as Russia's shadow fleet is concerned. So I do hope that we can show how strong we are. A lot of EU countries are, of course, dependent on Russian gas and the renewable alternatives that need to be expanded. One of my priorities in this dossier is for us to opt out of Russian gas as quickly as possible, to stop being dependent on it. And the idea is for us to therefore take joint action. No, uh, business, uh, no house that should be left behind. Uh, we, the citizens, have waited a long time for this switch. Those who are contributing are those who are, um, benefiting from this, uh, independence need to be addressed because a lot of big companies have now to switch to renewables so that prices can come down. This is our task for the citizens, for our budgets. And these are absolutely fundamental questions which are of importance on a day to day basis. It's a scandal that Russia is buying Russian energy For a bigger amount than the money that we're giving to support Ukraine. That really can't be allowed to happen. We have to step up to the plate with Ukraine, and we cannot do this as long as the Ukraine is not receiving the right support.”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources)
• “Thank you very much. I'm going to start by thanking the rapporteur for how the negotiations have been dealt with. But at the same time, I can't get around the fact that there are big ideological differences here. And that is only normal, because that's the way it is in politics. What I think the problem is, is that the leading idea is this belief in deregulation in Europe, deregulation is freedom for the market, not human beings. There's been a problems in the rail system, for example, when responsibility for tracks and rolling stock were separated and trains got later. And there was that was a result of deregulation. Same problems when welfare was opened up to private actors. They were supposed to create more diversity, but instead we got segregation. And there are schools where children are arriving at school hungry. Deregulation moves power away from all of us to companies. They turn citizens into customers and fundamental rights become just goods on the market. We need to turn this development around. We need to strengthen. Strengthen public responsibility for the welfare state, for infrastructure, and for our common future. Society is at its best when it is run by rules and common decisions with solidarity. Solidarity for one another and not deregulation.”
  EU social policy (political compass)
• “Thank you so much. I was speaking Swedish. Um. Thank you. Thank you very much. To the rapporteur. I'd like to thank you for the excellent work on this file. I'd like to stress that this has been very inclusive, very clear, and it's a really good timeline as well. The left is in general in favour of simplifying things for citizens. In companies as well. When this is about streamlining and protecting the single market. But we can see that the Commission has a slightly different approach when talking about simplification. Therefore we want. This. We do not want this simplification to lead to drug ulation. For example reporting obligations. In our view, this is often to the detriment of consumers in Europe and citizens and employees. This cannot be the case. Therefore, it's vital that this Parliament sends out a clear signal that simplification cannot simply be for the benefit of companies. It needs to also be to the benefit of citizens and the climate as well. And that's absolutely essential. Of course, of course, we have different positions and different views, and this report does have a clear ideological dimension. We need to recognise that. And in some cases. These difficulties and differences need to be bridged, for example on services. But I hope that we will be able to strike to find compromises. We would like to be involved in finding those compromises.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• “Thank you very much. Close to where I live, 2800 people are working, making stone crosses which are then delivered to the whole world. And today we're talking about the green industrial deal. And I think it would be helpful if the discussion could be brought back to the core of European industry. The workers, people who are actually working in our industry are the people who ensure that the lighting goes on, who operate the machines, who also really build our prosperity, so that we need to ensure that we people have proper working conditions and secure jobs. We shouldn't be spending a single cent on unsafe and insecure jobs. That is against the interests of the workers or against our environmental interests. So the future industry policy must be there to support workers, otherwise it's not a proper industrial policy. Thank you.”
  EU regulation on worker representation in company decisions
• “Thank you very much. President. In the proposal, we have to say there's not very much. That's good. The rules keep being changed. For businesses, this creates uncertainty and less competitiveness. The commission isn't listening to me, but perhaps they would listen to Volvo. For example. They said that Europe is turning away from climate goals. And we're very disappointed by the EU. That's what they say. And this omnibus proposal from the Commission. There we're moving even further away, ever further away from rules on climate. We have to ensure that we are advocating for companies, but also for for employees. I'm from Sweden and in Sweden, for example, we have a shortage of medicines, but then there's no explanation of why. Here the commission seems to listen rather to the board at Volvo, and the rules of the game are being changed again and again. And I have to say that I'm really very disappointed by the proposal.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• “That is one possibility, but it depends what you mean. I can't see that buying European would mean that European businesses should compete with the same poor working conditions and low environmental standards that other countries are able to use to compete. We actually have an opportunity to have a higher level of requirements here, so that those businesses who manage this well and have higher standards don't suffer discrimination on European markets. Again, I'm seeing the lowest price possible and the very big focus on that as a big problem. I do think that procuring authorities should have more freedom than they have today. We have an example from the Swedish city of Gothenburg, where authorities during public procurement put through requirements on having collective agreements in place, and they were told they weren't allowed to do that because they had to go for the lowest price. So this is a matter of democracy as politicians, as elected by the people, need to be able to make other assessments than just on price. And I think that that will serve European companies. I look forward to the discussions that will be held. I hope that they will be exciting and fruitful. And our first shadows meeting will be, as I mentioned, tomorrow. Thank you.”
  "Buy European" provisions
• “I'd like to start by noting that there was a great deal of talk about border regions at the outset, and I can correct you by saying that I am from a border region too, even though it is in the north of Europe. I don't quite see the same problems there that we have heard described here. Naturally, we need to make life easier for businesses in cross-border actions, but not at the expense of people's lives. And that is actually what's at stake here today. We see people being exploited on European labor markets, and that's something that we need to deal with jointly. Just over a year ago, an elevator on a building site collapsed at a building site outside Stockholm in Sweden. Five people died and there was a whole host of subcontractors involved in that case. For a long time, the main contractor didn't even know the names of these five people who had died. So I share the concerns that the ample rapporteur expressed. If you have a closed and very short list where it's possible to remove requirements but not add them, then we will see a race to the bottom because we're setting a threshold rather than a ceiling.”
  EU regulation of cross-border and posted workers
• “(10:46:24 – 10:48:24): I'd like to start by thanking Timo for giving us the opportunity to have an exchange of views. But I'd also like to say that we're very happy with the decision that's just been taken and the broad majority we have on the customs legislation. And we hope that that's going to improve the situation relating to dangerous and illegal products because it gives the opportunity for the customs authorities throughout Europe to inspect products from, for example, Timo so that there are consequences if they don't comply with our rules. So a question for Timo. To what extent and how do you think the way you work would be changed by that legislation? It's important for the consumers in Europe to be able to rely on products that they buy not containing dangerous substances and that goods which are sold to our consumers in Europe are subject to the same rules. So we have a level playing field, cosmetics and so on. They must be subject to the same rules being sold in the same way. Now we talk a lot about products which are dangerous to consumers. But another important dimension as far as I'm concerned, particularly in the context of fair competition, is good sustainable working conditions and a good sustainable working environment. We want companies within Europe to comply with this, but also for companies outside the EU. So over and above goods complying with the rules of the EU, how do you ensure that the products are produced in such a way that they don't damage the people working in the companies?”
  EU policy on labour exploitation in global supply chains
• “Thank you very much for giving us the possibility to discuss this. And thank you to the Commission for the giving us the introduction and the overview of the legislation. I would also like to echo what my colleague Henriksen just said. My concerns about this. This morning I woke up, I read the newspaper and Mr. Jacob Wallenberg, who is one of the richest Swedish persons, said that he thinks EU is moving too far when it comes to AI. And I think it's very easy for him to say when we know that over half of the population in the EU, consisting of women, we risk in an exploding kind of manner now being targeted and, uh, by AI and deepfake. And it's not only a problem for us as women, it's also a security threat, I would say, to our democracy and to the EU legislation. And it should be a question that engages more than just women. I recently went on a mission with the FAM Committee to South Korea, and this is actually the main topic in South Korea, because they are seeing also in South Korea that they can't tackle the deepfake in the AI threats against women. And it is it is clear that the AI act, uh, contains a lot of good provisions when it comes to, for example, watermarking a deepfake in AI pictures. And I think it's good that the directive on violence against women contains certain regulation when it comes to this.”
  Transparency and oversight of AI-generated content
• “European competitiveness is what we're hearing from the right. But what are you actually doing? You're taking away what we actually can compete with. Our sustainability rules for the environment and for workers. You're doing it because business lobbyists are giving you orders like the Swedish moderates. Their main negotiator, Jürgen Warborn, who is going over to the US meeting the Trump administration and the oil industry. And that was ten times he went there before he worked on the European corporate sustainability due diligence rules. It seems that industry is having the say now. Jürgen Vonbraun is basically rolling over for American interests. And how does that help Europe? This washing back of sustainability and climate rules that Mr. Warborn wants. Well, whose interest is that? In who? In whose interest is he working in? They say that fish rots from the head. So how can we have trust in democracy if the fossil fuel industry seems to have the say?”
  Due diligence in supply chains (environmental and human rights)
• “Well, cost of living is what worries people most at the moment. Food prices going up, electricity prices are going up, and it's hard to fill a basket at the supermarket for normal people. And that's in one of Europe's richest countries. That some children go to school hungry. It's shameful. Our Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, is no solution to this. The right are saying, let's take from the poor and give to those who are already rich in Sweden. A director receives more than 103 times as much in salary as a childcare. Many people are trying to survive on just €500 a month. But at the same time, it seems that there is no moral compass as manager salaries just didn't go up and up. This is not fate. These are policies that have to change.”
  Minimum income harmonisation at EU level
• “Thank you so much. And I would like to start by thanking the rapporteur and his team for this very good starting point as a draft report. And I'm happy to be the shadow rapporteur from the left. I mean, this is a very important report. We all say it since EU citizens oftentimes rank health services as the most important type of public service available, and health services also have the most transformative or a very transformative potential towards advancing gender equality in society. However, despite the EU's standing out among industrialized regions for the health coverage of its population, universal access to health services is not yet achieved and there are great variations in the level of access across the EU. Healthcare should be available for all and therefore it should be public and not privatised. Privatized healthcare always negatively affects underprivileged women's access to healthcare, and it places profit before improving and saving human lives. Women, regardless of class, education level and financial situation should always be able to access high quality health care. I also, with the amendments, want to highlight the situation of women living in rural areas, many of whom have problems accessing healthcare. This situation is especially dire for pregnant women in the northern part of Sweden, for example, many maternity wards have closed, leading to hours long travels. Hence, women risk giving birth at home or on the road. And that's actually the case for some women. Moreover, this geographical inequality especially affects women of a lower socioeconomic background. Women with low socio economic status in the EU also experience higher levels of stress and poorer health outcomes compared to wealthier, wealthier counterparts. With 9.4% of female reporting bad or very bad health, and they face higher rates of psychological distress, chronic disease and financial strain, often exacerbated by precarious work and unpaid care role. It is time, I think, to close this gap between men and women and women in different backgrounds in regard to health inequalities and to strengthen public health care sector, prioritising improving human lives before corporate profits. And with this, and focusing on these kinds of amendments, I'm really looking forward to be part of this work. Thank you.”
  Public and private sectors role in healthcare services
• “Knee hug you on the right. Maintain the 28th regime will undermine Europe for the sake of big companies. You want to undermine democratic rights and tear up rights of workers. In the 28th regime, Sweden's legislators provided support to protect employees, so they have five weeks holiday protection against being laid off and this would be undermined. This is a genuine threat against the total Swedish approach, the Swedish model and social security. To tread this underfoot is not an improvement. It is worsening. And for the right wing who are trying to push through this worsening and this change, why do you want to make the EU single market some sort of smorgasbord that those who have the money can always circumvent it and they always win.”
  EU competences on social policies
• “Thank you very much. Well, this is a matter both of ensuring a. Larger share of the money stays with producers. As we've heard earlier. But I also am thinking about the massive price shock over the past few years for consumers in Europe. And that's another important aspect. We have in many areas seen real term wage reductions. We've seen rents go up, food prices go up. In my home country, Sweden, this has become very noticeable. And for those of us who are heavy coffee drinkers in Sweden, I can tell you that a packet of coffee in the shops has increased by over 40% in a very short space of time. At the same time, um, there's a type of oligarchy on the wholesale market, and that is where all the profit is ending up in the end. That is why we need legislation to try to correct this type of abuse on the part of a few stakeholders. So we focused on ensuring that member states do more when it comes to abusive practices by wholesalers. That includes considering very steeply rising food prices, too. Thank you.”
  EU policy on farmer–buyer relations in the agri-food supply chain
• “The EU's dependency on other countries has allowed us to be blackmailed. Putin's using gas as a weapon to split governments, to push up energy prices. And this is a strategic mistake that we're trying to correct. Now, phasing out imports of Russian gas is an important decision on the basis of defence policy, and I'm pleased that I've been involved in the negotiations because when we stopped the import of Russian gas, we also throttle an important income for Putin's gas. Sorry, Putin's war machine, but that's not enough. Just turning off the the tap. The the shadow fleet is also being used still and that's threatening the environment, continuing financing his war activities. That's why the phase out of Russian oil needs to be done quicker. The sanctions need to be sharper, and EU that lags and accepts loopholes is undermining its own credibility and its security. Genuine security is built through independence. The EU has to invest in robust and green energy production, and has to establish price setting mechanisms on the electric electricity market that doesn't hit those who have the least income. Renewable energy is not just good environmental policy, it's good defence policy as well. Breaking this dependence on Russian energy is taking back control over Europe's future, and this proposed legislation constitutes an important step towards a safer EU and a free and independent Ukraine.”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources)
• “We need to give them an advantage over other companies, but we also need to limit the restrictions experienced within EU companies. There are. Collective bargaining agreements within the EU. We need to make sure that that is considered because other companies might not have the same rules. We have to make sure that companies and authorities are aware that they can have strategic social requirements that will benefit those generating the products, but also workers. The aim is that authorities and companies should have a degree of autonomy. If we think about criminality in the world of work, then we need to address that. There are some companies which fail to comply with the rules, while others are complying with all of the regulation. And that's something that we could address here. And I think as well that there is scope for looking at the subcontractor chain. There has to be responsibility for the products, but also for workers in Sweden. Sometimes you can have as many as 119 different subcontractors in a supply chain, and that's really significant because it's not clear where the responsibility lies at that point.”
  EU policy on employment subcontracting
• “Thank you so much. I will speak in Swedish. Thank you very much. Now a year back I asked the Commission if we would be losing our freedoms and our security online following Trump's threats and the reply that we got at the time was no it was very clear everyone will comply with EU law. But now we have empty words. In the autumn the Financial Times stated that the Trump administration had contacted the EU to adjust its legislation and therefore is this pressure being given into from the US administration and Mister Musk is going to be garnering even more wealth because of this. So when it comes to the security we cannot give anything up on this. So I wanted to ask the Commission how precisely do you plan to uphold a situation in which the EU can act, can act in a secure way online. Thank you.”
  EU-US data transfers
• “(10:10:34 – 10:12:11): The ducks at it's time to come up with the goods here in the EU, you might say. But what exactly and for whom? In Sweden, every week, someone dies at their place of word. Last decade, dozens. In Sundberg, 5 workers were crushed to death on a construction site, and you had a 119 companies operating on that site. The workers who died had names. They had families. They had dreams, but the job killed them. These aren't accidents. These are foreseeable tragedies. We're talking about a problem with the market. Effectiveness, the lowest cost, the lowest price seems to weigh more heavily in the balance than the lives of people. This is kind of competitive cycle we're engaging in. The conditions, the salaries are barely sufficient to live on. And as for companies, they don't provide workers' rights. They don't take care of the environment, the climate, none of that. So what we need is a European Union that guarantees the right to collective bargaining and CBAs, not as an exception, as the default rule. If you have a European Union where people are dying, you can't just blame that on a long chain of subcontractors. We need to make sure that we have good working conditions, not the lowest possible price. Yes. It is high time to come up with the goods, to come up with results, But it requires this type of change because nobody nobody should die for the sake of their job being completed. Thank you. Thank you very much, mister Bauszema.”
  EU policy on employment subcontracting
• “The Swedish church and other community organisations have raised the alarm a an acute situation affecting more and more people. Children are not getting enough to eat in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. The Swedish government is doing nothing. We need to consider what action can be taken. Do we want to continue with a system that is crumbling? We need to do more to promote social cohesion. People must be responsible for the market. But who is shouldering their responsibilities towards the people? What we are hearing now about is more deregulation when it comes to consumer rights. We're dealing with protecting individuals energy bills that skyrocket or contracts that no one can wrap their head around. They are signing up to terms and conditions they cannot understand. We need to ensure that the market serves the people, not the other way round. Freedom cannot mean law of the jungle. Survival of the fittest. Surely it should be that you yourself retain control. This is something we need to do. It should be our common focus. Thank you.”
  EU competences on social policies
• “Thank you very much. We have to stop mincing our words. Public procurement has become a race to the bottom. When the lowest price usually wins, it's no longer quality that dictates what we get. It is the backs of workers being bent. We're seeing businesses exercising pressure on wages and subcontracting responsibility in long chains of subcontractors. We get exploited workers workplaces without safety measures, and in the very worst of cases, we see deaths in workplaces. This is our reality. When the hunt for profit goes before human life in Gothenburg, the municipality was not even able to demand a collective agreement. New EU rules put an end to that, which is absurd. Authorities around the EU don't dare set requirements for fair working conditions because they're worried about being sued by the legal counsels of businesses. So what was not allowed to happen now happens. Fraudster companies win tenders while serious businesses are knocked out of the market. Is this the way that we want to use our shared tax money? We want to build safety, not exploitation. Public procurement should be a guarantee for quality and good conditions, not for a cynical hunt for profit. We must be able to place high requirements on undertakings that receive tax funding. No human being should have to risk their lives because someone else offered the lowest price. **Nicolae ȘTEFĂNUȚĂ @Chair: Now, Mr. Andreas Schwab.”
  EU policy on social criteria in public funding
• “For just over two weeks ago, I was in the Ukrainian city of Lviv in a bomb shelter, and that night Russia sent over 130 Shahed drones and about 30 cruise robots and ballistic missiles towards the city in an attempt to try to strike blows against Ukrainian heating and water sources ahead of winter. I will never forget the fear and sorrow That descended on the city. And I'll never forget the smell of the bombed fuel depot. I will also not forget the family that died on the night when the roof of their house was hit. Buying Russian energy means funding war crimes against Ukraine. The Ukrainian foreign minister wrote the day after the attack. And I can only agree. Today, EU countries buy Russian gas for more money than the support given to Ukraine. We bought LNG to the tune of 140,000 drones in equivalent amounts. This is to continue to pour funds into the Russian war coffers that will prolong the war, and it gives Putin the power over European energy prices. This will put an end to that. I'm so very happy that this Parliament has taken a clear position to put an end to Russian gas and oil, and to fight against the Russian shadow fleet. The EU should not be funding war crimes. Period.”
  EU-Russia relations (from March 2022)
• “Thank you so much. And thank you all for these very valuable insights. Uh, I mean, you have given us some horrible numbers today, and I know as well that the European Commission states that pornographic material accounts for about 98% of deepfakes. And, uh, we know that children are especially, uh, exposed for greater risks. And when it comes to grok, we know as well that grok has generated Holocaust denial content. And these are actually companies driven by profit. And I think as long as it does not cost them enough to violate our dignity, we have a problem attacking the problem. But of course, we need to continue putting things into action. We need more pressure on the tech companies and on X to ensure increased industry efforts. And we need, of course, as has been said today, better to better implement the Artificial Intelligence Act and the DSA. But I'm also interested in in what has been said about the preventive measures. It has been mentioned preventive systems, the duty of care, etc.. The UN Women Agency stresses, for example, investments in digital literacy, especially for young people and cultural change program that challenged toxic online communities, including the growing manosphere that we have been discussing in this committee as a possible preventive measure. So I would like to hear from you. Do you believe that this would be an additional effective preventive measure in countering AI, gender based violence, or what kind of preventive measures would you like to see? Thank you.”
  Regulation of pornography in the EU
• “Well, it's time to come up with the goods here in the EU, you might say. But what exactly, and for whom? In Sweden, every week someone dies at their place of work. Last decade, dozens in Sundbyberg five workers were crushed to death on a construction site, and you had 119 companies operating on that site. The workers who died had names. They had families. They had dreams, but the job killed them. These aren't accidents. These are foreseeable tragedies. We're talking about a problem with the market effectiveness. The lowest cost, the lowest price seems to weigh more heavily in the balance than the lives of people. This is kind of competitive cycle we're engaging in. The conditions, the salaries are barely sufficient to live on. And as for companies, they don't provide workers rights. They don't take care of the environment, the climate, none of that. So what we need is a European Union that guarantees the right to collective bargaining and cbas not as an exception, as the default rule. If you have a European Union where people are dying, you can't just blame that on a long chain of subcontractors. We need to make sure that we have good working conditions, not the lowest possible price. Yes, it is high time to come up with the goods to come up with results, but it requires this type of change because nobody, nobody should die for the sake of their job being completed.”
  EU policy on employment subcontracting
• “You so much. I would like to start by thanking the rapporteur for a very constructive discussions during the technical meetings. As I've heard, very much appreciated. Thank you. And I would like to say a couple of words about the overall goal from from the left perspective with the amendments, and that is to make sure that no simplification takes place at the expense of workers rights, social rights and the environment or at the expense of consumers. And it seems that oftentimes in this committee, private business interests are conflated with the interests of the public or of the workers. And not only is that not the case, but corporate private interests often come at the expense of workers and the public. So our amendments reflect this and that. These actors, including academia, must be as involved as Imco was once SMEs to be when taking into regard new legislation or watering down old legislation. And we have already seen what the simplification is leading to. I'm thinking about the sea and the triple D, and this was not a simplification. Actually, it was a deregulation. And the decisions to water down these legislations, uh, actually created not a level playing field. And I think if you don't want to listen to me, maybe you would like to listen to the CEO of, for example, Volvo Cars, Jim Rowan.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• “Thank you very much for all of that background information. I think it's also important to know what things look like in realities, because behind these figures, there are people of flesh and blood. And every day I hear people talking about situations where there are mothers who can't eat breakfast because they can't afford it, or there are. People who have had to live in very small spaces in with their children in Sweden. In my country, there are real problems for families with children because of the cost of living, and we as politicians have a responsibility to act. Do people have different views on how we should act? But food prices in Sweden have gone up 30% in 2020. 20. Rents rose and wages salaries are lagging behind. Contrary to what we saw in some of the EU countries, we have had a real wage drop actually. So I would have liked to put questions as to what you think we ought to do about the situation, because the larger companies are making large profits, as are food businesses. At the same time, people are going hungry again. There are people making significant profits when it comes to electricity supply. So three questions about this. Looking at what Mr. Varadkar had to say. You described the situation with wholesalers. Is there a possibility to get around this situation? We have oligopolies when it comes to food for example, with prices being pushing up. So is there some way to deal with this? And then when you have the margins in the electricity market. They have been quite significant and prices have gone up for consumers. So I wonder if there's something that we can do about that. There is, for example, state aid. And there are regulations in place which mean that we don't get affordable goods and services because of all the rules. So I really like to know what you think could be done about the situation.”
  EU Competition policy · EU approach to electricity market and prices
• “I hope that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz has showed us once again just how dependent we are on fossil fuels. We are dependent on a dictator's authoritarian states who have bought fuel from Russia and who are dependent on the U.S. and despite the crisis, despite the problem we have seen. This is a structural problem, and we are at the mercies of multinationals who set the prices for our fossil fuels and our citizens are forced to pay these prices. The EU has to. Commit to stopping the usage of fossil fuels and provide subsidies and investments in renewable energies as a winter arrives. This is important for our society. The Commission's proposal needs to go further with measures. Looking at state support for wind power and why perhaps we could outlaw private jets as well. Thank you.”
  Fossil fuels
• “Thank you so much for for giving us the opportunity to have this exchange of views. And I will be speaking in Swedish. Hearing of you when you became commissioner, I asked you a simple question. I asked you whether you could guarantee that a European legislation would be implemented, no matter what pressure we would be put under from the American administration and from their tech giants. And I was very happy to hear your answer. You were very clear. You said that everyone in the European Union will have to respect our legislation, and that you will work for the implementation of our legislation. Then one year went by and the promise has been broken. The deregulation package contains changes surrounding the legislation, and this undermines not only our fundamental rights and data protection. It is also something that could have been ordered by the American tech giants. They asked for this proposal, and they are the ones who will make money from the deregulation, and the citizens will pay the price. And those proposals are not good for our European sovereignty, which we are discussing here today. This is positive for the big American giants, who are the ones who could adjust the fastest to this change. So my question for you is this which we see happening on the other side of the Atlantic, we see concrete threats, and we also see that citizens are worried about us sacrificing their integrity to satisfy the American giant's wish for making more money.”
  EU digital & tech sovereignty
• “But I think the the bar is too, too high, especially when you look at the directive on violence against women. It's only when it's considered serious potential serious harm that actually the directive attacks these deep fakes. And and also we see problems with pictures and deep fakes that are being spread within closed groups. And we can't actually, with the current legislation, um, attack those problems. So these pictures are catastrophic towards the women that are actually targeted, but it also enforces the stereotypes that we try to work against and that the stereotypes, for example, when it comes to sex, um, without consent, and I think that is well, is a big trouble. So my question to the commission is concerning that it's very good that we now work on the enforcement. But I do also see some loopholes. And how do how does the Commission work in order to close those loopholes when it comes to, for example, the AI act and the directive on violence against women. The loopholes. And also, I would like to know because I know that in Denmark they are now working on a quite interesting legislation when it comes to copyright and people's right to have the copyright of their own voice and images in order to tackle the deepfake and the AI problem. Are you looking towards what's happening in Denmark, and could you draw some conclusions about that? Thank you.”
  Transparency and oversight of AI-generated content
• “Thank you. I will speak in in Swedish. And thanks. Thank you very much. This is a very important topic. We're talking about people's lives at the end of the day. That's the core concern. And that's why I'm very grateful that this has been put on the agenda. And as has been said, the market cannot provide perfect solutions to everything. There are some key concerns here, and we've heard from the commission that the market doesn't always meet its obligations and sometimes can fail. And so it's very interesting. That when discussing previous files we've talked about procurement already. And we seem to agree that the lowest price isn't always optimal. There are other important criteria to take into account as well. So I'm very happy to hear that that in this case. Other criteria are being ranked as important. And I would like to know a little bit more from the commission about checks, about rules on state aid and other conditions and how we can make it easier to have more harmonised forms of production. I would just like to hear more details from the Commission on all of those points. How are you going to incorporate this equality issue as well? There are some very important topics to weigh up here. Health for men versus health of women as well is the type of equality. I mean, has that been taken into account? It's very important to make sure that the equality is regulated. Many consumers are experiencing this at the moment. In my own country, Sweden, there's a lot of privatization, and this has an impact on access to medicines because doctors surgeries are becoming privatized, etc.. And then when they go to the pharmacy, it depends on whether stocks are available of the medicine or or not, and oftentimes they're not available. So this is another discussion that needs to be had as well. I think we have to look at the requirements that can be put in place to make sure that ultimately, it's possible to buy medicines in pharmacies and ensure that these medicines are accessible to all.”
  Public and private sectors role in healthcare services
• “Thank you so much, chair. And, um, I think I can speak for everyone when when I say that this is immensely important that we get this revision right this time, uh, because it affects not only companies, but people all over Europe. And as I understand it, that what you said is that the evaluation states that the directive's aiming at providing increased legal clarity for contracting authorities. This was not achieved last time, and the 2014 directive aimed to make public procurement procedures simpler, more flexible and enable better competition. This was not achieved either, and the 2014 reforms sought to encourage social aspects of public procurement. This was not achieved, so the main goals of the 2014 directives, in other words, have done little to help Europe yet. I read in the evaluation that the 2014 directives and the objectives they aim to achieve remain highly relevant today, and in some cases even more so than in 2014. In particular, the need to simplify and modernize public procurement is even more important today. So my questions to the commission would be then, since it is clear that the route of simplification in this context has not worked yet, how does the Commission plan to revise the Public Procurement Directive to ensure that public procurement meets Its strategic objectives, and more specifically, to ensure that we move away from the overreliance on the lowest price so that companies with good working conditions and which are covered by collective bargaining agreements, are able to compete fairly when it comes to public procurement in the European Union.”
  EU policy on social criteria in public funding
• “When the commission decided to water down environmental legislation, he actually said, and I quote, we are hugely disappointed with the EU and Uh, what they have done is unprecedented in modern times. And he said that the next time the European Commission says something, how much trust will there be in the system? I am stunned by the decision. So the current notion of simplification risks actually leading not only to deregulation, but also unclarity for many companies and an unjust playing field. And I think we should bear in mind the backdrop of what we're dealing with here. The internal market, and that is in the treaties of the European Union, article three three. And it says that the Union shall establish an internal market. It shall work for the sustainable development of Europe based on a balanced economy, economic growth and price stability, a highly competitive social market economy aiming at full employment and social progress, and a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of the environment. It shall promote scientific and technological advance. So this is why we have put forward our amendments, and I really do hope that it will be reflected as well in the upcoming decisions. And I would reiterate my thanks to the rapporteur. Thank you.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU