Loránt Vincze
Member of the European Parliament · PPE · RO
“The results are already visible: compared to 2023, we witness a 60 % drop in irregular border crossings. This report is the additional tool we were missing. By establishing the European Centre against migrant smuggling within Europol, we are creating a centralised intelligence hub that connects the dots between the Member States.”
“Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, behind every irregular arrival, there is a transactional lie. Families sell their last possessions because a criminal network promised them a VIP ticket to Europe. Instead, they are packed into the back of a suffocating truck or forced into a leaking boat.”
“Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, as someone coming from central and eastern Europe, I can say with conviction that enlargement is not only a policy, but a promise fulfilled. EU integration transformed my country. It brought prosperity, democracy and, yes, a lot of common challenges to face.”
“Smaller and medium-sized Member States, those at Europe's geographic and cultural frontiers, must continue to have a meaningful voice. The European Union is strong precisely because it balances unity with diversity, efficiency with equality. On behalf of the EPP Group, I thank all those involved in the preparation of this report.”
“Madame la Présidente, madame la Commissaire, l’égalité est au cœur du projet européen. Pourtant, 50 millions de citoyens, issus des minorités traditionnelles des différentes régions d’Europe, restent ignorés par la Commission.”
“L’exemple de la communauté germanophone de Belgique – aus Belgien –, avec ses droits garantis et ses institutions solides, prouve qu’une autre voie est possible. Il est temps que la Commission prenne ses responsabilités. Pas une seule des 11 initiatives citoyennes européennes n’a donné lieu à une initiative législative.”
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“Az egyhangúság gyengítése helyett az Európai Unió kormányzását kellene ott erősíteni, ahol a közös fellépés valódi versenyképességet hozna, az európai digitális térség kiteljesítése, a banki és pénzügyi rendszer kiépítése. 2-0206-0000”
“The results are already visible: compared to 2023, we witness a 60 % drop in irregular border crossings. This report is the additional tool we were missing. By establishing the European Centre against migrant smuggling within Europol, we are creating a centralised intelligence hub that connects the dots between the Member States. Coming from Romania – which manages a significant external border – I know that the solution is not internal borders, but seamless police cooperation. We must ensure our officers can talk to each other, using secure channels like SIENA, sharing data instantly to dismantle these gangs before they even load their trucks. This represents the EPP approach: firm on security, tough on crime and committed to protecting our external borders. We send a clear message: Europe is closed for illegal migration! 1-0157-0000”
“Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, behind every irregular arrival, there is a transactional lie. Families sell their last possessions because a criminal network promised them a VIP ticket to Europe. Instead, they are packed into the back of a suffocating truck or forced into a leaking boat. The business of these networks is not just illegal migration; it is the trade of human hope for profit. For too long, we focused on managing the consequences and, at last year's elections, the citizens warned us. I am relieved to see that the Commission and Parliament have finally recognised that we must attack the root causes of the irregular movements – the smugglers themselves. We are moving from reactive management to proactive enforcement.”
“Smaller and medium-sized Member States, those at Europe's geographic and cultural frontiers, must continue to have a meaningful voice. The European Union is strong precisely because it balances unity with diversity, efficiency with equality. On behalf of the EPP Group, I thank all those involved in the preparation of this report. Its content shows us that it is possible to adapt the institutions and their processes to new realities. To put it bluntly, when there is a positive decision on new countries joining the EU, the Treaty and our institutions are ready to work on them. We need to focus on what has always made enlargement a success: merit, fairness and respect among partners. 2-0227-0000”
“Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, as someone coming from central and eastern Europe, I can say with conviction that enlargement is not only a policy, but a promise fulfilled. EU integration transformed my country. It brought prosperity, democracy and, yes, a lot of common challenges to face. Today, we must ensure that the next wave of enlargement brings the same success, for both the candidates and the Union itself. That is why I believe we should approach the next enlargement with confidence, not fear. Experience shows that we do not need a fundamental change of our institutional system. What we need is the political will to make existing mechanisms work better, to simplify, not to reinvent. Of course, decision-making can be improved, but efficiency cannot come at the expense of democracy.”
“L’exemple de la communauté germanophone de Belgique – aus Belgien –, avec ses droits garantis et ses institutions solides, prouve qu’une autre voie est possible. Il est temps que la Commission prenne ses responsabilités. Pas une seule des 11 initiatives citoyennes européennes n’a donné lieu à une initiative législative. Il est temps d’agir. Cette initiative le mérite pleinement. 4-0117-0000”
“Madame la Présidente, madame la Commissaire, l’égalité est au cœur du projet européen. Pourtant, 50 millions de citoyens, issus des minorités traditionnelles des différentes régions d’Europe, restent ignorés par la Commission. Vous avez été mandatés pour défendre toutes les minorités, mais, lorsqu’il s’agit des communautés historiques enracinées depuis des siècles en Europe, on ne vous entend plus. Pourtant, ces communautés représentent près de 90 % de notre diversité linguistique et culturelle. Elles ne se manifestent pas bruyamment, mais elles défendent leurs langues, leurs traditions, leur identité avec dignité. Elles sont bretonne, alsacienne, frisonne, hongroise, sud-tyrolienne… Beaucoup d’entre elles subissent encore des discriminations et la perte de leur langue.”
“We are looking forward to more effective planning and much better results in Roma strategies and other minority groups. 3-0431-0000”
“Roma people must be actively involved in all the strategies that affect their lives. By the way, they also fight against the use of the term 'antigypsyism', or 'Antiziganismus' in German. We must promote Roma inclusion in all aspects of society, including education, employment, healthcare and housing. We must ensure that Roma people have access or equal access to opportunities and resources, and that they are protected from discrimination and hate crime. Mute hate speech! After the extremely disappointing failure of the Commission to take any action on the Minorities SafePack European Citizens' Initiative, which, among other things, targeted Roma statelessness, it could be considered a good sign that we have a new Commissioner on equality.”
“Mr President, Madam Commissioner, a number of policies supporting the Roma population were designed and paid for over the past 15 years, but their effective implementation and persisting commitment at all levels has been painfully slow and inefficient. Hundreds of thousands of Roma citizens still live in houses without electricity or running water. Tens of thousands of children do not attend kindergarten or finish primary school, and face the prospect of lifelong severe poverty, illiteracy, precarious health and social marginalisation. We must also acknowledge that anti-Roma sentiment remains deeply entrenched in many European societies. This prejudice fuels discrimination, hate speech and even violence against Roma people. It's our collective responsibility to challenge and combat this phenomenon in all its forms.”
“That made it impossible for children to be integrated in those societies and they went on the road of radicalisation and they were reached out by criminal gangs. This is something we need to tackle and it will not be easy. National efforts and coordination, both are extremely important. 1-0134-0000”
“I would like to ask you about the recent report from Europol, about terrorist threats, where it becomes very clear that the methods and the success rate of radicalisation via online media, for example, at the hands of extreme Islamist groups and extreme‑right groups in the EU, are exactly the same. And how do you reflect on that given your contribution? 1-0133-0000 Loránt Vincze (PPE), blue-card answer. – Well, I believe that for the EU it is important to find the right way for coordination, institutional and financial support, for cross-border law enforcement. Yes, education is important, but it's equally important the environment in which those children live. We know, unfortunately, in many western European societies, parallel societies, parallel neighbourhoods grew up.”
“We do not have years to correct the mistakes of past decades. The safety of citizens in Sweden, in Belgium, in France must be ensured today. Law enforcement must be strengthened both in numbers and weaponry. Investigative procedures must be accelerated. Criminal gangs must be dismantled. Migrants in irregular situations must be returned, and the EU can and shall assist through coordination. (The speaker agreed to take a blue-card question) 1-0132-0000 Raquel García Hermida-Van Der Walle (Renew), blue-card question. – Mr Vincze, I think that we share the concern for radicalisation of different groups in our youth.”
“Madam President, Commissioner, reality cannot be ignored anymore. From France, all the way up to Sweden, there are more and more terrorist street shootings linked to drug and human trafficking and gang-related assassinations. More and more innocent victims and ruined lives. These are criminal acts, predominantly involving individuals and groups with a migration background. How did we get there? We know the answer: the pretence that cultural differences are irrelevant, the illusion of an inclusive society, procedures granting fast track citizenship, the tolerance of illegal migration. In reality, tens of thousands of second-generation EU citizens of migrant backgrounds have become socially marginalised and pushed to the periphery. From there, for many of them, it was only a short step towards religious radicalisation or organised crime.”