The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová, together with the President of the Senate Miloš Vystrčil, participated in the two-day international Conference of Speakers of the Parliaments of the European Union in Spain.
One of the main topics of the joint discussion was the ongoing Russian war of aggression in Europe.
In her speech, the Speaker emphasized, among other things, the strategic necessity of expanding the Union to include other states with similar values and praised the cooperation of other European legislators in the Czech initiative to purchase ammunition for defending Ukraine. The conference concluded Spain’s presidency of the Council of the EU last year.
“We are being told that those who support Ukraine, unlike the Kremlin, do not want peace. Unfortunately, many citizens and politicians in Europe and beyond believe this lie. It is therefore essential that we agree on how things really are: Putin, who started the war, is not offering peace, but surrender. The only way to achieve peace is further support for the Ukrainians, especially military and economic,” said the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, in her main speech, adding, “I am pleased that so many countries have joined the Czech initiative to purchase ammunition for the Ukrainian the army.”
Other topics discussed were the conflict in the Middle East and the issue of the strategic autonomy of the EU. It is currently facing new security challenges in the form of artificial intelligence and social networks.
“If we are to face threats and manage them, we must first tell ourselves how we are doing. We have to admit the situation we are in. Let’s take this conference as a wake-up call, if we continue to be as slow as we are now, if we think so much and do so little, things will not turn out well. Because the others, the undemocratic ones, the totalitarian ones, will attack us and maybe even overpower us, and that would be a disaster not only for us but especially for our children,” emphasized Senate President Miloš Vystrčil during the subsequent discussion.
Leading representatives of the European legislatures, who were hosted in their homeland this year by the President of the Congress of the Kingdom of Spain Francina Armegnol, also dealt with the issue of further EU enlargement as part of the conference.
“The European perspective for the countries of the Western Balkans, the South Caucasus, Moldova, and Ukraine is no longer a matter of our choice. I am convinced that this is a strategic necessity. Even for the Czech Republic in the 1990s, joining the EU was a distant dream which many refused to believe. This year marks 20 years since accession, and our country is a full member of the community and contributes to its security and prosperity. I believe that the same chance will be given to all other countries that are sincerely interested in it,” concluded the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Markéta Pekarová Adamová.
The conference is traditionally hosted by the country that presided over the Council of the EU in the second half of the previous year. It was therefore a formal completion of the parliamentary dimension of last year’s Spanish presidency.
