Serious allegations have been made against the Chinese tire company Linglong Tire in northern Serbia. The issue was the working conditions of 500 Vietnamese workers. Large-scale environmental protests have also been reported in Serbia recently. These appeared in the context of the hasty adoption of two laws. These are the law on referendums and popular initiative and the law on land expropriation.

In this context, the European Parliament adopted a Resolution expressing its deep concern at the allegations of forced labor, human rights violations and trafficking in human beings, as well as at the serious issues of corruption and the rule of law in the field of environment.

Strasbourg: Imposition of forced labor on the Linglong factory and environmental protests in Serbia (debate) – Speech by MEP Renew Vlad Gheorghe (16.12.2021)

We’ve tolerated far too many threats from within the Union and especially from outside the Union. We can no longer ignore flagrant violations of the values ​​that have brought us together by members or those who want to become members of our family. The time for words has passed, concrete actions with real results are needed.

Fake news and anti-European propaganda, hate speech, discrimination and violence, violations of freedom of the press, freedom of movement, the right to work up to modern slavery – these are all happening on our territory and at our borders. All authored and funded by entities with clear interests in destabilizing the Union.

We need to start treating them as they deserve. They are threats to the security and prosperity of the European citizens who sent us here. We cannot be leaders on the continent and in the world through mild press releases issued in warm offices in response to repeated, well-organized, unsanctioned attacks. For Europeans we are not diplomats, only absent. And the enemies can afford to shout even louder.

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