Speeches

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. The single European market is the true beating heart of Europe. A pillar that gives it strength, unity and growth. It is thanks to it that European GDP is on average 8 to 9% higher, while in the case of Poland GDP grew annually by one and a half percentage points faster thanks to the common market. The Single Market has also proven to be our shield in a crisis situation, as we have experienced both during the COVID-19 pandemic and during the crisis caused by Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. Although, at the same time, these crises also pointed to points that needed to be strengthened. That is why, just as we must take care of our heart, we must also take care of the single market and develop it so that it will bring us even more benefits over the years to come. First and foremost, therefore, the focus should be on rapidly removing unnecessary regulatory barriers and reducing burdens on businesses in order to fully unlock the potential of the Single Market. We also need to ensure the effective implementation of ambitious EU legislative acts, such as the Digital Markets Act or the Digital Services Act. Finally, we must ensure that the Single Market is crisis-proof and able to respond quickly and in solidarity to emergencies, guaranteeing the continuous free movement of goods and services, uninterrupted supply chains and preventing shortages of goods and services, for which the Single Market Emergency Instrument is essential.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, The first call for a Child Guarantee came out of the European Parliament in 2015 and was skeptical among some. Six years later, the Commission came up with a recommendation. Today, there is no doubt about the importance of this initiative. It is simply impossible to move on to the fact that there are still children in Europe who live in poverty, social exclusion, lack access to healthcare, hot meals, education and adequate housing. Unfortunately, we know that such situations are happening in all Member States and instead of improving, this situation has deteriorated during the COVID-19 pandemic, and there are many indications that the current energy crisis will not spare the youngest. Therefore, while the goal of reducing child poverty by 5 million by 2030 may seem distant, I personally believe that the implementation of the Child Guarantee is an urgent matter. Every year, every month spent in poverty hinders a good start in life and pushes children into a socially excluded circle of poverty, from which it is difficult to get out. I therefore call on those Member States that have not yet done so to quickly prepare and submit their guarantee implementation plans. I also support the creation of a separate budget envelope for this purpose to support the implementation of the strategy.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, Rural areas account for as much as 30% of the population of the Community, who unfortunately still face many problems. Lack of access to basic services, road connections and appropriate communication, digital exclusion or difficult access to education are just some of them. They also lead to another very dangerous phenomenon, which is the depopulation of rural areas. To address these problems, we need a clear strategy and coherent action at European Union level. On the other hand, I would urge everyone to change the paradigm of thinking about supporting rural areas, because over the past years, many years, we have been constantly taking action and wondering how to keep people in these rural areas. And I think that it is necessary to change the way of thinking completely and think about how to persuade at least one person to return to these rural areas, or to persuade new people to want to live in these rural areas. Because one such persuaded person who will return to rural areas will be worth ten people who will want to stay there. And this will be the best proof that our policies are effective and successful. Courage to think.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, In recent years, the words ‘digital transformation’ have been changed by all cases. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly accelerated the processes and forced us to adapt to the new reality precisely through the more widespread use of digital technologies. There is no doubt, however, that in order for the European Union to be able to achieve a truly effective and full digital transformation, we need a coherent strategy. The Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030 is the right step in this direction. The program has great potential. It outlines ambitious digital targets for the Union as a whole for priority areas. These will be achieved through individual national pathways. Of course, it is impossible to mention all the assumptions in a minute, but the most important ones can definitely include: enabling citizens to access public services 100% online, significantly increasing the number of digital specialists, enhancing digital skills and fighting exclusion, as well as digitising businesses. I believe that with this strategy we will be able to achieve these objectives more efficiently at Union level.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Dear Colleagues, To say that the human rights situation in Afghanistan, and in particular the situation of women and religious minorities, is difficult is to say nothing. Systemically eliminating women from public life, banning them from parks or sports facilities, restricting freedom of movement – these are just a few examples. The most serious of the bans is preventing young girls from continuing their education, which will have a huge negative impact on women in Afghanistan for years to come, marginalise them, increase the risk of child marriage and severely reduce women's career prospects. The European Union should actively support human rights organisations and activists protecting women and minorities in Afghanistan. Furthermore, in addition to calling on the Afghan authorities to respect human rights and international law, we should also demand the establishment of an independent body at the UN Human Rights Council to investigate and document any violations of international law and human rights in the country. We must not allow those responsible to escape any responsibility for all these acts.

Mr President, thank you very much. Between 8 and 17 July, 209 people were murdered in the Haitian capital as a result of gang fighting. That means a man was killed every 68 minutes. Nearly half of them were people who had no ties to criminal organizations. There are kidnappings for ransom, rapes, armed robberies. Haitians are completely terrorized. At the same time, they are also deprived of access to food, water and medicines. The international community needs to react. The humanitarian situation in the country must be monitored and it must be ensured that aid reaches those most in need. It is necessary to restore the rule of law in Haiti and hold free elections. All efforts to this end should be supported. Finally, we need to reflect on support for Haiti in the long term. About half of the country's citizens under the age of 15 are unable to read or write. The education system reflects social inequalities. Unfortunately, many young people without proper education, poverty and lack of prospects can drive criminal activity. In this way, if we invest in education, we can really change the situation in this country.

Today's debate is in the form of questions, so could I therefore ask and hope that the European Commission will, after all, politely reflect on how to redirect its thinking towards implementing all the policies that we are implementing for depopulated regions in this way, anyway, in order to attract these people to them and not just to retain them? This is my kind appeal in the form of a question.

Mr President, thank you very much. Dear Commissioner, Do you not think that the paradigm of thinking on the issue of depopulation of regions needs to be changed? Does the European Commission fail to see such a change in need, because we are talking here a lot about how to stop the depopulation of regions. However, in my opinion, today a huge problem is that a large part of the regions in the European Union have actually already become depopulated. There are no people there. And I think we should start thinking very differently, creating programs and opportunities, encouraging people to want to go back, because there has been a huge drain of young people, brains from rural areas, from those areas that are depopulated, and in addition to what we are doing to keep these people there, we need to think about how to encourage many others to come back, or even to want to live in these depopulated areas. And the second question. The Commissioner has already said so. In these depopulated areas, first of all, there were older people, seniors. Do you not think that we should create a special programme, a special funding line, to create a friendly environment for these elderly people, not only in terms of digital competences, but also in terms of accessibility of communication, accessibility of health services, all those areas that are extremely important for seniors.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Dear Colleagues, €250 million a year in savings for consumers, 11,000 tons less e-waste for the environment. It is these real, concrete benefits that the introduction of universal charger rules will bring. The universal charger also means convenience, because thanks to it Europeans will be able to get rid of entangled cables from home drawers, from which it is difficult to find the right one. A universal charger is also a choice, because it will be up to the consumer to decide whether to buy a new electronic device with or without a charger. I am also pleased that, given that technological solutions are widely available as early as autumn 2024, European consumers will be able to charge their new purchased mobile phones, cameras, tablets, headphones and many other devices via one universal USB-C port, regardless of the device brand. What is also important, this charging will be carried out at the same speed using any compatible charger. I do not hide that I am always particularly proud when, in this House, we propose solutions that make the daily life of Europeans easier in a tangible and concrete way, as is the case with this directive. A big thank you and a big congratulations to all those who have worked on this, starting with the rapporteur, by all Members and staff of the European Commission.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Dear Commissioner, Ladies and Gentlemen, In recent years, the European Union has been confronted with unprecedented crises that have one common denominator. And it is cohesion policy, thanks to which it was possible to take action quickly and flexibly to counteract their negative effects. This is undoubtedly a huge success and achievement of cohesion policy. However, we must not forget that cohesion policy is, above all, the main investment tool of the European Union, whose task is to support economic development and employment and reduce disparities between regions. These tasks, especially in the face of the current economic crisis, are particularly topical and relevant. This is why we must, on the one hand, ensure that cohesion policy has the appropriate level of funding to implement it and, on the other hand, ensure that it is not treated as a contingency instrument to respond to any crisis. In the report on the 8th Cohesion Report, we propose a number of solutions to guide the development of cohesion policy. One of these issues is the need to provide specific support for rural areas, which are confronted with a number of challenges, such as negative demographic trends, insufficient healthcare and educational opportunities, or the need to improve transport connections and high-speed broadband. Another issue that I would like to draw particular attention to is the need to ensure that local and regional authorities are not penalised for the actions of their governments when the rule of law mechanism is activated. I believe that it is crucial in such a situation to find channels through which the Commission could transfer funds directly to the final beneficiaries. Finally, I would like to draw attention to the need to combat delays in the implementation of cohesion policy by speeding up the conclusion of partnership agreements and the launch of operational programmes, which we see every seven years.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. When we started working on the Directive on adequate minimum wages in the European Union, we were still in a different reality. And even though we already saw that in the Union they are particularly vulnerable to group poverty, and that there is a phenomenon of in-work poverty, perhaps we have never been so convinced of the need to act as today, in a situation of soaring prices and an energy crisis. From the outset, the aim of the Directive was not to harmonise the mechanism for setting minimum wages in the European Union, but rather to set minimum requirements and promote collective agreements in order to strengthen and protect minimum wages in the Member States, guarantee fair and adequate wages, and contribute to poverty reduction. We all understand and respect the different traditions in the different Member States. The agreement that lies on the table today is a good and balanced proposal. I am pleased that, among other things, the text contains provisions aimed at preventing an excessive administrative burden on businesses. I am convinced that the adoption of the Directive will contribute to better protection of workers' rights and increase the adequacy of wages in the Union.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Friends and colleagues! The social economy comprises a wide range of actors that share one thing: activities for the benefit of local communities and the common good. In addition, the social economy is our ally in delivering on the European Pillar of Social Rights. The sector contributes to the creation of quality jobs, the promotion of equal opportunities, a safe and well-adapted working environment as well as social dialogue. This is why it is so important to adopt an action plan for the social economy. In order to support the sector, it is crucial to ensure easier access to funding, including EU funding, so that social economy entities can not only carry out their daily activities, but also innovate socially and face crises more efficiently. It is also important to announce the launch of a single portal dedicated to the social economy, which will allow its actors to access information on support, initiatives and policies. We should also pay particular attention to the promotion of the social economy and put more emphasis on the flow of good practices in creating an appropriate environment for the functioning of the sector, as well as stimulating its development by building its capacity, providing access to advisory services, coaching, training or legal advice.

Mr President, thank you very much. Dear Commissioners, I admit that I am speaking today with a unique sense of a true historical event. With the adoption of both the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act, the European Union is the first in the world to end the "Wild West" of online giants and embark on a clear and transparent regulatory framework that protects internet users' rights, respects business needs, facilitated economic growth and competitiveness in the Single Market. At the same time, Big Tech is responsible for its actions. From my point of view, I consider the issues related to the fight against disinformation, which is an extremely powerful weapon in the modern world, to be particularly important. I hope that the crisis response mechanism will allow us to better resist fake news and manipulation. Both acts are also, among other things, safer online shopping thanks to better identification of sellers or control of products sold.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr President, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, A massive leak of police files showed the brutal face of the Chinese regime. According to the UN, up to half a million men, women and adolescents from the Muslim Uyghur minority may have been sent to mass internment camps. The materials and photos published in the media speak for themselves. The systemic violation of human rights and the ruthless treatment of Uighurs can no longer be denied. We have been taking action in relation to the persecution of the Uighurs for a long time. The European Parliament has already adopted two resolutions on the matter and the European Union has imposed sanctions on regime officials over systemic repression. But as long as China continues to persecute entire communities, we must continue this effort. In relations between the European Union and China, we must set clear, insurmountable borders. The European Union should regularly raise this issue during its human rights dialogue with China and strongly demand the release of detained Uyghurs. There is also a need for a stronger response and pressure on the Chinese authorities on the international stage. We should work closely with the UN and our partners on this issue.

Mr President, thank you very much. Legal immigration can bring huge benefits to the EU. It responds to labour market shortages and demographic challenges. It can contribute to the post-pandemic recovery of the economy and attract intellectual capital to the European Union. Actions on legal immigration also contribute to combating the activities of smugglers and traffickers and enhancing the protection of workers from third countries, preventing their exploitation and protecting their rights. As the current legal arrangements have not fully achieved the objectives of legal immigration, the Commission has therefore announced a review of them. We need an effective harmonised legal framework. The process of legal immigration should be fully transparent and at the same time allow for high standards. We need to ensure easy access to information at every stage of the process. Announcing the creation of an EU Talent Pool is also important. We need tools that will allow better matching of competences to the needs of employers. Talent Partnerships will also be an important element of the European Union's migration policy, integrating skilled workers into the labour market and strengthening cooperation on migration policy with our partners.

If the Commissioner were kind enough to develop this a little bit, because I do not quite understand the problem of the fact that this energy produced in Ukraine comes from nuclear energy. Yes, Poland is already buying energy from Ukraine, but my question went in this direction: Does the European Commission intend to create an instrument that will buy this surplus energy in Ukraine, no matter from what source it is produced, for more Member States than just what Poland is doing today?

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, I'm sorry. I wouldn't want to repeat myself. We all know that the European reason for the state is to become independent of energy resources from Russia. We need to look for new directions of importing these raw materials. We need to develop renewable energy sources. But my question is about the surplus of energy production in Ukraine. At the moment, among others from nuclear power plants, Ukraine has quite a large surplus of energy production. And my question is: Does the European Commission intend to purchase this energy from Ukraine? Because, on the one hand, it is a great way to diversify the purchase of energy sources for the Member States of the European Union, and on the other hand, it would be an excellent form of support for Ukrainians who are fighting Putin's Russia, which in such a ruthless way murders their citizens. And it is the Ukrainians who today also need money for this struggle, as well as for the functioning of the Ukrainian state.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, Undoubtedly, each of us has been many times in a situation where broken equipment was more profitable to replace with a new one than to repair. Repairs are often expensive and long-lasting, and spare parts are often difficult to access. As a result, Europe ranks third in the list of the largest producers of electrical waste, with more than 12 million tonnes of such waste produced in 2020. Moreover, according to forecasts, by 2030 this amount may still double. Meanwhile, 3/4 of Europeans prefer to repair broken equipment rather than replace it with a new one. An effective right to repair has great potential both from an environmental point of view, by reducing waste, and from an economic point of view, by increasing the competitiveness of businesses and stimulating innovation or creating new jobs. This is also a significant benefit for the consumer, who should have the choice of whether and how to repair broken equipment or replace it with a newer one. However, I would like to stress that a thorough cost-benefit analysis is needed so that the proposed actions are properly balanced and include a number of factors such as the costs of repair and spare parts, adequate access to repair or burdens for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Madam President, I'm sorry. Dear Commissioner, Friends and colleagues! Firstly, I would like to thank the Commissioner very much for all the initiatives that are being taken to support researchers from Ukraine, both those who have fled to Europe and those who have remained there. These are very important and necessary actions. Well done, Commissioner. That's a great job. The Union wants to play a leading role in international research and to stimulate scientific excellence precisely by enabling the collaboration of the best scientists. Such cooperation should be based on reciprocity and equal conditions. Values such as freedom, integrity and autonomy in science also play a key role. The fact that all Member States have, without exception, signed the Bonn Declaration on Freedom of Scientific Research is a clear demonstration of this. Unfortunately, we see today that sometimes these values are undermined. We must ruthlessly defend them. Some steps have already been taken. For example, the Commission has this year provided guidance on how to deal with foreign interference in research organisations, higher education institutions of the European Union. It's a good move. However, extensive efforts should be made to safeguard these values and to ensure mutual and equal cooperation within the European Union's overall international research cooperation.

Mr President, thank you very much. On behalf of the Committee on Regional Development and its chairman, Mr Younous Omarjee, who is not with us today because he is on a mission in Poland, on the Polish-Ukrainian border. He is trying to recognize the needs in this refugee crisis. I would like to express my support for the urgent vote on the proposal as regards the increased pre-financing from the ReactEU resources. A horrific war has been going on in Ukraine for more than a month, caused by Russia's brutal and unjustified aggression. As a result, more than 4 million refugees have arrived in Europe since 24 February, including 2.5 million to Poland, over 600,000 to Romania, almost 400,000 to Moldova and Hungary, and nearly 300,000 to Slovakia. War allows these people to take only the most necessary things, so the needs of these people are huge. From clothing, personal care and food, to shelter, medical care – including psychological care – and job opportunities, to organising education for hundreds of thousands of children. There are really a lot of these needs. I do not think I have to use as many as three minutes to convince my colleagues that individual Member States should be supported as soon as possible in this situation. At the previous session, we also adopted, as a matter of urgency, the so-called CARE Regulation, which allows flexibility in the use of cohesion policy funds to help refugees. I am pleased that the European Commission has come forward with the CARE+ proposal, which will allow for an increase in the amount of pre-financing from ReactEU funds, in particular for Member States facing the largest influx of people fleeing Ukraine. On behalf of the Committee on Regional Development, I therefore call on my fellow Members to strongly support the Commission proposal during this plenary session. Let us show our unity and solidarity in the face of this dramatic situation!

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Putin's aggression against Ukraine has serious and long-term consequences that go far beyond Ukraine itself and even Europe. One of them is the risk of a global food crisis. In this situation, we must have no illusions – our policies must not in any way jeopardise or limit food production, nor put an additional burden on farmers. Current and newly introduced EU agricultural policies need to be urgently assessed for their potential impact on food production and food security. We need a holistic strategy for the European Union to ensure a secure production chain. We also need to use all the instruments at our disposal under the CAP to stabilise markets and support food production in the Union. It is also important to provide more flexibility with regard to the granting of State aid to agriculture. The European Union should also support the World Food Programme and developing countries in building their capacity and resilience. At this difficult time, we need to take a realistic look at the magnitude of the challenges ahead and take decisive action. We can't feed people with empty words.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, Nagorno-Karabakh is destroying cemeteries, churches and historical buildings, Armenian cultural and religious heritage – not only senseless acts of vandalism, but above all acts of violence. It's not about buildings, it's about people. After all, cultural heritage is a very important element of the identity of entire communities. Thus, its destruction is an attempt to exclude and annihilate all traces of another culture and identity, which only fuels mutual resentment and hostility. That's the kind of action we're saying no to today. We ask the Azerbaijani authorities to take immediate action to prevent and punish acts of vandalism. The European Union should use the tools at its disposal to put pressure on the Azerbaijani authorities and clearly demand action. It may also be very important to send a mission of independent UNESCO experts to Nagorno-Karabakh. This would make it possible to estimate the scale of the phenomenon and the losses. It's about more than buildings, and even more than their historical or artistic value. It is about respect, tolerance and equality – values that we must defend.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, Citizens of the European Union should feel safe in their workplaces. Unfortunately, there are still many accidents in our workplaces. In 2018, there were more than three million of them. That is why it is so important to improve the functioning of the EU OSH regulatory framework and to focus even more on prevention. Inspections, but also training, play an important role in this process. We need to make sure that all employees have access to them and that there are funds for them. Unfortunately, many EU citizens also suffer from occupational diseases. The most serious of these are cancers, which account for more than 50% of all work-related deaths in the European Union. We also need decisive action in this regard. We should increase the ambition of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and prevent occupational diseases more effectively. We need a clear action plan in this regard. It is very important to establish and regularly update occupational exposure limit values for harmful substances. We should not forget about the harmful effects of asbestos. Moreover, we have already worked in Parliament on recommendations to the Commission on this matter. First of all, it is necessary to create a strategy for the registration, removal, as well as proper processing and disposal of asbestos. We need to mobilise funds for this at Union and Member State level. It is also important to ensure the safety of workers who remove asbestos. Finally, speaking today about OSH, we cannot but mention the current trends and changes in the labour market. As a result of the pandemic, many Europeans have switched to remote working. Teleworking has many advantages, but it also involves serious difficulties. The most important are long working hours, work-life imbalances, lack of access to appropriate equipment and working environment conditions. As remote working becomes a new reality, many workers must be confident that they will enjoy the same rights and standards as comparable workers.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, I'm sorry. There is no need to convince anyone of the importance of cohesion policy for Europe's regions and cities. However, the availability of these funds now seems even more important than usual. Cohesion policy can make a significant contribution to the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, which, like many crises, has exacerbated inequalities in the European Union. Not to mention the next crisis that we are about to face, that is, all the consequences of the shameful Russian aggression against Ukraine. It is therefore worrying that there are significant delays in the adoption of the Partnership Agreements. We have the money, but the money doesn't go to the people. Member States’ administrations therefore appear to be under a significant post-pandemic burden, with a focus on the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility. This is partly understandable, because as an anti-crisis instrument it is a bit easier and faster to use. Therefore, we must realistically assess the risk of losing part of the funds as a result of delays, as the Commissioner has said. Is there therefore an ongoing dialogue between the Commission and the Member States? If so, what are the most common reasons for delays and how can the Commission support Member States in addressing these difficulties, so as to speed up the process while, of course, not neglecting quality? Losing any funds in the situation we are facing during the crisis we have on the eastern border of the European Union would simply be a disaster.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, thank you very much. The Wagner Group is a military company that has been reported by UN experts to be committing serious human rights violations. In the Central African Republic, their activities are most often directed against human rights defenders, activists, journalists or minorities. Since its creation, the Wagner Group has been militarily involved in activities in many places around the world, including Ukraine, Libya and Syria. The Russian Federation maintains that the Wagner Group is a private entity, but its ties to the Kremlin are obvious and its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been subject to EU sanctions. Despite this, and despite the fact that the group commits such serious human rights violations, it continues to be present in the Central African Republic. I believe that the Union must make it clear to all its partners that this is totally unacceptable. We call on the Government of the Central African Republic to sever all ties with the Wagner Group. Our partners must remember that by cooperating with human rights violators and not holding them accountable, they become complicit in their actions. We must resolutely demand justice for those affected, as well as closely monitor the activities of military actors such as the Wagner Group. I also think it is very important for the Commission to use all monitoring tools at its disposal to make sure that European Union funds are under no circumstances used, directly or indirectly, to finance private military companies or any other organisation or project that violates human rights.