What Włodzimierz spoke about.

23

Apr

2024

EN Speech

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The use of Russian frozen assets to support Ukraine’s victory and reconstruction (debate)

– Madam President, High Representative. Not often are the moral, legal, political and economic arguments for action as strong as in the case for confiscating Russia’s state assets to help Ukraine. Far too much time has been spent on the separate issue of taxing profits from those assets. Europe needs to seize all of Russia’s underlying assets, and it must do so now. Morally, everyone agrees that R…

28

Feb

2024

PL Speech

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The murder of Alexei Navalny and the need for EU action in support of political prisoners and oppressed civil society in Russia (debate)

Mr President, thank you very much. Russia is a country where people fighting Mr. Putin's corrupt clique live a short life. They die, shot under the walls of the Kremlin, in the stairwell of their home, on the streets of Berlin. They die, poisoned in London hospitals or allegedly for no reason at all in a gulag, located by the ruling sadists north of the polar circle. Alexei Navalny knew what had h…

6

Feb

2024

EN Speech

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The need for unwavering EU support for Ukraine, after two years of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, it’s been two years since the full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine started. It’s been two years of heroic defence of Ukraine and Europe. It’s been two years of unprecedented help for Ukraine and Ukrainians by the democratic world. But it’s also two years of manoeuvres by opportunistic political leaders who have done a lot not to let Russia be defeated and have not done the r…

16

Jan

2024

PL Speech

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Keeping commitments and delivering military assistance to Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, thank you very much. The most serious threat to Ukraine fighting Russian aggression is the reduction or cessation of financial and military assistance from democratic countries. Orban in Europe and Republicans in the US Congress play the role of Putin's allies. This is a critical moment. There is a simple way to help Ukraine and deprive our own blackmailers of their strength: Russia’…

17

Oct

2023

PL Speech

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Effectiveness of the EU sanctions on Russia (debate)

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. The main objective of the sanctions was to reduce Russia's ability to continue its aggression against Ukraine. Have we achieved this goal? To a small extent. Undoubtedly, the revenues of the Russian budget have decreased, the production of military equipment and ammunition is more difficult, but this does not have a large enough impac…

16

Oct

2023

PL Speech

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Establishing the Ukraine Facility (debate)

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Continuous and predictable financial assistance to Ukraine is essential. The Commission's proposal is a good starting point. Parliament has enriched this proposal in the course of its work and I hope that our position will be understood by the other EU institutions. We want to support Ukraine's current budgetary needs, its reconstruct…

14

Sep

2023

PL Speech

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Parliamentarism, European citizenship and democracy (debate)

Mr President, thank you very much. The report we are talking about contains a number of very valuable proposals. I would like to pay particular attention to the proposal of the European Parliament to launch a pan-European consultation using the internet for voting. Such action by Parliament would not require Treaty changes. Consultation costs would be negligible and the benefits very high. After p…

13

Jun

2023

EN Speech

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Establishment of the EU Ethics Body (debate)

Madam President, Madam Vice—President, I’m afraid we have a problem with the Commission’s proposal. When we worked in Parliament on our proposal on a more effective ethical scrutiny procedure, most of us believed that the often-repeated declarations of the necessity to strengthen the transparency and accountability of the EU institutions have been serious. As a result of a compromise, we proposed …

13

Jun

2023

PL Speech

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Humanitarian and environmental consequences of the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam - Sustainable reconstruction and integration of Ukraine into the Euro-Atlantic community (debate)

Mr President, thank you very much. Ukraine and Ukrainians deserve great help in rebuilding the country. Today they are defending themselves, but they are also defending us. Helping millions of victims is also a moral imperative. Finally, if the destroyed Ukraine did not receive extraordinary assistance, it would itself become a source of enormous destabilisation in Europe. The greatest reconstruct…

1

Jun

2023

EN Speech

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Foreign interference in all democratic processes in the European Union, including disinformation - Election integrity and resilience build-up towards European elections 2024 (debate)

Madam President, the content of the second INGE report shows that while the threat of foreign interference remains high and ever present, the methods and techniques of our adversaries are evolving. And now, on the day of adopting the updated report, we are already facing a new challenge: misinformation and disinformation fuelled by artificial intelligence, most famously the recent example of ChatG…

31

May

2023

EN Speech

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Threat to democracy and the rule of law in Poland, in particular through the creation of an investigative committee (debate)

Mr President, Senator McCarthy is dancing with joy in hell. After decades of oblivion, his spirit has reborn – this time in my country, in Poland. Witch hunting is back. The ruling party decided to eliminate its competitors before this year’s general election, by a special body which has been placed above the law, authorised to neglect the law and guaranteed impunity. Using the pretext of eliminat…

31

May

2023

EN Speech

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Order of business

Madam President, the Renew and ECR proposal speaks about two very important but separate issues: the reconstruction of Ukraine, which needs an urgent working—out of the programme, and the Euro-Atlantic integration of that country. Although my political group believes that it would be beneficial to prepare this debate better, we can agree to add that point to our agenda as Commission and Council st…

19

Apr

2023

PL Speech

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Repression in Russia, in particular the cases of Vladimir Kara-Murza and Alexei Navalny

Madam President, I'm sorry. A Russian pseudo-judge sentenced Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in the gulag for telling the truth about Putin's dictatorship and opposing Russia's aggression against Ukraine. I want to present in my voice the reaction of Adam Michnik, a Polish intellectual and former dissident who was imprisoned for many years for the courage to fight for a free and democratic Poland.…

15

Feb

2023

PL Speech

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The recent deterioration of the inhuman imprisonment conditions of Alexey Navalny and other political prisoners in Russia

Madam President, I'm sorry. Russia's adventure with democracy was short. It was ended by FSB-induced explosions in residential buildings that were used by Putin to start the Second Chechen War. Later, the new ruler of Russia proceeded to liquidate all real opposition. Corrupted, killed, put in gulags and prisons. Today, most independent politicians, social activists and journalists who have not le…

15

Feb

2023

PL Speech

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One year of Russia’s invasion and war of aggression against Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, thank you very much. Dear Guests, Dear Colleagues, Agresja Rosji trwa. It has horrific effects. Tens of thousands killed and destroyed Ukraine's economy. None of us wanted or wanted this war. But it's about us. We must help Ukraine for humanitarian and legal reasons, but also for our own security. The Ukrainians are defending themselves and us. There are often calls, also in this roo…

14

Feb

2023

PL Speech

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Establishment of an independent EU Ethics Body (debate)

Mr President, thank you very much. Vice-President of the Commission, A year and a half ago, the European Parliament completed its work on the Ethics Body project and adopted a resolution to that effect. It was sent to the Commission with a view to opening interinstitutional negotiations which would result in the establishment of this body. As part of our work on the project, we discussed a number …

2

Feb

2023

PL Speech

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Preparation of the EU-Ukraine Summit (debate)

Madam President, I'm sorry. The war continues. By the time it's over, it'll be even sharper. Ukraine cannot lose because it will destroy the European law-abiding order. We will continue all our assistance to the Ukrainian people. We will help rebuild this country after the war. We want Ukraine to join us as part of the Union and we are ready to open the way for a swift start to accession negotiati…

15

Dec

2022

PL Speech

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The humanitarian situation in Ukraine due to Russia’s attacks against critical infrastructure and civilian areas (debate)

Mr President, thank you very much. As a result of Russia’s criminal aggression against Ukraine, many thousands of its citizens lost their lives or were wounded. Millions have been forced to leave their homes, often losing their entire lives. In recent weeks, Russia has been carrying out a terrorist attack on energy and transport infrastructure in full knowledge that with the onset of winter, the l…

15

Dec

2022

PL Speech

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90 years after Holodomor: Recognising the mass killing through starvation as genocide (debate)

Madam President, I'm sorry. In the 20th century, many acts of genocide were committed. Belgian Congo, Armenians in 1915, Japanese crimes in China, Holocaust, China Mao, Nigeria, Cambodia, Rwanda, Srebrenica and many others. People were gassed, shot, beheaded with a sword or machete. 90 years ago, by Stalin's order, a different method was used. The simplest. It was decided to kill millions of peopl…

5

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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Russia’s escalation of its war of aggression against Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, Russia continues its centuries-long tradition of conquering new lands and other nations. It neglects the fact that it is a brutal breach of international law. Being an economic dwarf feeling that in the future its main sources of wealth will lose much of their present significance, it wants to strengthen its international position with use of force. Having little to say in scientific…

14

Sep

2022

EN Speech

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Existence of a clear risk of a serious breach by Hungary of the values on which the Union is founded (debate)

Madam President, the AFCO Committee expressed in its opinion a deep concern about the deliberate and systematic efforts of the Hungarian Government to undermine the founding values of the Union, in particular through the removal of constitutional checks and balances, by the limitation of the independence of the judiciary, intentional alterations of the national electoral system, hampering fundamen…

7

Jun

2022

PL Speech

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The EU’s Foreign, Security and Defence Policy after the Russian invasion of Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, thank you very much. Three brief remarks. First, the democratic West must continue its current assistance to Ukraine, which is the victim of Russian aggression, and impose further sanctions on the aggressor. Today's support from our societies can erode as a result of both war fatigue and Russian manipulation of public opinion. One day the tragedy will inevitably come to an end. Russi…

16

Feb

2022

PL Speech

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EU-Russia relations, European security and Russia’s military threat against Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, thank you very much. Regardless of how the current crisis caused by Russia's threat of invasion of Ukraine ends, it is high time to learn from this next lesson. Russia has been conducting adventurous foreign policy for several years, constantly surprising other countries, especially the Western ones, with its actions. The initiative is always on her side, and this condemns our policy…

16

Dec

2021

PL Speech

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Continuous crackdown on civil society and human rights defenders in Russia: the case of human rights organisation Memorial

Madam President, I'm sorry. The history of Russia, and especially of the Soviet Union, is full of incredible crimes and atrocities. Millions of people were killed, millions were sent to inhumane conditions in the East. Millions were starving, dying and dying in the gulags. Despite all the official, pseudo-patriotic propaganda, despite countless monuments, the state did not take seriously its moral…

19

Oct

2021

PL Speech

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The Rule of law crisis in Poland and the primacy of EU law (debate)

Mr President, thank you very much. For 25 years, Poland was considered a model of a democratic and law-abiding state: the separation of powers, the independence of judges, freedom of expression and assembly, respect for minorities, dialogue with the opposition, European solidarity. Over the past six years, most of these achievements have become history: the tripartition of power is a fiction, all …