Speeches

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. In a month's time, in the European elections, we will decide whether our world will be safe or full of divisions, dangers and anti-European narratives imposed by populists on behalf of the Kremlin. Because the EU is not just about grants and funds. The EU is about security, but also about protection from violence. One in three women in the Union has experienced sexual or physical violence – 62 million European women. That is why I worked in this Parliament together with Swedish MEP Arba Kokalari on the accession of the whole Union to the Istanbul Convention and we have brought this topic to a successful conclusion. Better and unified anti-violence law applies across Europe. We have opened an EU anti-violence umbrella for victims of domestic violence. Decisions at the urn affect whether our world is safe. Let us remember this already on 9 June in the elections to the European Parliament.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Dear Slovaks, dear Slovaks! We in Poland know very well how difficult it is to repair what the national populists have destroyed. Every day we discover more irregularities and a massive waste of public money by the previous government. Our coalition government stubbornly makes daily attempts to restore the rule of law. We are all very concerned about what is happening in Slovakia. Elimination of corruption-prosecuting bodies. Pro-Russian policy and rejection of military aid to Ukraine. This is unacceptable in the community of values that is the European Union. We respect your choices, but remember that here in the European home, you have support that you can use in the difficult times of populism. Use the programme I have worked on – Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values. European money directly to NGOs. We want to build the European Union together with you. Do not go the way of Orban. Slovakia's place is at the heart of Europe – remember that. Diakujem a velia sziastia!

Mr President, thank you very much. Thank you very much to all those for whom I have been able to be a Silesian voice here in the European Parliament for the past five years. Kazimierz Kutz once said: ‘I am from Silesia, that is, out of nowhere’. I disagree with him. I am from Silesia and I am proud of it, but completely without nationalism. During these five years, the issue of the Silesian language and identity was publicized. The godmother needs to survive and must be heard all over Europe. The European premiere of the performance "Mianujom me Hanka", the hearing in the intergroup and the strong Silesian voice in this room are the specifics of this term of office. I also organized an exhibition in Brussels about Katowice as the European City of Science. Silesia is a modern industry and a dynamically developing science, and let Europe see it. Today, the good future of Silesia is once again on the horizon – more than €5 billion from the EU. Time for the future of Silesia. It is also time for the European Capital of Culture for Katowice and for the entire metropolis. Thank you for these five years. Well, thank you so much.

Madam President, I'm sorry. 38 million animals die every year in the European Union to become fur. This is exactly the size of the entire population of Poland. This problem is not new. The European Commission has known it for years, but for some reason it cannot alleviate the suffering of animals and propose concrete solutions to end the cruelty of the fur industry. At the beginning of this year, we were supposed to get to know the schedule of work in this area, and another month passes and nothing. Meanwhile, three million citizens' initiatives said it was time to end the cage age in the Union and start a fur-free Europe. Their voice is said to have been heard, but – quite incomprehensible – it has not yet become a reality. How many animals are still suffering? When will the Commission consider that it is enough that banning fur farming as soon as possible is not an option, but our duty? Dear Commission, it is time to listen to the voice of Europeans and hear the screams of skinned animals.

Mr President, thank you very much. If the citizens of Poland had not woken up on 15 October, we would now be hearing about more bricks pulled out of the wall of the rule of law. Before the elections in Poland, the rule of law was understood not as the rule of law, but as the right of the PiS government to decide according to its own interests. Democracy was understood not as the power of the people, but the power over the people fed by the propaganda fumes of public television. MEPs like me, who defended the rule of law and European values, were in turn called traitors. Today I can proudly say that we were right. A few months have passed, and we already know that the frozen funds from the RRP and the MFF will flow to Poland, that the Minister of Justice has obtained approval in Brussels for a package of laws restoring the legal order and that we are only moments away from closing the Article 7 procedure. We woke up from a populist dream. I strongly believe that it will be the same in Hungary and Slovakia. And you – Mr Tarczyński, Mr Jaki – have blocked billions of euros for Poland. Now at least don't bother and piss on Poland in the European Parliament.

Madam President, I'm sorry. The EU is not just about grants and funds. The Union is a community of values based on a common defence policy. Putin spills the blood of innocent people in the east every day, and the victory of the isolationist in the United States is real. Europe, time is running out. It's time to get over it. It's time to prepare for the worst. It's time to break the voice of short-sighted populists. Szydło, Jaki and Saryusz-Wolski all voted against defence cooperation in Europe as one man, but now their voice means nothing. Now there is a chance to reform the EU, because Poland is back in the game. Firstly, the European Legion, the EU's rapid reaction force. Second, the joint development of the arms sector. Third, a nuclear shield for Europe. NATO is our main guarantor of security, but we must be ready for any scenario.

Mr President, thank you very much. This report, which we are discussing today, contains an important demand to mainstream the protection of minority rights. Most conflict-causing factors around the world are linked to inequality, exclusion and discrimination against minorities. We in Upper Silesia know very well what identity destruction is. For decades, the culture and language of hundreds of thousands of people have been ignored, overlooked and ridiculed. We were subjected to forced assimilation and colonization. And we continue to fight for our rights, for the recognition of the Silesian language and for the recognition of Silesians as an ethnic minority. (The speaker spoke a language that is not an official EU language) That's why I wanted to appeal from here: Mr. President Duda, do not be afraid of Silesians and the Silesian language. And you, Europe, watch this process.

Madam President, I'm sorry. If we do not immediately send weapons to Kiev, there will unfortunately be no instrument for the reconstruction of Ukraine, because it will no longer be there, there will be Russia at our borders. If Kiev falls, the time will come for Berlin, Bratislava or Vienna. Evil will not stop. Don't be under any illusions. They will do to you and to us what they did 80 years ago. There will be no reconstruction, there will be destruction, murder, rape and deportation. They haven't changed. Putin's Russia is an evil empire, and Ukraine is shedding blood for our security. Ukraine is losing because Western aid arrives too late and there is too little of it. Europe, take the example of President Pavel, who found missiles for Ukraine. Take the example of Minister Sikorski, who is fighting for support in the United States. Weapons and support for Ukraine or your children will become soldiers.

Madam President, I'm sorry. A hundred years ago, representatives of many national and ethnic minorities met on the streets of Poland: Jews, Silesians, Kashubians, Lemkos or people who said they were local, and although they had different ethnic backgrounds or believed in other gods, they built their country together. Their world was shattered by xenophobia, racism and hatred. The most terrible price, the price of extermination, was paid by the Jews. However, other misfortunes have not been missed either: Lemkos, Boykos, ‘Wisła’ action, Silesians, the Upper Silesian tragedy omitted from history books. Europe must learn from its history. We can only be strong if hate and hate are fought institutionally, including online. We can be strong when minority rights and regional languages are respected and recognised by the state. The European Union is a project of reconciliation. We see this particularly well here in Alsace. All the more reason for the European Commission to return to the good civic project Minority SafePack. Diversity is strength.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Surveillance of Pegasus and Predator is a nightmare of the rule of law, which did not miss the oldest democracy, Greece. There, too, the authorities shamefully penetrated the lives of their citizens. The committee of inquiry in the Greek Parliament concluded its work after only a month of work without any significant findings. This is a scandal. And we must be aware of how dangerous the Pegasus and similar tools are. Especially in the face of the development of artificial intelligence, the production of deepfakes and a wave of disinformation straight from the Kremlin. European citizens need education in this area. The starting point should be the recommendations of our PEGA committee. Firstly, a strategy should be developed with the United States that includes a blacklist of spyware providers. Secondly, Europol should be given more powers to act, especially in cases where the government is sweeping the matter under the carpet. Thirdly, we need a European definition of national security. And to you, Mr. Tarczyński, politicians in prison are not political prisoners. Don't be ridiculous.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. In Poland, the rule of law is being restored. Firstly, Prime Minister Tusk’s government has applied to join the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. Effective protection of the financial interests of the Union means better protection of Polish taxpayers' money. Second, the depoliticisation of justice: Ziobry's protégés in the courts are suspended. Thirdly, important changes in the prosecutor's office are ongoing: Dariusz Barski, a former PiS candidate, is no longer a national prosecutor. Fourthly, a draft will be presented by the end of the week separating the function of Minister of Justice from that of Attorney General. Poland has returned to Europe, so courage, Europe! This is the moment when Orbán, Putin's ally, is alone in the EU. Ukraine needs our help. It's time to act and block Orbán. Article 7. As soon as possible.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Do you know how much a hat costs? 500 zlotys, or 115 euros for one defamation. So many pseudo-commentators on TV PiS. Anti-European, pseudo-patriotic gibberish for money. Freedom of speech is not a right to hate. The independence of the media is not the right to be pissed. We in Poland have dealt with it very painfully. PiS has turned public media into a government tube for spreading hatred and dividing society. We all remember how on public television they pissed on Paweł Adamowicz, how they prepared materials for Krzysztof Brejza straight from Pegasus. You, PiS MEPs, are also responsible for this, because you are part of this system. Minister Sienkiewicz is to be respected for cleaning up this Augean stable and for ending hate speech in public media. I hope that soon the list of euro-crimes will be expanded to include hate and deliberate disinformation. Again, freedom of speech is not a right to hate.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Friends and colleagues! After the elections in Poland on October 15, you often ask me: How did you guys do it? How did you defeat national populism using disgusting anti-European propaganda? How did you convince the system in which the separation of powers was broken? How did you cope with the power that used Pegasus cyber-weapons not only to fight democratic opposition and judges, but also citizens and activists? There is no one simple answer to these questions, but one thing is certain: a strong, educated, democratic and diverse civil society is key to the survival of democracy. Engaged citizens in the Committee for the Defence of Democracy, in the Women's Strike, in the Citizens of the Republic of Poland and in other initiatives in Poland worked hard. Freedom in my country has survived thanks to them, thanks to people who didn't care. This is what the Democracy Plus programme – Citizens, Rights, Equality and Values – is all about – European money directly to civil society. This is a good tool, but it needs to be refined. That is what this report is about. First of all, simplified procedures, because often bureaucracy kills democracy. Secondly, the budget of 2.5 billion euros is twice as high, because democracy has no price. This is how we can prepare our European home for the worst, because the enemy does not sleep. National selfishness is awakening, the Kremlin's disinformation is working, and Trump's populism is on the rise. Populists share a common goal – three times D: destabilization, destruction and dismantling of the European Union. Both the AFD and the National Front or PiS are a deadly threat to the entire Schuman project. Today, let us support in particular the society in Hungary or Slovakia, where pro-Russian, xenophobic populists rule. I call on you to vote in favour of my report.

Recently, they have even created the ‘Ministry of Solitude’, a place where lonely people of all ages meet and spend time together. Such places and organizations should be all over Europe. Let us create such ministries of loneliness and systematically respond to this Europe-wide epidemic. Systematically, we also regulate the status of social stores throughout the Union. These can be good places to fight loneliness. Let's fight the consequences, but let's finally start eliminating the causes. And last but not least. Poland returned to full membership of the European Union, soon to the full separation of powers and to compliance with European law.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of the European Parliament! Legislation should respond to societal needs and its effective enforcement should increase the sense of security and protect the interests of Europeans. The law should also be alive, and this means following the changes taking place in modern society, and responding to the challenges of the present. One of them is the scourge of loneliness. On the ‘Science in Poland’ website, under the heading ‘loneliness’, you will find extensive articles entitled: ‘Loneliness affects human physiology’, ‘Loneliness regularly affects 65% of Generation Z’. Loneliness is egalitarian. There is no age, gender, profession or economic status. The epidemic of loneliness is an accurate and difficult diagnosis of our era. The institutions, including the European institutions, need time to find appropriate solutions to today's problems, but they can and even should benefit from excellent bottom-up initiatives and solutions that have already proven their worth. One of them was born in Silesia. The Katowice Free Place Foundation established one of the first social stores in Poland and constantly supports people in the crisis of loneliness. (The President interrupted the speaker)

Madam President, I'm sorry. For 8 years, PiS lied in the government media that only the rule of law in Poland is discussed in the European Parliament. And what does reality look like? We talked about Malta, about Greece, about Spain, and today the topic is the rule of law in Slovakia. Because here in Europe, it's all about rules. There is no room for double standards. Today we are talking about Prime Minister Fico's outrageous attempt to change the law. We are talking about a change in the law that aims to avoid imprisonment of people associated with the government in Bratislava. We know this from somewhere in Poland – Morawiecki’s ‘impunity+’, i.e. amnesty for suspicious covid spending. From somewhere we also know attacks on the independence of the prosecutor's office and from somewhere we know this express mode of proceeding without analysis and without consultation in Poland. We know all this from somewhere, because authoritarianism has many faces and attacks in different places. The nightmare of populism on one side of the Tatras is over, and on the other it begins. But there is hope: a strong civil society. Let the Polish example be a signpost for Slovakia. There is no room for double standards in European social democracy. We don't want to have anything to do with a politician who pisses on LGBT. We don't want to have anything to do with pro-Russian politics. And in Slovak: Milí priatelia, priateľky zo Slovenska, porazte populizms ako v Poľsku a vybudujme spolu zunitenú Európu.

When it comes to the energy transition in Poland and the coal sector in Upper Silesia, there is a social contract on the table, i.e. such an agreement between the trade unions that negotiated 2049 with the Polish government for some mines. However, when it comes to coking coal, it is a bit different story, because, as I said, coconut coal is a strategic material and it is very necessary for the production of steel, so it is better to use this coking coal from Poland, from Silesia, for the production of steel, and not to import it even from China.

Mr President, thank you very much. Without Silesian industry and new jobs in Upper Silesia, there will be no EU energy transition. Without coking coal, there will be no necessary steel for the production of windmills and the development of railways. Thanks to the hard work of 30,000 people, Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa extracts almost 14 million tonnes of coking coal per year. Our industry is strategic for the whole of Europe because it meets 25% of the needs of the EU market. Those are the facts. Coking coal on the EU's list of critical raw materials is a Polish and European raison d'être. It's common sense. As well as hundreds of new windmills, for the production of which raw materials from Silesia were used. Poles are the sixth most numerous nationality in the world among wind turbine technicians. It's time to seize those opportunities. It's time for an ambitious Poland with clean air and vibrant Silesian industry. It's possible, and it's not exclusive. (The speaker agreed to answer the question by picking up the blue card)

Madam President, I'm sorry. Three years ago, during the debate on ethnic and cultural diversity, I used for the first time in the history of the Silesian language, the Silesian godmother, here in the European Parliament. And then there are the tukej, because they still say in Warsaw that they don't have us, that they don't have the right to be a Silesian lady, that they don't have a Silesian nation. But in the meantime, in the census in Poland, almost 600,000 people declared their Silesian identity. We Silesians are the largest unrecognized ethnic minority in Poland, citizens of Poland with a Silesian identity. In the Czech Republic, 30,000 people declared Silesian ethnicity. Therefore, it is high time to recognize the Silesians as an ethnic minority. Legalize our language. It is time to support the development of Silesian culture throughout Europe. Silesia is part of a united Europe. We're at home, we're at home.

Mr President, thank you very much. Anti-violence law from Katowice to Lisbon. Together with Arba Kokalari, we have led through Parliament the adoption of the Istanbul Convention across the Union. Shoulder to shoulder the Social Democrat and the Christian Democrat. Over and above the divisions in the vote: coalition of women's rights, left, liberals, conservatives and greens. But we cannot rest on our laurels. We need an ambitious directive against gender-based violence. Let's be brave. Look at Poland. Recently, as you know, elections were held with an incredible, high turnout. The women went to this election in large numbers, and their voices mattered, the voices of the women who trusted us. That's why we won't let go of the abortion case. The Left has already tabled two bills to liberalise abortion law and decriminalise abortion assistance. We will win the right due to women, whether Mr. Kaczynski likes it or not.

Mr President, thank you very much. The debate about Pegasus, and the whole PiS fell into the ground. There is no one here – neither Kempa nor Tarczyński, former members of the PEGA Committee. And they had so much to say. But I have good news for them. Firstly, a commission of inquiry to investigate the Pegasus affair will soon begin its work in the Polish Sejm. Secondly, it will be a normal parliamentary committee of inquiry. Not a witch hunt, but a fair explanation for the wickedness and abuse of the law. First a review before a committee, and then before free, independent courts. Because despite the fact that PiS are our political opponents, we will not use grabs below the belt. But we have to account for those eight long years when the opposition, lawyers or activists were being monitored by Pegasus, and the government media received these materials directly from the services. And all the more respect is due to the citizens of Poland, who showed this total power on October 15th a red card. The whole of Europe is proud of this change in Poland.

Mr Krasnodębski, people like you have led to partitions in Poland. Blocking reforms, defending liberum veto, privatizing the public interest. Targowica of the 21st century. You make water out of people's brains. You are well aware that this reform entails the creation of an additional EU rapid reaction force. You know very well that it is about the Union financing the development of armaments. Why are you sabotaging a defense union based on NATO? The threat to our sovereignty is in the east – 200 km from Warsaw to the east. Why do you not want to create a European army that can also defend Poland? In the Kremlin, they rub their hands when they see what you're doing here.

Madam President, I'm sorry. We are living in very uncertain times – the war in Ukraine, climate change and growing populism around the world. We need to build a stronger and more integrated Union – a Union that can do it, and that has every predisposition to do so! But that doesn't mean losing your sovereignty or your identity. I myself am a representative of the Silesian ethnic minority, a minority declared by 600,000 people in the last Census. And I look forward to Poland recognizing the Silesians as an ethnic minority and thus legalizing our Ślonski maiden. Because it's not exclusive. A strong federal European Union and a strong regional or national identity. It's connected. Let us be united in diversity. Let us build strategic European autonomy and strengthen European integration. And let's take care of our hajmata.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. PiS has committed many serious crimes against Polish democracy. The Pegasus affair, or fighting the opposition with anti-terrorist weapons, is one of the darkest examples. The rights of specific people have been trampled upon, Senator Brejza, Prosecutor Wrzosek, their families and many others. We mustn't let this go. This is what the people of Poland expect. They said clearly in the elections "We do not want Russian standards, we do not want pathologies in power". PiS has to answer for that. We'll make sure of that. It is also necessary to rebuild the state. The provisions developed by our European Committee of Inquiry (PEGA) should be implemented. First of all, a commission of inquiry in this matter must be set up in the Polish Sejm. Secondly, we need a European definition of national security. And thirdly, common EU standards for the use of spyware.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. The Sovereign said: in the elections with the highest turnout in 30 years, the inhabitants of Poland voted against visa trading and against writing scams. Now is the time of reckoning, and from this place I promise every citizen and every citizen that the guilty will be punished. PiS will answer for evil. PiS will take responsibility for the last 8 years. Anyone who has been implicated in the visa scandal will be held accountable. The holy cows and the extraordinary castes are over. Wawrzyk, Rau and many, many, many others. The time is coming for Poland, where European standards and transparent procedures will apply, in particular in visa policy, where professionalisation and digitalisation are absolutely necessary.