Speeches

Mr President, thank you very much. Putin, go to hell! You're a genocide. You destroyed peace in Europe. You are destroying the brotherly Ukrainian people. But you also took away Russia's future for decades. Three or four generations of Russians will carry the heavy burden of what Putin's army is currently doing in Ukraine. I argue that if civil society in Russia were strong and not systematically destroyed by the state, this war would simply not exist. Citizens would not allow it. That's all Putin is afraid of. Just this one. And that is why it so brutally suppresses protests and sends political opponents to the camps. Autocrats, dictators and tyrants hate free people and civil society. Aware of their rights and duties, educated civil society, which takes part in elections and referendums en masse, skilfully uses the media and social media, is the strongest weapon and at the same time the surest guarantee of peace. We in Europe know very well that civil society is a pillar of our community, so we need to support it. We have prepared a report in which we highlight specific areas where improvements need to be made. We call on the Commission to create a catalogue of civic space and a strategy that includes minimum legal and administrative standards. The strategy also aims to introduce the status of European cross-border associations and non-profit organisations. We call for more flexibility in accessing EU funds for these actors. Today in Poland, in the face of the humanitarian challenge, we can clearly see who passes the exam at the rehearsal hour. They are citizens, NGOs and grassroots social movements. They have taken on the burden of helping refugees. I am proud of the attitude of the people of my region and of Poland as a whole, but our society needs support now – and as soon as possible. It is important that European funds go directly to local governments and NGOs. Direct transfer of funds is also a certainty that they will be well managed, because it is NGOs and local governments that are closest to people. Last but not least, thank you very much, Anna Júlia Donáth, for the great cooperation. It was a real pleasure to work with you. I have no doubt that this war is the last backlash of nationalism in Europe, and we have to follow towards the federal Europe with Ukraine on board.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Hey, fellow writers, you can be really proud. It's your job. In response to your continuing violations of the law, the EU has created a rule of law mechanism. Thus, people who did not respect the agreements paradoxically contributed to raising the democratic standards of the Union. Oh, congratulations! Now, seriously. Look at the country you leave behind. A country without gigantic European money. A country indebted and punished for destroying the rule of law. A country whose reputation has been tarnished internationally. You, because you're playing in Putin's orchestra alongside Marine Le Pen and Orban. I know you would prefer the Union not to be interested in your rascals. But the Union is a connected vessel and must react when the separation of powers is broken. Because the people of Poland want a country in which such basic principles are respected. From this point of view, I call for regulations to be introduced that will allow the illegitimate PiS government to be circumvented, so that European funds go directly to local governments and citizens.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, I'm sorry. In the face of cancer, we are all equal, everyone, regardless of social status or nationality, can get cancer. That is why all our citizens deserve equal treatment. It cannot be the case that in one Member State cancer is effectively treated and in another it is practically a death sentence. It looks very bad in Poland, where the Polish government is really interested in health care only until the time of birth. Instead of health care, the Polish government spends billions on party anti-European propaganda. And that is why we need more Europe, not only in foreign or monetary policy, but we also need a common health policy. All Europeans deserve good, stable and predictable health protection. This is as important as international or financial security. And this should be the foundation for building a more integrated, federal Europe from Oslo to Athens, from Lisbon to Kiev. You may say that I am a dreamer, but I am not the only one.

Mr President, thank you very much. The end of 2021 is the European Year of Rail, an initiative that promotes this mode of transport. But there are places in Europe where you don't have to convince anyone to go to the railways, like the Silesian metropolis. Getting to work by train, cugiem (it's in Silesian) is everyday life for thousands of employees. And I'm proud of it. Unfortunately, as a Union, we still spend too little on railway infrastructure. We still have trains without air conditioning, and instead of stations, a strip of concrete in the middle of nowhere. And I'm talking about the whole of Europe. Security. We often hear that the most dangerous areas in cities are those around the station. Katowice, the city in Upper Silesia, where I was born, showed that from an unfriendly place you can make one of the prettiest and safest railway stations. Let's take an example from the Silesian capital across the EU. And finally: there is no need to promote rail in order to encourage Europeans to do so. But you have to invest specific money on tracks, trains and stations in turn. This is at the heart of the European Year of Rail, a year that should last a whole year.

Mr President, thank you very much. Two weeks ago, together with four MEPs, I was on the Polish-Belarusian border. We saw people left behind – helpless, frozen, frightened, wandering in the woods. It's indescribable. And it is impossible to show, because the media cannot freely inform about their fate. Humanitarian organisations also do not have free access to them. Fortunately, there are residents and activists associated in initiatives such as the Border Group. They don't care. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. And for showing a different, decent face of society. On the other hand, there are those who have God and family on their lips, but when it comes to bearing witness to these values, they allow their neighbors to sleep in the forest in the cold. I don't agree with that. I do not agree and appeal to you, the rulers in Poland: Get to work, start treating people humanely. The EU will help you with that. The discussed project indicates the possibilities of support. Firstly, Frontex, support in border control. Second, EASO, assistance in the registration and processing of applications. Thirdly, activate the Civil Protection Mechanism: tents, beds, heaters for migrants. The EU offers opportunities, you just have to take advantage of them.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, thank you very much. You have asked me many times here in the European Parliament how it is possible that Polish society, which is more than 80% pro-European, allows for the rule of lawlessness and injustice. And it's really very simple. In Poland, for 30 years, there was no reliable civic education, but propaganda and disinformation have reigned in the government media for 6 years. And the PiS government, piece by piece, restricts the freedom of Polish residents. Like a bulldozer, he pushes the country eastward into Putin's hands. Europe does not understand. He doesn't like her. He has complexes about her. In Poland, PiS does not say ‘we, the Union’, it says ‘we and them’. This is a very dangerous phenomenon. We know them from the UK. The last decision of the pseudo-tribunal is the foundation for building the Eastern order in Poland. The powers of the European court are being cut off, and it is in this court that Polish citizens can seek justice. Because instead of citizens, PiS wants to have a population. It is easier for people to rule. But it won't go away. A strong civil society is a fact in Poland. That's what Kaczynski is afraid of. And it is there, to the citizens and to local governments, close to the people, directly, that European money should flow.

Mr President, thank you very much. It is very good that we are talking about the future of the European Union. However, we must not forget that it is the present that creates the future. Unfortunately, even in this room there will be those who do not want to help desperate people fleeing violence, who tolerate the removal of migrants to the forest to the frost, who are afraid of decisive action to defend the climate or who directly deny these changes. Our approach is not only inhumane, but also very short-sighted, because the migrations you are so afraid of will reach a much larger scale if we do not stop climate change. And the same people who are now smoking plastic in their ovens, causing smog, will be shouting 'No to immigrants!' We can and must prevent it. The key is education, education and more education. And resources for a just transition. United, equipped with competences and resources, this must be the European Union in the face of new humanitarian challenges.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Today, exactly 30 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, we are talking about gender-based violence in the European Parliament. These topics were brutally intertwined after the war, in my native Upper Silesia. In 1945, when the war ended for many liberated from the camps, for thousands of Silesians, hell began: Babies raped, mutilated, killed by Soviet soldiers. The memory of those victims obliges us today to work to combat gender-based violence. To ensure the safety of everyone and everyone, regardless of whether the violence takes place in the real world or on the Internet. We have the tools to ensure the safety of young women in particular, as they are the ones most at risk of cyberbullying. The Internet cannot be a digital Wild West, an outlawed space. I thank the rapporteurs for this project, and I particularly strongly support the call of the European Commission and the Member States to recognise misogyny as a form of hate speech. It's time for security, equality and mutual respect. And for reliable sex education, but this is a topic for another discussion.

Mr President, thank you very much. It's 2021. Gender-based violence should have been a thing of the past a long time ago, but unfortunately it is not. This is commonplace in many European homes. The accession of the whole Union to the Istanbul Convention is blocked. Meanwhile, the Polish prime minister referred the convention to the pseudo-Court. Let's have no illusions, as soon as they get the chance and find something that will distract people, as happened with abortion, they will blow up the convention. Alternative solutions should be used. An EU directive on preventing and combating gender-based violence is necessary. The gravity of such crimes is sufficient to classify them as Eurocrimes. I expect the Commission to come forward with proposals for legislation in this area. EU institutions must act when citizens' fundamental rights are not respected, when their security is at risk. This is also what Polish citizens expect. To my boredom, I'll repeat: Poland is not PiS, Poland is Sosnowiec, where thanks to the initiative of activists and the support of the president, we have a Women's Rights Roundabout for a few days. Such grassroots actions show what citizens think about the government's behaviour towards their grandmothers, mothers, sisters and daughters. And finally, a little painful truth to you, right wing. You are a threat to the family, not a myth. gender. You who turn a blind eye to domestic violence, striking at the provisions of the Istanbul Convention, which oblige to put in place concrete solutions for the protection of victims and the prevention of violence. Kaczynski even dreams of registering pregnancies. You are causing a demographic catastrophe. Young Polish women do not want to give birth in Poland. Physically you are here in Europe, but mentally you are closer to Afghanistan and to the Taliban ruling there.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. Prime Minister Morawiecki was very keen to reappear in the European Parliament – he wanted to defend the Polish border here and join the successes of the European Commission. I very much regret that he did not want to come today to talk about Polish coal and the energy transition. He could explain to us why he had given up EUR 3.5 billion for miners, most of which was to go to my Upper Silesia. But, Mr. Prime Minister, I think I understand you're getting a richtig dishonor! The Commission's State of the Energy Union report gives us a clear signal that the energy transition is under threat. And although the share of renewable energy sources is increasing, it still takes too long. But it is not the miners from Silesia who are to blame for the fact that the Prime Minister has not yet made a final declaration when we move away from coal. Oh, yeah! They have been deceived for the past six years by propaganda and slogans about 200 years of coal mining. But only when they were needed – before the elections. And instead of using Silesian coal to the end, the Polish government imports Russian coal. A coincidence? I don't think so! New, green jobs are needed in the region. I know, Commissioner Frans Timmermans knows, but not Prime Minister Morawiecki or President Duda. It's a bullshit fest!

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Protectionist treatment, mockery and even violence - this can be experienced by any ethnic group, national group and any minority. Regardless of latitude, there will always be those who have been poisoned by hatred, nationalism or xenophobia. We Silesians experienced this when after the war our Silesian language and our culture were ruined by the Polish authorities. Moreover, we are still waiting for the recognition of the Silesian language, the ‘Silesian godmother’, as a regional language. Earlier, the Germans mocked Silesian, saying wasser Polnisch. But also in my Silesia, which is overwhelmingly diverse and open, the Roma were discriminated against. The Roma of Buchenwald Street in Zabrze experienced xenophobia because there are others. I visited them a month ago. They told me how bandits and skinheads came to their homes in the 90s and violence was very common. Marian Turski, a prisoner of Auschwitz, said the 11th commandment: ‘Don’t be indifferent’. Both citizens and power cannot stand idly by when one's neighbour is abused, but power is also responsible for shaping policy in such a way that everyone can live a dignified life. It is good that today the European Parliament is addressing the problem of violence suffered by Roma at the hands of the police. We come here from different parts of Europe, with different baggage of experience and traditions. This is why, especially in this House, we should know how important it is to create a law to prevent such shameful practices, because the Roma are also Europeans.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. 160 lawsuits in the last five years alone. Lawsuits brought by authoritarian authorities against free media in Poland. Dozens, hundreds of cases against citizens – fighting in Poland for EU values, human rights and the rule of law. And that's what we're talking about in our SLAPPs report. That is, lawsuits, the purpose of which is not to seek justice, but to intimidate, silence people and organizations inconvenient for power. It's not theory, it's reality. The reality of specific people that power drags through the courts, exposing them to loss of time, money and emotional exhaustion. As the European Union, we cannot remain passive towards such practices. So we call on the Commission to come up with a legal act to put an end to it. Power is meant to serve citizens, not to harass them. Justice cannot be used to destroy political opponents. Themis has his eyes covered. This means that she is impartial and not, as you would like, blindly obedient to total power.

Madam President, I'm sorry. This story happened in Poland last week. After midnight, a group of Kurds were detained by the Border Guard. Migrants declared that they wanted to apply for international protection, but they were deported, pushed towards the forest on the Belarusian side. The ground temperature oscillated around minus five degrees Celsius. Among the migrants were four children: Alaa, Awin, Aland and Jwanko. This is Putin's cruelty and Putin's gambit, which, unfortunately, the PiS government legalizes. Firstly, this is an inhumane procedure – no one should be left to their fate in a cold forest, especially children. Secondly, it is illegal conduct that is incompatible with the Geneva Convention, the European Convention on Human Rights and the Polish Constitution. The term ‘push-back’ is a euphemism that does not reflect the suffering of a frozen and frightened man in a dark forest. Torture on the Polish-Belarusian border must end! We need international help! And I will say it again in this room – Poland is not PiS! And I agree with the Commissioner: tight EU borders – yes, but humanitarian aid – all the more so!

Mr President, thank you very much. Madam President of the Commission! Mr. Prime Minister, I'm sorry. The Lord came here today and spoke a lot, but not to us at all. The Lord spoke only to his electorate, which you created for Kaczyński out of the disgusting propaganda of the national media, dehumanizing your fellow citizens and the whole united Europe. This Europe we all wanted so badly to reach: My whole generation, my parents' generation and my grandparents' generation. And you have made Poland a laughing stock in the international arena. You wear patriotic feathers every day, but you're not patriots. Patriotism is a strong Poland in a strong European Union. And you are Euroseparatists. And you, Mr. Morawiecki, are such Pinocchio in the hands of the principle of Novgorod. You have built a ‘patodemocracy’, a ‘dictatorship of the dark Ones’, a system in which there is no longer a separation of powers and tribunals are appropriated. You are building walls in Poland, you have divided families and friends and now you are trying to conflict us with the European Union, because you do not know foreign policy. Instead of negotiating more resources for a just transition, you fought the rule of law. Why are you doing this? Only to maintain power. Because it is the Supreme Court that approves the validity of elections in Poland. The European Union is not perfect. We need more integration and federalization. The pandemic has shown that only a common health and foreign policy will make Europe great again. And so it will be, Mr Morawiecki, futile fur, because Poles, Silesians, Kashubians and others are Europeans, and you will end up in the dustbin of history as the last plastic monument to nationalism and populism. And I have a present for you, and I'll bring it to you right away.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr Brudziński strongly prefers the title "Hi Uncle". But to the point. From the beginning of the 20th century, from my region, from Silesia, some people fled, and others sought refuge in it. After World War II it was similar: Many went to Germany while others, from eastern Poland, came to us. That is why we Silesians understand well what a drama it is to run away, to leave our homeland, our hajm, to leave home. Today, in the face of serious migratory and humanitarian challenges, including the use of refugees as weapons against the Union by the Lukashenka regime, our European response must be effective, based on solidarity and community solutions. Establishment of the European Union Agency for Asylum Asylum, equipped with additional resources and competences, is a proposal maintained in this spirit. According to the proposal, the reinforced agency will be an effective crisis support tool for Member States and will be involved in monitoring respect for fundamental rights and child protection guarantees in different parts of the EU. I am convinced that only together can we tackle and manage the migration challenge, while respecting human rights. And although the ruling party in Poland today is not interested in such cooperation and has ignored European solutions in this area, I want to assure you that many people in my country care about effective and humanitarian action. I believe that together we will be able to reform the Common European Asylum System, because in a few years we will have a huge climate migration. This is going to be a real challenge.

Mr President, thank you very much. Thanks to the Union, we do not feel that we have internal borders. We pass without border controls, phones immediately catch roaming at no cost. In practice, we have no physical or virtual boundaries. But it doesn't work that way for everyone: there are people who cross the border to work every day – cross-border workers. We have discussed the improvement of their situation many times during the pandemic, but again the purely social, civic issue has become a very political one. The European Commission has presented a good proposal for regulation to Parliament, which MEPs have agreed to. But the Council of the European Union has already said: “No, we will not deal with that.” I would like to know if the Council, the members of the governments, have stopped working on the project because they are afraid of a federal, strong, united and equal European Union? Which countries in the working group working on the project have decided to finalise their work? Was it a unanimous decision? Cross-border workers must be helped, because they are a symbol of the success of a united Europe!

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, I'm sorry. I came here to the European Parliament from Silesia. Silesia has been exploited for years, not to say colonized by various countries. We have been deprived of our autonomy completely unlawfully – by a single communist decree. Despite the fact that we were mocked before the plebiscite of glass houses and economic independence. Upper Silesia is still the energy heart of Poland. However, the mining and heavy industry as a whole were not restructured in a timely manner. And I know what a challenge awaits us. Oh, yeah! I spoke in my election campaign about green Silesia and finally clean air, without smog. I do not change my opinion, but we must bear in mind that the populist PiS government has been deceiving miners for 7 years, in Silesian I would say "cut out the fatters", and we need an appropriate communication strategy, but above all new jobs in Silesia and similar regions of Europe. Populists are already blaming the European Union for rising electricity prices. In addition, we should use Silesian coal instead of importing Russian coal. This is what European solidarity is all about!

Madam President, I'm sorry. New times require new solutions. We have finally started to build a common European army, but beyond defence there is something more important or equally important: the health and lives of our citizens. Health policy and security on our continent must undoubtedly be implemented transnationally and, ultimately, should be within the competence of the EU institutions. Why is that? When it comes to health, there is no time or space for politics. All that matters is a good diagnosis and a quick response. And it is not easy to respond to crisis threats, such as the pandemic, if we have 27 countries that do not speak with one voice, which also often have different response procedures. That is why I am withdrawing the establishment of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Preparedness and response to health emergencies as a step in the right direction, but ultimately I am counting on common European health protection and common European good standards. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.

Mr President, thank you very much. I am very worried that almost all MEPs are involved in the previous debate on violence against women, and it is our duty to stand on the side of women, to be a wall behind women. Being a feminist is sexy. Feminists are also needed for information balance. And it might seem that some things are no longer happening in the 21st century, but unfortunately domestic violence is still a huge problem in many European Union countries. And it all starts, as usual, with words, and then there are deeds, broken families and broken resumes. Because we allow it. Because we turn a blind eye. Because you don't wash dirt outside your own home, and often because it's only at your neighbor's, and we have 1000 more important things on our minds. No woman can be quiet when she or another woman is hurt. The same should apply to men. Violence has always been with us, but it doesn't have to stay with us forever.

Madam President, I'm sorry. I can't imagine how a raped woman feels. I can't imagine how a woman feels when she's afraid to go back to her own home, to a place that should be her refuge. I can't, and that's why I'm angry and damn determined. Ratification of the Istanbul Convention is frozen in the Council. It is an act of international law and some Member States that only fight domestic violence with words are effectively delaying it – we know it all too well – but we have a chance for EU legislation in this area, for an EU directive that will actually oblige Member States to fight domestic violence, against gender-based violence. Let's not waste this chance. The European Union is not only an economic community, it is also a community of values. It's a place where we should all feel safe, just like at home. I encourage everyone to support this report. This is a step in the right direction.

Madam President, I'm sorry. I always wonder at a time when, here in the heart of European democracy, there are debates about Poland, why do you, united in the demolition and occupation of Polish democracy, right-wing, who by all chance change the word "patriotism", bring about this? What has this democratic European and civic Poland done to you that you hate it so much that you are causing it to crash on the international arena, that you are appropriating further independent institutions, turning off further fuses of the democratic state and salami tactics, sliced by slice you are destroying the still young Polish democracy? You have completely demolished the public media, it is now a gutter, hasiok, hate speech, a party propaganda tube for thick public money. Now you dream of turning off another fuse, the largest commercial station, which simply looks at your hands and reports further irregularities in state-owned companies, your and your aunts. In Poland, the PiS script written in Cyrillic takes place before our eyes. It is no coincidence that PiS MEPs did not support the European tariff on Russian products. And believe me, civil society is terrified because generations have dreamed of being in the European Union. And I'm standing here to testify to that. On behalf of millions of Poles and other citizens of this country, I shout: Poland is not shit.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. The Digital COVID Certificate project can only be fully successful if we really all get vaccinated. I know it sounds obvious, but I think it's often forgotten. Vaccination rates in the EU are far too low. Disinformation and anti-vaccine movements further aggravate the situation. We, the public, have a strong responsibility to persuade and encourage vaccination. And unfortunately, there are those who avoid the needle to please the voters. We must also not forget about people who would like to get vaccinated, but simply can not, like my mother, who is currently in a difficult condition in the hospital. For her, the virus would be deadly. Let's think about the others. Let's not be selfish. Let's think about the elderly and those with other diseases. Let's finally think about industries that, due to our phobias, are still unable to get back on their feet.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Almost 70 years ago, the international community matured to see people in refugees – people fleeing persecution and death. Same as everyone else: with the right to live, to live free from hunger and fear. Today, as the European Union, we are creating the Asylum Migration and Integration Fund, a fund to help those forced to leave their homes, their hajmata, for various reasons: wars, catastrophic climate change or the economic situation. We pass the Humanitarian Examination because we remember: Everyone is from somewhere. The history of this continent is the history of migration, the history of multiculturalism, multiethnicity. My Silesia is also an example. And this is our future too. Do not be afraid of such a future, because diversity is a value, it is a wealth that allows us to develop.