Speeches

Madam President, I'm sorry. I'm a Pole. I am proud to be a Pole, and of course I can listen to these lies that fall here against Poland from people, from MEPs who have no idea about the Polish legal system, do not have elementary knowledge about what is happening in Poland in the world of law. But let me give you two examples, because Mr Kohut did not want to answer my question. The only minister accused of corruption is former minister Sławomir S. from the Civic Platform. This is a party that is a member of the EPP. This is the only accused in Poland former minister. There is also a second very drastic case – journalists in Poland. Well, in 2014, when Poland was ruled by the Civic Platform, the Internal Security Agency entered the editorial office of the Wprost weekly, tied the hands of journalists, wanted to take their computers and forced them out of their own editorial office. Why do you not give these examples, although you cannot give a single example of corruption in the current Poland, in 2016-2021?

Madam President, I'm sorry. Honourable Member, You use a lot of generalities when it comes to the functioning of the Polish state. I would like to kindly ask you – and this is the first question: Please tell me which of the ministers of the previous government has an indictment because of the corruption situation? Which minister? And the second question: Can you at the moment identify in Poland any company with Polish capital, any entrepreneur, any entrepreneur from outside Poland who uses EU funds in Poland, who is accused of corruption, who misuses EU funds? I ask you this question because OLAF, the EU’s anti-corruption office, speaks very positively and flatteringly about Poland’s use of EU funds. So I have two questions: which minister has an indictment and which company or entrepreneur stole EU money in Poland?

Madam President, I'm sorry. Thank you very much for giving me the floor. I am speaking only because there has been very untrue and unflattering information here, false information about the fact that the Polish government has not applied to the European Commission for financial assistance for refugees. One of the Members said it very unequivocally and very brutally, and Mr Biedroń applauded her for it. I would like to inform you that on 13 April this year, Prime Minister Morawiecki wrote to Ms Ursula von der Leyen asking for EUR 11 billion to help refugees from Ukraine in Poland, for two million refugees, for a period of nine months. I would ask you to correct this information and apologize.

I would like to ask you, how do you assess the Germans' help for Ukraine in general, including for Ukrainian women, for Ukrainian mothers, for Ukrainian children? Do you know what this aid from the German government looks like in practice?

Madam President, I'm sorry. We all know that restricting the activities of independent media, blocking freedom of expression or banning peaceful assembly cannot take place in a democratic world that should be based on Christian values. Moreover, by following past events in Cambodia, the consequences of which undermine the order of fundamental human rights, we call on the Cambodian authorities to overturn the convictions of opposition leaders, which were based on politically motivated charges. We demand that their rights be restored so that they can have a chance to fight for the common good of their country. We want the immediate and unconditional release of all those imprisoned for political reasons. We call for all politically motivated charges against them to be dropped. As we stressed in our resolution, all Cambodians, regardless of their political affiliation, must be guaranteed the right to a fair trial. This is in line with international standards and principles enshrined in the Cambodian Constitution. I encourage the Cambodian authorities to strengthen democracy and the rule of law in their decision-making in the country. Constitutional provisions on freedom of association or expression must simply be guaranteed.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. It is well known that honest people have nothing to fear, and there is no problem. So if today we are talking about a serious matter, which is security, let us take into account that among us, or next to us, there are bandits, terrorists, agents of influence, about which you spoke US Ambassador Mosbacher, and these agents of influence have prepared, among other things, a contribution here for you to speak very badly about Poland and Hungary. The Czech Member from the Pirate Party has just said that things are very bad in Poland, but he did not mention the former Prime Minister Babiš, who made a fortune on EU money. Mr López Aguilar is very eager to talk about Poland, but he does not say anything about Spain, about what is happening there. Yes, this is a very sensitive, delicate subject, and you must of course act carefully. I wish the Commission good luck and I hope that the Commission will also develop a mechanism that will reveal the agents of influence and agents who work for Putin here in Brussels. They are here, they are making this contribution to you, and you later repeat nonsense about Poland. And if there are representatives of the Senate in this room, I ask them to help find Roman G., who does not want to come to the hearing at the Polish prosecutor's office.

Madam President, I'm sorry. I wanted to say that, of course, dialogue is always better than turning your back on yourself and the discussion is always worth discussing simply. But I would like to ask you, because you were a minister and you once made such an accusation against Germany that Germany does too little, is too passive in the European Union. Later, your EPP colleague Donald Tusk said that the German governments were a blessing in the European Union under the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel. So I have a question for you: After this reform, which you are proposing after this Conference, are you not afraid that this Union will make the same mistakes that it did? Because we're at war, we'll all agree. We have a great war drama. Someone is guilty of this war. Don't you have such concerns? Or suggest a mechanism to prevent such dramatic errors.

Mr President, thank you very much. I wanted to ask and ask for an unambiguous answer. Namely, Article 14 of the Treaty on European Union. Will this article not simply be demolished by the introduction of an additional – European – constituency? Therefore, please tell me – I am addressing you, Commissioner – whether this new law is not working against the European Treaties.

My question is as follows: Since you represent Renew as a very significant political force in the European Parliament, I suppose you have discussed with experts in developmental psychology, child psychology, youth psychology. I would like to ask you about this age of 16. Do you really think personally and do you have any evidence that this group of people, who will have the right to vote, will use it skilfully and responsibly? I would simply like you to give an example of the experts you have used to propose such an electoral age.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Dear authority of this Parliament, this European Union! You did very poorly today in the attack on Poland and Hungary. You have absolutely no arguments. You have absolutely no knowledge of the Polish legal system. You are hopeless in attacking the humanitarian attitude of Poles. We received two and a half million Ukrainian children and mothers. From the Polish budget, we gave PLN 8 billion to help these people. And you want to cover the word ‘humanitarianism’ with some vague notion of the rule of law. You do not understand, you do not know how to define what the rule of law is. You will not scare us with your money, nor will you buy Poland! You will not buy it, because for us the most important thing is this honour, which flows from the essence of the European Union, from the essence of free countries of sovereign nations! And we are not afraid of you, and you have no arguments!

Madam President, thank you very much for accepting the question. You are very often active in commenting on the situation in Poland. I would like to ask you very specifically – because you have raised the issue of the rule of law, the rule of law mechanism, you have co-created this rule of law mechanism – I would like to ask you specifically, please, to provide here some specific information about the embezzlement of funds by a person in Poland, the embezzlement of EU money by a company in Poland, the embezzlement of EU funds by a Polish company, funds that have been transferred to Poland in any financial perspective. Just don't give me the key and don't speak in general terms, because I asked President Dombrovskis and Commissioner Gentiloni the same question, and they answered me. If you have a problem, ask them what answer they gave me. Please answer now whether you are aware of such cases that Poland has embezzled funds.

Madam President, I'm sorry. I want to say that the Union will only be great if it is unequivocally firm against the Putin regime – unequivocally! There can be no different kinds of information weakening the unity of the European Union. Poland today is this example, this country that, like other countries neighbouring Ukraine, provides beautiful help to Ukrainian families. In addition to sanctions, and perhaps even in addition to sanctions, the most important issue today is to help Ukrainian families who have moved to Poland, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. These people are here. In Poland, the Polish government spent PLN 8 billion from its own budget to support these refugees. 8 billion zlotys is 2 billion euros. Poland has already given Ukrainian families the PESEL number. In the Polish registry system there are already 800,000 Ukrainian children and mothers, so we have their names, surnames, dates of birth. We have their declarations that they want to stay in Poland. So my question is this: when will this help from the European Union be provided to countries that already bear the costs of maintaining these families, because unfortunately there will be more of these refugees? The war continues, the war will continue. I think that it is simply necessary to prepare appropriate changes in advance in the budget in order to help those who are fleeing Putin's bombs from Ukraine at the moment. This is our duty! We have a multiannual financial framework, we need to make this budget more flexible. We have national recovery plans, we need to re-prioritize. Today, you just have to help people first!

Madam President, I'm sorry. I would like to ask the Honourable Member, in the light of what she has just said about Poland, whether she is aware of any case of embezzlement of EU funds in Poland. I need a specific answer: Do you know that some company, some man, some organization has embezzled EU money in Poland? Please provide a specific case.

I'm not messing with anything. I say how it is, and I just want to refer to the fact that the European treaties determine what the competences of individual countries are, so various strenuous actions of some liberal and left-wing politicians to destroy the governments of the united right in different countries will simply fail. They are incompatible with the treaties. You are well aware of this, Mr MEP, that the Treaties determine competence for the functioning of legal systems, and that humanitarianism is above any legal system. Humanity is humanity. If you put Poland on the line, criticising it for some alleged lack of rule of law, and on the other hand we show that we accept two and a half million Ukrainians - mothers and children - into Polish homes, then on the same line you want to put three weeping judges who allegedly suffered some kind of harm? 80% of Poles believe that the Polish legal system needs to be reformed.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. The 2023 budget should be in line with real needs. We have to stick to real problems. In this budget, we have to cope with quite large and unexpected situations, namely the war situation in Ukraine. The budget must therefore also be flexible and must also be a reference to the problems of safety, food and, of course, health. And all those who talk here about the rule of law, who shout loudly about this rule of law, shout outright, I would like them to shout with the same force that this budget should be reflected in terms of humanity. Humanitarianism, which Poland is currently presenting on the international arena, is an object of admiration. But we do not want any praise from you in this matter, because we know that we need to open houses, we need to open hearts, we need to welcome Ukrainians, mothers, children from Ukraine under the roof. And we do not create refugee camps in Poland. We open our own houses, our own apartments. It is worth noting that in this budget there was no mention of the war situation until March 15. I would therefore like to thank the rapporteur very much for introducing this information concerning the crisis in Ukraine. Well, I also want to say that the ECR cannot fully support this proposal, because there are calls for the immediate implementation of the rule of law mechanism, because there is a proposal for a gender budget. These are important things, but not the most important. And we don't agree here to just talk about reproductive rights in this budget. The most important thing today is man, security, humanitarianism. (The speaker agreed to answer the question by picking up the blue card)

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. This is a very good discussion, thank you very much for it and a very important resolution. But I believe that we should prepare - and I am proposing this - the next resolution, which will make it clear that an investigation should be launched immediately and swiftly against the Russian barbarians killing children in Ukraine. We have Europol at our disposal, we have Eurojust at our disposal, we have the European Criminal Court in The Hague and we have a prosecutor's office in Ukraine. These institutions should work together now, immediately in this direction, to catch Russian bandits who murder innocent Ukrainian children and mothers in various places with impunity. I believe that such a resolution should be adopted by acclamation. And the Criminal Court in The Hague, which for 20 years has issued only three sentences so far, I emphasize three sentences, should not have mercy on these torturers, because there is a lot of evidence that Russian barbarians murder innocent children.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr President, thank you very much. Thank you very much for this debate. I look forward to meeting you here on this important matter. I want to say that from 1 June 2022, Poland will no longer buy coal in Russia, and from 1 January 2023, we will no longer buy a gram of gas from Russia. Therefore, the European Union should follow in the Polish footsteps and in this way secure the interests of the European Union, cutting itself off from the barbarian Putin. Renewable energy sources – yes, we support them, because we all want to live in a clean ecological space, drink clean water, breathe fresh air, and we will move in this direction and support all actions. But my question is this, Mr President: Will renewable energy sources, these clean sources, really ensure the energy security of the European Union? Will we be able to compete with China and America with these renewable energy sources and the energy system?

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. I wanted to say that the fact that we have a gas problem at the moment and dependence on Putin is due to the error of the European Union, because we know that gas is not only in Russia. Why this gas was bought by Western countries in Russia is another question and it is a huge mistake for which Ukraine is now suffering. We have a situation in which, on the one hand, we have a war, on the other hand, we have an energy revolution and this energy revolution in the form of RES (renewable energy sources) has not been accepted by society. Different countries are in different situations, some countries need more time to move towards renewable energies, but the European Union has not given and does not give that time. And this is another mistake that will cause the Union to lose popularity. Commissioner Dombrovskis, today the most important thing is two words. This is access to various sources of energy, i.e. simply the deconcentration of energy supply. On the other hand, energy security – a sustainable legal framework for investment in different energy sources for the European Union needs to be created.

Madam President, I'm sorry. I would like to thank the Commissioner for returning to natural farming, because the situation is very serious. After all, we need to recreate the small natural farms that have been destroyed in recent years by large mafias of food producers operating on an industrial scale. We must return to this and we must also hit our breasts, because what do we see today in European meadows? Instead of cows and sheep, we see large litter of solar farms. Wind farms are growing above the forests today. Ecologists don't see that. The Greens don't see that. I thought today the Greens would help us answer the question, what to do? I just heard that you need to eat less and then it will be better. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a problem with water retention. At the moment, environmentalists are obstructing the construction of water reservoirs for farmers, and this water is needed for food production. Finally, my question to the Commissioner: Will there be any disruption for those farmers who produce biomass? Can this be reconciled in this difficult situation?

Madam President, I'm sorry. I am asking the Commissioner and the representative of the French Presidency whether the French Presidency will take into account what Poland is doing for refugees. We received 2 million refugees, we did not receive money from the National Reconstruction Plan. Do you think this is fair? Will you help us? Because this money belongs to Poland. I hope you will be on the side of truth and justice. I am very surprised that today at this debate there is no thanks at all to Poland, Poles, the Polish government, Polish local governments, Subcarpathian local government officials who help refugees from Ukraine by taking them under their roof. And I know why you should skip it, because you are ashamed that you have voted many times before in this room against Poland. You wanted to introduce sanctions against Poland for some alleged lack of rule of law. You are ashamed of it and do not mention Poland. And today Poland is the first country to provide selfless help. I ask the representative of the French Presidency for an answer and for help for Poland, Poles who serve Ukrainians who have fled Putin's bombs from Ukraine, from their homeland and from their homes.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. I have visited Sarajevo many times, as a representative of the Polish Parliament as part of the Central European initiative, and there we talked about the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was on a good and straight path to the European Union. Now the situation has become complicated. We have the worst moment since the end of the war in Yugoslavia. The Dayton Agreement is being challenged by the Republika Srpska, which has adopted a series of resolutions aimed at detaching the Republika Srpska from the many ethnic institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This could end with the dissolution of the country and the problem in the Balkans. The problem is not only in the Republika Srpska, but also in Belgrade itself, where there are people who want to ensure their influence in the countries of the former Yugoslavia. It is not surprising that on January 9, the Republika Srpska celebrated its national holiday. The military parade was attended by representatives of Serbia, Russia and China, who are strong supporters of the Republika Srpska's desire to secede and join Serbia. The European Union must take a tough stance towards Serbia and the Republika Srpska if Serbia wants to continue to join the European Union in the near future. These rules have to be tough. If Serbia benefits from this, then the European Union will also benefit.

Madam President, Mr President, Commissioner! The pandemic has affected the whole of Europe and therefore recovery plans have been put in place. Poland acted jointly and severally because it vouched for the loan, and the European Parliament expects Poland to renounce its own constitution. No, we will not renounce sovereignty, because we do not want a single European state. Poland has never embezzled EU funds. This was recently admitted by a very high official of the European Union, which is what I asked myself. But it is against Poland that resolutions are adopted, although the average European hears much more about corruption in Bulgaria, Malta or the list of 2,500 Spanish lawyers to Mrs. Jourová, because the Spanish legal system is simply not good. It therefore appears that, for the time being, the Recovery Fund is a political instrument for the so-called ‘our’. The most important decisions in Poland and Hungary are made in parliament, not on hunting and not on castles. Today, Poland is defending Europe against Lukashenko and Putin, and your socialist and liberal colleagues are building Nord Stream 2 with Putin, and your socialist colleagues are on Putin's payroll and sailing yachts with Putin. As Christmas approaches, I wish the European Commission to return to Christian values and treat workers, states, nations and their economies equally. And finally, I have a question, because we are dealing with a huge inflation. Shouldn't we start discussing the revision of all grants today, because with 10% inflation, this aid to countries affected by the pandemic will simply be much, much less worth it?

Mr President, thank you very much. I will begin by thanking the fellow rapporteurs for their hard work, the Chairman of the Committee on Budgets, the Commissioner. We actually worked day and night and the effect is. We are pleased that the European Parliament has provided new funding for a project prepared by the European Commission. This EUR 479 million has really been allocated sensibly, because Erasmus – thus benefitting researchers, professors and young people – and the Europe horizon, and indeed also health. The LIFT programme has been strengthened and what is also important is that the European Union and countries in the European Union are facing various types of disasters, so we also welcome this €211 million increase in humanitarian aid. Such actions of the European Union build European solidarity and we all give it to each other when we need it. I would also like to thank you very much on behalf of Poland and Poles for noticing the problem related to the security of Poland's and the European Union's borders. It is about the conflict that Russia and Belarus have caused on the eastern border. This new line, let's say, financial, talking about EUR 25 million to secure the external borders, is really good news for Poland, for the European Union and such information builds our common European solidarity. On behalf of Poland and Poles, I would like to thank you very much for such a proposal.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, thank you very much. Talks about the budget of the European Union are always interesting, and in particular talks about the effects of this budget on individual countries and on the European Union as a whole. Transparency in spending and settling funds is also very interesting. But I would like to remind you that this regulation was discussed three years ago, re-discussed and we are still awaiting an assessment of the amendment of that regulation. Therefore, I suggest that we should not be too hasty, because sometimes we just have a situation where very good solutions are the enemy of good – old, well-established solutions. In my view, this regulation should deal with the removal of derogations from budgetary rules and non-compliance with financial rules. This is our first rule. We should also simplify the implementation of the European Union's recovery measures. And you have to look at all things through the prism of efficiency. And when it comes to the rule of law, which has also been included here, I will only say that last week a high official of the European Commission said that Poland has no problems with the use of EU funds in recent years. And the Strasbourg room and the Brussels room are often the places where such resolutions against Poland are adopted. So let us not confuse this regulation, let us act prudently, then the Union will succeed.

Madam President, I'm sorry. It was a very interesting discussion. It seems to me that the purity of funding, the transparency of political party funding is a very important issue. There must be transparency in this matter, and voters must also know which parties they are voting for. On the other hand, I cannot imagine that this resolution and the discussion about financing political parties would be a cover for the discussion about building a federal state. This cannot be the case and we simply need to ensure that there is national, geographical and social representation in the European Parliament and in national parliaments. And then we will all be clear about how democracy works in the European Union and in the European Parliament.