Speeches

Mr President, thank you very much. This is a very important debate and I want to say it very clearly: Today, the enemy does not have to cross the borders of the European Union to enter our homes. It can be done by phone, television or newspapers. And he did it, as we look at Brexit, the last elections in Moldova, Georgia or even Romania, and even in Poland, in the last parliamentary elections, everywhere we will see the Russian agency that spread disinformation. They invested €100 million in Moldova, €70 million in Romania just to spread disinformation. I want to be very clear – Putin also wants to take over the media with the hands of those in this room. In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk has just decided to privately include the two largest TV stations on the list of strategic companies to block the hostile takeover. Let's put a dam, a blockade on Russian disinformation. Together, all of you.

Madam President, thank you very much. The tragedy that hit Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Italy and, in a moment, Spain in September showed that Europe cannot only put emphasis on security from a military point of view, but also from the point of view of the elements. It is very good that today we are discussing here, and tomorrow we will vote on a regulation that will speed up and make any decisions on speeding up disbursements for those who need this money. And we all here know why. But as we are on this very important topic, I would like to draw your attention to one. It is about infrastructure investments and appropriate regulations. In fact, some of these tragedies would not have happened had it not been for populists. They also appeared in my country, Poland, and were proud that they blocked these infrastructural investments. So fast disbursement of funds, regulations and infrastructure investments. I, on behalf of Poland, would like to thank you for the 5 billion euros that were donated just for Poland after the last flood.

Madam President, thank you very much. The election results in the United States show one thing: Europe cannot wait to see who will take power in the United States, whether in a few days, four years or 20 years. Europe must, as in the case of the economy, take responsibility for security. This is what Europeans from all countries of the European Union expect from us. And I don't want to judge today what promises President Trump will fulfill and what he won't fulfill. We simply have to take responsibility for Europe's security. And I am glad that on the day when Europe, when the United States gave the preliminary results of the election won by Trump, here, in this building, was the hearing of the first ever Commissioner for Defence and Space. I am glad that this is a Lithuanian politician who is well versed in this eastern policy, because the issue of security is the most important for us Europeans.

Mr President, thank you very much. The politicians of Kaczynski's party came up with the idea of playing a spectacle before us here in Parliament. This performance was to be about the problems of the second largest freight transport company in Europe - the Polish company PKP Cargo. They just didn't want to say one thing that they did. Let me refute this embarrassing spectacle and present only three facts that prove it. During the eight years of Kaczyński's party's rule, the value of PKP Cargo fell by 90%. In 2014, the company was valued at almost 4 billion zlotys. After eight years of Kaczyński’s rule, shares fell to less than 600 million, from PLN 90 in 2014 to PLN 12 – and these are the facts, the facts are not debated. We are repairing this company. Here today in the audience is the president of this company who wants to repair this company and the guilty ones who caused this destruction of Polish pride must be held accountable for it. I would like to take this opportunity to say what is an opportunity for Poland today, for Europe when it comes to rail. This is an absolutely high-speed railway, which is an opportunity for the sustainable development of our continent. Some people are excited about the fact that China has just started production of a train that is expected to reach a speed of 1,000 kilometers per hour. But are we worse? Well, we are not and I am convinced that Europe can soon become a world leader in this form of transport. High-speed rail is an impulse for the economy and I want to say that a lot is already happening in this matter. In my city, Łódź, the third largest, we are finishing one of the tunnels and the other high-speed rail tunnel. We have just started construction and will soon connect with Europe. Europe has to travel in the 1930s by super-fast trains and not only to Paris or Berlin, but also to Sofia, Vilnius, Łódź or Naples. From here, I can only call for us to do absolutely everything in our power to make high-speed rail a real and not a pretended priority on the European agenda.

Mr President, thank you very much. The European Common Sky could be a new agreement in the spirit of Schengen. Just as the Schengen area abolished physical borders for travel in Europe, the European Common Sky will remove the barriers that divide our airspace. There is no doubt that aviation plays a key role in the economy of the European Union. It directly and indirectly provides millions of jobs, but also generates a positive value of almost EUR 600 billion, which is almost 4% of GDP. It provides the necessary connectivity on the continent and already provides affordable and accessible high-speed connections for European citizens in the European Union. But it is high time that the 27 jurisdictions that are within the European Union join together so that we can vote for one European Common Sky.

Dear Madam President, Mr. Commissioner, I would like to thank you. 14 million workers from the automotive sector across Europe have been waiting for this debate because they feel threatened. In my country alone, 200,000 people work in this industry, producing almost 700,000 cars and generating almost 8% of GDP. But we all, as we are in this room, know that the automotive industry has huge problems. This is not just a problem for one or the other Volkswagen plant in Germany, which wants to reduce its workforce by almost 30,000 people. This is the problem of factories that are already leaving the European Union. Volvo chooses Turkey. Scania chooses Serbia outside the European Union. Why is that? We have become less competitive. Because we slept through the time. We slept through the moment when it was necessary to invest in the automotive industry, and in addition there was a huge import of Chinese cars. And that needs to change. But there's another reason. These are unrealistic regulations. I come from Poland. In Poland, there are 22 million petrol cars and 100 000 – only 100 000 – electric cars. Let me give you an example of my city: I live in Łódź, it is the third largest city in Poland. I live in a part of the city where there is a residential area and 70,000 people live. These people don't have electricians. There is not even infrastructure for these cars and people do not want to pay 100-150,000 per car. These people are asking why the European Union wants to ban them from driving their car. And we need to change that. I am a European. I am for modernity. I am for the fight against smog. But I've always been against common sense. Well, it must be our wisdom to move away from the idea of banning combustion cars in 2035. Why? Because it's unreal unless someone wants to break up such a serious branch of the economy.

Mr President, thank you very much. The European Union has been working towards a single market since its inception. The single market is one where we have the free movement of goods, services, people, but also capital. And I must say here in this Chamber that it was with great regret and sadness that I received the decision of the German Government to introduce border controls. Because it is a step back – a step backwards in the functioning of our European economy, about which we are talking so much here, in this House, and recently. The introduction of border controls is a closure of borders, but it is above all a hindrance. There are 30-kilometer traffic jams at the borders. Only one border crossing between Poland and Germany is crossed by 100,000 trucks in a week. And if we are thinking about security, then as Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, we need to strengthen the external borders from the sea, from the land and from the air. And we need to protect them well. But we can't close from the inside. We cannot isolate countries. That is why I appeal to the German Government here in Strasbourg, in the Chamber, to open the borders. Because that's what the people who live there are waiting for. This is what transport companies are waiting for. At the end of the day, those who travel by ordinary cars are waiting for it.

Mr President, thank you very much. As we debate here today in comfortable outfits, comfortable shoes, many heroes are fighting right now to stop this element. They often fight in sweat, in tears, to stop and fight for every meter. I want to be clear: The moment you can stop this element, this water, you will have to rebuild everything that this element destroyed. And that is what the European community is for, and that is what the European Union is for, and perhaps it will be one of the most important and greatest challenges. But that's why we're here to help these people. And these people do not expect empty words, but they expect a support fund, a fund to rebuild their homes, roads and bridges. In 1980, Solidarity was established in Poland. Today, this solidarity is needed not only by Poland, but also by the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Italy. I want it to sound out of this room that these people will get help from us and none of them will be left alone.

Madam President, thank you very much. I think this is one of the most important debates in the European Parliament. I am speaking here on behalf of two industries, extremely important and important, which concern each of us. Each of us has a refrigerator, washing machine or dryer, and on the other hand, each or most of us have ceramic tiles in the kitchen or bathroom. Both industries are produced, or their production takes place in Poland, but not only in Poland, because in Spain, it also takes place in France. Both industries are at risk. One of them, the first one, household appliances, is being displaced today by the Chinese market. Almost 60% of the products are imported from China. The latter, I'm talking about the ceramic one, is being supplanted by Asian countries. Almost 40% are already imported from Asia. Well, we are already feeling the effects today, the best example of this is, unfortunately, the dismissal of almost 1,200 people from the Beko factory in Łódź. One of the cornerstones of the European Union was the common security of the European economy. We have to do this absolutely together. There's no time to waste. We have to do it together now, not in five years.