Speeches

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Today, Europe must meet the expectations of the citizens of the European Union. Today, Europe must become completely independent of Russian gas. European security is a priority for the European Commission. There is no economy, no energy security without low gas prices. We warned in Poland. Poland has repeatedly warned against dependence on Russia in the context of energy resources. We warned – unfortunately, our words have worked. Putin used gas and energy prices to blackmail Europe. Today, the European raison d'être and the Polish raison d'être are changing the rules so as to reduce gas prices, fill gas storage facilities so that Europeans feel energy security and care of the European Commission and the European Parliament. This is necessary, necessary today.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Faster debate and faster action. Eastern European countries, such as Poland, are today on the front line of defense against threats from the East. Therefore, initiatives such as the East Shield and the Baltic Defence Line are necessary today. Polish EPP MEPs tabled further amendments to strengthen defence on land, air, sea and other areas. In addition, we are tabling an amendment to unlock €450 million for Poland for military equipment transferred to Ukraine. This money is blocked by Hungary. We call on the European Commission and the Member States to lift the Hungarian embargo or blockade. I also call on all Polish MEPs, regardless of their political colours, to act for security. The European Union cannot make the security of the community dependent on the consent of pro-Russian politicians. Our safety, Commissioner, is in our hands.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. The biggest challenge facing farmers today is low profitability, or even lack thereof. Farmers in Europe, especially Eastern Europe, face strict regulations and unfair competition from products outside the European Union. The Commission's vision for agriculture and food includes, among other things, a dialogue with farmers, which is often forgotten by the European institutions, as was the case with the Mercosur agreement. Today, however, the most important problem for farmers is bureaucracy, excessive reporting, excessive formal requirements. Farmers expect simplified rules for access to financial support and grants, especially for micro, small and family farming businesses, as well as a revision of the Green Deal and a halt to the Mercosur agreement. The Commission's proposal goes in the right direction, but it is only a small patch, Commissioner, on the great wound of European agriculture.

Are you talking about diplomacy? Are you talking about peace, about democracy? Have you heard of women from Belarus and Ukraine? Have you heard of rape? Have you heard of the rape of a 4-year-old girl? In what reality are you living? Do you want to put 500 million citizens of the European Union at risk? Will anyone take responsibility for this? Do you know how citizens feel in Eastern Europe? Because that's where I come from. If you don't know, come and talk to them.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I would like to thank you. The trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, prepared in secret from farmers, is not an opportunity – I say this with pain – but a verdict on European agriculture. Mercosur is a black hail cloud that will destroy micro, small family farms that are already struggling to deal with unfair trade from countries outside the European Union. Under the previous government, the Polish market was already flooded with low-quality agricultural products from outside the EU, such as technical cereals. This is the eastern Mercosur, ladies and gentlemen. In addition, Polish farmers are subject to the most stringent restrictions. Therefore, introducing products such as cereals, meat, tobacco and sugar from Mercosur countries of low quality and price to our markets will kill Polish and European agriculture, threatening food and health security. Ladies and Gentlemen, I appeal and ask on behalf of Polish and European farmers for solidarity of the whole community in the protection of the agricultural market, consumer health and food security. We say strong 'No!' to low-quality products, we say strong 'No!' to a dangerous contract ...

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, Minister of the Republic of Poland! Ladies and Gentlemen, Europe will be strong when it speaks with one voice on economic and security issues. The new administration in Washington is a challenge for the entire European Union, and the United States remains our ally. But Europe must be ready for changes in U.S. foreign policy. Poland is the leader of European security. It allocates 4.7%. GDP for defence. In order to maintain America's commitment, the other countries of the European Union must also implement their commitments to NATO, which guarantees the security and stability of the entire region. Supporting Ukraine is very important, because the consequences of the war are felt every day throughout the European Union, including in Poland, which has become a buffer zone between the East and the West. And frontier, frontier regions, such as the Lublin region, Podlasie and their inhabitants take on the whole burden of the war. A stable international order requires cooperation with the United States. We can't leave any space, but it's no space, because they'll fill that space and just wait for it: Putin, Moscow and Beijing. And one more thing: no one from the ECR will tell us where our members are to sit, because that is not what democracy looks like.

Madam President, thank you very much. Mr President, thank you very much. Russian disinformation is a modern weapon of mass destruction. It sows chaos, undermines trust in institutions and, above all, divides societies. In Poland, we have seen misinformation many times, from the Smolensk narrative about the attack, which they brazenly fed public opinion, dividing Polish society, dividing Polish families, to actions fueling distrust of the European Union and NATO. Poland has known for a long time what Russian manipulation, disinformation of Lenin, Stalin and now Putin mean. It is no coincidence, ladies and gentlemen, that this is an old strategy of the Kremlin aimed at weakening the unity of the West. Russian disinformation is a threat to democracy, Europe and the world.

Madam President, thank you very much. The European Commission has introduced the RESTORE Regulation, which is a response to the need to provide rapid assistance and support to European Union citizens affected by cataclysms, such as floods this year in Poland. The Regulation is above all a faster path and more flexibility. Fast track financing, because that is what true community and true solidarity is all about to help those in need. And this is what happens in Poland. The government of Donald Tusk, at the time when the country was hit by devastating floods, was with the people and gave this help. Unfortunately, this was not the case before. Despite many other tools, the previous team preferred to fight the European Commission on the basis of policy rather than support and pragmatism. RESTORE is a good step in the right direction. Unfortunately, too few of these steps, these steps need more. A faster path and more flexibility are needed. 19 months of legislation is far too long. It's an eternity.

Madam President, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, Poles pay the highest energy prices in Europe. In 2023, 11% of Poles suffered from energy poverty, of which 1/4 are pensioners. Problems with high prices also generate problems for companies that close because of this. This is the aftermath of 8 years of bad, improper rule by the Law and Justice party, which did not bet on the energy transition, which gave money from the ETS system – PLN 100 billion – not for the construction of new networks, but for party policy. It's a plowing of the wind policy. We were told, Poles, that the propellers from the windmills would fall on the houses, and the hens would stop wearing themselves. This was the approach to the energy transition. Ladies and Gentlemen, I would ask the European Commission to take systemic and effective measures to reduce energy prices in Poland and Europe. It can't be that in the 21st century, people have to choose whether to buy drugs or turn on electricity.

Madam President, thank you very much. Dear colleagues, Under one flag of the European Union, there is a multicultural community of countries based on the most beautiful, most valuable values, such as human rights, the rule of law and free trade. For our community to be strong and resilient, we need quick tools to act. We need specifics. Nearly 80% of Europeans want a common security policy in all areas of life. The European Union must have the tools to defend itself, including against hybrid attacks, on many levels. The European Union needs to wake up. Today, the borders of the European Union are under attack. The eastern border, between Poland and Belarus, is a war, and the inhabitants of border regions take the greatest burden of this hybrid war. If you want peace, prepare for war, as the saying goes. The European Union should establish a comprehensive system of preparedness and rapid response. The European Union supports others, defends and gives a sense of security, and today it needs this support more than ever. Poland takes, and front-line countries, the heaviest burden of hybrid warfare.

Mr President, thank you very much. Rail transport is an extremely important sector in every country. In Poland, by political decision, it was destroyed, almost derailed. The decision of former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki of July 2022 ordering the company to terminate contracts and priority coal transport from the Baltic ports to the south of Poland. The company has lost all contracts. There used to be six cargo cars out of ten, but today there are only three. Another political decision is the sale of modern rolling stock ahead of the 2023 parliamentary elections. Where did the money go? Not for the new fleet, but for buying more political votes. Ladies and Gentlemen, bad management, nepotism, cronyism – this has caused and led to a 90% drop in the value of the company. This is what happens when companies are managed by politicians, not managers and pragmatists. We're turning it around today. Today, the company is run by managers, saving the company and jobs, and they do not fire pregnant women. That's a lie.

Madam President, thank you very much. Since 2015, the European Union has been confronted with the migration crisis. Currently, this crisis is being exploited by Putin and Lukashenka and is in the nature of a hybrid war. It is necessary to strengthen Frontex and to give it more competences. Poland and the eastern border are a perfect example of how crucial it is to protect our borders. Today, however, in this room, we heard applause for Mr Orbán, who boasted that he had released 2,000 smugglers who were responsible for this practice. Today, also in this room, the politicians on the right, from the ECR – unfortunately from my country – who until recently ruled Poland, also instructed the Commission and said that it was the fault of the European Commission that it was the immigration crisis and that Frontex had expelled too few people. Ladies and Gentlemen, Poland issued the highest number of visas of all countries in the European Union between 2018 and 2022. 6.5 million visas were issued by the government at the time. That's more than Spain. That's more than Germany. Today, these gentlemen come out and criticise the Commission. They criticize everyone. It's cynicism, hypocrisy with no limits...