Speeches

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...