Speeches

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. I speak here today to pay tribute and remembrance to all those who, at the risk of their lives, opposed German Nazism and Soviet crimes. On the European Day of Remembrance for the Righteous, we remember people who, despite the threat of death, chose humanity over fear. Among them were many Poles, my compatriots, who deserve eternal memory. Irena Sendlerowa, who saved 2,500 Jewish children, Captain Witold Pilecki, who voluntarily gave himself to Auschwitz to pass on the memory of war crimes to the world, or Jan Karski, emissary of the underground state. It is thanks to such people that the world has not forgotten. But, Commissioner, memory is not enough. It must go hand in hand with action for justice for victims. To this day, the Polish victims of World War II, the Greek victims of World War II, and the Italian victims of World War II have no way of seeking judicial redress because the German state hides behind immunity from jurisdiction. This is your task, Commissioner, to make Germany truly reconcile and reparate for the war crimes committed during World War II.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Ahead of us is a report that, like many similar documents, contains provisions worthy of support, as well as those that need to be corrected and supplemented. As shadow rapporteur, I would like to highlight some important issues that should be taken into account in the further work on this document. I encourage you in particular to support the provisions on the defence of the rights of religious minorities in the world. I will remind you that the most persecuted religious group so far are Christians, and therefore during the vote I will stand in solidarity with their cause, supporting the relevant parts of the report. I also ask for support for amendment 75, which raises worrying reports of cases where funds from international institutions, including the United States Agency for International Development and even the European Union, were intended to support groups engaged in political activism against democratically elected governments, including in my country, Poland. I call on the Union to fully cooperate with Parliament, journalists and the public in order to clarify these situations and to establish transparent rules and effective mechanisms to control the spending of these funds. In accordance with Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union, the Community must base its relations with third countries on democracy, respect for human rights and dignity. Unfortunately, not all partners of the European Union, such as Cuba, fulfil these obligations, despite the fact that they have been benefiting from the preferences resulting from agreements with the European Union for years. The forthcoming public hearing in the DROI subcommittee should be the start of a wider debate and, I hope, a resolution on this issue. I call for a sensible, balanced assessment of the report and support for amendments that strengthen our values and protect the sovereignty and interests of the European Union and its Member States.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. As the author of the report on Poland's war losses during World War II, I know how crucial funds are for rebuilding the country after the war. Poland has never received the Marshall Plan, and Germany still evades paying Poland war reparations. The consequences of the war have been felt for decades, and the same will happen in the case of Ukraine if we do not take real action. Today, history repeats itself. This is the laziness of the EU institutions and governments of some EU countries with the transfer of frozen Russian assets. Belgium alone has 250 billion euros, which, instead of lying on accounts, should go to the reconstruction of Ukraine. We call on the European Commission and the European Council to take appropriate action. War destroys for generations. If we do not act now, we are condemning Ukraine and its people to decades of loss and stagnation. Let us not let the history of World War II again become a lesson that no one has learned.

Mr President, thank you very much. As a man of deep faith, a Christian, I know that religion should lead to love, truth and justice. Unfortunately, what is happening in Nigeria today is not justice, it is not truth, it is not love. Yahaya Sharif-Aminu was sentenced to death only for a song, only for expressing thoughts. This is not a defense of faith. Let us respect everyone's right to worship God, but let us not be afraid to tell the truth. Islamic fundamentalism and Sharia law, which imprisons and kills people for alleged blasphemy, are inhumane and have no place in the civilized world. Therefore, from this place, the European Parliament, we call on the Nigerian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Yahaya Sharif-Aminu and end the human rights violations.

Mr President, thank you very much. The High Parliament! Turkey is a key partner of the European Union, but we do not close our eyes to the repression of the opposition: arrests of mayors and elimination of political opponents under the pretext of security. This is disturbing. But before we point our finger at Ankara, let's look at our own backyard. In the European Union itself, and especially in Poland, the immunities of parliamentarians are currently being violated. Methods of fighting democracy, political repression against the opposition are used. Funding for the opposition is being withdrawn during the ongoing presidential campaign. Exploitation arrests are being made against the opposition. Tusk's government is instrumental in using the state apparatus and the prosecutor's office against the opposition. The opposition is eliminated as an internal enemy. And all this with the eloquent silence of the European Union. Why has there been no debate here for a year about the state of democracy in Poland and the attack on the opposition in Poland? Human rights and democracy cannot be selective. Let's start by defending them within the European Union and only then instruct others.

Mr President, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, Today, after three years of Russia’s brutal aggression against Ukraine, we must make it clear that our solidarity must not weaken. History teaches us that the independence, sovereignty, and freedom of nations are values that cannot be surrendered in the name of false peace. The country I represent is Poland, which knows perfectly well what war is and what its long-term effects are. After World War II, Poland suffered for decades the consequences of German war crimes, which to this day have not been accounted for. Ukrainians, like us, will struggle for years with poverty, with trauma, with losses, with disability. We can't let them be alone. Because who, if not us, understands better what it is to be abandoned by the West. Today marks 80 years since the end of the Yalta Conference, which put Central Europe under Soviet occupation. Lack of action and solidarity will embolden Putin and increase his appetite and aspirations. This is a direct path to catastrophic consequences for Europe and its future.

Mr President, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, However, we must remember that Crimea was not the beginning, but another act of aggression. Do you remember the invasion of Chechnya in the 1990s? Tens of thousands of victims, women and children. Do you remember Georgia in 2009? An armed attack. Thousands wounded and killed. Russia has never changed. He always uses the same policy method – imperial conquests. He is the heir to the Soviet Union. I come from Poland, a country that knows these methods very well. And even assuming that it was only after the annexation of Crimea that the masks fell, because Russia's imperialist ambitions were not clear to everyone from the beginning, why did Germany strike deals with Putin at that time? Why did they build Nord Stream, saying that it was a business project? Unfortunately, many members of this House also supported this policy of the German government. After all, it was also after the attack on Crimea. Were profits more important than the security of Europe, the world and human rights? Answer this question for yourself.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I would like to thank you. Friends and colleagues! I represent the Law and Justice party, which during that term was very brutally attacked by mainstream parties in the European Parliament for eight years. Many politicians of this party supported the photos with Commissioner Didier Reynders, who, as we know, has problems with the law today. Poland at that time was very often unfairly attacked, absolutely unfair, dishonest. Today, when the government of Donald Tusk has been in power for a year, there is an unprecedented violation of the Constitution, violation of the law. The prosecutor's office was illegally seized. Dozens of political investigations are being conducted against opposition politicians. They're being thrown into jail. The immunity of the Council of Europe, for example, is violated. And today, unfortunately, we do not see any reaction from the European Union here. Commissioner, I very much ask you, also as a Member of Parliament, an experienced lawyer, not to apply double standards. Take a look at what Tusk's government in Poland is doing today, one year after the change of power.

Mr Szczerba, your speeches here in the European Parliament are a disgrace to our country. Because you have been proclaiming for 8 years that you are defending the rule of law. Your colleague was Commissioner Reynders, with whom you were shaking hands. Over the past year, however, your government has unlawfully taken over public television, where you unlawfully hired your pseudo-journalists. You have unlawfully taken over the prosecution. You don't recognize Supreme Court rulings. You do not accept the judgments of the Constitutional Court. You don't recognize judges. This is the government of Donald Tusk in Poland today. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a dictatorship under the guise of liberal democracy. And unfortunately, all this is happening with the full approval of the European Union...

Madam President, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, Disinformation and falsification of history by Russia is one of the key tools used by the Kremlin for decades, in justifying its criminal aggression against Ukraine, but also in conducting an imperial and aggressive policy towards all its neighbours. All Russia's neighbors are familiar with this propaganda, disinformation, but also with Russia's imperial policy. My country, Poland, knows it too. The Kremlin cynically reverses the role of victim and aggressor, presenting its brutal war as a mission of liberation. It is a dangerous manipulation that is supposed to sow division and chaos in Europe, but also in the world. Poland is well aware of these mechanisms. For decades since World War II, she has been a victim of the falsification of history, symbolized by the Katyn massacre, the murder of 22,000 Polish officers, which the Soviet Union tried to pass on to others. Unfortunately, there is also a worrying historical revisionism in Europe today. The crimes of World War II are presented and blurred by impersonal terms such as, for example, the Nazis instead of the actual perpetrators, that is, Germany. We still hear shameful statements about Polish concentration camps, despite the fact that it was the Germans who created these camps on Polish lands, factories of death, where millions of Poles, Jews and citizens of other nationalities died. These lies strike not only at the truth, but also at the dignity of the victims. Therefore, Poland prepared a historical report on war losses and sent a diplomatic note to the German government, demanding justice and historical truth in this matter. It is an expression of concern for historical memory and the fight for justice. Today, the Kremlin uses the same methods that we have always known. By falsifying history, he tries to justify the aggression against Ukraine, to divert attention from his own crimes. It is an attempt to use history as a propaganda weapon that destabilizes the present. History shows that falsifying the past leads to an escalation of violence. As Poles who have been fighting for historical truth for years, we know how dangerous these manipulations are. Therefore, silence on Russian propaganda will have tragic consequences. Defending the truth is our duty to the victims of the past and future generations.

Mr. Commissioner, I would like to thank you. Madam President, thank you very much. American society has given a mandate to President Donald Trump to be America's new leader. Our aim as the European Parliament should be equally clear: Developing and strengthening relations with the United States. As a member of parliament a few days ago, I returned from a delegation that took place in Fort Worth, Texas, an exchange of experiences and views between American and European parliamentarians. And all delegations agree: the development and cooperation of the Americas with the European Union is necessary. This serves our security, but also our economic development. I would like to stress that all political groups, all political parties took part in the delegation, but above all they represented the countries of Central Europe. It is a pity that there were no parliamentarians from Germany and France in this delegation. I want to make it clear that for Central Europe, for Poland, cooperation with America is crucial for security and economic development.

Madam President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I would like to thank you. In the face of the war in Ukraine and Russian attempts to circumvent sanctions with a fleet of shadows, I appeal on behalf of myself, but also my country - Poland - for decisive action by the European Union in cooperation with NATO. Strengthening the monitoring mechanism of maritime routes and strengthening sanctions against those supporting the operation is crucial to effectively stop the financing of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. At this point, I would like to remind you that Poland has invested large budgetary resources in maritime infrastructure to reduce Russian influence in the Baltic Sea, so that Polish entities do not have to ask for the consent of the Russian Federation to be able to influence Polish territorial waters. We have done so despite the European Commission's reservations about this investment. The Law and Justice government, through the Vistula Spit, ensured Poland's sovereignty in the Baltic Sea. Even now, especially in the context of Finland's and Sweden's accession to NATO, international cooperation and EU solidarity are essential to effectively enforce sanctions and weaken the Russian war machine. Therefore, the European Union and NATO should take all possible measures in relation to the Baltic Sea areas belonging to the Member States of the European Union to enforce EU sanctions through maritime inspections and coordination of international action.

Madam President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I would like to thank you. Friends and colleagues! Thank you for this debate, an important debate about growing intolerance in Europe. I would also like to draw attention to the intolerance towards Christians. In particular, I am appalled by the case of the arrested priest Michał Olszewski in Poland. After the change of power, the current liberal government, which illegally took over the prosecutor’s office, led to the arrest of Father Michał Olszewski, a priest who was building a help centre for victims of crime. According to the government of Tusk and the prosecutor's office, he did not have the right to do so, which is why he was arrested. Father Michał Olszewski has been in custody for eight months. Every now and then, new charges are brought against the priest. The priest has been stripped of his human dignity, of his priestly dignity, says his mother. He's being held in custody. Torture is applied to him. No food is made available to him. He's being held in handcuffs. Commissioner, I ask you to intervene in the case of Father Michał Olszewski, who has been unlawfully detained in Poland for eight months. That's what I'm asking of you.

Madam President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Friends and colleagues! The pact for the future on international peace and security speaks of the protection of civilians, the rule of law and peace, it speaks of action to promote human rights. He also talks about cooperation with the International Court of Justice, which, however, we must remember, does not resolve all cases related to the observance of human rights and the rule of law. I would like to stress that many countries responsible for war crimes are still hiding behind immunity from jurisdiction, and countries that have committed these crimes cannot be sued before criminal courts to this day. States, but also victims of armed conflicts, are often left without a legal forum where they can demand justice, where they can obtain compensation, where they can reconcile. Victims of war conflicts also do not have the right to a court, to a fair trial, something that should be granted to everyone, and above all to victims of armed conflicts. I therefore invite the Commissioner to examine the resolution of the Council of Europe adopted in June this year, initiated by the British lawyer Lord Keen, on the creation of a negotiating mechanism that allows states to discuss reconciliation and to find an appropriate solution to bring the conflict to a just conclusion. In conclusion: in particular, we must remember the victims of the Second World War, who have not yet received justice, as well as the victims of the ongoing modern armed conflicts, whose victims cry out for justice.

Mr President, thank you very much. Friends and colleagues! Today we clearly, resolutely want to condemn and condemn the Belarusian regime, which is co-responsible for the war in Ukraine. After all, we remember that it was from the territory of Belarus that Russian tanks entered Ukraine on 24 February 2022. The Belarusian regime not only supports the Russian aggression against Ukraine, but also conducts real, hostile actions against Poland, the Baltic States and the European Union. The Belarusian regime is organizing a mass influx of migrants who killed Polish officers on the Polish border, defending the Polish border, defending the European Union border. The Belarusian regime is also destroying Polish cultural and historical heritage. The Belarusian regime is destroying Polish cemeteries. Finally, the Belarusian regime is destroying inconvenient people for this regime. Andrzej Poczobut is sitting in a Lukashenko prison behind a Belarusian bar. Andrzej Poczobut fights for his life and never gave up. We will never give up in the fight for his release. Long live Andrzej Poczobut and free Belarus!

Madam President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I would like to thank you. Friends and Colleagues.! Today is a special day for Poland and Poles. On September 17, 1939, 85 years ago, the Soviet Union invaded the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Over 300,000 Poles, including my family, were deported to Siberia. They've been there forever. Hundreds of thousands of Poles were imprisoned, many were taken prisoner. There was also the Katyn massacre, where over 20,000 Polish officers were murdered. That is why Poland is so sensitive to what is happening in Ukraine, because we remember what the Soviet Union did and Putin is doing in Ukraine today. That is why we cannot allow Ukraine to be left alone, as Poland was left alone in 1939. We need to support Ukraine. That is why Poland has supported Ukraine from the very beginning in a military and humanitarian sense, we have welcomed millions of Ukrainian refugees. Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, today, when we talk about peace talks, we must remember that Russia must give up the occupied territory of Ukraine, 20% of the occupied territory of Ukraine. War criminals must be punished. Putin must stand trial before an international court, and all those who committed the crime should be punished. And finally, ladies and gentlemen, Russia must pay war reparations to Ukraine.