Speeches

Today, the healthcare sector is facing a deep crisis. Staff shortages, low wages, excessive bureaucracy, professional overload. According to the Future Health Index 2024, as many as 1/3 of healthcare workers decide to leave the profession due to burnout. That's a lot. It's too much. European societies are ageing. Fewer people want to work in health care, and the number of doctors is falling. According to the Polish Supreme Medical Chamber, as many as 77% of professionally active male doctors are over 65 years old. This means one thing – there is no generational renewal. We need to bet on systemic solutions: increasing the number of places in medical studies, improving working conditions, implementing technologies that will allow doctors to focus on patients rather than documents. There is no care sector without people.

Mr President, thank you very much. Addiction rarely begins dramatically. They usually start innocently – from curiosity, from one party, from hand-to-hand balloon. This is how the story of many young people with nitrous oxide begins. The belief that it's just fun. That nothing bad can happen. And then it turns into a brutal reality – damage to the nervous system, problems with walking and balance, poisoning, road accidents and death. European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) Drugs are alarming that recreational use of nitrous oxide is growing rapidly in many European Union countries. In France, more than half of the reported cases of poisoning concerned serious neurological problems. In the Netherlands, dozens of young people with spinal cord injury syndrome were treated in just two years. And the number of road incidents related to the use of this gas increased by 80 percent, from 1,652 to 4,860 cases. 1860 specific stories of young people who even a moment earlier were convinced that it was just fun. Everything in life has a place. Nitrous oxide also – but in medicine, in anaesthesiology. It relieves pain and saves lives. But it can't go on the streets, in the hands of teenagers. When the drug, instead of healing, kills, it forces us to reflect. It forces us to act. Therefore, prohibiting the sale of nitrous oxide to private individuals is a reasonable and proportionate solution. It preserves access for hospitals and industry, but closes the door to abuse. Because freedom means responsibility. And it is our duty, here in the European Parliament, to protect the health and life of the young generation, young Europeans.

Madam President, I'm sorry. When I talk to people in my country, they say: We are for Europe, but for a Europe that respects the sovereignty, identity and self-determination of peoples. People are asking why Brussels bureaucrats should decide for them. And they're right. The European Semester was supposed to be something sensible, a tool for economic coordination, supervision of public finances, a mechanism that helps to maintain stability. And that's its meaning. But today we see something different. Instead of a simple tool of economic cooperation, today the mechanism of political pressure is growing. The pressure goes further and further: to social policy, to the labour market, to housing, to decisions that have always belonged to nation states. And now there is one more step. Conditioning European funds on the implementation of reforms identified by the Commission. Imposing policies that are not in the national interest, but consistent with the Brussels agenda. And this is the moment when it is no longer coordination. It is disciplining, pointing the finger at Brussels, who and what to do in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and many other countries. Europeans see this and do not accept it. I also see something else that there are once again equals and more equals in Europe, that some can do more and others have to listen. Europe was not created as a project of central governance, it was created as a community of free nations.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, Let me start with a picture that many young Europeans know today: A couple of young people in their 30s, both working, both wanting to start a family. They have plans, strength, dreams. There is only one thing missing: your own home. This is the real face of the housing crisis in Europe today. A year ago, we set up a special committee because millions of citizens across the Union are facing this problem. There's not enough housing. The ones that are created are too expensive. Construction and energy costs are rising. Entrepreneurs are drowning in bureaucracy. But let's also be honest: This crisis did not come out of nowhere. For many years, record low interest rates have fueled speculation in the housing market. Instead of houses for families, investment assets were created, and the consequences are serious, not only high prices. Fewer housing means fewer families, fewer families means fewer children, and that means a weaker Europe. That's why we need courage, courageous decisions. The European Affordable Housing Plan is a step in the right direction, but it is not enough. We need to simplify regulations, cut red tape, stop incurring the costs of building more regulations. Because housing is not a luxury, it is the foundation of a dignified life, the foundation of the family, the foundation of the future of Europe.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, We often hear about the treaty independence of the European Central Bank, its alleged apolitical nature, its sacred autonomy. But is this holiness respected here? What do we see today? Not what we should. We see the ECB deeply involved in political projects, pushing for a digital euro. We see the central bank being brutally pushed into the green agenda, often bypassing economic and social realities. Finally, we see the ECB as a tool of a federalist project putting pressure on Member States to abandon their own currencies as soon as possible. These are decisions about the sovereignty of nations – who controls money. Who bears the consequences of mistakes? And they are borne by the citizens. When the ECB raises or maintains interest rates, it is not an abstraction from the annual report. These are loan installments for young people. These are failing small businesses. These are the decisions that decide whether a European citizen goes on holiday or stays and has to pay high electricity bills. We have to repeat like a mantra: Independence is stability. Money doesn't like politics. History teaches us one thing: Any manual control of money ends badly, and especially badly when money becomes an instrument of ideology and centralization. Former ECB President Mario Draghi speaks directly about the Union's transition from a confederation to a federation. That's exactly what the central bank is doing today. That is why my appeal is simple: We need a truly independent, non-green, non-federalist, non-ideological ECB.

Mr President, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, Is the traditional family important? Yes, but not for Europe. Is the lack of control over migration a problem? Yes, but not for Europe. Is the lack of housing for young people hampering demography? Yes, but not according to Europe. Where are we going? Towards stagnation. Social issues, like in the mirror, reflect economic problems. The lack of generational replacement, the family crisis and reckless migration policies, poverty, regional inequality, youth unemployment and, on the horizon, the pension crisis are not slogans. The summit in Qatar is an opportunity to realize that these problems will not disappear on their own. Without good solutions, they deepen from day to day, from month to month, from year to year. We need to wake up, get out of the comfort bubble, go back to the sources. In what way? Thanks to the family, this traditional, unfashionable in Europe and treated as a brake on progress. Then we will do what will help Europe in the long term. We will change catastrophic demographic trends not against the family, but thanks to the family.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I very much welcome the fact that the European Commission has finally recognised and acknowledged the threat that regions bordering Russia, Belarus and Ukraine face on a daily basis. Too bad it's so late. This was lacking, especially when the Law and Justice government in Poland effectively secured the eastern border of Poland, and thus the European Union, against illegal migration, inspired by Lukashenko and Putin. I hope that the proposals aimed at strengthening defence, supporting the eastern regions, will be implemented in a timely manner and that the funds allocated to them will be spent as intended. I declare on behalf of the ECR Group that we will closely monitor this process to ensure that the European Social Fund Plus, whose main objective is to promote social inclusion, equal opportunities, is not subject to controversy and that the funds are properly used.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Doesn't a child killed by a heart injection at nine months of age have a right to life? Does the removal of crosses from public spaces, as was the case in Warsaw at the initiative of the Vice-President of the Civic Platform, not violate the religious freedom guaranteed by Article 10 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights? Human rights, of which we are rightly proud, cannot be selective. That is why I call on us not to use the concept of anti-discrimination for ideological pressure. Parents, in accordance with Art. 4 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, they have the right to raise their children in accordance with their own beliefs and protect them from harmful content, which takes place in parades of pride. Neither the state nor the EU can deny this right to parents. The protection of fundamental rights must extend to all, children of believers, including those who want to return to traditional values.

Dear Mr President, The European Investment Bank is a necessary, effective and hitherto non-political institution. Its role in supporting investment, especially in the younger countries of the European Union, is invaluable. It is a pillar of cohesion policy and a driving force for integration. However, the EIB is under constant political pressure. It is expected not only to be in line with the Union’s strategic objectives, but also with the Commission’s current agenda or the priorities of the parliamentary majority. Let's remember that the triple A rating is not given once and for all. It is based on trust that is easy to lose. As Ronald Reagan said, one should not fix what is not broken. Let us not spoil the reputation of one of the last EU institutions to enjoy market confidence. It is the green policy of the European Commission under the current leadership that is causing the pressure that threatens the credibility of the EIB. The Commission needs new leadership, independent and respectful of the sovereignty of Member States and EU institutions.

Mr President, thank you very much. The digital euro is not a response to the needs of citizens, but a political tool. Europeans already have access to fast and secure payments. The digital currency does not solve any real problem, but creates new ones. So who does it really serve? the European Central Bank and the European Commission. It is they, not the Member States, who will gain new powers. The digital euro means the centralisation of finance in the hands of institutions detached from national interests. The European Central Bank will become a superbank: the issuer, the operator and, in practice, the owner of the citizens’ data. This is a blow to the sovereignty of states. We will lose the impact on our own banking system and monetary policy. Each country will become dependent on digital infrastructure managed from Brussels and Frankfurt. Do we want our economy to be decided outside our borders? The digital euro is a threat to the freedom of citizens and the independence of Member States. It is also a real risk of surveillance under the pretext of the security and progress of the European Union institutions, which actually build control over finances.

Madam President, I'm sorry. The reports of the European Court of Auditors on the RRF do not reveal anything new, they confirm what many of us suspected. The instrument is inefficient, poorly managed and costly, implemented sluggishly. Milestones are uneven and the impartiality of the Commission is questionable. It can be said that some of the funds were spent inefficiently. It is certain that the whole will cost more than 200 billion euros, of which repayment will consume up to 20% of the future budget. In practice, this means less funding for agriculture and cohesion policy. The new budget model is an attempt by the Commission to hide the construction costs for citizens, farmers and regions. Instead of rebuilding Europe, the RRF has served to strengthen the power of the Commission, which has turned subsidies into a tool of pressure for disobedient governments, as exemplified by Poland. If we consider that the idea of the instrument was good, then operationalization is no longer. This experiment failed, only bills and a question remained. With this question I leave you in the room: Who will pay for the Commission's mistakes?

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, Today we are once again living in a time of turmoil. The world is worried about the stability of the dollar, about global trade, about cryptocurrencies. But we in Europe have our own silent problem: rising sovereign debt and banks' overexposure to domestic debt. It's a delayed-ignition bomb. It blocks investment and restores the doomsday loop between budgets and the banking sector. How is it possible that the report, which is supposed to diagnose the condition of the banking union, completely ignores this topic? Don't we want to hear the uncomfortable truth? If so, then let's not say that no one warned. Today I warn you: In the name of responsibility, let's not pretend that everything is okay.

Madam President, I'm sorry. I come from Poland, a country that knows the bitter taste of a centrally planned economy. That is why I am watching with concern how competition policy in the Union is drifting towards EU economic planning. Central planning is polarly opposed to what is most valuable for competitiveness: innovation, innovation, grassroots initiatives. I am even more concerned about his ideological obsession with American digital companies. Yes, monopolies are a problem, but that's something we should all agree on in this room. They are now defending freedom of expression, while the EU is restricting it. Today, we need cooperation with the United States, not economic warfare. This report adds oil to the fire. I have a very sad conclusion. That's all we're discussing today, it's not a concern for competition. This is a geopolitical provocation against the United States. As ECR, we reject this harmful and short-sighted course.

Mr President, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, Employment security is the foundation of every person and every family. Meanwhile, in my country, Poland, we are seeing a wave of redundancies, often in violation of workers' rights. Nearly 15,000 people have lost their jobs since the beginning of the year. Behind each of these people is a tragedy – a man who does not know how to pay the bills, who has to look for a way to support his family. And yet there were so many beautiful words in this House about the protection of workers, about respect for rights, about increasing the coverage of collective bargaining. After all, a directive on adequate minimum wages was created. But where are the deeds? During the pandemic in Poland, the Law and Justice government saved thousands of jobs. He has proven that this is possible under critical conditions. That is why I call for decisive action to ensure job stability and real protection of workers' rights.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Social dialogue and respect for collective agreements should be the cornerstone of the restructuring process in order to provide workers with special protection during this difficult time. What does it look like in practice? In my country, the cradle of the Solidarity Trade Union, which changed the course of history in Europe, the rights of workers, the rights of trade unionists are not respected today. Have you heard about thousands of redundancies in the Polish Post Office, PKP Cargo? It is not only the redundancies of experienced employees and the drama of many Polish families, but also a blow to strategic sectors from the point of view of security and development of the state. Today's resolution is the result of redundancies in the automotive industry. It must be made clear: these redundancies are one of the many negative effects of climate policy and without its revision there can be no question of defending jobs and competitiveness in the European Union. Do we have the courage to act? Will we continue to pretend that the problem does not exist?

Mr President, thank you very much. Finally, the Commission recognises the problem of skills shortages in the Union. That's good, but why so late? For years, it has been clear that the lack of industry professionals will become one of the biggest challenges. Meanwhile, in Poland, under the rule of Law and Justice, the modernisation of vocational education began long ago, preparing young people for the real needs of the labour market. However, the real crisis is affecting agriculture and fisheries today. The state points to a dramatic lack of employees, but are they wondering why this is happening. The Green Deal, successive catch limits, bureaucracy – all this is not about keeping multigenerational farms alive. Therefore, it is very important that if we want to correct this situation, beautiful slogans and declarations are not enough. You finally have to look the truth in the eye and start acting here and now.

Mr President, thank you very much. The European Semester was supposed to ensure financial stability and coordinate economic policies, but the results are disappointing. Lack of effectiveness, lack of sense of need. Lack of effectiveness is a consequence of an ideological approach. Green ambitions have led to recession and drained fiscal space. The public debt of many countries exceeds 60% or even 100% of GDP. Increasing the power of the Commission and central planning is not the answer to the problems. Instead of supporting further initiatives, it blocks and hinders. The European automotive industry has collided with the Green Deal wall. A chaotic and costly transformation has raised costs, pushing innovation out of Europe. Today, from a world leader in innovation, we have become a customer queuing for American and Chinese technologies. This is not how we will build a great Europe. Let's use common sense. Only then will we begin to be effective.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The shortage of employees and competences is a great challenge faced by both small companies and large corporations. We have just discussed them in the context of the care sector, but this problem actually affects all industries. In the past, a learned profession gave a job for a lifetime. Today, we have to learn new professions throughout our lives. This is primarily the result of dynamic digitization, the fight for competitiveness, but also the fight for economic growth. It is also the result of demographic change. However, the European Commission is sending contradictory signals. The green transition was supposed to create new jobs, and we are seeing massive layoffs in the automotive industry. The Green Deal was supposed to be a cure for European problems, but it is becoming an insidious disease that is destroying the economy of the Old Continent. I leave you with one question: The European Union is not coping with the shortage of staff and key competences. So how will it deal with the new environmental challenge and the new environmental regulations when they come into force?