Speeches

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?

Mr President, thank you very much. Dear Madam President, The European Central Bank has been operating in a difficult environment for years – political games, conflicting interests and ideological pressures. But its role is clear – the fight against inflation, the stability of economies, the security of citizens. However, there are a few questions. Did the European Central Bank beat inflation? Not yet. Did he make mistakes during the pandemic? I'm sure you do. Are they still felt to this day? Yes, of course. Is there a chance for a better tomorrow? Yeah, there's a chance. There is common sense in the discussion of monetary policy. On one condition, the European Central Bank cannot be a tool for politicians. He is the guardian of financial stability, not the hostage of ideology. We also have a digital euro ahead of us. This is a supplement, not a dispensation of cash. So more reason, more independence, less ideology for the good of the Union, for all citizens.

Ladies and Gentlemen. Thanks to the introduction of MICA rules, the European Union has become a global pioneer in regulating the crypto-asset market, liberating it from the shadow economy. It should be appreciated that the MICA regulation introduces a reporting obligation, provides internal control mechanisms and requires the separation of the client's assets from the assets of cryptocurrency service providers. These are the foundations that ensure greater transparency, investor security. Importantly, the interests of non-euro area Member States are also safeguarded. Cryptocurrencies, as we know, have no boundaries. However, we must make it clear that differences between countries significantly reduce the attractiveness of this market and slow down its development. Therefore, global regulatory standards need to be developed. Although the European Union is a leader in this field, it must be careful not to adopt, as usual, an overly restrictive approach that could push innovation, investment in more flexible markets outside the European Union. Until recently, cryptocurrencies revived the dreams of some investors about a financial infrastructure independent of central banks. Today, those dreams have faded a bit. But cryptocurrencies are and will continue to be a permanent part of the global economy. Our task is to treat cryptocurrencies as financial tools that require proper regulation, but close to traditional markets, such regulations that will ensure the safety of investors, without stifling innovation. We can't sleep through this revolution. The future of the cryptocurrency market requires a balance between protecting the interests of the client and enabling, above all, further development.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. We are facing a demographic tsunami. Experts warn that from 2026 the population of the European Union will begin to decrease, and in some countries this decrease may even reach about 30%. In 25 years, Africa's population will grow by 1 billion 300 million people, further exacerbating the migratory pressure on Europe. The European Commission needs to wake up and take action as needed. Do not push for illusory and meaningless solutions. Instead of supporting the family and creating the conditions for an increase in the number of births, we are pushing for equal agendas, regulations that are irrelevant to the demographic future. Opening borders to migrants will not solve the problem, it will even aggravate it. If we do not act quickly, Europe will become weak and uncompetitive. In my country, Poland, under the rule of Law and Justice, a demographic strategy has been adopted and I regret to say that it is not being implemented today. He was also the Government Plenipotentiary for Demographic Policy. It's time to change policy. Not tomorrow, not next month, now, before it's too late.

Mr President, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, Work should give every worker a sense of dignity, stability and security. However, migrant workers are often victims of unfair labour intermediaries and abuses in subcontracting. Unaware of their rights and regulations, they are exposed to lower rates of illegal working conditions, lack of social security and exorbitant costs of transport and accommodation. Unfortunately, subcontracting is often used as a business strategy aimed at reducing costs and avoiding the employer's responsibility, for example through subcontracting chains. These subcontractors disappear many times without paying their employees a fair wage. We don't have permission to do that. We have a moral obligation to initiate and implement such systemic solutions that will allow us to uphold workers' rights. All this in order to strengthen the competitiveness of the economies of the European Union countries.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. The skills gap is a serious problem that affects the European Union as a whole. According to the Draghi report, about three-quarters of European companies report difficulties in finding employees with the right skills. At the same time, around 42% of Europeans lack basic digital skills. This adds to the demographic problems of an ageing population and gives a picture of the labour market. While education and training policies are the responsibility of the Member States, the Union supports these efforts through specific policies, programmes and support. Digital skills, vocational education, including investment in lifelong learning, are of particular importance. It is important to promote initiatives such as Junior Skills promoting young professional masters. Instead of promoting migration, we must ensure that we train our own specialists so that the European Union is resilient to crises and much more competitive.

Mr President, thank you very much. The weak economic situation and deteriorating financial results of many state-owned companies in the rail freight industry require in-depth analysis, recapitalization as investment support. Unfortunately, the PKP Cargo company referred to by the Member in the restructuring process from Poland is going easy, laying off employees en masse, and the new management board comments on this in such a way that it releases employees into the labour market. According to trade unions, pregnant women, people of pre-retirement age, as well as trade union activists are thrown out on the pavement. There can be no consent to that. The principles of social dialogue are also violated. It is therefore reassuring that some of the workers discriminated against find justice in the courts where the results and judgments are favourable to them. There is no, and cannot be, permission to do so. We are in solidarity with the rail freight industry.

Dear Mr President, Poland is a democratic state governed by the rule of law, guaranteeing equality for women and men in all areas. Making a complaint here about the lack of equality between women and men before the law, i.e. alleged discrimination against women in the field of free, informed decision-making about having children, is a serious abuse. Once again, under the guise of combating discrimination, ideological content is introduced that undermines Christian values and promotes liberal politics. Abortion is a drama, a mother's drama, and the murder of a child. The Union should focus on actions that should support the mother so that she does not have to decide on such actions and steps. Abortion is nothing more than a manifestation of discrimination excluding, above all, the premise of protecting the life of a conceived child. Everyone should have the inalienable right to life from conception to natural death.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased that the updated Employment Guidelines include many elements related to VET and new technologies. This is very important from the point of view of shortage of employees and skills in many industries. However, I do not share what the rapporteur said that migration is the answer to the challenges of the market. It's a shortcut. For years we have been hearing from the left that there are professionals on boats to Europe. As it really is, we all know. Today, even those who invited them here years ago close their doors to these professionals. That is why it is necessary to invest in workers who are already on the EU market, to promote modern vocational education and to improve working conditions in those professions where there is a shortage of hands. We must remember that education should be a priority, because theoretical and practical knowledge is a vaccine against poverty.

Mr President, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, As a result of more than 50 years of the centrally controlled economy, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe are facing the problem of unmet needs and poor housing conditions. In connection with the construction directive adopted in March, we are facing a revolution in the construction industry. There is also a demographic crisis: it is important to maintain a balance between the expectations and opportunities that we will have, so that it does not turn out that the dreams of young people about housing, and often, therefore, about expanding the family, will fail. For the first time, housing will be in the Commissioner's portfolio. That is why I call for prudence and a real assessment of housing needs, so that too ambitious climate goals do not overshadow real social needs, nor are they a breeding ground for developers. The topic of housing is very important both for young people in Poland, but also for seniors, but also for the whole European society.

Dear Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen, The concentration of wealth in the hands of an increasingly narrow group is undoubtedly a cause for concern. According to Oxfam's calculations, the richest 1% of humanity has accumulated $42 trillion in new wealth over the past decade, which is 34 times more than the poorest 50% of the population. Most of the current tax system is not socially fair enough. It is based on the taxation of labour and consumption instead of wealth, which leads above all to a distortion of the natural expectation that the richer, not the poorer, should bear a greater and proportionate fiscal burden to their wealth. However, we must be aware that one of the main reasons for weaker investment in the European Union is high taxes and a climate unfavourable to large capital. It is no coincidence that out of the world’s 20 largest companies, as many as 16 are American and only 2 are European. The same is true of the richest: By trying to tax their wealth more, we will only discourage the investments we so desperately need. Will we gain anything? This is doubtful. From a seemingly huge cake of $250 billion...

Madam President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I would like to thank you. Ladies and Gentlemen, After the publication of the Draghi report on competitiveness, the word "crisis" can be changed by all cases. It actually affects many industries, including the automotive industry. The author first of all points out that as a remedy we should reduce labor costs, which is very negative for employees, but also their families. But we must remember that the crisis also affects the railway industry, which is facing downward trends. An example is the Polish company PKP Cargo, where mass redundancies occur, while the principles of social dialogue or workers' rights are violated. Despite the fact that the Polish railway market is the second largest railway market in Europe, these exemptions do not guarantee that this company will survive. Not only that, if the economy reverses, it may turn out that they will not be competitive. If we want Europe to become a power, we cannot rely solely on lowering labour costs. We cannot continue to implement the devastating Green Deal. Strategy and investment are needed first and foremost, and such processes, which are negative restructuring, should be the last resort.