Debate contributions by Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI

Mr President, thank you very much. It is great that once again, over the course of six months, we are debating here, as every month, the plans for deregulation and simplification of the European Union. It is, of course, good that the Commission finally realises how far it has gone in its ideas. If it's going to do something, it's better to do it, not with paper straws or fixing bottle caps. The theme of the debate is Cutting red tape. There is another similar password, also with a color in the name, which should also be cut at last. This password is The Green Deal, which is the biggest burden. While we are debating here, in my district, in Janikowo, in the district of Inowrocław, the cost of the Green Deal is paid by residents, local government and employees of chemical plants, which will soon be closed, and thus the entire chain of companies will be closed. People are losing their jobs, and the whole county will soon be a ghost county. This is how the Green Deal works.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I would like to thank you. Ladies and Gentlemen, As is well known, the compass is an instrument that we use when we do not know where to go, when we do not know where we are, it will show the way. How wonderful it was to call this commission document the Compass. The first step is to be aware of your problem. I congratulate the European Commission. And as someone who has often questioned the policy of the European Union from this place, he offers some good advice. On the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the ETS, it should be abandoned. Let’s throw away the Green Deal, let’s throw Fit for 55 in the trash – this is the direction that will make the Union finally have a competitive economy.

Of course I can reply, Honourable Member. There has never been any scientific data. And when it comes to, for example, Fit for 55It was an auction here in this room. And why 55? 60, 70, 45? It stood at 55. This climate policy, of course, is not based on any science. It's as clear as the sun. And today even Donald Tusk realized it.

Madam President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I would like to thank you. Ladies and Gentlemen, The mechanism we are debating is a harmful and costly absurdity. The Commission is donating money to environmental organisations to lobby EU institutions to support a green agenda that hurts the European economy and pushes jobs out of Europe. Brussels, like the serpent Uroborosa, constantly devours its own tail. In this case, it also devours the well-being of citizens and their economic future. How can there be fair cooperation and balance between the institutions if the Commission influences Parliament and the Member States through the hands of lobbyists, environmentalists and activists? Lack of access to information on how climate policy objectives were created is a major sin of the Green Deal. And today we know that even Donald Tusk believes that his assumptions are wrong and the costs huge. Every euro spent to convince you otherwise is a waste.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I would like to thank you. Attempts by our enemies to influence the results of elections in Europe are not a new problem. The internet just makes it a lot easier than it used to be. We have the tools to fight it. We also understand how Russian disinformation works. State services must be more effective in what they have been set up for. However, there is a temptation that many succumb to, consisting in explaining any political failure with disinformation. Young politicians, just starting their careers, are able to skilfully use social media and are envious of it. In response, one tries to use the slogan disinformation as a pretext to fight political rivals. There is no appeal against democratic judgments. Fear of foreign interference in elections must not give the right to invalidate their results unjustifiably. The fact that the election result is not in line with expectations is also, and sometimes above all, the fault of the loser. We in Law and Justice know something about this. Elections in democracies must be able to win and lose.

Mr President, thank you very much. Dear Commissioner, The Union has all the strengths to be innovative: good polytechnics and industry and capital. However, our position in the global digital economy is weak. Our regulatory policy is one of the reasons for this. Complex rules, administrative barriers, unclear legislative process – all this makes it simply unprofitable to innovate in Europe. Not so long ago, we adopted extremely ambitious legislation in the form of the AI Act, and we are already planning another one in the form of the AI Liability Directive. Subsequent regulations are beginning to duplicate, exclude and create labyrinths that are impossible to pass, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. If we do not break this vicious circle, we will be technologically colonised and reduced to the role of consumers of products from third countries.

Madam President, thank you very much. Spokeswoman for O'Reilly! Thank you very much, Mrs O'Reilly, for upholding the transparency and integrity of the EU institutions for 10 years. However, the recent legislature in particular has shown that the lack of transparency in the decision-making process and corruption are real and still unresolved problems. We agree with the concerns expressed by the Ombudsman that the implementation and enforcement of ethical rules after the Qatargate scandal in Parliament may still raise concerns. An extremely important issue is also the difficult process of access to documents and the decision on what to include in this category. E-mail correspondence between the President of the Commission and the Head of Pfizer on the EU contract for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines should also be publicly available. This issue still requires urgent attention and is still not properly clarified.

Madam President, thank you very much. The biggest threat to all of Europe in the Baltic Sea, sponsored by Russia but built by Putin's allies, was Nord Stream. Fortunately, today this pipeline is rusting at the bottom, but there are more and more new threats in this region. We must fight them equally vigorously. The cutting of telecommunications cables or the presence of a ‘shadow fleet’ are elements of a hybrid war that started much earlier than the war in Ukraine. We need to realise that protecting our borders is not only about tackling illegal immigration in the south and east, but also about the security of critical infrastructure and communication routes in the Baltic Sea. This is not a regional problem, but a challenge for the entire Union, which must be met with decisive action by the Union and NATO.

Mr President, thank you very much. The aim of regulation should be to protect citizens and businesses, but overregulation of the European economy has become a threat and a burden on development and innovation. Production in strategic sectors such as active substances and medicines, steel and building materials, shipbuilding and automotive has been fleeing Europe for years due to bureaucracy and impossible standards. The European Commission, arguing that further EU legislation is a remedy for every problem, really wants to expand its competences at the expense of the Member States. Excessive requirements and complex procedures limit the potential and competitiveness of European companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises. We knew this without Draghi's report and we hear it here, today, in this room. Now that we have a diagnosis, we need to get treatment. Let's open up the services market, rebuild the pharmaceutical industry, abandon climate policies that are deadly to competitiveness and common sense, and stop deterring investment in artificial intelligence.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Madam Marshal, I'm sorry. Dear Commissioner, Control of one's own territory, including its airspace, is one of the most important attributes of the sovereignty of any state. The possibility of making free decisions in this regard is fundamental. This also applies to the right to shape the administrative system in the field of airspace control or to derive benefits from it. The need for close integration and cooperation on common standards, technologies, procedures or skills of air traffic safety personnel is clear. The same applies to investments in new technologies and the digitalisation of the entire air traffic control system, in which the Union should be involved. However, this must not come at the expense of removing further competences from Member States. As a result of the negotiations, this project is of course much better than the original Commission proposal, but it is still a step towards greater centralisation of power, although much smaller and slower than it was supposed to be. That is why we cannot support this project.

Madam President, thank you very much. Mr. Prime Minister! The future of the European Union depends on the success of the single market. However, this very good economic project is still far from ideal, as it limits the development potential of all Member States. We can finally talk about it out loud. There are many barriers for companies, especially small and medium-sized ones, who want to operate across borders in the services sector, transport, construction or online commerce. Problems already identified, such as geoblocking, gold-plating or excessive and burdensome controls, need to be tackled effectively. The European Green Deal is just another such barrier to economic growth. Unrealistic climate targets in areas such as agriculture, automotive, transport or construction need to be revised during this parliamentary term. Let us finally start deregulating, allowing small and medium-sized enterprises access to foreign markets, supporting innovation and digitalisation. This will lead to higher employment and lower prices of goods and services for Europeans.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Social media is a modern global agora, a place of trade, exchange of views, political activity, but also an excellent space for sowing disinformation, i.e. conducting hybrid warfare. By regulating this area of the Internet, we wanted to ensure better protection of users' rights and limit the arbitrariness of platforms that made decisions based on unclear internal regulations, deleted content and blocked accounts without justification. However, we cannot accept that legislation adopted in good faith is being used as a weapon in the political struggle. Also, the use of EU regulations as a pretext to interfere in the electoral process must never happen again. Europe cannot follow the path of undemocratic states and dictatorships, where access to the Internet is restricted, content censored, and the law, instead of protecting citizens, defends only the interests of the authorities.