Debate contributions by Magdalena ADAMOWICZ

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Our children spend more than six hours online every day and see content that threatens them: violence, pornography, films encouraging self-harm. They are insulted, intimidated, ridiculed by their peers and strangers. They are drawn into conversations and contacts with pedophiles who try to sexually abuse them. 9 out of 10 Europeans demand an immediate response from us. 9 out of 10 Europeans demand safety for their children online. We need tools to stop harmful content before children see it. We need online platforms to be truly responsible for the safety of the youngest. Age verification is the absolute minimum. It's time for platforms to finally take responsibility. It can not be a scam in the form of boxing to untick. We must not wait a moment longer, because every delay means another threat to the child. If we do not protect children online, in their natural world, then we adults will be responsible for their harm, for trauma for life, for tragedy. That is why I call: We must act here and now.

Dear President, I'm angry, and we should all be angry. Maybe this will appeal to our imagination. If all our fellow MEPs were to stand here, according to EU statistics, 92 of us have experienced physical or sexual violence, 14 have been raped, 156 have been harassed and 61 have been victims of domestic violence. And throughout the European Union? 76 million women are beaten and forced to have sex, 12 million raped, 126 million harassed, 50 million injured by partners. These are our mothers, sisters, daughters. Madam President, I'm sorry. It's us. Are we Europe? A model of human rights? Are we some kind of thaliban who hates women? If this is the first, then it is time to finally start the fight against violence against women.

Mr President, thank you very much. We must not buy Russian oil and gas only when the bombs fall on Kiev. We must not buy Russian oil and gas as long as there is a shadow of the risk that at least one euro from Europe will turn into rockets falling on Europeans. Every liter of Russian oil, every cubic meter of Russian gas is another missile, bomb, rocket, with which Putin murders Ukrainians. There is no neutral supply. There are no safe intermediaries, there is only the economy of Russia converted to war mode. Therefore, we must close all loopholes, end all imports, until there is such a change in Russia that its oil and gas will never again be the fuel of war. Europe cannot warm itself with the blood of Ukrainians and Europe cannot be a suicide funder of a regime that dreams of destroying it.

Mr President, thank you very much. Imagine that the walls of our houses are glass, and the microphones mounted in each room give everything we say to the speakers exposed to the street. Yes de facto It's our life now, but few are aware of it. Every illness, every step, financial situation, shopping, betrayal, trouble at work, diet, every taste, our political views... Yes, Big Tech knows everything about each of us and trades on a massive scale without our consent. This is full digital surveillance. Digital giants have a totally dominant position and if anyone is able to protect ordinary people from digital slavery, it is only the European Union. Together and without fear of Trump, who puts the interests of American big tech ahead of the right to privacy and freedom of Europeans.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Mr Rapporteur, I would like to thank you very much. Sport is today one of the last bastions of values close to liberal democracy: fair play, respect, solidarity, perseverance and community. But it faces huge challenges: commercialisation, lack of equal access, hate and pressure that deprives young people of the joy of competition. If we want to give young people an alternative to the extreme evil that increasingly draws them in, the European Union must act, support grassroots sport, protect young players, invest in upbringing through sport. Because it is on the pitches, mats, pools and treadmills that we can assess the character of the future Europe: strong, solidary and just.

This is not our war, as the nationalists claim, that several dozen Russian drones flew over Poland yesterday. Putin – like a cow peasant on a ditch – shows that he will not stop in Ukraine if we do not stop him by force. And the nationalists? They still don't understand anything. They pretend it rains when Putin spits in everyone's face. But we have a clear message: an attack on a European Union country and a NATO member must end once and for all deale Putin's Russia. It's over!

Madam President, I'm sorry. Today, in the shadow of the violation of the Polish border, our European border by dozens of Russian drones, we are dealing with the next installment of the hybrid war that Russia is waging against Europe. The global navigation satellite system is the backbone of our logistics, our aviation and our shipping. Without him, we'll be blind. Russia's jamming of the GPS is pure aggression, threatening the lives of millions of Europeans whose safety depends on the system at all times. Let's think about what else the bandit from the Kremlin has to do before we all clearly understand that only knocking out his teeth and the total bankruptcy of this terrorist regime will restore our peace and security.

Mr President, thank you very much. Dozens of drones over Poland are proof that Russia is increasingly brazenly testing our resilience. But what do Russian drones have in common with the defence of democracy in Europe? Well, both drones and attacks on our democracy, lies, fomenting hatred, secret funding of extreme politicians all serve the same purpose and the same dictator is behind it. The goal is to destroy Europe, and the same bandit, a former KGB agent, Putin, has been behind it for 25 years. We spend hundreds of billions on armaments. But all this money will be useless if we allow ourselves to be destroyed from within. A military shield without a democratic shield alone will not protect us from Russia, because the enemy in the heart of the state is more dangerous than its army on the front. Glory to the Polish soldiers and our allies for the courage and bravery shown today.

Madam President, I'm sorry. 1 200 000 Europeans travel every year. That's $100,000 a month. On this scale, a single passenger who waits three hours for a delayed flight, weeks for a refund or loses luggage remains an anonymous customer for the carrier – although this is often a life problem for the carrier. I would also like to inform you that Parliament has received a petition from a resident of my region, Dr Andrzej Katafias, on the urgent need to introduce minimum distance standards for aircraft seats. Stuffing passengers is a threat to safety and health. We cannot rely on industry self-regulation.

Madam President, I'm sorry. It's been a long time since there were so many voices in this room. More than one billion passengers of European airlines in a year, almost 100 million per month. Who, in view of this scale of transport, is a single passenger who waits three hours for a delayed flight or whose flight has been cancelled or luggage has been lost? It could be a disaster for him. For airlines, it is one of a billion passengers. Therefore, the more we fly, the more we need to protect our rights. Airlines are profitable enough to pay passengers for their mistakes. Automatic compensation is a very beneficial change for passengers, but if we are to improve passenger protection, we should not use the ‘something for something’ method, i.e. we introduce automatic compensation, but at the same time we increase the time allowed for delay. People buy plane tickets to get to their destination...

Dear President, Commissioner, I'm sorry. European, close your eyes. Imagine that your children and you have to watch your wife and their mother being raped by Russian soldats. Imagine how you have to watch these villagers rape your children. And then the others come and take the kids. And you'll never see them again. You spend months locked in a basement, tortured and starved. You envy the neighbors from the apartment next door, who died right away in their own bed when the Russian bombs fell on your house. Russia is not at war. Russia exterminates civilians and razes Ukraine to the ground. It's not a war, it's an apocalypse. To nuance and use the case of aid to Ukraine for dirty politics is to stand in line with Russian criminals. Here in this House, I recall Einstein's words: The world is not threatened by evil people, but by those who allow evil to act. Therefore, we must not allow the Russian evil to continue.

"The truth is not in the middle. The truth lies where it lies.” These are the words of the late Władysław Bartoszewski. And where the truth lies, they discover and show us free media and independent journalists. And when independent journalists like Jan Kuciak are killed by a mafia business arrangement and corrupt power, then our right to the truth is lost. Radicals and autocrats love the freedom to lie and hate so much, and they hate the right to truth so much, and they are so afraid of independent journalists that they can even kill them. But today I'm going to ask all of us one new question. Maybe we don't need journalists anymore, since we are all editors-in-chief, publishers and journalists in one person on online platforms. Each of us can produce any information and release it into the world. A lot of good comes from this internet freedom. Citizen journalism was created, but there is also a lot of bad. On platforms, a lie beats the truth because it sells much better. And here is the hidden paradox of today's world, of which, please, let us realize. This great freedom on the internet even reinforces the need to develop free and professional media, to support and protect independent journalists, not to annihilate them. Because the more freedom in creating and disseminating fake news, the greater the need for reliable journalists looking for where the truth really lies.

Madam President, I'm sorry. The Internet was supposed to be an oasis of freedom of speech and access to information without a hidden agenda, but platform owners figured out how powerful tools they had in their hands, and began using them to increase their power and wealth. Today, the flow of information and emotions of almost all humanity is decided by three people: owners of X, Meta and TikTok. With one move they can introduce censorship on their platforms and with one move they can promote the most pathological content. These three media oligarchs decide by means of hidden algorithms, which goes to the heads of billions of people. Timothy Snyder wrote that for oligarchs, the rule of law is an obstacle to the ruthless use of ordinary people to make even more money. It is not about promoting any content, but about chaos, because in chaos the oligarchy is doing the best. That is why oligarchs with the rule of law will try to fight, and democracy must bring their egos to the ground with all its might. The world is to be ruled by democratically elected people, not by global oligarchs above the law.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I would like to thank you. Disinformation is a weapon of mass destruction, and that's how we need to start treating it. Lying, sowing hatred and conspiracy theories, inciting one social group against another and inflaming extremism is a great evil. Hundreds of millions of European Union citizens are under constant attack, with fatalities. We must understand that disinformation is an extremely effective and deadly weapon in the hybrid war waged against us, free and democratic nations, by the authoritarian regimes of Moscow, Beijing and Tehran. Now that we know this, we must finally decisively develop an EU mechanism to identify disinformation, especially from hostile, despotic tyrants and especially during election periods. We need systemic education, both in terms of technical skills and critical thinking. Having these skills will work like a vaccine against disinformation and then it will be much easier to fight it. We cannot allow our democracy to be given up without a fight. We must not give up defending our democracy.

Mr President, thank you very much. Travelling by train will not be the first choice for Europeans if we do not strengthen rail passengers' rights. First of all, clear rules are needed. Passengers must be aware of their rights regarding refunds and compensation for delays. We must advocate for a strong policy that protects these rights, ensuring that no traveller is left behind in case of difficulties. Communication is also crucial. Railway operators should provide relevant timetable updates and disruptions, using technology to inform passengers and minimise inconvenience. Availability is another key area. Each station and train should be equipped to enable persons with disabilities to travel. This will make rail travel accessible to everyone. In conclusion, promoting rail passenger rights is not just about improving services. It is about ensuring the integrity and dignity of every traveler. Let's work together to make rail travel a positive experience for everyone across Europe. This is an important challenge for the new European Commission.

Madam President, thank you very much. Our enemies are laughing in our eyes. They're killing on our territory, attacking on our borders. They are flooding us with disinformation that is destroying the democratic order. They incite hatred, they incite riots. They can lead an EU country out of our Commonwealth. Change the results of elections and referendums. We know very well who, we know very well how, we know why and for how much destroys our democracy. And what? And nothing. The Russian, Chinese and Iranian services are roaring with impunity throughout the European Union, and the word ‘hybrid’ has made the word ‘war’ into something completely harmless, because bombs do not fall on us. Meanwhile, the hybrid war has already caused a lot of deaths at the borders, on the streets of our cities, in schools, in homes, because many hate crimes and suicides are also the result of deliberate hate speech. Finally, let us acknowledge that this war against us already has its victims among our citizens. So when are we going to start defending ourselves?

We Polish women want to have the same rights as other European women. We want to decide for ourselves about our bodies and our health. Polish women do not want to practice abortion tourism and do not want to go underground. MEPs, MPs from PiS and the Confederacy, who unfortunately are no longer here in the room, lied. Public opinion polls in Poland show that 57% of the population wants legal abortion by the 12th week, 35% of the population wants to return to the abortion compromise, and only 9% wants to ban or leave the current state.

Madam President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Friends and colleagues! Today, there is no greater threat to us than disinformation. As long as the world's autocrats are still afraid to send rockets and bombs on us, it is disinformation that is the most destructive weapon that they are using more and more courageously against us. Disinformation robs us of our right to free choice, because even honestly counted votes will never be a fully democratic choice if we vote on the basis of lies and disinformation campaigns. When we take a break in defending democracy, the enemies of democracy work very hard. When we spend nothing to defend democracy, the enemies of democracy spend billions of dollars on disinformation. Therefore, if we are to defend democracy in our Euro-Atlantic world, we must join forces as soon as possible. No one alone, here in Europe or overseas, in the United States, will stop the tsunami of lies financed by hostile regimes. Commissioner, we need legislation, we need funds to have the tools to fight disinformation.