Debate contributions by Janusz LEWANDOWSKI

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. I was at the birth of legal conditionality in 2020-2021. In fact, every money in our budget is conditional, because in order to obtain this money, you have to meet certain criteria or win these competitions. Our toolbox, our instruments to defend the rule of law, because it is fresh, is quite rich. These are the so-called enabling conditions on cohesion and some milestones in the RRF. We have the European Public Prosecutor's Office, we have OLAF, we have infringement procedure. So the instruments for defending the rule of law and civil liberties are quite solid. On the other hand, I have some doubts from the outset, which Commissioner Serafin probably shares, namely, as he said himself, he must prove a direct link between the misuse of powers and the damage to the financial interests of the European Union. And secondly, not always, and it often happens that innocent beneficiaries of programs suffer for the sins of their rulers in European capitals. I share some of the points made by our rapporteurs: Mr Germain and Mrs Hohlmeier. There has been some simplification in the coordination of the different instruments, but we have time to fix this.

Madam President, Minister, Commissioner, in one week only, we are to see the vision of Europe post-2027. Equipped with budgetary figures that is not telling, but simple political declarations. But a week before we know practically nothing. And this is not good. We know what our priorities are across the European Union and what is the most exciting thing I am to ask is how to reconcile the mission letter of Commissioner Serafin with the common request for decentralised regional cohesion policy, which is not dependent upon the wishes or discretion of national parliaments? Equally important is the repayment of the new generation EU debt in the context of no progress on own resources and also in the context of a new, possibly necessary common borrowing. What is equally important is clearly outlined agricultural policy and not the melting pots of other programmes.

Mr President, Commissioner, the multiannual framework is never business as usual. There are always exceptional circumstances. When Commissioner Serafin was younger, there was a pressure close to blackmail by Prime Minister Cameron ahead of his unhappy British referendum. Then the pandemic and double funding of our budget and NextGenerationEU; therefore, we now have a problem of how to repay NextGenerationEU given that there is no progress on own resources. But this is also the first wartime budget, therefore, we need to seek creative solutions of how to finance defence given the limitations of the Treaty also of budget solutions. If I may ask a question also of cohesion, how to reconcile the mission letter of Mr Serafin with a decentralised model. Commissioner Serafin was very encouraging today on this point. Therefore, good luck. This job is your free choice.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I would like to thank you. We agree on Parliament's priorities for 2026. Parliament's negotiating power should be solidly supported by a majority vote on Wednesday. This is important because Parliament has a real impact on the annual budgets of the codecision, and especially now we have huge problems to find a solid financial response to new challenges, new risks within the tight MFF 2021-2027 framework. That is why we are resorting to off-budget solutions, such as NewGenerationEU or the new SAFE initiative with a budgetary guarantee, but based on Article 122, which virtually eliminates Parliament. That is why it is so important for this bargaining chip of Parliament to defend itself in the vote on Wednesday. This will be our exam on the art of making compromises in this forum. Going beyond the annual budgets, we are increasingly curious about what Commissioner Serafin will do for us in the budgets after 2027.

Madam President, Commissioner, annual budget procedure is seemingly routine, but in fact, this is never business as usual. What is unusual about 2025 is that this is the first budget based on revision of the MFF, implementing the so-called 'cascade mechanism', and the last budget of Johannes Hahn, drafted by Johannes Hahn – for me, an incarnation of the honest broker. With one minute, one issue only, that is your line, that is financing of interest costs of NextGenerationEU, bigger by EUR 2.3 billion than assumed. This is really annoying, this is really frustrating to dispute overnight whether this is 55/45 or 50/50. This is not decisive for the future of Europe. We need thematic special instrument, euro line, above ceilings and this is the hope of ending conciliation before midnight.