Speeches

Madam President, dear Commissioner, tomorrow the EU will celebrate its 45—year—long relationship with ASEAN with the first ever EU—ASEAN Leaders Summit. As a member of the ASEAN Delegation, I am particularly pleased to see that the new Plan of Action for 2023—2027 includes stepping up cooperation between the parliaments of some Member States and our House. Since the upgrading of their relationship to a strategic partnership in 2020 and the strengthening of the EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy in the region, bilateral trade between the European Union and ASEAN countries has been consistently growing. As the second largest source of foreign direct investment for ASEAN, the EU plays a key role in the region’s development. In this context, I would like to call for a stronger and more critical stance from ASEAN leaders with regard to the Russian aggression in Ukraine. Additionally, the EU must ensure its core values, such as respect of international law and human rights, are upheld globally throughout its partnership.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, in view of the Kremlin’s illegal war waged against Ukraine, the European Parliament’s involvement in and support to Georgia has become even more crucial to the stability of the region. Georgia is one of the founding members of the Eastern Partnership and remains a key partner of the European Union. However, I would like to highlight a few short- and long—term objectives of our work together, which still remain to be achieved. First, the inhumane detention of former President Mikheil Saakashvili must come to an end, as a sign of political appeasement. Mr Saakashvili’s release has been requested several times, and his worsening medical condition leads me to renew this call. His condition must be treated abroad as soon as possible. From this place, I would like to welcome Mr Saakashvili’s family, who are present today in the gallery. Second, Russian propaganda and disinformation campaigns are swiftly spreading in Georgia and are objects of political utilisation. These two issues are not acceptable for a candidate country, especially in the current context, and should be addressed immediately. If they are not resolved, Georgia should not be granted candidate status.

Madam President, Commissioner, I believe the enlargement process should be accelerated. This is crucial as the loss of credibility of the European Union in the Western Balkans threatens to increase foreign influence in Europe, notably given Russia’s and China’s interest in the region. In addition, our enlargement policy has become strategically crucial in the face of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and destabilising actions of non-EU actors, including Russia, in candidate countries. In this context, I welcome the Commission’s annual enlargement package presented in October. I also welcome the acknowledgement in Mr Picula’s report of the need for the European Union to enhance credibility, effectiveness and predictability of its enlargement policy. Full alignment with the common foreign and security policy, including sanctions policy, should be considered a priority and should be applied to individual candidates on an equal basis. I believe that in a world of fragile alliances, this enlargement could be a further guarantee of proper development, stability and peace on our continent.

Madam President, Commissioner, the American withdrawal from the Middle East, the resurgence of Iran as a rogue state and the expansion of local terrorist groups must be addressed to prevent further destabilisation globally. The current lack of stability in the region has been leading to the involvement of Syrians, Afghans and Iranians in the war against Ukraine to the benefit of the terrorist state of Russia. Equally, Russia has been worryingly extending its power to harm the European Union and its neighbouring countries through the Wagner Group’s activities in the Middle East, as well as in Africa. This is something expected to increase with the potential agreement on the USD 17 billion arms contract with Algeria. For these reasons, the EU needs to find sustainable solutions, such as strengthening the EU’s role in assuring food supply in the broader MENA region during the unprecedented global food crisis.

Thank you, Commissioner, especially for your words regarding the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border. I would like to ask the Commissioner about the protection of critical infrastructure. The sabotage of Nord Stream demonstrates the need to take all available measures to increase the resilience of critical entities. Although the draft directive on the resilience of critical entities has not yet been formally adopted, does the European Commission intend to activate the cooperation mechanisms identified in the draft directive?

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Over the past year, the eastern border of the European Union and NATO has been the subject of unprecedented aggression by Lukashenko and Putin. At the same time, during Russia’s brutal attack on Ukraine, the Kremlin stepped up its hybrid warfare tactics, including a large-scale disinformation campaign, of which my country, Poland, was already a victim in August last year. There is no doubt that the current Russian regime threatens stability and security not only in neighbouring regions, but also in Europe as a whole. For a long time, the European Union, complementing NATO, should take decisive action to increase the capabilities to prevent hybrid threats in areas such as state terrorism, cyber-attacks or energy security. What are the next steps to strengthen EU-NATO cooperation in the prevention of hybrid attacks? Is the EU minimizing unnecessary duplication of defence efforts and how? And is the Commission considering introducing a mandatory level of cybersecurity spending to strengthen national cybersecurity capabilities?

Madam President, Madam Commissioner, the European Union has been building a progressive strategy to support the rights of European citizens with disabilities for several decades. However, people with disabilities are still facing significant barriers to access education, employment, healthcare and sport. Moreover, it is clear that the pandemic has disproportionately affected disabled people, both economically and with regard to social inclusion. More often than others, they have been cut off from health services and lost access to the labour market or education. This is why I support the creation of the AccessibleEU Centre, as well as the final report we will vote on today. It recognises the important work that has been done in recent years to support accessibility in the internal market. I welcome the approach taken whereby the centre can act as a hub to draw together expertise and share best practices for policy development between national authorities. Last, I believe that oversight of the centre’s activities should be carried out jointly by national competent bodies to ensure maximum efficiency of this essential piece of the EU’s disability rights strategy. Its role and responsibilities should also be limited to its core mission, as an expanded mandate in the form of an agency, notably, may prevent it from reaching its objectives.

Madam President, Madam Vice-President of the Commission, today is a historic day for consumers in the European Union. We will no longer need to experience hassle whether we forget our charger or upgrade our phone. The introduction of a common charger will not only lower costs, but also improve the safety and interoperability of chargers and reduce electronic waste. I welcome the outcome of the negotiations, which focuses on a particular list of consumer devices such as mobile phones and portable gaming devices, whilst avoiding hampering innovation and the development of new solutions for consumers. While today we are celebrating the common wired charger, let us not forget about the future. I believe the Commission should only use its powers where market solutions cannot be delivered. It is key that we leave enough space for entrepreneurs to deliver new consumer technologies that will improve our digital experience beyond what is known today.

Mr President, thank you very much. Deforestation remains a major challenge in many regions of the world. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in the last three decades the world has lost about 178 million hectares of forest, an area more than 50 times larger than my region, Mazovia. It also estimates that Union consumption has led to around 10% of global deforestation. I hope that the new regulation will have a positive impact on reducing global deforestation and will guarantee EU citizens that the individual products they buy, consume and use do not contribute to global deforestation and forest degradation. However, I have some doubts and concerns about the reaction of global markets and the impact of new burdens on the small and medium-sized enterprises sector. That is why, in my role as shadow rapporteur for the opinion of the Committee on the Internal Market, I place great emphasis on supporting SMEs, especially in the first phase of the regulation. I therefore welcome the provisions on a transitional period for them. However, I believe that Parliament's mandate is too far-reaching.

Mr President, today, we are discussing two flagship legislations of this mandate. The digital services act and the digital markets act are needed as rapidly evolving digital technologies transformed EU citizens’ and companies’ use of Internet, and required updated rights and obligations for all digital actors, from markets and service providers to users and customers. The digital markets act is a step forward, promoting greater competition and fairness online in markets dominated by big platforms. I believe it will lead to improvements for all businesses across Europe and will open new opportunities for small businesses, including access to data. And, under the digital services act, we have reached our purpose – the online environment is now set to become much more transparent and safer for users. In my capacity as shadow rapporteur for both legislations, I would also like to thank the rapporteurs, Ms Schaldemose and Mr Schwab, for their work, engagement in defending the European Parliament’s position and excellent cooperation. I believe all of these achievements not only defend fundamental rights online for Europeans, but also put us on the right track to set the global benchmark for regulating online platforms in the future, including cloud services and search engines, so that freedom of expression is always guaranteed.

Mr President, thank you very much. The economically active population is ageing and declining rapidly across the European Union. According to the Commission, the working-age population will decrease by up to 15% by 2070. In addition, there are already labour shortages on the labour market in various sectors, including healthcare and IT. In addition, the transition to a green and digitally advanced economy requires additional labour and new skills. Attracting talent is therefore essential in order to maintain the ambitious development path of the European Union. In this context, I welcome the new proposals of the European Commission; EU Talent Partnership and a pilot initiative EU Talent Pool for Ukraine. Facilitating access to integration into the EU labour market for people fleeing Russian aggression is crucial at this time and I am pleased that my country, Poland, is already making far-reaching facilitations for our neighbours. In view of the urgent needs of refugees, this pan-European platform, the Union Talent Pool, should enter into force as soon as possible to match the skills and qualifications of Ukrainians enjoying temporary protection with potential employers across the Union. Finally, I would like to express my satisfaction that next year my country will be the organiser of Europe’s largest professional development and skills event: Euro Skills 2023. I am convinced that these initiatives will strengthen the single market and the resilience of our economy.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Russia's brutal actions, which are an absolute violation of international law, pose new challenges and strategic choices for the Eastern Partnership. The future of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia is in the European Union and I am pleased that this report highlights this. We cannot and will not accept the Kremlin's policy pursued under the barrels of guns. After the occupation of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Crimea, the attack on Ukraine is, I hope, the last example of the occupying policy of the Russian authorities openly striving to restore the Soviet empire – which we, as Poles, have been warning about for years. Russia’s actions require strong opposition and a coherent and coordinated approach between the Member States and the Eastern Partnership. I am pleased that this report calls for the European Peace Fund to be used to coordinate the supply of defensive weapons to Ukraine and for a military mission to be established in the country once the state of emergency is lifted. Cooperation within the North Atlantic Alliance is also of great importance. Finally, I would like to congratulate Mr Waszczykowski on a very good report.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. There is a saying in my country, Poland: ‘To be wise only after harm.’ In the case of Ukraine, the European Union was not wise before the damage. She was stupid. In the case of many European politicians, she was simply corrupted by dirty Russian money. This is the only way to explain the actions of many countries of the European Union, which in recent years, instead of becoming independent from Russian oil and gas supplies, have become increasingly dependent. This is the only way to explain the actions of many European countries, which, after the introduction of the arms embargo on Russia in 2014, bypassed this embargo, while refusing to supply arms to Ukraine. Why am I talking about Ukraine during the Moldova debate? Because Moldova may be another target of this madman Putin. And I hope that in the case of Moldova, the European Union will be wise before harm. I thank the Commissioner for his work in providing humanitarian aid to Moldovans, but we need more. We need a special fund for refugees in countries like Moldova, in their country, in Hungary or in my country, Poland – comparable to what the European Union has allocated to Turkey, that is, nine billion euros. We need to grant Moldova the status of candidate country for the European Union. Finally, we need military assistance, which, fortunately, Charles Michel is now announcing during his stay in the Moldovan capital this week. I hope we'll all be wise before harm this time.

Madam President, Cambodia, as the current chair of ASEAN, has recently called on the leaders of Myanmar’s military junta to let a special Southeast Asian envoy meet with ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi in an effort to promote peace in the region. Against this background, I’m wondering why the Cambodian Prime Minister is not applying the same logic of fairness to his own country’s political situation. Indeed, under the false pretext of shielding the population from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cambodian Government has been drastically limiting civil society and human rights, from harassing political opposition and criminalising free speech to forbidding peaceful assembly throughout the country. In this context, I call on the Cambodian authorities to take action to restore political freedoms in the country and to work towards strengthening democracy and the respect of fundamental freedoms.

Mr President, thank you very much. At the same time, during Russia’s current bestial attack on Ukraine, the Kremlin has stepped up its hybrid warfare tactics, including a large-scale disinformation campaign. This once again proves how important digital technology has become. No one can doubt that the current Russian regime, seeking to change its borders and take away the sovereignty of other countries, is threatening stability and security not only in neighbouring countries, but on the entire continent. The European Union can no longer turn a blind eye to this threat. That is why I would also like to express my disappointment at the absence of the French Presidency in such an important debate. Shouldn't we have tried after the presidential election? And right now, we do not need more calls to Putin, but decisive action to increase the ability to prevent hybrid threats coming from Russia in areas such as state terrorism, cyberattacks or energy security. Further steps are also needed to strengthen cooperation between the European Union and NATO in the fight against indiscriminate attacks by hacker groups. I believe that together with our allies we will be able to resist Putin's totalitarian tendencies.

Madam President, I welcome the Commission’s announcement to put forward, later this year, a legislative proposal under the European Green Deal on the right to repair. It is an important matter, as repairing broken or damaged products can save consumers money by helping them to postpone making replacement purchases, while bringing benefits to the environment. Today, we are asking for effective options for everyone who wants to repair electronics and other devices. In the resolution, we asked for lowering technical, legal, and economic barriers that make it difficult for consumers to repair their own goods. I also believe it should go together with the importance of a sound business environment. That is why my Group has put forward several amendments at the committee and plenary level. We strongly believe in the business balance, respect for trade secrets and safeguards such as impact assessments. Indeed, we should avoid any disproportionate costs on manufacturers and distributors. We also suggested to improve the single market, especially for services, by removing cross-border barriers for providing repairs. This was regretfully not included in the final text of the resolution. By removing unjustified cross-border barriers for repairs, we would indeed deliver measurable results for citizens, such as more available repair services and more competition. It would eventually bring affordable and better-quality repairs. I strongly believe that we should refrain from considering any measure that could impose disproportionate costs. We should keep as one of our core values the protection of manufacturers, distributors, citizens and consumers across the single market. I hope the Commission will take this into account when proposing the new legislative proposal on the right to repair.

Madam President, since the military coup in February 2021, the Myanmar military has committed serious crimes and has violated a range of human rights by murdering civilians, arbitrarily detaining prisoners, forcing displacements of thousands of people and oppressing ethnic and religious minorities. With over 14 million people in humanitarian need, the targeting of civilians and humanitarian actors is unthinkable. Yet it is happening in Myanmar. It is a blatant violation of international law. So today we urge Myanmar military authorities to immediately reinstate the civilian government, allowing a swift return of Myanmar to the path of democracy and to release immediately and unconditionally all political prisoners. I welcome the recent round of sanctions adopted by the Council against people and entities involved in the coup. This is an important EU instrument to sanction violators of human rights. But we should intensify our help by all possible means. The international community must relentlessly continue to take additional actions to help Myanmar citizens fighting for democracy. Fundamental rights should never be compromised.

Madam President, the regulation modernises the EU’s regulatory framework for batteries and aims, among other things, at strengthening the internal market, while reducing the environmental impact of batteries. Although I support the original intentions of this regulation, I believe the final position of the European Parliament is too ambitious and may prove not to be realistic. Without the right balance, it could hinder innovation and eventually increase battery prices. This is especially important as, by 2030, at least 30 million zero—emission electric vehicles are expected to be on EU roads. Too high environmental and social standards, combined with shorter deadlines, risk hindering customers choice to switch to zero—emission vehicles. Consequently, new, greener and more ethical batteries would ultimately, and paradoxically, not become an effective tool to combat climate change. We need to use the leverage of the internal market to establish an EU world—leading competitive cell battery industry and reduce our dependency on other parts of the world. I fear that this legislation, as it stands, could weaken the desired result. Despite my reluctance regarding some proposals in the final text, I nevertheless welcome the fact that the issues and risks related to the manufacturing of batteries are addressed in the regulation, including child labour and other human rights violations.

Mr President, thank you very much. The European Union's efforts to deepen the fundamental freedoms of the Single Market, which will increase Europe's sovereignty and competitiveness, especially now that we have experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, should be a priority for us. I am therefore all the more pleased that this report, initiated by my political group of European Conservatives and Reformists, has been drawn up. The report takes into account a number of extremely important problems that we have to face in the European market. Barriers, which are particularly present in the services sector, hamper the potential of European companies, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises operating in a cross-border environment. The report focuses on practical solutions, calls for more digitalisation and streamlined procedures. It is crucial to move towards greater harmonisation without increasing the regulatory burden on businesses. I congratulate the author of this report, Mr Kosma Złotowski. I hope that his report will guide the European Commission in making better use of the freedoms of the single market and in implementing pragmatic solutions to the problems raised by businesses.

Mr President, the Digital Services Act is a key legislation of this term, changing the functioning of the digital market across the entire European Union. First of all I would like to thank the rapporteur, Ms Schaldemose, for her hard work done on this important file during the last few months. I would also like to express my support for the horizontal character of the text that we managed to maintain. My group was focused on preserving a robust and open digital economy in Europe that proved its importance to citizens and businesses during the COVID pandemic. This would not be possible without maintaining the key elements of the e—Commerce Directive, like the limited liability regime. In my capacity as the shadow rapporteur in the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, I mainly focus on strengthening the freedom-of-speech safeguards, on protecting users’ freedoms in the online world, and on removing the incentives that could cause hasty removal of content by platforms, which could consequently introduce soft internet censorship. Indeed, the European Conservatives and Reformists support an open internet where users can move around freely, have content at their disposal and where their freedoms are respected. Consequently, we closed loopholes in the text which would have encouraged the excessive removal of content, just in case there was a suspicion of its illegality. There was also a need to define when platforms should step in to tackle illegal content. There must be clarity so that users are preserved from the unilateral restriction of their freedom of expression. In this context, it is worth pointing out that we have succeeded in introducing some provisions to challenge platform discussions on content moderation. Thanks to my Group’s negotiations, the new tool will provide additional protection for users in the event of arbitrary decisions by websites. In addition to the platform’s internal complaints-handling system, users will be able to quickly and easily seek redress through the courts in their country of residence. It means that internet users will eventually gain access to robust tools, strengthening their position. However, despite a very good final text, I still believe it requires further improvements, especially regarding the introduction of social media definition, which has been included in my plenary amendments. Member States cannot remain idle and inclusively rely on limited administrative capabilities, while very large social media platforms alter public discourse and arbitrarily influence the debate or are used for disinformation. I hope that during the trilogues with the Council and the Commission, together with Members from other political groups, we will continue the dialogue and achieve a better digital environment for European citizens. We shall also remember that the digital market not only represents threats, but also great opportunities.

Madam President, I'm sorry. During the huge border crisis between the European Union and Belarus, for which Putin is certainly also co-responsible, Russia has amassed more than 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine, the most since the USSR's invasion of Afghanistan, while intensifying the tactics of hybrid warfare and desinformation campaign. Therefore, fears of a potential second invasion of Ukraine seem more than justified. No one can doubt that the current Russian regime is threatening peace and security across Europe, once again seeking to change borders and take away sovereignty from other countries. In this context, we can see how wrong it was for some European countries, with Germany at the forefront, to adopt a policy of apeasment and allowing Putin to build the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, significantly increasing Europe's dependence on Russian gas. I believe that Russia's demands for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic future and its energy blackmail against the European Union and its partner countries are unacceptable. Ukraine cannot be treated as a bargaining chip in Putin's political game. I therefore call for consideration to be given to significantly tightening sanctions, including the exclusion of Russia from the SWIFT system, which has already been proposed here.

Mr President, Mr High Representative, Daniel Ortega now rules Nicaragua as an autocrat without a democratic mandate. Indeed, Mr Ortega eliminated all credible electoral competition by blocking political parties from participating in the elections, and used systematic arbitrary incarceration, harassment and intimidation. I deplore the fact that the Nicaraguan Government deprived its people of their civil and political rights and freedom of expression, and did not respect its commitments to human rights. I strongly condemn the undemocratic election process in Nicaragua that violated all international democratic standards. That is why we call today for the immediate release of all detained political prisoners. In parallel, the EU institutions and all Member States should work with like—minded countries and organisations to assess possible further steps, including sanctions. We should also maintain our support for the democratic aspirations of the citizens of Nicaragua.

Madam President, Commissioners, first of all, I would like to thank the Rapporteur, Mr Schwab, for all his work. I would also like to express my support for Mr Schwab’s approach towards developing a position that takes account of the views across Parliament. My group supports the general objective behind the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Commission’s original intent to tackle a limited number of behaviours and practices as a priority. We support moving the DMA forward into trilogues, but caution that some additional ideas will require a deeper consideration and revision, in order to avoid there being penalties on the very companies we want the DMA to help. This is the case of targeted advertising, where my group is cautious about revising advertising rules, particularly as small businesses find it crucial to be able to easily and cost-effectively reach their audience. Additionally, I believe the outcome of the trilogues should avoid any unintended consequences for smaller companies, given that this proposal is intended to reinforce their continuing and improved competitiveness in the European digital market. Indeed, the DMA must lead to improvements for businesses across Europe and not just a few companies who have a bone to pick with the digital giants. I am also focused on making sure that the DMA can be implemented. In this regard. I am happy to see the ECR’s approach to a true regulatory dialogue process maintained, and national experts involved in managing the DMA roll-out. I believe this will be crucial to creating a DMA that delivers for all.

Madam President, the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, seasonal floods, plant disputes and the gradual withdrawal of the African Union mission, increased insecurity and instability across Somalia. Among the direct consequences, the humanitarian situation, and especially food security, has been deteriorating even further throughout Somalia. There are now close to six million people in need of humanitarian assistance. In addition to this, the terrorist group, al-Shabab has stepped up attacks, ambushes, suicide bombings, and targeted assassinations of government officials. I deeply regret al-Shabab’s attacks, which deliberately disrupt the electoral process in Somalia. We cannot remain neither idle nor indifferent to this deteriorating situation. The EU and the other relevant external action bodies must urgently address humanitarian access constraints in the country, as well as support the strengthening of Somalia’s democracy. We should intensify our help by all possible means.

Mr President, thank you very much. The 2009 Motor Insurance Directive is an effective instrument to protect road users and the harmonisation of minimum standards for the protection of victims in cross-border traffic allows Europeans to travel within the Union without having to have additional insurance. I support the revision and clarification of this Directive, as it addresses important consumer protection issues that have arisen since 2009 and includes segways, scooters and e-bikes among others. First of all, I welcome greater transparency, the strengthening of the rights of our citizens in the event of an accident regardless of the Member State, and the streamlining of procedures to compensate injured parties in a timely manner. This is a key step forward, as with the new harmonised claims history statement, the new directive will make it easier to switch insurers both at home and across the European Union. It will also increase competition in Europe and consumer choice by tackling discrimination based on nationality or previous residence.