Debate contributions by Maciej WĄSIK

Madam President, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, Each Member State has the right, by means of laws adopted by its national parliament, to shape the media system. This is the law of Lithuania. How it will shape its law on media governance is a matter for Lithuania and the Lithuanians. And there is nothing to do with it, neither the Commission nor the European Parliament. I would like to remind all those who are outraged at the Lithuanian government of 2023, when in Poland the Tusk government took over public radio and television by force, not on the basis of the law, leaving aside the Polish parliament, the president, the legally functioning media authorities and supervisory bodies operating under the law. Tusk sent security companies and police to the headquarters of television and radio, which forcibly introduced the new authorities. The signal of the public news television was turned off, journalists were thrown on the pavement. The situation resembled the darkest times of martial law. The Tusk government used force as it used to, General Jaruzelski. The face of this undertaking was none other than today's MEP Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz. No later than two years after the elections in Poland to the European Parliament, a request for the waiver of the immunity of Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz will be submitted. May all of you, today outraged by the situation in Lithuania, not forget to vote for its repeal.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. I would like to draw your attention to a thread that the European Commission avoids like a fire: the case of Commissioner Didier Reynders, who was charged with money laundering. This commissioner was blocking money for Poland. Respond to yourself and to me whose interests this served at the time when Poland was helping the warring Ukraine. Do you remember how the Commissioner dealt with the Russian spy Pablo Gonzales arrested by the Polish state? Do you remember the Skripal case? In solidarity with the United Kingdom, the countries expelled Russian diplomats. Belgium, where Reynders was the head of diplomacy, resisted this. In the end, she symbolically expelled only one. The media reported on Reynders’ friendship with Russian oligarch linked to Putin, Oleg Deripaska. Has anyone tried to answer the question of how much money and for what earned members of the Commissioner's family on contracts with the Russian embassy in Brussels? Have you ever tried to explain how Reynders had hundreds of thousands of euros that he legalized through the lottery? These questions will have to be answered someday.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. The conditionality mechanism is nothing more than a political tool of the ruling majority in Brussels vis-à-vis Member States where non-mainstream parties in the European Union rule. The Commission cuts money to those countries that have chosen conservative governments and rewards those that obey the Commission's will. It is brutal blackmail that allows the Commission to interfere in the affairs of the Member States, it is a violation of the Treaties on which the Union is founded. Therefore, Member States should adopt their rules on the conditionality mechanism vis-à-vis the European Commission. If the Commission breaks the law by going beyond the Treaties, then countries should limit their membership fees. I am convinced that the conditionality mechanism can work both ways. In the event of a breach of the rule of law by Brussels, member states must reduce their membership contributions on the basis of their own rules. And quickly Brussels officials will wise up.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mass migration is a huge increase in crime. False asylum seekers entering Europe en masse are a threat to our citizens and our families and children. Do we want to be safe? Let us defend the borders, let us not allow false asylum seekers, and let us send those who have arrived to their countries of origin. The migration pact is not a remedy for illegal immigration. We have to follow the path of Poland. Hard defense of borders against left-wing environments. Dam on the border with Belarus against Ursula von der Leyen. Returning illegal immigrants at the border to countries where their stay is legal against Frontex humanitarian officers. Rejection of the migration pact against the European Commission. False asylum seekers are not, as Commissioner Ylva Johansson said, people seeking love in the Union. False asylum seekers are not, as Donald Tusk said, poor people looking for a place on earth. False asylum seekers are people who prey on high social benefits and the well-being of EU countries. They said, "Let them in, and then we'll see who they are." This is a false strategy that has brought a huge increase in crime and huge social changes in European countries.

I'll answer you this way: The biggest mistake of the European Commission, the current one, is a change in the common agricultural policy, a reduction in expenditure on the common agricultural policy. Another catastrophic mistake is, of course, the signing of the contract with Mercosur. There is no way that high-yielding, high-requirement agriculture can compete with the extensive agriculture that is in South America. I can say that to you. It is simply that the agreement with Mercosur ends Polish and European agriculture.

Madam President, I'm sorry. The green policy promoted by the European Commission has put agriculture in a catastrophic situation. In Poland there are dramatically low purchase prices of agricultural products. Today, Polish farmers invite people to their fields to harvest agricultural crops, because prices do not compensate for the costs of harvesting. Agricultural production simply becomes unprofitable. In addition, the European Commission reduces funds for agriculture, contrary to reason, it funds us with a contract with Mercosur, the Green Deal and other ideological madness. The mother of all these problems is Ursula von der Leyen. It is responsible for the current catastrophic state of agriculture in the European Union. Climate madness must collapse. Food security is as important as military or energy security, and hard-working people deserve respect and real support. Polish farmers, European farmers expect little: normality. They want to do their job freely without imposing ideological nonsense on them, without experimenting on agriculture. The European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen is destroying the food security of Poland and Europe. That's why it should be canceled.

Mr President, thank you very much. We wish Moldova free and democratic elections. Let us support Moldova and the free will of its citizens expressed in free elections, free from Russian interference. President Sandu spoke about Russia's actions in this room today. But democratic elections can be interfered with not only by Russia. In 2023, Poland experienced illegitimate pressure from the European Commission during the last parliamentary elections. By suspending the RRP funds and applying the conditionality mechanism, the European Union interfered in the Polish parliamentary elections. It is a harmful tool that undermines the democracy and sovereignty of the Member States. Today, Moldova is struggling with Russian interference, disinformation and manipulation ahead of the elections. The war in Ukraine shows how precious freedom is. We wish Moldova fair elections, free from external pressure, but we say clearly: The European Union's conditionality mechanism, like Russia's actions, is an unacceptable interference in the democratic choice of nations. Let us defend the sovereignty of Moldova, Poland and every free homeland.

Madam President, I'm sorry. As the European economy is choking on new regulations carried out by the European Commission, you are proposing a debate on a replacement, a debate on demonstrations in Budapest. Each Member State has its own laws and bodies that make their own decisions, make their own choices, and the EU authorities must respect them. The real problems that affect citizens of the Member States today are the result of erroneous decisions by the EU authorities, for which Ursula von der Leyen is responsible. Crazy Green Deal rules hitting farmers and entrepreneurs, further absurdities regarding climate targets, an uncontrolled influx of immigrants causing a massive increase in crime, a migration pact that does not solve any problem but only exacerbates it, the collapse of European industry and high energy prices. This is the work of Ursula von der Leyen. It's time to put an end to this. The Union is on its way to the abyss. Ursula von der Leyen's policy is responsible for this. I therefore call on you to support the proposal to dismiss the European Commission. Finally, I greet all the members of the Border Defence Movement who guard the Polish-German border against illegal migration every day.

Mr President, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, Police and services must have modern technology, otherwise they will be blind and deaf to drug traffickers, human smugglers or corrupt politicians. But of course, appropriate procedures must be followed. In Poland, the first such Pegasus system appeared in 2012-2015, when Donald Tusk was prime minister. Despite the media frenzy in my country – Poland – there has not been a single case of the services using such tools without the necessary court approvals. The Sejm committee appointed in Poland to investigate irregularities in the application of Pegasus has been unable to demonstrate any irregularities for 1.5 years. Not only that, but it turns out that the commission itself is acting illegally, as stated by the Polish Constitutional Court. Pegasus attacks those who have the most to hide. He was attacked by a Russian spy who claims to be a journalist, by a Commissioner who is under investigation by the Belgian police for money laundering, and by a former Vice-President of the European Parliament accused of corruption. In Poland, it is attacked by people who were accused by the prosecutor's office of money laundering or who organized hate troll farms for public money. They'll say they're victims. Don't be fooled! Service must not be blind or deaf. It's a matter of security for all of us.

Mr President, thank you very much. I'm also talking about FRONTEX. Frontex is an agency set up to protect the borders of the European Union. With growing astonishment, however, we observe that the agency is evolving and, over time, its activities hidden under the beautifully sounding slogan of protecting fundamental rights are increasingly overrepresented. This is manifested by the increasing role of so-called fundamental rights monitors in Frontex. Frontex has a mandate to protect the borders and not to prosecute border guards who serve themselves at the borders. It cannot be the case that Frontex's presence, for example in Lithuania or Poland, in a country exposed to a powerful hybrid attack by Putin and Lukashenko, ends up being accused by the Frontex Fundamental Rights Office of the Lithuanian authorities. On the one hand, officers are being attacked by aggressive migrants and Lukashenka services, on the other hand, proceedings are being initiated against them by Frontex services, and migrants with Belarusian visas should be immediately sent back to Belarus, because their stay there is legal. They are not refugees, they are illegal migrants who deliberately violate our right to illegally enter the Union and benefit from social benefits, taking advantage of the weakness of the Union. Frontex's activity outside its mandate, not in border protection against national guards, is unacceptable.

Mr President, thank you very much. Today we have to face the question of why Europeans feel less secure. The research points to three main factors that cast a shadow over security in Europe. Firstly, migration and the huge difficulties of integration. After 2015, millions of migrants crossed the borders of the European Union. People on the streets are afraid for their safety, especially after incidents like New Year's Eve in Cologne, where more than 1,200 assaults have been reported. Second, terrorism. Repeated attacks, such as in Paris, Berlin, Strasbourg, Nice or Brussels, often make residents afraid to be in public spaces. Ordinary street crime. In 2023, more than 10,000 violent thefts were reported in Paris, and 62 gang shootings and 300 rapes were reported in Stockholm. This causes fear in the streets and paralyzes residents. These concerns call for action, effective blocking of illegal immigration and strengthening Europe's borders. The migration pact is not a response to migration problems. It is only transferring the problems of Western Europe to still safe countries, such as Poland, the Czech Republic or Hungary. It is necessary to withdraw from the pact and implement rapid and effective methods of defending borders and returning illegal immigrants from Europe.

Madam President, I'm sorry. A few days ago, Vice-President of the European Commission Henna Virkkunen announced a round table on the elections in Poland in an interview with Deutsche Welle, Germany. Poles treat this statement as a threat of interference by the European Commission in the upcoming Polish presidential elections and preparation for the Romanian variant. We perceive this statement as an interference in Polish democracy and a green light for the current Polish authorities to undermine the democratic result of the elections in the event that a candidate who does not comply with the line of the current authority wins, which is increasingly inevitable. I would like to state to Mrs Virkkunen and the European Commission that the Poles do not wish to interfere in the Polish elections. The organization of anything above the heads of Poles in relation to the elections will be treated as an attack on Polish democracy. We do not wish to interfere in our affairs. According to the treaties, the European Commission should keep its hands away from the elections in Poland.

Madam President, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, What do regions bordering hybrid warfare Russia and Belarus, as well as war-torn Ukraine, expect? They expect safety. That is why the decision of the head of the European Commission not to support the construction of physical dams on the border with Russia or Belarus is astonishing. My country, Poland, built a dam on the border with Belarus with great financial effort in 2022. Similar dams have been erected by Lithuania and Latvia, and construction is underway in Finland. Ursula von der Leyen refused European aid in this regard. She said at the time: We are of the opinion that there will be no funds for barbed wire or walls. Madam President, it is time to put an end to this unreasonable approach. These measures are necessary for border regions that have suffered losses as a result of militarisation or the restrictions that have arisen as a result of the crisis. Tourist traffic has stopped, infrastructure needs to be rebuilt. The migration crisis in Belarus started four years ago and the war in Ukraine three years ago. I would like to ask the Commissioner today whether he does not consider it indecent to remain deaf to the appeals for help that have been sent by governments and local governments from border regions? Is this what European solidarity is all about?

Mr President, thank you very much. For many years, you have been blind to what Russia has been doing. Not only that, the largest state of the European Union, Germany, was building the infrastructure that gave Putin the opportunity to raise huge funds, allowing him today to wage an aggressive war against Ukraine and use fuel blackmail against the countries of Eastern Europe. Of course, we are talking about the construction of the Nord Stream gas pipeline on the Baltic Sea. Today, instead of a voice in Germany about the construction of Nord Stream, I would like to hear a voice about new sanctions against Russia and those who support Russia. The US imposed new sanctions on Russian oil companies, as well as on more than 100 oil tankers, a few days ago. The cost of transporting Russian oil through the shadow fleet immediately increased 3 times. It is only through this new, tough sanctions that we are able to counteract Russia's aggression. I urge everyone to opt for new, far-reaching sanctions on the empire, which today threatens not only Ukraine, but the whole of Europe and the world. We are once again dealing with an empire of evil. Putin's Russia must go bankrupt and it is the task of the entire civilized world to bring about this. Otherwise, in a few years we will be forced to learn the Russian language.

Putin threatens European democracy, I agree. But European democracy has its own internal threats. Let's talk about that too. Let us not be blind to what is happening. Until now, the Commissioner for the Rule of Law, Reynders, has criticised those who were not in his political trend. He attacked countries that were ruled by conservative governments. When governments changed, he closed his eyes and saw nothing. I wanted to ask you, do you realize that to launder dirty money, you have to have a lot more money than you earned? Do you have any idea where Commissioner Reynders got that money from? Who paid him for it? Where did they come from? This answer is crucial to say that democracy is not under threat. Let's know where Reynders got the money from. Who paid him? Can you imagine that this money did not come from corruption? (The speaker did not agree to the question signalled by the blue card raised by Grzegorz Braun)

Madam President, thank you very much. The integrity of elections in Europe is under threat, but the main source of threat is not disinformation coming from social media, but the activity of the European Commission interfering in the internal affairs of the Member States, including through disinformation. The most vivid example of this is the work of Commissioner Reynders, who is accused of money laundering today. Remember the Reynders reports attacking Poland? Do you remember how Reynders attacked the use of the Pegasus system by European services? He feared for his impunity. He was recently in Poland and praised Tusk's government for allegedly restoring the rule of law. Reynders did not see the unlawfully seized media, the unlawful purge of the prosecutor's office, the non-recognition of judgments of the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court or the violation of the prerogatives of the president. The activity of the Reynders Committee, also in the case of the RRP, was an unlawful influence on politics in Poland. Today, in Poland, the National Electoral Commission, which obeys the government, is withdrawing funding from the largest opposition party. He does it contrary to the judgment of the Supreme Court, with the hands of, among others, Ryszard Kalisz, appointed to the PKW by Tusk's coalition. He represented companies from the Russian-Belarusian sanctions list and accused of spying for Russia before the courts, also here in the European Parliament. These are threats to democracy. Don't be blind, open your eyes.

Madam, I myself am a father and I have children. And I know perfectly well what is best for my children because I love them, and I know that most, the vast majority of parents work for the good of their children. In contrast to various strange educators promoting various types of ideologies, which are harmful and are the cause of many later tragedies and suicides.

Madam President, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, In Poland, people with different sexual orientations are not discriminated against. Poles are a tolerant society. In the Polish Constitution there is a widely respected provision on the legal protection of private, family and personal life. But in Poland, parents also have the right to raise their children in accordance with their own convictions, upbringing and teaching in accordance with their views. This right is being violated in Poland today. Instead of an optional upbringing to family life, the Tusk government introduces a new subject, obligatory from the fourth grade of primary school, which assumes, among other things, the affirmation of autosexual activities and LGBT orientation. Let everyone decide about his private life, but you can not deprive parents of the right to raise children in accordance with their values. Depriving parents of their right to decide – that is discrimination. Imposing sexualisation on children against their parents – that is discrimination. That is why, in Poland, the public is protesting against these projects today. The comfort of the minority cannot dominate the rights of the majority. Let's protect the children.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, Pablo González aka Pavel Rubcow is a Russian GRU spy who, under the legend of a Spanish journalist, has been spying on European elites, the Russian opposition, including Alexander Navalny. He was detained in Poland in February 2022. In August this year, spy González was exchanged for citizens of Western countries imprisoned in Russia. He was personally greeted by Vladimir Putin at the airport. Why am I talking about this? The Commission considered González’s detention in its July 2023 report to be a violation of human rights and media freedom. The Polish government was attacked by the Commission for detaining Putin's spy. That's why I'm asking: Will you apologise to Poland for this nonsense? What is the value of Commission reports that replicate Putin's propaganda? When Commissioner Reynders was in Poland in January this year, González was in custody in Radom. Does the Commission know that Mariusz Kamiński, present here in the room, was on hunger strike in the same detention facility at the same time, several targets next door? It was his services that arrested González. Mariusz Kamiński was unlawfully imprisoned by the government of Donald Tusk against the Supreme Court. He was a political prisoner. Why does the Commission include the case of the spy González in its reports and now omit the case of Kamiński or Wąsik?

Madam President, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, The migration crisis in Europe began with the famous Herzlich Wilkomen German Chancellor Angela Merkel in January 2015, when hundreds of thousands of migrants began their march on Germany. Yes, the Germans invited migrants to Europe, and when too many arrived, they said: stop. We have invited guests, but there are too many of them. We can't handle it. Our neighbors need to help us. They must take in irregular migrants and ensure their livelihood. And they invented the migration pact. They figured that Germany's mistakes had to be paid for by its neighbors. When the migration crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border began in 2021, the Polish state began to defend its borders hard, although illegal migrants did not go to Poland. They were going to Germany. When we were building the barrier at the border, we heard from the German President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen that the European Union would not finance barbed wire at the borders. Today, Germany is closing its borders. This is another fatal mistake. Europe's external borders must be firmly defended, not the Union's greatest achievement, which is the Schengen area, destroyed. And irregular migrants must be relocated resolutely and massively to their countries of origin.

Madam President, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, There is no doubt that any facilitation of the entry of citizens of the Russian Federation into the European Union should be strongly opposed. We do not support these solutions either at the level of the Member States or at the level of the European Commission. That is why we also do not agree that the European Commission will introduce any facilitations for the Russians. This is how the proposed provisions of the Visa Code, which abolish the requirement to present military booklets for Russians applying for a Schengen visa, should be treated. Military books in Russia are extremely important documents. Based on them, our services can identify whether the applicant has no service in Putin's army in his file. I don't think any of us want the European Union to host the murderers from Bucha or Irpin or the veterans of the Wagner group responsible for the murders in Mali or Syria. Do you see no monstrous contradiction in the fact that the European Parliament is criticising Hungarians for visa policy, and at the same time the European Commission is preparing visa facilitations for Russians, including murderers of civilians? I am amazed by these solutions, both from Hungary and from the European Commission. And I appeal: Get out of them. We must not treat the Russians, Russia and Putin in a lenient way. Unfortunately, Putin’s Russia, with the support of the majority of Russian society, has unleashed a bloody war against Ukraine, the largest war in Europe since 1945. Russia is deliberately destabilising the external borders of the European Union, and is waging a hybrid war with Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Finland on a daily basis. It sends tens of thousands of illegal migrants to Europe, carries out daily cyberattacks on European countries, commits numerous acts of sabotage. Therefore, it is necessary not to soften, but to tighten the sanctions policy of the European Union towards Russia in every dimension, including visas. Putin's Russia must be subjected to absolute isolation. Maybe then the Russians will understand that it is necessary to end Putin and power politics. And one more reflection. We must realize that there are many people in this room who have allowed Putin to attack Ukraine. These are the ones who provided Putin with a financial drip. These are the ones who allowed Putin to pursue a policy of energy blackmail. It's those who pretended not to see Putin's Russia building its aggressive superpower with fossil fuel money. These are those who, contrary to the interests of the whole of Europe, pushed for the construction of Nord Stream. I say this mainly to the Members of Parliament from Germany and their political friends. Sprinkle your heads with ashes. The blood of those who are dying and murdered in Ukraine also weighs on your consciences.

Mr President, thank you very much. At the end of March, a Catholic priest, Father Michał Olszewski, who dealt with the help of excluded and needy people, was detained and arrested in Poland. The prosecutor does not accuse him of embezzlement, corruption or theft. The priest's only fault is that the foundation he ran successfully applied for government grants from the former government. With the funds raised, the foundation has built a help center for people who really need this help. The priest is only a victim of Donald Tusk's political revenge. Father Michał Olszewski has been in custody for almost half a year. For 60 hours he was denied a meal, denied personal hygiene and even dignified satisfaction of physiological needs. All this takes place in Poland, in the heart of Europe, in the European Union. And this is while here in Strasbourg we are debating human rights. Did you know that under the detention center where Father Michael is staying, people gather every day to ask for Father Michael? I ask for your solidarity with Father Michael. We must stand up for him, we must remember him, and we must demand his release because he is a political prisoner.