Debate contributions by Mariusz KAMIŃSKI

Dear President, Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. This debate takes place in the context of the British court's sentencing to ten and a half years in prison for treason to Russia of former MEP Nathan Gill. A few months before his arrest in 2021, Polish special services arrested Janusz N., a member of the same spy network. I know the matter well, because then, as a member of the government, I personally supervised the special services. Janusz N. was extremely active on the premises of the European Parliament, claiming to be a representative of an NGO with the beautifully sounding name ‘European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights’. He managed to recruit several MPs from different countries who presented the Kremlin's political line for Russian money in their public statements. I informed the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, about the whole case in 2023, and the Polish counter-intelligence prepared a special presentation for MEPs showing the methods of action of the Russian services. Unfortunately, this initiative, due to the change of government in Poland, has not been implemented. In the European Parliament, Russian influence agents involved in this case did not play a key role. However, there is the issue of Russian influence, which may concern the very decision-making center of the Union. This is a scandalous case of money laundering by Commissioner Reynders. Explaining the nature of his contacts with Putin's friend, Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, must be a priority for Parliament and the European Commission. Stop burying your head in the sand. You can't have this case, and we're not gonna let this case get swept under the carpet.

Mr President, thank you very much. The free choice of the authorities of one's own country is the most sacred right of its citizens. Any external foreign interference in the conduct of elections is a crime against democracy and the sovereignty of nations. Today, the European Commission, under the banner of a democratic shield, wants to create a European Centre of Democratic Resilience. This new institution with vague competences and location is to deal with the fight against disinformation and foreign interference. This is to be done, inter alia, through the European Network of Information Controllers. They are to decide what is true and what is false. The Commission wants to issue guidelines and recommendations on the organisation of elections and proposes to allocate billions of euros to NGOs. Who and on what basis will receive this money? We don't know. It all looks like a plan to defend the political interests of the left-liberal European establishment. This is happening under the guise of fighting Russian disinformation. We in Poland are not afraid of Russian disinformation. We fear interference in our elections by the Brussels bureaucracy and the countries behind it.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. We are entering the first phase of the implementation of the Migration Pact. The mere fact that the Commission's proposal on relocation comes with a significant delay shows the extent of the controversy it causes among Member States. From Poland's perspective, the migration pact is unacceptable. We do not agree to any relocation to our country of illegal immigrants located on the territory of other European Union countries. We do not agree to coercive solidarity in financing the stay of illegal immigrants in the Union. President Karol Nawrocki in a letter to the President of the European Commission stated unequivocally: The Poles will never agree to this. The migration pact does not solve any problems related to the migration crisis. He aggravates these problems. The only effective means of combating illegal immigration is the hard defence of the external borders of the European Union, a strong limitation of the right to asylum and a consistently implemented policy of readmission, i.e. the deportation of illegal immigrants to their countries of origin. Only in this way can we ensure the security of our citizens and preserve Europe's identity.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Once again, the European Parliament is addressing the situation in Belarus. I am pleased that, in view of this debate and the resolution adopted, we will hear the voice of a free Belarus here in Strasbourg. Our guests will be Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya and her husband Siarhei, a long-time prisoner of Lukashenko. Unfortunately, his release is not a signal of changes in Belarus, but only a cynical game of the dictator. Prisons in Minsk are not devastating, on the contrary. The regime continues to hold thousands of political prisoners. Among them is Andrzej Poczobut, our steadfast compatriot, Ales Bialiatski, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Katsiaryna Andreyeva, an extremely brave journalist of Belsat TV. We'll never forget them. Human and civil rights do not exist in Belarus. Our actions towards Lukashenko must continue to be firm and consistent. Sanctions against the regime must be maintained and continued. Lukashenko's crimes must be tried before the International Criminal Court.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Dear Commissioner, The European Union has been struggling with the migration crisis for years. One of the reasons for its duration is to turn a blind eye to systemic pathologies. The issue of visa-free travel is a perfect example of this. Currently, citizens of more than 60 third countries enjoy visa-free access to the Schengen area. The consequences of the lack of real control over this movement are shocking. In recent years, hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants have entered the EU under the visa-free regime. This is the responsibility of the European Commission, which has been able to trigger the visa suspension mechanism on its own initiative since 2017, but has never done so. On the one hand, Member States spend billions of euros to protect the Union's external borders and, on the other hand, the Commission, through its omissions and lack of responsibility, keeps the door wide open to illegal immigration. The revision of the regulation we are debating today is a step in the right direction, but, as usual, it is late. Countries that do not cooperate on readmissions, that support instrumentalisation of migration, cannot count on the privilege of visa-free travel.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, What happened over the Polish sky on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday was a cynical Russian provocation, a provocation aimed not only at Poland, but at our entire European and transatlantic community. The cases in the Lublin region, where a Russian drone hit the house, are as much the territory of NATO and the European Union as Strasbourg, Antwerp or Barcelona. Our response to Russia's actions must be tough and communicated in the only language the Kremlin understands: In the language of strength. These primitive brutes must know that any violation of the borders and airspace of the Union and NATO will be met with a swift, solidarity-based and firm response. If the Russians do not see it, you will soon see Russian war drones over Sweden, Finland or Romania, and then Russian tanks on the streets of your cities. To prevent this, the hard 19th package of sanctions against Russia must be implemented immediately, the sanctions against the Belarusian regime must be strengthened, effective anti-aircraft defence of the entire eastern flank must be ensured and the Ukrainian army fighting against Russia must be given further real support. This is the way to a safe Europe.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Parliamentary elections will be held in Moldova in a few weeks. These elections will decide whether Moldova will continue its march towards freedom or whether it will be turned back from this path. We want Moldova to be a modern democratic European state, to permanently break out of the post-Soviet sphere of influence. Russia's goal in this election is to seize power by corrupt oligarchs pursuing Putin's imperial interests. Supporting an independent Moldova is not only an obvious requirement of human solidarity, but also a geopolitical imperative. The Union must act consistently and responsibly. However, it is not a responsible or wise call in the resolution we are about to adopt for the Moldovan authorities to support local LGBT organisations. Such surrogate topics are convenient for Russian propaganda. Today, Moldova is fighting for fundamental issues, for its freedom and independence. We are with you, Moldovans.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Today we are once again debating the situation in Belarus, the grim dictatorship of Lukashenko, which has been going on for 30 years. His rule is a time of brutal trampling on human rights and the nation's fundamental right to live in a democratic and independent state. Lukashenko is the executioner of his own people. She is a Russian puppet who, without Putin's support and terror, would not be able to stay in power. Today, however, Lukashenko's ugly face is not a symbol of Belarus. Today Belarus has its true heroes, freedom fighters. Let's remember Raman Bandarence murdered 5 years ago on the streets of Minsk. Let us remember the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Byalyatski, who is in prison, about the outstanding journalists Katyaryna Andreyeva, Andrzej Poczobut, about thousands of lesser-known heroes, such as the marriage of Hanna Kmit and Andrej Selianinau. These are the real faces of Belarus. Fighting for their freedom is our moral and political duty.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Today we are debating the state of the rule of law in the European Union. To make sense, this debate must be based on truth, not political interests. And the truth is that an authoritarian regime is emerging in the very centre of the European Union before your very eyes. The Brussels establishment pretends not to see it because it has a political interest. This authoritarian regime is Tusk's government, which publicly makes cynical remarks that the law is what we understand it to be. Tusk's regime is violating the rule of law. The judgments of the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court are ignored. The judges of the Constitutional Tribunal are summoned for hearings on their decisions. They are not paid salaries, which is a direct violation of the constitution. The independence of the National Bank of Poland and the National Broadcasting Council is under attack. Illegally seized public media became the government's propaganda tube. Observers from the OSCE and the Council of Europe pointed out this in their report. Tusk's regime discriminates against the democratic opposition, the prosecutor's office is used against opposition leaders ...

Mr President, thank you very much. Dear Commissioner, Russian gas is soaked in blood. Corruption, systems and influence flow directly from the communist secret services through the pipelines. Gas for the Kremlin is not just a commodity. It's a weapon of political blackmail. How hypocritical it takes in Berlin and Brussels to pretend for years that you don't see it. In spite of the aggression against Georgia, the annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbass, we will continue to discuss the future of Nord Stream. The symbol of this cynicism, this European disgrace, is the name of the German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. No more Schröders in Europe! Ladies and Gentlemen, In the fourth year of the war, the EU proposes to end imports of Russian gas. It's an obvious step, but it's too late. This is a bitter lesson for which Ukraine pays with blood. Even if the war ends, Russia will not change, and the Nord Stream gas pipeline should lie at the bottom forever as a monument to political disgrace.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. What we are seeing today in Tibet is not just repression against religion, it is the systematic destruction of freedom and the attempt to denationalize Tibetans. The monasteries are under constant supervision. Monks and nuns are detained, ‘re-educated’ and deprived of the right to practice their faith. The Communist Party is trying to replace authentic spirituality with ideological obedience. In our resolution, we call for an investigation into the circumstances of the detention and death of one of the Tibetan religious leaders. The blatant violation of basic human rights by the Chinese Communists requires a clear and decisive response. All suspected deaths of Tibetan activists must be investigated under international supervision. Freedom, including the cultivation of religion, is a universal human right and is not negotiable. We cannot remain silent as Beijing attempts to destroy Tibet's national and religious identity.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Madam High Representative, we have received dramatic information about another wave of repression by the communist regime in Cuba against the leaders of the democratic opposition. Once again, José Daniel Ferrer was imprisoned, with whom we had the honour of talking online a few weeks ago during a meeting of the Subcommittee on Human Rights. José Daniel Ferrer told us the truth about the situation in Cuba, about the regime's violation of basic human and civil rights. It is highly probable that these words and this contact with us caused his re-arrest. Therefore, we do not appeal to you, but we demand that you take real action to defend him and other political prisoners in Cuba. Speaking of real action, I am referring to the immediate suspension of the implementation of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement concluded between the European Union and the regime in Havana. The continuation of this agreement and the transfer of the resulting funds to Cuba is not only politically harmful, but simply immoral. Madam High Representative, do not make the mistakes of your predecessors in this matter.

Mr President, Commissioner, thank you very much. You brought a document today with some interesting ideas, but the European Commission has already adopted similar strategies to later contradict them with its own actions. Disastrous migration policies have significantly weakened Europeans. Widely opened the door for criminal groups, smugglers, terrorists. Today you are talking about the strengthening of borders by Frontex officials. Commissioner, are you aware that instead of supporting the guards protecting Lithuania's borders with Belarus during the assault organised by Lukashenko, Frontex officials operating there acted like almost any left-wing NGOs? They sent reports undermining the actions of the Lithuanian Border Guard. You are talking about the need to combat hybrid threats. Did you know that the European Commission criticised Poland for apprehending the GRU agent Paweł Rubcow who pretended to be a journalist? You say that the services should be provided with access to modern technologies, to modern tools, because criminals and our enemies use such tools. Has this been the case in Brussels so far? Absolutely not, quite the opposite. I agree that cooperation in the fight against cross-border organised crime should be stepped up. However, I appeal to you that this strategy containing many valuable elements does not become another card......

Dear Commissioner, The public is once again appalled by information about corruption scandals related to the EU institutions. This time we are dealing with illegal lobbying for the Chinese company Huawei. As in the case of previous scandals, instead of reliable information, proposals for specific solutions for the future, we have a general debate about nothing. The European establishment has learned to operate in the shadows, outside the real surveillance of citizens, in an atmosphere of impunity. We recently learned from the head of the European Public Prosecutor's Office that Olaf's report on the involvement of a high official of the European Commission in the Qatar scandal was hidden from her. Despite the evidence available, he continues to work for the EU institutions. The European Commission remains silent on the allegation of money laundering by Commissioner Reynders in the performance of his duties. The ongoing work on the so-called anti-corruption directive will not solve the problem of corruption in the EU institutions, as the directive is addressed to the Member States. However, simple solutions can improve the transparency of the European Commission's activities. Let us introduce open, detailed, criminalised declarations of financial interests for Commissioners and high-ranking EU officials. Let them show citizens what assets they have and what are the sources of its origin. Enough corruption in Brussels. It's time to act.

Madam President, I'm sorry. For more than 60 years, the regime of the Ba'ath Party and the Assad family, supported by Moscow and Tehran, has maintained power in Syria through terror. The fall of Bashar al-Assad opened the way for change, but at the same time left the country in a deep humanitarian and economic crisis. This situation is a test for the international community and, above all, for the new authorities. Will they be able to unite the country after 14 years of civil war? The collapse of the regime has given Syrians hope for a better future. However, a provisional government with Islamist roots must make a huge effort to win the trust of both the international community and, above all, the Syrians themselves. Syria needs justice, not more violent crimes against civilians. The new authorities must guarantee the protection of ethnic and religious minorities, including Christians. Syria must not be a threat to its neighbours or a hell for its own people. Nor can it become a safe haven for terrorists planning attacks in Europe. These must be the key conditions for the gradual and conditional lifting of sanctions.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, Moldova needs our help in building an independent and democratic state. Words of solidarity are not enough. If we want Moldova out of the Russian sphere of influence, we must act quickly and concretely. I am pleased that we are debating today the establishment of an instrument for support, reform and economic growth in Moldova. Real financial support is a concrete thing that the authorities and residents of this country are waiting for. Poland has supported Moldova since its independence. I am personally satisfied that, as Minister of the Interior, I have been able to participate in this assistance. In 2023, in the face of pro-Russian attempts to destabilise, pro-Russian militias on the streets of Chisinau handed over to the Moldovan Ministry of Interior a very large amount of police equipment, including weapons and ammunition, to make Moldova self-sufficient in ensuring public order. Let us give Moldova a chance to escape Putin's dictatorship. I am convinced that the financial support we will be voting on tomorrow will contribute well to this.

Mr President, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, Five years ago, the Belarusian people showed their true face. The face of free people who want democracy and independence for their country. 5 years ago Belarusians said in the elections not Lukashenko's dictatorship, but these elections were stolen from them. Lukashenko rigged the elections. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Minsk in protest. These protests were bloodily suppressed by the regime and Belarusian prisons were filled with thousands of political prisoners. Many of them are still behind bars to this day. We must not forget them. We must not forget the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Byalyatski, Andrzej Poczobut, Mary Kalesnikawa and thousands of other repressed people. In a few days Lukashenko will announce his re-election. This gloomy spectacle, which will take place on January 26 in Belarus, cannot be called an election. However, the words of condemnation against the regime are no longer sufficient. Europe cannot be so hopelessly helpless. Sanctions against Belarus should be sharply tightened. Goods from Belarus, such as fertilisers, continue to enter the EU. Any trade with Belarus financially strengthens the brutal dictatorship. It's time to put an end to this.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I would like to thank you. The subject of this debate should be clearly formulated. This debate should address the issue of suspicion of money laundering by Commissioner Didier Reynders. This should be a debate about corruption in the institutions of the European Union, because we are dealing with another corruption scandal. We all remember the disgraceful Qatargate affair. Has anyone in this case been convicted in spite of the passage of time? No, this case didn't even go to court. Have systemic conclusions for the future been drawn from this scandal? No, the number of employees in Olaf has been reduced by several dozen, and the draft anti-corruption directive presented in the previous term is too vague and does not concern European Union officials. In connection with the Reynders scandal, the question of the political responsibility of President von der Leyen is crucial. How could it have been possible for the EU Commissioner for the Rule of Law to be involved in money laundering while in office? Did the Commission have information from the Belgian authorities about the ongoing Reynders investigation? This debate cannot be the end of the discussion on corruption in the European Union. This is just the beginning, Commissioner.

Dear President, Commissioner, Communist China is violating its international obligations regarding the status of Hong Kong and the rights of its people. People who want to exercise their basic human rights are imprisoned: the right to freedom of assembly, religion and expression. The symbol of free speech, Jimmy Lai, has been in custody for four years and his trial is a farce. Today, Hong Kong, with the approval of the Chinese authorities, is opening wide for companies circumventing sanctions imposed on Russia. Beijing must be aware that our voice in this debate and in the resolution we will adopt tomorrow is a clear signal: Human rights are not a matter of negotiation. The international community cannot remain silent in the face of violations that destroy the foundations of a free and democratic world. We are and will be in solidarity with all the people of Hong Kong persecuted by the Chinese Communist regime.

Mr President, thank you very much. Dirty Russian money continues to flow through global banking systems and cryptocurrency transfers, financing, among other things, a hybrid war against the West. State terrorism is also impossible without money. Moscow is waging a barbaric war against Ukraine, killing civilians, stealing its resources. Russia is carrying out murders in the European Union and allied countries. Let us remember the case of Litvinenko, Skripal or the Chechen oppositionist Hangoshvili. Remember how the Kremlin rewarded assassins. Russia is also responsible for attacks on industrial and transport infrastructure facilities in Europe. Moscow's priority is my country, Poland. In 2022, when I was the minister and coordinator of the special services, several Russian agents planning terrorist diversionary activities against rail traffic in my country were arrested. Each of these activities has its own sources and ways of financing. I call on the European Commission to take its own initiative in this regard and to include Russia on the list of high-risk third countries in the European Union.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Today we are debating the European Commission's report on the state of the rule of law in the European Union in 2024. Once again, we receive a document that is a testimony to the political views of its authors, and not a testimony to the truth about the real state of the rule of law in the European Union. How can we take seriously a report that does not refer to the brutal trampling on the principles of the rule of law that is currently taking place in Poland? In Warsaw, Tusk's regime violates the Polish Constitution, violates applicable laws, judgments of the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court. The independence of the Central Bank and the National Broadcasting Council is under attack. A legally appointed national prosecutor is physically prevented from performing his duties and an extremely politicised prosecutor’s office initiates criminal proceedings against the First President of the Supreme Court. Parliamentary immunities of opposition MPs are violated. In Poland ruled by Tusk, fundamental human rights are violated. As in the communist dictatorship, we have the problem of political prisoners and torture. The report does not mention these matters in a single word, not even in a single sentence. Your silence is a disgrace.

Mr President, Commissioner, I would like to thank you for your support. Today we are discussing increasing security at the external borders of the European Union, but this increase must not be an empty slogan. It has to have a practical dimension. In matters of security, one cannot be guided by ideological blindness or naivety. Common sense is the most important thing. Any idea that Brussels could take over the management of the European Union's external borders in the future is irresponsible and unacceptable. The role of the European Commission must be to co-finance border security measures in consultation with the governments of the Member States. It is not only about modern electronic surveillance systems, but also about physical firewalls, about engineering firewalls. They are necessary. For incomprehensible reasons, the European Commission has so far refused to finance such dams. That has to change. According to Eurostat, there are currently around 1.3 million illegal immigrants in the European Union. This year, Frontex deported 37,000 people. It's not enough for the situation to improve, so... (Words not audible due to microphone shutdown) ...to their countries of origin. Only consistent, rational action will ensure Europe's security at its external borders.

Madam President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, When at the turn of the 80s and 90s. In the 1960s, the Iron Curtain fell, and when the Soviet Union began to crumble, we all hoped for the ultimate collapse of communism in the world. However, this did not happen. Post-communist dictatorships hold fast. Russia, Belarus, China, North Korea and Cuba. Where the members of the red Castro dynasty still rule. I belong to the generation of Solidarity and I know what the fight for freedom is. Although we are thousands of kilometers apart from José Daniel Ferrer, his character is very close to me. We Poles have won communism, just as the Cubans will win it. We have to do everything we can to make this happen. The human rights situation in Cuba is alarming. If we really want to change this, we need to speak to the communist regime in a clear, hard and comprehensible language. As long as the repression of the opposition continues, as long as there are political prisoners, there is no question of Cuba's cooperation with the European Union. The political dialogue and cooperation agreement with Cuba must be suspended immediately. Its continuation means indirect financing of the brutal regime. Dear Cubans, you are not alone. Despite repression, you are free in spirit, and this spirit of freedom will triumph.