Debate contributions by Mariusz KAMIŃSKI

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.

Madam President, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to pay tribute to all Belarusian political prisoners. Nearly 1,400 brave men and women fighting for their country's freedom and independence are imprisoned. I hope that information about this debate and the resolution adopted by the European Parliament in their defence will reach them beyond the prison walls. Let it be a signal to them that Europe remembers them, that they are not alone. Let it give them strength in their fight for the most important values. I also hope that the voice coming from this room will reach Lukashenka, a thug who remains in power only thanks to the brutal strength and support of the Kremlin. Lukashenko must be prosecuted for his crimes internationally. Freedom must win. Zhiva Belarus (disambiguation).

Madam President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. In 2021, when the Belarusian regime of Lukashenka wanted to create a new route of illegal immigration to the European Union through Poland, I was the Minister of the Interior. I remember thousands of illegal immigrants from the Middle East chanting “Germany, Germany, Germany” at the Polish-Belarusian border. Why is Germany such a magnet for them? The answer is simple high social benefits, ease of legalization of residence, inept expulsion policy, the existence in many German cities of compact clusters of Muslim population in which it is easy to hide. Category: German politics Herzlich Willkommen It is suicidal for Germany and poses a threat to the whole of Europe. What should be the response to the risks of illegal immigration? Hard defence of the external borders of the European Union and financing, Commissioner, the financing by the European Commission of physical engineering dams at the external borders of the European Union. The use of simple procedures for the expulsion of illegal immigrants from the European Union and the respective tasks of Frontex and Europol. Frontex should be mainly dedicated to the effective return of illegal immigrants outside the European Union, and Europol... (The Chair took the floor) (The speaker does not agree to hear the question signalled by the blue card raised by Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă)