Debate contributions by Krzysztof ŚMISZEK

Madam President, honourable Commissioner, dear colleagues, I'm presenting this question on behalf of more than 40 entities from different sides of the political spectrum, from the left to the right. And I thank you, colleagues, for your engagement. Breeding animals solely for the production of fur is outdated and grossly unethical. Bans on both the production and sales are gaining traction internationally. In the EU, 22 Member States have either fully or partly banned fur farming or implemented such strict regulations that the industry has effectively ceased. These measures are driven by concerns for animal welfare, environmental protection and public health. Switzerland recently became the first European country to ban imports of fur products produced under cruel conditions – these include confining animals in cages with wire mesh floors. The European Parliament recognised the inherent issues of fur farming and its public health risks, including zoonotic disease transmission, in its report on the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. The same position was directly expressed by the EU citizens. The European Citizens' Initiative 'Fur Free Europe' gathered more than 1.5 million signatures calling for a ban on fur farming and farmed fur products. I would like to thank all the citizens of Europe for their great enormous engagement. In July 2025, the European Food Safety Authority confirmed that the welfare problems in fur farming are structural and cannot be resolved through stricter husbandry rules. Its opinion highlights the severe welfare consequences for mink, foxes, raccoon dogs and chinchillas, concluding that their complex needs cannot be met in the current fur farming system. In this context, will the Commission commit to proposing an EU wide ban on fur farming? Ban the placing on the market of farmed fur products, including imports, to ensure that products made under cruel conditions outside the EU do not enter the single market.

Madam President, I would like to ask Madam Zajączkowska-Hernik to repeat her speech because she was speaking Russian, so I didn't understand her speech. Is it possible to repeat her speech in Polish, or in an understandable language?

Madam President, I'm sorry. Yesterday morning, Europe awoke to a completely new reality. For the first time not only my compatriots, but also Spaniards, Greeks and Belgians saw that the war has entered a new stage, that it is already taking place on the territory of the European Union and NATO. We do not live in pre-war times. War, unfortunately, becomes our everyday experience. Russia attacked Poland for the first time in 45 years. One of the drones fell several dozen kilometers from my family home. This war is already here. It is a test of our community. Putin is testing our solidarity. Putin is testing our unity. Putin is testing the sustainability of our European ties. I call on the Member States for unity and solidarity. On the basis of NATO, this solidarity must mean hard support. Hence the joint call of the Polish authorities to activate Article 4 of the NATO Treaty. From Poland, the land of legendary Solidarity, I appeal for unity and for European fraternity. The EU will be strong or not at all. We need to arm ourselves, and we need to protect ourselves from disinformation. The SAFE program should only be the beginning of big spending on our security. But we cannot forget today that not everyone sees the enemy where he is. The far right from Spain to Poland keys, when you have to say straight: Putin is a war criminal, and Russia is a rogue state that murders civilians. All those who make buttery eyes for Putin today, it's time to sober up. So today I look at the right side of this room and I call: Condemn Putin unequivocally. Support Ukraine or remain silent. Don't be Putin's agents. Don't be his useful idiots. Yesterday Ukraine and Moldova, today Poland, tomorrow the Baltic countries, and the day after tomorrow who? France or Germany. This scenario is more real than ever. The place of Ukraine and Moldova is in the Union, and Putin on the bench of the accused.

Madam President, just days ago, over 250 000 people marched proudly through the streets of beautiful Budapest. I was one of them, and I'm very proud of it. People did their job. They stood up for dignity, equality and our shared European values. People showed us where our values are. That is what citizens expect from us. Acting and protecting all citizens against discrimination, all kinds of discrimination. And yet, instead of stepping up, the Commission has recently announced its withdrawal of the Equal Treatment Directive proposal. The final missing piece in the EU anti-discrimination legal puzzle that would prohibit unequal treatment based on age, disability, religion and sexual orientation. The withdrawal was shocking, but we do not lose our hope that the Commission will change its mind. The Belgian, Polish and Danish presidencies have declared this file as their priority. That means that people of Europe demand more protection. Today we are sending a strong signal from the European Parliament. We want continuation of the works on the Equal Treatment Directive proposal. On Monday, Ursula von der Leyen was urging that the extremists would love to see European Union falling. Weakening of the protection against discrimination is a sign that we agree with the extremists.

Mr President, thank you very much. In a few days, thousands of Hungarians will pass through the streets of Budapest in the Equality March. I'll be there with them. We will walk with courage. We'll walk with dignity. We'll walk with pride. Orban tried to ban the Equality March, but the courage and commitment to democracy of Hungarian citizens and the determination of the mayor of Budapest made this event happen. Thank you from this place. Thank you for defending European values. But we here, in the heart of Europe, cannot remain silent. Freedom of assembly is not a privilege for the elect. This is the foundation of democracy, and civil rights and freedoms are available to everyone, whether Orban likes it or not. I am therefore addressing Commissioner McGrath. Thank you for being here with us today. Let's not wait for any harm to happen. Let's not wait for some misfortune to happen. Proceedings, legal action, pressure – we have the tools. The Commission could have requested interim measures from the CJEU. I'm asking, why didn't we do it? It would be great to see you, Commissioner, marching with us in Budapest on 28 June.

Mr President, thank you very much. Under the beautifully sounding slogan of protecting sovereignty, the rulers in Hungary are pushing for a law that in fact resembles the Russian law on foreign agents. This bill, the so-called Transparency of Public Life Act, is a cynical smokescreen. It is nothing more than a brutal attack on civil society, free media and independent organisations. According to the law, any organisation that even indirectly receives foreign support – and attention – even from European funds can be considered a threat to sovereignty and subjected to repression. The newly created office for the protection of sovereignty will have the right to create blacklists, and the tax office to paralyze the activities of inconvenient entities. Orban's government does not protect Hungary's sovereignty, he sells it, he sells it to Moscow and Putin. If Fidesz really wanted to defend sovereignty, he would be fighting disinformation, corrupt treaties and ties with Russia. I therefore call on the European Commission to initiate infringement proceedings with provisional measures. If the Hungarian government is against its citizens, the European Union must stand up for them.

Madam President, independent media, independent judiciary, civil society, immigrants, the LGBTQ community – who will be next on the list of Orbán's regime? Yet, one of the biggest opposition parties in Hungary, TISZA, does absolutely nothing about it. I call on Péter Magyar, the leader of TISZA – this is your time to stand up. This is your time to speak up. Are you the opposite of Orbán's tyranny, or are you his replica, only with a nicer haircut and a fancier suit? Now they are coming for those who are like me, and you are not speaking up. Let's see if there is anyone left to speak up when they come for you. The Pride March will keep marching, no matter Orbán's will to repress us. On 28 June, S&D will be there in Budapest; the Hungarian Demokratikus Koalíció will be there as well. Hungarian LGBTI community, today we stand with you. Today we fight for you, and we will never give up.

Madam President, thank you very much. The principle of mutual recognition of documents between Member States. The principle of mutual trust. The principle of equality regardless of sexual orientation. The principle of free movement of persons. Principle of non-discrimination. These are the foundations of the functioning of the European Union. Today I will tell you about situations, real situations, where these rules do not apply in the European Union. The law of the European Union does not apply if after spending 15 beautiful years with his partner in Poland, he dies in Italy and you have to bring his body back to the country, as in the case of Poles - Krzysztof and Łukasz. These rules don't exist when you marry the love of your life in Denmark or Portugal. In Poland, this relationship does not matter. Your love in the light of the law does not exist, just like the love of Polish writer Renata and her partner. Just like the love of David and Jacob's activists. Thousands of Polish, Slovak and Romanian same-sex couples marry and raise children in Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden and Spain. When they travel to Poland, Bulgaria or Slovakia, their marriages no longer exist and their parenthood is legally rejected. Their lives are nullified. They become invisible. They become strangers to each other. The European Union is based on freedom of movement within its territory. How is this freedom respected if I am a husband and father in one country and no one in another? If my identity, my love and my family are taken away from me when I get on a train in Berlin and get off in Wrocław or Warsaw. Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights prohibits discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. Is this really the case in the European Union? Commissioner, it is time to put an end to this blatant discrimination. It is time for action by the European Union and the European Commission.

Madam President, I'm sorry. A few months ago, in October, this is exactly where we opposed Russia's interference in Moldova's presidential election. A month later, in November, we condemned Eastern influence on Georgia's parliamentary elections. In December, during the presidential elections, we supported a member state of our Union, Romania, in the fight against disinformation on TikTok. And what did we do when, a few weeks ago, U.S. President Donald Trump's chief adviser walked into our own backyard with his shoes on? What do we do with an eccentric billionaire who manipulates algorithms on one of the largest online platforms? Well, not much. We have the perfect tool to fight this - the Digital Services Act. We have worked so hard on this legislation, which we cannot use effectively today. It's time to act. It is time for European law to work. The far right encourages outside interference by talking about freedom of speech. When you finally learn to distinguish between manipulation and propaganda and access to information and democracy. This oligarch may be on your side today, but the next oligarch may not be. And what will you do then?

Dear Madam President, Two million eight hundred and ninety-nine thousand four hundred and thirty-two – the voices of so many European citizens have been ignored by the European Commission over the last four years. Ending cage farming and building a fur-free Europe is what Europeans demand. It is in these two themes that the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) has been used – the only tool, apart from the elections to the European Parliament, that allows our society to be directly involved in the legislative process. And the Commissioner's only response is to encourage further dialogue. It's time to act now. We have had enough of further debate. All the arguments have already been made, and many times. How many more votes do we need for the Commission to finally deliver on its commitments? How much more discussion do we need to understand that ignoring the will of our citizens means suffering, torture and the unnecessary death of millions of animals? Today we are asking the Commission for a concrete action plan, a timetable and a concrete response to citizens' initiatives. The strength of our democracy should be measured by the strength of the rights of those who cannot defend themselves.

Madam President, thank you very much. A few years ago I looked at the map of Poland with a broken heart. Through a policy of hatred conducted in the name of a perverted and sick right-wing ideology, 1/3 of the territory of my homeland has turned into so-called LGBT-free zones. Today I can proudly say here, in the heart of Europe, that just yesterday the democratic Polish government adopted a bill banning homophobic hate speech. It will protect all those who experience contempt and hate because of their sexual orientation. I am delighted to have started this work as Deputy Minister of Justice. Today, out of a hundred LGBT-free zones in Poland, only one remains, which, thanks to the efforts of civil society, will soon fall anyway. From this point of view, I would like to thank Commissioner Dalli very much for her determination, her commitment to this issue and her ruthless defence of the values of the European Union in my country. Democracy is not the blunt rule of the majority. Democracy is the defence of the rights of minorities. And the European Union is not an ATM. It is above all a set of concrete values and security for all. To all those who are fighting today for LGBT rights in Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia and still in Poland, I want to say one thing: Don't give up. LGBT rights are human rights.

Agnieszka, Izabela, Agata, Marta, Anna, Justyna, Dorota – these are the names of women who died in my country only because the populist right from PiS and the extreme right from Confederacy decided to clear their consciences, suck up to the Catholic clergy. They cowardly submitted an application for recognition as unconstitutional, and already extremely unfriendly anti-abortion law, to the politicized Constitutional Court in order not to boil hell on Polish women with their hands. These deaths, this suffering of families, orphaned children, this is your shameful inheritance. To the mass protests of hundreds of thousands of Polish women and men, the right-wing government recently sent policemen armed to the teeth, who brutally suppressed the legitimate anger of their citizens. These shameful scenes from Polish cities and towns were seen by the whole world. Today, it is the duty of every democrat to stand by women and their rights. Today, it is the duty of every democrat to do everything so that no more, nowhere, neither in Poland nor in any country in the world, no family has to mourn their deceased mother, sister, daughter or wife. The time has come now, declarations alone are not enough. It's time to make abortion free and legal.

Mr President, thank you very much. Dear Commissioner, The rule of law is a fundamental value which is enshrined not only in the constitutions of the Member States but also in the Treaties. It is a pillar of democracy and a guarantee of our freedom. Let the efforts of Polish civil society over the past eight years attest to this commitment. Mass demonstrations and the determination of civil society, but also European solidarity, have led to the overthrow of populist rule, for which the first goal is always to overthrow the independence of the judiciary and subjugate democratic institutions. At this point, from the heart of Europe, today once again I want to say to the Polish people: thank you. Thank you for fighting and for believing that Poland can be law-abiding and democratic again. Populists most hate everything that is free, independent and autonomous. And that is why with such fury they always attack institutions that may stand in their way. We have experienced this in Poland over the last few years. It is with concern and hope that I observe how different the situation is in the countries of the European Union. On the one hand, Poland, where after the times of populist PiS rule, we finally see a light in the tunnel, but next to this positive image we still have Hungary, and now Slovakia, where we see a regression that not only threatens civil liberties, but also casts a shadow on our entire community. Let us not allow the shadow of authoritarianism to overshadow our values.

Mr President, thank you very much. Nysa, Kłodzko, Stronie Śląskie, Głuchołazy or Lądek Zdrój – the inhabitants of these Polish cities mourn the loss, unfortunately also of their loved ones, who were killed by the destructive element. Some cities are still preparing to pass the wave. People are dramatically defending their homes, strengthening the embankments. Just like in Wrocław, where residents together with uniformed services are sweating their foreheads to strengthen their city. A city that 27 years ago was so painfully affected by the flood of the century. From this place, as an MP from Lower Silesia and Opole, I would like to thank all the services involved, as well as all the residents who generously defend their fellow citizens. Flooding is not a local problem. This is a challenge for the whole of Europe. We need to show that we can work together. That we are ready to immediately support those who have suffered the most. We cannot bring back the lives of those who have died, but we can give hope to those who have lost everything. Let us show that Europe is united, that no one is left behind. Our solidarity must translate into immediate action. That is why I am appealing from this place to the Commissioner to immediately...

Mr President, thank you very much. Racism. Xenophobia. Islamophobia. It's anti-Semitism. Although many of us would like to consider these phenomena as relics of the past, unfortunately they return to political discourse, especially in the rhetoric of right-wing groups that cut off political coupons from hatred and divisions. Unfortunately, this also happens, and it is shameful to admit it, in this House. The data of the Fundamental Rights Agency say very clearly, they are alarming: In recent years, as many as 9 out of 10 people of Jewish descent in Europe have reported that anti-Semitism has intensified in their countries, and nearly 40% of them admitted that they are afraid to show their identity in public because of concerns about their safety. Europe cannot be a place where the demons of the past are reborn. Let us not allow our neighbors to live in fear. Every day when we don't react, someone loses their sense of security. This is where every act of violence begins. Our refusal to identify with those who hate others is simply not enough. Today we must gather here to actively stand up against racism. From words to hateful deeds is a very short way. Here at the heart of Europe, we must defend our values and human rights with courage. (The speaker does not agree to listen to the question signalled by the raising of a blue card by Patryk Jaki)