Speeches

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. The prominent left-wing writer George Orwell, who once communised and then understood what communism was and converted to freedom and democracy, wrote the book Animal Farm. There he described the governments of pigs, which believe that they are more equal than other animals. I have the impression that George Orwell's book is still relevant in the minds of some politicians. I have the impression that sometimes over this room there is such a slogan: "there is no freedom for the enemies of freedom". But who is the enemy of freedom is already decided by this left side of the room. I have the impression that those who have the full mouth of democracy and who want to defend it are, in fact, opponents of that democracy. I appeal for common sense, for normality and decency.

Mr President, High Representative, since the October War, the world is gradually confirming the analysis that the Iranian resistance has been telling us for four decades: the Iranian regime is the head of the snake that creates war. The Iranian regime is active part of two main wars that are threatening European peace and tranquillity. They are providing drones and missiles to kill Ukrainians, and they were the instigator of the war in Gaza, with so many casualties. So it is high time to make Khamenei, the head of that snake, pay the price for making these wars. The European Union must immediately put IRGC on its terrorist list. We need to support the PMOI Resistance Units inside Iran and recognise the rights to fight against the regime.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Mr. High Representative, thank you very much. This debate is certainly listened to attentively in Moscow, because the words of condemnation, verbal sanctions Russia is not afraid. But strikes on the pocket are afraid, because it is an instrument that can actually harm Moscow and Russian imperialism. It must be said very clearly to those who speak of the sacred right of property, that those who in the last two years, and also earlier, have plundered Ukrainian lands, and also, after all, have occupied part of the territory of Georgia and, in fact, part of the territory of Moldova, that they did not care about the right of property. The more it is necessary to apply adequate measures and those that will cause real harm to those who in the 21st century want to achieve benefits through war, the largest since World War II. Of course, the devil is in the details, so we need to determine very precisely what these frozen funds will go for. Because we also had different opinions in this debate and they are something obvious and natural. Will these measures be used to rebuild Ukraine after peace, or rather after a ceasefire that does not know when it will replace? Or will they support the war effort of our EU and also of my country, Poland, our eastern neighbour? We must be precise, but certainly Russian assets must be frozen. There is no alternative.

Mr President, an oral amendment to Amendment 29: ‘underlines that the Parliament should provide the financing of the APA missions in question from the same budget line as the one for EP missions’. Shortly speaking, we cannot discriminate our assistance.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Representatives of the Court of Auditors! Well, it is not good, as once again for the budget discharge, and so such a technical and financial report adds political matters. Making politics out of everything is the wrong way. To say that it is regrettable that Hungary has been given money is a misunderstanding. It shouldn't be. On other points, however, I would point out that, for the fourth consecutive year, the Court of Auditors has delivered an adverse opinion on the legality and regularity of the Union’s budget expenditure. There is a worrying trend towards a worsening of the error rate by more than twice the materiality threshold. And it's getting worse every year. Two years ago 2.7%, a year ago 3%, and now 4.2%. We also found material errors in reimbursement-based expenditure. Error rate 6%. Finally, the report draws attention to weaknesses and serious shortcomings in the functioning of the European Commission, in particular the lack of transparency in the financing of many areas, including COVID-related expenditure and the financing of NGOs.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, Perhaps it is a pity that our former colleague Alexander Stubb, who was elected president of Finland and who recently, although not much younger than me, took sixth place at the triathlon world championships, is not here with us. This is an example of a healthy lifestyle! However, I think that in this debate we should pay special attention to the elderly, to the elderly. It is the duty not only of the state, but also of local governments, not to mention the European Union, to take special care of these people. We'll all be seniors someday. I think that the manifestation of a certain humanity of people of power is whether they think about such people, and also what they do for them, so that these people are a full-fledged part of society, especially since they have worked for years for our well-being.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, Unfortunately, Commissioner Johansson's colleague has caused great concern in the societies of our European Union, saying that the Union needs four and a half million immigrants a year. Of course, this can be divided into individual countries. My country, Poland, is the 5th largest in the European Union. That's hundreds of thousands in a year. No wonder people are afraid. They are simply afraid of such a situation. And they remember what happened, for example, in Finland, which in 1990 invited only 100 Somalis for humanitarian reasons. At the moment, after more than 30 years, there are 6,000 Somalis there at the moment. That's a huge increase. Therefore, instead of making surreal plans and proposals, listen to people.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. I think that this debate must show our unanimity. This is very important because Russia would like a divided Europe. I think this death can and should strengthen our response to this empire of evil. Here Prime Minister Verhofstadt said that the Commission is doing wrong, probably so that the Council is doing wrong, probably so, and I will only recall what happened after the death of Boris Nemtsov 10 years ago. The European Parliament did not freeze relations with the Russian Duma and parliament, after the invasion of Russia and the seizure of Crimea and Donbass, it froze only when Boris Nemtsov was killed. I think that even more so now, after Navalny's death, Europe should show its unity.

Madam President, Commissioner! President from Finland, Commissioner from Finland! I'm sorry, I'm not from Finland, but I'll say "kiitos" at the end. I think this is an important debate because we are talking about a country that is in second, third place when it comes to territory, when it comes to population in Africa. It is a key country for this continent and, at the same time, a country which, it must be said, is a country that has a very difficult path to democracy, a country in conflict with some of its neighbours. Recently, the Commissioner has been to Angola, and I have also been to the European Union-ACP Parliamentary Assembly. And the president of Angola is the politician who is credible in the negotiations between Rwanda and Congo. I think we have to go through negotiations.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, I'll get straight to the point. What was far too little in this report? For non-political reasons, there was not enough about Cuba, not enough about Venezuela, not enough about Nicaragua. Well, and there are pros that we were talking about Ukraine. It was good that there was talk of the need to enforce the human rights clause in international agreements. This is particularly important in relations between the European Union, the EU27 and the countries of Africa and some part of Latin America and Asia. I think the treatment of migrants and refugees was very ideological. And my group disagrees with that. As with the attempt to make human rights a reality in every European Union policy. I think it is better to talk about them strongly, but not at every opportunity, because there will be some inflation, and the important issues of inflation do not like.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. We, Poles, and our neighbours the Baltics, and not only our neighbours in the north-east, can have bitter satisfaction, because we have been talking about these Russian interferences, including agents, for years. However, we are aware that this does not apply only to one political group or just the Baltic countries, where in each parliamentary term there are several citizens of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, who are of Russian origin and whom the Russian minority chooses. I remember, ladies and gentlemen, this situation in the first term of the European Parliament, the Polish Parliament and the countries of the new Union, when the report on Nordstream was voted on. One Member tabled a hundred amendments and she was a Member from the United Kingdom. She was a member of the ALDE Group and the Liberals Group, who was then elected Vice-President of Parliament. This shows the scale of interference in very different political groups and very different countries, including those that are no longer in the European Union. This shows the scale of the problem.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. This is an important debate. It is a pity that the President of the European Commission did not persevere to the end. I want to thank you for these important declarations. Words are important. They change reality, but they cost less than deeds. I cannot understand why we, as the Union, are still not really sealing the sanctions regime, why still, in fact, many Western companies are still doing business with Russia? I know, I know. We can say here that there are companies from America, from Taiwan, from Switzerland. But there are also companies from our European Union. This is how they help Russia. If a significant, very large part of the semiconductors needed for the Russian army, but also for Russian industry, comes from the West, if Russian soldiers kill Ukrainians with shoes that they import from Western countries, then you have to hit your chest and think about why this is happening.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, It must be made very clear – and this may have been lacking – that Serbia is a country in a geopolitical match between us, the West, and Russia. And, of course, there are many Serbs who want to be closer to Moscow than closer to the European Union. Question: What do we say? Will we, as the Union, try to westernise, ‘sweeten’ Serbia, or will we turn our backs on it and de facto push it towards Moscow? I think that in terms of a certain interest of the West, the European Union, this is a much better first option. Of course, we can and should be critical of some manifestations of Serbian democracy, but we should not suddenly stop noticing the geopolitical interest, and this is the most important one. We must be open to Serbia, we must join the European Union as soon as possible.

Dear Mr President, Hungary is a European country with a great history and a determining European nation. Hungarian culture has had a great impact on European culture and our common European traditions. Of course, Hungarians also represent a wide range of political opinions, make free decisions and go their own way, just as Hungarians deserve respect from all nations. However, following the European political debates of recent years, I have the strong impression that Hungary is being attacked innumerably in a politically motivated and unjust manner. "(incomprehensible words)" Go Hungary, Go Hungarians! Ria ria Hungária!

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, I would prefer, however, that – this is a remark to my previous speaker – the German Members deal with their internal affairs outside this room. We are talking about European solutions, not disputes within Germany. This debate is needed. I think it is important to be clear that some NGOs have been in the past and can be used by foreign countries. I am talking specifically about Russia. Of course, you should not pour the baby with a bath. Non-governmental organisations should be trusted, the third sector should be trusted. However, in my opinion, it should not be overlooked that this may be an instrument of Russian or other foreign influences. Of course – and I say this as the coordinator of my ECR faction in the Committee on Budgetary Control – we need to look very carefully at the proper use of these funds in order to avoid corruption.

Mr President, thank you very much. Vice-President of the Commission, Ladies and Gentlemen, This is a total war for Russia, which is not only about turning industry into war and delivering more than twice as many tanks in a year as the West delivered to Ukraine. This is a total war, also in the area of propaganda, minds and mentalities, since cadet schools and officer schools in Russia have never experienced such a siege as now. It is a total war also because it is about the destruction of Ukraine, also when it comes to the ecosystem. Kachowka is a very eloquent symbol here. But it's not just about her. Of course, it can be said that some pollution is evidently the result of warfare, but some of it is done in an absolutely intentional way and for this purpose in a planned way. It seems very important to show our solidarity in this matter at a time when our societies are increasingly tired of this war. There's nothing to hide. We are talking here about the societies of our region of Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Western Europe. All the more reason to show unity today.

Mr President, thank you very much. Dear Vice-Presidents, Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, It is good that there is this debate, it is good that there are two vice-presidents of the European Commission. In principle, this European economic security strategy needs to be supported, but it is also worth creating a full map of threats and vulnerabilities to our European economic security. We need tools that will effectively protect both the research process and the technological and industrial base. And here we need close cooperation between the High Representative of the European Commission and the Member States, which I strongly stress. There is also a need for close dialogue between the European Union and the United States. And I am glad that I learned from Mr President that the flexibility is as much as 15 seconds, I fit in.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen! It is good that men are speaking in the European Parliament on this issue. And it is good that this issue is something that unites MEPs from different sides of our House. This is an important message to the world. I think that unanimity in this matter, or almost unanimity, is something important, necessary and expected. We can talk here about various forms of violence, sometimes systemic violence, violence that even in some African and Asian countries has its roots in certain habits, traditions, customs – which does not change the fact that it is still violence and in the 21st century it must be said very clearly, very clearly, that it is violence, even if it is conditioned in a certain culture of a given society. Nevertheless, a red light must be lit on this type of violence, even where it is – attention – sometimes socially acceptable. It is good that there is a clear message from our European Parliament on this issue.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, I'm sorry. The three countries that are candidates for accession to the European Union, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, are countries whose territory is occupied by Russia. In Moldova it is Transnistria. Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk are known in Ukraine. It is also known that in Georgia it is Abkhazia and South Ossetia. And the death we are talking about today shows what the Russian occupation is, what Russia is. It is good that we speak with one voice on this issue. But it must also be made clear that we must have a special plan for countries that want to come to us, which are former post-Soviet republics, so that pro-Russian forces weaken there and pro-European forces strengthen there. And I think that this can be part of a thank you to those Georgians who died fighting for freedom.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, If I were to ask how many of you were in Niger, I'm sure a few people would come forward. I was. It is perhaps the poorest, certainly one of the poorest countries in Africa, and perhaps the world, a country that is a dictatorship. But this, of course, does not mean that it must be a poor country, because we know in Africa – the stethos or unfortunately – countries that are dictatorships and which provide citizens with a much better life than what is happening in Niger. Certainly, this pro-Russian upheaval that took place there is a photograph of the increase in military and, in part, political influence of Russia on this continent. On the other hand, it is certainly necessary today to demand the release of a president who, as we hear, eats dry pasta in order to survive. Let us be united in this matter.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Secretary of State! Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. I think that we are in agreement in many respects on this issue, although as a historian I would prefer that we also talk about the past, because Russia's full-scale war with Ukraine is also the responsibility of politicians on our side, who for years have preferred to be blind when it comes to Russian imperialism. On the other hand, when talking about the 12th package of sanctions, first of all we should try to close those loopholes that arose consciously during the previous packages, when individual countries received derogations in exchange for voting in favour of sanctions. This was the case, for example, in Belgium or Italy. And you have to talk about it directly and very honestly. I think it is also necessary to say very unequivocally that there are companies in the West that cooperate, or maybe better say collaborate, with Russia that make money from it. In fact, it happens with our permission. It is a certain schizophrenia that we, on the one hand, rightly impose sanctions on Russia, but on the other hand, we are completely passive towards Western companies from our countries, especially from Western European countries, which are still making very good money, doing business with Russia. That's unacceptable.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Yes, we owe Chechens solidarity, especially those who fight for the freedom of their homeland. And they fight for this freedom with those who have a Russian umbrella. But we also owe them because we, as the European Union, have sins of conscience against Chechnya. After all, I recall the situation I was a participant in when the administration of the European Parliament censored an exhibition about the Chechen war here in the European Parliament. Let me remind you that there was a common denominator between Russia and the European Union, namely the recognition of the Caucasus Emirate as a terrorist organization. Is that right? So it is all the more necessary for the European Union to hit its chest for what it has done before – because at some point it was really playing with Russia on this issue – and all the more so to show in solidarity that it is for those who are fighting for freedom, for human rights, also for women’s rights in this country, which deserves real freedom, and not to be Moscow’s outpost.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Ladies and Gentlemen, When I was a dozen or so years old, 20 years old and in martial law in Poland we fought the communists for the freedom of our country, in distant Afghanistan Massoud was also a legend for us. After 40 years, today I am an MEP here, and Massoud continues to fight, Afghanistan continues to fight. I'm glad his son is here with us today. Ladies and gentlemen, the Taliban have this narrative that they are other Taliban, that they are well educated, that they graduated from Western universities. I'll just remind you that Pol Pot in Cambodia also graduated from a French university, and committed genocide of his people, not so far from Afghanistan. Let us stand in solidarity with those who want freedom, human rights in Afghanistan – yes, with Massoud.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. I had the honour of being a member of the European Union-Moldova delegation for several years. I have been to Moldova several times, in a country that has historical ties to Poland several centuries ago. I think what is happening there is really a very important geopolitical match between the West and Russia. Moldova deserves our full support, our serious support, and not as it was a few months ago, where the European Union offered Moldova 150 million euros, of which 110 million Moldova had to repay because it was a form of loan. I think that this support for the country, which, moreover, has received a lot of Ukrainian refugees, should be much greater. And to President Sandu, I have such good advice that she should focus on her country's accession to the European Union and not criticise other countries that are also seeking this accession, because this, I think, is not a serious strategy or tactic.

You are doing an election campaign and you are doing it at the expense of Poland, because you are doing it in the European Parliament. Voters will see this soon. I think it is precisely on this point that we should thank the Polish government for what it has done for farmers in the last eight years. It is not appropriate for the people who represent us in the European Parliament to campaign in such a dirty way. Let us not quarrel here on this point. I think my speech showed that we shouldn't argue. You chose differently. The voters will judge it.