A hearing was held at the European Parliament in Brussels for Piotr Serafin, the candidate for Commissioner for Budget, Public Administration, and Anti-Fraud. Bogdan Rzońca, a PiS MEP and ECR coordinator on the Budget Committee, took part in the exchange of views with the Polish candidate for commissioner.
“As political groups, we differ on many issues, but we all want to live in a single, secure Europe, and that is what should unite us,” stated Bogdan Rzońca. The ECR Group’s coordinator on the BUDG Committee asked the commissioner-designate: “Will you find the strength and determination to redirect a portion of the European Union’s budget toward funding security at the European Union’s borders, build a financial consensus on border security issues, and allocate funds, for example, to Frontex or to security fences along the European Union’s borders?”He highlighted Poland’s challenges along its borders with Russia and Belarus, as well as the threat of hybrid warfare. He added that security is a major budget item, “but it is truly something that can bring us together.”
Piotr Serafin stated that his ambition is “to propose a budget that unites rather than divides.” He noted that consensus is a prerequisite for such an approach. “It seems to me that when it comes to migration policy, everyone in Europe today, without exception, is aware of how important it is and fully understands the need to protect the European Union’s external borders,” he noted. He added that without effectively protected external borders of the European Union, there would be no Schengen Area, which would be a huge loss for the entire Community.
The candidate for commissioner presented several arguments that indicate the widespread acceptance of this view. He referred to this year’s discussions among EU politicians regarding the revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework. “Migration is an area where the European budget has been strengthened; there are more funds allocated to migration policy, which has many dimensions,” said Piotr Serafin. He pointed out that these areas include not only Frontex and the integrated border management system, but also cooperation with third countries, which is another way to protect the European Union’s external borders. “It seems to me that in the future we can count on better support for the protection of external borders, since the alternative to robustly defended external borders is costly border protection within the European Union,” concluded the candidate for commissioner.
