During the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg and the debate on the motion of no confidence against the European Commission, Patryk Jaki, co-chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, sharply criticized the direction of the European Union’s energy and trade policies. In his speech, he warned against repeating past mistakes and against the consequences of a trade agreement with the Mercosur countries for Europe’s food security.
“Europe faces a choice today: either long-term, strategic thinking, or quick, short-sighted ‘dealing in backroom deals’ that ends in disgrace,” – emphasized Patryk Jaki, recalling the ECR’s warnings from years ago regarding the Nord Stream 1 and 2 projects. As he noted, short-term benefits in the form of cheap gas led to the loss of Europe’s own energy sources, the weakening of the continent, and, consequently, increased dependence on Russia.
The MEP pointed out that Europe is still bearing the consequences of these decisions today, including by funding multibillion-euro aid to Ukraine. “We got rid of our own energy, and now you want us to get rid of our own food,” he said, warning that a continent without its own agriculture would become vulnerable to further crises and threats.
Patryk Jaki’s speech focused largely on the planned EU–Mercosur trade agreement. The ECR Group leader pointed to the fundamental inequality in competitive conditions between European farmers and South American producers. “You have imposed the Green Deal’s stringent standards on European farmers, standards that do not exist in Mercosur countries. This is not free trade; it is unfair competition,” he emphasized, comparing the situation to a race in which only one side has its “hands and feet tied.”
Jaki cited specific data regarding the use in Brazil of hundreds of pesticides not approved in the European Union, including substances banned due to health risks to women and children. He also pointed out the lack of European standards regarding growth hormones and antibiotics in animal husbandry in Mercosur countries. “You want to create hell for European consumers—all just to sell cars quickly,” he said.
The MEP also criticized the European Commission’s assurances regarding the so-called safeguard clauses. In his view, the EU lacks the practical tools to effectively monitor production in Mercosur countries. “You won’t be able to verify even 1 percent of what’s produced there, and the safeguard provisions are one-sided,” he said, accusing EU institutions of misleading farmers and withholding information.
Toward the end of his speech, Patryk Jaki warned that the agreement with Mercosur could indirectly support Russia, including through trade in fertilizers. “This is not a fair trade agreement. Europe is not just a market—Europe is a community of values,” he emphasized.
“Great projects fail not when they lose wars, but when they betray their own societies,” concluded the ECR leader, calling on the European Commission to step down.
