A debate titled “This Is Europe” took place today in Strasbourg, featuring Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Luc Frieden. ECR Group Co-Chair Patryk Jaki spoke on behalf of the group during the discussion.
Patryk Jaki was critical of the Luxembourg Prime Minister’s remarks, in which he invoked the figure of Robert Schuman and European values, mentioning, among other things, the climate. “It’s ironic that you refer to Robert Schuman and European values, yet at the same time you overlook what was most important to Schuman—Christianity,” said the Polish politician. He also recalled Schuman’s words, who said that “either Europe will be Christian, or it will not exist at all.” “He wrote that Europe owes its existence to Christianity, because it must have a soul—a soul that you are so consistently destroying today,” added the co-chair of the ECR Group.
“You are calling for a change to the treaties and the removal of the veto right, whereas Schuman himself said on May 9, 1950, that he did not want Europe to merge into a single state. He wanted to see it ‘as a community of nations deeply rooted in their traditions,’” the MEP recalled.
Patryk Jaki also sharply criticized the European Union’s approach to the war between Russia and Ukraine. “It’s no longer tolerable to hear you talk about fighting Russia while at the same time allowing Germany to file a request for the arrest of a Ukrainian who blew up Nord Stream—the gas pipeline financing the Russian war machine,” he commented.
The MEP emphasized that despite Russia’s brutal actions—daily attacks on civilians, bombings of hospitals, and violations of international law—the European Union is not putting any real obstacles in its way. He noted that although 17 rounds of sanctions have already been adopted, they are not yielding the expected results, and Russia continues to openly flout the West’s actions. According to the MEP, the European Union’s actions toward Russia are riddled with contradictions. On the one hand, EU institutions declare their commitment to combating the Kremlin’s aggression; on the other, they allow actions that undermine those declarations. He also noted that the European Union has not decided to seize frozen Russian assets in Europe, a move that could deal a real blow to Putin’s war machine. “Russia continues to laugh at us,” he added.
Patryk Jaki also addressed the EU’s climate policy, describing the Green Deal as “a scam and a fraud.” In his view, Europe has lost everything it could in this regard—from economic competitiveness to the development of new technologies. He noted that energy prices in Europe are significantly higher than in China or the United States, economic growth is lower, and global CO₂ emissions continue to rise. He also emphasized that Europe has lost the race for green technologies to China, which has dominated the market.
“It’s time for radical change in Europe,” argued Patryk Jaki. He added that the EU should return to its roots—to the values upon which it was built by founding fathers such as Robert Schuman. “That was when Europe was a powerhouse and was strong, because it was based on values and a true spirit,” he noted. “Current policies are a path from which Europe will never recover. A radical change is needed,” he urged.
