Today in Strasbourg, during the ongoing plenary session of the European Parliament, a debate took place on the need to provide targeted assistance to EU regions bordering Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. PiS MEPs Tobiasz Bocheński and Maciej Wąsik spoke during the discussion, which included Raffaele Fitto, the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reform.
Tobiasz Bocheński stated: “Vladimir Putin had a choice between peace and war—and he chose war. He chose to murder innocent people. He chose acts of aggression and hostility toward his neighbors.” The MEP recalled that the Russian dictator had clearly declared his intention to restore the power of the Russian Empire, threatening Finland, the Baltic states, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and all the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. “We Poles, more than almost anyone else, know what Russian cruelty and tyranny entail. We are not against Russia as such. We could have a dialogue with Politkovskaya’s Russia. But we are against Putin’s Russia,” he emphasized. In this context, he noted that the need to strengthen the European Union’s eastern border is indisputable. “And as Poles, regardless of our political views, we are united by a deep conviction that the European Union must move from words to dynamic action and spending so that we, as the eastern flank of NATO and the European Union, can defend everyone else,” he argued.
Maciej Wąsik said that the regions bordering Russia and Belarus—which are waging hybrid warfare—as well as those bordering war-torn Ukraine, expect security. “That is why the European Commission president’s decision not to support the construction of physical barriers on the border with Russia or Belarus is astonishing,” he stated. The PiS MEP recalled that Poland, at great financial cost, built a barrier on the border with Belarus in 2022. As he pointed out, Lithuania and Latvia have erected similar barriers, and construction of another one is underway in Finland. The Polish politician also noted that Ursula von der Leyen had refused to provide European assistance in this regard, saying, “We take the position that there will be no funding for barbed wire or walls.” “Madam President, it is time to put an end to this senseless approach,” he urged.
“Funding is also essential for border regions that have suffered losses due to militarization or restrictions resulting from the crisis,” Wąsik emphasized, pointing out that tourism has come to a standstill there and the infrastructure requires reconstruction.
The PiS MEP recalled that the migration crisis on the border with Belarus began four years ago, and the war in Ukraine has been ongoing for three years. In this context, he asked the commissioner whether he considered it appropriate to turn a deaf ear to the appeals for help sent by governments and local authorities in the border regions. “Those who help quickly help twice as much. Why do we have to wait years for support from the EU? Is this what European solidarity is supposed to be?” he asked.
