During a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, members discussed the conclusions of the European Council meeting held on March 20, 2025, in Brussels regarding the strengthening of the EU’s security and defense capabilities, enhancing the EU’s competitiveness, the EU’s long-term budget, migration, and multilateralism. Speaking on behalf of the ECR Group in the debate, which included the participation of Presidents António Costa and Ursula von der Leyen, were PiS MEPs Patryk Jaki and Anna Zalewska.
Patryk Jaki stated that in order to discuss external security, one must first ensure security within the European Union—put an end to the current migration policy and begin respecting the rights and freedoms of citizens. “First, you annulled the election results in Romania because the wrong candidate won, and now you’ve barred Marine Le Pen, who is leading in the polls, from running in the election so as not to risk her winning this time,” — noted the ECR leader, pointing out that this happened “even though the Western democratic system is built on the presumption of innocence and the right to appeal.” Jaki also pointed out that the head of the Constitutional Council, who was responsible for this scandal, is a longtime politician in Macron’s party and the former head of his office, who unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the National Assembly. “And, ironically, he barred the person who won those elections—with record-breaking support—from running,” Jaki noted.
“So, in reality, you didn’t take away Marine Le Pen’s rights, but you took away the rights of ordinary citizens—the right to decide their own future and whom they want to elect,” —said the PiS MEP, pointing out that “citizens are increasingly seeing through this propaganda, so these rights are being taken away from them in favor of handpicked judges who are supposed to decide for them.” “But that is neither the separation of powers nor democracy—it is the tyranny of the oligarchy. And it doesn’t matter how many times you repeat the words ‘democracy’ or ‘citizens’ freedom,’ since in your decisions you’re doing exactly the opposite—taking away as many freedoms and rights from citizens as possible and giving those rights to judges of your own choosing. This must stop,” the PiS politician urged.
Anna Zalewska said that a lack of competition, high energy prices, and bureaucracy “are the three deadly diseases that are killing the European Union.” She pointed to three documents responsible for the current situation, which she said should be revised. Among them, she mentioned the directive that, in 2014, changed the rules governing the ETS market, which became a speculative market—"and, in reality, a Ponzi scheme." She also highlighted the need to amend climate legislation. “Five years ago, climate legislation was being drafted, and even then we knew it didn’t reflect reality,” – Zalewska emphasized, recalling that shortly thereafter the pandemic began, followed by the war in Ukraine, and “the world described in climate legislation simply no longer existed then—and it still doesn’t.” The PiS MEP also spoke about the need to revise the budget. “We need to reconsider how to scale back green investments—which the Court of Auditors has already raised concerns about—and how to ensure readiness in the event of war,” she noted.
