A debate on EU-U.S. trade negotiations took place in Strasbourg during the European Parliament’s plenary session. PiS MEPs Anna Zalewska and Jacek Ozdoba spoke during the discussion.
Anna Zalewska emphasized that one should speak with a strategic trade partner and guarantor of Europe’s security “with respect, in a spirit of partnership, and with full responsibility for one’s words.” “This also applies to the words spoken here,” she noted. The MEP stated that the European Commission has a lot of work to do to dispel the negative impressions left by the U.S. election campaign, in which it was involved. “Contempt is remembered. We must distance ourselves from contempt in order to create an atmosphere conducive to good negotiations and good agreements,” said the Polish politician. At the same time, according to Anna Zalewska, we should “ask the European Commission about its knowledge of the Draghi report, which clearly indicates what is happening with Europe’s competitiveness.” “We must fight for what is ours, but we must also remember that everyone deserves to be treated as a partner,” she emphasized.
Jacek Ozdoba stated that if Europe wants to be competitive today and engage in constructive discussions on trade, it must return to its roots and “throw out all those ideological ideas that have been put forward in this Chamber.” “Hundreds of hours of discussion on topics that later have no reflection in effective solutions for the economy,” noted the PiS politician. “‘Drill, baby, drill’—that’s what the President of the United States says. And what is Europe doing? We’re shutting down industry, blocking business growth, imposing additional taxes, coming up with some ideological nonsense, or banning the registration of internal-combustion cars,” — Ozdoba remarked, pointing out that, meanwhile, “America is reviving and beginning to function normally again.” According to the ECR MEP, if Europe wants to be competitive and maintain strong trade relations with the United States, it must, above all, remove Ursula von der Leyen from office. “She is the face of failure today, and Europe—the European economy—is currently suffering the consequences of her misguided policies,” he emphasized.
