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EU AI Act, Article 50. 00:06:47.009 --> 00:06:52.610 Ms. Counsel, you are accompanied by the Marshal. 00:06:52.654 --> 00:06:53.854 We may begin, Mr President. 00:06:54.569 --> 00:06:55.769 Good morning to you all. 00:06:57.869 --> 00:07:00.357 A very good morning to all of you, ladies and gentlemen. 00:07:00.389 --> 00:07:03.089 I'm resuming this session, Adama Gomoło. 00:07:03.209 --> 00:07:07.732 Jacek Niedźwiecki and Weronika Smarduch, Adrian Wicza-Kulbis, Secretaries to this 00:07:07.781 --> 00:07:08.609 session, 00:07:08.609 --> 00:07:14.886 and the first round, Weronika Smarduch, Adrian Wicza-Kulbis Secretaries. 00:07:14.969 --> 00:07:21.071 A list of speakers and minutes will be taken by Madam Smarduch and Mr. 00:07:21.149 --> 00:07:27.985 Niedźwiecki. The committees have come up with reports on revised law on higher 00:07:28.074 --> 00:07:32.395 education and science, and some other three. 00:07:32.549 --> 00:07:39.329 33, and the revised law on education and science, 3000. 00:07:39.749 --> 00:07:43.669 At another senior citizens' convention, I decided to supplement the agenda with 00:07:43.715 --> 00:07:46.602 points covering the consideration of these reports. 00:07:46.651 --> 00:07:51.442 Under Article 51, paragraph 2 of the Rules of Procedure of the Sejm, entitled 00:07:51.513 --> 00:07:55.925 entities have submitted motions to proceed to second readings without observing the 00:07:55.985 --> 00:08:01.813 deadline set out in Article 44, paragraph 3 of the Rules of Procedure of the Sejm. 00:08:01.865 --> 00:08:06.253 The sponsors justify the motions by the importance of the matters addressed in these 00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:10.742 draft laws. I will put these motions to the vote in turn. 00:08:10.870 --> 00:08:16.647 We are proceeding to the vote. On the report by the Committee on the Government Bill 00:08:16.695 --> 00:08:20.655 on the Amendment to the Act on Higher Education and Science and Certain Other Acts. 00:08:20.736 --> 00:08:25.526 Which of the ladies and gentlemen of the Members of Parliament are in favour of 00:08:25.586 --> 00:08:30.223 adopting the motion to proceed to the second reading without observing the deadline 00:08:30.286 --> 00:08:34.724 set out in Article 44(3) of the Rules of Procedure of the Sejm? 00:08:34.768 --> 00:08:42.770 Those in favour of the draft law contained in the report from print number 3303, 00:08:42.891 --> 00:08:45.777 please raise your hand and press the button. 00:08:45.824 --> 00:08:57.656 Who is against? Who abstained? Thank you. 416 MPs voted, 263 in favour, 152 against, 00:08:57.713 --> 00:09:00.419 and 1 abstained. The Sejm adopted the motion. 00:09:00.488 --> 00:09:05.086 We now proceed to the vote on the committee report on the Government's draft Act 00:09:05.150 --> 00:09:08.058 amending the Act on Higher Education and Science. 00:09:08.113 --> 00:09:12.738 Which of the ladies and gentlemen Members of Parliament are in favour of adopting 00:09:12.798 --> 00:09:17.833 the motion to proceed to the second reading without observing the deadline set out 00:09:17.897 --> 00:09:21.728 in Article 44(3) of the Rules of Procedure? 00:09:21.774 --> 00:09:27.746 I invite the Members to raise their hands and press the voting button for the draft 00:09:27.823 --> 00:09:31.142 law contained in the report from print No 3304. 00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:42.737 Who is against? Who abstained? Thank you. 417 Members voted, 264 in favour, 152 00:09:42.889 --> 00:09:48.953 against, 1 abstention. The Sejm has adopted the motion. 00:09:49.065 --> 00:09:54.399 Madam Speaker, I welcome to Poland the President of the European Parliament, Ms 00:09:54.467 --> 00:09:58.649 Roberta Metsola, who is here on an official visit with a delegation. 00:10:11.489 --> 00:10:19.818 I welcome the Marshal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland, Ms Małgorzata 00:10:19.990 --> 00:10:25.406 Kidawa-Błońska, I welcome the Members of the European Parliament present in the 00:10:25.452 --> 00:10:32.945 gallery who will be listening to the speech by the President, Roberta Metsola. 00:10:33.113 --> 00:10:38.868 The Polish Sejm and Senate are actively participating in the work at the EU forum. 00:10:38.928 --> 00:10:43.840 In the Sejm, we highly value the activities of the Committee on of the European 00:10:43.893 --> 00:10:49.676 Union, chaired by Ms Agnieszka Pomacka. Polish parliamentarians are taking part in 00:10:49.753 --> 00:10:56.142 numerous forms of parliamentary cooperation national parliaments of European Union 00:10:56.218 --> 00:11:00.725 Member States, as well as in debates organised by the European Parliament. 00:11:00.784 --> 00:11:06.509 Here, they often have the opportunity to collaborate with female and male Members of 00:11:06.579 --> 00:11:13.033 the European Parliament. We are all the more pleased by the presence of MEPs at 00:11:13.147 --> 00:11:18.544 today’s sitting. I now call on the President of the European Parliament, Ms Roberta 00:11:18.599 --> 00:11:20.009 Metsola, to take the floor. 00:11:45.509 --> 00:11:59.413 Okay. Mr. Marshall, Prime Minister, Honourable Members, of the same senators, 00:11:59.549 --> 00:12:03.749 members, of the European Parliament, Excellencies. 00:12:05.009 --> 00:12:07.889 Mr President Biżoga, thank you. 00:12:09.809 --> 00:12:16.649 For. Inviting me to address this House, dziękuję bardzo. 00:12:18.869 --> 00:12:21.749 Wislawa Szymborska's 'Once Road' was published. 00:12:23.429 --> 00:12:29.527 that we only know ourselves as far as we have been tested. 00:12:29.789 --> 00:12:35.196 If that is true of people, it is true of nations too. 00:12:35.309 --> 00:12:40.418 And very few nations have been tested like Poland. 00:12:40.589 --> 00:12:46.487 Yet Poland has always shown what it means to emerge stronger. 00:12:46.649 --> 00:12:55.259 Fairer. And prouder. The toughest steel is forged in the hottest of fires. 00:12:55.409 --> 00:13:01.981 And Polish steel like Polish spirit is unbreakable. 00:13:02.129 --> 00:13:15.410 Dear friends, dear friends, I am the President of the European Parliament, I am a 00:13:15.524 --> 00:13:22.534 mother of four boys, I am a proud daughter of the Mediterranean, from an island in 00:13:22.627 --> 00:13:37.176 the middle of our southern sea. I am a patriot, and I am a European. 00:13:37.769 --> 00:13:45.605 Those of us from the Karol Wojtyła generation know that there is no contradiction in 00:13:45.743 --> 00:13:52.472 those two terms. As children, we saw the fall of the wall. 00:13:52.589 --> 00:14:01.529 The end of communism and felt the optimism that solidarność embodied not only for 00:14:01.649 --> 00:14:10.541 Poles, but for all Europeans. We were guided by the Cardinal from Kraków, who became 00:14:10.632 --> 00:14:16.102 our Pope, and called on us, "Be not afraid! 00:14:16.409 --> 00:14:28.979 " Be not afraid! As teenagers, we were shaped by his message of freedom, peace, and 00:14:29.114 --> 00:14:37.848 dignity. As democracy came back, as students we listened as he spoke of hope for 00:14:37.951 --> 00:14:45.608 Europe despite his public suffering. And as adults, we celebrated as he was 00:14:45.719 --> 00:14:59.880 canonized Saint John Paul II. My generation knows what a Europe with and without the 00:14:59.990 --> 00:15:04.467 European Union looks like. We are far from perfect. 00:15:04.529 --> 00:15:10.300 We must be open to reform, to change, to fix what is needed. 00:15:10.409 --> 00:15:22.389 But ultimately, a world with the European Union in it is a better place for all of 00:15:22.873 --> 00:15:30.202 us. And sometimes it is necessary to remind ourselves and the people that we serve 00:15:30.333 --> 00:15:39.633 of what is at stake: of how far we have come together, of what we can lose, so it is 00:15:39.709 --> 00:15:45.491 an enormous honor to stand here as a representative of the European Parliament in 00:15:45.569 --> 00:15:50.935 this historic nation chamber of this great nation and speak today. 00:15:51.029 --> 00:16:04.205 Poland has always felt like home to me. We joined— We joined the EU on the same day. 00:16:04.409 --> 00:16:11.883 We share so much. My sister studied here, and as a student I traveled across this 00:16:11.957 --> 00:16:17.609 country and every time I come back it feels like coming back to old friends. 00:16:18.689 --> 00:16:30.474 Our— Now, our challenge in the EU today is to do more, to rediscover the enthusiasm 00:16:30.592 --> 00:16:36.382 and hope that swept our countries in 2004. 00:16:36.689 --> 00:16:45.818 To return to the big bold courageous ideas that make a real difference in people's 00:16:45.885 --> 00:16:53.875 lives. Ideas that we can deliver on at speed that place our union as the global 00:16:53.947 --> 00:17:01.612 player we know it to be. To ensure that we are truly an accelerator of growth. 00:17:01.709 --> 00:17:06.479 To end the unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy. 00:17:06.569 --> 00:17:12.455 Acting as a brake on European innovation. To rally with one another when we face 00:17:12.509 --> 00:17:18.464 down common threats to our security and our people's safety. 00:17:18.629 --> 00:17:24.154 Now, I am not here to lecture and I am not here to preach. 00:17:24.269 --> 00:17:37.101 I am here for all of us to roll up our sleeves and work together. 00:17:37.709 --> 00:17:45.595 Poland is a proud nation. Baptized more than a thousand years ago, that gave Europe 00:17:45.698 --> 00:17:53.699 its first modern written constitution. That held the line at the gates of Warsaw in 00:17:53.814 --> 00:18:01.603 1920 and held it for all of us. That in many respects holds the line still. 00:18:01.709 --> 00:18:08.377 Through 123 years of partitions, Poland never once stopped being Poland. 00:18:08.489 --> 00:18:12.149 Your anthem was born in those years with a promise: 00:18:12.389 --> 00:18:16.409 Poland has not yet perished, so long as we still live. 00:18:22.649 --> 00:18:29.280 And you kept and you kept that promise in your language, in your culture, and in 00:18:29.365 --> 00:18:34.253 your families. Then came the occupation. War. 00:18:34.409 --> 00:18:41.400 And half a century behind the iron curtain, where Poles were told what to think, 00:18:41.489 --> 00:18:45.522 what they could say, and where they could travel. 00:18:45.629 --> 00:18:54.163 Where fear ruled. The evils of totalitarianism and communism were felt by every 00:18:54.289 --> 00:19:00.913 family in this country. But it is not the bleakness and suffering of those years 00:19:00.979 --> 00:19:06.833 that marks Poland. It is how you responded that the world looks at. 00:19:06.929 --> 00:19:10.812 Poland was tested, and it was Poles who stepped forward. 00:19:10.889 --> 00:19:16.789 From the shipyard in Gdańsk, with solidarność at the round table and in the 00:19:16.853 --> 00:19:25.298 elections of June 1989, Poland showed the world that the system could be beaten, and 00:19:25.407 --> 00:19:30.302 then Poland did something remarkable, almost overnight. 00:19:30.389 --> 00:19:37.026 You chose freedom, democracy, democracy. And open economy. 00:19:37.169 --> 00:19:48.248 And you never looked back. You know, there is a saying about those who make the 00:19:48.377 --> 00:19:55.561 loudest noises. Now, you stood up. It took courage. 00:19:55.649 --> 00:20:00.112 And it asked a great deal of a whole generation. 00:20:00.209 --> 00:20:04.540 You built again and you promised never again. 00:20:04.649 --> 00:20:09.219 You had those big courageous ideas and you delivered them. 00:20:09.269 --> 00:20:13.652 And that, in many respects, is also the story of Europe. 00:20:13.769 --> 00:20:20.439 And I see the European Union as the guarantee of that promise made in 1989. 00:20:20.789 --> 00:20:26.869 Of freedom, of dignity, of security. Of hope. 00:20:27.029 --> 00:20:33.736 That's what Europe must mean for so many. In a single generation, income per person 00:20:33.789 --> 00:20:38.679 in Poland has grown more than eightfold. Since you joined the EU, your economy has 00:20:38.729 --> 00:20:45.324 grown twice as fast as the European average. 00:20:45.509 --> 00:20:52.325 You are now counted among the 20 largest economies in the world and will soon take 00:20:52.397 --> 00:20:59.891 your place at the G20 table, hopefully permanently. 00:21:00.269 --> 00:21:07.441 Now, people call it the Polish miracle. But this was about hard work. 00:21:07.529 --> 00:21:14.519 It was built by millions of Poles who got up early, set up businesses, went to other 00:21:14.609 --> 00:21:22.333 EU states to learn, and came home to build and refused to accept that their children 00:21:22.421 --> 00:21:27.278 should have any less than anyone else in Europe. 00:21:27.389 --> 00:21:35.134 And Europe— And Europe was proud to be part of that journey. 00:21:35.189 --> 00:21:41.678 Membership opened doors to new markets and new investment, to universities, and to a 00:21:41.746 --> 00:21:42.329 whole 00:21:42.329 --> 00:21:47.137 continent of opportunity for young Poles. And this was never a one-way street. 00:21:47.189 --> 00:21:52.568 Poland brought its energy. Its talent. And ambition into our union. 00:21:52.649 --> 00:21:55.717 And today it is at its heart. Pushing Europe forward. 00:21:55.769 --> 00:22:00.848 It is Poland who warned about the threat from the East. 00:22:00.929 --> 00:22:09.400 It is Poland who tells us, when we go too far, too fast, or not far enough, your 00:22:09.493 --> 00:22:15.853 government asked entrepreneurs which rules were holding them back, and hundreds of 00:22:15.911 --> 00:22:21.203 their ideas have been taken forward. That is the spirit that we are bringing to 00:22:21.267 --> 00:22:26.810 Brussels and Strasbourg. Because, you know, sometimes, just sometimes, Europe writes 00:22:26.872 --> 00:22:33.072 rules with the best of intentions. That end up weighing on the very people they were 00:22:33.139 --> 00:22:39.664 meant to help. So the European Parliament has been delivering on one simplification 00:22:39.740 --> 00:22:45.931 package after another, taking around 9 in 10 companies out of sustainability 00:22:46.016 --> 00:22:51.664 reporting, helping secure our energy supplies as we decoupled from Russia. 00:22:51.749 --> 00:22:58.636 Fixing our defense and security systems. And clearing paperwork of our farmers' 00:22:58.735 --> 00:23:06.304 desks. Bringing billions of euros a year back to the people who create jobs putting 00:23:06.389 --> 00:23:11.870 affordability and fairness at the heart of what we do. 00:23:11.969 --> 00:23:18.049 But simplification is only the start. Ultimately, Europe has to be a place where it 00:23:18.129 --> 00:23:21.552 pays to invest, to make things, and to grow. 00:23:21.629 --> 00:23:25.456 And our single market is at the center of that. 00:23:25.529 --> 00:23:32.011 It is the reason a company in Poznań or Bydgoszcz can sell to customers in Lisbon or 00:23:32.069 --> 00:23:36.480 Helsinki without filling in a single customs form. 00:23:36.569 --> 00:23:43.078 The reason that so many investors have chosen Poland and a big part of the reason 00:23:43.169 --> 00:23:47.507 Polish growth has been so strong for two decades. 00:23:47.609 --> 00:23:53.109 Now we must take it further. A single market that works as one in energy, in 00:23:53.189 --> 00:23:59.401 capital, and in services. With energy prices that do not hold our industry back. 00:23:59.489 --> 00:24:07.220 And rules that are clear and predictable. And we can do it in our unique European 00:24:07.332 --> 00:24:13.961 way, with open markets, and social safety nets, so that the people have the freedom 00:24:14.024 --> 00:24:24.789 to take the risk and the security of knowing that they will not be left behind. 00:24:25.049 --> 00:24:31.096 Last June, in Łódź, where the University of Technology did me the great honor of 00:24:31.175 --> 00:24:32.069 welcoming 00:24:32.069 --> 00:24:37.154 me to its community, I met a city that had to rebuild itself. 00:24:37.229 --> 00:24:43.657 And is proud that it did. It is the same story in Gdańsk and Kraków, in Lublin, 00:24:43.728 --> 00:24:50.274 Rzeszów, and Białystok. And in thousands of towns and villages in a new road a 00:24:50.360 --> 00:24:53.672 restored market square. New sports facilities. 00:24:53.729 --> 00:25:00.735 That, too, is Europe in action. Real, concrete, and tangible investments in 00:25:00.813 --> 00:25:04.386 improving lives. Now, I know there are worries. 00:25:04.469 --> 00:25:08.276 From farmers about their incomes and fair competition. 00:25:08.369 --> 00:25:15.614 From smaller towns about young people leaving from regions afraid that decisions 00:25:15.672 --> 00:25:19.091 about them will be taken further and further away. 00:25:19.169 --> 00:25:22.632 Now, these are fair concerns and we hear them. 00:25:22.709 --> 00:25:27.874 And that is why, in our position on Europe's next long-term budget, the European 00:25:27.925 --> 00:25:32.851 Parliament understood the task we were given and why we stand with our farmers, 00:25:32.929 --> 00:25:38.996 while we push for real investments in young people, in Erasmus, Horizon, for 00:25:39.054 --> 00:25:45.547 example. And why we want regions to have a real say, particularly the Eastern 00:25:45.616 --> 00:25:49.869 regions along the borders with Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. 00:25:49.949 --> 00:25:56.560 Which carry a weight on behalf of all of us that Europe must recognize. 00:25:56.729 --> 00:26:04.023 Wysoka Izbo. Poland also saw the danger coming long before the rest of us. 00:26:04.229 --> 00:26:10.325 For years, you warned us about Russia. About energy dependence. 00:26:10.409 --> 00:26:17.347 About what the Kremlin was capable of. And too many in Europe did not listen. 00:26:17.489 --> 00:26:25.125 Now you are right. Europe should have heard you sooner. 00:26:25.289 --> 00:26:31.959 Today, no. Buddy needs convincing. Your presidency of the Council of the European 00:26:32.009 --> 00:26:35.949 Union put security at the top of Europe's agenda. 00:26:36.029 --> 00:26:41.151 You are building the East Shield and you are the first to draw on Europe's new 00:26:41.216 --> 00:26:47.336 defense funding, with almost 44 billion euros coming here—most of it spent with 00:26:47.417 --> 00:26:57.346 Polish companies. And Poland— And Poland has now been chosen to host the only center 00:26:57.403 --> 00:27:03.286 outside the United States for servicing the packed missiles that arm patriot air 00:27:03.392 --> 00:27:09.057 defense systems. So what you are building protects us all, too. 00:27:09.209 --> 00:27:12.727 The Via Baltica is a lifeline for the Baltic states. 00:27:12.809 --> 00:27:18.531 And the Suwałki Gap is one of the most sensitive places on our continent. 00:27:18.629 --> 00:27:22.649 What happens there impacts Brussels as much as Vilnius. 00:27:23.729 --> 00:27:28.365 This time last year, I visited a NATO base in Latvia. 00:27:28.469 --> 00:27:33.633 Where Polish soldiers serve alongside troops from across the alliance. 00:27:33.689 --> 00:27:42.136 Young men and women standing guard over a freedom the rest of us too often take for 00:27:42.245 --> 00:27:50.853 granted. We owe them an everyone who wears the uniform a great deal more than words. 00:27:51.029 --> 00:28:00.096 Much more. That is why Europe has put its money where its mouth is and invested in 00:28:00.190 --> 00:28:07.438 defense and security. Poland knows what it means to stand on Europe's front line. 00:28:07.529 --> 00:28:11.312 Whether it is the illegal Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, or the 00:28:11.374 --> 00:28:16.742 instrumentalization of migration at your border with Belarus, drones over your 00:28:16.808 --> 00:28:23.812 territory, or sabotage on railway lines. You have met all of it with determination 00:28:23.904 --> 00:28:29.885 and clarity of purpose. These threats are designed to test our resolve: 00:28:29.987 --> 00:28:34.910 divide our societies and undermine our democracies. 00:28:35.009 --> 00:28:39.768 And across our Union, all of us now face them. 00:28:39.869 --> 00:28:44.959 When Poland's security is tested, Europe's security is tested. 00:28:45.029 --> 00:28:56.770 And we must, and we will, stand together to face it down, shoulder to shoulder. 00:28:57.089 --> 00:29:05.339 We will never forget that when Russia's war came to Ukraine's door, Poland opened 00:29:05.474 --> 00:29:12.957 its own. In those first days, people crossing at Medica and Dorohusk were met by 00:29:13.058 --> 00:29:17.636 Polish families with hot soup and warm blankets. 00:29:17.729 --> 00:29:25.165 At Przemyśl station, rows of empty prams stood waiting on the platform for mothers 00:29:25.259 --> 00:29:29.993 stepping off the trains with babies in their arms. 00:29:30.089 --> 00:29:37.306 I was in Otwock at schools in those early days, watching Polish teachers comfort 00:29:37.377 --> 00:29:43.359 children that they never met. Mothers cooking meals for young girls, who could not 00:29:43.429 --> 00:29:47.207 understand what happened to their country. 00:29:47.309 --> 00:29:51.513 That was European solidarity at its truest. 00:29:51.629 --> 00:30:01.337 It was a test. It was a test of Polish character in the worst of circumstances and 00:30:01.428 --> 00:30:09.866 you showed the very best of this country. So, colleagues, no big idea, no response 00:30:09.972 --> 00:30:17.837 to any test happens by accident. Every choice was argued over and carried through by 00:30:17.919 --> 00:30:21.803 elected representatives in chambers like this one. 00:30:21.929 --> 00:30:29.507 Because I believe unapologetically that parliamentary democracy is the best model we 00:30:29.604 --> 00:30:30.089 have. 00:30:30.089 --> 00:30:35.297 But it is up to all of us to prove that it works. 00:30:35.429 --> 00:30:45.238 FUNO— FUNO what it costs better than Poland, where it took until 1991 for every seat 00:30:45.306 --> 00:30:49.129 in this chamber to be chosen freely by the people. 00:30:49.229 --> 00:30:55.870 And that right comes with a duty. To show people that the arguments made in here 00:30:55.974 --> 00:31:01.503 lead somewhere. And Poland has shown the whole of Europe something else. 00:31:01.589 --> 00:31:07.972 That democratic institutions can be built and rebuilt in a single generation. 00:31:08.069 --> 00:31:12.854 But they are never finished. We must keep building—keep safeguarding—our values. 00:31:12.989 --> 00:31:17.897 Keep reminding people what is possible. What has happened in our past. 00:31:17.969 --> 00:31:23.089 And why every generation must protect our democracies. 00:31:23.189 --> 00:31:29.532 And that is also why a directly elected European Parliament is so important. 00:31:29.609 --> 00:31:35.465 Its members answer directly to voters at home, in Polish towns, and regions. 00:31:35.549 --> 00:31:40.497 And I must say, Poland's representatives—your representatives—from different 00:31:40.547 --> 00:31:46.327 political families, I see many here, today, do that work with real dedication. 00:31:46.409 --> 00:31:50.380 Making Poland's voice heard in every debate. 00:31:50.489 --> 00:31:53.876 Now, people—our voters—want to see results. 00:31:54.029 --> 00:32:01.450 They want proof that dialogue and compromise can still deliver for their families. 00:32:01.529 --> 00:32:06.675 That means cutting through the noise. Reaching across political divides. 00:32:06.749 --> 00:32:15.602 And never ever taking voters for granted. It means cooperation over confrontation. 00:32:15.689 --> 00:32:21.405 It means being able to get our message across better in a sea of disinformation, 00:32:21.468 --> 00:32:28.606 half-truths, and misinformation. Amplified online and sometimes weaponized by malign 00:32:28.709 --> 00:32:35.517 actors for whom our Europe is a threat. Now, people in every country do not want 00:32:35.579 --> 00:32:40.645 moralizing. They want action. They do not want Europe to be far away. 00:32:40.709 --> 00:32:45.851 They do not want representatives to speak in acronyms that they don't understand. 00:32:45.929 --> 00:32:52.509 They want—like many of us—to be European, and patriots at the same time. 00:32:52.589 --> 00:32:57.338 They reject the confines of narrow, inward-looking nationalism. 00:32:57.389 --> 00:33:01.327 But equally cherish their local identities. 00:33:01.409 --> 00:33:03.753 And they expect Europe to understand that. 00:33:03.809 --> 00:33:09.075 To preserve our shared values. But to never be afraid to change. 00:33:09.149 --> 00:33:13.589 With the times. To pass laws that make their lives simpler. 00:33:14.249 --> 00:33:18.907 More prosperous. Fairer. Freer. And safer. 00:33:19.049 --> 00:33:23.351 It is not too much to ask. And it cannot be too much. 00:33:23.429 --> 00:33:29.167 To deliver. So let me be emphatic: Europe is not about making everybody the same. 00:33:29.249 --> 00:33:33.994 It is about the opposite. It is about finding strength in our differences and 00:33:34.046 --> 00:33:38.381 respecting our traditions, our histories, and languages. 00:33:38.489 --> 00:33:42.613 This project of ours is not about any imposition from Brussels. 00:33:42.689 --> 00:33:47.938 It is about sharing the challenges and understanding that when we act together, with 00:33:48.020 --> 00:33:57.949 common purpose, every member state is a superpower. 00:33:58.229 --> 00:34:02.271 It is also about the understanding that the best decisions are taken closest to the 00:34:02.320 --> 00:34:08.749 people they impact the most. So we need to show that Europe is also able to deliver 00:34:08.849 --> 00:34:13.945 for a younger generation. Who do not remember the battles of the past, be it 00:34:14.042 --> 00:34:19.192 surviving war, defeating communism, or joining the European Union. 00:34:19.289 --> 00:34:24.598 Every time I visit a member state, I make it a point to hold a town hall meeting 00:34:24.660 --> 00:34:27.502 with young people. And I did that yesterday. 00:34:27.569 --> 00:34:34.979 At Warsaw School of Economics. And a few minutes with Poland's youth is enough to 00:34:35.069 --> 00:34:40.074 convince anyone that the future will be in very good hands. 00:34:40.169 --> 00:34:44.957 Young Poles are confident. Many speaking three or four languages. 00:34:45.029 --> 00:34:49.892 Looking at the rest of the world as equals, open to the world, yet rooted at home 00:34:49.949 --> 00:34:54.509 with the quiet certainty that a way can always be found. 00:34:54.929 --> 00:34:56.729 A Pole can do it, as you say. 00:34:56.969 --> 00:35:09.850 — Now, our job, yours, and mine, is to give them every reason to build their future 00:35:09.929 --> 00:35:16.378 here. In Poland. And in Europe. It is the people of this land who best tell its 00:35:16.464 --> 00:35:20.570 story. The land that gave the world King Jan Sobieski. 00:35:20.669 --> 00:35:24.245 Mikołaj Kopernik. And Maria Skłodowska-Curie. 00:35:24.329 --> 00:35:29.029 Witold Pilecki and Jan Karski. Frederick Chopin. 00:35:29.129 --> 00:35:42.960 Maximilian Colbert and Karol Wojtyła. Lech Wałęsa and Jerzy Buzek. 00:35:43.349 --> 00:35:51.809 And so many more. They have more to the list, shall we add more to the list? 00:35:52.169 --> 00:35:58.818 So many more. So many more. Who bore witness as you faced every test on the way. 00:35:58.889 --> 00:36:01.898 From communism to freedom. From freedom to democracy. 00:36:01.949 --> 00:36:08.269 From democracy to growth. And from growth to the security of our whole Eastern 00:36:08.369 --> 00:36:11.556 flank. Now comes a different kind of test. 00:36:11.609 --> 00:36:16.628 The test of leadership. And I know that Poland will meet it. 00:36:16.709 --> 00:36:20.999 You are already shaping Europe's choices on defense and enlargement, on 00:36:21.064 --> 00:36:24.668 competitiveness, and on how we stand by Ukraine. 00:36:24.749 --> 00:36:28.844 And in the years ahead, Europe will need Poland's voice. 00:36:28.949 --> 00:36:32.650 Poland's experience. And Poland's confidence. 00:36:32.729 --> 00:36:39.234 More than ever. And leadership in Europe is also about the quieter things. 00:36:39.329 --> 00:36:45.886 Keeping our word. Doing the work we were elected and appointed to do. 00:36:45.989 --> 00:36:49.668 And respecting the rules we wrote together. 00:36:49.769 --> 00:36:53.461 So my message to you today is simple. Seize this moment. 00:36:53.549 --> 00:36:58.236 Keep believing. Lead. If there are things to change, let's do that together. 00:36:58.289 --> 00:37:07.709 Europe is you, not anyone else. Not anyone else. 00:37:08.129 --> 00:37:16.485 In May 2003, just weeks before Poles voted to join our union, Pope John Paul II said 00:37:16.540 --> 00:37:17.740 it very simply: 00:37:18.689 --> 00:37:23.369 Europe needs Poland, Poland needs Europe. 00:37:27.389 --> 00:37:30.571 Europe needs Poland. And Poland needs Europe. 00:37:30.629 --> 00:37:35.413 It was true then. And it is true today. So long live our parliaments. 00:37:35.489 --> 00:37:38.489 Long live Poland. Long live Europe. Dziękuję bardzo. 00:38:11.669 --> 00:38:16.409 Thank you. Thank you very much indeed. I manage 10.