„The EU is anti-democratic; there are no mechanisms there like in Poland. The European Parliament ability to act is somehow limited. The European Commission is the most important and it would be a good thing for it to be more conservative than it is now,”

— Maciej Wąsik, PiS candidate in the European Parliament elections, said on air on Telewizja wPolsce.

In an interview with Marcin Wikła, the former deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration explained what result he is hoping for in the Podlasie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie constituencies, in which he is running for the European Parliament.

We are counting on two seats, this is our goal and I am convinced that Law and Justice will maintain its electoral result and we will have these two seats

— he said.

He stated that the so-called Eastern Wall is a bastion of Polish conservatism.

It is a bastion not only of PiS, but of Polishness in general. People live here in harmony with nature, in a traditional fashion, and it is a very fertile area for the Polish right wing. I think people will go to the polls here because it is a very important election. It’s not about electing a few people to the euro-parliament; it’s about Polish independence, about Polish sovereignty. We can observe what movements have been coming to the fore in the West for some time. There is an attempt to create a single European state, and it will be our task to oppose such a push

— assessed the opposition politician.

We have joined a different Europe

Maciej Wąsik stressed that the European Union brings many benefits and it is good that Poland is a member of the European community.

We joined a Europe that said there would be free movement of people, goods and capital. This is very important, and thanks to the EU, industry has developed and we have a place to sell our products, there are no customs duties on the border between Poland and Germany, we can go on holiday to the Czech mountains and Germans can come to Podlasie. These are the good things about the EU. Economic development, cooperation, easier investment

— he said.

At the same time, he warned that there are also many risks, especially with regard to the sovereignty of nation states, which Law and Justice, like the rest of the Polish people, does not and cannot agree with.

However, the EU wants to make this federation of the Europe of Homelands into a single European state. We now have a proposal to amend the treaties, which involves, among other things, that the EU, rather than the Polish environment ministry, will decide on the shape of Polish forests. (…) The issue of sovereignty is fundamental and Poles love freedom, they are attached to their homeland

— stressed Wąsik.

We want to maintain the great rights and freedoms of citizens; we do not want to limit them. We want people in Poland to be able to decide whether they want to buy an electric car or an internal combustion engine, for example. We also want to have our own currency. Poles are against the euro, and who knows if the EU won’t force us to adopt the euro soon. Wherever there is the euro there is also an increase in prices, anyway from an economic point of view it is beneficial for the biggest countries, mainly Germany, but not for Poland. When economic crises start, having your own currency is a great privilege

— he added.

Changes in the EU 

The Law and Justice (PiS) politician pointed out that a good indicator for Poles before the EP elections in June is to see how Poland’s current representatives in the EP have voted on issues concerning our country’s sovereignty.

We can see how people who entered the EP from PO or PSL, or who are affiliated to the Third Way, vote. They vote, for example, for the Green Deal, we are against the Green Deal

— he explained.

The EU is anti-democratic, there are no mechanisms there as in Poland. The EP ability to act is somehow limited. The EC is the most important and it would be a good thing for it to be more conservative than it is today. Today’s left-wing or even left-wing circles, for example, make environmentalism the new religion

— added Maciej Wąsik.

It is time for the right

In his view, the conservative right in Europe, which has constantly had trouble breaking the ‘glass ceiling’ in the EP, is slowly waking up and this is noticeable to everyone.

Perhaps this is the moment when we have to tell the Poles that a lot will depend on their decision whether more conservative MEPs, from PiS, will enter the EP or more left-wing MEPs from PO, the Third Way from the Left. I believe that the time has come for Europe, that Europe is waking up

— Wąsik pointed out.

Analysing the main ills of the EU, Wąsik pointed out that its main and fundamental sin of recent years is Angela Merkel’s chosen migration policy.

We observe what is happening in Western European countries where illegal migration is huge - France, Germany, and Italy. Europe needs to change its ways or it will vanish and blur into millions of new comers. The social conditions there will change and the changes will be irreversible. (…) Angela Merkel’s migration policy has resulted in nightmare consequences

— he continued.

The Holownia problem

Maciej Wąsik also explained where the idea of running for the EP came from.

We are politicians, and a politician has to face up to the will of the voters. I am convinced that people appreciate what we have done, that we were not afraid of Tusk and have acted firmly and faithfully over many years. I am counting on us to win this election

— he concluded.

He also commented on the difficult situation regarding himself and Mariusz Kaminski, who had been denied a parliamentary seat by the Speaker of the Parliament. Wąsik pointed out that this is first and foremost a problem of Szymon Holownia and his violation of the law, rather than a problem of the people involved as such.

I think Mr Speaker Holownia would be relieved, because he is the one with the biggest problem. I am convinced that we will win in any legal dispute we face. We have a Supreme Court ruling in hand that says we are MPs and we should do our job. Speaker Holownia won’t let us into the Parliament because he has a different opinion on the matter

— he stated.

What the Regional Court did on 20 December against me has no legal force. Speaker Holownia has no arguments. We are waiting for the verdicts of the Constitutional Tribunal on those laws that the Parliament adopted when we were not allowed into the Parliament

— Wąsik concluded.

Tłum. K.J.