During the plenary session (14-17 September 2020) in the European Parliament in Brussels, Ursula VON DER LEYEN delivers the State of the European Union (SOTEU 2020) before the MEPs. Statement by Ryszard Antoni LEGUTKO (ECR, PL), ECR Group Leader. This transcription speech is the result of an automatic process. Check against delivery.

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LEGUTKO, Ryszard Antoni (ECR, PL)

state of the Union

state of the Union 2020 (T)

State of the European Union debate: Statement by Ryszard Antoni LEGUTKO (ECR, PL), ECR Group Leader

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ryszard Antoni LEGUTKO (ECR, PL), Thank you, Mr. President. Madam President, of the last decade has been a turbulent year for the European Union. The problems will, of course, continue. The EU today is a worse is in a worse shape than it was 10 years ago.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ryszard Antoni LEGUTKO (ECR, PL), I therefore find rather puzzling that every year over the last decade we have heard from every commission president that the radiant future is awaiting us and that today's days the EU glory are just round the corner.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ryszard Antoni LEGUTKO (ECR, PL), Provided, of course, that European Commission European institutions receive more competences. You must be aware, Madam President, that fewer and fewer people across Europe take this message seriously. European Health Agency. European Cloud. European Bauhaus.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ryszard Antoni LEGUTKO (ECR, PL), I wonder if the new European architecture will resemble this building with a frightening perspective. Madam President, the gist of your argument today was that the pandemic crisis is a good opportunity to launch ambitious radical programmes, including the Green Deal.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ryszard Antoni LEGUTKO (ECR, PL), I am sorry to say, but this is bad argument. This is bad logic and bad logic. Generates bad policy. What you are proposing is a great leap forward in a situation in which the future is more precarious than ever.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ryszard Antoni LEGUTKO (ECR, PL), The green deal with 55 percent, why not 60, is a costly extravaganza animated animated solely by spirit of environmentalist crusade, not by a sober, sober social and economic calculation.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ryszard Antoni LEGUTKO (ECR, PL), Now a few words about so-called rule of law provisions. I said so-called because it has nothing to do with rule of law. The whole idea, as you remember, was an inadequate this trick of the previous commission in complete disregard to the treaties and the intention to bully the governments that dissented from dissented from the mainstream.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ryszard Antoni LEGUTKO (ECR, PL), It is not what they do. Those governments do because they don't do anything objectionable. But what they are. And the previous commission let a malignant genie out of the bottle genie of political foul play, and they are not interested in putting it back.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ryszard Antoni LEGUTKO (ECR, PL), This so-called conditionality is another step towards complete lawlessness. The prospect which makes the majority of my colleagues almost ecstatic and Madadam President, do not be deluded by this sanctimonious rhetoric you hear in this chamber.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ryszard Antoni LEGUTKO (ECR, PL), As usual, behind sanctimoniousness. There is ugly politics and there is hypocrisy. While this rule of law politics amounts to is brutal majoritarianism, the mainstream majority wants to crush every foreign dissent and do not open the door for more instruments of the tyranny of the majority as you promised you would do it. That was the scariest part of your speech.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ryszard Antoni LEGUTKO (ECR, PL), This is already getting uglier and uglier, wider and more mendacious. The European institutions wants to switch off democratically constituted institutions of the nation states. They instigate internal conflicts by endorsing some parties against against other parties.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ryszard Antoni LEGUTKO (ECR, PL), This is not your business. You shouldn't do it. So this is political arrogance that was at its worst. Let me conclude. If we continue if you and your commission continue on the current course, the course espoused by many of my fellow leaders here this morning, Europe will be wrecked.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ryszard Antoni LEGUTKO (ECR, PL), I repeat, Europe will be wrecked, caught in an ideological pincer movement orchestrated by green and federalist extremists. Mr Juncker will forever be remembered as the commission president who lost Britain. You miss from the lie and must make sure that you are not the president who lost the peoples of Europe.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ryszard Antoni LEGUTKO (ECR, PL), I urge you work with member states, not with the ideologically driven campaigns masquerading as political groups in this house. Save the European Union from ideology and return it to reality.