Dominik Tarczyński was a member of the Sejm (Polish parliament) from 2015 to 2020. He has been a member of the European Parliament for Law and Justice (PiS) in the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group since 2020.
Poland warned about what Nord Stream meant for energy dependence and what Putin’s Russia really is, but nobody wanted to listen. We now have a war and an unprecedented energy crisis. The EU finally woke up and found that it was too late. Is anyone taking responsibility for this blindness?
Yes, Ursula von der Leyen has said that the EU should have listened to Poland before it was too late. It is true; someone should pay the political consequences. However, we see that European leaders support each other in this matter. Macron still says that you cannot isolate a leader like Putin. Scholz insists on restoring normal relations with Russia after the war. The problem is that the self-proclaimed leaders of the EU still do not understand that Russia is an evil empire, and they should be aware of that. Obviously, they have not suffered the consequences of World War II like Poland and would only understand this if they were attacked by Russia. I have the impression that they need some kind of shock to understand reality because they currently see Russia as a source of income, as a business partner. They don’t understand that you don’t do business with the Russian bear because sooner or later the bear is going to kill you.
Yes, Ursula von der Leyen has said that the EU should have listened to Poland before it was too late. It is true; someone should pay the political consequences. However, we see that European leaders support each other in this matter. Macron still says that you cannot isolate a leader like Putin. Scholz insists on restoring normal relations with Russia after the war. The problem is that the self-proclaimed leaders of the EU still do not understand that Russia is an evil empire, and they should be aware of that. Obviously, they have not suffered the consequences of World War II like Poland and would only understand this if they were attacked by Russia. I have the impression that they need some kind of shock to understand reality because they currently see Russia as a source of income, as a business partner. They don’t understand that you don’t do business with the Russian bear because sooner or later the bear is going to kill you.
Just a month ago you visited the graves in Izium, where more than 400 bodies have been exhumed. Even in the face of these horrors, many European politicians still advocate handing territories to Putin in exchange for peace. Is this the result of naivety or a desire to get back to business as usual?
Obviously they want to get back to business with Russia, but it should be remembered that the war in Ukraine did not start ten months ago; it started years ago. For example, when Russia attacked Georgia in 2008, nobody reacted. The problem is that nothing will change unless political leaders change in Europe.
The European Union has initiated all kinds of sanctions to hit the Russian economy, but it hasn’t focused on businesses like the diamond market between Belgium and Russia. Is this not further proof of the EU’s hypocrisy and double standards?
Diamonds are just one example. The truth is that at the moment I do not see the EU taking any real action. They issue statements condemning Russia, warning that it will have to pay the consequences. But what consequences are they referring to? Why is the diamond market not sanctioned? There are a lot of words, but very little action. With these leaders I see no future for Europe. Russia’s influence is so strong. There are so many lobbies, so many agents, and nobody does anything about it.
Now we have this corruption scandal in the European Parliament which undermines the whole structure of the EU. Putin must surely be laughing at this. Those who tried to condemn Poland, those who have lectured us on democracy, the rule of law, and transparency, are the ones who were taking the money. That is the hypocrisy of this institution. And we are not talking simply about members; we are talking about its vice president, Eva Kaili. Someone who got to that position because she was recommended and then tolerated for years. I think that the investigation should focus on her personal relations in parliament because this will reveal the names of those involved. It is frightening that during a war that affects the whole world, some were only concerned with lining their pockets.
This scandal has been called the ‘Qatargate,’ but it seems that many of these bribes came from Morocco. Could this explain the European policies of massive subsidies to Moroccan ‘green’ agriculture that continues to harm EU-member Spain?
I believe that ‘Qatargate’ will become ‘Moroccogate.’ It is a very serious matter because Qatargate was, above all, an effort to use the World Cup to improve Qatar’s image. However, for years now there has been a strategic decision in the EU to support Morocco. This is much more serious than Qatar. We have to look at the votes, at speeches in parliament, to see who might be involved. For example, Vice President Kaili was voting in the LIBE Committee (Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs) when she was not a member of that committee.
We have to see who is part of the pro-Moroccan lobby. We have to follow the money; always follow the money.
Despite this scandal and the war, there are parties in the EU obsessed with blackmailing Hungary and Poland and applying sanctions on the basis of the Rule of Law mechanism, which some call the ‘Rule of Left.’
This is absolutely true. It is the rule of law seen from a leftist point of view. This blackmail will not break us. We don’t care about money. We need it, like everybody else, but it is not our goal; it is not the centre of our national life. We are not going to sell our sovereignty for euros. They think that we think like them, that our mentality is like theirs: focused only on money. However, we have much more than that on our mind; we have our history. We have survived partitions, 123 years of non-existence on the map, communism, Hitler, and World War II. And they think they can blackmail us. It’s a joke! They cannot blackmail the Polish nation because we have a 1,000-year history and we are a proud nation. They cannot touch us. They cannot harm our economy because our unemployment figure is the lowest in the European Union. They only have finances; we have finances, history, emotions, and pride.
One of the most frequent accusations against Poland has been that it is xenophobic, and yet you have taken in more than 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees, the largest reception effort in Europe. Has there been any support from the EU?
No, there has not been much support. You have to remember that about seven million people have crossed our border. There are no refugee camps in Poland. All these people are accommodated in private houses and in our infrastructure. This proves two things. First, Poland is an open nation. Second, it proves that we were right when we said “no” to illegal migration in 2015. According to international law, a refugee is a person fleeing from the country in conflict to the nearest country. Ukrainians are refugees, but Moroccans, Africans, and Syrians are not refugees; they are illegal migrants. We were right when we opposed it in 2015 and when we refused the quota system. Obviously, years later we are right again.
I have repeated it in the European Parliament many times, urging others: “be like Poland.” Stop illegal migration, stop doing business with Putin, and be as brave and proud as Poland.
“Be brave, be like Poland,” those were your words in the European Parliament?
That is right. That is my motto in life: “Be like Poland.” There are many examples, over many years, where Poland has been and continues to be right.
Don’t you think that the big problem in many Western countries is the lack of courage and belief in themselves?
Self-confidence is very important in a nation, and many lack this. Poland has it because of the hard experiences we have endured. We understand what sovereignty means, and we know how to celebrate every moment of freedom. As John Paul II said: “Freedom is not given forever, you have to fight for it every day.” Even in times of peace we understand that sovereignty and freedom are not a given. They can be taken away, and it is better to be smart before you lose them, before you are attacked. We understand what Russia is and that we must be strong, smart, prepared, and believe in ourselves. You cannot be a coward if you want to survive in this world. That is why the Polish people are brave, intelligent, and proud.
I am the grandson of one of the cursed soldiers who did not believe that the war was over in 1945. My grandfather hid in the forest and continued the war against the communists. This is in our blood. Every family in Poland has had a freedom fighter at some point in their recent history. That is our heritage.
