‘We must focus on European integration, on cooperation, on building peace by taking care of our defence together. It might sound like a cliché, but after years in a state of mental surrender, we have found ourselves too weak to confront people whose vision of the future of Europe and the world is based solely on sheer power. We have to respond to this as Europe, as member states of the European Union, and I believe that although it is late, we are in a good position because it is definitely not too late to take appropriate action’, Speaker Holownia pointed out.

The Speaker of the Sejm noted that if Europe thinks of defence spending in terms of expenditure, in terms of the losses that the budget has to bear, it will never achieve its objective. ‘Today we need to think about it as an investment. Today, we must think of this expenditure as money that will ensure our competitiveness’, he pointed out.

‘There is plenty to do, as 78% of the money Europe spends on defence is spent outside our states, and 60% of that goes right to the United States. It is really high time for Europe to stop nurturing this eternal client mentality looking at other worlds, looking at those who manufacture bleeding-edge technologies and solutions that we do not yet have. We need to start making these technologies ourselves. We need to become the place others come to spend their national budgets. We actually are able to do it’, he assessed.

‘This is the time for us to awaken the European defence industry, to awaken Europe’s conviction that investing in defence means our future. We are no longer living in post-war times. We are witnessing pre-war times. Because of that, the European Coal and Steel Community envisaged by Schuman as a way to tie people’s hands so that they would not fight each other but manufacture together, needs to be replaced by a community that makes together the things that will deter those who want to change the world order. Europe is capable of facing these challenges. If Poland is able to face these challenges, then Europe is also able to do so’, said Szymon Hołownia.

In the context of the war in Ukraine, the Speaker of the Sejm noted that as of today, Europe is paying for the war that Putin caused with its support for Ukraine, rather than making Putin pay for it. ‘Is it not logical? If he was the one who sparked that flame, he should be the one to suffer the consequences. This bandit should pay with his money, not with the interest on his assets. He should lose his assets for what he does. And Europe should focus on helping Ukraine to use this money wisely. This decision will not be made in Washington. It will be made in Brussels, in Paris, in Berlin. It just seems logical. And that this is something that everyone should understand’, Speaker Hołownia stated.

‘Europe must believe in its potential. The prerequisite to victory is knowing our own strength. Europe has this strength. Europe already has a diagnosis, it has the right prescription. There is a golden age waiting for Europe. It just needs to wake up’, he pointed out.

After Speaker Hołownia, Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz took the floor. ‘We already have a diagnosis, but after the debate and understanding the issue we need action, and this is what Europe has had a problem with. We need to be clear that we have been sobered up by cold showers, in particular in recent times. Even the war in Ukraine did not spur us into action as quickly as recent geopolitical changes’, said Deputy Prime Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz.

The Minister of Defence then stated that keeping up support for Ukraine is a fundamental matter. ‘Every day of war in Ukraine wears down the opponents of Poland and Europe. It wears down those who threaten our core values, our freedom, liberty and sovereignty. And the threat is very serious – it is the basis of Russia’s neo-imperial strategy, which they are never going to abandon’, he said.

‘The defence industry is a priority. No European state has the industry that guarantees its security. Even the sum of our industries does not guarantee security. Therefore, directing a stream of money there makes perfect sense’, he stated.

The Minister of Defence also mentioned the relationship between the EU and NATO. ‘The European Union is a space for development, but also a guarantee of our security. The EU does not and cannot compete with NATO. Their values must complement each other and their actions are directed towards the same goal but provide different capabilities’, he said.

The President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, David McAllister, noted that this was the 26th meeting in this format and a tradition of sorts had been established. ‘We need to strengthen cooperation within the framework of parliamentary diplomacy. We must defend multilateralism together as the foundation underpinning the Union. By engaging in dialogue, we are contributing to the mission to unite and strengthen Europe in these extremely difficult times’, he pointed out.

‘The situation we are witnessing dictates that we should all take note that multilateralism, democracy and the rule of law in the world are under attack and this challenge is growing. The security of Ukraine is absolutely fundamental to the security of Europe. The European Parliament supports the Council’s decision of 6 March, which envisages EU security guarantees for Ukraine. In the current situation, it is important that we remind ourselves of who we are, what the EU is about, what unites us and what makes us determined’, he said.

The event was co-chaired by the Chairwoman of the European Union Affairs Committee of the Sejm, Agnieszka Pomaska and the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Senator Grzegorz Schetyna. ‘The aim of the Polish presidency is to achieve improvements in the development of military capabilities and defence production, which will bring tangible benefits for the transatlantic area and Ukraine. There is no doubt that the European Union needs to build its resilience and preparedness to counter threats’, Chairwoman Pomaska pointed out.

In her speech, she remarked that hybrid threats destabilise countries and societies. ‘Member States of the European Union are subject to aggressive hybrid attacks perpetrated by Moscow, with the active support of Minsk. This is not only about blocking websites and disinformation campaigns, but also orchestrated migration, espionage, interference in democratic processes, acts of sabotage and diversion. The Baltic Sea region is a particularly important area where intensive Russian hybrid operations are being carried out. Repeated incidents of disruptions and damaged undersea communication cables connecting Finland, Estonia, Germany, Sweden and Lithuania, are evidence of Russia escalating its hybrid warfare. The Baltic Sea is also an area of activity for the so-called ‘shadow fleet’ used by Russia for sabotage, espionage and circumventing sanctions against the country’, she said.

She also noted that ‘Poland is actively engaged in combating hybrid threats’. ‘Together with Czechia and Lithuania, we have launched the EU “hybrid toolbox” mechanism to coordinate and proactively counter these threats. Together with the Nordic and Baltic States, we are engaged in current and future work on the security of critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea region and, as a result of these activities, the NATO presence in the Baltic Sea is also increasing’, she pointed out.

‘It is important that we focus on cooperation and finding common solutions when it comes to security, regardless of our views –although it is well worth reconciling them,” she added.

Chairman Schetyna remarked that the issue of European defence has become a priority for the whole of Europe in recent years. ‘Our continent is facing new challenges that it has not experienced for decades, which require a new outlook on this difficult reality, determination and modern solutions. Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine was a turning point in previous policy. By launching an illegal attack against its neighbour and annexing nearly 20% of its territory, Russia has shown its contempt for the international order and subverted the principle underpinning Europe’s post-war security architecture. We are witnessing the heroic struggle of a nation defending democracy and freedom against authoritarianism. All of us here stand by these values. We cannot allow the aggressor to win’, said Grzegorz Schetyna.

‘The current geopolitical challenges mean that Europe must take matters of its security into its own hands. Poland shows that strategy can and should be adapted to new reality. This means increased defence spending. We have no choice, because what is at stake are our values – freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law, dignity and respect for human rights’, he stated.

Following the opening session, the attendees took part in three thematic sessions.

The first session, on ‘Protection and Security of the European Union. Hybrid threats as an external destabilising factor in Europe’ was opened by the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Paweł Kowal. Then, the Minister of the Interior and Administration Tomasz Siemoniak delivered his speech. The politician pointed out that Poland had set three priorities in the area of home affairs for the presidency in the Council of the European Union – combating irregular migration, civil protection and international cooperation in the fight against crime. 

Referring to the first priority, Minister Siemoniak pointed out that Poland has allocated 2.5 billion PLN for the construction of a barrier on the eastern border and stations a force of 11,000 soldiers, border guards and police officers there.  ‘We need to do everything in our power to ensure that the external borders are secure and that irregular migrants do not come to our countries, rather than focusing on re-establishing borders and border checks between states’, said the Minister of the Interior and Administration.

‘The issue of civil protection comes as a natural conclusion from the report of the former president of Finland, Sauli Niinisto. This is something that has never been a part of the EU action. We are working on this matter together with the commissioners who are competent in these areas, to make civil protection matters a part of cooperation at the EU level and to ensure that this cooperation results in the creation of certain funding tools for member states’ projects’, Tomasz Siemoniak continued, talking about the priorities of the Polish presidency in the Council of the EU.

The third priority is international cooperation in the fight against crime. ‘These matters are closely interlinked with matters of national security. Irregular migration and hybrid pressure on the Polish border is not just a policy of the Belarusian regime pursued with the support of Russia, but also a serious crime’, said Minister Siemoniak.

Former Finnish president Sauli Niinisto then took the floor.  ‘We thought we were living in a very secure Europe. We took our security and peace for granted and believed that we did not have to fight for them. We need to change our attitude now, because peace and security are the foundation of everything.  The time to wake up has arrived and the alarm clock can be heard loud and clear. And even though we all heard it, there are still many European citizens who think that security is not their concern. This mentality needs to change’, the Finnish politician concluded.

‘Priorities and Challenges Concerning the CFSP/CSDP in the New Institutional Cycle. Building a new security architecture for the European Union’ was the topic discussed by attendees during the second session of Monday’s conference, chaired by the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Senator Grzegorz Schetyna and the President of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, David McAllister. Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service, Simon Mordue, delivered the keynote speech. ‘In these difficult times, we need to highlight the importance of all alliances, as well as of multilateralism. It is time to start taking things seriously and investing in European defence. We must assume responsibility for defence and deterrence. We need to come up with a new European approach to security and defence. We need to invest in filling the gaps and establishing a strong industrial base in the defence industry’, Simon Mordue pointed out.

Monday’s Inter-Parliamentary Conference on the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy concluded with the ‘Urgent debate on a current issue: The future of transatlantic relations.’ The debate was led by the President of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, David McAllister, and the main speakers were the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski, and President of the Warsaw Security Forum, Katarzyna Pisarska.

‘Global conflicts and economic disruptions require a concerted and coordinated response. What is more, we are facing new, unconventional security threats that have recently emerged or intensified on the both sides of the Atlantic, including cyberattacks’, said Minister Bartoszewski.

The Deputy Foreign Minister pointed out that ‘the transatlantic partnership, like any other partnership, requires efforts on both sides to strengthen and develop it’. ‘It goes without saying that Europe needs to bolster its deterrence and take more responsibility for its security and defence’, he pointed out.

The President of the Warsaw Security Forum also brought up transatlantic relations in her speech. ‘Although we are at a conference concerning the European Union, I want to strongly encourage you not to abandon NATO, as it is no longer just an American project. It is a collective guarantee of our security. A guarantee given to all member states, the majority of which are European’, said Katarzyna Pisarska.