Paris: meeting of the Presidium of the Diet, the Bundestag and the French National Assembly

June 20, 2016
8:31 pm

l'Horloge (from 1370) is the oldest clock in Paris, a symbolic clock. During its renovation in 1570, the Polish Electoral King and King of France Henry Valey had the coat of arms of Poland and Lithuania added to it, as well as two large figures, Law and Justice

The Speaker of the Sejm, Marek Kuchciński, together with a delegation, took part in the deliberations of the representatives of the chambers of the Parliaments of the Weimar Triangle - the Polish Sejm, the Bundestag and the French National Assembly - in Paris. The Polish side was also represented by the Deputy Speaker of the Sejm Ryszard Terlecki, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for European Union Affairs Lech Kołakowski and Vice-Chairmen of the Polish-French and Polish-German Parliamentary Groups Dorota Rutkowska and Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk.

The politicians discussed, among others, the future of Europe, the referendum on Britain's withdrawal from the EU as well as broadening cooperation on the social, local and parliamentary level. The Speaker of the Sejm emphasized the growing role of the in the European Union parliaments play, and he suggested deepening mutual relations. "We should pay more attention to our cooperation at the conceptual, consultative and advisory level, just as our committees on the European Union or foreign affairs do," he said. "I would suggest considering permanent trilateral conferences that would discuss on an ongoing basis the most current issues that concern us, the Triangle, but also the European Union, societies, nations."

The Speaker also pointed to the problem of the "resurgence of Russian power," the consequence of which is war in Ukraine. "This is a fact that we know, but we don't always take very seriously," he said. He blamed Russia for strengthening aggression in Syria, the war in Georgia, the Caucasus, and the resulting wave of refugees. "The disease causing the wave of refugees and political migrants must be treated at the point of origin," he asserted.

According to Speaker Kuchcinski, we are facing a situation when it would be appropriate to think about how to counter terrorism. "Basically, we see terrorism in highly developed countries. Whereas we do not notice it in countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia or Hungary," he noted.

The Speaker argued that living in the European community, we should strive for such forms of cooperation to protect the political subjectivity of states and the identity of nations, not forgetting to strengthen it. Extremely important - said - are the internal laws of the EU Member States. "I believe that it is the sovereign states, not the European institutions such as the European Commission or the European Parliament, that are the subject here. We want to feel as nation, A state that can make sovereign decisions together, as an equal member of the Weimar Triangle. This is how we perceive the European Union - as a Europe of solidary states," he said. In this context, the Speaker recalled the slogan proclaimed by the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II in 79 and repeated by his successor Benedict: Europe of homelands.

photo: P. Kula, M. Olejnik