In a plenary debate with Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hadja Lahbib our First Vice-President Władysław Ortyl highlighted the three priorities for our group including a call for continued strong support for Ukraine; an end to illegal migration into the EU; and for a genuine respect for the Rule of Law. 

"In Poland, the government led by Donald Tusk is violating the independence of the courts, and media freedom. The silence from the EU institutions is deafening!" stressed the Marshal of the Podkarpackie region. Our First Vice-President also called on the EU institutions to stop politicising the Rule of Law principle and exploiting it as an instrument against political opposition.

On illegal migration, the Marshal laid out the ECR group's expectations with regards to coordinated efforts in support of Member States, as well as local and regional authorities, in making EU's external borders more secure. 

"There is a pressing need for more agreements with countries of origin and transit countries to reduce smuggling and illegal migration to the EU" continued Marshal Ortyl, giving the example of the EU-Tunisia deal, promoted by Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, which dramatically reduced the number of illegal arrivals and allowed for the arrest of a significant number of smugglers.