In these times, so that all of this somehow holds together and doesn't fall apart. However, I have a fundamentally different opinion regarding the president's veto, and here I won't be diplomatic — I really don't understand how one can veto a law that is meant to make the state more effective in fighting online pedophilia, propaganda, and Russian information online. No, no, I don't understand this. I mean, I don't know — I mean, I do know what the problem is. I know how much the abuse of freedom of speech on the internet, how many threats it carries, both for citizens, for Polish children, and for the Polish state, and that we need to effectively fight for tools that will allow eliminating this type of content from the internet. The president has a different opinion. I don't understand this, I won't argue about it. It seems that he once promised the Confederates that he wouldn't support this type of initiative, and I think that's the only explanation, because I can't find another one.
As for the other two vetoes, one was very obvious — a deregulation law making life easier for people and companies. I'm talking about the possibility of using electronic mail when it comes to insurance contracts. A very obvious deregulatory act. I don't know what the president didn't like there, so I think it's about this mechanical vetoing, just to make our work and life harder. The same applies to a very technical law improving life concerning the National Centre for Research and Development. It looks like vetoing will become routine, just as I expected.
As for Mercosur, frankly speaking, I expected a much larger demonstration, but it wasn't a demonstration against the government. Regardless of the fact that several PiS activists are trying to turn this demonstration into an anti-government movement, it would still be very hard to believe that people are demonstrating about Mercosur against a government that has the same opinion as the demonstrators. That's something very strange. Frankly speaking, those who want to make politics out of this, that is PiS, bear the greatest responsibility for Mercosur coming into force. They had time and opportunity — and I'm talking here about the prime minister, the previous ones, Ms Szydło, Mr Morawiecki, and the foreign minister — they had many opportunities to weaken, delay, or stop this process. They did nothing about it. Quite the opposite. My government managed to introduce a safeguard clause. The interests of farmers are largely protected. We voted against Mercosur at every stage, including during that last vote. So I understand the farmers' emotions. I see that they are much smaller than I expected, but I understand those emotions, I share that view. I just don't understand why the Prime Minister's Chancellery is the place where this protest is taking place. There's no internal logic in that. And the third matter.
And I don't know who Orban gave asylum to there. I have suspicions, but the same ones as you.
Good day. Michalina Czepita, TVN24. Mr. Prime Minister, I'll start with the farmers' protest. Do you plan to meet with the farmers, and do you confirm the information that some farmers are here in the Prime Minister's Chancellery waiting to meet with you? I also have a question about whether during today's conversation at the Presidential Palace you discussed domestic policy with the president, for example about today's vetoes, and how you read today's vetoes on the day of your meeting at the Presidential Palace. Thank you.
I proposed a meeting to the president on a very specific matter — Poland's security in the context of the war in Ukraine, because I think it's absolutely necessary, also given the president's constitutional powers in matters of security. Close cooperation and agreement are necessary, and we achieved that — that was the purpose of the meeting. On domestic policy we have different opinions, as we well know, and on many international matters too we have different opinions, and nothing will change that. But one can live with that. I will firmly stand by certain matters as I consider them to be in Poland's interest. President Nawrocki has a different opinion, and we will seek agreement where it is absolutely necessary and essential. We will seek agreement, as we did today on external security in the context of war and peace.
Mercosur was not a topic of our discussion, nor was the farmers' protest. I'm not surprised, because it seems that the president's press spokesperson just had a press conference and allowed himself some unnecessarily malicious remarks towards the government regarding Mercosur. I only remind you that someone apparently promised to convince Prime Minister Meloni to change her opinion, because it was precisely Italy's position that decided that Mercosur was not blocked, and someone invoked their friendship with the Italian prime minister — and didn't deliver. I did my job. The Polish government voted against, and several of our allies in the European Council voted with us. It wasn't enough. That's all I have to say. On Mercosur our position is clear, so there's nothing to debate. I respect every protester. Everyone has the right in Poland, a democratic country, to protest, but on this particular issue our position is clear and there's no room for any negotiations, because we have a similar opinion and everything has been said.
You can ask me five more times.
Good day. Monika Rutka, Republika Television. Mr. Prime Minister, I asked your spokesperson, Minister Szłapka, about what specific meeting... He answered that you held dozens of meetings on building this blocking minority with prime ministers of European Union countries. So what went wrong in those meetings? Why did you fail to build this blocking minority? Does that stem from... do you have knowledge on this matter? Could it stem from the fact that such decisions are made above the heads of prime ministers? And if... because not everything is lost yet. So I wanted to ask you specifically about your meeting schedule with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and what you intend to use in those talks, because I understand such meetings will still take place — to use political and economic arguments to convince all the prime ministers, especially of those countries that care about signing an agreement with Mercosur.
A rather complicated question, I must say, containing several false premises, so I have to start with that. Every prime minister and president, I believe. I know this about myself, but I've known this company quite well for many years, so I don't think I'm wrong when I say that each of them makes an autonomous decision. Nobody decides anything above anyone's heads there. Everyone defines their national interest as best they can. So regarding Mercosur, as I've said many times, there are different interests. They are not the same in Europe. Some produce more in the hope of selling more to South America. Some have very modest appetites when it comes to exporting their own agriculture and don't worry too much about competition from that side. So in the end it's not that Tusk will convince Meloni or Meloni will convince Macron, but rather everyone tries to define their interests as best they can. The balance of Polish interests is also not clear-cut, but we understand the farmers' concerns, although as I said, we fought for the safeguard clauses in the European Parliament against the votes of PiS, and they protect Polish farmers' interests to a large extent — not 100%, but 99%. As for the Mercosur agreement, I have nothing to reproach myself with here, but the Polish position was clear. We agreed with the French on this vote as well, and other countries vote as they see fit. We are in the minority on this issue, and the strength of arguments, persuasion, sympathy, and the number of meetings has no greater significance. Everyone pursues their own economic interests in their own way. So I don't plan to meet with Prime Minister Meloni on this matter. I believed President Nawrocki when he said several weeks ago that he would settle this matter with Prime Minister Meloni. They have very good relations. We haven't seen the result, so where President Nawrocki couldn't manage, what would I try there?
