Janusz Kowalski is a Polish politician, a member of the Sejm, and deputy chair of the Polish parliament’s committee on energy, climate, and state assets. A conservative advocate of national sovereignty, he is a frequent critic of the harmful consequences of the European Union’s left-wing energy policies. He brought that message to Budapest as well: speaking at the Ludovika Festival hosted by the University of Public Service (NKE), his lecture — titled Green Dreams or Strategic Nightmares? The Future of the EU's Energy Policy — highlighted the contradictions and dangers of Europe’s current energy strategy. We sat down with the politician for an interview, following his roubdtable discussion.
– Does Brussels’ aggressive green policy endanger the security of Europe’s energy supply? For instance, Germany has already shut down its nuclear power plants, which has contributed to further increases in energy prices. Is the EU sacrificing affordable energy on the altar of green ideology?
– Yes, because when Poland and Hungary decided to become members of the European Union, the bloc was a community of sovereign member states. Some 21 , or even 15 years ago, in Hungary and in Poland, we could decide from which source we produce our own electricity. But now everything has changed. The Green Deal, in my opinion, and I think in the opinion of every patriot in Europe, is an economic and political tool, a German tool to strengthen Germany and make things good for only the German economy. And, because of this, we now have an energy crisis. And we're talking about energy costs, about energy prices because, for instance, Poland has its own coal resources and deposits, but we cannot use them because Germany and the bureaucrats decided that we should shut down for the next 10, 15 years our own resources, our own coal powered power plants, and import, for example, gas.
So I believe the European Union is collapsing, and it's in a huge crisis because of the Green Deal and the immigration policy.
And that's why I believe that in 2027, when we can redesign the European Union’s new budget perspective, we should be ready to restore the EU and return to its roots, a community of sovereign states. I believe it is possible.
– The European People’s Party recently pushed for new sanctions against Russian companies such as Rosatom, which now threatens progress at Hungary’s Paks nuclear power plant — a key pillar of the country’s future energy independence. In your view, is energy security ultimately a question of national sovereignty?
– First of all, I would like to mention that I was the vice president of Poland’s biggest gas and oil company, which is now part of PKN Orlen. I spent the past 20 years trying to establish an energy mix without any Russian gas, but I'm talking about the Polish situation, and the Polish interests here. In my opinion, we should respect sovereignty and respect other countries' interests. Some 20 years ago, the Socialist made a wrong decision in Hungary, unfortunately making the country 80, almost 90 percent dependent on Russian gas for the coming years. In my view, Poland has a clear interest in supplying gas to Hungary — for example, by delivering American LNG through our Baltic Sea terminals.
Now the European People's Party (EPP) is attacking Hungary, because the country simply wants to realize its interests with regard to Russia.
Yet, Germany and France are also importing Russian gas, and they also cooperate in agriculture with Russia, and so on. They cannot accept that Hungary has own interests, but if they wanted to support Hungary, they should suggest how it could import gas from sources other than Russia. Donald Tusk is also attacking Hungary, as a whole. Poland's Law and Justice government commenced talks about establishing gas connections between Poland and Hungary. This is something we couldn't finish, but two sides knew that it was a good strategy. However, there is no talking between Poland and Hungary now, which is a really bad decision, from the Polish side.
Im against Poland and Hungary engaging in a fight, simply because Eurocrats and other politicians in Brussels are working to realize their interests.
– How do you assess the Tusk administration’s aggressive actions against members of the Law and Justice party (PiS) and the rule of law? Is Poland currently undergoing a political purge with Brussels’ approval, and how does this affect Polish democracy?
– This is a great question. Donald Tusk is a German politician, not a Polish one. After his election victory, won by the Law and Justice party, by the way, Donald Tusk managed to create another coalition, and he began to implement the German policy in the energy sector, and also in terms of immigration policy. I think Poland’s current imgration policy is a big threat, because Germans continues to mport thousands of illegal immigrants to Poland. There is no rule of law in today’s Poland. I would like to thank my Hungarian friends for compiling reports on how the rule of law was destroyed in Poland, how public media was dismantled, how our colleagues, our friends, even MPs like former Deputy Justice Minister Marcin Romanowski was attacked by Donald Tusk’s regime. The Tusk government also launched an attacks on the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court. And in whose interest is all this? Our enemies! Russia and Germany are interested in a weak Poland. I believe the key now is to win the presidential election because if our candidate Karol Nawrocki - endorsed by Poland's Law and Justice (PiS) party – can win the election, he’ll give us a last chance to stop this regime via his veto powers, being able to reject unconstitutional bills.
– You recently posted on X that Germany is using mass migration as a weapon against Poland, threatening to Islamize the country. Could you expand on this?
– Yes, of course. I’m now part of an association dedicated to defending Poland’s borders, especially along the Polish-German frontier. Germany is effectively importing illegal migrants into Poland, and Donald Tusk refuses to ensure a proper police presence at the border to prevent this. He’s preparing a situation where Poland won’t stop illegal immigration from entering through Germany.
After Angela Merkel’s crucial mistake about 10 years ago to invite millions of illegal migrants to Europe, if we look at Dortmund, Berlin, Monaco or Frankfurt, we see collapsed cities.
Migration and migrants are now the most dangerous factor in big cities. Now Germany wants to export these problems to Poland. Poland is facing a serious internal crisis. Across the country — from large cities to small villages — people are protesting against illegal immigration and against Donald Tusk’s migration policy. I firmly believe that Law and Justice (PiS) will win the next election. And Rafal Trzaskowski, the Civic Coalition’s candidate supported by Tusk, will lose, because the Polish people reject Donald Tusk’s migration policy.
– And lastly: what is your opinion on Ukraine’s planned fast-tracked EU membership? Do you believe member states — such as Hungary or Poland — have the right to say no without being labeled “anti-European”?
– Every member state - including Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic or Romania - has the right to do what is in their interest. I remember that, as a deputy agriculture minister, I had a good connection with my colleagues from Hungary, and we agreed that we need to protect our own farmers.
So yes, Hungary has a right to defend its own interest, just as Poland has the same right!
Polish-Hungarian relations are generally very good. We now have a government that unfortunately fights with Hungary, which is a mistake because in the past, Hungary's never turned against Poland.
This also proves that Tusk’s policy is not a Polish, but a German policy, making Poland a tool for Germany to fight against Hungarian interests.
So, although it's true that Hungary made some grave mistakes in terms of the energy sector some 20, 25 years ago, we respect Hungarian interests and the country’s right to make its own decisions. That's why I support PM Viktor Olban, who is now the only leader in Europe who shows how sovereign prime minister should govern a country. He fights for Hungarian interests – just as I fight for Polish interests.
Cover photo: Conservative Polish politician Janusz Kowalski at Budapest's Ludovika Festival on May 8, 2025 (Photo: Attila Polyak)
