The candidate for the European Parliament is presenting herself to voters in Bolesławiec County during a visit to Bolesławiec. Elżbieta Stępień is running from list no. 3 of the Civic Coalition (Civic Platform), in position no. 8.

Istotne.pl: Did it all really begin with the construction of a kindergarten with a swimming pool? Your entire political career, one might say?

Elżbieta Stępień: I began by working for children. In 2003, I worked in the financial sector, and at that time I also became involved in helping one of the children’s homes in Lower Silesia. Later, I became a mother. Every day I had to drive my son from Kunice, where I live, to Legnica, because that was where the kindergartens were. Kunice lacked an institution so necessary for families. Then I thought: a kindergarten must be built here.

Was that the impetus for running for the municipal council?

Yes. I even wrote in my leaflet that building a municipal kindergarten was my priority. During the campaign, as someone nobody knew, I knocked on doors. Some opened wide, others closed. It was my first lesson in politics, and I accepted it humbly because I had a specific goal: a kindergarten.

And what was the result?

Among 13 candidates in my district, I received the second-highest result. The residents placed their trust in me. I felt the weight of responsibility.

And the kindergarten was built...

Not immediately. It was work from the ground up; I had to convince the other councillors, but there was a moment when it seemed to me that nothing could be done about it. Then I thought: “A constant drop wears away a stone.” Eventually, a turning point came.

You convinced the councillors and the commune head that the commune should invest in a kindergarten. And so it was built. What is the kindergarten like?

It is full of children, makes it possible to create an integrated group, and its great advantage is the swimming pool. However, I want to emphasize that I initiated its construction, and I also want to thank the commune, which chose a good design and contractor.

What do you do in the Sejm?

Previously, I worked in the banking sector, so I dealt with entrepreneurs and learned about their needs. I brought this experience to the Sejm. I am deputy chair of the State Control Committee and sit on the Committee for Liaison with Poles Abroad. I am also deputy chair of the Parliamentary Union. I meet with parliamentarians from 178 countries. I also chair two bilateral groups: the Argentine and Australian groups. I am also a member of several parliamentary teams.

On your initiative, 2018 was declared the Year of Women’s Rights.

I initiated and sponsored this bill. In seeking to establish the Year of Women’s Rights, I wanted to launch a debate on women’s participation in political, economic, social and cultural life. Women must fight to break through the glass ceiling at work and for an easier return to their profession after maternity leave. I have experienced this myself.

Was it difficult to push this resolution through the Sejm?

When we submitted the bill, we knew it would not be easy because we were the opposition and everything we proposed was usually rejected. And yet I successfully guided the bill through all three readings. Ultimately, an overwhelming majority of MPs voted for the resolution: 394 out of 460. And so, thanks to our efforts, 2018 became the Year of Women’s Rights.

That was last year’s success. This year, you helped the large Kopyszczyk family, refugees from Ukraine who were facing the threat of returning to their country.

The Kopyszczyks came to Legnica from areas affected by warfare. They created a new home in Poland. They bought and renovated an apartment, working hard and investing the savings they had brought out of the country. Their children adapted excellently at their schools, are top students and take part in various competitions. Their high academic results are truly impressive. At the beginning of the year, it turned out that the family had not been granted permission to stay longer and had been ordered to leave Poland by a specified deadline. Neither the parents nor the children could imagine returning to Ukraine after the trauma of war. In Legnica, they found a safe haven and integrated with their neighbours and acquaintances. They say it is an ideal place for them to live.

How did you help them?

I learned about the Kopyszczyks’ situation from the media, so I contacted the family to ask for details. My office then sent a letter to the Office for Foreigners, presenting arguments in favour of changing the decision and allowing the family to remain in Poland. As a result of this correspondence, I met with Minister Rafał Rogala, head of the Office for Foreigners, who promised to reconsider the case. Naturally, in accordance with the procedures.
He kept his word. Last week, the Kopyszczyks received permission for humanitarian residence in Poland. They were very happy, and the entire family felt safe. I should add that the Kopyszczyks were supported not only by Legnica. More than 10,000 signatures were collected under a petition to the minister asking that the family be allowed to remain in Poland. The petition was written by Piotr Budzianowski, conductor of the Legnica children’s and youth wind orchestra, where the Kopyszczyk children play. It is heartening that in difficult situations our society shows such empathy.

I would also like to ask about your political choices. How do you find your place in Civic Platform?

I am a member of the parliamentary club of Civic Platform within the Civic Coalition, but I do not belong to any party. I focus on cooperation and effectiveness, and I found room for that here. I am an economic liberal, meaning that I believe the less the state interferes in the economy, the greater the opportunities businesses have to develop. We have truly excellent companies in various sectors, and our products often surpass others in quality—for example, Bolesławiec ceramics. Let us give our entrepreneurs the tools to grow, and they will successfully conquer global markets.

You are running in the European Parliament elections. What do you want to do for us?

I have several priorities. First, I will work, among other things, for solutions serving entrepreneurs. I support better promotion of Polish companies in Europe. Our regional producers deserve it because they are known not only for copper, wine, carp, organic honey and beautiful handicrafts. I also want EU funds to be used more effectively to build kindergartens, schools and social institutions. Polish children must be guaranteed better education and support at a European level.
I will also work to limit smog and secure clean air in Poland and our region, where arsenic concentrations exceed the standards. Our families are poisoning themselves every day, and the number of illnesses caused by this is constantly rising. We must put a stop to this. The European Union can tighten arsenic-emission standards and help us live healthier lives. And, of course, I will work for Poland’s strong position in the European Union, so that our country can regain a decisive voice in the future of a united Europe, because this is important and repeated by everyone.

Thank you for the interview.

Elżbieta Stępień was born in 1978 in Lubin. She graduated from the Wrocław School of Banking. She obtained her master’s degree at the Wrocław University of Economics, Faculty of National Economy, specializing in corporate finance and the finances of local-government units. From 2010 to 2014, she was an independent councillor on the Kunice Municipal Council. In the 2015 parliamentary elections, she ran for the Sejm in the Legnica-Jelenia Góra district, first on the Modern list. Voters entrusted her with a mandate as an MP of the eighth term.

Financed from the funds of the European Coalition Electoral Committee, European Coalition