Quote of the week by Agnes Jongerius, MEP and S&D spokesperson on employment and social rights:
“Uber failed its most basic duty of protecting the health and safety of its workers, not even shrinking away from inciting violence and breaking the law by putting their drivers at serious risk of injury and even death. We have moved beyond paying lip service, legal action is now called for and we urge the Commission to launch an investigation. It’s the old story of exploiting workers by the ultra-rich to get even richer. It is time to change the game of the gig economy and make sure that through EU laws, platform workers are entitled to the social rights they deserve and economic benefits are distributed fairly. We are committed to this fight.”
From Monday 18 July to Thursday 21 July, a delegation of six S&D members will be in Washington for the Transatlantic Week, which this year will be focused on geopolitics, digital transformation, economy and trade and sustainability. Marek Belka, Bernd Lange, Inmaculada Rodríguez-Piñero, Tonino Picula, Kathleen Van Brempt and Brando Benifei will have the chance to not only participate in the event, but also to meet with US Congresswomen/men, US administration representatives, including the Department of Commerce and Department of State, and with the IMF.
The European Parliament economic affairs committee delegation led by S&D MEP Irene Tinagli, and joined as well by our MEP Pedro Silva Pereira, will also be in Washington during the same timeframe. They will meet representatives from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the US Treasury as well as US Congress and Senate. Pertinent financial and economic issues on the table include: the impact of the Russian war against Ukraine, record high inflation, sustainable finance, post-Covid recovery, anti-money laundering, and more.
Our members, Margarida Marques, Pierre Larrouturou and Camilla Laureti will be in Portugal from 18 to 20 July on a mission of the EP committee on budgets to see how the country benefits from the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
At the same time, S&D MEP Lara Wolters will represent our group during the fact-finding mission to Warsaw of the EP committee of budgetary control. In the Polish capital, she will meet to discuss the spending of EU money and the rule of law with investigative journalists, Polish parliamentarians and local authorities, representatives of the Polish judiciary, NGOs and businesses.
Our MEP Sven Mikser, the EP rapporteur on Georgia, will represent our group in the EP mission to Caucasus which will start on Tuesday, 19 July, in Azerbaijan, and will continue in Georgia and Armenia until Friday.
On Wednesday, 20 July, we are looking forward to the outcome of the College meeting, as Commissioners will discuss the winter preparedness of the EU. We would like to hear their views on how to avoid skyrocketing electricity bills that are already a huge burden for our citizens and businesses.
On 21 July, our President Iratxe García will take part in an event hosted by the SD Platform for Ukraine. The SD Campus is organised together with the Kyiv Office of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. The event will bring together 50 young progressive professionals and students who will spend 4 days in a format of 33% theory and 66% practice. The main goal is to discuss, debate and prepare a vision of how young progressive people define the reconstruction of Ukraine, which should be based on social care and assistance to those who are suffering.
Also on 21 July, the European Central Bank (ECB) is expected to raise the key interest rate by 25 basis points to cope with record high inflation. Our Group has been insisting that skyrocketing inflation, being pushed by increasing energy prices and commodity shortages, requires both fiscal and monetary action. We’ve been calling on the EU to push the energy transition forward, while at the same time protecting the most vulnerable Europeans from energy poverty.
Between 26 August and 3 September, our President Iratxe García, together with Pedro Marques, Maria Manuel Leitão -Marques and Javi López will be on mission to Latin America. The visit will include Brazil, Chile and Argentina, where our members will have institutional and political meetings, as well as meetings with trade unions, civil society and women’s organisations. More details will follow in due time.
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