Quote of the week by Maria Noichl on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women:
“Millions of women suffer in Europe every single day, experiencing physical or sexual violence, often from partners or ex-partners. During the pandemic, cases of violence against women and girls surged alarmingly. While some EU governments continue to refuse to ratify the Istanbul Convention, others are even working actively against women’s rights and gender equality, spreading disinformation about this treaty. These countries are taking women’s rights and the fight against gender-based violence hostage. The Council has to end this now and forge ahead by adopting the Convention with a qualified majority!”
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This Saturday we will join the international community in marking the Day of Solidarity with Belarus.
During this last plenary session, the European Parliament welcomed Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of Belarus’ democratic opposition. See below the highlights of her speech and our response, led by MEP Robert Biedroń.
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Next week, on Tuesday, our members in the environment committee will hold a vote on reinforcing the European Medicine Agency (EMA). A stronger EMA, with enhanced transparency, participation, coordination and prevention is what we want and what we have been working towards. Voting next week for a stronger agency means stronger resilience for the EU when tackling possible future challenges of the magnitude of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Next week, two key migration files will be presented in the justice and home affairs committee. On Tuesday, S&D coordinator Birgit Sippel will present Parliament’s response to proposed rules on screening asylum seekers at the EU’s borders. S&D MEPs want to make sure screening includes proper effective checks on people’s health and well-being to identify any vulnerabilities ahead of the asylum procedures and ensure fundamental rights are respected via an independent monitoring mechanism. On the same day, S&D civil liberties, justice and home affairs committee chair Juan Fernando López Aguilar will lay the groundwork for a solidarity-based system in the EU’s common and asylum policy in crisis situations. The S&D Group is advocating for a fresh approach to crisis situations that includes a new more effective relocation framework to support large influxes of irregular migration. The chair will hold a press conference on Tuesday at 12:15, which can be followed online.
Looking for a good podcast to listen over the weekend? Check out our latest What’s Left podcast. This week’s topic? The outcome of the COP26 conference in Glasgow. Have a listen on Apple podcasts and Spotify.
And don’t forget to stay updated on all our initiatives and reactions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
