Quote of the week by Paul Tang:
“The taxonomy vote is a painful and shameful setback for Europe as a global leader in the fight against climate change. By endorsing the Commission’s plans to define gas and nuclear as sustainable, the EU is institutionalising greenwashing at an unprecedented scale. From a climate-leader, Europe risks becoming a climate-laggard, as even Russia’s taxonomy does not label gas as sustainable. Europe’s unscientific project should not be an invitation for countries around the world to lower their climate ambitions.”
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On Tuesday next week, we are organising a debate, together with the Global Progressive Forum, on The New World Order and the Global Arms Race.
Speakers include:
Stefan Löfven, former prime minister of Sweden and chair of the governing board of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Klara Jordan, chief public policy officer of the Cyber Peace Institute
Sven Mikser, S&D MEP and rapporteur on the challenges and prospects for multilateral weapons of mass destruction, arms control and disarmament regimes
Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, former administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, Patron of The Helen Clark Foundation
Andreas Schieder, S&D MEP and co-chair of the Global Progressive Forum
Moderator - Shada Islam, EU commentator and visiting professor at the College of Europe
We’ll be live on Facebook, YouTube and our site. Follow the debate from 14:30 to 15:30!
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This week, our Group has adopted its latest position paper Our Answer to Demographic Challenges. Our vice-president Rovana Plumb has coordinated the work on the document that touches on issues ranging from better inclusion of women, elderly and disabled people, to mobility, migration and integration.
You can read the full paper here.
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Committee work is underway next week, as we prepare for important votes scheduled for upcoming plenary sessions.
On Monday and Tuesday (11-12 July), S&D home affairs committee chair Juan Fernando López Aguilar will represent the European Parliament at the informal Justice and Home Affairs meeting in Prague to fight for solidarity and fair-sharing of responsibility as key components of the Pact on Migration and Asylum.
Monday‘s vote on the Minimum Wages Directive, under the leadership of S&D MEP and European Parliament negotiator Agnes Jongerius, will be a crucial step towards fair wages for all EU citizens.
On Tuesday (12 July), MEPs in the committee on consumer protection will vote on the Consumer Credits Directive, where S&D MEP Maria Manuel Leitão Marques is shadow negotiator. On the same day, members of the committee will ratify the deal spearheaded by our MEP Alex Agius Saliba, on the common charger.
On Wednesday (13 July), the Energy Efficiency Directive will be on the table in the industry, research and energy committee. The same committee is also expected to cast a vote on the report on the Industry Strategy and our MEP Tsvetelina Penkova is shadow rapporteur. One more vote in the same committee is scheduled on Wednesday, as well, on the draft report on the Renewable Energy Directive, headed by our shadow negotiator, Nicolás Gonzáles Casares.
Also on Wednesday the Commission will publish its 2022 Rule of Law report where we want to see concrete recommendations to improve the state of democracy where it is at risk. Hungary is once again in the spotlight for its serious breach of rule of law as the civil liberties committee votes on a report on Article 7 proceedings.
On 15-16 July, the subcommittee on human rights is co-organising an event in Venice on global human rights challenges and their impact on children and youth. Among the participants is the Nobel Peace Prize and Sakharov award winner, Dr Denis Mukwege. Four S&D MEPs will participate: Marie Arena, Nacho Sánchez Amor, Juan Fernando López Aguilar and Pierfrancesco Majorino.
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And don’t forget to stay updated on all our initiatives and reactions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and TikTok!
