Quote of the week by President Iratxe García:
“Closing legal paths will not stop the human instinct for survival; it will only strengthen criminal gangs who get rich by exploiting the most desperate ones. But instead of advancing on the conclusion of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, the right prefers to debate whether to build walls on Europe's external borders and who should finance them.
Effective and humanitarian management of the arrival of refugees and migrants demands a comprehensive approach based on shared responsibility, such as the one proposed by the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. This new pact shall ensure international protection for asylum seekers and guarantee legal channels for immigration – and it must also prioritise integration, including education, employment, and humanitarian visas.”
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Upcoming activities
On Tuesday, 21 March, members in the legal affairs committee will vote on making harming the environment a criminal offence under EU law. Harsher sanctions on lawbreakers and stronger enforcement are important steps in deterring environmental crimes and protecting the planet.
Also on Tuesday, the European Parliament’s subcommittee on tax matters is set to vote on the report on the lessons learnt from the Pandora papers, with our MEP Niels Fuglsang in a central role as the rapporteur. To recall, in October 2021, an unprecedented leak of records from offshore services across the world revealed how intermediaries help affluent individuals shielding income and assets from fair taxation. The fight against tax abuse has always been a key priority for our group.
On Wednesday, 22 March, the European Commission is expected to put forward a proposal on substantiating environmental claims, which will require companies to substantiate claims they make about the environmental footprint of their products or services by using standard methods for quantifying them. The aim is to make the claims reliable, comparable and verifiable across the EU – reducing greenwashing. While we have criticised the Commission for dragging its feet on this important initiative, we hope the extra time taken will lead to an ambitious proposal to effectively rule out possible greenwashing from companies.
Also on Wednesday, the Commission will present its consumer package. Concretely, the right to repair. Our position is clear: we need an efficient right to repair – to allow consumers to use their products longer and to choose, at the time of purchase, products that last longer and are repairable. It is a key element to adapt the Single Market to the challenges of climate change and the ongoing degradation of the environment. Efficient use of the right to repair does not only save costs for consumers; it generates local jobs – both in the second hand and in the repair service sectors.
Heads of states and governments are set to meet again next week, on 23-24 March, for the European Council summit. On the agenda – subsidising the green transition in the context of reforming the Union’s fiscal rules. Ahead of the summit, our President Iratxe Garcia will meet with progressive leaders, as the PES will hold its customary pre-summit meeting. Follow us on Twitter for details.
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