Quote of the week
“The extreme right presents the same face everywhere: they cajole, play the nationalist card and vilify Europe. They lie to the public with promises of a golden future. They do not represent the people. Their hate-fuelled speeches advocate nations turning in on themselves and rejecting the other. The last debate before the final round yesterday clearly showed that the Front National candidate has no credible or viable solutions to propose to tackle youth unemployment, climate change, the migration crisis or the terrorist threat. She wants to destroy the European project which has brought peace to our continent for the last 70 years.
For me, the choice is simple this Sunday. There is just one candidate: Emmanuel Macron”
Gianni Pittella
Past activities
The situation of over 100 journalists imprisoned in Turkey has been one important topic on the Group’s agenda this week, especially as we have also marked World Press Freedom Day, on May 3rd.
The adoption of the guidelines for the Brexit negotiations have also been an important highlight of the past week, alongside visa reciprocity with the US and the Schengen area.
Activities (summary)
The Open Days, a new TOGETHER debate in Tallinn, and a series of interesting conferences and seminars - these are just a few of the topics on our Group’s agenda for next week.
We are also preparing the next Strasbourg Plenary Session, scheduled to take place on 15 - 18 May.
Upcoming activities
This year’s Open Days are just around the corner. This is the perfect chance for all those interested to come and visit our stands on May 6th in Brussels and May 14th in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. This is an opportunity for everyone to learn about the day-to-day work of the institutions, as well as the broader issues, challenges and benefits of the European Union for its 508 million citizens. Not to mention we’ll also have games, quizzes and many interesting stands for everyone to visit. Our young guests will enjoy a series of games inside our stand and there will also be live music.
One other event we are looking forward to is the next TOGETHER debate, which will take place on May 12th in Tallinn, Estonia. The topic for debate will be Social Europe, and the full programme and registration form can be found on the new debate platform.
You can also join the debate and add your comments on the Tallinn Statement, as they will all be taken into account during the event.
On May 9th we will be hosting the conference Rethinking Yemen: Partnership for a Better Future. Speakers will include Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Nicola Pedde, Institute for Global Studies, Rome, Donald Kaberuka, former president of African Development Bank and current co-chair of the LSE-Oxford Commission on State Fragility, Growth and Development, Rafat al Akhali, former minister of Youth Affairs in Yemen and Founder and CEO of Deep Root Consultants and Farea al Muslimi, Chairman of the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies and a leading political and Civil Society activist.
At the end of the conference, a film on the EU role in Yemen by the award-winning Yemeni filmmaker Khadija al-Salimi will be shown.
The following day we have another event on the agenda - S&D Group Seminar: The Palestinian Arab Community in Israel - Today and Tomorrow. Our Group President, Gianni Pittella will open the seminar and the two panels will focus on the situation of the Palestinian Arab community in Israel and the role of the Palestinian Arab community in Middle East peace efforts.
Also, don’t forget to book May 11th in your agendas, as our Group is also hosting a seminar on Immigration and the Rise of Radical Right Populism. The event will take place from 10.00 to 12.00 in the European Parliament, in room A3-G2, and guest speakers feature MEPs Ana Gomez and Péter Niedermüller, alongside researchers, professors and renowned lecturers.
