Quote of the week by acting S&D leader, Maria João Rodrigues

"The Europe of tomorrow must be a social one. Investment in jobs, fighting youth unemployment, ensuring the rights of the children, pursuing minimum wages across Europe - it is our duty to deliver on these needs. The EU can only take effective action if it has the means to do so. The EU must be equipped with a strong, long-term EU budget based not only on contributions from member states but also increased own resources.

Finally, the EU must remain an example of international co-operation based on human values, democracy, fairness and sustainable development."

Upcoming activities

It will be a busy week in the Parliament, with various important committee votes and events taking place.  Stay tuned!

Next week our Group will elect its new leader. Elections for president are scheduled for Tuesday, March 20. The Group meeting will start at 18.30 with the presentation of the candidates, followed by a debate and votes. This procedure will enable the Group to re-organise its bodies and continue its work towards the next European elections.

On Tuesday, March 20, our members in the committee on the environment, public health and food safety (ENVI) will be holding a vote on a resolution on vaccine hesitancy and drop in vaccination rates. Our member signing this resolution on behalf of our Group is our MEP Elena Gentile.

On March 22nd our MEPs in the committee on petitions (PETI) and the committee on the environment, public health and food safety (ENVI) will be hosting the joint public hearing on the Impact of Endocrine Disruptors on Public Health and the Environment.

The event is scheduled to take place in the European Parliament in room 6Q2, and those interested to register can do so at peti-secretariat@europarl.europa.eu.

The TAX3 constitutive committee will be also meeting for the first time next week in Brussels, to establish a working structure. We’ll be keeping an eye on the developments.

Our MEPs will also be following the Council next week. The spring European Council on March 22-23 will focus on economic affairs. Members will also look at a number of other pressing issues, including taxation, foreign policy and trade. Finally, EU leaders will also discuss Brexit (in an EU 27 format) and the eurozone (Euro Summit format).

We are also preparing our next #EuropeTogether debate on Managing Migration and Supporting Refugees in a Globalised World, which will be held in Hamburg, on April 12. Migration is no longer a phenomenon that affects only those displaced. It’s a global concern which we must address fast!
Assuming responsibility and acting together to improve the lives and futures of the people looking up to Europe with hope is something we must do now! And to do that, we are willing to take all the help and advice we can get. We are willing to listen. Listen to the people, listen to the specialists and listen to politicians, African leaders and NGOs.

Registrations are open and the programme is available on our platform.

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