S&D Group's news on the European Parliament's Plenary session in Strasbourg - 1 to 4 October 2018
Tue 02 Preparation of the European Council meeting of 18 and 19 October
Udo BULLMANN udo.bullmann@europarl.europa.eu
Tel: +33(0)3 88 1 75342
S&D press officer: Angelika Pentsi +32 473 93 00 60
“Yet again, European leaders will meet in the Council and discuss the migration situation. We urge all participants to finally come up with durable solutions. We must set common and effective international search and rescue rules in the Mediterranean, with the contribution from all member states. Sharing responsibility, not spreading irresponsibility, is the only way forward! As far as the other topic on the agenda is concerned, Brexit, we urge all 27 member states to maintain the coherent position they have demonstrated so far. The rights of EU citizens who live in the UK, and of British citizens on mainland Europe, must be guaranteed, as well as the freedom of movement and future trade relations. Concerning Northern Ireland, we stand firmly behind our commitment to avoid a hard border in Ireland and to maintain the Good Friday Agreement.”
Wed 03 The Rule of Law in Romania
Udo BULLMANN udo.bullmann@europarl.europa.eu Tel: +33(0)3 88 1 75342
S&D press officer: Angelika Pentsi +32 473 93 00 60
“We are following the situation in Romania very carefully and, given the severity of the conflict, with concern. We welcome that the Parliament will have the debate on Rule of Law in Romania. It was our Group that called for this debate. We had the Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă in our group meeting recently and had a very frank exchange with her. The Venice Commission is looking into the case and we are looking forward to the results before drawing further conclusions. Our Group has always been, and will be, at the forefront of the fight for democracy and rule of law in Europe – no matter who forms the government.”
Tue 02 CO2 emissions of light vehicles
MIRIAM DALLI miriam.dalli@europarl.europa.eu Tel: +33(0)3 88 1 75635
S&D press officer: Victoria Martín De La Torre + 32 473 23 41 73
“The creation of jobs, environmental protection and the fight against climate change go hand in hand. This is why we are pushing for an ambitious and yet realistic proposal, which protects both the environment and jobs, including a fair transition for workers and regions affected by the changes. Our Group is committed to the transition to low and zero-carbon cars. It will save jobs in Europe, boost the EU’s industrial competiveness, support technological innovation, and contribute to the fight against climate change in line with our commitments in the Paris Agreement. Our Group is behind the 45% CO2 emissions reductions target by 2030 as voted in ENVI, with a 40% ZLEV benchmark. This is what we believe represents a strong progressive commitment. But we are also aware of the conservative forces outside our Group, which are pushing for even lower targets than those proposed by the European Commission. For this reason, as a fall-back position, our Group also tabled a plenary amendment on a 40% CO2 target. As S&Ds, we want to stand united behind a strong position.”
Tue 02 Provision of audiovisual media services
Petra KAMMEREVERT petra.kammerevert@europarl.europa.eu Tel: +33(0)3 88 1 75554
S&D press officer: Victoria Martín De La Torre + 32 473 23 41 73
“The current Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) Directive established principal rules for TV and video-on-demand services. The Directive is now being adapted to keep up with the challenges of the digital age and sets out rules for all kinds of videos, also disseminated on social media or video platforms. The new Directive introduces an expansion of its scope to regulate all audiovisual media. For us, Socialist and Democrats, it is of particular importance that online services be subject to similar standards as traditional TV broadcasters. We also fight for ambitious regulations regarding barrier free access and media competencies, as well as the online protection of minors. The reform guarantees that minors will be protected against dangerous and non-age appropriate content that is freely accessible on the internet.”
Mon 01 Free flow of non-personal data in the EU
Christel SCHALDEMOSE christel.schaldemose@europarl.europa.eu Tel: +33(0)3 88 1 75491
S&D press officer: Eva Sali +32 495 56 24 31
“The online economy will offer significant benefits to European businesses and consumers over the coming years and this Regulation will add significantly to this. However, these benefits must not happen at the expense of the protection of personal data. It has been our main priority to ensure that our European data protection legislation will not be undermined in any way. We have achieved a future-proof solution that will ensure personal data protection whilst allowing businesses and consumers to take advantage of a more integrated internal market for data.”
Wed 03 Reform of Eurojust
Sylvia-Yvonne KAUFMANN sylvia-yvonne.kaufmann@europarl.europa.eu Tel: +33(0)3 88 1 75788
S&D press officer: Tim Allan + 32 475 63 56 73
“We welcome the agreement on reforming Eurojust, the European Union's Judicial Cooperation Unit, dealing with judicial co-operation in criminal matters among member states. The S&D Group has achieved important improvements concerning the structure and the competences of the agency. There will now be a clear division of tasks between Eurojust and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, which will be up and running until 2020. The College will focus on operational tasks, while the new executive board will deal with the managing tasks of the agency. This reform will also make Eurojust’s work more efficient as it will have more possibilities to act on its own initiative.”
Thu 04 Situation in Yemen
Victor BOŞTINARU victor.bostinaru@europarl.europa.eu Tel: +33(0)3 88 1 75832
S&D press officer: Inga Inga Czerny-Grimm + 32 474 62 28 84
“The brutal and bloody long-term conflict in Yemen is about to escalate to an even worse stage as the Saudi-backed coalition is about to launch an assault on the rebelled-held port of Hodeida. Considering the dire humanitarian situation on the ground, we should call on all relevant international actors to put pressure on the coalition to halt the assault and to allow humanitarian aid to reach all people in need in order to avoid more starvation and deaths. We call on both sides to stop and prevent any further targeting of the civilian population and show restraint. Finally, it is necessary to call on the international community, including our member states to put into practice their so-called commitment for peace and to immediately put an end to the export of arms to the ones fuelling and fighting this unacceptable and tragic war.”
