The despicable terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel
Debate on Wednesday 18 October, vote on Thursday 19 October
Iratxe García Pérez, President of the S&D Group
"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the barbaric cruelty of the terrorist attacks by Hamas against innocent Israeli citizens. In the plenary, we will again express our deepest sympathy and full solidarity. The priority right now must be to cease the attacks, to ensure the security of Israeli citizens and to make every possible effort to bring home all hostages held in Gaza, paying special attention to children and those requiring immediate medical assistance. The European Union must exercise all its leverage to stop violence and indiscriminate actions against civilians, which can only generate more innocent victims, more suffering and more extremism, escalating the conflict. Civilians must be protected at all times and any action of self-defence by Israel must respect and uphold international law and international humanitarian law. The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is dramatic and human life and dignity must be the ultimate beacon of any action. The establishment of humanitarian corridors and the delivery of relief is of utmost urgency. When innocent children die, this can only be a defeat for humanity, no matter the side."
Press contact: Victoria Martin de la Torre
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
Debate on Tuesday 17 October
Pedro Marques, vice-president of the S&D Group responsible for a social Europe:
"The upcoming International Day for the Eradication of Poverty must serve as a reminder that over 95 million Europeans live at risk of poverty or social exclusion, and that the EU has pledged to reduce this number by at least 15 million by 2030. The alarming surge in the cost of living has caused enormous stress and anxiety for many Europeans, especially low and medium income earners. For us, Socialists and Democrats, the answer is a strong social Europe. We need binding poverty reduction targets and new EU laws banning unpaid internships, as well as ensuring an adequate minimum income for people in need, a dedicated budget of at least 20 billion euros for the European Child Guarantee, and dedicated initiatives to guarantee decent and affordable housing. Furthermore, it is crucial to swiftly apply the EU law on minimum wages and to have significantly more jobs covered by collective bargaining agreements."
Press contact: Petra von Wüllerstorff
Establishing the Ukraine Facility
Debate on Monday 16 October, vote on Tuesday 17 October
Eider Gardiazabal Rubial, S&D MEP and the EP rapporteur on the matter in the EP committee on budgets:
Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz, S&D MEP and negotiator on the matter in the EP committee on foreign affairs:
"The Ukraine Facility is a new instrument intended to provide 50 billion euros of financial support for Ukraine over the 2024-2027 period. For the S&D Group, there is no doubt that the EU should continue supporting Ukraine, which is defending itself against Russia’s war of aggression. The country needs our help to continue to deliver basic public services, like schools, hospitals and pensions, as well as to work on the reforms required for future EU membership, including strengthening the rule of law, the fight against corruption and contributing to climate objectives. For us, it is important that Verkhovna Rada, social partners and civil society are closely involved in the preparation of the EU’s financial support. We also call on the member states to agree on establishing a legal basis that will allow the confiscation of Russian public assets frozen by EU sanctions for the purpose of the reconstruction of Ukraine."
Press contacts: Inga Czerny-Grimm and Alexander Stanchev
Prohibiting products on the Union market made with forced labour
Vote on the report in the two committees on Monday 16 October
Maria-Manuel Leitão-Marques, S&D MEP and EP rapporteur on the matter in the committee on the internal market and consumer protection:
Raphaël Glucksmann, S&D MEP and negotiator on the matter in the committee on international trade:
"28 million people worldwide are forced into labour. The products they are forced to make will soon be banned from our market. This is a long-awaited key demand and policy proposal for the S&Ds in this legislature.
On Monday, the committees on trade (INTA) and the internal market (IMCO) will jointly vote on the European Parliament mandate to enter into the negotiations with the Council on this new law. The compromise agreed with other political groups strongly reflects our progressive objectives. We secured that the new law should be product-based, meaning that all companies will have to comply with the ban if forced labour is detected at any step of their supply chain. For products coming from regions or sectors where state-imposed forced labour takes place, companies will have to prove that products are not tainted. If the competent authorities find that forced labour has been used, the products will be withdrawn from the market, and customs authorities will block imports and exports."
Press contacts: Georgina Mombo Rasero and Inga Czerny-Grimm
Schengen area: digitalisation of the visa procedure
Debate on Tuesday 17 October, vote on Wednesday 18 October
Matjaž Nemec, S&D MEP and EP negotiator on the matter:
"By replacing the visa sticker with a digital visa, short-stay applications for the Schengen area will be faster, easier and more secure. The current application procedure, which applies to over 100 countries, is not as simple as it could be. A single online platform means people will no longer be faced with an inconsistent patchwork of national practices for managing applications. Furthermore, applicants will no longer have to travel long distances to submit visa applications in-person. Thanks to our work, people with disabilities and people with issues relating to digital literacy and internet access will have better access to the new visa system. Next week’s vote in the European Parliament is the final step in Europe’s move to a fully digital procedure that is safe and much more accessible for all, and as a result, it will be easier for people to travel to the EU for tourism and business."
Press contact: Ewan Macphee
Recent escalation in the relations between Serbia and Kosovo
Vote on Thursday 19 October (debate held on 3 October)
Tonino Picula, S&D MEP an spokesperson on foreign affairs:
"At our request, next week the European Parliament will adopt a resolution on Kosovo and Serbia. We asked for it because the recent terrorist attack against Kosovo police officers, carried out by an armed Serbian gang, must have political consequences. This is a watershed moment, unprecedented in the post-war times. The situation is extremely worrying; in particular the military build-up of the Serbian army close to the border with Kosovo. The only solution is normalisation of relations through compromise, for which we need a proper investigation and prosecution, no further escalation and the return of both sides to the EU facilitated dialogue. Against this backdrop, the European Parliament should also call for EU negative measures against Serbia, at least mirroring measures against Kosovo."
Press contact: Petra von Wüllerstorff
