Quote of the week
“Things cannot be changed through an illegal referendum. What did it achieve? Only damage. Damage to citizens; damage to Spain and also damage to Europe. A strong Spain in an ever more united Europe; this is our call, and this is our task”
Gianni Pittella
Past activities
Smart buildings that save energy and contribute to clean transport? We say yes! See what our MEPs have done to lead the fight against climate change this past week. The resettlement of refugees is still a hot issue in Europe and a priority for us. Check out our latest comments on the topic here. Also, this past week we’ve continued our fight for more transparency from the Commission when it comes to the management of the glyphosate files. We won’t let economic interest take over the safety of our citizens. See more on this issue here.
Activities
Next week it’s all about Europe, as we’re getting ready for this year’s biggest event, gathering all the EU’s progressive family right here, in Brussels. Building the Progressive Future Together is the topic of this convention and high-level speakers will attend.
Upcoming activities
We’re only a few days away from this year’s most important meeting of progressive forces in Europe. The Together convention on Building the Progressive Future Together will take place in Brussels, on October 18-19. Speakers include our Group President Gianni Pittella, Pedro Sanchez, Secretary General of the PSOE (Spain), Paul Magnette, the Mayor of Charleroi (Belgium), Jeremy Corbyn, UK Labour, Paul Mason, award-winning British journalist, broadcaster and author, Dr. Naika Foroutan, Professor of Social Sciences at Humboldt-University Berlin, Sir Paul Collier, Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Oxford University, HRVP Federica Mogherini, commissioner Frans Timmermans and many other academics and intellectuals.
The future of Europe is in our hands! We’ve all seen what populism can do. It’s time to protect our people from crises, uncertainty and lies! This is why this event is so important. We’re done talking! It’s time we listened to the citizens, heard their concerns and acted upon them. To that end, we’ve selected seven Together Ambassadors form different EU countries, who will join us in Brussels to share their ideas for a better future.
If you can’t register and join us in the room, you can always follow us on Facebook and send us your questions via Twitter using #EuropeTogether. You can find the updated programme here.
Together is more than just a series of events. It’s our way of reaching out to people, of hearing their concerns and of acting accordingly. It’s our way of changing society so that it can turn out to be a home for every one of us, regardless of our origins, beliefs or religion.
Also on the 18th of October we’re hosting several other events. Our Vice-President Tanja Fajon will be coordinating a conference on fighting the populist radical right in a constantly changing EU. You can find more details on the topic here.
Tackling anti-gypsyism in the context of national Roma strategies and the EU framework is another initiative we’re supporting next week. More details and a complete programme are available here.
Social security - a topic closest to our values as socialists - will be on the table next week as well. Registrations are still open for the conference which will take place in the European Parliament and you can check out more details here.
On Monday, October 17 our Group will be voting in the EMPL Committee on the Posting of Workers. We fight to make equal pay for equal work at the same place a reality and to ensure fair competition all over Europe.
Next week we will also be preparing the upcoming Plenary session in Strasbourg and we will hold a vote in the PANA Committee, where our MEP Jeppe Kofod is co-rapporteur.
