Quote of the week by president Iratxe García:
“Finland is another example of the regression and the decline represented by the alliance between the European People’s Party and the far right. Mr Orpo, your alliance with the far right is a real threat to our democracy and to the European project. This is why the future of the European Union is at stake.
Mr Orpo, Mr Weber: put an end to your alliance with those who want to destroy Europe. Your only enemy is the far right. In the last century, your political family made a mistake by opening the door to the far right, and Europe and the world paid a high price. Now, let’s say no to the darkness and yes to more years of hope and progress.”
Upcoming events
In the European Parliament in Brussels this year, the spring brings a wave of fresh progressive energy. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we are looking forward to welcoming around 550 young social democrats from all over Europe at our Youth Event – My Choice, My Voice to discuss the achievements and priorities ahead of the upcoming European elections.
The event will kick off with 12 workshops on key issues of interest to young Europeans, organised in cooperation with the Party of European Socialists, the Foundation for European Progressive Studies, the PES Group in the Committee of the Regions and the Young European Socialists. The focus will be on the fight against the far right, social and tax justice, the green deal with a red heart, women’s and LGBTIQ+ rights, support for Ukraine and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza.
Young progressives will bring their messages from the workshops to the Wednesday plenary event in the Hemicycle to share them with leaders. The special guest will be the commissioner for jobs and social rights Nicolas Schmit. S&D president Iratxe García, PES president Stefan Löfven and Partito Democratico leader Elly Schlein will also come to engage with young Europeans.
The plenary event will take place on Wednesday, from 16:00-19:00 and you can watch it live here. Please note that media will need special accreditation for the event on top of accreditation for the European Parliament. Stay tuned for more VIP guests to join us.
Read more about the event here.
Upcoming activities
From 18-21 March, three S&D Members will participate in the European Parliament’s delegation to the 68th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW). Our delegation will include – and be led by – Robert Biedron, chair of the women’s rights and gender equality committee (FEMM), Evelyn Regner, EP Vice-President and Vera Tax, FEMM member.
Besides bilateral meetings with UN decision makers, including Secretary General António Guterres, the MEPs will present and discuss the EU´s approach to tackling female poverty in the European Parliament’s side event focusing on “Promoting women's full inclusion in economy and labour market to address poverty: closing the gender gaps and empowering through rights".
On Tuesday, we are looking forward to taking stock of what has been done in the area of employment and social affairs over the past mandate. The European Parliament’s employment committee will discuss this with the commissioner for jobs and social rights Nicolas Schmit who has put forward a series of far-reaching legislative proposals. The progressives have many reasons to be proud of this mandate. The historic deals on EU laws on the protection of platform workers and decent minimum wages, stronger pillar of social rights and protection of workers’ health, establishment of the Child Guarantee to eradicate child poverty, as well as progress in our fight to ban unpaid traineeships, ensure the right to disconnect and minimum income – these are just some on the long list of achievements.
Also on Tuesday, MEPs led by the S&Ds will vote on the landmark “pharmaceutical package” in the environment committee of the European Parliament. Its goal is to ensure better access, availability and affordability of medicines in the Union, notably through measures to tackle shortages of medicinal products. The reform encourages innovation, especially for medical needs that have not been met, including for rare diseases, while promoting more robust environmental standards linked to the production of medicines. The revision also addresses the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance and aims to stimulate the development of novel antimicrobials. Learning from the Covid-19 pandemic, the update will make the pharmaceutical system stronger for the future and better prepared in the event of crises. It will make the regulatory framework more efficient by creating an accelerated process for approving medicines,which should benefit both regulators and companies involved in making medicines.
On Wednesday, 20 March, the European Parliament’s committee on the internal market and consumer protection will vote on a report to combat late payment in commercial transactions. The updated regulation will be crucial for thousands of SMEs across Europe, as they are the most affected by invoices not being paid on time. The S&Ds are pushing for a regulation that empowers SMEs by setting a clear and defined timeframe for payments. This will aid SMEs growth and alleviate stress levels for entrepreneurs.
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