Quote of the week
“UK is still far from being open and keen to discuss seriously over Brexit”
Gianni Pittella
Upcoming activities
Welcome back from holidays! Next week we will be back in full strength and have activities in several EP committees and we will also have our plenary S&D group meeting.
The S&D MEPs will prepare for the September plenary session and the State of the Union debate with many important challenges in the year ahead. The S&D members will also have a special guest, Esther Lynch, the confederal secretary of ETUC. On the 5th of September she will present the campaign of Europe’s trade unions to raise salaries in Eastern Europe and bridge the East-West page gap. S&Ds support the campaign #OurPayRise and will address EU-wide actions to ensure fair wages for all.
On 4 September, members of the Internal Market committee will vote on a report that aims at improving the Europe-wide Emergency number 112. New provisions such as the caller location technology will help to save more lives by allowing emergency services to find those in need more easily and fastly. This committee will give its opinion to the leading Industry committee.
The Group will also hold a conference on Fake News on 6 September. We will discuss how lies and mis-information affected recent elections in EU member states. Representatives of Google and Facebook will explain what social media platforms are doing to stop fake news, while speakers on behalf of “Hope Not Hate” (UK) and “Fearless Democracy” (Germany) will analyse how fake news are being used to the profit of the radical right. The Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists and the director of Freedom of Expression and Media Development of UNESCO will address how fake news may influence the future of professional and ethical journalism. You can see the full programme and list of speakers here:
We are also closing our call for participants in our next Europe Together event in Valencia. You are still on time if you want to register or send us your opinions, questions or concerns regarding how EU Cohesion funds are used to improve people’s lives in Europe. The event will take place on 15 September.
The final agenda for our annual Africa week is ready. This 4-day conference will celebrate Africa’s youth and address their challenges and their potential. About 65% of the total population of the continent are under 35, and over 35% are between the ages of 15 and 35 years, which means that Africa making Africa the most youthful continent.
