Quote of the week
“When the Socialists and Democrats called for the end of roaming charges some years ago, we faced a lot of opposition from national governments, from corporations, and the conservatives. After ten years of battling, roaming charges are now finally a thing of the past. By ensuring affordable phone prices for all when travelling abroad, we have torn down one of the remaining borders in the single market. From this summer, when travelling you can switch on your phone and feel like at home, in Europe”
Gianni Pittella


Past activities
In this week’s Plenary in Strasbourg our Group has tackled a series of important topics - from strengthening our fight for more tax transparency in Europe, in spite of the setbacks put in place by Liberals and Conservatives, to the need for an upgraded European Investment Plan, a better asylum and migration policy, the eradication of the gender pension gap or the need for Europe to take a leading role in the fight against climate change, after Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement.
Our MEPs have also been involved in protecting public health by urging the Commission to review the use of glyphosate in agriculture, and we have played an important part in deciding for clearer rules in energy efficiency labelling. A special focus in this Plenary session has been the enlargement process, particularly the case of the Western Balkans.

Not to mention that since Thursday Europe has officially made roaming history. We’re glad we could play an important part in this decision that is beneficial to all Europeans.


Activities (summary)
We are less than two weeks away from our next Europe Together event! This time we will be joined by our partners at the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) as we join forces for the seventh edition of the Call to Europe conference.
This weekend, our MEPs will be joining the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Malta. The topic under discussion will be rights and opportunities for women with a migrant background.


Upcoming activities

We are already preparing for a great collaboration with our partners at FEPS. On June 28 - 29 our TOGETHER initiative will be joining the seventh edition of their Call to Europe conference. With an array of exciting speakers and a great topic on the table, it is safe to say that we’re looking forward to having another successful event under the TOGETHER umbrella.
Not to mention that this time we have an interesting competition - send your 140 character quotes on Democracy online and you could see them printed on beer mats.
Registrations are open and we encourage you to see the programme on our website.

On June 28-29 we are also looking forward to hosting an event on the peace process in the Middle East. The conference will be divided into three round tables, each dealing with topics such as the two state solution, the role of civil society and the role of the European Union in the peace process.

Our partners at SOLIDAR have just opened a new call for nominations for their annual Silver Rose Awards. Since the year 2000 our Group supports the SOLIDAR Silver Rose Awards in the European Parliament, an occasion to celebrate Civil Society Organisations and individuals whose extraordinary struggles contribute greatly to social justice and solidarity throughout the world. This year's edition will take place on 10 October 2017 in the EP.
You can make a nomination of an organisation or individual whose efforts should be recognised with a Silver Rose Award in one of the three categories, Together for Social Europe, Building Learning Societies or Organising International Solidarity.
On Monday 3rd July we'll close the call for nominations upon which the Silver Rose Jury will decide on the three best candidates per category.


Our Group President, Gianni Pittella will be on mission this weekend in Madrid, to show our full political support towards PSOE and their fight for a progressive Spain. Follow our updates on Twitter.

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