Quote of the week - S&D Group leader Iratxe García on the war in Ukraine and the urgent need to protect children:
“No child, no boy, no girl should ever know war. There are already seven and a half million children living in Ukraine whose lives have been shaken overnight. The EU can and must help with a package of measures to protect children. This week, at the initiative of the S&D Group, a huge majority of the European Parliament called on the Council and the Commission to urgently come forward with a coordinated response with the Ukrainian government. Emergency aid is urgently needed to ensure shelter, clean water, food and hygiene products for these children and their families. But let us not forget that they are children, and that they also need places to play, to continue their education and access to psycho-social help from public services.”
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Now more than ever, Europeans must stand together for our values and shape a future that deals with the challenges and threats in front of us, but that also makes the most of the opportunities. Today and tomorrow the Conference on the Future of Europe is taking in place in Strasbourg.
This evening the progressive family, including MEPs, national parliamentarians, citizens and unions, will meet to discuss our priorities in the Progressive Caucus. In the plenary debate, concrete proposals to move Europe forward will be put to the floor. You can follow all our updates and have your say on the #Progressives4Europe Facebook, Twitter #Progressives4Europe and platform.
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Our group leader Iratxe García will travel to Romania and Moldova to hold political meetings and visit refugee centres sheltering Ukrainian refugees. On Monday 11 April, Iratxe García will meet with several government ministers, along with Ion-Marcel Ciolacu, the leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and president of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies. Then, together with our MEP Dan Nica, they will visit the port town of Isaccea, where thousands of Ukrainians have arrived by ferry over the last few weeks. They will then travel to Galați, where they will meet local authorities and visit the refugee centre. On Tuesday 12 April, Iratxe García and Dan Nica will travel by road to Chișinău (Moldova), where they will meet Natalia Gavrilița, prime minister of the Republic of Moldova; Igor Grosu, the president of the Parliament; and Maia Sandu, the president of the Republic. On Wednesday, the MEPs will also visit a refugee centre near Chișinău. (Read the full details here)
From Monday to Wednesday, we are also hosting a conference entitled ‘Yes to social justice, yes to diversity, no to disinformation. The Socialists & Democrats’ Agenda’ in Riga. The event takes place in the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe and this time we will discuss social justice, diversity and disinformation. Watch live on our website and on our Facebook page.
S&D MEPs will also travel on two European Parliament missions. Our MEPs Adriana Maldonado and Maria Grapini will be in Navarra, Spain as part of the mission of the committee on the internal market and Tsvetelina Penkova MEP is going to Bulgaria as part of the mission of the committee on budgetary control.
So many people and local communities are showing incredible spirit by welcoming refugees fleeing Ukraine with open arms. But solidarity and compassion should be the rule, not the exception. Join us in Rotterdam on 22 April for an in-depth discussion on what needs to change to create a fair, progressive migration and asylum policy in the EU.
S&D MEPs Thjis Reuten, Marc Angel and Nils Ušakovs will be in Rotterdam - with a message direct from S&D president Iratxe García Pérez - to discuss ‘Changing the rules on migration and asylum’ as part of the Conference on the Future of Europe. You can contribute to the online debate here.
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