The Week ahead

At the European Parliament’s key plenary debate on Wednesday morning, the EPP Group will call on Member States to finalise the Asylum and Migration Pact as soon as possible. Seeing the number of migrant flows in Italy skyrocketing, the EPP Group calls for a common European solution in the spirit of solidarity. "We will not leave Italy alone. In addition, the cooperation agreement between the EU and Tunisia must show practical results in the short-term", says Manfred Weber MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group. For the EPP Group, continuous cooperation with Tunisians and our neighbours in North Africa is essential to manage migratory pressure towards Europe in the long-term, while reasserting the need to ensure the respect of the rule of law and human rights.

The plenary of the European Parliament will discuss the visa-for-bribes scandal in Poland on Tuesday afternoon. The EPP Group is extremely worried about the scale of fraud and corruption in the Polish visa issuing system, which resulted in the mass issuance of Schengen visas to foreigners from countries with a high terrorist threat level. The inflow of a huge number of migrants with Polish visas alerted other EU countries, which concluded that Poland did not conduct the security verification procedures that are required for citizens of some third countries. "The visa scandal is another example of corruption, incompetence and hypocrisy of the PiS government. This time, the security not only of Poland, but of the entire EU is at stake. A government that incites hatred against migrants is itself letting in uncontrolled masses. The scale of the fraud scheme is very disturbing", stresses Andrzej Halicki MEP, Head of the Polish Delegation of the EPP Group.  

One in seven jobs in Europe depends on trade with the rest of the world. The EPP Group wants Europe to strongly commit to and keep investing in trade partnerships around the globe and come together with like-minded countries for mutually beneficial trade relations, respecting our social and environmental standards. The debate on international trade will take place on Wednesday afternoon. It is crucial to swiftly ratify the Mercosur Agreement to strengthen our close partnership with Latin America at a time when democracies depend on each other. At the same time, we must stop being naive and make sure we protect ourselves and respond to the unfair practices of some trade partners, such as China. On the broader issue of tackling unfair trade practices like the weaponisation of trade, the plenary will debate the new Anti-Coercion Instrument to counter trade bullies on Monday and vote on it on Tuesday, just before discussing the trade relationship with China on Tuesday afternoon.

The EPP Group will call for a €75.8 billion increase to the EU's long-term budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), when the Parliament debates on Tuesday and adopts its position on the revision of the MFF on Wednesday. "The Commission's proposal of an additional €65.8 billion for the MFF until 2027 is insufficient. It is not enough to deliver on EU priorities and fails to provide reserves or flexibilities in case of future unforeseen crises", warned Jan Olbrycht MEP. The Parliament will also insist that the revised MFF enters into force before January 2024.

One new European Commissioner and a current one with a new task will have to go through the scrutiny of the European Parliament on Monday and Tuesday. Woepke Hoekstra, who will be in charge of climate action, will be quizzed on Monday 2 October at 18.30 hrs. Maroš Šefčovič, who will be in charge of the European Green Deal, will be heard on Tuesday 3 October at 08.30 hrs. The EPP Group looks forward to how they present their plans.

The EPP Group firmly believes in the independence of media. Independent media serves as a public watchdog, a crucial pillar of democracy, and simultaneously, a significant part of our economy. On Tuesday, the European Parliament will vote on the European Media Freedom Act. “We cannot close our eyes to the fact that media freedom is under serious threat in several EU Member States. With the European Media Freedom Act, the EU is establishing a legal framework for greater cultural diversity, freedom, and independence of media in Europe. We firmly stand by the side of free media and have worked for a balanced legal text”, says Sabine Verheyen MEP, Chair of the Culture and Education Committee and the EPP Group’s negotiator of the law.

The EPP Group wants the newly-proposed Ukraine Facility, worth €50 billion in grants and loans, approved and in place by 1 January 2024. Parliament's joint Foreign Affairs and Budgets Committees will adopt their position on the proposal on Thursday. The Ukraine Facility combines the processes of reconstruction and EU accession. It sees it as a joint task of Ukraine and the EU to achieve these goals in an unprecedented effort that counters Russia’s aggression. "We urge Member States to ensure the successful revision of the EU's long-term budget on time so that the Ukraine Facility can be integrated into the budgetary update and enter into force. Additionally, we want to improve the connection between the rule of law and Ukraine's rebuilding efforts", says Petri Sarvamaa MEP.