The Week ahead

The EPP Group wants to protect foresters from unnecessary paperwork, which is why it intends to reject the Forest Monitoring law on Tuesday. "Foresters, member states, and farmers must be able to focus on preserving our forests without being bogged down by excessive paperwork. The current Forest Monitoring law is a legacy of Commissioner Timmermans - and his time is over. We demand the Commission to withdraw this proposal", says Alexander Bernhuber MEP, EPP Group lead negotiator on the Forest Monitoring law in the Parliament's Committee for Environment. Parliament’s plenary will vote on the Monitoring framework for resilient European forests and setting up a Standing Forestry Committee on Tuesday.

An emotional moment in Strasbourg: Sergei Tikhanovsky, the Belarusian opposition activist who spent five years in prison, will address the European Parliament after his release this summer. His message: Freedom for Belarus. He will be joined by his wife, Svetlana Tikhanouskaya, who became the leader of the opposition during his imprisonment. Their appearance comes five years after the stolen presidential elections that entrenched Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s dictatorship. The Parliament will mark this grim anniversary with a debate and a resolution on Belarus. The EPP Group reiterates does not recognise Lukashenka, condemns the regime’s crimes, and calls for the release of all political prisoners. “It is regrettable that Parliament's resolution was prepared in haste,” said Ondrej Kolář MEP, the Group’s spokesperson on Belarus. “Still, the EPP Group secured key improvements: simpler visa procedures for exiled Belarusians, support for Offices of Free Belarus in EU countries, and better access for Belarusian students and academics to European universities.” Also this week, the Parliament’s Conference of Presidents will choose the winner of the 2025 Sakharov Prize, with Andrzej Poczobut, the imprisoned Polish-Belarusian journalist, among the finalists.

“The implementation of the peace agreement will be challenging. However, Europe must remain steadfast and transform this fragile opportunity into lasting progress and a genuine path to peace. Delivering humanitarian aid is vital to make peace real for everyone,” said Antonio López-Istúriz MEP, EPP Group spokesman on Israel, ahead of Tuesday’s plenary debate on the recent peace agreement in the Middle East and the EU’s role. “The main goal - to start a peace process that eventually leads to Palestinian self-determination and statehood - must remain in focus,” underlined Michael Gahler MEP, EPP Group spokesman in Parliament’s committee on foreign policy. “All parties must work to implement all goals of the 20-point peace plan: open all access points for humanitarian aid and provide personnel for the international stabilisation force that can also help disarm Hamas,” he concluded. The EPP Group expects the EU to play a key stabilising role in the implementation of the peace agreement. While the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar brokered the deal, the EU brings financial resources, diplomatic reach, and credibility to sustain peace and reconstruction.

The EPP Group backs new rules to end all Russian gas and oil imports by 1 January 2027, strengthening Europe’s energy independence and closing loopholes that allow indirect imports. “We are at a turning point in the EU’s energy policy. This is more than just an energy decision - it is a moral and strategic choice. By ending our dependence on Russian gas and oil, we are making Europe stronger, safer, and more independent,” said Inese Vaidere MEP, Parliament’s negotiator on the new rules. Andrea Wechsler MEP added: “REPowerEU is about strengthening Europe’s energy independence and defending our values - with clear rules, strong enforcement, and less red tape for businesses.” The debate on ending all energy imports from Russia to the EU and closing the loopholes is scheduled to take place on Wednesday afternoon.