The Week ahead

European Heads of State or Government will gather for an informal summit in Copenhagen. This summit aims to strengthen Europe's common defence readiness and reinforce support for Ukraine. "After the Russian airspace violations, we couldn't underline the importance of the meeting enough. As Russia is testing our defences, building up our capabilities is now even more urgent than before", says Nicolas Pascual de la Parte MEP,  the EPP Group’s Spokesman in the Parliament’s Security and Defence Committee.

Democracy in Europe, the continent’s future, and its vital transatlantic partnership will be at the forefront of the EPP Group’s Study Days, taking place from Wednesday to Friday in Gdańsk—the historic birthplace of Poland’s Solidarność movement. MEPs will also look ahead to the next Multiannual Financial Framework and the EU budget. Marking the 45th anniversary of Solidarność, discussions will focus on strengthening democracy in Europe and renewing European solidarity. The speakers will include Former Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek, Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence, Radosław Sikorski and Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Mayors of Gdańsk and Warsaw Aleksandra Dulkiewicz and Rafał Trzaskowski as well as the EU Commissioner for Budget Piotr Serafin. “Without any doubt, Europe is at the crossroads, from the political, military and societal point of view. As Europe’s largest political force, it is natural and essential that we go through the challenges and come up with our strategy to tackle them. It’s hard to find a more symbolic place for this kind of discussion than Gdańsk – a city of freedom and the heart of Europe’s post-war liberal democratic transformation,” says Andrzej Halicki MEP, EPP Group Vice-Chair and Head of the Polish EPP delegation.

On Sunday, Moldova votes under heavy Russian disinformation and interference. For the EPP Group, a free and democratic Moldova is essential to the security and stability of the European Union. Only a pro-European government can keep the country on its EU path. Moscow is working to block that – the EU must stand firm and expose the manipulation. “The parliamentary elections in Moldova decide the fate of Moldovans and Europeans for years to come. Despite difficult geopolitical circumstances, rising energy prices due to the war in Ukraine, and Russia’s imperial policy, the PAS government and President Maia Sandu have delivered historic progress on EU integration. A forced cooperation of PAS in the future Moldovan parliament with pro-Russian forces would paralyse reforms and return oligarchs’ influence in Chișinău” insists Andrzej Halicki MEP, EPP Group Vice-Chair for Foreign Affairs. “Moldova and Ukraine are only testing grounds for Russia’s manipulation and interference. The real targets are all European democracies. If the pro-European forces in Moldova win this legislative election, Europe wins. If they lose, we all lose,” warns Siegfried Mureșan MEP, EPP Group Vice-Chair and Standing rapporteur for Moldova.