The Week ahead

The EPP Group wants Israel to defend itself against Hamas militants while ensuring that the people of Palestine do not suffer from the actions of Hamas. On Wednesday, EPP Group Chairman Manfred Weber MEP will lead the Parliament's key debate on Israel and antisemitism in Europe. "Israel has the right to defend itself. Hamas militants are brutal terrorists and must be defeated. The people of Palestine are not Hamas and should not suffer for its atrocities. A humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza could derail any hope for peace and also security for Israel," stressed Weber.

Following the granting of EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, the EPP Group is calling for negotiations on their EU memberships to start immediately. This comes ahead of the expected adoption of the EU enlargement package by the European Commission on Wednesday. “Ukraine is crucial for the region in which we live. Ukraine’s EU membership will not only benefit Europe economically, but it is the best investment in Ukraine’s and Europe’s security,” stresses Rasa Juknevičienė MEP. Siegfried Mureşan MEP also emphasises the full support of the EPP Group for Moldova, “Opening EU-Moldova accession talks now, at a time when Russia’s war against Ukraine is affecting the security of the whole region, is an important political signal. It is important for the safety of Europe, and it is important for Ukraine, as well”.

The EPP Group wants to improve the effectiveness of the EU sanctions on Russia to prevent Moscow from continuing to finance its war against Ukraine and the democratic world. A vote on a Parliamentary Resolution on this matter will take place on Thursday. “The fact is that Russia is still capable of financing. It has even announced an increase in its defence budget of nearly 70%,” points out Andrius Kubilius MEP, who initiated the debate. “We need to halve the price cap on crude oil, impose an embargo on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), restrict the import of fuels produced using Russian oil, introduce a price cap on Russian ammonium fertiliser exports, ban the transshipment of Russian oil and LNG through EU territorial waters,  and introduce restrictions on European tanker and insurance services for tankers if they are used to export Russian oil,” Kubilius insists.

The EPP Group wants everyone to drive cleaner cars, vans, lorries and buses, but cautions to remain realistic when setting new standards. The European Parliament's plenary will debate the 'Euro 7' Regulation on Wednesday, followed by a vote on Thursday. The new rules aim to cut both exhaust and non-exhaust emissions (for example, from brakes and tyres). "The Greens and Socialists in the European Parliament have successfully pushed for a ban on new combustion engine cars by 2035. This means that it no longer makes sense for car manufacturers to invest in combustion engine cars. With the new rules, they want to force car manufacturers to invest in combustion engines again. This is nonsense. It will make cars more expensive and will direct investments into soon-to-be banned technologies", warns Jens Gieseke MEP, the EPP Group's negotiator on the law.

The EPP Group wants to create new business opportunities by setting new rules for the use of data. Until now, there have been no clear harmonised rules on the access and use of this data. The EU’s new Data Act, which MEPs are set to finally adopt on Thursday, aims to fill this gap by establishing common rules for the sharing and usage of data generated by connected products or related services, such as mobile phones, industrial robots and even washing machines. "The Data Act is an opportunity we must not miss. An opportunity to optimise existing business models and processes, to boost the development of new ones, and to create new value, structures, and partner networks. In other words, an opportunity for competitiveness and innovation," says EPP Group MEP Pilar del Castillo, the Parliament's chief negotiator on the Data Act.

The EPP Group urges Member States to agree on additional new sources of income for the EU budget, generally known as ‘own resources’. During Thursday’s plenary session, the European Parliament will vote on the Commission’s new proposal, often referred to as the ‘second basket’, which is projected to add €45 billion in extra income to the EU's long-term budget post-2027. "Without new own resources, vital EU funding programmes will have to be slashed by over €15 billion per year or else Member State contributions will have to be increased,” warned the EPP Group Spokesman on Budgets, José Manuel Fernandes MEP.