The Week ahead

Four years after Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine, the EPP Group underlines its continued support for Ukraine’s freedom, sovereignty and European future. This message will shape Tuesday’s extraordinary plenary session, which will pay tribute to the thousands who have sacrificed their lives for a free and democratic Ukraine. Parliament will also urge EU Member States to assume greater responsibility for security, provide credible guarantees, and treat Ukraine’s European integration as a strategic priority. "There is no doubt that Russia must pay for the massive destruction it has caused in Ukraine. Russia’s attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine are deliberate attacks on ordinary citizens. We can already see the same pattern, on a smaller scale, within the EU. It is up to us to decide how we tackle this. But to prevail, our answer must be strong, unwavering, and united. That is the language Putin and the Kremlin understand," insists Andrzej Halicki MEP, EPP Group Vice-Chair in charge of foreign affairs.

The EPP Group is calling for the swift approval of the EU-US trade agreement to protect European jobs, businesses and strategic interests. This objective will guide the International Trade Committee’s vote on 24 February. Every year of delay costs EU consumers and companies around €5 billion in duties and prolongs uncertainty in the €1.6 trillion transatlantic trade relationship. The agreement has already been endorsed by the Member States and is largely in place, having been implemented by the United States. “The EPP Group wants to restore momentum to EU-US trade relations by providing certainty for European businesses and reinforcing the transatlantic partnership. Our businesses cannot wait, and neither can our economy. We must move forward now,” said Željana Zovko MEP, the EPP Group’s negotiator for trade relations with the United States.

The EPP Group calls for enhanced cross-border cooperation and improved data exchange to combat terrorism and strengthen internal security. This objective comes as the European Commission presents, on Thursday, a new EU Agenda on preventing and countering terrorism, together with a new Firearms Trafficking Law. "The terrorist threat - and the speed at which individuals and networks are becoming radicalised - have reached an all-time high. The aim of these terrorists is clear: to attack, undermine and threaten Europe's way of life. Our response must be just as firm: more cooperation and information sharing, and more resources for our security agencies," says Lena Düpont MEP, EPP Group Spokeswoman on Home Affairs.