The Week ahead

Next week on Friday and Saturday, the European Council will try to reach a deal on the €1.85 trillion Recovery Plan: the €750 billion Next Generation EU recovery instrument for 2021-2024 and the €1.1 trillion long-term EU Budget for 2021-2027. Concerning the recovery instrument, the EPP Group insists on a credible repayment plan based on new sources of revenue before 2028. We also insist that respecting the rule of law must be a condition for receiving EU funding. Regarding the long-term EU Budget, the EU cannot solve the Corona crisis by underfinancing its budget. This would bring further problems to farmers, the youth, researchers and to villages across Europe.

On Tuesday, MEPs from the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety will take a decision on a plan on how to tackle medicines shortages in Europe. The problem increased 20-fold between 2000 and 2018, putting patients at risk and undermining health services accross Europe. "It is imperative we gain 'medical sovereignty' in Europe. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that we are far too dependent on third countries such as India and China when producing medicines", said Nathalie Colin-Oesterlé, who is responsible for the issue for the EPP Group. The EPP Group is also in favour of establishing a 'European emergency pharmacy', which would provide a European reserve of drugs for treating cancer and infectious diseases.

Europe has two key challenges when it comes to taxation. One is to make cross-border tax procedures easier, particularly for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). Another is to effectively combat tax fraud and tax evasion. In challenging times like these, everyone has to pay their fair share of taxes. However, the European Commission has yet to deliver on both fronts. If the flow of information between tax authorities in different Member States was improved, that would already go a long way. A regular and instant exchange of relevant tax information across borders will help tax authorities detect fraud and will allow for efficient procedures for SMEs. This is what we expect from the European Commission when it presents the Anti-fraud Tax Package on 15 July.

The EPP Group has raised serious concerns regarding the actions of the Polish Government and the deterioration of the rule of law for many years now. On Thursday in the Civil Liberties Committee, MEPs will vote on an interim Report on breaches of the rule of law by Poland. We urge the Polish authorities to turn back on the anti-democratic path they have taken.