The Week ahead

On Wednesday, the Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will deliver her first State of the Union address to the European Parliament. Manfred Weber MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group, will take part in the debate and give his perspective on Europe’s priorities. One of the key issues for the EPP Group in the coming year will be to protect our workers and businesses from the economic impact of the pandemic.

“Alexey Navalny saw the changes in Belarus as an inspiration for the people of Russia to follow. His poisoning comes at a moment when he was using his media platform to increase public awareness of the democratic revolution going on there and of the brutal repression and torture committed by the Lukashenko regime against the people. His poisoning brings even more evidence of what kind of regime the Kremlin represents nowadays and how dangerous it is to be a partner of the Kremlin’s geopolitical projects like Nord Stream 2", says Andrius Kubilius MEP, the European Parliament’s Spokesman on Russia, former Prime Minister of Lithuania and the author, on behalf of the EPP Group, of the Resolution on the situation in Russia. The text will be voted on on Wednesday and the situation in the country following the poisoning of the Russian opposition leader will be debated on Tuesday.

“We join the Belarusian people in their demand for free and fair elections and we consider the Coordination Council and its members as the legitimate representatives of the Belarusians’ demand for democratic change and freedom in the country”, said Sandra Kalniete MEP, Vice-Chairwoman of the EPP Group, ahead of Tuesday’s plenary debate on the situation in Belarus. Parliament will vote on a Resolution on Wednesday. The EPP Group believes that the presidential elections of 9 August were neither free nor fair, and credible reports point to a victory of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. All arrested peaceful protestors and members of the Coordination Council must be released and those responsible for the violence must be held accountable, including Alexander Lukashenko.

On Monday, Members of the European Parliament will take stock of the rule of law situation in Poland. Despite the ongoing Article 7 procedure, as well as the opening by the European Commission of several infringement procedures in the field of the judiciary, we are witnessing increased pressure and discrimination with regard to independent judges and prosecutors, media as well as minorities, both ethnic and sexual. The EPP Group therefore supports the call for the EU governments to advance within the rule of law procedure and declare that the Polish Government is at clear risk of a serious breach of the EU's basic values. The Report will be voted on on Thursday.

The European Parliament will debate on Monday and vote on Wednesday on its position on the reform of the EU's revenue system. "The EPP Group is in favour of setting up a binding calendar to gradually add a basket of new diverse sources of funding for the EU budget to cover the interests and repayments resulting from the loans contracted for the €750bn Coronavirus Recovery Fund. Otherwise, Member States will have to increase their national contributions and burden the taxpayers, or, alternatively, upcoming European funds and programmes will have to be severely cut", explained José Manuel Fernandes, the EPP Group MEP responsible for the EU own resources reform. This vote will give the green light required for the Council to proceed immediately with the reform of the Union’s revenue system and the ratification process in the 27 Member States.

The devastation in Moria shows the inadequacies of the European migration system. We welcome the fact that both the Commission but also other Member States have stepped in to express solidarity with Greece and offer support. But ad hoc solidarity alone is not enough anymore. We need permanent instruments where every Member State plays its part. MEPs will debate the matter in Plenary on Thursday.

On Tuesday, MEPs will debate the lack of coordination on COVID-19 risks and quarantines in the Member States. The EPP Group is in favour of harmonising the quarantine requirements in the Member States and improving testing procedures across the Union. It is crucial for people’s everyday lives that essential goods (such as food or medical devices or protection equipment) keep being delivered across the EU at any time. The EU's Single Market cannot be compromised.

On Wednesday, MEPs will vote on changes to the data collection system for ship fuel oil consumption, but also on the question on whether to include shipping in the existing EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). The EPP Group is in favour of cutting shipping emissions by as much as 40 percent by 2030, but in a separate law, not in an amendment to the data collection provisions, and if an impact assessment shows this is economically feasible.

MEPs will debate proposed new measures on Thursday for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse, as part of the Security Union Strategy, in a debate requested by the EPP Group. Europol reports a 106% increase in child sexual exploitation reports in the past year. Fighting these atrocious crimes, both online and in the real world, that concern the most vulnerable members of society, is a fundamental priority for the EPP Group.

The European Parliament will vote on Wednesday on changes to the existing EU Civil Protection Mechanism. This mechanism helps Member States deal with natural and man-made disasters ranging from earthquakes, floods, fires as well as terrorist attacks and pandemics. The EPP Group wants more funds for the mechanism to better deal with emergencies like COVID-19 which take place simultaneously in all Member States.

On Monday, MEPs will discuss the so-called EU Pharmaceutical Strategy which the European Commission will present at the end of this year in order to improve Europe's access to medicines. The EPP Group wants Europeans to become medically independent from third countries such as India and China.

Artists and people in the creative industry are among the workers who have been mostly impacted by measures related to the prevention of COVID-19. The survival of the cultural industry is essential not only for our economy but also for preserving our European cultural heritage. We therefore call on the Member States to make sure that emergency money provided by the EU to fight the Coronavirus economic impact will also swiftly and directly reach the thousands of SMEs, artists and people working in the creative industry. The vote in Plenary is onThursday.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has further exposed the failure of some Member States with regard to the full implementation of National Roma Integration Strategies. This week, MEPs will vote on a Report assessing the application of these strategies. The Report also calls on the European Commission to come up with a legislative proposal prioritising equality, inclusion and to combat anti-gypsysim.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Plenary will vote on the establishment of the Just Transition Fund. By creating this fund, the EU wants, as part of the European Green Deal, to help regions relying on fossil fuels and carbon-intensive industries adapt to the green economy. In its Report, the Parliament asked for a bigger budget for the Just Transition Fund and to extend its scope to sustainable investments. Manolis Kefalogiannis, the MEP responsible for the Report, said: “With an increased budget, we will be able to effectively support the regions that need it the most, but, above all, strongly support our citizens. We are moving into a new green era without leaving anyone behind."

Tuesday @ 11.15 hrs EPP Group Chairman Manfred Weber: plenary briefing (Anna Politkovskaya Room, Spaak 0A50)

Wednesday @ 14.30 hrs José Manuel Fernandes MEP, Rapporteur and others on the vote on the legislative opinion on the Own Resources Decision