The Week ahead

On Thursday, the plenary of the European Parliament will discuss the prosecution of Russian war crimes and genocide in Ukraine. “Men, women and children are being executed, tortured, raped or kidnapped in the middle of Europe in the 21st century. Each and every organiser and perpetrator must be brought to justice for these crimes in the International Criminal Court. For the crime of aggression against Ukraine, Putin and his proxy Lukashenko must be held accountable and tried by a special international tribunal fully supported by the EU", say Rasa Juknevičienė MEP, EPP Group Vice-Chair for Foreign Affairs, and Andrius Kubilius MEP, Parliament’s Rapporteur on Russia.

On Thursday, the plenary of the European Parliament will hold a debate on European solidarity and energy security after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the recent cuts of the gas supply to Poland and Bulgaria. The EU will not let itself be blackmailed and is not afraid of Vladimir Putin. Poland, Bulgaria and other targeted states will find the full support of the EU and its Member States, as they look for ways to wean themselves off of Russian energy supplies.

Next week, the European Parliament will vote to put the EU’s tariffs on Ukrainian goods to zero for one year. The Committee on International Trade will vote on these so-called Autonomous Trade Measures (ATM) for Ukraine on Monday, the Plenary vote will follow on Thursday. "It is high time that we facilitate and revive the bilateral trade with Ukraine which is the victim of a brutal and inexcusable war by the Kremlin. By deleting tariffs and opening the European market, we will significantly improve Ukraine's ability to trade goods and agricultural products. To achieve this goal we must act as swiftly as possible", said Sandra Kalniete MEP, European Parliament Chief Negotiator on the ATM for Ukraine.

On Wednesday, the European Commission is expected to publish the so-called REPowerEU plan, which aims at facilitating the diversification of fossil fuel imports, accelerate the take-up of clean energy and strengthen the EU’s resilience and strategic autonomy in energy questions. It will also support Ukraine and other countries which are directly affected by the Russian aggression. The EPP Group has called for a comprehensive plan to reinforce and develop long-term partnerships to ensure sustainable, secure and affordable energy for the EU and the world.

On Tuesday, Parliament‘s Environment Committee will vote on a series of law proposals from the so-called Fit for 55 package, the overhaul of Europe‘s climate policy aimed at reducing CO2 emissions from the atmosphere by 55 percent until 2030 compared to 1990. The Environment Committee will decide on the following draft laws: the Effort Sharing Regulation, the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) and ETS for Aviation. On Wednesday, in an additional voting session, the joint Environment and Employment Committees will also vote on the Social Climate Fund.

On Thursday, the plenary of the European Parliament will vote on the EU-wide implementation of the first part of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) agreement on minimum taxation of multinational companies. This new international framework aims to force big companies, including Amazon, Apple and others, to pay tax where they operate and not just where they have their headquarters, and impose a minimum corporate rate of 15 percent. With the new rule, we will get rid of a very big chunk of unfair tax competition in the world, while largely retaining Member States’ prerogatives to design tax policies as they see fit. We ask the most reluctant EU countries, such as Poland, to stop blocking the decision at EU level and pave the way to implement this agreement. The ball is now firmly in the court of EU Member States.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the plenary of the European Parliament will debate and vote on a Report on North Macedonia‘s progress on its path towards EU membership. The Report shows that the country has continued its efforts to strengthen democracy and the rule of law. It has shown its commitment to deliver in key areas. There is still some work to be done, but the EPP Group thinks that North Macedonia has done its homework. Now it is time for the EU to do the same and kick off the negotiation process. North Macedonia cannot start the negotiation process yet because some EU countries are not in agreement.

The European Parliament will debate on Wednesday and vote on Thursday on a Report on Albania‘s progress on its path towards EU membership. While much has been achieved, there are still things to be done. The EPP Group underlines that EU accession depends on the due functioning of democratic institutions and of the rule of law, good governance and fundamental rights. The EPP Group urges Albania, among other things, to strengthen democracy, the rule of law and the economy, counter corruption and organised crime, and ensure media freedom.

Parliament's Agriculture and Rural Development Committee will discuss the situation of global food markets in the presence of Members of the Ukrainian Parliament on Tuesday. As the Russian attack on Ukraine has caused a global food crisis, the EPP Group underlines that the EU must support Ukrainian and EU farmers to grow as much food as possible. We also welcome the action plan to facilitate food transports from Ukraine through Europe, which is crucial for Ukraine's economy and for global consumers.