The Week ahead

The EPP Group wants to massively speed up permitting procedures to build solar, water, heat pump, biomass or wind energy facilities in Europe to increase the share of renewable energies. On Wednesday, the EPP Group's Markus Pieper MEP will lead the European Parliament's side in inter-institutional negotiations on the reform of the Renewable Energies Directive. The goal is to reach an agreement on the same day. "This Directive will mean a massive boost for renewable energies in Europe. We will not only increase the target for the share of renewables, but also substantially fasten authorisation and permit-granting processes for renewable energy facilities. In particular, we need a rapid ramp-up of hydrogen", says Pieper.

The EPP Group wants a European-wide solution to the migration challenge. Without taking appropriate action, Europe is sleepwalking into a new migration crisis. On Tuesday afternoon, Parliament's Home Affairs Committee is expected to vote on an agreement on the new European Migration Pact. "The new legal framework will balance solidarity and responsibility. The Migration Pact as a whole will allow us to regain control over external borders, provide swift and fair procedures to quickly distinguish between refugees and economic migrants, work with third countries to prevent irregular departures, support those in need of international protection and return those with no right to stay in the EU", says Tomas Tobé MEP, European Parliament Negotiator on the Regulation on Asylum and Migration Management.

The EPP Group wants to roll out new recharging and refuelling stations more quickly across the continent. On Monday, negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU Member States will meet in search of a compromise on the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR).  "We lack infrastructure for the recharging and refuelling of road vehicles. We must push for a bigger rollout of new infrastructure, which is accessible and easy for customers to use. Charging and refuelling points should also be equally distributed in Europe so this policy becomes a success story of the whole EU, and not only of a few richer EU countries”, said Jens Gieseke MEP, the EPP Group Negotiator of the new law.

Men and women must be treated equally on the European labour market. On Thursday, the plenary of the European Parliament votes on the Pay Transparency Law, which sets minimum standards for Member States to ensure pay transparency for workers and employers and gives better access to justice for victims of pay discrimination.  Although fully committed to eradicating the gender pay gap, the EPP Group acknowledges the financial implications for businesses. To address this, the EPP Group ensured that the law incorporates the so-called 'staircase model', which gives smaller companies more time to gradually adopt pay transparency measures.

The EPP Group fights against money laundering and terrorism financing. In recent years, Europe's reputation has been tarnished by several high-profile scandals. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has highlighted how difficult it is to trace assets purchased with dirty money. On Tuesday, Parliament’s joint committees on Economic and on Home Affairs vote on the 'Anti-Money Laundering package' which includes major changes to the current regulatory framework, such as the creation of a new Anti-Money Laundering Authority.  “Our goal is to close the plethora of loopholes that currently make life far too easy for money launderers. We will pave the way to tracing the ultimate beneficial owners of companies, properties and high value assets. We will strengthen the supervision of risky entities and boost the coordination between national Financial Intelligence Units", explained Luděk Niedermayer MEP and Emil Radev MEP.

The EU must remain a steadfast supporter of peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland. Ahead of the 25^th anniversary of the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement on 10 April, the European Parliament will hold a ceremony on Wednesday to mark it. Seán Kelly MEP has described EU support for Northern Ireland as "a global best practice example of peace building policy". "The current Peace+ Programme is worth €1.1 billion including commitments from the UK and Irish Governments. We will strongly advocate for EU funding support to continue post 2027. In the immediate future, we want to see the Stormont Assembly up and running. With the Windsor Framework, we hope the EU and the UK can build upon the achievements in Northern Ireland to date, and look forward to peace and prosperity in the region over the next 25 years", Kelly said.