The Week ahead

Next Wednesday, the European Commission will present a 'European Green Deal'. The EPP Group fully supports the European Commission in its effort to fight climate change. Our political group takes note that while becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 is very ambitious and challenging, we want to put Europe's united effort behind this goal. The debate will take place at the mini-Plenary on Wednesday.

With Europe leading the fight against climate change in the world, the EPP Group in the European Parliament is sending its own delegation to attend the United Nations Climate Conference (COP25) in Madrid. The delegation, led by Peter Liese MEP, the EPP Group Spokesman on the Environment, will be in Madrid from 10 to 13 December.

Cancer remains a serious threat to the lives of Europeans. The numbers are alarming: currently, over fifty percent of patients die of cancer. On Tuesday, the EPP Group will hold a hearing on how to beat cancer in Europe, with Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides. Fighting cancer is one of the main priorities of the EPP Group and the Chairman Manfred Weber who proposed a European Masterplan against cancer during the European elections campaign.

On Monday, Chairmen of Parliamentary Groups from the EPP family in the national parliaments and the EPP Group leadership in the European Parliament will gather at their 30th Summit to debate new challenges for the new European Commission with its President Ursula von der Leyen. “As part of the ongoing effort of the EPP Presidency to communicate and consult national parliamentarians, in order to ensure that we can grasp the problems of their communities and bring them to the forefront of the European political agenda, events such as this are fundamental to help us reach our goals of the new mandate in order to create greener jobs and achieve a social, sustainable economy", EPP Group Vice-Chairman Vangelis Meimarakis said.

The EPP Group will hold its XXII Annual Intercultural Dialogue with Churches and Religious Institutions on Thursday in Belgium in the Lebanese Maronite Monastery Saint Charbel, close to Waterloo. This year is unique for the Dialogue as it focuses on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, a declaration signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in February 2019. In his speech, Manfred Weber MEP, the EPP Group Chairman, will address high-ranking representatives of the Christian, Muslim and Jewish religious communities. Mairead McGuinness, first Vice-President of the European Parliament responsible for the EP's dialogue with churches and religions, will also participate at the event. Scholars and academics, sharing their views on faith, will join Members of the Working Group on Intercultural and Religious Dialogue of the EPP Group.