The EPP keeps its focus where it belongs: on people

Just over a year ago, the EPP Group made a promise: to build a Europe that is safe and secure for its citizens; that defends its borders and itself; that fosters competitiveness and cuts red tape; and that stands with its farmers and fishers to ensure healthy and affordable food. Europeans overwhelmingly backed that programme, giving us a clear mandate. In just one year, the EPP Group turned that programmatic vision step-by-step into European reality.

We succeeded in making life of our SMEs and farmers easier, preparing the ground for competitive European business:

• We fought hard to significantly simplify sustainability reporting and due diligence rules. The new rules allow companies to focus on their business rather than on reporting; relevant due diligence obligations apply only to very large EU and non-EU corporations.
• Moreover, companies will have an additional year to comply with new EU rules to prevent deforestation. In the meantime, the practicality of the rules will be reviewed.
• We mastered the CAP simplification which brings less burdensome controls and more trust and flexibility for our farmers to produce high quality food while minimising the environmental footprint.

• We simplified and increased the Union’s guarantee to the InvestEU programme, unlocking an additional €55 billion in additional public and private investments, with every € used as EU guarantee to mobilise €15€ of private investment.

   

As we live in geopolitically uncertain times, we are making the life of citizens more secure and less dependent on unreliable partners internationally:

• We set up a European Defence Industry Programme, which is a key first step to strengthen our own industry to procure European military with Europe-made equipment and - as importantly - towards a joint and thus more cost-efficient purchasing. Part of the Programme is earmarked to support Ukraine.

• Banning energy imports from Russia: Thanks to our strong insistence, Member States are now obliged to no longer buy - directly or indirectly - LNG or pipeline gas from the Russian aggressor as from 2027. We, moreover, made sure that a similar ban on Russian oil imports will be negotiated and become law soon.

   

We progressed significantly on the EU taking back control over illegal migration:

• We are delivering on our promise to make the migration pact work: Talks on a common system for returns are progressing to achieve swifter, simpler and more effective return procedures across the EU. Thanks to our push, Parliament is also ready to deliver on the concept of safe third countries and more efficient common procedures for processing asylum applications.
• Moreover, we ensured that trade preferences can be withdrawn if a beneficiary third country does not co-operate with the EU on the readmission of their own nationals.
• As promised, we ensured more powers, more budget and more staff for EUROPOL, the EU’s agency for Law Enforcement, to step up its support to Members States in preventing and combating all forms of serious international and organised crime, including the smuggling of migrants as well as cybercrime and terrorism.