The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament welcome the Occupational Safety and Health Strategic Framework presented today by the EU Commissioner for jobs and social affairs, Nicolas Schmit, which they have been urgently calling for since before the pandemic. However, there is still room for improvement.

Agnes Jongerius, S&D MEP and spokesperson on employment and social affairs, said:

The new fairer and progressive Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) is now reality. Following the end of tough negotiations between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, the Socialists and Democrats express their satisfaction for the crucial outcome, which turns the CAP into a real pillar of the Social Europe we are fighting for, and also into an indispensable drive towards a more sustainable and economic development for farmers and rural communities.

The Socialists and Democrats’ leader, Iratxe García Pérez, will head to Berlin this weekend for a high-level, hybrid conference to set out a fairer and more sustainable path for Europe, together with social democratic Prime Ministers, European Commissioners and party leaders.

Returning on 29-30 June as the European Ideas Forum, the Martens Centre flagship event takes on a broader scope to address some of the most pressing EU challenges. EIF 2021, held under the umbrella topic "A Roaring Twenties for Europe? Crises and Opportunities in the Post-Pandemic Age", will be broadcast live from Brussels, featuring a mixture of in-person and online speakers. The Forum has been awarded the European Excellence Award in the category « Best political workshop or congress » in 2017.