The European Left welcomed the European citizens’ initiative «no profit on pandemic» and is committed to actively supporting this crucial campaign to restore the right to safe access to cure and treatment of European citizens. The right to healthcare and cure will be restored only through a collective effort to build a more democratic Europe; only if the future of the healthcare system will return into the hands of the people, and not of big pharma.
Today the European Parliament is voting on the first four progress reports on countries aspiring to join the European Union: Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo. The Socialists and Democrats confirm their clear support for a European perspective for all the countries in the Western Balkans and call on the EU member states to finally start accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania.
Today, the plenary of the European Parliament will agree on stricter rules for the export of dual-use goods, which can be used for both civilian and military ends. Up until now, export restrictions applied to aerospace items, navigation instruments or trucks. From now on, these rules will also apply to EU produced cyber-surveillance technologies, which demonstrably have been abused by authoritarian regimes to spy on opposition movements; for instance, during the Arab Spring, in Turkey or China or as recently in Myanmar.
ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) publishes inspiring personal journeys of several women in finance from around the world in the new Leading Inclusion: Simple Steps and Significant Leaps, report.
During this plenary session, the European Parliament will approve the budget guidelines for the second year of the multi-annual financial framework (MFF) 2021-2027. The 2022 budget, negotiated with the input of shadow rapporteur Victor Negrescu MEP, includes important progressive achievements, among which are gender and climate mainstreaming, and measures to support SMEs, the digital transition, culture and education, mobility, humanitarian aid and migration.
This week, the European Parliament finalised the technical work for the introduction of new Own Resources to the European budget, resources which will contribute to the financing of the 1.8 trillion euros recovery plan. These new resources are a tax on non-recyclable plastic packaging and a value-added tax (VAT), and will ensure that the bill for the recovery is not paid by European citizens.
On Wednesday 24 March, Pascal Bolo, President, and Valeria Ronzitti, General Secretary, represented SGI Europe at the Tripartite Social Summit, with the participation of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and António Costa, Portuguese Prime Minister.
Municipalities from the Basque Country, Estonia, Norway and Poland have joined the pan-European movement already supported in France, Germany and Italy. This follows the call of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), together with PLATFORMA, to join the campaign #DemocracyUnderPressureinitiated by the Young European Federalists (JEF).
The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament and the Party of European Socialists jointly welcome today’s Commission proposal for a Council Recommendation to establish the Child Guarantee, under the leadership of Commissioner Nicolas Schmit. In 2014, the socialist family presented their initiative for a Child Guarantee to fight child poverty across Europe. Since then, they have spearheaded the campaign to ensure decent housing and adequate nutrition, as well as free quality education, childcare and healthcare for all children.