Quote of the week by S&D MEP Birgit Sippel, on the European Commission’s proposal to suspend asylum rules:
“We have rightly criticised the Belarusian regime for using vulnerable migrants to create a humanitarian emergency for political gain. The EU Commission’s recent proposals are there to satisfy EU governments, like Poland, seeking to use the same vulnerable people to drive their own anti-migrant agenda. The measures to suspend EU asylum laws are concerning and extreme. For example, holding asylum-seekers for up to 16 weeks will result in the arbitrary detention of people seeking international protection. Seeking asylum is a right, not a crime, and people should never be locked up indiscriminately and for no reason. The Commission’s move today is worrying and risks the EU becoming complicit in dangerous fearmongering.”
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One week to go until this year’s last plenary session, and our members are preparing the important files on the agenda. Meanwhile, our group will also hold a meeting on Tuesday to elect its new Bureau.
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We kick off the week on Monday with a possible end to the trilogue in the European Year of Youth. Our spokesperson on cultural policy, Petra Kammerevert, is leading negotiations on behalf of our Group.
On Tuesday, the economy and finance ministers are expected to adopt the revamped code of conduct for business taxation; the EU’s main tool for combatting harmful tax competition. Our demands are clear, and they were outlined in Aurore Lalucq’s report adopted by the full plenary of the European Parliament in October. We fear this revision might not be adopted because of the unanimity requirement for tax issues. Such a failure would be simply unacceptable for EU citizens, who, by a large majority, back measures to prevent tax competition inside the EU.
Wednesday is an important day for us, as we await the European Commission’s communication on its news proposals for platform workers. Our employment and social affairs committee (EMPL) coordinator Agnes Jongerius, and MEP Elisabetta Gualmini, have led the fight for fair treatment of these workers. Interested in the topic? Then have a listen to our latest podcast - either on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Also on Wednesday, we will be keeping an eye on two other proposals coming from the Commission - on the Schengen Border Package and on extending the list of EU crimes to include hate speech.
On Thursday, members in the special committee on beating cancer (BECA) will hold an important vote on our common strategy for fighting cancer. Alessandra Moretti is our leading MEP on the file.
And don’t forget to stay updated on all our initiatives and reactions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
