Quote of the week by S&D president Iratxe García Pérez
“Being leaders of sustainability around the world and being the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 requires proper funding. Heads of government, and Charles Michel as President of the European Council, need to have a European vision in the spirit of solidarity. There are no winners or losers when it comes to the EU budget. If anyone loses, it will be Europe. With the Parliament deciding on an equal footing with the Council, we are clear that we won’t give in just because of time pressure. The future of European citizens is at stake.”
On Thursday 20 February, there will be a special European Council where EU heads of state and government will discuss the EU’s long-term budget for 2021-2027.
This week, S&D leader Iratxe García Pérez wrote to President of the European Council Charles Michel, together with the leaders of the European People’s Party, Renew Europe and the Greens, to call for a strong and credible budget that meets the expectations of our citizens and matches the EU’s ambitions and commitments. You can read the letter in full here.
Ahead of the special summit, there will be a meeting hosted by the Party of European Socialists at 12.30pm with the S&D Group leader, S&D Commissioners and progressive leaders from across Europe.
You can follow all our latest updates on the summit and much more on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
What’s on the agenda in Parliament?
Next week is committee week in Parliament. In the economic and employment committees, our members will be voting on a European Semester report for 2020. Meanwhile in the industry committee, Members will vote on trans-European energy infrastructure. S&D MEPs will also be hard at work debating priority issues for our group like the Just Transition Fund and the Dublin regulation on asylum rules.
On Tuesday 18 February, Economic and Finance Ministers from across Europe will meet in Brussels to discuss a key issue for the S&D Group: clamping down on countries that encourage tax abuse. MEPs will also be following the debate in the Council on the European Semester.
Beyond next week, EU member states will agree the negotiating mandate for the future partnership with the UK before talks can begin. Earlier this week, the Parliament sent a clear message: we want a close relationship that maintains EU's high standards and protections. You can see what our Group leader and MEPs closely involved in the process have to say here.
Meet the awardees...Since 2000, SOLIDAR and the S&D Group have organised the annual Silver Rose Awards in the European Parliament. This is an occasion to celebrate Civil Society Organisations and individuals whose extraordinary struggles contribute greatly to social justice and solidarity throughout the world. You can read about the 2020 awardees here.
