Quote of the week by S&D Group President Iratxe García Pérez on the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights in Hungary and Poland:
“LGBTI rights are human rights. In the European Union, discriminating against LGBTI people is illegal. That is why the new law in Hungary must be repealed – for infringing on human rights, and for being offensive and a disgrace. These backward laws are the seeds of hatred and violence. Everyone should have the same rights and opportunities in this Union, regardless of whom they love. The Council reacted to the Hungarian government’s latest move, but we need concrete action: from the use of the conditionality mechanism linked to the rule of law, to sanctions under Article 7 and finally unblocking the anti-discrimination directive.”
*
We’ll be kicking off the week on Monday with an important vote in the committee on transport, on the euro-vignette. This is going to be a crucial vote, confirming the agreement reached with the Council, and it is an important step towards fairer tariffs for transport operators – you pay for the distance that you drive and for the CO2 emissions you produce!
Tax justice will continue to be high on our agenda with the G20 backing the corporate minimum tax rate – which we have long been campaigning for – expected at their Venice meeting, and US Treasury Secretary Yellen’s exchange of views with the Eurogroup on Monday.
On Tuesday our Group will present its position paper on the European Vaccination Strategy. Our aim is equitable access for all, so that together we can work towards ending the pandemic and be ready in the EU to face any possible new health threat.
Wednesday will be a packed day in Brussels! We’re looking forward to seeing the European Commission’s Fit for Climate package. We expect the EU Commission to comply with our demands for a socially just, sustainable transition, that also benefits SMEs and industries. We’re also preparing for four important votes. Members of the civil liberties, justice and home affairs committee will vote on establishing a fully-fledged European Asylum Agency. Also on Wednesday, members in the women’s rights and gender equality, and civil liberties, justice and home affairs committees will be holding a joint vote on establishing gender-based violence as a crime. This comes ahead of the European Commission’s proposal on the topic, expected soon. With lots of petitions received from citizens facing discrimination, members of the petitions committee will vote to defend LGBTI+ rights in the EU.
Also, on Wednesday, The employment and social affairs committee will vote on how to best regulate online platforms. Yes, it is so convenient that with one click you can order your food, a car to take you somewhere or a cleaner to tidy up your house. But what are the working conditions of the people offering these services? They are often misclassified as self-employed, they have no protection in times of crisis and they need to bear all the risks and pay for their own working materials. This is not acceptable! We are fighting for platform workers to be classified as workers with the same rights and social protection as any offline worker!
And stay tuned over the weekend! We’ll be launching our summer Spotify list. Check out the Socialists and Democrats on Spotify to be the first to hear it. We hope you like it!
*
Stay updated on all our initiatives and reactions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
