Quote of the week by Lara Wolters, European Parliament negotiator on due diligence:
“Over the years, irresponsible business practices have cost thousands of lives and destroyed thousands of livelihoods. Thousands of children left parentless and thousands of families left homeless, all in the name of corporate greed.
"As the world’s largest single market, the EU has the power to fix the damaged chain. Greedy companies should no longer be able to turn a blind eye to the damage they do to the environment and human rights, no matter where it takes place in their value chain; either in or outside the EU.
"This week's vote is a landmark moment. It is a commitment to reach an agreement with EU governments on binding rules for responsible business conduct. Now, our job is to deliver on Parliament’s ambition.”
Upcoming
The second edition of the S&D Latin America Day will take place in Brussels on Wednesday 7 June. The theme of this edition is ‘Towards a New Progressive EU-Latin America Agenda’. This exchange is timelier than ever, given the specific political context in Latin America. Despite the rise of the far right, recent electoral processes have resulted in new left-wing governments across the region. The result is a robust progressive agenda in a large part of the territory, which may favour significantly more productive cooperation than before with the EU and other regional and international organisations. Thus, our event will consist of two panel discussions, taking place between 14:30 and 18:30. They will be livestreamed to enable all to follow the debates and discussions:
1. ‘A new international alignment for a reinforced multilateralism’ (14:30-16:30), with former heads of state and government of Latin American and European countries
2. ‘New progressive voices setting the agenda in Latin America’ (16:45-18:30), with important emerging political figures from Latin American countries
Full programme available here. Registrations, for those wishing to attend in Brussels, are open here.
As the European Parliament is organising the 2023 edition of the European Youth Event (EYE) on 9 and 10 June in Strasbourg, will use this opportunity to listen to and exchange views with young people. Therefore, the S&Ds will hold an event on 10 June, bringing together young people and our MEPs, as well our local sister parties. Together we aim to build on our progressive achievements to date, in order to come up with better proposals and action for the future.
The discussion starts at 18:30 at Le Petit Tigre and online on www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu. Register here to attend in person!
Next Wednesday, 7 June, the European Commission will present the EU draft budget for 2024. We strongly believe that the EU budget for the upcoming year should accurately reflect the urgent requirements of our citizens and the economy, both of which are facing immense challenges due to significant crises like Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine. The priorities we spend our money on will show our union remains a project with a social heart. This for us is crucial when we talk about 2024 – the year of the next European elections and a time with growing right-wing euroscepticism and populism. The S&D Group will make sure the EU budget 2024 will provide proper funding to what matters most for our small and medium enterprises, young people and vulnerable households.
Next week, from 5 to 7 June, S&D MEPs from the committee on the internal market and consumer protection and S&D Digital Europe working group will meet with counterparts in the United States to discuss EU-US digital policies. The delegation to Washington D.C., which includes S&D vice-president Alex Saliba and European Parliament co-rapporteur on Artificial Intelligence Act Brando Benifei, is an opportunity for our Group to exchange views on EU legislation in areas such as cybersecurity, AI, data protection and digital markets. It will also enable the advocacy of ambitious policy proposals in the United States that can mirror and reinforce progressive achievements in Europe. This mission comes at a pivotal juncture, as the European Parliament plenary will be debating and voting on the world’s first rules on Artificial Intelligence (AI Act), on 13 and 14 June.
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