Quote of the week by S&D Group vice-president Pedro Marques:
"Europeans are facing a housing crisis. They are struggling to pay their rent and mortgages. Many, in particular young people, cannot afford a decent home. The risk of homelessness is increasing for those who lose their jobs. The European housing market is failing and we must fix it.
"Saying that the EU has no competence in housing is just an excuse. When there is a will, there is a way. It happened with the vaccines and with so many other things. We have the will and we challenge all the political groups to be on our side and on the side of the Europeans who need a decent home.”
Upcoming events:
On Tuesday, 10 October, we look forward to joining MEP Udo Bullmann and Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen for the seminar on “Tackling inequality: paving the way for a sustainable future”.
Inequalities within and between countries are constantly rising. For our Group, reducing inequalities and fighting poverty are top priorities and are key to global sustainable development.
The high-level panel and subsequent in-depth workshop will take place from 10:30 to 12:30, in the European Parliament, Room Altiero Spinelli 3G-3.
Details here.
Upcoming activities:
On Monday, 9 October, the committee on budgets will have its say on the EU budget 2024. Our MEP Victor Negrescu has worked hard to ensure increased funding for social measures for both citizens and the economy. In this crucial year, the EU must not disappoint its people. If everything goes according to plan, the position of the European Parliament on the EU budget 2024 goes for adoption by all Members of the European Parliament in the October II plenary session in Strasbourg (16-19 October 2023).
On the same day, the committee will also hold a joint meeting with the committee on industry, research and energy where their members are voting on the establishment of the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP). This platform is among the top priorities for our Group in the ongoing revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework of the European Union until 2027. It will be dedicated to financing net-zero industry projects and will serve as a basis for the creation of a Sovereignty Fund. Our Members Matthias Ecke and Jonás Fernández led the negotiations in both committees on behalf of our Group and we wish them good luck for the vote on Monday. If the establishment of STEP is agreed upon at committee level, it also goes to adoption by all Members of the European Parliament during the next plenary session in Strasbourg (16-19 October 2023).
Also on Monday, the committees on internal market and consumer protection and that of legal affairs will jointly vote on the report on Liability for defective products. During negotiations, our shadow co-rapporteurs René Repasi and Maria-Manuel Leitão-Marques made sure that psychological health is included as medically recognised in the definition of damages. We also argued against the use of public money for setting up national compensation schemes to compensate injured persons who suffered damages in case economic operators are unable to provide such compensation due to absence, insolvency or non-existence. We would not want to risk public money being used to cover what should be the responsibility of private companies.
On Tuesday, 10 October, we will join the international community in marking World Homeless Day. Our goal is to put an end to the discrimination that homeless people endure, as well as to eradicate this form of precarity. Ensuring decent and affordable housing is the way to achieve that. Check out our demands and priorities here as well as here.
On Thursday, 12 October, the committee on foreign affairs, along with the committee on development and also the subcommittee on human rights, will vote on a shortlist of three candidates for the 2023 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
Our candidate for this prize is Jina Mahsa Amini and the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement in Iran.
Also on Thursday, the European Parliament’s environment committee will vote on the Euro 7 emission standards. This new legislation is set to establish more stringent pollutant-emission limits for cars and trucks. For the S&D Group, the new standards to limit road-transport related emissions must be ambitious in order to improve air quality across Europe and bring about obvious public health benefits. This is imperative, given that air pollution is responsible for over 300,000 premature deaths in the EU annually.
