Quote of the week by Group President Iratxe García Pérez:
“The Belgian Presidency cannot just be a transitional Presidency. In the run-up to the next European elections, our citizens need further steps to guarantee progress.
We need real solutions for the people with a Social Pillar, and we expect the new Presidency to respect the agreement reached on the Platform Work Directive. Also, the fight against the climate emergency requires courage and leadership. I expect the Belgian Presidency to deliver on the EU Green Deal's emission reduction targets, to accelerate the energy transition and to pass the Air Quality Directive.
We ask Prime Minister De Croo and the Belgian Presidency to finalise the review of the Multiannual Financial Framework to unlock much-needed financial assistance to Ukraine. European solidarity should never give in to Orbán's blackmailing and Putin's war of attrition.”
Upcoming activities
On Tuesday, 23 January, the European Parliament’s committees on foreign and constitutional affairs will, in a joint-meeting, vote on an important report addressing the delicate issue of how to combine enlargement and necessary reforms within the EU. Our Group believes that it is now time to seize the new momentum in the enlargement process. This is a unique opportunity to advance enlargement and key EU internal reforms in parallel.
Next week the European Parliament will also vote for revised rules under the Single Permit Directive to deliver more safe and legal routes for migrants coming to the EU to work. The co-legislators reached an agreement in December, with S&D MEP Javier Moreno Sánchez representing the European Parliament in the negotiations. On Tuesday, members of the justice and home affairs committee will vote to approve the revised rules, before the Parliament as a whole will vote in an upcoming plenary session.
On Wednesday, 24 January, members in the European Parliament committee on consumer protection will exchange on the draft report on the Commission’s proposal to modernise the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). This is an out-of-court system ensuring redress for consumers when they think that a trader has breached their obligations. With its modernisation, the Commission aims to adapt the ADR to the digital transition and increase consumers participation and speed up the procedure time. Our Group will already call for mandatory participation of traders in the tourism and transport sectors that have a high number of consumer complaints. We will also propose traders to establish ADR information on their website to raise awareness among consumers.
Although short-term rental companies, like Airbnb and Booking.com have greatly boosted tourism and brought economic development, they have also led to the so-called “touristification” of cities. On Wednesday, members in the European Parliament committee on consumer protection will vote on the text agreed on by the European Parliament, the Council, and the Commission on ‘Data collection and sharing relating to short-term accommodation rental services’. This regulation concretely aims at harmonising the registration schemes for hosts, obliging online platforms to enable hosts to display registration numbers and share their activities with public authorities, thereby improving transparency on short-term rentals. For our Group it is clear that the responsibility should be shared among the hosts, online platforms, and public authorities.
On the same day, members in the European Parliament committee on consumer protection will vote on the text agreed on by the European Parliament, the Council, and the Commission on ‘Transparency and targeting of political advertising’. This aims to increase transparency in political campaigns, especially online, to avoid possible information manipulation. Our Group successfully ensured that the agreement includes the setting up of a European public repository for online political advertisements containing copies of the online ads and detailed information on the identity of sponsors, the amount spent on the campaign, and engagement metrics. The S&Ds also pushed to prevent foreign interference by introducing a ban on the financing of political advertising in the EU by sponsors who are non-EU citizens, or not residents or established in the EU three months before an election or referendum.
Also on Wednesday, the European Parliament’s committee on environment (ENVI) is set to take its position on plants issued from New Genomic Techniques (NGTs). Through the modification of specific genes in plants, these technologies can improve crops' resistance to pests, diseases, environmental stresses, and therefore reduce reliance on pesticides. However, for the S&D Group, this regulation can be beneficial only if the freedom of choice for consumers and farmers is still possible, especially for organic and other non-GMO sectors. That's why we defend coexistence measures, traceability, and labelling all along the food chain. Proportionate risk assessment and environmental monitoring are also needed in the name of the precautionary principle. The categorisation proposed by the Commission suffers from a lack of scientific basis, but our Group is firmly engaged to impose a procedure to check the absence of toxins, allergens, or anti-nutrients. Last, but not least, the ENVI vote will confirm the unanimity of all groups of the European Parliament on the non-patentability of NGTs; that clear message has to be heard by the Council.
On Wednesday, the committees on international trade and on foreign affairs will vote on an agreement to update the political and trade partnership between the EU and Chile. The S&D Group has long been in favour of this modernisation. A key objective for us is, of course, promoting sustainable development by including trade-related provisions on labour and environment.
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