We fully support Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. This war is a serious violation of international law and we demand that Russia immediately terminates all military activities in Ukraine. We also support the diplomatic efforts to stop the war and find a peaceful solution, but no agreements can be made about Ukraine without the involvement of Ukraine itself. More than ever, the EU needs to show its unity and ensure we have a united response to this unprecedented threat. We must work together with determination, unity and solidarity.
Our priorities
- Tough, targeted sanctions on Russia and Belarus, working with international allies
- A ban on Russian fossil fuels as soon as possible, as well as urgent investments and a commitment to sustainable energy solutions and energy independence
- Support for refugees and countries hosting large numbers of refugees, such as Moldova, and neighbouring EU member states Romania and Poland
- EU support to help Ukrainian authorities gather and secure evidence of war crimes and pursue justice against all perpetrators and those responsible
- Support for Ukraine as a candidate country for EU membership as a political symbol of support for the people of Ukraine, while underlining that EU membership requires candidate countries to fulfil the established criteria and conditions.
- Stronger EU action to cope with the social and economic consequences of the war on Ukraine, including a Social Resilience Package to provide targeted support for the most vulnerable
- A clear focus on the situation of women and children, both within and outside Ukraine
- Diplomacy to avoid neighbouring countries being drawn into the conflict
- Efforts to counter Russian disinformation
- Measures to promote greater EU strategic autonomy
- Urgent work to tackle food security and mitigate the impact to the world's supply of staple crops, feed and fertilisers
Our action
Our action aims at ending the war, stopping the suffering in Ukraine, of those who were displaced from their homes or who have fled to other European countries, and upholding the European values of peace, respect for international law, democracy and solidarity. Our actions are directed at the current leadership of Russia and not the Russian people.
Many of our MEPs have longstanding links with Ukraine and within the region and we built on these connections to help in the current crisis. We quickly set up an S&D Contact Group on the Ukraine War and Increased EU Strategic Autonomy to coordinate our work across all the areas affected and identify effective actions. Our MEPs have been working ceaselessly to highlight the key issues, coordinate action at the EU level, put pressure on governments and find solutions where possible, ensuring policies across the European Parliament’s work are aligned with our priorities.
To express our solidarity, our Group has also taken on three Ukrainian trainees who represent a Ukrainian civil society organisation working to defend Social Democratic ideals in Ukraine. Several of our MEPs have also employed Ukrainian staff to show their solidarity.
Our MEPs have already been active visiting the region. S&D MEP Tonino Picula joined a delegation from the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee and security and defence sub-committee to visit Ukraine in February, shortly before Russia began its onslaught. S&D president Iratxe García Pérez visited the Hungarian border in March to meet volunteers and see for herself the situation for migrants arriving in the country. She also undertook a visit to Moldova with S&D MEP Dan Nica in April to meet with the president, Maia Sandu, and see the efforts they are making to accommodate so many Ukrainian refugees. And our MEP Evin Incir joined a parliamentary fact-finding mission to Moldova in April to assess the impact of Russia‘s war in Ukraine on neighbouring Moldova.
In May we also backed a one-year suspension of EU import duties on all Ukrainian exports to support the country’s economy and help it to keep its trade links open. The measures will fully remove import duties on industrial products, fruit and vegetables, as well as steel imports for a period of one year. We also fought hard for the activation of the Temporary Protection Directive for refugees from Ukraine and supported the EU emergency assistance for Ukraine and the macro-financial assistance programmes which have provided much-needed financial support to Ukraine. Our MEPs in the agriculture, transport and international trade committees have also been working hard on efforts to facilitate exports of Ukrainian agricultural products and to establish so-called ‘Solidarity Lanes’ to help find alternative routes to export food, and especially grain, stuck in Ukraine due to Russia’s blockade of its ports.
Building on our core values of solidarity, equality and human rights, we need to make sure all our current political priorities fit into a new, dynamic and vigorous political narrative to confront the new challenges courageously and head-on.
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You can also read the articles published by our MEPs on key topics:
Women’s bodies must not be a battlefield
by Iratxe García Pérez and Robert Biedroń
Euractiv (EU), Wysokieobcasy (Poland), Huffington Post (Spain), Antena 3 (Romania)
You can also read the article in Ukrainian.
To defeat Putin, we must shield Europeans from the shockwaves of the war
by Agnes Jongerius, Biljana Borzan, Jonas Fernandez and Pedro Marques
Euractiv (EU), Publico (Portugal), El Confidencial (Spain), Le Monde (France), Jutarnji (Croatia)
You can also read the article in Ukrainian.
