The 14th anniversary of the Russian invasion of Georgia was commemorated last Friday, sparking comparison with the war in Ukraine. Addressing the European Parliament, the ECR Group Foreign Affairs Coordinator Anna Fotyga said, “Fourteen years ago, the Russian Federation invaded Georgia, triggering the first war of the twenty-first century in Europe. Only the strong commitment of…
European parliament political group leaders have adopted a statement condemning what they called the “openly racist” declarations by Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán and underlined that these declarations are in breach of EU values. A strongly worded statement of the Conference of Presidents – group leaders – was issued on Saturday. It reads, “We, the leaders…
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola addressed Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada as part of the country’s Statehood Day celebrations. Thank you for having me with you here today. It is a privilege, but more importantly it is a responsibility for me, as the President of the European Parliament to again have the honour of addressing the Verkhovna…
Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has welcomed a deal on coordinated demand reduction measures for gas. She said, “The EU has taken a decisive step to face down the threat of a full gas disruption by Putin. I strongly welcome the endorsement by Council of the Council Regulation on coordinated demand reduction measures for…
The S&D Group in the European Parliament said it considers the Winter Preparedness Action Plan, presented by the European Commission, as a “timely and yet insufficient step.” They say it can “go towards solving a possible energy crisis, that might hit our continent long before the cold months, due to the current heat wave in Europe and the increased…
The latest talks between the EU and China have been dismissed as “Much ado about almost nothing”. German MEP Reinhard Bütikofer, China expert of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament, was commenting on the 9th High Level Economic and Trade Dialogue between the EU and the PRC. The Greens deputy said, “The EU-China Economic and Trade Dialogue can…
Vulnerable households, already under severe cost of living pressure, have been “effectively ignored” by a commission plans for dealing with the energy crisis, says the European Left Group. It says new measures, drafted in collaboration with Europe’s major energy corporations, confirm that the EU is set to double down on its commitment to a failed…
Following the revelations of the Uber files published in European media, the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament have now called for considering platform workers as employees with all applicable rights. The unprecedented leak spans more than 5 years and 124,000 documents and exposed the ethically questionable practices of Uber. The S&Ds have spearheaded…
The European Parliament will this week vote on a resolution on the minimum tax rate on the profits of multinationals, following the Hungarian government’s veto on 17 June. The Parliament is demanding, among other things, to pass this deal through enhanced cooperation and move towards qualified majority voting in the tax field in order to…
In his address to MEPs, Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema thanked Parliament for its support, advocated closer relations with the EU and condemned the war against Ukraine. Introducing President Hichilema EP President Roberta Metsola said Zambia stands as an example of a mature democracy for the whole of the African continent. Now more than ever, in…
