Photo by David Foodphototasty on Unsplash
EU parliament President Roberta Metsola opened the September plenary session in Strasbourg with a minute of silence to remember lives lost in various tragedies in the EU and its neighbourhood.
Metsola expressed her deep sadness following the derailment of the Elevador da Glória in Lisbon on 3 September.
She sent condolences to the families grieving unimaginable loss and wished strength to those on the path to recovery.
The MEP said, “To those people suffering and those still fighting the flames: Europe stands with you”.
This was President Metsola’s message as she described the devastating impact of this year’s wildfires.
With over one million hectares of land burnt this year alone, the President welcomed the European solidarity in action demonstrated by the EU in sending nearly 650 firefighters and over 20 firefighting aircraft to tackle fires across the continent.
Referring to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the need for a real peace with dignity and justice, Metsola also expressed her horror at the murder of the former Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Andrii Parubii, in Lviv two weeks ago.
Meanwhile, the Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development voted on measures to strengthen farmers’ position in the agri-food supply chain.
A key element concerns transparency and fairness in how food products are marketed and labelled. The EPP Group has succeeded in ensuring that traditional names such as steak or burger must be reserved exclusively for products derived from animal meat.
“A steak is made of meat — full stop. Using these names only for real meat keeps labels honest, protects farmers, and preserves Europe’s culinary traditions,” says Céline Imart MEP, the Parliament’s lead negotiator on the file.
“Lab-grown meat is not only a total aberration but also a threat to traditional farming and real food production, the core of European agriculture. Farmers deserve fair treatment, and consumers deserve clarity. Let’s keep burger for meat, veggie products deserve their own name,” adds Imart.
The EPP Group says it remains committed to promoting a fair and transparent agri-food chain that values the hard work of Europe’s farmers and respects consumer choice.
Elsewhere in what looks like being a busy plenary week in the French city, Polish authorities have asked for the parliamentary immunity of Grzegorz Braun (Non Attached), Patryk Jaki (ECR) and Daniel Obajtek (ECR) to be waived.
These requests have been referred to the Legal Affairs Committee.
