This week in the European Parliament
It is not uncommon for the press service of the European Parliament to describe the agenda of a plenary session as “loaded”, as deputy spokesperson Delphine Colard once again did during the usual press briefing in Friday.
But for the second October session in Strasbourg, the agenda is not only loaded with key issues pursued by the assembly that come to fruition, but also has many possible moments of calculation and could therefore also turn out to be rich in stocks.
After the decision of the Polish Constitutional Court (TC) challenging the rule of EU law, officially released last week, the rule of law crisis is expected to take center stage in the Strasbourg hemicycle.
All eyes will be on Tuesday morning’s key debate which will feature the main protagonists; The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Center-right EPP spokesman Pedro López de Pablo expressed his group’s position at Friday’s plenary press conference: “We are very happy that the Polish Prime Minister is coming to the plenary to explain the legal situation in his country “.
An explanation is urgently needed, he added, arguing: “After the [Polish] court ruling, we doubt that a company, for example, that wants to hire Polish workers will do so. If it cannot accept the legal regime of the EU, where does Poland stand? Are they in the EU or not?
“After the Polish Constitutional Court (TC) ruling challenging the rule of EU law, officially released last week, the rule of law crisis is expected to take center stage in the Strasbourg hemicycle. all eyes will be on Tuesday morning’s key debate which presents the main protagonists; European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki “
He concluded: “It’s even worse than Brexit. Poland was withdrawn from the EU without even consulting its citizens.
The Parliament’s ECR Group, which includes the delegation from the Polish government party PiS, naturally welcomed the presence of the Polish Prime Minister, but was also convinced that it could explain the deadlock as no legal crisis at all. Group spokesman Michael Strauss said in a statement: “As co-chair of the ECR group, Ryszard Legutko stressed that the Polish TC did not judge that the provisions of the EU treaty themselves are unconstitutional ”.
“The judgment simply indicates that certain provisions of the EU treaties do not comply with the provisions of the Polish Constitution when interpreted in a broad sense and go beyond the competences which are explicitly indicated in the treaties,” said he argued.
Given the CT’s continued non-compliance with decisions of the European Court of Justice (CJEU) and the verdict of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) that the CT is an illegal court, it seems little likely most MEPs will follow these arguments. .
When the deputy secretary general of the far-right ID group, Tobias Teuscher, called on the EU institutions to stop provoking member states like Poland and Hungary and “let them do it”, at Friday’s briefing , the new spokesperson of the left group, Sonja Giese replied to his compatriot: “We in Germany have had very unfortunate experiences in letting undemocratic governments continue.”
However, Monday evening’s plenary session kicks off with debates on key issues around environmental, social and cultural policies.
The own-initiative report drafted jointly by the committees for the environment, public health and food security (ENVI) and agriculture and rural development (AGRI), “A farm-to-table strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system “is the first contribution to this important and sometimes conflicting aspect of the European Green Deal.
“The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) presents two reports, one on this year’s social and employment policies in the euro area, and the other, accompanied by recommendations to the Commission, on the protection of workers against asbestos, which remains “the number a cause of work-related cancers in Europe,” said Johan Danielsson, shadow of S&D, in a press release “
Clara Aguilera, AGRI shadow S&D rapporteur explained in a press release: “We want to ensure healthier and more sustainable food production in Europe, while at the same time giving the instruments and financial means to all farmers to adapt and facilitate change. Farmers are a major key to change and to achieving the goals of the Green Deal ”.
ENVI Vice-President and Rapporteur Anja Hazekamp (NL, Left) retweeted a video message from the European consumer rights lobby group BEUC directly addressing MEPs and asking them to vote for the “tel that it is “Tuesday, to” help get the EU on track “because” we all need healthy food on a healthy planet “.
The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) presents two reports, one on this year’s social and employment policies in the euro area, and the other, accompanied by recommendations to the Commission, on the protection of workers against asbestos, which remains “the cause of work-related cancers in Europe,” said Johan Danielsson, shadow of S&D, in a press release.
According to the Swedish Social Democrat, the report will ask the Commission to prove its seriousness “as regards its commitment to the Vision Zero approach to work-related deaths by setting a strict exposure limit of 0.001 asbestos fibers / cm3” .
Rapporteur Nikolaj Villumsen (DK, The Left) and EPP shadow Cindy Franssen (BE) both wrote in the latest edition of Parliament’s magazine on the issue.
Then, the plenary will discuss the INI report of the Culture and Education Committee (CULT) on “the situation of artists and cultural recovery in the EU”. Rapporteur Monica Semedo (LU, Renew) called on Europe to do more to help its cultural and creative industries get back on their feet after the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, also in the latest edition of the Parliament magazine.
“Wednesday’s second debate will cover preparations for the COP26 climate summit early next month in Glasgow. Over the weekend, UK daily The Guardian reported that most of the major corporate sponsors, led by the UK broadcaster Sky, had sent a letter to the British government complaining about the mismanagement of the organizers. MEPs will vote on the European Parliament’s resolution on Cop 26 in the first voting session on Thursday. “
The impact of the pandemic on Europe in general will be highlighted during Tuesday afternoon’s debate on the 2022 EU budget.
“Investing in recovery has no alternative. This is the expectation of our fellow citizens. We must convince our colleagues on the Council. The task is not over, “Co-rapporteur Karlo Ressler (EPP, CR) said in a statement.
In his press release Victor Negrescu, shadow rapporteur (RO) S&D, agreed, adding: “We must not forget that we live in a competitive world and if we are to succeed in it, the EU cannot should not be left behind in funding research and innovation. , health, digital technology, smart, sustainable and affordable transport and agriculture ”.
After Wednesday’s vote, a three-week conciliation period begins during which 27 MEPs will aim to reach an agreement with the European Council on the EU budget for 2022.
The Council will have already dominated the first of Wednesday morning’s debates, devoted to preparing Parliament’s position for this week’s European summit.
The second debate will focus on preparations for the COP26 climate summit early next month in Glasgow. Over the weekend, UK daily The Guardian reported that most of the major corporate sponsors, run by UK broadcaster Sky, had sent a letter to the UK government complaining about the mismanagement of the organizers.
Sponsors, including some of Britain’s biggest companies as well as tech giant Microsoft, say officials are “very inexperienced”, delayed decisions, poor communication and broken relations between organizers and companies, according to the report. as their main grievances. .
MEPs will vote on the European Parliament’s Cop 26 resolution in the first voting session on Thursday.