PLENARY FLASH: Greens/EFA Priorities 6 to 10 July

Across Europe, people are struggling with recent heatwaves: schools are closing, heat related deaths are on the rise, floods and droughts are looming. Upon request of the Greens/EFA group, members of the European Parliament will discuss the EU’s response and preparedness to tackle heatwaves. The Greens/EFA call for making the top 5 fossil companies pay for the cost of cooling down our cities, our homes, schools and hospitals. We need 70 billion euros per year to make Europe heatwave-proof. That is only 7% of fossil giants’ Total Energie, BP, Chevron, Exxon Mobil and Shell yearly revenues.

The Commission and governments must act to beat the heat with green oases, drinking water and spray mist dispensers, green roofing, trees in common spaces, shading, improved ventilation, heat pumps and air conditioning

• Debate: Wednesday, 8 July
• MEPs: Sara Matthieu, Michael Bloss, Lena Schilling

On Tuesday, MEPs will vote on the coordination of social security systems in the EU. The Greens/EFA welcome better cooperation amongst Member States on social protection, which will ensure that workers’ rights are respected and valid across Member States. Workers will be able to get the entitlements they acquired in a Member State, such as unemployment benefits and pensions, no matter where they settle in the EU. This is particularly important for 14 million mobile workers. One of the core principles of this Union is freedom of movement: this helps make it a reality.

• Vote: Tuesday, 7 July
• MEP: Gordan Bosonac

On Monday, MEPs will debate the update of the Air Passenger rights regulation. The Greens/EFA Group secured real improvements for families, people with reduced mobility and passengers more broadly, especially on compensation, hand luggage, and access to information and assistance during travel. After more than a decade of deadlock, Europe has finally updated air passenger rights while keeping passengers firmly at the centre.

• Debate: Monday, 6 July
• MEPs: Vicent Marzà, Virginijus Sinkevicius 

Next Tuesday, on the initiative of the Greens/EFA Group, the European Parliament will vote on a motion on the far-right ESN party. Representatives of the ESN party are accused of making racist, homophobic, and antisemitic statements, which violate fundamental European values. The European Parliament will vote in Strasbourg on whether the European party should be subject to a review by the Brussels-based Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations. If the procedure against the ESN succeeds, the party would no longer receive EU funding.

• Vote: Tuesday, 7 July
• MEP: Daniel Freund

• Vote: Wednesday, 8 July 
• MEP: Ville Niinistö 

More:

ChatControl
On Tuesday, Parliament will once again vote on the ‘ChatControl 1’ legislation. We regret the backroom deal to bring back ChatControl after this parliament has repeatedly had its say on the matter. The Parliament has already backed more effective, targeted measures than mass surveillance, such as the legally backed monitoring suspects, stronger platform moderation and better investigations against perpetrators online. Children are protected by smart enforcement, not by scanning the private messages of millions of innocent people.

• Vote: Tuesday, 7 July
• MEP: Markéta Gregorováv

Silencing progressive voices
On Wednesday, Alexandra Geese, Greens/EFA shadow rapporteur on the DSA, Martha Dimitratou, Founder and Executive Director of Repro Uncensored, Ky Polanco, Co-founder of FEMINIST, and Josie Margolis, stopcrying.josie will share their experiences on how Meta/Instagram is silencing voices working on women’s rights, reproductive health, LGBTQI+ rights, public health and democracy.

Press conference with Alexandra Geese and guests on Wednesday, 8 July at 10am, Daphné Caruana Galizia Room, Weiss N-1/201

Russian opposition
On the initiative of the Greens/EFA, MEPs will discuss the future of EU support for Russian democratic forces, anti-war actors and repressed civil society.

• Parliament´s statements: Wednesday, 8 July
• MEP: Sergey Lagodinsky