The Week ahead

The EPP Group echoes Mario Draghi's wake-up call for the EU to take immediate action to boost its global competitiveness. On Tuesday afternoon, Mario Draghi will present his report on the Future of European Competitiveness to the plenary of the European Parliament. Andreas Schwab MEP, the EPP Group Spokesman on the Single Market, emphasises that "only by fully completing the single market in the areas that matter to innovative companies can the EU carve out its path to compete on the global stage." Christian Ehler MEP, the EPP Group Spokesman on Industry, Research and Energy, further asserts, "This report must not get lost in the drawers of Brussels bureaucrats: national capitals and EU policymakers must harness the shared ambition to meet the challenges of our time."

The EPP Group wants to prevent security threats like the recent terrorist attack in Solingen, Germany, by tackling illegal migration and speeding up the return of those who are not allowed to stay in the EU. The European Parliament will debate the issue on Monday evening. "Re-establishing control over the external borders and ensuring the effective return of illegal migrants are critical steps in preventing security threats across Europe," says  EPP Group Vice-Chair Tomas Tobé MEP and Lena Düpont MEP, EPP Group Spokeswoman for Home Affairs.

On Wednesday, the European Parliament will debate with Viktor Orbán, the Prime Minister of Hungary, on the programme and activities of the Hungarian Presidency. "We are ready to confront Viktor Orbán about what he and the Government he leads are doing as a Hungarian Presidency of the EU," says Manfred Weber MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group.

“If we really want Ukraine to win the war, we must increase, not decrease, our financial assistance to the country, honour our commitments on arms supplies and allow the Ukrainians to attack military targets inside Russia. It is imperative that our governments allow this to happen," stresses Michael Gahler MEP ahead of the Parliament's debate on Tuesday morning on the continued financial and military support of EU member states to Ukraine. The EPP Group believes that Western governments should lift restrictions on the use of Western weapons systems in Russias's war of aggression against Ukraine.

At the request of the EPP Group, a debate on the results of the strategic dialogue on the future of European agriculture will take place in the Parliament's plenary on Monday. "The EPP Group has long fought for fairer incomes and a brighter future for farmers," underlines MEP Herbert Dorfmann, the EPP Group Spokesman in the Committee of Agriculture and Rural Development.

On Tuesday, at the request of the EPP Group, the Parliament will discuss the situation in Venezuela following the rigged presidential elections in July. “Once again, the Maduro regime has violated the basic human right of free choice and stolen the vote of millions of Venezuelans inside and outside the country. We call on the EU and its  Member States to recognise Edmundo González as the country's President-Elect," says Gabriel Mato Adrover MEP. "Europe must raise its voice for freedom in Venezuela. We cannot look away. Recognising the victory of Edmundo González and María Corina Machado in the recent elections is defending democracy, and the EU must do so," adds EPP Group Vice-Chair Dolors Monserrat MEP. The vote on the Parliamentary Resolution is scheduled for Thursday.