The Week ahead

The EPP Group wants an EU that stands up to China with unity and strength, based on three clear principles: “cooperate where possible, compete when needed, confront when necessary”. The European Parliament will debate the need for a coherent strategy for EU-China relations on Wednesday. Taiwan could become the Ukraine of Asia and Europe must take a clear stance against the possibility that China dares to expand territorially. “In times of war, we always learn who our true friends are. China is a partner, but also a competitor. It is up to China now to choose whether it wants to be on the right side of history. We will continue working with our American friends to ensure peace, stability, and prosperity for the EU and its partners”, stresses Radosław Sikorski MEP, author of the EPP Group Position Paper on China and Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegations for relations with the USA.

The EPP Group has greatly improved the Fit for 55 package, the EU’s flagship legislation for the ecological transition of Europe's economy. On Tuesday, the Parliament is set to give the final approval to four laws, namely the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), the Social Climate Fund (SCF) and ETS Aviation. The EPP Group ensured Europe's 2030 climate protection targets are met and the Paris Agreement is being safeguarded. For the EPP Group, it was very important to give breathing space to citizens and companies in times of high energy prices. The EPP Group managed to postpone important changes to the price of CO2 emissions until after 2026 and will focus on investing more in energy efficiency and renewable energy, which is necessary to end our dependence on Russian fossil fuels. Thanks to the EPP Group, the final overall climate ambition is even higher than the initially agreed 55% CO2 reduction by 2030. Through changes which the EPP Group achieved on land use and forestry (LULUCF) and the ETS, the de facto final reduction target is roughly 57%. People who are struggling to make the green transition will get help, especially those at risk of energy or transport poverty. The EPP Group does not just want a Green Deal - it is also fighting for a strengthened, strategic European industry policy.

The EPP Group wants to make Europe a pioneer in regulating crypto-currencies, such as Bitcoin. On Wednesday, the European Parliament will debate and vote on Thursday to set up, for the first time, a European regulatory framework for these kinds of assets. With millions of Europeans already using cryptos to do business and buy online, the new rules (MiCA) aim to create a harmonised market, promote legal certainty for crypto-asset issuers, ensure fair conditions for consumers, and to fight against money laundering and tax evasion. “The FTX scandal shows the necessity for a comprehensive regulatory framework that ensures high consumer protection”, explained Stefan Berger MEP, the Parliament’s lead negotiator of the new law.

The EPP Group wants to protect forests, both in Europe and across the globe. It is estimated that forests larger than the entire EU were lost to deforestation between 1990 and 2020. EU consumption drove 10 percent of global deforestation. On Wednesday, the European Parliament will vote on new rules, which are part of the Green Deal, to reduce this EU contribution to climate change. The EPP Group wants to make sure that no European company uses palm oil, cocoa, soy, wood, coffee, rubber and other commodities from illegally-deforested land in the Amazon, South America or beyond.

The EPP Group is convinced that cyber security is essential to our economic resilience and to protect critical infrastructure. On Tuesday, the European Commission will present a law package aimed at increasing cyber solidarity and cyber security skills. "Our civilisation is subject to daily attacks by often unknown forces that want to divide our societies", says the EPP Group’s Lukas Mandl MEP. Eva Maydell MEP, who recently negotiated the EU's Network and Information Security Directive on behalf of the EPP Group, added: "Europe’s cyber resilience and cyber security are critical to our economic resilience. We must increase preparedness and deter behaviour that violates international law, on and offline."

Make Europe an attractive hub for chip investment, a centre of excellence and innovation, address potential future supply challenges and have greater support for SMEs, while avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy. This is what the EPP Group will aim for on Tuesday, when negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council seek an agreement on the European Chips Act. The Parliament's position is shaped by Eva Maydell MEP, who is the EPP Group's chief negotiator on the law. "Microchips are integral to our geopolitical agenda of greater resilience. Our funds must also match our ambitions. The rest of the world is not standing still. We can’t afford to get this wrong. Strengthening the EU Chips Sector is a race against a ticking clock, and we don’t have a second to waste”, says Maydell.

Integrating Moldova into the EU represents a geostrategic investment in a united and strong Europe. The EPP Group calls for the start of EU accession negotiations by the end of 2023 if Moldova meets the nine recommendations identified by the European Commission in order to do so. On Wednesday, the European Parliament will vote on the Resolution outlining the challenges faced by the Republic of Moldova. The EPP Group also wants to integrate Moldova into EU instruments, agencies and programmes in the fields of transport, digital, environment, civil protection, medical procurement, roaming, employment and social innovation.

The EPP Group supports granting Kosovars visa-free travel in the EU, as part of the EU’s common visa policy. The European Parliament will vote on this on Tuesday. Loránt Vincze MEP, responsible for the measure, says: “Visa liberalisation for Kosovo not only ensures that the whole Western Balkan region is under the same visa regime, but it also strengthens the ties between the EU and Kosovo. This provides Kosovar citizens with greater freedom to travel, work and see their families in the EU, while also acknowledging their commitment to important political and economic reforms.”