The Week ahead

The EPP Group condemns in the strongest possible terms the despicable terrorist attacks of Hamas against Israeli citizens and recognises Israel's right to self-defence. At the same time, the people of Gaza should not pay the price, which has to be paid by Hamas. This is the message that the Group’s members will convey during the plenary debate on Tuesday. “The Hamas terrorist organisation will not succeed with its attacks. We call for a full and unconditional release of all Israeli and other foreign hostages. Deliveries of food, water and medication to Gaza in line with international humanitarian law are to be guaranteed. Our solidarity is with the victims of these terrorist attacks and the Israeli people.”, says Michael Gahler, EPP group’s Coordinator for Foreign Affairs. The Group also underlines that the horrific events in Israel must not divert the democratic world's attention from the Russian war in Ukraine.

The EPP Group supports the EU's planned new €50 billion financial package for Ukraine, which offers important continuity and predictability of aid. Ahead of the Parliament's plenary vote on the new fund on Tuesday, Michael Gahler MEP said, "The Ukraine Facility combines the processes of reconstruction and EU accession. We also want to empower municipalities and regions as well as small and medium-sized businesses.” Petri Sarvamaa MEP adds, "We want to improve the connection between the rule of law and Ukraine's rebuilding efforts. We aim to ensure that EU budget funds are used efficiently with clear oversight and transparency."

The EPP Group wants to make Europol an operational police force, mandated to initiate and carry out investigations into cross-border organised crimes that pose a serious threat to the internal security of the Union. On Tuesday afternoon, MEPs will debate European measures to prevent and fight the rise in organised crime. "It is urgent to step up our fight against organised crime. It threatens citizens’ safety, disrupts the rule of law and the functioning of our democracies. The threats posed to the EU by organised crime require a strong and proactive European response", says Tomas Tobé MEP.

Europe should develop more European-made green technology, biotechnology and digital infrastructure. For that purpose, the EPP Group wants to increase the €10 billion proposal for a so-called 'Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP)' by a further €3 billion to make it more effective. A parliamentary debate on STEP will take place on Monday, followed by a plenary vote on Tuesday. “STEP is a starting point to properly support technologies made in Europe. We need to ensure strategic technologies can access better funding”, urge the EPP Group’s Christian Ehler MEP and José Manuel Fernandes MEP, who negotiated its establishment on behalf of the Parliament.

On the initiative of the EPP Group, the Parliament will debate the effectiveness of EU sanctions on Russia on Tuesday morning. “To some extent, sanctions on Russian oil and gas are working because Russia's revenues from oil and gas exports have halved, but they remain high. Russia is still making around 690 million euro per day from its fossil fuel exports of which EU is sending to Russia 57 million euro per day”, insists Andrius Kubilius MEP, European Parliament’s spokesperson on Russia. In light of this, the EPP Group calls for additional sanctions. “There are areas where new sanctions need to be introduced, and there are other areas where the sanctions already imposed need to be tightened, there are areas where the circumvention of sanctions needs to be put an end to. Russia plans to increase its military budget for next year by 70% to 6% of GDP. To force Russia to stop the war, it must be left without oil and gas money”, stresses Kubilius.

“16 October 2023 marks six years since Daphne Caruana Galizia's assassination. Regrettably, the Maltese government continues to uphold the same impunity that led to her assassination. There is no value; they would not betray to maintain their grip on power. We will not stop fighting for justice, until the conditions that led to her murder are resolved, and her family and Malta see full justice,” stated David Casa, Head of the Maltese Delegation of the EPP Group, ahead of a European Parliamentary debate on the state of the rule of law in Malta, which will take place on Wednesday afternoon. “Even after six years, impunity is still the norm in Malta”, said Jeroen Lenaers, the EPP Group spokesperson in the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee. “The government lacks any desire to bring all people involved in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia to justice. Daphne had the courage to expose corruption at the highest level of the Maltese government, for which she paid the highest price. A government that portrays journalists as enemies is a very concerning slippery slope that undermines media freedom in Europe.”