Plenary Flash 22 - 25 April 2024

On the agenda this week: Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), Gender Based Violence Directive, EU Forced Labour Regulation, Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, Right to Repair & Ecodesign, Economic governance reform, Hungary, ...

Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)

The Greens/EFA Group will object to the Commission’s proposal to re-open the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which will weaken the CAP’s environmental conditionality rules and remove essential ecological and agronomic elements that have been in place for decades. The Greens/EFA Group has long argued for a fairer, greener CAP that supports farmers and the environment over the interests of large agro-industrial companies.

Before this last plenary of the mandate, the majority of MEPs endorsed an urgent procedure on this proposal, which makes a mockery of democratic procedures and co-decision. The legislative changes are being rushed through via additional pressure from the Council, without proper scrutiny in any committee, no trilogues, and no impact assessments or any supporting data from the Commission. Following the opinion of Parliament's Legal Service, a possible breach of the EU Climate Law cannot be excluded.

The Commission’s proposal undermines EU strategies on climate, biodiversity, and soil protection, all of which help farmers adapt to climate change. At the same time, meaningful measures to improve farmers’ revenues - for example, by strengthening farmers' protections against unfair trading practices and unfair competition, improving their bargaining power in the supply chain, and protecting against land grabbing and concentration - are not on the table.

Vote: Thursday, 25 April
Greens/EFA MEPs: Martin Häusling, Bas Eickhout, Benoît Biteau

Gender Based Violence Directive

Next week, MEPs will vote on the trilogue outcome of the groundbreaking Gender Based Violence Directive, which is the first of its kind. It will establish harmonised minimum standards across the EU for the protection of women and girls from several forms of violence, including cyberviolence. This breakthrough is an important building block in a unified fight against gender-based violence at EU-level. The Greens/EFA Group has long fought for EU-level legislation to protect women and girls from gender-based violence.

Debate: Tuesday, 23 April
Vote: Wednesday, 24 April
Greens/EFA MEPs: Diana Riba I Giner, Sylwia Spurek

EU Forced Labour Regulation

This new regulation marks a crucial step towards putting human rights at the core of the EU’s trade policy and the single market. The regulation will block goods linked to forced labour access to the EU market. It includes, among others, a specific mechanism to address cases of state imposed forced labour. It also acknowledges the relevance of taking meaningful action against forced labour through remediation for victims.

This regulation will complement other EU efforts to address the root causes of forced labour in EU value chains, including the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. For years, the Greens/EFA Group has been at the forefront fighting for such a ban.

In June 2022, the Greens/EFA Group called on the Commission to develop a legal instrument banning products made with forced labour from the EU market. In order to accelerate the process, the Greens/EFA Group also published a model EU law inspired by the United States trade instrument. Worldwide, around 28 million people are estimated to be in forced labour.

Debate: Monday, 22 April
Vote: Tuesday, 23 April
Greens/EFA MEPs: Anna Cavazzini, Saskia Bricmont
More: https://www.greens-efa.eu/en/forced-labour

Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive

The Greens/EFA Group welcomes the adoption of mandatory EU due diligence legislation, which it has long called for. For the first time, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights will be codified in EU law and businesses will be obliged to conduct environmental and human rights due diligence in their chains of activities. Beneficiaries of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) will be the millions of people in modern slavery and other victims of corporate negligence and abuse. Responsible companies will also benefit from a level playing field and businesses will finally get more engaged in the fight against climate change. The Greens/EFA Group has long championed legislation that will improve the lives of countless people and create a more socially responsible business environment.

Vote: Wednesday, 24 April
MEP: Heidi Hautala
More: https://www.greens-efa.eu/en/article/press/ms-saves-but-significantly-weakens-the-due-diligence-directive-at-last-minute
 

Right to Repair & Ecodesign

Next week, MEPs will vote on two files that will extend the lives of consumer products. The Right to Repair will see the obligation for manufacturers to repair their products for a certain period of time, provide affordable replacement parts within a reasonable delivery time, and extend the guarantee period by one year when consumers choose to repair an item. Consumers will also be able to turn to any registered repair service and not just the manufacturer for their repairs. The Ecodesign Regulation will mandate eco-friendly standards for various products (clothes, furniture, and electrical appliances), emphasizing durability, reparability, and resource efficiency, create numerous jobs, and save billions in energy and raw materials. It also foresees a ban on the destruction of unsold goods: the destruction of clothes and footwear will apply in two years, with additional bans to follow.

The Greens/EFA Group has long been advocating for an overhaul of current practices, and welcomes both these files, which pave the way towards a more affordable, sustainable, and circular future for consumers.

Debate: Monday, 22 April
Votes: Tuesday, 23 April
Greens/EFA MEP: Anna Cavazzini, David Cormand (Right to Repair), Sara Matthieu (Ecodesign)
More: Our Green our tech campaign

Economic governance reform

Next week, MEPs will vote on the outcome of trilogue negotiations for the reform of the EU’s economic governance framework, otherwise known as the EU’s fiscal rules. The reform is overly focused on debt reduction and will lead to a return of austerity, at a time when the EU urgently needs to boost investment. The unnecessary and ideological obsession with debt-reduction will force governments to choose between investments and social spending. This approach has failed to learn the lessons of the financial crisis and will result in enormous socio-economic costs with long lasting effects. The Greens/EFA Group call for rules that maintain debt sustainability instead of prioritising debt reduction over more pressing policy priorities such as the green transition and war on our doorstep.

Debate: Tuesday, 23 April
Vote: Tuesday, 23 April
Greens/EFA MEP: Philippe Lamberts
More: EU’s vast public investment gap will kill climate ambitions and weaken standing on global stage

Hungary

Next week, MEPs will vote on the situation surrounding the rule of law in Hungary. The Greens/EFA Group have spearheaded efforts for this mandate for the European Parliament to hold the Council and Commission to account over the situation in Hungary. The latest resolution, to be voted on next week, contains a comprehensive review of developments in Hungary since 2022 and calls on the Belgian Presidency of the Council to move forward with recommendations under the Article 7 procedure ahead of hearings in June. The resolution also reminds the Council that the upcoming Hungarian Presidency of the Council is deeply problematic with potential for follow-up action by the next mandate of the European Parliament. The Greens/EFA Group will continue to fight for the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights in Hungary and anywhere European values are under threat.

Vote: Wednesday, 24 April
MEPs: Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield
More: MEPs clear path for Parliament to sue Commission over releasing funds to Hungary

More:

• Strategic Agenda - Against the rollback of the Green Deal
  Climate protection and an economy based on renewable energies are key to competitiveness and prosperity. Investing in the energy transition helps protect the climate, creates jobs, cuts dependence on autocrats like the Russian President, and makes the EU more strategically sovereign in terms of energy supply and raw material procurement.
  Debate: Greens/EFA Topical debate Wednesday, 24 April
  More: Letter from our Co-President Terry Reintke and Vice-President Bas Eickhout
   
• Israel/Gaza
  Next week, MEPs will debate the ongoing conflict in Gaza and recent events including the killing of aid workers and journalists. The Greens/EFA Group deplore the current situation and call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. All actors and international partners must work towards a stable two state solution and real peace in the region.
  Debate: Tuesday, 23 April
  Greens/EFA MEP: Jordi Solé
   
• Iran's attack on Israel
  Next week, MEPs will discuss and vote on a resolution on Iran’s unprecedented attack against Israel and the EU’s response. The Greens/EFA Group condemns Iran's attack in the strongest possible terms, as well as all acts of state and non-state actors that provoke or feed an intensifying escalating cycle. It is vital to prevent further escalation of violence in the region.
  Debate:  Wednesday, 24 April
  Votes: Thursday, 25 April
  MEP: Hannah Neumann
   
• Ethics Body
  MEPs will debate the agreement reached between EU institutions and agencies for the creation of a new EU Ethics Body. The Greens/EFA Group has long been calling for an EU Ethics Body to help improve the integrity and accountability of the EU institutions. The Greens/EFA Group led the push following the Qatargate revelations to move forward on negotiations for the body.
  Debate & Vote: Thursday, 25 April
  Greens/EFA MEP: Daniel Freund
  More: Daniel Freund’s report on the need for an EU ethics body
   
• Anti-Money Laundering
  Next week, MEPs will vote on the outcome of negotiations on the Anti-Money Laundering package, which will see the creation of a new AML Authority, and update and widen the scope of existing AML rules to close down loopholes for money laundering in Europe. New rules will apply to football clubs and agents, banks in third countries that pose a risk to the EU, along with a meaningful blacklist of third countries. There will be new limitations on cash and crypto-assets, and measures against golden visas. The new rules are a huge win in the fight against money laundering.
  Debate; Wednesday, 24 April
  Vote: Wednesday, 24 April
  Greens/EFA MEPs: Damien Careme, Kira Peter Hansen, Rasmus Andresen, Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield
   
• Energy Charter Treaty
  MEPs will vote on the EU's withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), something the Greens/EFA Group has long called for. This is good news for climate protection, the switch to renewable energies, and the growth of jobs in the green sectors.
  Debate: Tuesday, 23 April
  Vote: Wednesday, 24 April
  Greens/EFA MEP: Anna Cavazzini, Ville Ninnistö
  More: https://www.greens-efa.eu/en/article/press/eus-withdrawal-from-energy-charter-treaty-is-victory-against-fossil-companies  

LINKS

• Group Presidents, Terry Reintke and Philippe Lamberts will hold the plenary session press briefing on Tuesday, 23 April at 11:00 AM.
• Location: Daphne Caruana Galizia Press Room, Weiss N-1/201 or online via European Parliament website. Journalists can ask questions remotely via Interactio.
  The full plenary agenda for the week can be found on the Parliament website.