Cohesion policy as a driver of rural renaissance; Clean Industrial Deal should be centred around competitiveness; Europe's security depends on transatlantic strength; Tackling the scourge of child sexual abuse; Welfare of cats and dogs: ECR negotiates get-out claws; Political terror in Colombia; Committee’s rule of law report undermines national sovereignty; Forty Years of the Schengen Agreement; The human cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine; Development finance: less dogma, more delivery; Film Screening: Under the Grey Sky

Cohesion policy as a driver of rural renaissance

On Monday evening, ECR MEP Denis Nesci will present his own-initiative report that maps out how a better targeted cohesion policy can contribute to the revitalisation of Europe’s rural areas, especially those in peripheral and isolated parts of the continent. The focus is on ensuring cross-cutting policy integration, a focus on delivery and an emphasis on the enduring value of cohesion policy as an investment platform for development.

Debate: Monday @ 20:00

Clean Industrial Deal should be centred around competitiveness

Pushing for proportionate, reasonable and balanced EU legislation that nurtures a pro-business environment is among the ECR Group’s key priorities. We are broadly supportive of the position of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy on the Clean Industrial Deal as a driver of competitiveness of European industries. We support a realistic approach to decarbonisation projects being shelved if their business cases in Europe are no longer viable. Our Group also welcomes the committee’s position on technological neutrality, the importance of nuclear energy and small modular reactors and the need for effective carbon border adjustment measures in the context of phasing out ETS free allowances.

Debate: Wednesday @ 16:00

Vote: Thursday @ 12:00

Europe’s security depends on transatlantic strength

Ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague from 24 to 26 June, the ECR will reiterate its strong support for NATO as the cornerstone of European defence in the key debate. The group will emphasise the importance of credible deterrence and the need for continued military support for Ukraine, as well as the importance of renewed defence investment. ECR MEPs will also emphasise that strategic clarity and unity among allies are more important than ever, especially in light of new geopolitical risks and emerging hybrid threats. At the same time, the group will emphasise that any future EU–NATO cooperation must be complementary, not duplicative, and must respect national sovereignty and NATO’s primacy in collective defence.

Debate: Wednesday @ 9:00

Tackling the scourge of child sexual abuse

The ECR Group supports a proposal from the Commission to revise and strengthen the fight against child sexual abuse across the EU aims to improve Member States’ capacity and efficiency, especially in relation to new technological developments. We welcome the report’s emphasis on improving cross-border cooperation, both in terms of investigations and prosecutions, and for victim assistance and support, including by extending the period during which victims can report abuse and seek justice. The ECR Group is confident that the draft legislation will be further improved and streamlined at trilogue.

Debate: Tuesday @ 9:00

Vote: Tuesday @ 12:00

Welfare of cats and dogs: ECR negotiates get-out claws

The Chair of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, ECR MEP Veronika Vrecionová, is the rapporteur for this draft legislation. The ECR Group is satisfied with the outcome of the committee vote, which reflects a balance between ensuring the welfare of cats and dogs placed on the EU market and ensuring the smooth functioning of a market worth €1.3 billion. We are confident that a plenary endorsement of this proportionate, realistic and targeted text would serve as a strong base for trilogue negotiations.

Vote: Thursday @ 12:00

Political terror in Colombia

On Tuesday, at the ECR Group’s suggestion, Parliament will debate the deteriorating political situation in Colombia after the assassination attempt on conservative leader Miguel Uribe. This act of political terrorism stems from an increasingly perilous political and security environment under leftist President Petro. The attack on Senator Uribe, the centre-right Centro Democrático candidate in next year’s presidential election, reflects the poisonous alliance between drug cartels and the radical left that continues to undermine democratic forces across Latin America.

Debate: Tuesday @ 22:00

Committee’s rule of law report undermines national sovereignty

The own-initiative report from the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice & Home Affairs on the Commission’s 2024 Rule of Law report intrudes into many areas that are the preserve of Member States and their parliaments. The ECR Group’s efforts to moderate this report through realistic amendments were largely ignored, the result of which is an ideologically motivated text that seeks to impose a radical and woke agenda on Member States.

Debate: Tuesday @ 15:30

Vote: Wednesday @ 12:00

Forty Years of the Schengen Agreement

On Monday, Parliament President Roberta Metsola will deliver a speech to mark the 40th anniversary of the Schengen Agreement, which was signed on 14 June 1985 and paved the way for passport-free travel across much of Europe. During the round of Group Speakers, the ECR Group will acknowledge the importance of this milestone, recognising Schengen as one of Europe’s most significant achievements for citizens and businesses. However, the group will also emphasise that Schengen can only function if the EU’s external borders are secure and well managed. For the ECR Group, the lesson of Schengen at 40 is clear: to keep internal borders open, Europe’s external frontier must be protected.

Debate: Monday @ 17:00

The human cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine

On Monday, the European Parliament is holding a debate on the devastating human impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The ECR Group will express its unwavering solidarity with Ukraine and its people and will strongly condemn Russia’s systematic war crimes, including abductions, torture and the deliberate bombing of civilian areas. ECR MEPs are expected to call for increased pressure on Moscow, including tougher sanctions and legal accountability. The group will also emphasise the urgent need for unrestricted access to detainees, support for victims and a comprehensive register of war crimes.

Debate: Monday @ 19:00

Vote: July part-session

A resolution is expected to be adopted in the July plenary session.

Development finance: less dogma, more delivery

The ECR Group favours Member States leading international development strategies and partnerships. We reject over-reliance on multilateral mechanisms at the expense of national sovereignty and we emphasise that international development policy should be accountable to national voters and taxpayers. The Parliament’s positioning ahead of the upcoming Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development which will be voted on Tuesday promotes the concept of global tax governance and ‘fair taxation’ but for our Group, tax issues are a national competence. The ECR Group wants international development policy to be more efficient, more accountable and focused on outcomes, not ideology.

Vote: Tuesday @ 12:00

Press briefing with ECR Co-Chairmen Nicola Procaccini and Patryk Jaki

The ECR Group will hold a press briefing with Co-Chairmen Nicola Procaccini (IT) and Patryk Jaki (PL) on Tuesday, 17 June, at 10:20 in the Daphne Caruana Galizia press room in Strasbourg. The briefing will provide an opportunity to discuss the key priorities and positions of the ECR Group. The livestream can be followed by clicking on this link.

Where: Daphne Caruana Galizia press room, Strasbourg, N -1/201

Journalists can join via interactio: https://ep.interactio.eu/yf7z-hlge-a9kk

Film Screening: Under the Grey Sky

On Wednesday, ECR MEPs Michał Dworczyk, Małgorzata Gosiewska, and Adam Bielan will host a screening of Under the Grey Sky, followed by a discussion on the repression of political prisoners and legal professionals in Belarus. The film highlights the country’s worsening human rights situation. Keynote speaker: Agnieszka Romaszewska-Guzy, former Director of Belsat TV and head of the Solidarity Zone Foundation. Link to the event website here.

When: Wednesday @ 16:30

Where: WEISS S3.4, European Parliament, Strasbourg.

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