14 January 2022
Memorial ceremony for President David Maria Sassoli; Elections of the European Parliament President, Vice-Presidents and Quaestors; Presentation of the Programme of the French Presidency; A reinforced role for the European Medicines Agency (EMA); Digital Service Act (DSA)
Memorial ceremony for President David Maria Sassoli
The plenary session will start with a memorial ceremony for David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament, who died on 11 January. In addition to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the French President Emmanuel Macron, and the former Italian Prime Minister and MEP Enrico Letta. Italian Co-Chairman Raffaele Fitto will take the floor on behalf of the ECR Group.
When: Monday @ 18:00
Elections of the European Parliament President, Vice-Presidents and Quaestors
Next week, the European Parliament will elect its new President, the 14 Vice-Presidents and the 5 Quaestors for the second half of the 2019-2024 legislature.
Kosma Złotowski – ECR Candidate for Parliament’s President
The ECR Group will nominate Polish MEP Kosma Złotowski as its candidate for the election of the President of the Parliament on Tuesday. With this candidacy, the ECR Group wants to underline the need for a different kind of democracy in the House. We need a fresh approach. We need a leader of the house that does not marginalise and restrict the rights of entire groups of MEPs – a policy that has unfortunately become the norm. In practice, this has meant disregarding millions of voters, all to the detriment of the European project, whose motto is, after all: “United in diversity.” Mr Złotowski’s focus is on cooperation and compromise instead of persistent conflict, and on working on concrete, substantive issues that advance the interests of all Member States, rather than promoting a federalist ideology.
It is the different peoples of Europe that have elected the MEPs. Therefore, the Parliament must be free to speak and act on behalf of all of these peoples. As President, Mr Złotowski will ensure that every vote in the European elections, regardless of who it is cast for, is returned its political importance. Mr Złotowski also promises to help ensure that all EU institutions respect the powers conferred on them under the Treaties, as well as the principles of subsidiarity, proportionality and the separation of powers.
Read more about what Kosma Złotowski stands for here.
You can follow Kosma Złotowski on Twitter and Facebook.
#RealChangeEU
Votes: Tuesday
Roberts Zile, ECR Candidate for Vice-President
Latvian MEP Roberts Zile will enter the race for Vice-President in the elections held on Tuesday and/or Wednesday. Mr Zile currently acts as first Vice Chair of the ECR Group and ECR Coordinator in the Committee and Tourism Committee since 2004.
Votes: Tuesday @ 9:00 and/or Wednesday
Karol Karski, ECR Candidate for Quaestor
On Wednesday, the five Quaestors of the Parliament will also be elected. The ECR Group will nominate Karol Karski, a Polish MEP already experienced in this function, who is also Chair-in-office of the Quaestors in the current half of the legislature.
Votes: Wednesday
Presentation of the Programme of the French Presidency
On Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron will present the programme of the French Council Presidency. For the ECR Group, Co-Chairman Raffaele Fitto will take the floor. The ECR Group believes that the focus must now be on overcoming the crises confronting the EU. The new Presidency has the chance to make significant ground here.
Debate: Wednesday @ 11:30
A reinforced role for the European Medicines Agency (EMA)
On Wednesday, MEPs will vote on an agreement between Parliament and Council on a reinforced role for the European Medicines Agency. The updated mandate for the Agency will ensure that we have the medicines needed to deal with major public health emergencies, focusing on the following objectives: essential advice on crisis preparedness and management.
The ECR Shadow Rapporteur, Joanna Kopcińska, welcomes the agreement, noting that it improves the Agency’s crisis preparedness and management of medicinal products and medical devices, while also addressing previous concerns over subsidiarity, duplication and sanctions from Parliament’s initial position in July 2021.
Vote: Wednesday @ 14:30
Digital Service Act (DSA)
On Wednesday, the European Parliament will debate the Digital Services Act (DSA), followed by a vote on Wednesday evening or Thursday. According to ECR Shadow Rapporteur Adam Bielan, the DSA will empower users, increase trust in online services and contribute to an open digital economy in Europe, even though there is still room for improvement.
The new set of rules for the digital space, which includes social media, online marketplaces and other online players offering services in the European Union, creates a new framework to counter the proliferation of illegal content online and gives individual users the power to challenge platforms’ arbitrary decisions.
Nevertheless, Mr Bielan will seek further improvements via plenary amendments and in the upcoming trilogue. For example, the practice of social media networks unilaterally banning certain political entities as they see fit, which hampers public debate, must be curbed.
Debate: Wednesday @ 14:30
Vote: Wednesday evening or Thursday
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