Jointly replenish arsenals; Ukrainian Deputy Minister for Agrarian Policy and Food in the AGRI Committee; Book Presentation: “Tradition and Change. Scruton’s Philosophy and Its Meaning for Contemporary Europe”; Debate: About woke and European Values: Freedom of Expression, who still dares?; Press Breakfast: Working and resting conditions for professional drivers in the EU – When will they be dignified and normal?; Displacement and Destruction of the Town of Jasło in 1944.

Jointly replenish arsenals

On Tuesday, the Industry Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee will vote on the short-term European Defence Industry Reinforcement Common Procurement Act (EDIRPA). It aims to address the most urgent and critical gaps in defence capabilities and create incentives for Member States to procure defence equipment jointly. Following a specific mandate from the Versailles Summit in March 2022, the Commission presented an analysis of defence investment gaps in May 2022 and proposed EDIRPA as one of several instruments to address defence investment, capability and industrial gaps. The rapporteur for the Industry Committee is ECR MEP Zdzisław Krasnodębski. The ECR Group believes that EDIRPA is a crucial tool to replenish the depleted stockpiles of defence equipment in Member States, to stimulate joint procurement, to support the aerospace and defence sector and, most importantly, to help Ukraine by providing it with the much-needed tools to endure Russia’s war of aggression. The ECR Group has also introduced measures to enable Ukraine and Moldova to purchase equipment at a better price.

When: Tuesday @ 14:30

Where: ANTALL 4Q2

Ukrainian Deputy Minister for Agrarian Policy and Food in the AGRI Committee

On Monday, the Agriculture Committee will receive the Ukrainian Deputy Minister for Agrarian Policy and Food. According to Veronika Vrecionová MEP, the ECR Group’s coordinator for agriculture, the Commission must urgently find a solution to the problem of Ukrainian grain flooding the markets of Ukraine’s
neighbours and threatening the livelihoods of local farmers. One solution could be to seal wagons and lorries until they reach the European market. “The European Commission must be urged to finally act on this issue. Poland has been highlighting the problem for several months. The fact that Ukrainian grain remains on the territory of EU countries is not the fault of Ukrainian farmers. They sell their grain to traders and have no idea where it goes,” said Ms Vrecionová. “Another possible solution is for the Commission to buy Ukrainian grain and send it as humanitarian aid to countries in North Africa and the Middle East. The EU usually provides humanitarian aid to these countries in the form of financial contributions, but now we could send aid in this way,” Ms Vrecionová concluded.

When: Monday @ 15:00

Where: ANTALL 2Q2

Book Presentation: “Tradition and Change. Scruton’s Philosophy and Its Meaning for Contemporary Europe”.

On Wednesday, Professor Zdzisław Krasnodębski MEP will host a presentation of Sir Roger Scruton’s (1944-2020) book “Tradition and Change. Scruton’s Philosophy and Its Meaning for Contemporary Europe”. Following the presentation, a discussion will be developed on the premises of Sir Roger Scruton’s work devoted to various issues related to Western civilization, with guests including Professor Piotr Wróblewski, editor of the book, and Professor Ferenc Hörcher, philosopher and political analyst, contributing to the
conversation. The event is aimed at provoking thoughts on social change and tradition and the meaning conservativism in the contemporary political debate in Europe.

If you would like to attend, please register via this registration link.

Link to the event’s website here.

When: Wednesday @ 12:30 - 14:00

Where: EP Library SPINELLI 5D

Debate: About woke and European Values: Freedom of Expression, who still dares?

ECR Group Vice-President Assita Kanko, will host a debate about the ongoing attack on free speech and the dangers of ‘woke’ culture. The guests involved in the discussion include Othmar Karas, Austrian politician and First Vice-President of the European Parliament; Bart De Wever, Belgian-Flemish politician, Mayor of Antwerp and author of the book Over Woke (about Woke); Sonia Mabrouk, French journalist and author; and John C Fortier, American author and political scientist. The conversation will focus on the need to remain alert to developments such as religious extremism, oppressive traditions, integration, and the ‘woke’ trend that limit individual freedoms. The aim of the debate is to prevent the conversation from being dominated by the far-right and far-left who too often suffer from an enemy complex.

A link to register for the event can be found here.

More information about the agenda can be found here.

When: Wednesday @ 16:00

Where: SPAAK 7C50

Press Breakfast: Working and resting conditions for professional drivers in the EU – When will they be dignified and normal?

On Wednesday morning, ECR Transport and Tourism Committee member, Kosma Złotowski, together with EPP MEP Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska and the Association of Employers Transport and Logistics Poland (TLP), will host a press breakfast aiming to draw attention to the challenging working and resting conditions faced by European transport drivers. The road transport industry cannot function without drivers, however, the continuous poor social working conditions in the industry are one of the reasons for the growing shortage of professional drivers across Europe. The expert guests including, Iwona Blecharczyk, ‘Trucking Girl’ and CEO Imagination transport; Dagmara Trusewicz, CEO Truckers Life Foundation; Sjef Boekestijn, COO Boekestijn Transport Services; and Maciej Wroński, President of Transport and Logistics Poland, will gather to discuss what action can be taken in Europe to improve the working environment of transport drivers.

If you would like to attend this event, please RSVP by April 24
to Rafal.kaminski@europarl.europa.eu

Link to the event’s
website here.

When: Wednesday @ 9:00 - 11:00

Where: SPINELLI 1H1

Displacement and Destruction of the Town of Jasło in 1944

On Tuesday, Bogdan Rzońca MEP will open an exhibition on the destruction of the town of Jasło by the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War. Jasło is among the Polish towns to have suffered the most devastation. Falling victim to Germany’s “Total War”, the order was called on 15 September 1944 for the mass expulsion and deportation of Jasło’s population. People’s homes were looted and burnt and more than 90 per cent of the town was destroyed.

When: Tuesday @ 13:00

Where: SPINELLI Distribution Centre Area 3 D