European Parliament names ECR Group meeting room after Witold Pilecki, Polish World War II resistance leader who fought against Nazism and Communism; An EU strategy against foreign interference, information manipulation and attacks on democracy; Updating the EU geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural; Supporting ammunition production; An EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles; Conference: Life and faith under oppression: Voices from political prisoners and the persecuted Belarusian Christian communities.

European Parliament names ECR Group meeting room after Witold Pilecki, Polish World War II resistance leader who fought against Nazism and Communism

On Wednesday, a ceremony will be held to name the ECR Group meeting room, SPAAK 1A002, in honour of Witold Pilecki, a Polish World War II officer, intelligence agent and resistance fighter who fiercely resisted both Nazism and Communism and whose opposition to totalitarian regimes represents the core values underpinning European integration. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola will attend the ceremony alongside ECR Co-Chairmen Prof Ryszard Legutko and Nicola Procaccini, and EPP Chairman Manfred Weber.

In 1940, Witold Pilecki, a decorated veteran of the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1921, volunteered to allow himself to be captured by German occupying forces in order to infiltrate Auschwitz concentration camp. During the two and a half years Pilecki spent at the camp, he smuggled out huge amounts of information, documenting the day-to-day brutalities of prison life. Some years after his escape from Auschwitz, in 1947, the Communist authorities captured Pilecki. Accused of spying, he was tortured into signing a ‘confession’ and executed a year later.

Following the ceremony, a conference paying tribute to the life of Witold Pilecki will take place in the newly named room. The conference will be co-hosted by ECR MEP Anna Fotyga and EPP MEP Rasa Juknevičienė. The invited guests include, Marek Ostrowski, nephew of Witold Pilecki; David Harris, CEO of the American Jewish Committee (1990-2022); Magdalena Gawin, Director of the Pilecki Institute; Krzysztof Szwagrzyk, Deputy President of the Institute of National Remembrance; Jack Fairweather, Biographer and author of ‘The Volunteer’; Tandeusz Płużański, son of Pilecki’s co-conspirator and death-cell inmate; and Marek Mutor, President of Platform of European Memory and Conscience

The event will be web-streamed here.Link to the events website here.

When: Wednesday @ 10:30

Where: SPAAK 1A002

An EU strategy against foreign interference, information manipulation and attacks on democracy

On Thursday, MEPs will debate and vote on a coordinated EU strategy against foreign interference and attacks on democracy, in particular from Russia and China. The proposal will also cover the issue of support to Ukraine and Taiwan, as well as member states in countering malicious actions by third actors. It was the ECR that introduced the issue last term with two reports by ECR MEP Anna Fotyga. The text focuses not only on the interference itself, but also on ways to counter it and better prepare European societies to face disinformation, including by strengthening education, quality journalism and cooperation with like-minded countries.

Debate: Thursday @ 9:00

Vote: Thursday @ 11:00

Updating the EU geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products

On Wednesday, MEPs will hold a debate on the provisional agreement from inter-institutional negotiations on geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products. This new regulation sets out rules for protected designations of origin, geographical indications, traditional terms, labelling, and presentation in the wine sector. It aims to support rural development and streamline the EU’s Geographical Indications (GI) system, including by reducing delays and enhancing protection for GIs and producer groups. The reform will also aim to simplify the role of the European Union Intellectual Property Office while still protecting sustainability. The ECR considers this regulation to be an important instrument for strengthening the protection of regional products and fostering both competitiveness and trust in the European market. The vote will be held on Thursday.

Debate: Wednesday @ 15:00

Vote: Thursday @ 11:00

Supporting ammunition production

On Thursday, MEPs will vote on a proposal to rapidly deliver ammunition and missiles to Ukraine and to help Member States replenish their stocks. The Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP), intends to increase the EU’s production capacity and address the current shortage of ammunition, missiles and their components. The act will strengthen the responsiveness and ability of the European Union defence industry to ensure prompt supply of ammunition in Europe. ECR shadow rapporteur Zdzisław Krasnodębski has underlined the need for this act, saying: “We must remedy very quickly the current shortage of ammunition and missiles, the regular supply of which is absolutely crucial to sustaining the heroic resistance of the Ukrainians against the Russian invasion and, I hope, soon, also for an effective counteroffensive.” In the previous May I plenary session in Strasbourg, the ECR Group supported the Parliament’s decision to fast-track this file given the urgency of the matter, meaning it would skip the committee procedure.

Vote: Thursday @ 11:00

An EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles

On Thursday, MEPs will vote on a European Parliament initiative to make textiles more durable, repairable, reusable and recyclable. MEPs want to tackle fast fashion, textile waste and the destruction of unsold textiles, and ensure that their production takes place in full respect of social rights. European textile consumption has the fourth highest environmental impact after food, housing and mobility. Textiles are the third largest sector in terms of water and land use, and the fifth largest in terms of primary raw material use and greenhouse gas emissions. Less than 1 per cent of textile waste is recycled into new fibres for clothing, and around the world a truckload of textiles is landfilled or incinerated every second. The ECR Group has worked hard on the draft report to provide a practical approach in favour of small producers.

Vote: Thursday @ 11:00

Conference: Life and faith under oppression: Voices from political prisoners and the persecuted Belarusian Christian communities.

On Wednesday, ECR MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen, together with EPP MEP Michaela Šojdrová, will host a conference focusing on the fierce persecution faced by political prisoners and Christian communities in Belarus under the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko. The conference will hear testimonials from a former political prisoner, a Catholic priest in exile and Belarusian activists.

To register for the event please email bert-jan.ruissen@ep.europa.eu

When: Wednesday @ 10:00 -12:00

Where: SPAAK 05B1