Outcome of the EU-US summit; New Euro 7 emissions standards should stay within the bounds of what is technologically feasible; Effectiveness of EU sanctions against Russia

Outcome of the EU-US summit

On Thursday morning, the mini-plenary in Brussels will see the results of the EU-US meeting in Washington on 20 October discussed. The ECR Group is disappointed that no deal was reached on the critical raw materials agreement or on a sustainable steel and aluminium arrangement and calls for a breakthrough by mid-December.

Debate: Thursday @ 9:00

New Euro 7 emissions standards should stay within the bounds of what is technologically feasible

On Thursday, the European Parliament will adopt its position on new rules to reduce pollutant emissions and set battery life requirements for cars, vans, buses and lorries. Speaking after the vote in the Environment Committee, ECR rapporteur Alexandr Vondra said the aim is to strike a balance between environmental objectives and the vital interests of manufacturers:

“Cars must not become more expensive. They are and will remain a vital means of transport for families who rely on them for work and daily life. Imposing overly onerous emission reduction standards, as demanded by the Socialists and Greens, would force industry to invest vast sums in new combustion engine vehicles that will soon become obsolete. We must avoid passing those increased costs on to consumers”.

A press conference with Alexandr Vondra will be held after the votes on Thursday at 13:30 in the Anna Politkovskaya press room.

Vote: Thursday @ 11:00

Press conference: Thursday @ 13:30

Effectiveness of EU sanctions against Russia

On Thursday, MEPs will vote on a resolution already debated at the last Strasbourg session on the effectiveness of EU sanctions against Russia and how to prevent Moscow from circumventing them. The ECR Group would welcome concrete steps to use frozen Russian funds to provide material support to Ukraine and its economy. The current sanctions should also be made much more effective, as the Russians, in cooperation with some third countries, are constantly trying to circumvent them. There is also evidence that some European companies are still delivering prohibited goods to Russia using third countries as intermediaries, a practice that should be stopped immediately.

Vote: Thursday @ 11:00