Plenary focus - February 2022

The diplomatic tensions between Russia and Ukraine remind us once again of the need for a non-aligned European diplomacy promoting international dialogue and peace. Both Russia and the US are to blame in the current situation: Putin’s choice to deploy 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border and NATO’s threat to expand further east are creating the conditions for a potential military conflict that must be avoided by all means. Our priority must be de-escalation in order to restore constructive dialogue between the two countries.

Peace and freedom are the cornerstones of the Ventotene Manifesto. Following this proud tradition, the role of the EU can only be to diplomatically mediate in the current conflict. It is not the time to judge who is to blame but to resolve the crisis peacefully. Not taking the side of NATO or Russia, but siding with the people of Europe, whose interest is a peaceful solution to the conflict.

An inquiry into state spyware abuse is urgent and necessary, but cannot be selective. Pegasus and NSO Group are merely tips of an iceberg: a competitive industry predicated on the infringement of fundamental rights. Trade and use of these technologies is endemic and normalised. Too narrow a focus risks becoming a whitewash. The goal must be a comprehensive social sanction against, and prohibition on, the production, sale, export and use of all technologies designed to infringe privacy and fundamental rights.

This year’s report coincides with two important facts: the ECB’s action to support the recovery and the long-awaited publication of the ECB strategy review. As Parliament’s rapporteur, I produced a clearly progressive, inclusive and forward-looking report, supported by an unprecedented majority in the ECON committee. Therefore, I am confident that the same will happen in the plenary thus sending a strong and united signal from the Parliament.

Nurses, cleaners and industrial workers should not get sick from going to work. We need better protection against cancer-causing chemicals and substances toxic for reproduction. It’s simple: no one should get cancer from working. After hard negotiations, we reached an ambitious agreement that will improve workers’ protection. That is a victory for public health.

The report rightly notes that militarisation and geopolitical tensions are on the rise while disarmament and arms control regimes have been weakened. However, it draws the wrong conclusions by advocating for more militarisation. The withdrawal from Afghanistan is used as a pretext for a rapid deployment force of 5,000 troops. We reject the vision of the Strategic Compass as a launchpad for a Defence Union and call for a foreign policy with a non-military approach based on democracy and that preserves peace.

Cancer remains a major public health problem and an issue of social injustice. While some improvements have been achieved over the past years, much more needs to be done. We succeeded in including in the report our goal to tackle inequalities on access to prevention, early diagnosis, treatments and patients’ services. Our proposals aim to enhance quality of life and safeguard the right to access public hospitals, quality care and expertise. The Left prioritises the fight against cancer, especially pediatric cancer. We aim to raise public awareness and promote cooperation in the field of research for the dissemination of knowledge on cancer, and the development of new diagnostics and therapeutic methods. Our fight is not easy but we will continue until health becomes a public good and a human right for all!

Climate change is the great societal challenge of our time and offshore renewables play a key role in tackling it. The stakes are simply too high to allow corporate greed to hijack this strategic sector. Its unprecedented expansion bears risks to a rapidly growing offshore workforce and to the environment that we have to anticipate and mitigate by developing an ambitious strategy that guarantees good working conditions and protects the marine environment.