Plenary focus - July

During the last Plenary the big groups managed to postpone debate and vote on TTIP within the Parliament. At the end, no Member can avoid answering the following questions: will the widespread public opposition to investor-state dispute settlement be respected and the public services, consumer protection and our agriculture be shielded from the interests of large corporations in the transatlantic mega-deal? My group has tabled a range of amendments transporting civil society views into the EP arena. We will stand firm against ISDS and any secret regulatory cooperation council preventing the future advancement of our societies.

It is largely undisputed that the current EU neighbourhood policy has failed. There is no stability, security and prosperity. Intensifying internal conflicts, disintegrating state structures or corrupt "partner" elites characterize the situation. In the search for a way out of this situation, the rapporteur unfortunately avoids a clear in-depth analysis and therefore remains limited to cosmetic improvements. Stability and prosperity in the EU neighbourhood can only be achieved if the countries in question find the EU to be a partner who assists them to develop their societies in a self-reliant way instead of imposing "European" concepts.

We will be voting the long-awaited report by Finnish MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen on Resource Efficiency: Towards a Circulatory Economy. I am really glad that we have moved forward a little after the Commission’s rash withdrawal of the original waste package proposal. I really hope that based on our proposal the Commission will come up with a directive that will move us to a better use of resources and reduction of unnecessary waste. Although this is only a non-binding resolution,the Committee with a vast majority of 56 votes has given the Commission a clear signal that we demand a well-developed in-depth proposal. Our GUE/NGL ENVI members tabled many amendments to this draft report, a lot of them covered by 36 compromises supported by all political groups and some of them were adopted during the vote. Therefore I welcome the final outcome of the proceedings

The European Commission failed to adequately assess the root causes of the current multi-level crisis. Europe 2020 continues and combines austerity-oriented policies with a more radical privatisation programme like ESFI. We know all the results and they are especially evident in Greece: growing unemployment, poverty, deep wage cuts, a higher pensionable age, and lower public spending for education, culture, health etc.. The Commission's weakness is that it has not produced a work programme for a modern idea of a democratic and sustainable social Europe based on peace.