Plenary focus - March 2023

In August last year, Commission President von der Leyen announced a big push to reform the energy market. The merit order system was up for debate, and the goal was affordable prices. However, with the Commission’s proposal, which will be discussed at the upcoming Summit, von der Leyen remains merely a world champion of announcements. The merit order principle remains. Prices can continue to rise, and nuclear power is ecological. In short: the lobbyists of the energy companies have won, and the people of Europe have lost.

Following the multiple corruption scandals in the European Parliament,  Media revealed last week that a senior Commission official working on QatarAirways’ access to European airspace accepted nine free business class trips on the same airline. Since the beginning of QatarGate, revelations of corruption have multiplied. Corruption is a plague in the European institutions. It is essential to fight the culture of opacity. I have been fighting for integrity and transparency since December, much to the dismay of the right wing. We demand a debate in plenary to make Ursula Von Der Leyen explain herself and be accountable.

This directive is a crucial for fighting climate change and energy waste. It is also important to tackle a serious social problem, as vulnerable people and those suffering energy poverty live very often in the worst performing buildings, with no possibility of improving their situation. Despite the efforts of the right wing of the parliament to water down the proposal, adopting this measure is a positive step towards climate and social justice.

The European Union can be proud to have an institution and an Ombudsman who, through her work, seeks to strengthen the transparency, accountability and integrity of the Union’s institutions, bodies and agencies. This is vital in order to improve the protection of European citizens’ rights and European democracy.

Industrial agriculture that depends on monocultures with toxic pesticides is killing our future. Bees and butterflies are essential for our ecosystems and our food production. We will fight for the citizens’ demands to protect bees and nature. We will fight for a just transition towards a toxic-free, sustainable and viable food system to maintain a liveable planet for humans and animals.

The EU has a critical role in advancing the Bridgetown Agenda and arriving at a climate Bretton Woods by prioritizing climate justice in its investments and policies and using its financial leverage to push for deep reform of the World Bank, including debt relief. The EU must help create a more equitable and sustainable global economy, including supporting investments in climate adaptation and mitigation projects in the Global South, promoting policy reform to address neo-colonialism, and cancelling the Global South’s debt for climate action. We can lay the foundation for a new Bretton Woods suitable for the climate era with EU action and global cooperation.