Plenary focus - October

These recommendations show that those responsible for keeping the Eurozone together have learnt nothing from the results of the disastrous policies that brought us here and threatened the integrity of the Eurozone. Their principle is ‘when something doesn’t work consistently for years, try longer and harder’. We will continue advocating that for different results, we will have to bet on growth and employment as the only means for sustainable fiscal consolidation. This requires protecting people’s income and using public investment to kick-start the economy.

The Mos Maiorum police operation is essentially a mass sweep against irregular migrants who enjoy borderless travel within Europe. There is a high risk that police will use ethnic profiling to find migrants based on the colour of their skin. Thus, Mos Maiorum, which is not subject to accountability or scrutiny from the EP or national parliaments, violates the fundamental rights to equality and freedom from discrimination and above all seriously undermines the Schengen area, which is supposed to be free of border controls, regardless of whether or not travellers are actually entitled to free movement.

There are evermore cases of Ebola in EU member states, like Spain or Poland.Due to strong underestimation of hygiene practices, failure of local health care and sanitation services and incapability of developed countries around the world to respond adequately to this threat, this unprecedented Ebola outbreak has become a global threat. We are reaping what we sow. Health care systems on the African continent are very weak. To avoid disastrous consequences, the EU must provide every possible human and material resource to affected areas. Instead of our shallow resolutions, developing countries are in urgent need of isolation units, hospital beds, basic medical equipment and most importantly, doctors. Yesterday was already too late!