S&D Times - Issue 10

This week

?Mission to the US

Group leader Iratxe García, and vice-president on foreign affairs, Pedro Marques travelled to New York and Washington DC from the 26th through March 1st for a series of high-level meetings to strengthen and put multilateralism at the centre of our actions.

They were first in New York at the United Nations, where they met with UN secretary general António Guterres and reaffirmed our firm support to Ukraine and commitment to tackling the growing inequalities in our societies.

Our president and vice-president went to Washington, where they met high-ranking officials of the Biden Administration and leading Democrat members of the House and Senate.

We must and will continue our good cooperation between progressives on both sides of the Atlantic for sustainable global development based on equality & human rights, and the defence of democracy.

Vote on fluorinated greenhouse gases

On Wednesday March 1st, the committee on the environment, public health and food safety voted on a series of files, including the issue of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases). Used in everyday objects like refrigerators, air-conditioners and aerosol cans, f-gases contribute gravely to climate change, as they are up to 25,000 times more damaging than CO2. Our Group will push for their complete phase out by 2050 in line with EU climate goals.

Our event in Poland

Today, March 3, we are in Warsaw where, together with the Global Progressive Forum and FEPS (Foundation for European Progressive Studies), we will debate on the European Union’s Open Strategic Autonomy.

During this open event (both online and onsite) we’ll be discussing the strategy that the EU and its member states should apply to properly defend their citizens against various crises, secure increased autonomy against the actions of other superpowers and safeguard international cooperation.

?The event will be webstreamed by Gazeta Wyborcza, and on our Group’s site, from 13.30.

You can watch the event on our website socialistsanddemocrats.eu

What’s coming up

Zero-emissions cars vote

On Tuesday 7 March, EU leaders will give their final say on zero-emissions cars by 2035, following their agreement in October last year and the European Parliament’s greenlight last February. For the S&D Group, the phase-out of fossil fuel cars is indispensable to spur the Green Deal and fulfil our climate commitments, reduce our dependence on fossil fuel imports, allow the EU industry to pick up the pace in the race to decarbonisation, and keep high-quality jobs on the continent.

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Mission to the US on International Women’s Day

-March 8 marks the International Women’s Day and, as part of a FEMM committee mission to the UN Commission on the Status of Women, our members Robert Biedron (Chair), Evelyn Regner and Helene Fritzon?will travel to New York from March 6 to 9 for an exchange?on the topic of “innovation and technological change and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls”?. The meeting will be followed by a one day visit in Washington where the delegation meets with lawmakers and NGOs to discuss the growing anti-abortion rights and anti-gender movements, in particular after the overturning of the Roe vs Wade rule last autumn.

COVI special committee workshop

On Wednesday 9 March, the S&D-chaired COVI Special committee is organising a workshop with leading medical and scientific experts on long-Covid, as well as representatives of long-Covid patients and trade unions. Studies estimate that about 10-15% percent of persons who have been ill with Covid-19, suffer from severe long-Covid symptoms impacting heavily their daily lives. Millions of people living in Europe are impacted, with an already tangible effect on the labour market. The workshop will look into symptoms and ways to support patients and workers.