Kirjalliset äänestysselitykset - Kahdeksas vaalikausi Theresa GRIFFIN

I voted in favour of this report because I believe that continued judicial cooperation across the EU is essential in the fight against organised crime and terrorism.

Free movement of workers is one of the four freedoms enjoyed by EU citizens. The current Regulation however is outdated and no longer reflects the changing national social security systems nor the case law of the ECJ.
In times of increased labour mobility, protecting social rights is of the utmost importance. Equally important is maintaining the continuity of social security when moving from one legislation to another. With this report, we seek to guarantee to all EU workers an effective social protection that does not discriminate against anyone. We also want to bring more clarity to the rules applicable to posted and self-employed workers, as well as to people engaged in multiple activities abroad.
However, the conservatives and liberals are not happy with the progress the S&Ds achieved in both the EP and in negotiations with the Council and try to use elections as a tool to stop this progress from being confirmed for the future Parliament. The S&Ds will, however, continue defending the rights of mobile workers and will seek to unblock the agreement reached in the Council.

There is a need to update company law procedures in order to make them fit for the digital age. However, this must not come at the expense of the fight against crime and abuse.

For the first time, a procedure with clear rules to follow for companies wanting to move into another Member State is introduced, which will make it harder for those wishing to exploit the Single Market for the wrong reasons, cracking down on companies who artificially move for the purpose of evading tax, social contributions or national labour laws. This is something S&D have been pressuring the Commission to do for years.
S&D supports companies expanding to other Member States for genuine economic activity that boosts growth and creates jobs but not those who do it to find lower labour protections or tax rates. The Single Market cannot mean a race to the bottom. These new rules will mean that companies involved in fraudulent or abusive practices circumventing national or Union law on, for example, employee rights, taxation or social security will not receive the necessary certification to finalise a cross-border operation. On the other side, the law creates, for the first time, legal certainty for companies using their right for freedom of establishment.

I am in favour of creating an EU-wide framework for covered bonds and to bring the single capital market a step further. But we ensured that the good practices of well-functioning national covered bond systems are still in place as well as enhanced transparency and investor protection.

I am proud to be backing the initiative of my Group in pushing for a strong EU investment policy. Built on the successes of EFSI, InvestEU combines several EU financial instruments to better target and maximise the impact of EU investment on the ground.

This proposal will help to reduce the administrative burden for port operators, harmonise the reporting environment for ships and improve access to ports.

Hundreds of man-made and some natural chemicals can disrupt the function of the endocrine system causing life-threatening diseases. EDCs are present in food, food contact materials, cosmetics, consumer goods (including furnishings, cleaning products), toys, as well as drinking water – sectors where the lack of efficient consideration of EDCs at EU level is more pronounced. We need a concrete action plan aiming for a horizontal identification and subsequent exclusion of endocrine disrupting chemicals from all aspects of our daily life in order to ensure a high level of protection for human health, especially among vulnerable groups, and the environment.

I voted in favour of this report because it is crucial that we ensure that the EU’s external borders are managed effectively as a priority. The European Border and Coast Guard Agency has an important role to play in supporting and helping coordinate Member States’ work in keeping citizens secure.

. ‒ The deal reached on the content confirms the S&D commitments on fighting climate change, supporting gender equality and improving citizens’ quality of life through dedicated research broad lines on health (cancer, cardiovascular diseases and precision medicine) and increased support to SMEs for better and qualified jobs in Europe.

. ‒ I would like to echo the sentiment of my Group. The S&D Group is committed to fighting for a fair digital environment – we have delivered on many different aspects of improving our new digital world. This regulation on online platforms will be another piece in the puzzle of a digital Europe that delivers for everyone.
Online platforms have in many cases multiplied the choice and lead to more attractive prices for consumers. Moreover, they often enable small business users to sell their goods and services easily all across Europe, bringing tangible benefits to our SMEs. Nonetheless, we are increasingly buying things from platforms such as Amazon, Booking.com, eBay, and Google, which also means these companies have a huge market share and business users become increasingly dependent on them. That is why the S&D Group demands that the online environment is not an unregulated Wild West, but rather that rules for fairness and transparency in these business relationships apply. This regulation is a big step in the correct direction. It will start to apply directly in the Member States already next year, so our businesses, and ultimately consumers, will start seeing the benefits of a fairer online economy very soon!

. ‒ I voted in favour of this report as I support the fight for modern and transparent consumer rights.

The S&D group has been a decisive force in the conclusion of these new rules that will benefit European consumers by making drugs cheaper while helping EU manufacturers by creating a level playing field with those producing generic drugs in the rest of the world. Generic and biosimilar drugs can be produced and sold at a fraction of the cost of their name brand equivalents, meaning improved access and lower costs for EU patents. The export and stockpiling waiver as introduced by this Regulation will help ensure the sustainability of EU healthcare systems by lowering costs for national healthcare budgets and improving security of supply, reducing counterfeits and uncertainty due to reliance on imports.

I voted in favour of this well-balanced report which deepens space policy cooperation. The new proposal builds on the Space Strategy for Europe of October 2016 and on the Industrial Policy Strategy presented by President Juncker in his 2017 State of the Union address. The new proposal intends to maintain and enhance the EU’s space initiatives and the EU’s world leading space industry. In addition, the new programme aims to ensure investment continuity in EU space activities, encourage scientific and technical progress and support the competitiveness and innovation capacity of the European space industry, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), start-ups and innovative businesses. Furthermore, the proposal would support EU action in high performance computing, climate change or security.
The proposal of the European Commission merges in a single Programme the existing Galileo, EGNOS (EU’s global and regional satellite navigation systems) and Copernicus (EU’s Earth Observation Programme) and adds two new initiatives, which are SSA (Space and Situational Awareness) and GOVSATCOM (Governmental Satellite Communication Initiative). As encouraged in the Space Policy for Europe, a fully integrated Space Programme will exploit synergies between the components, increasing effectiveness and cost efficiency. A single and coherent framework will encourage future investments, increase visibility and offer more flexibility.

This new proposal will support citizens, civil society organisations, journalists and small and medium-sized enterprises in litigation relating to violations of the rule of law, the principles of democracy and fundamental rights.

We have to remember that fundamental rights, democracy and the rule of law are the three pillars that are the bedrock of our European Union.

The S&D group welcomes the partial agreement reached on the adaptation of these 64 legal acts to the framework of the Lisbon Treaty in important fields ranging from employment to health, as well as the strong scrutiny role of the European Parliament in the context of the European Commission’s exercise of its empowerment to adopt delegated and implementing acts.

People-to-people cooperation and broad support for EU and Russian scientists are key.

This new Visa Code will improve and facilitate citizens travels through a more efficient and easier procedures

Financial crime is growing ever more complicated and faster in its transactions. These new rules will allow for quicker and more efficient exchange of information for law enforcement in order to tackle organised crime and terrorist financing.