The proceedings of the 4th Plenary Session of the Conference on the Future of Europe continued yesterday for the second day in Strasbourg with the participation of MEPs Marina Nikolaou, Chrysis Pantelidis and Alexandra Attalidou.
On Thursday 10/3/2022, a meeting of the delegations of the national parliaments to the Conference was held to discuss the crisis in Ukraine. In her intervention, Ms Attalidou criticised the obstructionism shown by the European Union (EU) since 2014, underestimating the situation and taking peace in the wider region for granted. The war in Ukraine, Ms Attalidou stressed, is a stark reminder of the external threats lurking on the EU's borders, such as in the Mediterranean, highlighting the need to create a genuine defence union. Ms Attalidou also underlined the need for a more active involvement of national parliaments in the field of EU foreign policy, noting the size of the gap between national parliaments and the Union's institutions, which, she said, needs to be bridged.
In the context of the work of the Thematic Working Groups (WGs), which concluded today, Ms Nikolaou participated in the WG on Stronger Economy, Social Justice and Jobs, Mr Pantelides in the WG on Digital Transformation and Ms Attalidou in the WG on Climate Change and Environment. The WGs addressed the recommendations of the European Citizens' Groups on their respective themes.
Ms Nicolaou referred to the impact of the pandemic on workers, especially women, who had to telework while at the same time having other responsibilities. It is necessary, Ms Nicolaou stressed, to set a clear regulatory framework for teleworking, which ensures the right of all workers to "disconnect", noting that the individual measures taken did not address the structural weaknesses of the economic development model. Ms Nicolaou also underlined the need to promote a new development model, based on productivity, which supports national health, education and social protection systems and guarantees modern labour and social rights. Energy autonomy, Ms Attalidou said, is necessary to prevent the instrumentalisation of the energy sector by third countries to the detriment of the Union and to eliminate energy poverty. She pointed out that the EU's targets for the use of renewable energy sources have not been met and therefore more coordinated action in this direction is needed. As regards the agricultural sector, Ms Attalidou deplored the phenomenon of abandonment of usable land, stressing the need to promote green agriculture. The Cypriot MP also stressed the importance of the role of education on environmental and food safety issues.
(IK)
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