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The EPP Group has long pushed for easing the bureaucratic burden for European farmers. On Wednesday, the Commission will finally come forward with a set of reforms aimed at simplifying the EU’s Common Agriculture Policy. “European farmers are being suffocated by the weight of bureaucracy. Many of them are struggling with the rules, obligations and paperwork, and fear simple mistakes may lead to financial consequences. It is high time to cut the red tape, reduce burdens, and let farmers get on with their job. We want to give them support, legal certainty, and the flexibility to innovate”, says Herbert Dorfmann MEP, the EPP Group’s Spokesman for Agriculture.

For the EPP Group, competitiveness requires energy security, economic growth, and a cost-effective transition to net-zero. "Achieving all this demands a modern and expanded electricity grid. Across the EU, outdated grid infrastructure, planning delays and political inertia are stalling progress. If we were serious about meeting climate goals, enhancing competitiveness and ensuring affordable renewable energy, grid investment must be a political priority,” says Sean Kelly MEP, the EPP Group negotiator for the Report on the electricity grids, which will be voted on Tuesday morning in the Parliament's Industry, Research and Energy Committee. The Report addresses the need to modernise and expand the grid to meet future evolving supply and demand challenges, and ensure EU competitiveness. Thanks to the EPP Group, the Report also includes the need to support European manufacturing of grid components, provide more long-term visibility to the industry to plan investments, and reduce production bottlenecks and delivery delays.

The EPP Group is taking a firm stand to protect children. On Tuesday, the Parliament‘s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee will vote to update the law on combating child sexual abuse. "We must enforce tougher penalties against those who exploit children, especially online predators, with no statute of limitations for reporting these crimes," says Jeroen Lenaers MEP, the Parliament's lead negotiator on the file. To strengthen the legal framework and address evolving threats, Lenaers ensured that the legislation broadened the definition of 'child sexual abuse material' to include AI-generated content and so-called "instruction manuals“ on how to abuse children.

The EPP Group is leading efforts to establish new capabilities and structures at the EU level to combat foreign interference. On Tuesday, Tomas Tobé MEP, lead negotiator in the Parliament’s Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield (EUDS), will hold a press conference to present the progress of his work. “My working document serves as a kind of interim report on Parliament's work with The European Democracy Shield. My message is quite simple: We are facing serious challenges where external forces are attempting in various ways to illegitimately influence democratic processes in Europe. The EU needs to strengthen its protection against these threats. The defence of European democracy and our values must be at the centre of the EU's political commitments,” says Tobé, who is also a Vice-Chairman of the EPP Group. The press conference will take place on Tuesday, 13 May at 11:00.

On Wednesday, the European Court of Auditors will present its report on the EU funding granted to NGOs, which confirms the lack of transparency in such financing. The EPP Group has been at the forefront of exposing this scandal and will continue to push for further and stronger action. "The European Commission must not secretly fund NGOs to lobby the European Parliament or to lobby against its legislative proposals. While NGOs play a vital role in every democracy, they must still be subject to financial oversight. Transparency is not a punishment, it's a matter of trust and a fundamental democratic principle," says Tomáš Zdechovský MEP, the EPP Group's Spokesman in the Budgetary Control Committee, where the report will be presented.

“The decision to gradually raise customs duties on products from Russia and Belarus is a necessary step to stop Russia from using the EU market to fund its war against Ukraine. But frankly, it should have come much sooner," says Inese Vaidere MEP, the European Parliament’s lead negotiator ahead of the vote in the International Trade Committee on the relevant legislation on Thursday, 15 May. "Just as we reduced our dependency on Russian gas, we must now act on fertilisers, which are produced using that same gas. Continuing these imports would mean financing Russia’s war machine. This proposal is a balanced compromise: it will boost the EU fertiliser industry, which has suffered due to the influx of cheap Russian products, while giving farmers time to adapt. And importantly, it includes safeguards to respond swiftly if fertiliser prices spike,” says Vaidere.