Yesterday, the European Parliament assessed the reforms implemented by Ukraine in the frame of its Association Agreement with the EU, the most ambitious agreement the EU has ever had with any country thus far. Socialists and Democrats recognise that Ukraine has passed many important reforms despite very difficult circumstances, namely the occupation of Crimea, Russian aggression in the Eastern part of Ukraine and now in the Sea of Azov.

Socialists and Democrats demand strong investment in research and innovation, as a way to address the challenges European societies and economies are facing, mainly in the context of globalisation, digitalisation and growing inequalities. One of the goals of the S&Ds is to make sure that innovation, research and technological change bring benefits to all in society, and that no one is left behind. Today, the plenary of the European Parliament backed a report drafted by S&D MEP Dan Nica on the future of this programme after 2020.

On the occasion of the vote by the European Parliament today on its annual report on the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the Socialists and Democrats called on the member states to introduce qualified-majority voting in certain areas of EU foreign policy to speed up decision-making and eliminate situations in which one country blocks consensus. S&Ds also underlined their attachment to multilateralism and called on Europe to fill the vacuum left by the United States.