S&D Group president Udo Bullmann is in Bucharest on November 21, along with other political groups’ leaders and European Parliament President Tajani (Conference of Presidents), for a presentation of the priorities of the incoming Romanian Presidency of the EU Council, which starts on 1 January 2019. Ahead of the meeting, Udo Bullmann stated: 

 

Leading S&D MEPs are deeply concerned by the news that the Hungarian government has granted asylum to the former Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. Mr Gruevski, who left power in 2016 following widespread protests, fled to Hungary after being sentenced to prison in Skopje on corruption charges. 

 

The Socialists and Democrats led today a large majority in the employment and social affairs committee to ensure that each citizen has fair access to social security regardless of where she or he lives. The S&Ds strongly objected any attempts to introduce the indexation of family benefits in the place of residence of the children, as well as attempts to reduce overall social standards on the basis of false and demagogic claims aimed at stigmatising jobseekers.

The Socialists and Democrats backed today a proposal to set up an efficient and effective European Labour Authority (ELA) in order to end labour exploitation and ensure fair mobility of workers across the EU. The ELA shall promote cooperation between member states regarding labour mobility in the EU. In addition to monitoring and enforcement competences, the ELA will also facilitate access to information for workers and employers, support cooperation between member states and help settle disputes when they arise.

The European Parliament's committee on legal affairs today backed new proposals to protect whistleblowers reporting breaches of European Union law. The S&D Group has been pushing for years for these protections, in the face of opposition from right-wing groups.