As Home Affairs Ministers meet for an extraordinary Council meeting today, the Socialists and Democrats are calling on EU governments to grant the same level of support and protection to all refugees fleeing Ukraine. With reports of Member States treating refugees fleeing Ukraine differently depending on their country of origin, socialists and democrats demand the same levels of support for all.

The European Cancer Patient Coalition is pleased to announce that Kathi Apostolidis was appointed President and Treasurer, effective 22nd March 2022.

Interoperability of messaging services is one of the big wins for the Socialists and Democrats. Consumers will be able to send messages from one application to another, for example, users will be able to chat using Viber with contacts on Whatsapp or Facebook Messenger without need to install all three apps on their phones.

The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament welcomed the swift proposal put forward by the European Commission for the fast and flexible use of cohesion funds in EU regions providing assistance to people fleeing the war in Ukraine. According to the S&D Group, our regions, and in particular border regions, are the first to welcome refugees fleeing Ukraine and cannot be left unsupported in providing vulnerable people a safe home.

One month ago, Vladimir Putin gave Russian troops the order to invade a sovereign, peaceful, neighbouring country. Europe reacted in unity and, in unprecedented solidarity, is imposing massive sanctions on Russia. But Putin's war against Ukraine is also a wake up call for all of us: the EU must play a bigger role in order to provide European citizens with more security in the challenging and dangerous world we live in and to be a global actor for peace.