Ahead of the Special European Council tomorrow, the leader of the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Iratxe García MEP, said: 

“At a time when Europe is facing multiple crises, leaders must show responsibility: responsibility towards our commitment to our support to Ukraine, and also responsibility towards our citizens and their needs. There can be no more delays to adopt the budget that our Union needs to fulfil its duties. An updated budget must ensure our continued and unwavering support to Ukraine against Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified and illegal war of aggression. 

“We need a budgetary and fiscal framework that allows us to invest in the future and in people. That is why we need a permanent investment tool at a European level, based on the success of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RFF) and the temporary Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency (SURE).

“Heads of government will also have the opportunity to discuss the farmers’ protests and put forward a European message of solidarity. Rather than feeding nationalistic sentiment against our neighbours, it is time for the Commission and the Council to provide answers based on our common market and on measures to ensure a decent price for farmers with actions all through the chain, from farm to fork, protecting their income and increasing their bargaining power. The voice of farmers must be heard, rather than instrumentalised for partisan or electoral purposes.”