Today, during a plenary debate in Strasbourg on the conclusions of the recent European Council meetings, S&D Group leader Iratxe García stressed the need to put the European Union at the forefront of leading a new era of global progress. 

Referring to the upcoming European elections from 6 to 9 June, García pointed out that citizens will have the enormous responsibility of deciding with their vote the Europe they want. The S&D Group leader called for a Union that innovates, competes and grows without cutting labour rights or sacrificing our welfare state, a Union that the social democrats work for.

During the European Parliament’s plenary debate in Strasbourg, Iratxe García said:

“We have taken steps that seemed impossible for the integration of our Union, defeating those who do not believe in the European project - the extreme right and those who normalise it, such as Weber’s European People’s Party.

“We protected 31.5 million employees and the self-employed, and more than 2.5 million companies with the SURE programme*, and prevented a socio-economic collapse with the recovery plan based on an unprecedented common debt issuance. 

“In the midst of the existential challenge posed by climate change, we promoted the Green Deal to halt the loss of human lives and its economic damage. We significantly improved the Social Pillar with the child and youth guarantees, minimum wages, the reduction of the gender pay gap, directives for workers on digital platforms, and against gender-based violence. 

“We fought for the energy independence of our Union and reformed the electricity market to lower electricity prices indefinitely.

“Let’s build a Union that is faithful to its social model and that guarantees decent jobs and a public housing stock. A Union that is more autonomous and dares to reindustrialise in order to reduce its vulnerabilities. We need a Union that taxes large fortunes, provides new common financing instruments to make the energy transition and the digital transformation a reality, and guarantees our defence. And, above all, a Union that is a beacon of reason, science, culture, human rights and coexistence among its citizens.”

*SURE programme - The temporary Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency