EU Parliament - Saudi Arabia resolution: EPP to oppose Saudi Arabia human rights resolution

The European Parliament's biggest political group, the centre-right European People's Party (EPP), will not be supporting a resolution defending human rights in Saudi Arabia.

The resolution to be voted on Thursday (8 October) singles out the plight of Ethiopian migrant workers in the Kingdom but also highlights imprisoned women rights defenders and others.

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EPP to oppose Saudi Arabia human rights resolution

EU: Tusk pledges 'fight' for EU values as new EPP president - by Elena Sánchez Nicolás

The EU's largest political party's congress gathered in Zagreb on Wednesday (20 November) to nominate outgoing EU Council president Donald Tusk as their new president - as Poland's former prime minister was the only candidate for the position.

With new leadership, the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) said it was ready to work on a concrete political strategy to tackle the challenges of the EU's enlargement process and climate change - the two main concerns of the political group at their congress, amid their unfinished battle against Hungary's ruling party Fidesz.

"I am ready to fight" for Christian-Democratic European values and against populism, said Tusk.

"I deeply believe that only those who want and are able to give people a feeling of safety and security, preserving at the same time their freedoms and rights, have a mandate to run for power," he added.

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EU: "We need to change without changing" - by Kassandra

 A great deal of effort has been made by the current leader in European political spectrum, the European People’s Party (EPP), in trying to convince citizens and journalists that are – others more, others less – carefully watching the campaign ahead of the May 2019 European elections, that the party has the answers for the bloc’s future, countrary to their opposing populists, the extreme left and extreme right.

“We are the solution,” said the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani speaking in Athens at the EPP’s Group meeting. The only problem is that at the end of an institutional term steered by the EPP, the party is heading to elections with an opposition-styled rhetoric.

“Without us it is impossible” underlined the European Parliament president in the Greek capital, while explaining to his fellow Christian-democrats that Europe is under Chinese attack and that therefore, the EU needs to change.

For the next institutional term, as he proposed, Europe needs a young Commission president – the Party’s Spitzenkandidat, Manfred Weber – to combat populists and of course the man himself, Tajani, “to keep a good balance, to strengthen the EU and the EPP’s position in Brussels”.

Note EU-Digest: If Europeans want continued Peace, Prosperity and Democracy to continue in the EU, they must avoid voting for so-called Populist parties. Two glaring examples of Populists disastrous political ventures include: Brexit and the demise of the US as a respected World political  power as a result of the Donald Trump election.

Read more: We need to change without changing

EU Gun Control: The EU is miles ahead of many other countries when it comes to gun control

Firearms are dangerous and can kill you

The European Union has agreed to ban sales of the most dangerous semi-automatic firearms, and to make it much harder to legally buy other weapons in the EU.

People across the EU will now have to go through medical checks before getting a license to buy firearms. Online sales will also be limited. 

Jean-Claude Juncker, the head of the European Commission, called the agreement a "milestone in gun control in the EU."

 "We have strengthened security in Europe without restricting citizens' freedom," said Anna Maria Corazza Bildt MEP, EPP Group negotiator on the Firearms Directive, while attending the LEX signing ceremony of the Firearms Directive in the European Parliament.

In short, the objective of the review of the Firearms Directive is to ensure that legally-owned firearms do not end up in the wrong hands. The revised directive closes dangerous loopholes, notably by improving common standards for deactivation, safe storage, increased traceability and better cooperation between national police forces.

"I want to reassure hunters and sport shooters throughout the union that they can continue to enjoy their activities. We are filling gaps in inadequate systems while preserving existing effective firearms legislation," said Corazza Bildt.

Member States now have 15 months to transpose the revised directive into national law.

"We now call on the Member States to transpose the directive without adding constraints and to keep the good balance found between security and citizens' freedom," the Swedish MEP, First Vice-Chair of the Internal Market Committee, concluded.

EU-Digest