EU Decoded

As of today, 15 November, many women in the EU will work for free until the end of the year - if we compare their salaries to their male colleagues doing the same job. The gender pay gap is still 13% - on average - and EU Equal Pay Day aims to raise awareness of this inequality that jeopardises women's economic independence. Anna Gumbau talked to Maria Walsh MEP, Sirpa Pietikäinen MEP and Mary Col...

For the past 24 years, the EPP Group has had an active Working Group on Intercultural and Religious Dialogue. It’s the only Group within the European Parliament to have this.  From understanding different cultures and religions to building trust and ultimately bringing people closer together – that is where the importance of this Working Group lies.  In our latest podcast episode, Chris...

We are only a few days away from COP27 - the United Nations Climate Conference which will be held this year in Sharm el-Sheikh. And since last year's COP in Glasgow, the circumstances have changed significantly. We are witnessing a war, we are witnessing an energy crisis, and ultimately the rising cost of life and cost of doing business. Throughout 2022, the EU has been dealing with its Fit For 55...

It all started in 1993. with four basic freedoms - the free movement of goods, people, services and capital. And next year we are celebrating 30th anniversary of the EU's Single Market. In 2019 there was a study that showed that that GDP across the EU is nearly 10% higher because of this Single Market. So what are the concrete benefits that it brings us, all of us across the EU27? For our latest p...

What is Cohesion Policy? The simplest answer to this question would be - it's billions of euros in funding that the EU provides to develop regions, to correct imbalances and to make sure every part of the EU27 is developing. But since we're talking about billions of euros, given the current geopolitical situation and rising energy prices, we must ask - what can Cohesion Policy do in the context of...

The news of mobilisation order in Russia caused strong reactions around the world. Just as annexation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. So how can Russia's annexation of four Ukrainian territories change the situation on the ground? What should EU countries do with Russians that want to escape mobilisation?  In this week's episode, Chris Burns sat down with our MEP...

European industry provides 35 million jobs and our priority as the EPP Group is to protect them. We have to think about how the energy crisis impacts industry and businesses across Europe? How are they adapting? How can the EU help them? How can we achieve balance in the current context of the green transition? We are discussing these issues in the new podcast episode with MEPs Tom...

For this episode of our podcast, Chris Burns sat down for a talk with MEP Željana Zovko, the shadow rapporteur on the New European Bauhaus in the CULT Committee.    This European Commission's initiative comes as a call for a sustainable future in line with the digital and green goals.   The idea is to connect the world of culture and art with the world of technology and sc...

The EPP Group podcast is back and ready to bring you closer to the European Union. In this first episode after the summer break, we focus on youth: what they need, what they expect from the EU and how they can help us build a better and forward-looking Europe in this changing world.   Climate change, jobs, health, preserving peace and innovation are some of the topics Jack Parrock will walk u...

The goal of the Paris Climate Accord was clear - to reduce CO2 emissions. The course was set on renewables. Russia’s unjustified war against Ukraine has accelerated the need for the EU to become independent from Russian fossil fuels.   The EPP Group wants to move away from Russian oil and gas, while committing to climate goals and de-carbonising the economy.  So how do we now r...

With the inflation rate reaching a decades-record high, soaring heating and fuel costs, the cost of living is now a headache for everyone. What can we do to relieve citizens and businesses in Europe?     With high energy prices, disrupted supply chains and the transition towards climate neutrality, how can our businesses endure these developments? And how do we make sure they do not...

Last week's plenary vote on the "Fit for 55" package showed that there are differences between the different political Groups within the European Parliament on how to achieve the goal stated in the Climate Law. But the goal itself was never in question - to reduce CO2 emissions by 55% by 2035. During that same plenary week, Chris Burns talked to a number of EPP Group MEPs involved in shaping this...

In this week's episode, we will turn a few pages of a new book written by EPP Group Vice-Chair MEP Paulo Rangel. The book is called “On Parliament,” and it traces the history of the UK Parliament to tell a story about how an institution that virtually used to have no powers became one of the most powerful institutions.  Which lesson can the European Parliament learn from this history?  ...

Thousands of EU citizens, local, national, European representatives, civil society and social partners’ organisations have spent the past year in discussions during the Conference on the Future of Europe. The result was a resolution that was this week adopted in the European Parliament. This resolution outlines most important changes, that people of EU want to see, as well as measures to achieve t...

Artificial Intelligence has emerged as a strategic technology that has huge potential benefits. While discovering and harnessing these benefits, we must put the human being at the centre of that innovation. The EPP Group wants clear standards for this human-centred approach, as well as a harmonised, flexible and risk-based regulatory environment.   The European Parliament set up a C...

Just a few weeks ago the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Council have come together and achieved an agreement on Digital Markets Act (DMA). The DMA is supposed to create better conditions for both companies and consumers, and bring an end to the digital Wild West where big tech is abusing its dominance. For this occasion, Chris Burns has sat down with Andreas Schwab,...

The war in Ukraine is a threat to global food security. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has an impact on the food supply chain, not only on the European continent, but also across the world.  In today's episode, our host, Beatriz Ríos, spoke to MEPs Siegfried Mureșan and Herbert Dorfmann to discuss potential supply related and also the economic and financial consequences of the invasion...

In the weeks leading up to International Women's Day, the EPP Group hosted a series of events on gender equality. We discussed early gender stereotypes, the importance of women on executive boards and women entrepreneurs, amongst other topics. In this episode, we are discussing gender-based violence. We talked to Frances Fitzgerald, a Member of the European Parliament, EPP Group Coordinator of the...

The barbaric military invasion of Ukraine must be stopped. The EU has adopted very strong sanctions, but in light of the ongoing attacks, they need to be broadened. Join our latest podcast episode to hear the discussion about the consequences of Russian aggression against Ukraine with EPP Group's MEPs Michael Gahler and Andrius Kubilius. And if you have a topic that you would like to hear discusse...

In the weeks leading up to International Woman's Day, the EPP Group is hosting a series of talks on gender equality and gender stereotypes.  This time we talked to Maria da Graça Carvalho MEP, Lina Konstantinopoulou, Policy Director at Eurochambres, and Eoin Drea, a Researcher from the Martens Centre.   The topic they tackled - breaking down barriers to female leadership.   Thi...

Ahead of the EU-African Union Summit scheduled for 17 and 18 February, the EPP Group has adopted a position paper on Africa, outlining the Group's vision for future EU-Africa relations. The EU wants a global gateway, leveraging three hundred billion in development projects around the world and much of that in Africa. And we want to talk about that. Talk about development, climate change, investmen...

On 7 February 1992, in the Dutch town of Maastricht, 12 members of the European Economic Community signed a Treaty that would pave the way for the Europe we know today. The Maastricht Treaty laid foundations for many elements of the modern EU, with the main idea being further European integration. So what has changed in the last 30 years? What are the big successes of the Maastricht Treaty? What a...

Europe is going through a process of deciding what it wants to be, both as a political movement and as a functioning body supporting EU citizens. At this EPP Group's event, we took a look at how the discussions here in Brussels are affecting citizens of the European Union, and what it all means for Ireland. Five Irish Members of our Group joined us in the studio - Deirdre Clune; Frances Fitzgerald...

Russia and Ukraine are topics dominating global headlines these days. There are more than 100.000 Russian troops on three sides of Ukraine. What does this mean? Could this lead to an invasion? There were meetings between the USA and Russia, a meeting among NATO ministers, EU ministers and also OSCE officials. Where do we go from here? What is the European Parliament's stand on this? On this occasi...

A new year is about the start but many global challenges will follow us into 2022. Putin’s continuous friction with the West, a whole new type of attack on the EU orchestrated by Lukashenko, rising tensions in the Western Balkans, post-Brexit problems… These are all the issues which the EU will have to continue handling in the new year. In this week’s episode, Chris Burns was joined by David McAll...