Following the presentation of the renewed 2021-2017 MFF and recovery plan that EC President Ursula von der Leyen made at the extraordinary plenary on Wednesday, MEPs held a debate on the proposed package with the Commission and the Council.  

The Covid-19 crisis spotlighted precarious working conditions for hundreds of thousands of cross-border and seasonal workers in the EU, said the Employment and Social Affairs Committee MEPs and urged that the breaches of EU law on employment rights and health and safety of cross-border workers need to be addressed urgently.

A new survey commissioned by the European Parliament, shows that a majority (58 %) state they have experienced financial difficulties since the start of the crisis. Conducted online by Kantar between 23 April and 1 May this year, among 21,804 respondents in 21 EU, nearly seven out of ten respondents (69%) want a stronger role for the EU in fighting this crisis.

After holding remote meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday, European Parliament President David Sassoli commented that the forthcoming German Presidency will be at the centre of Europe’s reconstruction.

EU member states will have to collect more data about immigration, residence permits, illegal entry and returns, under new rules already agreed by MEPs and the Council.

The Commission will  propose on Wednesday a new Solvency Instrument that will help match recapitalisation needs of otherwise healthy companies that has been put at risk because of the lockdown and this will be targeted for Member States most in need, Margrethe Vestager, EC Executive Vice-President in charge of Europe fit for the Digital Age, during a discussion with EP ECON Committee on Monday.

The next week will be the last for this year’s European Youth Event (EYE2020), presented by the EP in a special online edition. The EYE is engaging young people with high-level politicians, experts and influencers and discuss on different pressing for the EU topics, including the Covid-19 crisis.

In a statement, the EPP Group, the largest political family in European Parliament, expressed its regrets that in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Commission is pushing for deep changes to the EU's food production policy and calls for a thorough impact assessment before starting any reforms. Due to the pandemic and its consequences, the EPP Group and the EP Agriculture Committee have asked the Commission to postpone the strategy.

We have not approved yet the remdesivir, we just gave guidance about what is called a compassionate usage, Guido Rasi, Executive Director of the Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency (EMA), told MEPs from the ENVI Committee during their debate on Monday.

Covid-19-induced crime and Europol’s work on combatting it was in the forefront of the discussion of EP LIBE Committee with the agency’s Director Catherine De Bolle.