Plenary News: EP president, Turkey talks frozen, CETA, climate talks, sexual violence

EPP Group’s chairman Manfred Weber announced that they are going to present their candidate for the EP presidency. MEPs vote to freeze membership talks with Turkey as a reaction to the Turkish government crackdown on the opposition.

Weber commended the current president of the European Parliament Martin Schulz for having exhibited stability during his presidency.

The European Parliament agrees on a resolution for a temporary freeze of membership talks with Turkey until Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan stops the crackdown. Weber states that this is a necessary move for the EP in order to show that they don’t accept such actions that may hurt the democracy.

EU affirms it will still actively support the Paris Climate Accord for reducing greenhouse gasses after the election of Donald Trump as the new US president. COP22 delegation head Giovanni La Via says they have to increase their commitment to the Accord.

European Parliament also rejects to stop the CETA trade agreement between the EU and Canada. EPP Group’s spokesman on trade, Artis Pabriks, says the European Union needs to ratify CETA in order to move forward. He also endorses signing more trade agreements with countries like Japan and Vietnam.

MEP’s encourage all EU states to ratify the Istanbul Convention, which is the first legally binding instrument that opposes violence against women. So far, only half the EU states have ratified it. The EPP Group’s Vice Coordinator on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, Anna Maria Corazza Bildt, states that all member states need to join forces to fight against violence against women, which is a widespread crime in the Europea Union.