Press briefing The Left

EP Plenary session -  Gaza at breaking point: EU action to combat famine, the urgent need to release hostages and move towards a two-state solution

EP Plenary session - Alleged misuse of EU funds by Members of the far-right and measures to ensure institutional integrity

EP Plenary session - Lessons from Budapest Pride: the urgent need for an EU wide anti-discrimination law and defending fundamental rights against right wing attacks

EP Plenary session - Voting session

EP Plenary session - Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 26-27 June 2025

Conference of Presidents on the post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Washington D.C. (United States of America) - Meeting with members of the Subcommittee on Tax Matters of the European Parliament

Press conference on The future of the von der Leyen Commission

EP Plenary session - Stopping the genocide in Gaza: time for EU sanctions

Press conference on The Left response to Trump's Trade War

Holocaust Remembrance Day - Group photo with the leaders of political groups

INTA - Public hearing entitled The Draghi report: competitiveness and economic security from a trade angle

A delegation from the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Tax Matters (FISC), led by Chair Pasquale TRIDICO, travels to Washington, D.C., for a series of high-level meetings. While on Capitol Hill, the delegation meets with Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, who is also visiting the U.S. capital.

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Washington D.C. (United States of America): meeting with the members of EP Subcommittee on Tax Matters (FISC)

Martin SCHIRDEWAN (The Left, DE) and Manon AUBRY (The Left, FR), The Left Group Co-Presidents, hold a press conference. This transcription is the result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Press briefing by Martin SCHIRDEWAN (The Left, DE) and Manon AUBRY (The Left, FR), The Left Group Co-Presidents

Manon AUBRY (The Left, FR) and Martin SCHIRDEWAN (The Left, DE), The Left Group Leaders hold a press conference to outline their parliamentary group's priorities during the plenary session in Strasbourg. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Press briefing by Manon AUBRY (The Left, FR) and Martin SCHIRDEWAN (The Left, DE), The Left Group Leaders

Political groups representatives take the floor after Luxembourgish Prime Minister Luc FRIEDEN's speech. Luc Frieden became Prime Minister of Luxembourg in November 2023. He held a number of ministerial positions in the Luxembourgish government between 1998 and 2013 and then worked in the private sector before becoming prime minister. Parliament initiated the ‘This is Europe’ debates in the 2019-2024 term to discuss the future of the EU. Fourteen EU heads of state or government have since held plenary debates with MEPs. Luc Frieden is the first leader to do so in this current term.

This is Europe Debate with Luc FRIEDEN, Luxembourgish Prime Minister: first round of political groups representatives

Opening statement by Manon AUBRY (The Left, FR), Co-President of the Left Group during the MEPs joint debate on two motions of censure against the European Commission. According to Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, a motion of censure in respect of the Commission may be submitted to the President by one 10th of the component Members of Parliament, i.e. 72 MEPs. To be adopted, a motion must secure a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, representing a majority of the component Members of Parliament. On 10 July, Parliament rejected a motion of censure against the Commission. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Joint debate on the two motions of censure on the Commission: opening statement by Manon AUBRY (The Left, FR), Co-President of the Left Group

Extracts from the joint debate on two motions of censure against the European Commission, followed by two separate votes on Thursday. According to Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, a motion of censure in respect of the Commission may be submitted to the President by one 10th of the component Members of Parliament, i.e. 72 MEPs. To be adopted, a motion must secure a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, representing a majority of the component Members of Parliament. On 10 July, Parliament rejected a motion of censure against the Commission.

Motions of censure: extracts from the debate

Following the State of the European Union debate, Manon AUBRY (The Left, FR) and Martin SCHIRDEWAN (The Left, DE), The Left Group Co-Presidents hold a press conference on the future of the von der Leyen Commission. The Left group in the European Parliament has filed a motion of censure against the European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Press Conference by Manon AUBRY (The Left, FR) and Martin SCHIRDEWAN (The Left, DE), The Left Group Co-Presidents on The future of the von der Leyen Commission

The SOTEU serves as an essential tool for the Commission's accountability to Parliament, aimed at making the EU-level priorities more transparent while also communicating these priorities to the public. The practice of European Commission Presidents delivering a State of the Union address each year in September, during a plenary session of the European Parliament, began in 2010. The political group speakers (in reverse order) speak after the answers given by Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission.

State of the European Union - #SOTEU2025: statements by political group speakers (in reverse order)

Manon AUBRY (The Left, FR) and Martin SCHIRDEWAN (The Left, DE), The Left Group Leaders, hold a press conference in Strasbourg. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

The Left press briefing by Manon AUBRY (The Left, FR) and Martin SCHIRDEWAN (The Left, DE), The Left Group Leaders

MEPs debate on the situation in Gaza. Parliament has called repeatedly – most recently in April – for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, including the unconditional release of all hostages, and free access and sustained distribution of humanitarian and medical assistance in the Gaza Strip. It has also expressed support for the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. Since 7 October 2023, when the Israeli military launched a campaign in response to the Hamas-led attack in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage, more than 63,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Global food security experts have confirmed a famine in Gaza City, due to the blockade on humanitarian help, and expect it will soon expand to other cities in the Strip.

Gaza at breaking point: EU action to combat famine, the urgent need to release hostages and move towards a two-state solution: MEPs debate (part 1)

MEPs assess the outcome of the 26 June European Council meeting with António COSTA, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission. At their summit in Brussels, EU heads of state or government focussed on ways to bolster EU competitiveness. They also discussed how the EU can continue supporting Kyiv against Russia’s aggression, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, how to strengthen the EU’s defence capabilities, and the EU’s response to the escalation in the Middle East. Leaders also discussed migration and the situation in the Western Balkans. One round of political group.

Council and Commission statements - Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 26-27 June 2025: One round of political group

On 8 July 2025, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, participated in the Conference of Presidents (CoP) on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). This video shows extracts of the arrivals to the round table.

Conference of Presidents (CoP) with the participation of Ursula von der LEYEN, European Commission President on MFF: arrivals and roundtable

Manon AUBRY (The Left, FR) and Martin SCHIRDEWAN (The Left, DE), The Left Group co-leaders, hold a press conference to outline the priorities of The Left during the plenary session. They denounced the far-right's censure motion against von der Leyen as "hypocritical", criticized the Mercosur deal over climate and democratic concerns, and called for fairer trade policies. They also condemned right-wing corruption scandals and demanded justice for activist Maja T.’s illegal deportation. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

The Left press briefing by Manon AUBRY (The Left, FR), Martin SCHIRDEWAN (The Left, DE), The Left Group Leaders

Manon AUBRY (The Left, FR), Martin SCHIRDEWAN (The Left, DE), The Left Group Leaders, hold a press conference. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Press briefing by Manon AUBRY (The Left, FR), Martin SCHIRDEWAN (The Left, DE), The Left Group Leaders

Manon AUBRY (The Left, FR) and Martin SCHIRDEWAN (The Left, DE), The Left Group Leaders hold a press conference. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

MEPs discuss with the Commission and the Council a unified EU response to US trade measures, and global trade opportunities for the EU. The debate in Parliament follows the global reaction to the US government’s decision to increase existing tariffs and impose new ones – and its subsequent postponement of their imposition. MEPs consider the countermeasures adopted by the EU – which were later suspended as well. Plenary also review EU trade opportunities elsewhere in the world. The EU has concluded deals with a number of countries and regional groupings, and talks are ongoing on several more potential trade deals.

A unified EU response to unjustified US trade measures and global trade opportunities for the EU: MEPs debate (part 1)

Manon AUBRY (The Left, FR), Co-Chair, Martin SCHIRDEWAN (The Left, DE), Co-Chair and Pasquale TRIDICO, Chair of the FISC Committee, give a press conference on The Left response to Trump's Trade War.

Press conference by Manon AUBRY (The Left, FR), Co-Chair, Martin SCHIRDEWAN (The Left, DE), Co-Chair and Pasquale TRIDICO, Chair of the FISC Committee on The Left response to Trump's Trade War

Manon AUBRY (The Left, FR), The Left Group Co-Leader, holds a press conference. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

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