On 16 and 17 July 2024, a Ceemet delegation attended the first European Parliament Plenary session of the current EU mandate, which runs from 2024 to 2029.
The newly elected MEPs descended on Strasbourg in France to determine the makeup of the new European Parliament hierarchy and crucially, on Thursday, to vote to accept or reject the candidacy of Ursula von der Leyen to become the President of the European Commission, for the second time. The makeup of the European Parliament committees will also be finalised this week.
Although busy voting, many of the MEPs and their advisors took time out of their agendas to meet with our delegation in order to discuss their priorities for the upcoming five years. We discussed some of the crucial issues for our industries including the increasing competitiveness gap between Europe and our international competitors. We also addressed the chronic labour and skills shortages within our industries and methods to manage this challenge. Other issues were addressed such as the regulatory burden on companies, worker mobility within the internal market and the fundamental role of social partners in the EU decision-making process.
Following some insightful discussions, we agreed to endeavour to work together for this EU mandate to maintain our internationally competitive and social industry in Europe.