On the evening of Wednesday 5 October at an event organised by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) in Strasbourg on the cost of living, several MEPs expressed their disappointment over the resolution adopted the same day on the energy crisis (see EUROPE 13036/6) and the EU’s action against rising energy prices.
MEPs, trade unionists and workers from across the EU and from all sectors called for higher wages and income support, a tax on profits and a price cap.
“We cannot accept that families can no longer make ends meet; we need a commitment from the EU Council”, commented the Spanish President of the S&D group, Iratxe Garcia Perez, who wanted the “highest incomes” to also be made to contribute.
The French co-President of The Left, Manon Aubry, denounced the Commission’s delay in responding to the crisis and regretted that her group had long been alone in calling for measures against the energy crisis. Belgian MEP Sara Mathieu (Greens/EFA) deplored the fact that the European Parliament did not accept the amendments calling for the development of a new SURE instrument or the acceleration of the implementation of the directive on minimum wages.
“We don’t have the luxury of waiting for 2 years”, she commented. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)