The European Parliament is in Strasbourg this week, ahead of the summer break. MEPs will be debating and voting on policies, including on air-passenger rights.
Nikolaj Nielsen
European lawmakers gathering in Strasbourg this week will debate the EU’s role in rebuilding Gaza, holding far-right MEPs to account for their racist chants, as well as on policies spanning everything from air passenger rights, climate change to enlargement.
The Gaza debate on Wednesday (8 July) follows a recent EUobserver investigation revealing Israel had destroyed at least €150m of EU-funded infrastructure in the enclave and the West Bank combined.
Precise figures are unavailable given the EU commission refuses to release over a dozen audit reports on infrastructure projects it had helped finance in Gaza, posing questions on transparency and accountability for European taxpayers.
A Socialists & Democrats (S&D) spokesperson said the Gaza debate is needed to clarify the EU’s role in the enclave’s destruction, hold Israel responsible, and pressure an upcoming session of EU foreign ministers to cut trade with the country.
Since the Hamas attacks of October 2023, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 70,000 people and caused over €30bn in damage, according to the World Bank, underscoring the scale of the destruction at the centre of the debate.
Far-right on chopping block?
Accountability will also be directed towards the Europe of Sovereign Nations group, the far-right wing in the European Parliament whose MEPs include the Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Following a recent deportation law passed by the European Parliament, the far-right MEPs had chanted “Send Them Back” with some pumping their fists in the air.
