By Thea Pieridou
Press Officer at the European Parliament Office in Cyprus
The date for the next European elections has been set. From 6 to 9 of June 2024, all citizens in all Member States will proceed to the polls. That is why citizens must be properly informed about what the European Parliament is and the benefits it provides. The European Union is a parliamentary democracy that works at the service of European citizens. It responds to their needs and expectations, tackling together problems that no member state could solve individually. In this context, the European Parliament (EP) plays a central and decisive role representing the citizens of Europe through its elected members. To improve citizens' daily lives, the EP debates, amends and approves legislation, approves the EU budget and exercises democratic control over the European Commission.
The decisions of the European Parliament directly affect the daily life of all European citizens and I have to refer to 10 examples, among others, that reflect the rich activity of the EP and the substantial response to the needs of European citizens.
1. Values - The EP, through its political and legislative work, continuously lobbies for the improvement of democratic rights and acts as a guardian of EU principles and values, such as peace, freedom, the rule of law, human rights and gender equality.
2. Green transition - the EP approves the European Climate Law, aiming for climate neutrality by 2050. The law provides European citizens and businesses with the legal certainty and clarity they need to properly plan their path towards this transition.
3. Digital transition - the EP promotes a safer digital space for citizens as well as clear rules on the rights of workers on online platforms.
4. Health - the EP approves rules to better shield the EU against health crises.
5. Social Europe - the EP approves legislative rules for adequate minimum wages for all workers in the EU.
6. Gender equality - the EP approves new pay transparency legislation to reduce the gender pay gap.
7. Improving the lives of Consumers - the EP approves a new law to make a common charger for all mobile devices a reality from 2024. This also means reducing e-waste and saving money.
8. Economic recovery - the EP insists on strengthening financial support to member states. From the EU Recovery Plan, Cyprus will receive a total of around €1bn in subsidies (in addition to the current EU long-term budget where Cyprus will receive €1.5bn in subsidies for the period 2021-2027).
9. 'Roaming' - the EP renews for another 10 years (until 2032) the legislation to abolish additional mobile roaming charges.
10. Transparency - EP debates and votes are transparent to all citizens in the 24 official EU languages.
In conclusion, the central message of the European Parliament is "Democracy in practice", that is, to put into practice what the European citizens want and demand.
