Written explanations of vote - 8th parliamentary term Julie WARD

Since becoming an MEP, I have sought to speak with and understand the experience of those who migrate to Europe. I have gone to the camps in Calais and Paris, worked with charities in my constituency and taken every opportunity to listen to people forced to migrate.
We have a situation where people are willing to risk drowning in our seas to start lives here, where people undergo unimaginable hardships to flee violence and economic deprivation in their home countries.
There are elements of this regulation that I welcome. I am glad that the European Border and Coastguard Agency will conduct searches to prevent people drowning. Those who are found must be treated with empathy and humanity. I welcome also the commitment to fundamental rights assessments when working with third countries, although I believe it is important that in the future we must seek to reinforce the efficiency and credibility of the complaints mechanism. We must be careful to ensure that Europe does not become too defensive about its borders. We must also uphold European values, protect the vulnerable and ensure our communities are welcoming to those experiencing hardships.

There has been a strong will in the European Parliament, at the end of the mandate, to tackle the dissemination of terrorism online, and an acceptance that regulation is necessary to counter radicalisation in the online space and with the guidance from the CULT and IMCO committees this has happened. However, we must still be wary it has manifest as belated sticking plaster to stranglehold big tech firms and punish SMEs. We still must address root causes, carefully define the scope of the regulation and put more reasoned and balanced measurements in place than those proposed Commission.

With the rise of zero—hour contracts in the UK, through the emergence of the gig economy, and the transformative way our world is changing through the fourth industrial revolution, we must adapt legislation to ensure that workers are protected in this new ecosystem in the world of work. So with the UK Government still trying to leave the EU, and with the risk that the Conservatives will seek to water down workers’ rights, we must recognise that good regulation for predictable and transparent working conditions, along with collective bargaining for all citizens in all 28 Member States, is the best way for the UK, for the 27, for unions and for workforces.

. ‒ The adoption of the provisional agreement is a good result for all stakeholders in the maritime logistics chain. The text as adopted today is a sound basis for reducing the administrative burden on vessels whilst also respecting existing investments in reporting channels. It remains technology neutral and thus ensures that potential new systems are not rapidly outdated by new developments; at the same time it ensures the industry is not required needlessly to re-invest in regulatory compliance and can instead focus on innovation and improved services.
We welcome in particular the idea of the harmonisation of data and message standards, as genuine facilitation in the maritime reporting environment will be achieved only when declarants can report at each port using the same data definitions, data sets and message standards, which is currently not the case. This is the fundamental building block that will bring true harmonisation and simplification for the shipping industry and other partners in the chain. All we need now is to deliver the benefits through good implementation.

Arts and culture are the heart and soul of Europe and Creative Europe is the key mechanism that enables artists and audiences from across Europe and beyond to engage in creative exploration of what it means to live in Europe today. The programme is one of the EU’s finest projects and promotes excellent synergies across other sectors – for example STEAM, which recognises science, technology, art, engineering and maths. I am personally proud to have pushed for this acknowledgment over the course of my mandate.
The new programme ensures that the sector will reach its economic potential contributing to sustainable growth, jobs and social cohesion. It will enable Europe’s culture and media sectors to access new international opportunities, markets and audiences and that’s why it is essential, if the tragedy of Brexit is to happen, that the UK remains part of such a project. Artists and media professionals from all across Europe refuse to allow Brexit to separate us. We will remain European.

the Erasmus programme is already responsible for millions of friendships, love affairs and even babies, as it has provided the means for young people to spread their wings and look beyond borders to learn more about themselves and others through immersion in formal and informal education with peers from across Europe. We all know about the Erasmus opportunities for students to study in universities outside their Member States, but few politicians seem to know about the extraordinary youth programmes that transform the lives of disadvantaged youth. For example, the people with learning difficulties from Headway Arts in Blyth, Northumberland, who’ve been exchanging ideas and best practices with European partners, growing in confidence as a result and achieving dignity when their own government threw them on the scrapheap. Another example are the autistic students from Inscape School in Stockport who returned from their Erasmus project to set up social enterprises, including a café. I met these young people and all are dismayed at the inward-looking direction of the UK Government who would deny them a European future. Young people will not forgive those who enable Brexit.

. ‒ I abstained from this vote. The situation in Venezuela is extremely worrying, but the right-wing forces in this Parliament have refused to compromise, and produced a counter-productive resolution. The PPE, ECR and ALDE have refused to include a clear rejection of any attempts to resolve the crisis that might entail the use of violence or a military intervention. They also stepped away from the High Representative Federica Mogherini’s position to support the EU-led International Contact Group, which is the only political initiative that has good contacts with all the stakeholders in Venezuela. Our Group has always condemned the Venezuelan regime in the strongest terms, but we decided to abstain from this resolution because of its extremely unbalanced tone.

. ‒ I’d like to remind Members, and also the Commission, that the EU is first and foremost a peace project. I’d also like to recall the Brussels Pledge to Peace, which resulted from a conference called ‘Peace and Prosperity, founding values of the European Union’, held on 28 November 2011 here in Parliament.
This declaration of intent was meant to encourage projects and actions aimed at promoting peace in its most universal meaning, inspired by the universal ideals of human dignity, freedom, equality and solidarity enshrined in the preamble of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and also confirmed by the Lisbon Treaty in 2009. The Nobel Prize for Peace awarded to the European Union seals and underlines the importance of actions like the Pledge, and also this current proposal for a peace facility.
The Pledge to Peace was intended to create the necessary conditions to initiate a broad set of actions aimed at building a world of peace and prosperity. I suggest that all new MEPs in the next legislature sign the Pledge and renew this action.

Today’s vote is a further step to protect millions of workers from the exposure to carcinogenic and mutagenic substances. This will improve the working conditions for workers across the EU and prevent thousands of cases of ill health at the workplace.

I voted in favour of this ambitious reform of the EU’s foreign policy financial instruments. The EU has decided to merge all the instruments into one. The new Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument provides for more funds dedicated to human rights, democracy and the rule of law. I was responsible for the file from the perspective of the Culture and Education Committee. Along with my colleagues, we secured that the instrument supports the actions of the Creative Europe and Erasmus programmes. This is an excellent development for the cultural dimension of foreign policy. As a cultural activist, I am glad to see that the European Parliament takes these aspects seriously.

I wholeheartedly support the work of the European Union through the ERDF and Cohesion fund.
My constituency in the Northwest has benefited massively from ERDF programmes since 2007. There has been substantial investment into the Northwest, with the poorest areas supported to develop and improve livelihoods. Towns such as Blackpool have benefited from the redevelopment of the sea front and the support to purchase and refurbish major tourist attractions.
From 2014, over EUR 200 million has been invested into the Greater Manchester area through the EDRF. This has included large investments through the Low Carbon fund, seeking to invest in renewable energy in the region.
Brexit risks the allocation of funding for projects such as these in my constituency. If the UK is no longer involved with EU funding projects, I worry that Tory governments will not prioritise areas in the Northwest for funding.
I support the Cohesion fund in general as it is a vital source of investment for developing areas, including places on the periphery such as the Cumbrian coast. These funds represent what the EU needs to focus on, supporting regions across Europe to grow and become connected and to improve livelihoods.

Labour MEPs are strongly committed to the transition to a low-carbon economy that will save money for consumers through lower fuel costs; contribute to curbing climate warming and improving human health; and ensuring EU and UK manufacturers lead the way in industrial and technological innovation.
Labour MEPs also backed social measures to make sure that no one is left behind during this transition.
Targeted programmes at EU, national and regional levels include for re-skilling of workers, as well as education and job-seeking initiatives in regions and communities most affected by the transition

The overall quantity of waste is increasing rapidly on a worldwide scale. Here in the EU, around 3.5 tonnes per capita of waste is produced annually, including more than 400 kilograms per person, per year, of domestic waste. All the projections available today show that this increase at worldwide level will continue at least until 2030, and in Europe no real decoupling between waste and economic growth is expected before 2020.
Single-use plastic items represent about half of all marine litter items found on European beaches. We come from 28 countries, here in the European Parliament, but we share one home, one planet Earth. Young people know this. They’ve had enough, and they are demanding that we change. I hope all my colleagues support the climate school strikes, the Friday’s for future, because if we don’t listen to young people, they will lose trust in politicians.

Back in 2017, wishing to strengthen combined transport, this Parliament asked the Commission for clear, modern and comprehensible rules that can be implemented by the relevant authorities. MEPs called on the Commission to revise the Combined Transport Directive to increase multimodal transport, eliminate unfair practices and ensure compliance with the social legislation relating to combined transport. Today, by voting in favour of this proposal, we are welcoming and endorsing the Commission’s efforts in this direction. And while not all aspects of the text are ideal, it is extremely important to us that there is a clear reference to its link to the three related legislative proposals of the mobility package. We are of the opinion that in order to guarantee the social protection of drivers and to ensure the well-functioning of the internal market with fair and equal competition between EU Member States and operators, the provisions concerning the road leg of combined transport should be fully coordinated with the provisions concerning cabotage and the posting of drivers.

When the Arab Spring blossomed, European states missed the opportunity to develop an ambitious foreign policy based on human rights, democracy and the rule of law. We let down the young generations who led these movements by prioritising short-sighted economic interests over support for a long—term path towards democracy. We could have been ambitious, but instead we protected our own interests. We asked of our neighbours that they handle migration for us, we closed our borders, we continued selling arms, and we continued to close our eyes to the deteriorating situation of human rights defenders and the appalling record when it comes to women and LGBTIQ+.
As young people in Algeria are now protesting and trying to create a peaceful movement, it is time for the EU’s foreign policy to live up to its full potential. It is time to stand up for human rights in the Middle East, North Africa and everywhere else.

Thanks to our Socialist & Democratic (S&D) colleagues and also the European Parliamentary Labour Party (EPLP), we pushed for a phase-out of polluting subsidies for power generation and improved consumer rights and more affordable electricity for all.

The EPLP, along with the S&D Group, supports ACER’s enhanced role in the energy market and in the area of security of supply. This deal contributes to the completion of the Energy Union.

. ‒ I write as Labour’s spokesperson on culture in the EU, and as someone who worked in the creative sector as the founder of a small to medium enterprise working in the digital sphere. This is the biggest reform of the EU copyright law for 15 years and it will curb the tech giant’s power over online content, including news and current affairs. Crucially, it will ensure that creative artists are fairly rewarded for their work. This reform package will address the unfair situation that means a song needs to be streamed 50 million times on YouTube before the artist can expect to earn the average UK salary. Copyright ensures authors, composers, artists, filmmakers and other creators, receive recognition, payment and protection for their works. It rewards creativity and stimulates investment in the creative sector. I worked closely with organisations such as UK music, directors UK and the Writers Guild as well as meeting with other stakeholders during the process this legal text has been discussed.

. ‒ The directive on Digital Content provides for consumers across the EU to have a high level of rights when it comes to purchasing forms of digital content, such as downloading apps, songs, or signing up for websites. S&D fought hard to ensure that this legislation keeps up with the changing realities of the digital single market and this means that consumers who provide data to companies as a means of payment should realise that they are doing so; there is no reason for consumers to have a lower standard of protection online than offline. These harmonised provisions will make it easier for both consumers and businesses to buy and trade across borders, ensure that content meets the required standard and if it does not then a range of remedies are available to the consumer. The burden of proving that content is of the required level will now be on suppliers for a longer period rather than consumers – making it easier and quicker for citizens to cancel a contract and get a refund.

People of African descent face widespread and systematic discrimination in the EU in many areas of life, such as education, employment, or housing. It is important that the EU institutions acknowledge the challenges that they face. I supported this oral question, as it drew attention to these issues that are close to my heart. As an anti-racist campaigner, I believe that both the EU and the Member States should be doing much more to assess the situation (as in some countries, we still struggle to gather data) and to design policies to tackle the issue. It is also important that the EU adopts an intersectional perspective and looks at how its policies affect people at the intersection between discrimination based on gender, race, class, or (dis)ability, for instance.