News from the European Parliament Delegation - 6 December 2024

Most important, we have been assembling our delegation team with many new faces. Now we’re nearly complete and everyone has settled in. In November, we took some time for a fantastic retreat outside of Brussels to get to know each other and discuss our strategy. “It's truly impressive to see how quickly everyone has specialised in their field and how well prepared we are for all the challenges to come”, says Damian. “I'm not only convinced that we managed to build trust, expertise and friendship within our delegation. The next big step is now conquering the German Bundestag. “It’s all hands on deck now, we need all our motivation and expertise”. So Damian himself will be busy campaigning during the next weeks. “But I know that I have a great team in Brussels that has my back!”

Speaking of specialising, Kai has been focussing on transport. Before Parliament voted on the new EU Commission, he met several times with the new Commissioner for transport and got to lodge some of Volt’s core demands: Better multimodal travelling, easier ticketing systems, more funding for rail. “We’ve been able to establish some trust here”, says Kai. And it was rewarded - one of Kai’s goals has officially made it into the new Commissioner’s portfolio: Making corporate fleets greener and cleaner. “I am happy to see the commitment. Two thirds of new cars are corporate and this has the potential to boost the demand for electric cars in the EU and also the secondhand market”, says Kai. 

Nela has been busy working in Parliament’s Committee for Culture and Education. In her position as a Chair of that Committee, she now has a lot of impact when it comes to making Europe’s educational system accessible, fair and prepared for the future. “Good basic and digital skills are so important”, says Nela. “We should share our best-practice and learn from each other”. An important win for her: The EU Commission has promised to allocate more funding to the Erasmus+ programme, and to make it accessible for those with low income. “Erasmus mustn’t just be a thing for those who can afford it!”

When it comes to reforming the EU as a whole, Reinier has been a strong voice for Volt in the Parliament. Especially these past weeks when Parliament voted on the proposed new EU Commission - and we could only approve or dismiss all candidates in bulk. “The system is flawed”, says Reinier. “What we need is a treaty change that gives voters more power. They vote for the Parliament, so Parliament should also be in charge of selecting the best people for the government!” He discussed and stressed this core demand with Commission President von der Leyen during a private dinner with all the Volt MEPs. It was important for us to hear that she shares our opinion. The same week, she officially promised to make certain treaty changes possible – for us a step in the good direction!

And then, of course there was Tirana! We were able to meet a lot of our friends and supporters there at Volt’s General Assembly, and we got very good vibes. In these times, seeing all these dedicated people is really a beacon of hope. The trip to Albania wasn’t all about fun though. Anna arranged for the delegation to visit one of the Italian-funded return hubs for asylum seekers (or Mini-Guantanamo, as some say). A depressing sight. Luckily, this camp was empty again because Italian courts have ruled the whole idea illegal. A total failure for Meloni. “What a waste of money”, says Anna after the visit. Money that could have been invested much better in Italy “to improve the conditions for migrants and to set up a system that respects human beings instead of shipping them out of sight!”

Now we’ll take some time to decompress. And gather all our strength for next year and its challenges. Stay tuned for our ideas and plans to shape the Europe that we dream of!

Yours

Anna, Nela, Kai, Damian and Reinier