Our cover star this issue is German Greens deputy Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana. She tells Commissioning Editor Rajnish Singh how she’s working to reform the police, enhance gender equality and get more people from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities into the EU institutions.
Our first feature examines this year’s European Gender Equality Week, beginning with a report by Deputy Editor Lorna Hutchinson, looking back at some of the Parliament’s Committee activities during the week. She spoke to MEPs Iratxe García Pérez (ES, S&D), Karen Melchior (DK, RE) and Ernest Ertasun (ES, Greens/EFA) about ongoing threats to women’s rights. European Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli and the chair of Parliament’s FEMM Committee Evelyn Regner (AT, S&D) also contribute detailed articles on the issue of women’s rights.
Elsewhere, we look at how the European Union can tackle its biggest challenge – Climate Change. We start with vice-chair of Parliament’s ITRE Committee Morten Helveg Petersen (RE, DK) who urges policymakers to make the Next Generation EU instrument and the recovery, a step towards the green Europe he believes we all want. Rapporteur for Parliament’s report on a Framework for Achieving Climate Neutrality, Nils Torvalds (FI, RE) meanwhile explains the crucial role the Carbon Budget will play in transitioning Europe to climate neutrality. Shadow rapporteur Michael Bloss (DE, Greens/EFA) highlights how policymakers are honouring their commitment to ‘put out the fire’ of climate change.
Rajnish Singh looks at Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans’ hopes of bringing the EU and Africa together to tackle climate change, while ENVI Committee opinion rapporteur on The European Forest Strategy, Jessica Polfjärd (SE, Greens/EFA), examines the important role forests and forestry will play in a cleaner, greener future.
Also in this issue, two vice-chairs of Parliament’s Intergroup on Antimicrobial Resistance Tiemo Wölken (DE, S&D) and Nicolae Ştefănuţă (RO, RE) look at how we can use the lessons learned from the Coronavirus outbreak to prepare for the next public health crisis. Elsewhere the Chair of Parliament’s EMPL Committee Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová (SK, ECR) discusses how Europe can prepare its workforce to emerge from the current crisis in a fit enough state to face any future challenges or threats.
We also have the European Commission’s Director General for Health and Food Safety, Sandra Gallina, who discusses the prospect of creating a much-needed European Health Union, with a pharmaceutical strategy to match.
Rajnish Singh interviews recently appointed Indian Ambassador to the EU, Santosh Jha, while Lorna Hutchinson looks at Europe’s initial reaction to the US election.
Answering our five questions this issue is Dutch EPP MEP Antonius Manders.
Finally, our Managing Editor, Brian Johnson asks how effective a likely one-term Biden Presidency will be in reuniting America’s riven society and warns that once the back-slapping is done, it would be wise both for the Democrats - and those opposing right-wing forces here in Europe to think about why the contest was so close.