Oriol Junqueras’ high-level European agenda in the European Parliament

Oriol Junqueras followed an intense political agenda last week at the European Parliament in Brussels, with several high-level meetings consolidating Esquerra Republicana’s participation in the major European debates. The European agenda saw Esquerra’s leader accompanied by Deputy Leader and MEP Diana Riba, and by party Secretary for International Relations, Adrià Guevara. At the institutional level, Mr Junqueras met with two European Parliament vice presidents, Romanian ecologist Nicolae Ștefănuță and German Socialist Katarina Barley, with whom he shared perspectives regarding the political moment of the European Union, the democratic, social and environmental challenges, as well as the role of Parliament in the current international scenario.

The agenda also included important meetings with several parliamentary groups, including discussions with The Left Secretary General Maj Aslett-Rydbjerg and Greens/EFA Co-President Terry Reintke, to coordinate political positions and strengthen progressive and environmental alliances in the chamber. Finally, he also had discussions with Laurence Farreng, the head of Renew Europe’s French delegation, with whom he exchanged views specifically on the Mercosur agreement, a major concern for Esquerra Republicana and to which France has expressed clear opposition.

Throughout these meetings, Mr Junqueras explored building broad democratic alliances in Europe able to face the rise of the far right and to defend a fairer, greener and more social European project.