Page 4 - Left Co News Today

EU to discuss US vaccine patent plan at Friday summit RAF CASERT, Associated Press FacebookTwitterEmail 6 1of6European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen removes her protective face mask prior to meeting with Jordans King Abdullah II at EU headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, May 5, 2021. (Yves Herman, Pool via AP)Yves Herman/APShow MoreShow Less 2of6French President Emmanuel Macron talks to the press as he visits a giant vaccination center against the Covid-19 during its in...

Yesterday Iglesias received a letter threatening him and his family, in an envelope containing four bullets. Similar threats were sent to the Minister of Interior of the coalition Government, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and the Director of Guardia Civil, María Gámez. “Yet again, the shocking tactics of far-right terrorists have been put on horrific display,” said Left Co-Presidents Manon Aubry and Martin Schirdewan on behalf of the group. “As democrats, as anti-fascists, we stand firm a...

The European Parliament will honour the late, great resistance fighter Manolis Glezos by naming a room in his memory. The Left made the request as a tribute to the remarkable life of this former MEP who fought against fascism and Nazism and remained a leading figure of the European Left right up until his death at 97 last year. Manolis will endure as a symbol of anti-fascist resistance, for freedom & democracy. Throughout his life, Manolis Glezos was an inspiration and example in the struggle ...

The Left group in the European Parliament wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen inviting her to attend their group meeting tomorrow to answer questions about the EU’s botched Covid-19 vaccination drive. The Commission has been avoiding Parliament and public scrutiny over the contracts it has signed with pharmaceutical companies, resisting the publication of the contracts and refusing to lift Intellectual Property Rights to ramp up production. Last night it emerged that v...

all vaccines-supply contracts it has signed with pharmaceutical companies for public scrutiny. There are many questions about the terms of the contract, including the price citizens are being made to pay for the vaccines as well as the liability the companies have assumed. For months, Left MEPs have demanded that the contracts be made public, with the Commission refusing to budge. It has now allowed only partial access and to only one of the contracts. Manon Aubry, Co-President of the Left grou...

Tired of 2020? Who isn’t? To make sure this new year is a different and better one we need to tap into our collective power and shape some of the key issues affecting people and the planet. The Covid-19 crisis exposed the fragility of the capitalist system where citizens are forced to choose between health, jobs or climate justice as competing commodities. At the same time, 2020 was also the year that starkly reminded us of the power of joint action against injustices: from BLM collectives to...

After months of negotiations, and a veto by Hungary and Poland on the rule of law mechanism, the European Union finally has a long-term budget for the period 2021-2027 (MFF) as well as a Recovery Fund to support member states beleaguered by the Covid-19 pandemic. While the MFF and Recovery Fund broke new ground, particularly in terms of inclusion of Own Resources and conditioning disbursement of EU funds on respect for the rule of law, it still falls short of the Parliament’s demands and the ...