ECR Group

🇫🇷 | France’s school results have never been so low! That’s why MEP @MarionMarechal looks at what went wrong and where it leads. The consequences go far beyond the classroom: tomorrow’s doctors and scientists are at stake. 🎥 Watch the full podcast on YouTube!

We are deeply shocked by the horrific attack in Kraków. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and all those affected by this appalling act of violence. ECR Co-Chair @NProcaccini said: “My deepest condolences go to the families of those killed in Kraków. Our thoughts are with the injured and everyone affected by this horrific attack. We stand with the people of Poland in grief and solidarity.” ECR Co-Chair @PatrykJaki said: “My deepest condolences to the victims’ families. The full circumstances of this horrific attack must now be established, including whether political decisions have affected security priorities. The public deserves answers, and everyone responsible must be brought to justice.”

🛑 | We condemn the four-year prison sentence against Tanzanian opposition leader and human rights defender, Tundu Lissu! Lissu, who was nominated by the ECR and EPP groups for the 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, was acquitted of treason but convicted of incitement. The ECR Group maintains that his continued imprisonment is unacceptable, even though he no longer faces the death penalty. ECR Co-Chairman @NProcaccini said: “Four years is still four years too many. Tundu Lissu should be free. No man should lose years of his life simply for challenging those in power and demanding fair elections.” ECR Co-Chairman @PatrykJaki said: “He survived bullets. He survived exile. Now he is being kept behind bars for political reasons. That is not justice.” ECR MEP @FidanzaCarlo, who put forward Lissu’s nomination, said: “We nominated Tundu Lissu because he refused to be silenced. Today’s sentence proves once again why his case matters. Europe should keep demanding his release.” ECR MEP @RihardsKols, who co-initiated Lissu’s nomination, said: “You do not strengthen democracy by jailing your opponents. You strengthen it by letting them speak and organise. Tundu Lissu should be released and allowed to return to political life.”

Champions of democracy? 🤔 🎥 Watch @PatrykJaki👇

🇵🇱 | EU rules affect real people: entrepreneurs, workers and their families! That's why, in plenary, ECR MEP @MarlenaMalag reminded us: "Behind this chaos stands a human being. The small and medium entrepreneur and their employees." Administrative burdens cost EU businesses €150 billion a year. In Poland, the ETS makes up half of industrial energy prices. Putting people at the centre starts with counting the costs before voting.

🏭 | Lower emissions do not automatically mean cleaner production! That’s why, in the Committee on Environment, Climate and Food Safety (ENVI), ECR MEP @sandersmitwzn calls as part of the revision of the European Emissions Trading System (ETS), for less paperwork for small emitters and achievable requirements for our industry. Benchmarks must reflect what is technologically possible. Give businesses the room to invest and remain competitive!

🔵 | In 2008, the late Polish President Lech Kaczyński warned of the threat Russia posed to European security. “Today Georgia, tomorrow Ukraine, and later perhaps the Baltic states…” Our MEP and ECR Party President @AdamBielan reflects on this warning and the lessons Europe must draw from Russia’s aggression. Watch the full conversation on European security and the challenges facing Europe. youtu.be/SOMzNfCbwYw

✨ | This week is dedicated to women’s leadership at the European Parliament! 👏🏻 Gender Equality Week 2026 highlights the vital role women play in shaping the Europe we live in and the one we want to build. We celebrated their achievements, but also addressed the many challenges that still remain. As Vice-President of the European Parliament and ECR MEP @AntonellaSberna reminds us, “equality is not just a right to be upheld, but an opportunity for growth for society as a whole.” The road ahead is still long, but the objective is clear: we must remove obstacles, guarantee equal opportunities and create the conditions for every woman to fully express her potential.

Is Europe still European? If we stop protecting the traditions that shaped Europe, what will be left of its identity? And where do we draw the line? 🤔 🎥 Watch MEP @D_Tarczynski👇

Yesterday, during a meeting of the LIBE Committee in the European Parliament, ECR MEP @Kaminski_M_ presented the dramatic situation currently unfolding in Poland. “For the first time in the history of the EU, the government has deployed police units onto the premises of an independent constitutional court.” The government is using police force in an attempt to seize control of the Constitutional Tribunal! We demand a debate in the European Parliament!

🌾 | Making farming a viable and attractive profession is essential if the next generation is to take over Europe’s farms! That was the message from ECR Shadow Rapporteur Veronika Vrecionová after the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee backed an own-initiative report on generational renewal in agriculture today. The report addresses the growing difficulty young people face when trying to enter the sector and take over existing farms. Vrecionová said: “Young people will not choose farming because Brussels tells them to. They will choose it if they can earn a decent living, invest in their business and see a future for themselves and their families. That has to be the starting point of any serious policy on generational renewal.” We also consider generational renewal essential to food security and to the future of rural communities. Economically viable farms give more young people the confidence to carry on the family business or find their own way into agriculture. #VeronikaVrecionová @vrecionova

🚘 The European Automotive Package passed committee votes, but ECR voted against all three proposals. Why? The compromise falls short. It fails to protect affordable cars, internal combustion engines and plug-in hybrids, while imposing flawed rules on corporate fleets. We will push for substantial improvements ahead of the November plenary. The current texts are simply not good enough ‼️

🚨 | Our coasts are under pressure‼️ Assita Kanko: “Frontex really needs a new and stronger mandate to protect our EU borders, and to cut off the business model of criminal smuggling networks.” 🎥 Watch MEP @Assita_Kanko 👇

🔴 | Stop the chemicals before they reach criminal labs. The EU is updating its rules on drug precursors. Controls will cover new high-risk substances, including designer precursors. Online marketplaces will have to check their sellers and remove listings that break the rules. But legitimate businesses and researchers should not pay the price. MEP @NicolasBay_ : “The answer cannot be to treat every chemical company, laboratory or trader as a suspect.” We also pushed back against a uniform EU sanctions regime. Member States keep their responsibilities in criminal law.

❌ | Brussels’ double standards exposed! The ECR Group consistently maintains that the EU has no treaty mandate to interfere in Member States' judicial systems. Yet, the sheer hypocrisy of the Brussels establishment cannot be ignored. Under Poland’s previous conservative government: dozens of EP resolutions, Article 7 procedures, and blocked EU funds. Under Donald Tusk’s ruling coalition: the forceful takeover of the Constitutional Tribunal and political appointments straight from the government are met with absolute silence. The "rule of law" was never about the law, it was about political control. #PatrykJaki #TobiaszBocheński