European Parliament plenary in Strasbourg: repatriation, US tariffs and much more – Gaza absent

Brussels – The European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg is just around the corner: it will begin next Monday, 15 June, and conclude on Thursday, 18 June, and will be followed immediately by the European Council in Brussels. Among the many issues on the table, the EU-US trade agreement, the regulation on the return of migrants, enlargement to the Western Balkans, tensions with Russia, new genomic techniques, and the review of tobacco excise duties stand out. There is one major omission: what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank. On the Middle East, only a statement on the urgency of de-escalation is planned, but no specific resolution. “We are voting on yet another resolution on Russia, but the debate on the Middle East issue is at a standstill,” denounced Valentina Palmisano (The Left/M5S). 

During the press briefing held today (12 June) ahead of the plenary session, all the group spokespersons mentioned, amongst other key issues, the Regulations on returns, on which the final vote is scheduled for Wednesday 17. The text introduces new obligations for third-country nationals subject to return decisions, who will be required to cooperate with the competent authorities; it provides for the possibility of detention for up to 24 months, strengthens the mutual recognition of return decisions between Member States and opens up the possibility of using so-called return hubs in third countries. 

For the European People’s Party, alongside the agreement on US tariffs, the return agreement is the group’s priority for this plenary session. The European Conservatives and Reformists Group takes the same view. Spokesperson Michael Strauss spoke of a regulation that “lends credibility to a return policy” thanks to faster procedures and stricter rules for those who do not cooperate or pose a security risk. The ESN (Europe of Sovereign Nations) also describes it as a necessary step “after years of inaction on the migration front.” 

Simon McKeagney, the Greens’ communications director, announced outright opposition to the bill, describing it in terms of “ICE-style deportations” and offshore detention centres in third countries that would also affect minors. The reaction from The Left was even harsher, raising the spectre of “European Guantanamos” for minors, the possibility of deportations to countries the children have never set foot in, and practices such as dental tests to verify age: the group will table an amendment to reject the text. Renew adopted a more cautious stance; while not going into detail on the vote, it included the issue of “migration” among this week’s priorities relating to European security and resilience.

This division is also evident among Italian MEPs, who made their positions clear when speaking to journalists. Palmisano spoke out strongly, saying that the regulation “is not an effective solution.” The measure provides for the establishment of centres in third countries, but “will result in the closure of the Albania option, given that it is a candidate to join the EU: once the process is complete, it will no longer be a third country.” Taking the opposite view, representatives of the Italian centre-right expressed their satisfaction with the new regulation. “We welcome the issue of repatriation,” said Raffaele Stancanelli (EPP/League), “the path that Italy took first is finally being considered and valued.” Salvatore De Meo (EPP/Forza Italia) stressed how the “Italian model” is becoming a benchmark at European level, and Ruggero Razza (ECR/FdI) confirmed a positive assessment of the return hub system. 

The second issue in the spotlight is the EU-US trade agreement. A final vote is scheduled for Tuesday on two legislative measures implementing the tariff commitments agreed in the EU-US joint statement of July 2025: if approved, the text will remove most tariffs on US industrial and agricultural goods, but will also include a suspension clause that would allow the EU to reintroduce tariffs should Washington fail to honour its commitments.

For the Socialists and Democrats, this outcome has made it possible to rectify an agreement that was “unbalanced from the outset,” ensuring that Parliament has the final say on any future extensions or amendments. The ECR also welcomes the text, though it describes it as “not perfect and not a comprehensive trade agreement.” By contrast, Thomas Shannon, communications chief for The Left, described the deal as a substantial capitulation to Trump, speaking of a “humiliation” accepted by the Commission and Parliament. 

Among the Italian MEPs, the positions largely reflect this division. Ruggero Razza (ECR/FdI) announced he will vote in favour, while Valentina Palmisano (The Left/M5S) confirmed her group’s vote against, describing the agreement as damaging to Italian industry due to the unilateral tariffs imposed by the United States. The position of Ignazio Marino (Greens/AVS) is more nuanced; without taking a specific position on the vote, he criticised the handling of the negotiations from the outset, arguing that the EU should have “done a better job from the start.”

The third issue cutting across the groups is children’s online safety. On Wednesday morning, there will be a debate with the Commission and the Council entitled “Protecting children’s safety and mental health from the risks posed by social media – our duty to act now,” which forms part of the non-binding resolution approved by a large majority in the Chamber in November 2025, in which Parliament had called for a minimum age of 16 for access to social media at European level (unless authorised by parents), a total ban for those under 13, and a ban on engagement-based recommendation algorithms and loot boxes for children. 

The EPP proposed the debate, highlighting the issue of so-called “addictive design,” that is, platforms designed, according to the group, to be deliberately engaging and harmful to young people, an aspect that is not yet regulated at the European level. 

 Meanwhile, a vote is scheduled for Tuesday on the Digital Omnibus package concerning artificial intelligence, which includes a ban on AI tools used for the non-consensual creation of sexual images (‘nudify apps’) and artificially generated child sexual abuse material. A measure on which S&D and ECR agree, albeit with differing views on the package as a whole. For S&D, which has supported this ban since negotiations on the AI Act began, this is an achievement worth defending. The ECR supports the measure on ‘nudify apps’, but considers the rest of the Digital Omnibus to be insufficient in terms of regulatory simplification for businesses, and will therefore abstain on the overall measure.

Among the Italian delegates, Ignazio Marino (Greens/AVS) highlighted the issue as one of the session’s priorities, noting that a specific report is expected in mid-July from the panel of experts set up by the Commission to assess measures to protect children online. 

On Wednesday, a vote is also scheduled on two texts relating to the revision of the directive on excise duties on tobacco and related products, a dossier that forms part of the EU’s cancer action plan. Among the Italian MEPs, Salvatore De Meo (EPP/Forza Italia) expressed support for the revision, provided that alternative products are treated with an “informative rather than punitive” approach. The Greens, however, have taken a critical stance, arguing that certain amendments tabled by the EPP, PfE and ECR echo the tobacco industry’s arguments, including the portrayal of nicotine-based products as ‘less harmful’ than traditional ones. 

Other items on the agenda include new genomic techniques (NGT), on which a final vote is scheduled for Wednesday. The text classifies plants obtained using these techniques into two groups, equating the first with those obtainable through conventional methods. Among the Italian MEPs, Ruggero Razza (ECR/FdI) announced he will vote in favour, describing it as a simple classification rather than an opening up to GMOs.  Ignazio Marino (Greens/AVS) and Valentina Palmisano (The Left/M5S), however, took opposing stances, referring respectively to modifications still being carried out in the laboratory and to “deregulation” designed to protect major economic interests. The Greens at European level took a similar stance, emphasising that plants obtained using NGT, unlike conventional ones, would be patentable, concentrating control over seeds in the hands of a few multinationals.

 There are also ongoing tensions with Russia, with a debate scheduled for Wednesday and a vote on Thursday on a resolution concerning drone incursions into Romania, the Baltic States, and Finland, as well as enlargement into the Western Balkans. Finally, negotiations on the EU’s next multiannual budget are on the agenda, with Parliament’s co-rapporteurs, Carla Tavares and José Manuel Fernandes, expressing serious concerns about the draft negotiation text presented by the Cypriot Presidency of the Council yesterday. Among the criticisms raised at the Italian press briefing, Razza (ECR/FdI) took particular issue with the reduction in funds allocated to competitiveness under the Council’s proposal, while “welcoming the fact that the common agricultural policy has not been touched.”