Although the European Parliament has always supported the respect for human rights, the Fisheries Agreement between the EU and Morocco proved that the right to self-determination of people living in Western Sahara, has not been complied with.

Renewal of the Fisheries Agreement, which the Legal Service of the European Parliament clearly indicated illegal, because the European Union fishing vessels are situated in the area under international law that does not fall under the jurisdiction of Morocco. It is an area of Western Sahara, which has never been recognized as part of Morocco, and thus Morocco has no legal basis for continuing the sale of natural resources in the area.

Mojca Kleva voted against the agreement, "particularly from the economic, environmental and humanitarian point of view, as the agreement is violating human rights of the Western Saharawi people. As an MEP, I therefore feel obliged to reject proposals, which do not comply with the moral values that are suppose to guide the functioning of European institutions. I am proud that the European Parliament stand on the right side - the side of the people and their rights. "

Kleva together with the European Parliament delegation last weekend attended a visit to Western Sahara, where she met with representatives of the movement for independence of Western Sahara, with representatives of the Red Cross and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. She also visited the refugee camp where Saharawi people live entirely on humanitarian aid.

Presidents Van Rompuy and Barroso today in a session with the European parliamentarians tried to portray the results of the last EU Summit as successful steps forward in addressing the structural crisis of the Union. Mojca Kleva does not share their opinions, seeing the non-responsiveness of financial markets to the decisions delivered at the EU Summit. Additionally, in October the Union still recorded historically highest levels of unemployment in the euro area. Thus, not much reason to call the last Summit a success, believes Ms Kleva.

Kleva is aware that "today is already a common knowledge that all Member States are under the pressure from financial markets and that all of them need to amend their fiscal policies." However, she loudly notes, "what is also clear is that the European Union is not only inter-governmental body. The EU is also not a union of sanctions and fear, but rather that of solidarity and integration. Fiscal consolidation alone cannot soothe the financial markets, we need active all-European policies on growth, investment, jobs and eurobonds."

She agrees with president Barroso, who pointed out that the conclusions of the EU summit last Friday are only part of the solution. Kleva is pointing out that "growth and solidarity ideas have to move from being repeatedly cited in phrases of the European leaders towards being translated into actual proposals for implementations and concrete solutions."

"Finally, isn't after yet another in the series of failed intergovernmental meetings, finally clear that in addressing the European crisis, not only German and French, but also Europen institutions have to come to the forefront?" wonders Ms. Kleva.

Discussion on the upcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio +20, was aired on Wednesday evening at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. MEP Mojca Kleva did not manage to directly join the discussion, nevertheless, as one of the younger members of the European Parliament, she is very passionate about the topic. MEP Kleva wants to highlight in particular that fair and equitable access to natural resources is not only a key prerequisite for sustainable development and eradication of poverty for the present generations but even more so for the future ones.

MEP Kleva wants to highlight that the position and actions of the European delegation in Rio will be carefully watched by thousands of young people coming from various civil initiatives, who have been loudly insisting on delivery of concrete solutions to the problems of sustainable development for a while now. After all, the young generation is the one affected most by the problems and solutions of sustainable development and new "green" jobs.

During the past summer months, a number of young people at the European Youth Congress in Izola, Slovenia, prepared five concrete proposals whose implementation they would like to see in Rio +20. Their suggestions are the following:
- Redefine concepts of development and progress
- National Transition Plans to a green economy
- Open Global Knowledge Community (Technology Transfer)
- Economic leverages (Pricing Mechanisms)
- Education for sustainability and the green economy
- The role of youth at all levels in the transition to a green economy

The topic, which has been present in the inter-institutional economic negotiations throughout the last year, has today finally reached the plenary voting in the European Parliament. Older colleagues, European parliamentarians, have referred to it as one of the most important voting sessions in this mandate.

The package of six legislative proposals for economic governance of the EU is a new set of European legislation, which is proposing an increase of national austerity measures and attempts to strengthen budgetary control in member states. The so called “6 pack” is tightening the conditions of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), introducing new controls for macroeconomic imbalances around EU and thus targets not only fiscal but also other economic policies of member states.
Miss Kleva and members of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats in the European Parliament only partially supported proposed legislative package, as they believe it mostly continued to represent ideas of the misguided conservative politics, which lead Europe into the current crisis in the first place. The "6 pack" thus did not represent a socially balanced legislation.

MEP Kleva voted against some proposals in the “6 pack” because they did not leave enough space for new investments, growth and creation of new jobs, all of which Europe urgently needs more of. Without economic growth it is hard to expect from the member states that they will manage to consolidate their public debts in required timeframe. The EU cannot allow these new austerity measures to further social crisis ravaging through some member states and thus put in danger European unity and common future.

European markets and citizens in this moment do not need austerity measures, which cannot guarantee new investments and increase consumer demand; they do not need measures, which do not foster economic growth and create new working places; and they do not need measures, which do not put enough attention to revival of the European economy, without which the return to strong, healthy public finance systems will be excruciating and long-lasting.

Member states, which are currently most affected by the crisis, of course do have to change governing of their public financial systems and face implementation of certain austerity measures. However, all those measures will certainly not succeed in reviving the economy if they are not backed up by growth-oriented proposals from the European institutions, especially the main legislative body of the EU - the European Commission.

The absence of the efficient measures and fast initiatives for revitalization of European public finances, which should be prepared by the European Commission in the last months if not years, should not continue on endlessly. The Commission has to put the community method in the center of its proposals and delegate more democratic overview to the European Parliament in this process.

The message of financial ministers and central bank governors from IMF member states, which gathered last Saturday in Washington and committed themselves to take tackle the threats to European and global economy, has also been clear. The IMF is willing and ready to support the EU in the anti-crisis measures; however, it expects faster, clearer and more efficient proposals tabled by the Commission. These proposals have to deal with measures beyond sole austerity concerns, as without economic growth Europe will not come out of the crisis any time soon.

For more socially balanced solution to the crisis

MEP Kleva also supports the opinion that sustainable fiscal consolidation is possible only, if member states grow out of the crisis together. Today it is a prime time for the EU to face its imperfect euro-zone architecture and stops blaming only weak member states, which accumulated their rising public debts and current deficits also due to the general belief that the euro-zone can survive without any coordination of fiscal policies.

Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats in the European Parliament wants to see fast concretization of promised solutions proposed by the Commission's president Barroso in his State of the Union speech, on points of financial transaction tax, introduction of Eurobonds and further definition of consolidation of fiscal policies of member states.

At the end it is also important, points out MEP Kleva, that the European Commission in its actions does not forget the banking sector, which needs to carry a share of the crisis burden. European taxpayers have spent enough to help the crippling banking sector to recover; it is now time for the banks to chip in as well.

5th July 2011 - MEPs at today's plenary session, among others, also voted on the application of the European Union Solidarity Fund, which includes financial assistance to Slovenia to eliminate damage caused by flooding in September 2010. Slovenia will, in accordance with the provisions, receive around 7.46 million.
 
Mojca Kleva, said, "that the European Union Solidarity Fund will make the lives of those who have been affected the most a little easier and allow that the people to gradually return to normal life, start over and forget about the consequences of the flooding."
 
European Union Solidarity Fund is a source of help in case of natural disasters. It shows EU's solidarity with the affected areas and its funds assist in providing temporary accommodation or emergency repairs of basic infrastructure.