Ressler has been shortlisted for the Economic, Monetary Affairs, Tax and Budgets Award, given for contributions to the economic recovery and development of the European Union. The MEP sees this nomination as "recognition" not only for himself but for his colleagues and associates, and as an additional motive and incentive for the future.
Ressler, who is the youngest rapporteur for the EU budget in the history of the European Parliament, negotiated on behalf of the EP on the 2022 budget - on €170 billion worth of programmes for entrepreneurs, farmers, local communities and other beneficiaries in all parts of Europe, and the main focus of the budget was on support for small and medium-sized enterprises and investments in science, digitalisation and security. The budget was increased by €480 million in comparison with the initial proposal.
"That result of €480 million more than the Commission's proposal isn't unusual in such negotiations, and it is especially not unusual in a situation in which we were last year, when a parallel track of those record investments was formed for the first time through the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism," Ressler told Hina.
Social Democrat Matić is one of the four MEPs shortlisted for the Justice, Rule of Law and Human Rights Award. Matić was the EP's rapporteur on sexual and reproductive health and women's rights, and he believes that that resolution was responsible for him being shortlisted for an EU Oscar, which he was "pleasantly surprised" with.
"That resolution caused a great storm. A negative one from the right-wing groups and a positive one from the left-wing groups. That resolution is one of the most significant documents adopted by the European Parliament in the past 10, 15, 20 years," Matić told Hina.
The resolution on sexual and reproductive health and rights in the EU, in the frame of women’s health, was adopted in June 2021, and it calls on member states to ensure safe and legal abortion, stressing that "a total ban on abortion care or denial of abortion care is a form of gender-based violence". The resolution also called on all member states to introduce "comprehensive" sexual education for young people, to improve access to contraceptives and to ensure better access to menstrual hygiene products by eliminating taxation.
An expert panel of judges will analyse the contribution and work of shortlisted MEPs in all categories, and the award ceremony will take place in Brussels on 29 June.