Summary
Next week will be an interesting plenary in Strasbourg with a mixture of votes on various long-awaited topics.
On Monday, the Parliament will debate a draft report prepared by the Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (“ENVI”) on palm oil and the deforestation of rain forests. The draft report seeks to reduce the environmental impact of unsustainable palm oil production, and advocates the elimination, by 2020, of the use in biofuels of vegetable oils linked to deforestation. In addition, in its own-initiative report, the ENVI Committee calls for the implementation of a single certification scheme for palm oil entering the EU market. The report will be put to vote on Tuesday. See the draft report here.
On Tuesday, the plenary is also expected to debate and vote on the draft recommendations following the inquiry into emission measurements in the automotive sector. Among other things, the draft recommendations call for a drastic improvement of market surveillance in the new EU type-approval framework; for the European Commission to launch infringement procedures against Member States that have failed to put in place effective market surveillance; and for Member States to introduce more clarity in their legislation, particularly on sanctions and possible criminal charges faced by non-compliant car manufacturers. See the draft report here.
On Wednesday, the Parliament will vote on its position, at second reading, on the proposal for a Regulation on medical devices (“MDR”), and amending Directive 2001/83/EC, Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 and Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, and for a Regulation on in vitro diagnostic medical devices (“IVDR”). The revision of the MDR pursues various objectives, including adapting the regulation to the scientific and technological developments of the last 20 years; enhancing the health and safety protection of EU citizens who use such devices; and ensuring the free trade in these products across the EU. The IVDR aims to regulate and stiffen rules on information relating to and ethical requirements for diagnostic medical devices. In line with their political agreement of March 7, the European Parliament is expected to agree the Council’s position at first reading on both proposals. See the proposal for a regulation on MDR here, and on IVDR here. See the draft position of the Parliament on MDR here, and on IVDR here.
On the same day, Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will also discuss their Brexit priorities with a view to voting on a resolution setting out officially the Parliament’s concerns regarding the withdrawal process, and conditions for clearing a deal under Article 50. The vote is expected to take place on Thursday.
Finally, also on Thursday, a vote is scheduled on the Parliament’s opinion, at first reading, on a proposal for an amended Regulation on wholesale roaming markets. The objective of the amended Regulation is to allow EU consumers to roam at the same price as in their home country by capping the wholesale prices telecoms companies may charge each other when their customers use each other’s network while roaming in the EU. See the proposal for an amended Regulation here, and the text to be put to vote here.
Meetings and Agenda
Monday, April 3, 2017
Plenary:
17:00 – 21:00 (Debates)
- Characteristics for fishing vessels
o Rapporteur: Werner Kuhn (EPP, DE)
o Committee: PECH
Short presentations of the following reports:
- Women and their roles in rural areas
o Co-rapporteurs: Marijana Petir (EPP, HR) and Maria Lidia Senra Rodríguez (GUE/NGL, ES)
o Committees: AGRI, FEMM
- Palm oil and deforestation of rainforests
o Rapporteur: Kateřina Konečná (GUE/NGL, CZ)
o Committee: ENVI
Committee on Budgets
18:30 – 21:30
Joint meeting with Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee
- Extension of the duration of the European Fund for Strategic Investments as well as the introduction of technical enhancements for that Fund and the European Investment Advisory Hub (COD)
o Co-rapporteurs: José Manuel Fernandes (EPP, PT) and Udo Bullmann (S&D, DE)
Voting time
- Adoption of draft report on Estimates of revenue and expenditure for the financial year 2018 – Section I – European Parliament (BUD)
o Rapporteur: Richard Ashworth (ECR, UK)
- Adoption of draft report on Mobilization of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to the United Kingdom, Cyprus and Portugal (BUD)
o Rapporteur: José Manuel Fernandes (EPP, PT)
- Adoption of draft report on Draft Amending Budget 1 to the General Budget 2017 accompanying the proposal to mobilize the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to the United Kingdom, Cyprus and Portugal (BUD)
o Rapporteur: Jens Geier (S&D, DE)
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Plenary:
09:00 – 12:20 (Debates)
- Medical devices
o Rapporteur: Glenis Willmott (S&D, UK)
o Committee: ENVI
- In vitro diagnostic medical devices
o Rapporteur: Peter Liese (EPP, DE)
o Committee: ENVI
- Inquiry into emission measurements in the automotive sector
o Co-rapporteurs: Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (ALDE, NL) and Jens Gieseke (EPP, DE)
o Committee: EMIS
12:30 – 14:30 (Votes)
- Palm oil and deforestation of rainforests
o Rapporteur: Kateřina Konečná (GUE/NGL, CZ)
o Committee: ENVI
- Draft recommendation following the inquiry into emission measurements in the automotive sector
o Co-rapporteurs: Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (ALDE, NL) and Jens Gieseke (EPP, DE)
o Committee: EMIS
15:00 – 23:00 (Debates)
- Addressing refugee and migrant movements: the role of EU External Action
o Co-rapporteurs: Agustín Díaz de Mera García Consuegra (EPP, ES) and Elena Valenciano (S&D, ES)
o Committees: AFET, DEVE
- Multiannual financial framework for 2014-2020
o Co-rapporteurs: Jan Olbrycht (EPP, PL), Isabelle Thomas (S&D, FR)
o Committee: BUDG
- Mobilization of the Contingency Margin
o Co-rapporteurs: Jan Olbrycht (EPP, PL), Isabelle Thomas (S&D, FR)
o Committee: BUDG
- Money market funds
o Rapporteur: Neena Gill (S&D, UK)
o Committee: ECON
- Prospectus to be published when securities are offered to the public or admitted to trading
o Rapporteur: Petr Ježek (ALDE, CZ)
o Committee: ECON
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Plenary:
09:00 – 11:50 (Debates)
- Negotiations with the United Kingdom following its notification that it intends to withdraw from the European Union
- Approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles
o Rapporteur: Daniel Dalton (ECR, UK)
o Committee: IMCO
- Wholesale roaming markets
o Rapporteur: Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (S&D, FI)
o Committee: ITRE
12:00 – 14:00 (Votes)
- Medical devices
o Rapporteur: Glenis Willmott (S&D, UK)
o Committee: ENVI
- In vitro diagnostic medical devices
o Rapporteur: Peter Liese (EPP, DE)
o Committee: ENVI
- Estimates of revenue and expenditure for the financial year 2018 – Section I – European Parliament
o Rapporteur: Richard Ashworth (ECR, UK)
o Committee: BUDG
- Ratification and accession to the 2010 Protocol to the Hazardous and Noxious Substances Convention with the exception of aspects related to judicial cooperation in civil matters
o Rapporteur: Pavel Svoboda (EPP, CZ)
o Committee: JURI
- Ratification and accession to the 2010 Protocol to the Hazardous and Noxious Substances Convention with regard to aspects related to judicial cooperation in civil matters
o Rapporteur: Pavel Svoboda (EPP, CZ)
o Committee: JURI
- Certain aspects of company law
o Rapporteur: Tadeusz Zwiefka (EPP, PL)
o Committee: JURI
- Automated data exchange with regard to dactyloscopic data in Latvia
o Rapporteur: Claude Moraes (S&D, UK)
o Committee: LIBE
- Automated data exchange with regard to DNA data in Slovakia, Portugal, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Cyprus, Poland, Sweden, Malta and Belgium
o Rapporteur: Judith Sargentini (Greens/EFA, NL)
o Committee: LIBE
- Automated data exchange with regard to dactyloscopic data in Slovakia, Bulgaria, France, Czech Republic, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Hungary, Cyprus, Estonia, Malta, Romania and Finland
o Rapporteur: Tomáš Zdechovský (EPP, CZ)
o Committee: LIBE
- Automatic exchange of data concerning vehicles registered in Finland, Slovenia, Romania, Poland, Sweden, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Hungary
o Rapporteur: Filiz Hyusmenova (ALDE, BG)
o Committee: LIBE
- Automated data exchange with regard to vehicle registration data in Malta, Cyprus and Estonia
o Rapporteur: Maria Grapini (S&D, RO)
o Committee: LIBE
- Application of the provisions of the Schengen acquis relating to the Schengen Information System in Croatia
o Rapporteur: Nuno Melo (EPP, PT)
o Committee: LIBE
15:00 – 21:00 (Debates)
- Third countries whose nationals are subject to or exempt from a visa requirement: Ukraine
o Rapporteur: Mariya Gabriel (EPP, BG)
o Committee: LIBE
- Wholesale roaming markets
o Rapporteur: Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (S&D, FI)
o Committee: ITRE
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Plenary:
9:00 – 11:50 (Debates)
- International Roma Day
- Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law (Rule 135)
12:00 – 14:00 (Votes)
- Wholesale roaming markets
o Rapporteur: Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (S&D, FI)
o Committee: ITRE
- Motions for resolutions concerning debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law (Rule 135)
15:00 – 17:00 (Major interpellations)
- Major interpellations (Rule 130b)
Committee of Inquiry to investigate alleged contraventions and maladministration in the application of Union law in relation to money laundering, tax avoidance and tax evasion
09:00 – 10:30
- Public hearing “Impact of the Panama Papers on Developing Countries”