Summary

Next week will be a short week in the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will meet in Brussels for committee sessions and hold political group meetings to prepare for the following’s week’s plenary meetings.  They will vote, inter alia, on Chinese IT threats; EU-Russia relations; cybersecurity measures to counter foreign propaganda during the 2019 European elections; and the EU’s climate change strategy.  A number of interesting debates and hearings will also take place this week.

On Monday, March 4, MEPs of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (“ECON”) will hold a structured debate with Margarethe Vestager, Commissioner for competition.  This exchange of views will be the last in this Committee’s session, and will reflect back on the Commissioner’s five year as head of DG Competition.  It is expected that the discussion will cover many recent developments, such as competition policy in the age of digitisation, the Franco-German call for European Champions in light of the Commission’s decision to de-rail the mega-merger between Siemens and Alstom, and the Commission’s recent set-back in court regarding fiscal state aid cases.  The debate will be livestreamed here.

The same day, the Committee on Transport and Tourism (“TRAN”) will vote on the adoption of a draft report regarding discontinuing seasonal changes of time (summer time).  Commission President Juncker called for the EU to abandon seasonal time changes, after 4.6 million Europeans responded to an EU consultation, with a significant majority (84%) expressing their discontent with the current system.  It has been suggested that changing time twice a year may have negative consequences on citizens’ well-being and road safety.  The legislative proposal would require Member States to decide whether they would like to have permanent winter or summer time.  It is feared that this may create a chaotic patchwork of different time zones within the EU.  Member States have reacted negatively and have already postponed the first deadline of April 1, 2019, set by the Commission.  See the draft report here, and the Commission’s original proposal here.

On Thursday, March 7, an inter-parliamentary meeting will be held to celebrate International Women’s Day.  The Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (“FEMM”) has organized this meeting on “Women’s Power in Politics” for MEPs and Members of national parliaments.  Speakers include EU Commissioner for Justice Věra Jourová, President of the Republic of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, and EU Foreign Policy Chief Frederica Morgherini.  See the full program here. 

Meetings and Agenda

Monday, March 4, 2019

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

15:00 – 16:45

Debates

  • Structured Dialogue with Margrethe VESTAGER, Commissioner for Competition. 

Votes

  • Commission Delegated Regulation amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/588 as regards the possibility to adjust the average daily number of transactions for a share where the trading venue with the highest turnover of that share is located outside the Union – Adoption of Recommendation for “early non-objection.” 

Committee on Transport and Tourism

15:00 – 18:30

Votes

  • Discontinuing seasonal changes of time (COD) – adoption of draft report.
    • Rapporteur: Marita Ulvskog (S&D, SE)
  • Time limit for the implementation of the special rules regarding maximum length in case of cabs delivering improved aerodynamic performance, energy efficiency and safety performance (COD) – vote on the provisional agreement resulting from interinstitutional negotiations.
    • Rapporteur: Karima Delli (Greens/EFA, FR)
  • Road infrastructure safety management (COD) – vote on the provisional agreement resulting from interinstitutional negotiations (to be confirmed).
    • Rapporteur: Daniela Aiuto (EFDD, IT)
  • European Maritime Single Window environment (COD) – vote on the provisional agreement resulting from interinstitutional negotiations.
    • Rapporteur: Deirdre Clune (EPP, IE)
  • Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 1316/2013 with regard to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Union (COD) – vote on the provisional agreement resulting from inter-institutional negotiations.
    • Rapporteur: Karima Delli (Greens/EFA, FR)
  • Minimum level of training of seafarers (COD) – vote on the provisional agreement resulting from inter-institutional negotiations.
    • Rapporteur: Dominique Riquet (ALDE, FR)
  • Common rules ensuring basic air connectivity with regard to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the Union (COD) – vote on the provisional agreement resulting from inter-institutional negotiations (to be confirmed)
    • Rapporteur: Pavel Telička (ALDE, CZ)
  • Common rules ensuring basic road freight connectivity with regard to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the Union (COD) – vote on the provisional agreement resulting from inter-institutional negotiations (to be confirmed).
    • Rapporteur: Isabella De Monte (S&D, IT) 

Committee on Legal Affairs

15:00 – 18:30

Votes (15.30 – 15.45)

  • Petition No 0186/2018 by Mr Pier Paolo Volpe (Italian) on the discretionary powers of the Commission with regard to the application of EU law by the Member States – adoption.
    • Rapporteur: Pavel SVOBODA (EPP, CZ)
  • Use of digital tools and processes in company law (COD) – vote on the provisional agreement resulting from inter-institutional negotiations.
    • Rapporteur: Tadeusz ZWIEFKA (EPP, PL)
  • Adapting a number of legal acts providing for the use of the regulatory procedure with scrutiny to Articles 290 and 291 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (COD) – reporting back to committee on the negotiations (Rule 69f(3)) – vote on the provisional agreement resulting from inter-institutional negotiations.
    • Rapporteur: József SZÁJER (EPP, HU)

Votes (15.45 – 16.15)

  • Conclusion of inter-institutional negotiations – Non-binding criteria for the application of Articles 290 and 291 of the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union.
    • Co-negotiators: József SZÁJER (EPP, HU) and Richard CORBETT (S&D, UK)
  • Justice programme (COD) – reporting back to committee on the negotiations (Rule 69f(3)).
    • Rapporteurs: Heidi HAUTALA (Greens/EFA, FI), and Josef WEIDENHOLZER (S&D, AT)
  • Protection of persons reporting on breaches of Union law (COD) – reporting back to committee on the negotiations (Rule 69f(3)).
    • Rapporteur: Virginie ROZIÈRE (S&D, FR)

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

  • No meeting of notes

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

  • No meeting of notes

Thursday, March 7, 2019

Committee on Budgets

09:00-12:30

Vote

  • Guidelines for the 2020 Budget – Section III (BUD) – Adoption of draft report
    • Rapporteur: Monika HOHLMEIER (EPP, DE)
  • 2019 Budget: Section III – Commission – Any other transfer request
    • Rapporteur: Daniele VIOTTI (S&D, IT)
  • 2019 Budget: Other Sections – Any transfer request
    • Rapporteur: Paul RÜBIG (EPP, AT)
  • Building policy – Rapporteur: Monika HOHLMEIER (EPP, DE) – Any request

Committee on Fisheries

14:00 – 15:30

Votes

  • Conservation of fishery resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures (COD) – vote on the provisional agreement resulting from inter-institutional negotiations.
    • Rapporteur Gabriel Mato (EPP, ES)
  • European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (COD) – vote on a draft report.
    • Rapporteur: Gabriel Mato (EPP, ES)

Committee on Constitutional Affairs

09:00 – 18:30

Hearing (9.15 – 10.45)

  • Constitutionalism in the European Union and the constitutional interaction between the West and East of Europe – Discussion with Romanian EU Council Presidency (tbc), with EU Commissioner for the European Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn (tbc); and presentations by the invited experts: Ms Anneli Albi (Professor of Law at Kent Law School), Mr Piero Graglia (Associate Professor on History of the International Relations at the School of Political, Economic and Social Sciences, Milan State University) and Mr Kálmán Pócza (Associate professor at the Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest).

Debates

  • Information on the conclusion of inter-institutional negotiations Non-binding criteria for the application of Articles 290 and 291 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
    • Co-negotiators: Richard CORBETT (S&D, UK) and József SZÁJER (EPP, HU)
  • In-depth analysis on “A Fiscal capacity for the Eurozone: Constitutional Perspectives” – Presentation by Mr Federico Fabbrini (Full Professor of European Law at the School of Law & Government of Dublin City University (DCU)) of the in-depth analysis commissioned by the Policy Department on Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs on “A Fiscal capacity for the Eurozone: Constitutional Perspectives.”
  • The withdrawal of the UK from the European Union– state of play – discussion.
    • Guy VERHOFSTADT (ALDE, BE), Parliament’s coordinator for the negotiations on the UK withdrawal from the EU, and Danuta Maria HÜBNER (EPP, PL), Chair of AFCO and member of the Parliament’s Brexit Steering Group

Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

09:00 – 12:30

The Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee, in collaboration with the

Directorate for Relations with National Parliaments, will organise an Inter-parliamentary Committee Meeting on “Women’s Power in Politics”.

  • The topic chosen this year is at the heart of women’s rights because it defines women’s capacity to participate and decide on the collective governing of our societies. Equality between women and men is one of the objectives of the European Union. Over time, legislation, case law and changes to the Treaties have helped shore up this principle and its implementation in the EU. The European Parliament has always been a fervent defender of gender equality and this event wants to highlight the importance of women presence in politics particularly in the framework of the coming European elections.
  • After speeches by Mrs. Blinkevičiūtė, Chair of FEMM Committee, Mr. Papadimoulis, EP Vice-President, Mrs. Jourova, European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, and Mrs. Grabar-Kitarović, President of the Republic of Croatia, MEPs and national MPs will discuss two topics: ”Real power of women in politics and how to boost it” and ”Young women in Politics”. The EU foreign policy Chief, Federica Mogherini, will deliver the closing remarks.

Friday, March 8, 2019

  • No meeting of notes