Summary

Next week, Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will gather in Brussels for committee meetings.  Several interesting debates and hearings are scheduled to take place.

On Monday, the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (“ECON”) will have their final “monetary dialogue” with Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank.  They will interrogate Mario Draghi about his recent decision to cut interests rates further into the negative territory and to restart the quantitative easing program to stimulate the European economy.  Especially MEPs from northern Member States have voiced concerns about this decision and argue that the bond-buying program penalizes savers and hurts pension funds.  This will be the last appearance of Mario Draghi in the European Parliament before Christine Lagarde will succeed him on November 1, 2019.  Last week, Lagarde obtained a positive recommendation of the European Parliament for her appointment.

On Tuesday, the International Trade Committee (“INTA”) will debate with EUROFER and European Aluminum on the current state of the European steel and aluminum sectors.  Central to this debate will be the safeguard measures on certain steel and aluminum products that the European Commission imposed earlier this years to protect the European industry from trade deflection as a result of the U.S. Section 232 Measures on steel and aluminum products.  EUROFER, representing the European steel industry, has repeatedly called for tighter trade defense measures, while others fear this might hurt the competitiveness of the European markets.

On Wednesday, MEPs in the Committee on Industry, Research, and Energy (“ITRE”) will vote on entering into interinstitutional negotiations with the Council of the EU on establishing the European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre and the Network of National Coordination Centres.  Announced in 2017, as part of the cybersecurity package of the European Commission, the initiative aims to mobilize capital and support for a European industrial ecosystem for the development and deployment of cybersecurity technology.  The program would be funded by the EU and the Member States, with the EU contributing close to €5 billion.  The plenary of the European Parliament has already adopted a formal position and ITRE will decide on Wednesday whether to start negotiation with the Council of the EU.  The Parliament’s position, as adopted on April 17, 2019, can be read here.

Meetings and Agenda

Monday, September 23, 2019

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

15:00 – 18:30

  • Monetary Dialogue with Mario DRAGHI, President of the European Central Bank (15.00-17.00)
  • Public Hearing with Mario DRAGHI, Chairman of the European Systemic Risk Board (17.00-18.00)

Votes (18.00-18.30)

  • European Crowdfunding Service Providers (ECSP) for Business (COD) – Vote on the decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations
    • Rapporteur: Eugen JURZYCA (ECR, SK)
  • Markets in financial instruments (COD) – Vote on the decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations
    • Rapporteur: Caroline NAGTEGAAL (Renew, NL)

Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

15:00 – 18:30

Debate

  • Priorities of the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU – presentation by Thomas BLOMQVIST, Finnish Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality (15.00-16.00)

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Committee on International Trade

09:00 – 18:30   

  • Debate with EUROFER and European Aluminium on the current situation on the EU steel and aluminium sectors
  • Discussion on EU-Africa trade relations
  • The EU strategy against deforestation: the trade dimension. (Commission presentation)
  • New developments in research on trade in services and procurement (Commission presentation)

Committee on Budgets

11:00 – 18:00       

  • Presentation of Brexit contingency plan

15:00 – 18:00

  • General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2020 – all sections (BUD) – Exchange of views on Budgetary amendments
    • Co- rapporteurs: Monika Hohlmeier (EPP, DE), Eider Gardiazabal Rubial (S&D, ES)

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

14:30 – 18:30   

  • Exchange of views with Niels THYGESEN, Chair of the European Fiscal Board on the European Fiscal Board’s assessment of the general orientation of fiscal policy in the euro area for 2020 (16.30-17.30)

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

09:00 – 18:00
Debates   

  • Exchange of views with the Directors of the Agencies under the EMPL remit

Votes

  • General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2020 – all sections
    • Rapporteur: Lucia Ďuriš NICHOLSONOVÁ (ECR, SK)

Committee on Transport and Tourism

09:00 – 18:30

Vote on the decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations:   

  • Common rules for the allocation of slots at European Union airports (Recast) (COD)
    • Rapporteur: Dominique RIQUET (Renew, FR)
  • Amendment of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights and amendment of Regulation (EC) No 2027/97 on air carrier liability in respect of the carriage of passengers and their baggage by air (COD)
    • Rapporteur: Pablo ARIAS ECHEVERRÍA (EPP, ES)
  • Implementation of the Single European Sky (recast) (COD)
    • Rapporteur: Marian-Jean MARINESCU (EPP, RO)
  • Use of vehicles hired without drivers for the carriage of goods by road (COD)
    • Rapporteur: Cláudia Monteiro de Aguiar (EPP, PT)
  • Charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures (COD)
  • Enforcement requirements and specific rules for posting drivers in the road transport sector (COD)
    • Rapporteur: Kateřina Konečná (GUE/NGL, CZ)
  • Amending Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 as regards on minimum requirements on maximum daily and weekly driving times, minimum breaks and daily and weekly rest periods and Regulation (EU) 165/2014 as regards positioning by means of tachographs (COD)
    • Rapporteur: Henna VIRKKUNEN (EPP, FI)
  • Amending Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 and Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009 with a view to adapting them to developments in the sector (COD)
    • Rapporteur: Ismail ERTUG (S&D, DE)
  • Rail passengers’ rights and obligations (recast) (COD)
    • Rapporteur: Bogusław Liberadzki (S&D, PL)
  • Common rules for access to the international market for coach and bus services (COD)
  • Common rules for certain types of combined transport of goods between Member States (COD)
  • Streamlining measures for advancing the realisation of the trans-European transport network (COD)
    • Rapporteur: Dominique RIQUET (Renew, FR)
  • Electronic freight transport information (COD)
    • Rapporteur: Andor DELI (EPP, HU)
  • Discontinuing seasonal changes of time (COD)
  • General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2020 – all sections (BUD) – Exchange of views on Budgetary amendments
    • Co- rapporteurs: Monika HOHLMEIER (EPP, DE), Eider Gardiazabal Rubial (S&D, ES)

Committee on Fisheries

09:00 – 18:30   

  • European Union preparedness for changes to the EU fishing sector in the event of Brexit

Committee on Culture and Education

09:30 – 16:00   

  • European Day of Languages – exchange of views on multilingualism in the EU

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

14:30 – 18:30
Votes (18.00-18.30)   

  • Temporary reintroduction of border control at internal borders (COD)
    • Rapporteur: Tanja FAJON (S&D, SI),
  • Visa Information System (COD)
    • Rapporteur: Paulo RANGEL (EPP, PT)
  • Community statistics on migration and international protection (COD)
    • Rapporteur: Jan-Christoph OETJEN (Renew, DE)
  • Establishing the Pericles IV programme (COD)
    • Rapporteur: Clare DALY (GUE/NGL, IE)
  • Establishing the Rights and Values programme (COD) – rapporteur Alice KUHNKE (Greens/EFA, SE)
  • Establishing the Asylum and Migration Fund (COD)
    • Rapporteur: Miriam DALLI (S&D, MT)
  • Establishing, as part of the Integrated Border Management Fund, the instrument for financial support for border management and visa (COD)
    • Rapporteur: Tanja FAJON (S&D, SI)
  • Establishing the Internal Security Fund (COD)
    • Rapporteur: Monika HOHLMEIER (EPP, DE)
  • Preventing the dissemination of terrorist content online (COD)
    • Rapporteur: Patryk JAKI (ECR, PL)

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Subcommittee on Human Rights

09:00 – 18:30

Debates

  • Presentation of the “Normandy Index” measuring threats to peace and security
  • Debate with Front Line Defenders and Protectdefenders.eu in the presence of two human rights defenders

Committee on Budgetary Control

09:00 – 18:30

[TBA]

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

10:00 – 18:30

Votes (10.00 – 12.30)

  • Establishing the European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre and the Network of National Coordination Centres (COD) – Vote on the decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations
    • Rapporteur: Rasmus ANDRESEN (Greens/EFA, DE)
  • Labelling of tyres with respect to fuel efficiency and other essential parameters (COD) – Vote on the decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations
    • Rapporteur: Adina-Ioana VĂLEAN (EPP, RO)
  • General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2020 – all sections (BUD) – Vote for a draft opinion.
    • Rapporteur: Adina-Ioana VĂLEAN (EPP, RO)
  • 2019 UN Climate Change Conference in Santiago de Chile, Chili (COP25) -Vote on a draft opinion in letter form (to be confirmed)
    • Rapporteur: Adina-Ioana VĂLEAN (EPP, RO)
  • Presentation of the Policy department study on “How to tackle challenges in a future-oriented EU industrial strategy” by Julie PELLEGRIN (10.00-11.30)
  • Presentation of the STOA study on “Galileo Satellite Navigation System: Space applications on earth” by Ulf BESTEMANN (11.30-12.30)
  • Presentation of the EU Space Programmes as enablers for policies covered by the ITRE Committee – additional information in Annex (14.30-15.45)
  • Presentation of the European Court of Auditors Special Report “Wind and solar power for electricity generation” (15.45-16.45)
  • Presentation by the Commission of the report on the implementation of the work under the nuclear decommissioning assistance programmes to Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia (16.45-17.30)

 

Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

09:00 – 18:30

Votes

  • Type-approval requirements for motor vehicles and their trailers, and systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles, as regards their general safety and the protection of vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users – Examination and vote of a corrigendum (possibly)
  • Better enforcement and modernisation of EU consumer protection rules – Examination and vote of a corrigendum (possibly)

Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

09:00 – 18:30

  • Exchange of views with Commission representatives (DG AGRI and DG TRADE) on the agricultural component of the Mercosur Free Trade Agreement and other relevant issues of trade policy

Committee on Legal Affairs

09:00 – 18:30

Committee on Constitutional Affairs

14:30 – 18:30

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Subcommittee on Human Rights

09:00 – 12:30   

Debates

  • Exchange of views on the situation in Myanmar with Marzuki DARUSMAN, President of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar (FFM)

Subcommittee on Security and Defence

09:00 – 12:00

  • Debate with Jacek BYLICA, Special Envoy for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (Head of Division SECPOL.1, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and arms export control, EEAS), William ALBERQUE, Director of NATO’s Arms Control, Disarmament and WMD Non-Proliferation Centre and with Bruno LÉTÉ, Senior Fellow at The German Marshall Fund of the United States on the post INF Non-Proliferation regime
  • Debate with Pierre DELSAUX, Deputy Director General, (DG GROW, European Commission) on the defence and security aspects of EU space policy

Committee on Budgetary Control

09:00 – 12:30

Committee on Legal Affairs

09:00 – 12:30

Examination of potential or actual conflict of interests of the Commissioners-designate