Summary

Next week, many Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will gather in Brussels for committee meetings and plenary sessions.  Due to lockdown measures in many EU Member States, not all MEPs will be attending these sessions.  Nevertheless, appropriate measures will be taken so that business can proceed as usual as much as possible.  For example, MEPs will be able to vote by e-mail.  However, if they want to contribute to debates, MEPs would only be allowed to do so by being physically present in Brussels.

Interesting votes and debates are scheduled to take place next week.

On Tuesday, the Committee on Transport and Tourism (“TRANS”) will hold an exchange of views with Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans on the future of the transport sector in the framework of the European Green Deal.  The Commission has committed itself to putting the European Green Deal at the center of the EU’s recovery strategy after COVID-19.  Critically, during an exchange of views with the Committee on Industry, Research, and Energy (“ITRE”) on “European SMEs and industrial recovery post COVID-19” on May 8, 2020, Vice-President Timmermans stressed that this means that airlines should contribute more to climate action, possibly in the form of a tax on kerosene.  This exchange of views will likely offer more insight.

On Thursday, during a plenary session, MEPs will debate on an economic recovery package for the EU after COVID-19.  Wide-ranging disagreement exists among the political groups on whether the recovery fund should provide loans to Member States or whether the financial aid should take the form of grants; there is also a disagreement on the criteria according to which these funds should be distributed.  Another critical topic the MEPs will debate in this context is the EU’s strategic autonomy.  On March 25, 2020, the European Commission issued guidance regarding the use of foreign direct investment screening powers during the COVID-19 pandemic to secure critical health infrastructure and secure supply of critical inputs (e.g., certain drugs or medical equipment) – see Covington blog posts on these developments here and here.  The political groups have strongly diverging interpretations of “strategic autonomy” and to what extent the EU should try to re-shore manufacturing and production of critical inputs, in particular in the pharmaceutical and medical sectors.

 Meetings and Agenda

Monday, May 11, 2020

Committee on Budgets

17:00 – 18:00

  • Estimates of revenue and expenditure for the financial year 2021 – Section I – European Parliament BUD) – Adoption of draft report
    • Rapporteur: Olivier CHASTEL (Renew, BE)

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

14:00 – 16:00

Debates

  • Exchange of views with Ms Adina VĂLEAN, Commissioner for Transport, on sustainable mobility post COVID-19 and developments related to CORSIA
  • Exchange of views with the Commission on their activities related to the development of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments

Committee on Transport and Tourism

14:00 – 16:00

  • Exchange of views with Vice-President Frans Timmermans on the future of transport sector in the framework of the Green Deal
  • COVID-19 relief measures related to transport: Presentation of recent proposals by the European Commission

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

14:00 – 16:00

Debates

  • Exchange of views with Mr Virginijus SINKEVIČIUS, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries – Presentation of the Circular Economy Action Plan and on the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030
  • Exchange of views with Guido RASI, Executive Director of European Medicines Agency (EMA), on EMA activities on COVID-19 and prospects for the future.

Committee on Regional Development

14:00 – 16:00

Debates

  • Recommendations on the negotiations for a new partnership with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (INI) – Adoption of draft opinion
    • Rapporteur: Pascal ARIMONT (EPP, BE)
  • Establishing the Just Transition Fund (COD) – Consideration of draft report
    • Rapporteur: Manolis Kefalogiannis (EPP, EL)

Committee on Legal Affairs

09:00 – 11:00

Debates

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Framework of ethical aspects of artificial intelligence, robotics and related technologies (INL)
    • Rapporteur: Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO (S&D, ES)
  • Civil liability regime for artificial intelligence (INL)
    • Rapporteur: Axel VOSS (EPP, DE)
  • Intellectual property rights for the development of artificial intelligence technologies (INI)
    • Rapporteur: Stéphane SÉJOURNÉ (Renew, FR)
  • AI: questions of interpretation and application of international law in so far as the EU is affected in the areas of civil and military uses and of state authority outside the scope of criminal justice (INI)
    • Rapporteur: Gilles LEBRETON (ID, FR)

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

10:00 – 12:00

Debates

  • Internal border controls within the Schengen area – exchange of views with Terezija GRAS, State Secretary for European and International Affairs, Ministry of the Interior, Croatian Presidency and Monique PARIAT, Director-General, DG HOME, European Commission (10.00 – 11.30)
    • Rapporteur: Tanja FAJON (S&D, SI)
  • Community statistics on migration and international protection (COD) – consideration of draft recommendation for second reading (11.30 – 12.00)
    • Rapporteur: Jan-Christoph OETJEN (Renew, DE)

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Plenary Session

15:00 – 21:00

Resumption of session and order of business

15:00

First voting session

15:30 – 16:30

  • Remark: votes will be distributed along the different voting sessions depending on the number of amendments
  • Votes on requests for urgent procedure (Rule 163)
  • Macro-financial assistance to enlargement and neighbourhood partners in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis
  • Temporary measures concerning the general meetings of European companies (SE) and of European Cooperative Societies (SCE)
  • Possible other requests for urgent procedures
    • Single votes
  • EU-Montenegro status agreement on actions carried out by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency in Montenegro
    • Rapporteur: Bettina VOLLATH (ALDE, AT)
  • EU-Serbia status agreement on actions carried out by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency in Serbia
    • Rapporteur: Bettina VOLLATH (ALDE, AT)
  • Renewal of the EU-India Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation
    • Rapporteur: Cristian-Silviu Buşoi (EPP, RO)
  • Renewal of the EU-Ukraine Agreement on cooperation in science and technology
    • Rapporteur: Cristian-Silviu Buşoi (EPP, RO)
  • EU-Belarus Agreement on readmission of persons residing without authorisation
    • Rapporteur: Petar VITANOV (ALDE, BU)
  • EU-Belarus Agreement on facilitation of issuance of visas
    • Rapporteur: Ondřej Kovařík (Renew, CZ)
  • Amending the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) – Protocol
    • Rapporteur: Rosanna CONTE (ID, IT)
  • EC-Mauritania Fisheries Partnership Agreement: fishing opportunities and financial contribution. Extension of the Protocol
    • Rapporteur:: Clara AGUILERA (ALDE, ES)

Reports where no amendments are tabled

  • A safety net to protect the beneficiaries of EU programmes: setting up an MFF contingency plan
    • Rapporteurs: Margarida MARQUES (ALDE, PT) & Jan OLBRYCHT (EPP, PL)
  • International road passenger transport services by coach and bus in the border regions: cabotage operations between Germany and Switzerland
    • Rapporteur: Markus FERBER (EPP, DE)
  • International road passenger transport services by coach and bus in the border regions: cabotage operations between Italy and Switzerland
    • Rapporteur: Markus FERBER (EPP, DE)

Possible other reports and objections where no amendments are tabled

  • Labelling of tyres: fuel efficiency and other essential parameters
    • Rapporteur: Henna VIRKKUNEN (EPP, FI)
  • Minimum requirements for water reuse
    • Rapporteur: Simona BONAFÈ (ALDE, IT)
  • Objection pursuant to Rule 112: Genetically modified soybean MON 87708 × MON 89788 × A5547-127
  • Objection pursuant to Rule 112(2) and (3) and (4)(c) : Maximum residue levels for several substances including flonicamid, haloxyfop and mandestrobin
  • Report on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Union agencies for the financial year 2018: performance, financial management and control
    • Rapporteur: Ryszard Czarnecki (ECRG, PL)

Debates

16:00 – 19:00

  • Council and Commission Statements: MFF, Own Resources, and Recovery Plan.

Announcement of results
19:45

Second voting session

20:00 – 21:00

  • Discharge resolutions where no amendments are tabled
  • First batch of amendments to discharge resolutions
  • Possible amendments to other reports
  • Parliament’s estimates of revenue and expenditure for the financial year 2021
  • Automated data exchange with regard to dactyloscopic data in the United Kingdom

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Plenary session

First voting session

09:30 – 10:30

  • Second batch of amendments to discharge resolutions

Debates

10:00 – 12:00

  • 70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration
  • Use of contact tracing apps in the fight against the coronavirus

Announcement of results

13:15

Second voting session

13:30 – 14:30

Third batch of amendments to discharge resolutions OR Final vote of discharge resolutions where amendments are tabled

Final votes

  • Parliament’s estimates of revenue and expenditure for the financial year 2021
  • Automated data exchange with regard to dactyloscopic data in the United Kingdom

Debate

14:30 – 15:30

  • Vaccines and therapeutics in the context of Covid-19

Announcement of results
17:15

Third voting session

17:30 – 18:30

  • Joint Motion for a Resolution on MFF, Own Resources, and Recovery Plan

Saturday, May 16, 2020

Plenary session

(Possibly) Announcement of results

09:00