Summary

Next week will be a political group week in the European Parliament.

Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will return from their Easter break and gear up for the Parliament’s plenary session that will be held from April 16 to 19, in Strasbourg.  A few interesting meetings will also take place in committee.

On Monday, the members of Parliament’s Special Committee on Terrorism (“TERR”) will hold discussions on the fight against terrorism financing with Mr. Raphaël Malagnini of the Belgian Prosecutor’s Office.

On Thursday, the Committee on Environnement, Public Health and Food Safety (“ENVI”) will discuss its draft opinion on the report on dual quality of products in the Single Market.  The report is being prepared by the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (“IMCO”).  The objective is to prevent the same branded products from being sold with different characteristics (e.g., lower quality ingredients or less product in the same packaging) depending on the Member States or the regions in which they are placed on the market.   Among others, the report calls on the Commission to amend Annex I of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (“UCPD”) to include dual quality as a blacklisted practice under the UCPD.  See ENVI’s draft opinion here, and IMCO’s draft report here.

On the same day, members of the Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism (“TRAN”) will exchange views on a report on the deployment of infrastructure for alternative fuels in the EU.  TRAN members will discuss possible parliamentary initiatives in the context of the Commission Action Plan, “Towards the broadest use of alternative fuels – an Action Plan on Alternative Fuels Infrastructure.”  The objective would be to speed up the roll-out of infrastructures for the distribution of alternative fuels in the EU.  See the Commission Action Plan here.

Meetings and Agenda

Monday, April 9, 2018

Special Committee on Terrorism

15:00 – 18:30

• Evolution of the terrorist threat in Europe and the new challenges in the fight against terrorism – Discussion with Jean-Charles Brisard, Centre for the Analysis of Terrorism (CAT) (15.00 – 16.30)
• Discussion on judicial cooperation in the fight against terrorism financing – Discussion with Raphaël Malagnini, Federal Magistrate, Prosecutor’s Office, Belgium (16.30 – 17.30)
• Discussion with Commissioner Pierre Moscovici (17.30 – 18.30)

Committee on Budgetary Control

15:00 – 18:30

• Joint debate with the committee on budgets (BUDG) – Financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union
  • Rapporteurs: Richard ASHWORTH (EPP, UK) and Ingeborg GRÂSSLE (EPP, DE)

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

15:00 – 18:30

Debate

• European Central Bank Annual Report for 2017 – Discussion following the presentation of the Annual (15.00-16.30)
• Report by the ECB Vice-President, Vitor CONSTÂNCIO

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

15:00 – 18:30

• European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights – Report on “Challenges facing civil society organisations working on human rights in the EU” – Presentation Michael O’Flaherty, Director of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (16.00 – 17.00)
• Controls on cash entering or leaving the Union (COD) (17.00 – 17.10) Reporting back to committee on the state of play of trilogue negotiations
  • Rapporteurs: Mady DELVAUX (S&D, LU), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES)

Vote (18:00-18:15)

• A European Values instrument to support civil society organisations which promote democracy, rule of law and fundamental values within the European Union – vote on a motion for a resolution

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

• No meetings of note

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

• No meetings of note

Thursday, April 12, 2018

Committee on Foreign Affairs

09:00 – 12:30

• A public hearing on EU policy options in case of decertification of the Iran nuclear deal by the US will take place on Thursday 12 April from 9:00 to 10:30 in room JAN 2Q2. MEPs plan to assess the state of play of implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (tbc) and will discuss with experts from think tanks the EU policy options should US decide to withdraw from Iran nuclear deal concluded in 2015.

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

09:00 – 12:30

Debates

• Dual quality of products in the Single Market – Consideration of draft opinion
  • Rapporteur: Biljana BORZAN (S&D, HR)
• Exchange of views with the Commission on possible further restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids
• Exchange of views with the Commission on General Report on the operation of REACH and review of certain elements – Conclusions and Actions

Committee on Transport and Tourism

09:00 – 12:30

Debates

• Deployment of infrastructure for alternative fuels in the European Union: Time to act! (INI) – exchange of views with Commission representatives
  • Rapporteur: Ismail ERTUG (S&D, DE)

Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

09:00 – 11:30

• Gender Mainstreaming Network – Discussions (10.00 – 11.30)

Friday, April 13, 2018 

• No meetings of note