Summary

Next week Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will gather in Strasbourg for the last plenary sitting before the Summer break.

Interesting votes and debates will take place.

On Tuesday, MEPs will vote on the own-initiative report voted in the Parliament’s Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (“IMCO”) on European Standards.  The report advocates an open, inclusive, transparent and market-driven European standardization system open to all actors, from business to public authorities, standardization bodies and any other interested parties.  Moreover, the IMCO members believe the EU should maintain a key role in the international standardization activities.  The report also calls on the Commission to: urge the European Standardization Organizations (“ESOs”) to encourage and contribute to high-quality interoperable and open standards; improve collaboration between ESOs, National Standardization Bodies (“NSBs”) and relevant stakeholders through an Annual Standardization Forum; harmonize the conditions for European stakeholder organizations eligible for Union Financing (Annex III of Regulation 1025/2012); use technology to help identify future ICT developments which could benefit from standardization (“technology-watch activities”); prepare a European register including all existing European standards; and work with the ESOs and NSBs to promote easily accessible points of access with information for users on available standards and their specificities. 

On the same day, the plenary will vote on its resolution at first reading on the Commission proposal on the introduction of temporary autonomous trade measures for Ukraine.  The Commission proposal is aimed at improving and increasing the existing trade flows between the EU and Ukraine and at helping Ukraine remedy the loss of the Russian market, by introducing additional autonomous trade measures (“ATMs”).  Additional ATMs will be granted in the form of increased zero tariff-quotas for agricultural goods, such as maize, wheat, oats, grape juice, natural honey and processed tomatoes, and the partial or full removal of export duties for industrial products, such as footwear, aluminum products, electrical machinery and fertilizers.  These ATMs would complement the concessions made under the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine. They would be valid for three years.  The Parliament is likely to propose amendments to the Commission proposal to bring it in line with the political agreement reached with the Council of the EU on June 28. 

Also on Tuesday, MEPs will vote on their resolution at first reading on the Commission proposal for a Directive amending Directive 2013/34/EU as regards disclosure of income tax information by certain undertakings and branches.  This proposal is aimed at multinationals conducting business in the EU, and would require that multinationals with a turnaround of over €40 million to publish information relating to where their profits are made, as well as the amount of tax they pay, on a country-by-country basis. It would broaden the scope of disclosure, including to intra-group payments.  The Parliament is expected to introduce amendments to the proposal. 

Finally, the Parliament will discuss the achievements of the exiting Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU on Tuesday, while the new Estonian Council Presidency will introduce its program of activities on Wednesday.  The Estonian Presidency of the Council starts on July 1 until December 31, 2017.

Meetings and Agenda

Monday, July 3, 2017

Plenary:

17:00 – 21:00 (Debates)

• Macro-financial assistance to the Republic of Moldova

o    Rapporteur: Sorin Moisă (S&D, RO)

o    Committee: INTA

• European standards

o    Rapporteur: Marlene Mizzi (S&D, MT)

o    Committees: IMCO

• Permitted uses of certain works and other protected subject-matter for the benefit of persons who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled

o    Rapporteur: Max Andersson (Greens/EFA, SE)

o    Committee: JURI

• Cross-border exchange between the Union and third countries of accessible format copies of certain works and other protected subject-matter for the benefit of persons who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled

o    Rapporteur: Max Andersson (Greens/EFA, SE)

o    Committee: JURI

• A longer lifetime for products: benefits for consumers and companies

o    Rapporteur: Pascal Durand (Greens/EFA, FR)

o    Committee: IMCO

• Addressing human rights violations in the context of war crimes, and crimes against humanity, including genocide

o    Rapporteur: Cristian Dan Preda (EPP, RO)

o    Committee: AFET

• Private security companies

o    Rapporteur: Neoklis Sylikiotis (GUE/NGL, CY)

o    Committee: EMPL

• The functioning of franchising in the retail sector

o    Rapporteur: Dennis de Jong (GUE/NGL, NL)

o    Committee: IMCO

• Towards a pan-European covered bonds framework

o    Rapporteur: Bernd Lucke (ECR, DE)

o    Committee: ECON

• The role of fisheries-related tourism in the diversification of fisheries

o    Rapporteur: Renata Briano (S&D, IT)

o    Committee: PECH

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

19:00 – 20:30

• Hearing with Věra Jourová, Member of the European Commission responsible for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Plenary:

09:00 – 11:50 (Debates)

• Review of the Maltese Presidency

• Disclosure of income tax information by certain undertakings and branches

o    Co-rapporteurs: Hugues Bayet (S&D, BE) and Evelyn Regner (S&D, AT)

o    Committees: ECON and JURI

12:00 – 14:00 (Votes)

• Appointment of a Member of the European Commission – Mariya Gabriel (BG)

• European standards

o    Rapporteur: Marlene Mizzi (S&D, MT)

o    Committees: IMCO

• Recommendation to the Council on the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly

o    Rapporteur: Andrey Kovatchev (EPP, BG)

o    Committee: AFET

• Introduction of temporary autonomous trade measures for Ukraine

o    Rapporteur: Jarosław Wałęsa (EPP, PL)

o    Committee: INTA

• Draft amending budget n° 2 to the General budget 2017 entering the surplus of the financial year 2016

o    Rapporteur: Jens Geier (S&D, DE)

o    Committee: BUDG

• Mobilization of the European Globalization Adjustment Fund: application EGF/2017/001 ES/Castilla y León mining

o    Rapporteur: Monika Vana (Greens/EFA, AT)

o    Committee: BUDG

• EU-Kosovo Framework Agreement on the general principles for the participation of Kosovo in Union programs

o    Rapporteur: Ulrike Lunacek (Greens/EFA, AT)

o    Committee: AFET

• Disclosure of income tax information by certain undertakings and branches

o    Co-rapporteurs: Hugues Bayet (S&D, BE) and Evelyn Regner (S&D, AT)

o    Committees: ECON and JURI

15:00 – 23:00 (Debates)

• Preparation of the Commission Work Programme for 2018

• Reflection paper on the future of EU finances by 2025

• Saudi Arabia’s election as Member of the UN Commission on the Status of Women

• Conclusion of the EU-Cuba Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (Recommendation)

o    Rapporteur: Elena Valenciano (S&D, ES)

o    Committee: AFET

• Conclusion of the EU-Cuba Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (Resolution)

o    Rapporteur: Elena Valenciano (S&D, ES)

o    Committee: AFET

• Fight against fraud to the Union’s financial interests by means of criminal law

o    Co-rapporteurs: Ingeborg Gräßle (EPP, DE) and Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D, ES)

o    Committees: AFET and CULT

• Towards an EU strategy for international cultural relations

o    Co-rapporteurs: Silvia Costa (S&D, IT) and Elmar Brok (EPP, DE)

o    Committees: AFET and CULT

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Plenary:

09:00 – 11:50 (Debates)

• Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 22 and 23 June 2017

• Presentation of the program of activities of the Estonian Presidency

12:00 – 14:00 (Votes)

• Memorandum of Understanding between the European Agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice and Eurojust

o    Rapporteur: Claude Moraes (S&D, UK)

o    Committee: LIBE

• Building an ambitious EU industrial strategy as a strategic priority for growth, employment and innovation in Europe

15:00 – 23:00 (Debates)

• 2016 Report on Turkey

o    Rapporteur: Kati Piri (S&D, NL)

o    Committee: AFET

• EU action for sustainability

o    Rapporteur: Seb Dance (S&D, UK)

o    Committee: ENVI

• High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

• Promoting cohesion and development in the outermost regions of the EU

o    Rapporteur: Younous Omarjee (GUE/NGL, FR)

o    Committees: REGI

• Limitation periods for traffic accidents

o    Rapporteur: Pavel Svoboda (EPP, CZ)

o    Committee: JURI

• Common minimum standards of civil procedure

o    Rapporteur: Emil Radev (EPP, BG)

o    Committee: JURI

• Double taxation dispute resolution mechanisms in the EU

o    Rapporteur: Michael Theurer (ALDE, DE)

o    Committee: ECON 

Thursday, July 6, 2017

Plenary:

9:00 – 11:50 (Debates)

• HIV, TB and HCV epidemics in Europe on the rise

12:00 – 14:00 (Votes)

• Motions for resolutions concerning debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law (Rule 135)

• 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)