Summary

Next week will be a mixed political group and committee week in the European Parliament.  Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will hold meetings with their respective political parties to prepare the plenary session, to be held from October 23 to 26, in Strasbourg.  A few committee meetings will also take place, focused on the treatment and transfer of personal data.

On Thursday, the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (“LIBE”) is expected to vote on its draft report on the ePrivacy Regulation.  This proposal for a Regulation seeks to introduce data privacy rules to address new electronic means of communication, such as Skype or WhatsApp.  It also aims to regulate end-to-end encryption in digital communications, and unsolicited direct marketing sent via electronic communication means, such as SMS.

On the same day, the LIBE Committee will also discuss with the Council Presidency the Court of Justice of the EU’s Opinion 1/15 on the draft Agreement between the EU and Canada on the transfer and use of Passenger Name Record (“PNR”).  The draft Agreement permits air carriers operating between the EU and Canada to transfer PNR data of all air passengers to the Canada Border Services Agency, where the data may be used, retained for up to 5 years, or transferred to other authorities and other third countries, for the purposes of ensuring public security and combating terrorism and serious transnational crime.  The Court held that certain provisions must be clarified and adapted in order to ensure that the Agreement complies with EU privacy rules. We have written a more complete blogpost about Opinion 1/15 – see here.

Meetings and Agenda

Monday, October 16, 2017

Special Committee on Terrorism

15:00 – 17:30

• No agenda is available

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

15:00 – 18:30

• Economic policies of the euro area (INI) – Vote on a report

o    Rapporteur: Gunnar HÖKMARK (EPP, SE)

• Commission Delegated Regulation supplementing Directive (EU) No 2016/97 of the European Parliament and of the Council (DEO) with regard to: product oversight and governance requirements for insurance undertakings and insurance distributors and information requirements and conduct of business rules applicable to the distribution of insurance-based investment products – Vote on recommendations for “early non-objections”

• Commission Delegated Regulation supplementing Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council (DEO) with regard to regulatory technical standards on indirect clearing arrangements – Vote on recommendations for “early non-objections”

• Commission Delegated Regulation amending Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 149/2013 (DEO) with regard to regulatory technical standards on indirect clearing arrangements – Vote on recommendations for “early non-objections”

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

15:00 – 18:30

• Joint EMPL-TRAN Hearing: Working conditions of mobile workers in transport

Votes

• Posting of workers in the framework of the provision of services – Adoption of draft report

o    Co-rapporteurs: Elisabeth MORIN-CHARTIER (EPP, FR) and Agnes JONGERIUS (S&D, NL)

Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

15:00 – 18:30

• Hearing on an EU strategy against women’s cancers (15.00-16.30)

16:30 – 17:30

• Women, gender equality and climate justice (INI) – discussion on draft report

o    Rapporteur: Linnéa ENGSTRÖM (Greens/EFA, SE)

• Gender equality in the media sector in the EU –  discussion on working document

o    Rapporteur: Michaela ŠOJDROVÁ (EPP, CZ)

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

• No meetings scheduled.

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

• No meetings scheduled.

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Committee on Foreign Affairs

8:30 – 12:30

• Discussion with Mikheil JANELIDZE, Foreign Minister of Georgia

11:00 – 12:30

Jointly with the Committee on Development

• Central African Republic: Current situation. Discussion with: Koen VERVAEKE, Managing Director Africa, EEAS; Carla MONTESI, Director West and Central Africa, DEVCO; Susanne MALLAUN, Head of Unit North, West and Central Africa, ECHO; Najat ROCHDI, Deputy Special Representative for the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) and UN Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Representative of UNDP

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

9:00 – 12:30

Votes

• Implementation of the European Disability Strategy – Adoption of draft report

o    Rapporteur: Helga STEVENS (ECR, BE)

• Combating inequalities as a lever to boost job creation and growth – Adoption of draft report

o    Rapporteur: Javi LÓPEZ (S&D, ES)

End of votes

• Presentation of the state of play on the Social Pillar Proclamation Process

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

8:00 – 17:30

Votes (08:00 – 09:00) – 1st voting session

• Criteria and mechanisms for determining the Member State responsible for examining an application for international protection lodged in one of the Member States by a third-country national or a stateless person. Recast (COD) – vote on draft report and vote on the decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations and on the negotiating team

o    Rapporteur: Cecilia WIKSTRÖM (ALDE, SE)

• European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), amending EU Regulations – vote on two draft reports and vote on the decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations and on the negotiating team

o    Rapporteur: Kinga GÁL (EPP, HU)

• Minimum provisions on the constituent elements of criminal acts and penalties in the field of illicit drug trafficking, as regards the definition of the term ‘drug’ (COD) – vote on draft report

o    Rapporteur: Teresa JIMÉNEZ-BECERRIL BARRIO (EPP, ES)

Joint debate (9.00 – 10.15)

• Counter-terrorism package adopted by the College on 18 October (including EU-Canada PNR) – discussion with Sir Julian KING, Commissioner for the Security Union

• Passenger Name Record (PNR) – agreement between the EU and Canada for the transfer and use of PNR – discussion with the Council presidency on the Court opinion of 26 July (Opinion 1/15)

Votes (10:15 – 12:30) – 2nd voting session

• Respect for private life and the protection of personal data in electronic communications (COD) – vote on draft report and vote on the decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations and of the composition of the negotiating team

o    Rapporteur: Marju LAURISTIN (S&D, EE)

• EU Agency for Criminal Justice (Eurojust) (COD) –  vote on draft report and vote on the decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations and of the composition of the negotiating team

o    Rapporteur: Axel VOSS (EPP, DE)

Possibly – Schengen Information System (SIS)

• Use of the SIS for the return of illegally staying third-country nationals, (COD) – vote on draft report and vote on the decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations and of the composition of the negotiating team

o    Rapporteur: Jeroen LENAERS (EPP, NL)

• Establishment, operation and use of SIS in the fields of border checks and in police cooperation in criminal matters (COD) – vote on two draft reports and vote on the decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations and of the composition of the negotiating team

o    Rapporteur: Carlos COELHO (EPP, PT)

Jointly with the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (12.30-13.00)

• Controls on cash entering or leaving the Union (COD) – discussion on draft report

o    Co-rapporteurs: Mady DELVAUX (S&D, LU) and Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES)

Afternoon

• Follow-up to the New York Declaration: discussion on the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration (GCM) – discussion on the EU input to the UN Secretary-General’s report on the GCM by the European Union External Action Service (EEAS) (14.00-14.30)

• Situation of fundamental rights in the EU in 2016 (INI) – discussion on the draft annual report (14.30-15.15)

o    Rapporteur: Frank ENGEL (EPP, LU)

• Combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography (INI) – discussion on amendments (15.15-15.45)

o    Rapporteur: Anna Maria CORAZZA BILDT (EPP, SE)

• European Agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice (COD) – discussion on draft report (15.45-16.30)

o    Rapporteur: Monica MACOVEI (ECR, RO)

• Countering money laundering by criminal law (COD) – discussion on amendments (16.30-17.00)

o    Rapporteur: Ignazio CORRAO (EFDD, IT)