Summary

Strasbourg will be vibrant next week because the European Parliament will hold its plenary sitting.

Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) are not expected to vote on many items, however a number of interesting debates will take place.

On Monday, MEPs will discuss the upcoming report of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (“IMCO”) on the proposal for a Regulation on CE marked fertilizing products.  The proposal for a Regulation seeks to repeal the existing Fertilizers Regulation.  It introduces revised EU market access rules to incentivize the large-scale production of fertilizers in the EU from domestic organic or secondary raw materials with a view to reducing the EU’s dependence on imported substances, such as phosphate. The proposal also provides measures to address the issue of soil and food contamination. It also introduces harmonized cadmium limits for phosphate fertilizers to protect human health and reduce environmental risks.  See the proposal for a Regulation here, and the draft report here.

On Tuesday, MEPs will discuss the outcome of the European Summit, held on October 19 and 20, 2017, with Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Council President Donald Tusk.  During the European Council, the Heads of State discussed various topics, such as migration, EU external relations, Digital Europe, Defense, and Brexit.

On Thursday, MEPs will debate a motion for a resolution that has been prepared by the Committee on Legal Affairs (“JURI”) on the application of the Environmental Liability Directive (“ELD”).  The JURI Committee seeks to adapt the ELD to the rapid evolution of pollutants from industrial activities by extending the definition of environmental damage and extending the scope of the ELD to cover damage to the air, flora, fauna and landscape, as well as by identifying new activities for inclusion in the list of dangerous activities laid down in Annex III of the ELD.  See the motion for a resolution of the JURI Committee here.

Meetings and Agenda

Monday, October 23, 2017

Plenary:

17:00 – 23:00 (Debates)

• Criminal acts and penalties in the field of illicit drug trafficking

• Rapporteur: Teresa Jiménez-Becerril Barrio (EPP, ES)

  • • Committee: LIBE

• Information exchange on, and an early warning system and risk assessment procedure for, new psychoactive substances

  • Rapporteur: Michał Boni (EPP, PL)

  • Committees: LIBE

• CE marked fertilizing products

  • Rapporteur: Mihai Ţurcanu (EPP, RO)

  • Committee: IMCO

• Legitimate measures to protect whistle-blowers acting in the public interest

  • Rapporteur: Virginie Rozière (S&D, FR)

  • Committee: JURI

• Economic policies of the euro area

  • Rapporteur: Gunnar Hökmark (EPP, SE)

  • Committee: ECON

• Minimum income policies as a tool for fighting poverty

  • Rapporteur: Laura Agea (EFD, IT)

  • Committee: EMPL

• Fundamental rights aspects in Roma integration in the EU: fighting anti-Gypsyism

  • Rapporteur: Soraya Post (S&D, SE)

  • Committee: LIBE

• Control of spending and monitoring of EU Youth Guarantee schemes cost-effectiveness

  • Rapporteur: Derek Vaughan (S&D, UK)

  • Committee: CONT

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

19:30 – 21:30

Votes

• Promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (recast) – Adoption of draft opinion

  • Rapporteur: Bas EICKHOUT (Greens/EFA, NL)

Committee on Constitutional Affairs

20:30 – 21:30

• Statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations (COD) – discussion on draft report

  • Co-rapporteurs: Mercedes BRESSO (S&D, IT) and Rainer Wieland (EPP, DE)

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Plenary:

09:00 – 11:50 (Debates)

• Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 19 and 20 October 2017

12:00 – 14:00 Votes

• Draft amending budget No 5/2017: financing for the European Fund for Sustainable Development and increasing the Emergency Aid Reserve

  • Rapporteur: Jens Geier (S&D, DE)

  • Committee: BUDG

• Mobilization of the Flexibility Instrument to provide the financing for the European Fund for Sustainable Development

  • Rapporteur: Jens Geier (S&D, DE)

  • Committee: BUDG

• Common Fisheries Policy: implementation of the landing obligation

  • Rapporteur: Alain Cadec (EPP, FR)

  • Committee: PECH

• Authorizing France to apply a reduced rate of certain indirect taxes on ‘traditional’ rum produced in Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique and Réunion

  • Rapporteur: Iskra Mihaylova (ALDE, BG)

  • Committee: REGI

• Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking: financial contributions

  • Rapporteur: Miroslav Poche (S&D, CZ)

  • Committee: ITRE

• EU-Morocco Euro-Mediterranean Aviation Agreement

  • Rapporteur: Dominique Riquet (ALDE, FR)

  • Committee: TRAN

• Subjecting furanylfentanyl to control measures

  • Rapporteur: Michał Boni (EPP, PL)

  • Committee: LIBE

• Reflection paper on the future of EU finances

15.00 – 21:00 (Debates)

• Commission Work Programme 2018

• General budget of the European Union for 2018 – all sections

  • Co-rapporteurs: Siegfried Mureşan (EPP, RO) and Richard Ashworth (ECR, UK)

  • Committee: BUDG

• Debates on foreign affairs issues in the presence of the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (to be defined)

• Discharge 2015: EU general budget – European Council and Council

  • Rapporteur: Bart Staes (Greens/EFA, BE)

  • Committee: CONT

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Plenary:

09:00 – 11:50 (Debates)

• Establishing an Entry/Exit System (EES) to register entry and exit data of third country nationals crossing the EU external borders

  • Rapporteur: Agustín Díaz de Mera García Consuegra (EPP, ES)

  • Committee: LIBE

• Amendment of the Schengen Borders Code as regards the Use of the Entry/Exit System

  • Rapporteur: Agustín Díaz de Mera García Consuegra (EPP, ES)

  • Committee: LIBE

• Protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to carcinogens or mutagens

  • Rapporteur: Marita Ulvskog (S&D, SE)

  • Committee: EMPL

12:00 – 14:00 (Votes)

• General budget of the European Union for 2018 – all sections

  • Co-rapporteurs: Siegfried Mureşan (EPP, RO) and Richard Ashworth (ECR, UK)

  • Committee: BUDG

15:00 – 21:00 (Debates)

• Framework for simple, transparent and standardized securitization

  • Rapporteur: Paul Tang (S&D, NL)

  • Committee: ECON

• Prudential requirements for credit institutions and investment firms

  • Rapporteur: Othmar Karas (EPP, AT)

  • Committee: ECON

• Negotiating mandate for trade negotiations with Australia

  • Rapporteur: Daniel Caspary (EPP, DE)

    • Committee: INTA

• Negotiating mandate for trade negotiations with New Zealand

  • Rapporteur: Daniel Caspary (EPP, DE)

  • Committee: INTA

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Plenary:

8:30 – 11:50 (Debates)

• Monitoring the application of EU law 2015

  • Rapporteur: Kostas Chrysogonos (GUE/NGL, EL)

  • Committee: JURI

• Implementation of the Environmental Liability Directive

  • Rapporteur: Laura Ferrara (EFD, IT)

  • Committee: JURI

Special Committee on Terrorism

09:00 – 12:00

• Exchange of views with Mr Gilles de Kerchove, EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator

• Exchange of views on the work programme of the TERR Committee