This week is an interesting week in the European Parliament, a Brussels-based “mini-Plenary”, with a mixture of committee meetings and votes in plenary session.

Following the agreement reached between the Parliament and the Council of the EU on November 17, the Parliament will vote on the compromise for the 2017 Budget on Thursday. The Parliament negotiated the Budget up, to pay programs aimed at fostering employment for youngsters, student mobility and SMEs.

The Parliament will also address data privacy, as a vote on the “Umbrella Agreement” will take place in plenary on Thursday December 1. The Umbrella Agreement is a proposal for Council Decision that covers the transfer of personal data between the EU and the US for law enforcement purposes, including in case of criminal prosecutions and terrorism. The Council Decision must be adopted following the consent procedure. Various Members of the European Parliament tabled amendments to refuse the parliamentary consent required to adopt the Council Decision. However, the amendments will have to be subject to a vote on Thursday. See here for the amendments tabled by the Parliament and here for the initial proposal.

Digital Single Market will be subject to a debate and vote in parliamentary committees. The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy will vote on a draft report on wholesale roaming charges (i.e., the price that a telecoms operator can charge to another for using its network). The vote will take place on Tuesday. See here for the draft report. The same day, the Legal Affairs Committee will vote on an opinion on a draft legislation that allows cross-border portability of online content services in the internal market. The draft legislation aims to allow EU citizens to use online content services (such as movies on Netflix) purchased online in their home Member State when they are temporarily in another EU Member State without any change in content. See here for the opinion.

Trade and agriculture will also be on the agenda of various committees. On Tuesday, Cecilia Malmström, EU Commissioner for Trade, and Phil Hogan, EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, will hold a discussion on the effects on agriculture of ongoing and envisaged trade negotiations in a joint meeting organised by the Committee on International Trade and the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.

Brexit will also be discussed on Wednesday, as part of an extraordinary Conference of Presidents (including the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, and the leaders of the political groups) in presence of Michel Barnier, the former EU Commissioner appointed by the Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, as Chief Negotiator with the UK on Brexit.

Meetings and Agenda

Monday November 28, 2016

Committee of Inquiry into Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector

15:00 – 18:30 

• Hearing of Ms Ida Auken, Danish Minister for the Environment from 2011 to 2014

• Discussion with former European Parliament rapporteurs, shadow rapporteurs and rapporteurs for opinion on the car emissions and type approval legislation

Committee on Development

15:00 – 18:30 (Jointly with the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety)   

• One year of Agenda 2030: Implementation in times of global challenges and the involvement of new actors – Discussion with David Nabarro, UN Special Adviser on 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Subcommittee on Security and Defence

15:00 – 18:30 (with the EU Council, the Commission and EEAS)

• Discussion on the Mosul offensive with Jean-Louis De Brouwer, Director for Europe, Eastern Neighbourhood and Middle East, DG ECHO, European Commission and Kawa Hassan, Director, Middle East and North Africa Program, EastWest Institute

• Discussion – The security situation in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The US perspective – discussion with Ambassador John E. Herbst, The Atlantic Council, Director of the Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center, Washington

Committee on Budgetary Contrtol

15:00 – 18:30

• Chair’s report to the committee on the result of the trilogue on the joint CONT-LIBE report “Fight against fraud to the Union’s financial interests by means of criminal law” – 23 November 2016 (according to Rule 73, 4 of the RoP)

• Annual Report on the control of the financial activities of the EIB for 2015 (INI)

• Rapporteur: Nedzhmi Ali (ALDE, BG)

• Presentation by Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, Andrew McDowell

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

15:00 – 18:30 

• Monetary Dialogue with Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank (15.00-17.00)

• Discussion with Mario Draghi, Chairman of the European Systemic Risk Board

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

15:00 – 18:30 (Jointly with the Committee on Development)

• Discussion – One year of Agenda 2030: Implementation in times of global challenges and the involvement of new actors – Discussion with David Nabarro, UN Special Adviser on 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

• Consideration of draft report – Palm oil and deforestation of rainforests

• Rapporteur: Kateřina Konečná (GUE/NGL, CZ)

• Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the implementation of Directive 2006/21/EC on the management of waste from extractive industries and amending Directive 2004/35/EC

• Discussion with the European Commission on the EU/Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

15:00 – 18:30 

• Discussion with Mr Günther Oettinger, Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society, as part of the Structured Dialogue

Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

15:00 – 18:30

• Hearing on “Resource efficient and innovative agriculture – EU and global best practices” (15.00-17.30)

Committee on Culture and Education

15:00 – 18:30 

• Hearing on “Crisis in the print media” (16:00-17:30)

Committee on Legal Affairs

15:00 – 18:30

• Discussion draft opinion on a Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive (EU) 2015/849 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing and amending Directive 2009/101/EC

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

• Discussion on National parliament reasoned opinion on subsidiarity Reasoned opinion by the French Senate on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on certain aspects concerning contracts for the online and other distance sales of goods

• Scrutiny of delegated and implementing acts:

• Commission implementing regulation laying down detailed rules for implementing certain provisions of Council Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 on the European Union trade mark

• Commission delegated regulation supplementing Council Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 on the European Union trade mark and repealing Commission Regulations (EC) No 2868/95 and (EC) No 216/96

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

15:00 – 18:30

• Special event – Europol and its parliamentary scrutiny in the framework of EU Internal Security policies

Committee on Petitions

15:00 – 18:30

• Discussion on opinion on Permitted uses of works and other subject-matter protected by copyright and related rights for the benefit of persons who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled and amending Directive 2001/29/EC on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society (COM(2016)596) (2016/0278(COD)) (for JURI)

• Discussion on Opinion on Cross-border exchange between the Union and third countries of accessible format copies of certain works and other subject-matter protected by copyright and related rights for the benefit of persons who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled (COM(2016)595) (2016/0279(COD)) (for JURI)

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Committee on Foreign Affairs

09:00 – 18:30

• Discussion on the political and humanitarian situation in Syria with Staffan De Mistura, UN Special Envoy for Syria, and Stephen O’Brien, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (11:00 – Jointly with the Committee on Development)

• Discussion with Retno Marsudi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia (to be confirmed)

• Discussion on EU-Switzerland relations with State Secretary Jacques De Wattewille, Swiss chief negotiator in negotiations with the EU and Christian Leffler, EEAS Deputy Secretary General for Economic and Global Issues

Committee on Development

09:00 – 18:30

• Commission Communications on the ACP-EU partnership post-2020 and revision of the European Consensus on Development – Discussion – with Neven Mimica, European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development

• Political and humanitarian situation in Syria – Discussion with UN Special Envoy, Staffan De Mistura, and UN Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien (Jointly with the Committee on Foreign Affairs)

• Hearing on Good governance and the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Peace, Justice, Governance)

Committee on International Trade

09:00 – 19:00

• Vote on draft report on Certain procedures for applying the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and Kosovo of the other part – 2016/0218(COD)

• Rapporteur: Adam Szejnfeld (EPP, PL)

• Vote on draft report on Accession to the Trade Agreement between the EU and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia and Peru, of the other part, to take account of the Accession of Ecuador – 2016/0092(NLE)

• Rapporteur: Helmut Scholz (GUE/NGL, DE)

• Discussion with Cecilia Malmström, Commissioner for Trade, and Phil Hogan, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, on the effects for agriculture of ongoing and envisaged trade negotiations (Jointly with Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development)

Committee on Budgetary Control

09:00 – 18:30 

• Discharge 2015: General budget of the EU – European Commission (DEC) –  Rapporteur: Joachim Zeller (EPP, DE) – Discussion with Phil Hogan, Member of the European Commission responsible for Agriculture and Rural Development, in the presence of the ECA member responsible, Nikolaos Milionis

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

09:00 – 18:30 

• Economic Dialogue and exchange of views with Jeroen Dijsselbloem, President of the Eurogroup (09.45-11.15)

• Discussion on FinTech: the influence of technology on the future of the financial sector (15.00-16.30)

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

09:00 – 12:30

• Discussion with Cecilia Malmström (Commissioner for Trade) – Discussion jointly with INTA Members on labour and social aspects of trade agreements

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

09:00 – 18:30

• Adoption of question for oral answer on Biological low risk pesticides

• Co-rapporteurs: Herbert Dorfmann (EPP, IT), Pavel Poc (S&D, CZ), Julie Girling (ECR, UK), Frédérique Ries (ALDE, BE), Lynn Boylan (GUE/NGL, IE), Bart Staes (Greens/EFA, BE), Mireille D’Ornano (ENF, FR), Eleonora Evi (EFDD, IT)

• Adoption of draft opinion on Approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles

• Rapporteur: Christofer Fjellner (EPP, SV)

• Discussion with Mr Ladislav Miko, Deputy Director General for Food Safety on the proposal for scientific criteria for endocrine disruptors

• Discussion with the European Commission on Urban Waste Waters

• Discussion with Mr Daniel Calleja Crespo, Director General for Environment on Sustainable Development Goals

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

09:00 – 18:30

• Adoption of draft report on Rules for wholesale roaming markets

  • Rapporteur: Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (S&D, FI)

• Adoption of draft report on Amending Decision 2008/376/EC on the adoption of the Research Programme of the Research Fund for Coal and Steel and on the multiannual technical guidelines for this programme

• Rapporteur: Jerzy Buzek (EPP, PL)

• Space Strategy for Europe – Discussion with Director Johann-Dietrich Woerner, Director General of the European Space Agency

• Public hearing – “What future for EU-Research Policy: taking stock and looking ahead”

Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

09:00 – 12:30

• Consideration of draft report – Contracts for the supply of digital content (Joint Meeting with JURI)

• Rapporteurs: Gebhardt (S&D, DE), Axel Voss (EPP, DE)

• Consideration of draft report – Contracts for the online and other distance sales of goods

• Rapporteur: Pascal Arimont (EPP, BE)

• Legislative scrutiny: Results of the European Consumer Summit 2016 on the Fitness Check on consumer and marketing law (tbc)

Committee on Regional Development

09:00 – 18:30

• Discussion with Corina Creţu, Commissioner for Regional Policy, on cohesion policy highlights 2016

• Vote on a draft regulation and vote on the opening of interinstitutional negotiations – Establishment of the Structural Reform Support Programme for the period 2017 to 2020 (COD) by Lambert van Nistelrooij (EPP, NL) and Constanze Krehl (S&D, DE)

• Vote on a draft resolution by Lambert van Nistelrooij (EPP, NL) – Investing in jobs and growth – maximising the contribution of European Structural and Investment Funds: an evaluation of the report under Article 16(3) of the CPR (INI)

Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

09:00 – 12:30 & 15:00 – 17:00

• Vote on a motion for a resolution pursuant to Rule 106(2) and (3) of the Rules of Procedure on the draft Commission implementing directive amending Annexes I to V to Council Directive 2000/29/EC on protective measures against the introduction into the Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant products and against their spread within the Community

Committee on Legal Affairs

09:00 – 18:30

• Vote on draft report on Cross-border portability of online content services in the internal market (COD)

• Rapporteur Jean-Marie Cavada (ALDE, FR)

• Vote on draft report on Cross-border aspects of adoptions (INL)

• Rapporteur: Tadeusz Zwiefka (EPP, PL)

• Hearing on copyright reform (11.00-12.00)

• Hearing on Intellectual Property Law and the Biotech Directive: current issues and future developments (15.00-16.00)

• Workshop on the implementation of the Mediation Directive (16.30-18.30)

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

09:00 – 18:30

• Hearing, jointly with the Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee, on the EU accession to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (11.30-12.30)

• Rapporteur Christine Revault D’Allonnes Bonnefoy (S&D, FR)

• Hearing on preventing and countering radicalisation and violent extremism (15.00-18.30)

Committee on Constitutional Affairs

09:00 – 18:30

• Event – Right of Inquiry, revision of EU electoral law and the future institutional evolution of the EU (Interparliamentary committee meeting with national parliaments (10.00-17.30))

Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

15:00 – 18:30

• Vote on draft report Promoting gender equality in mental health and clinical research (INI)

• Rapporteur: Beatriz Becerra Basterrechea (ALDE, ES)

• Vote on draft report Rights of women in the Eastern Partnership states (INI)

• Rapporteur: Mariya Gabriel (EPP, BG)

• Joint Hearing with the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs – The EU accession to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (11.30-12.30)

Committee on Petitions

09:00 – 12:30

• Vote on draft report Annual report 2015 of the activities of the Committee on Petitions (INI)

• Rapporteur: Ángela Vallina (GUE/NGL, ES)

• Vote on draft report Fact-finding visit to Slovakia (19.23 September 2016)

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Plenary Session

15:00 – 23:00 – Debate on

• 2017 budgetary procedure: joint text

• Rapporteurs: Indrek Tarand (Greens/EFA, Estonia), Jens Geier (S&D, Germany)

• MFF revision

• EU-Ghana Stepping Stone Economic Partnership Agreement

• Rapporteur : Christofer Fjellner (EPP, SV)

• US-EU Agreement on the protection of personal information relating to criminal offenses

• Rapporteur : Jan Philipp Albrecht (Greens/EFA, Germany)

• Recent transition of the IANA stewardship to the global internet community in October 2016 and the upcoming Internet Governance Forum in Mexico (6-8 December 2016)

• Joint debate – Solidarity Fund

• Rapporteur : Salvatore Cicu (EPP, Italy)

• Commissioners’ declarations of interests – Guidelines

• Rapporteur: Pascal Durand (Greens/EFA, France)

• Short presentation on the report Liability, compensation and financial security for offshore oil and gas operations

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

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Plenary Session

11:30 – 13:00 Vote on

• Union Customs Code, as regards goods that have temporarily left the customs territory of the Union by sea or air

  • Rapporteur: Maria Grapini (S&D, Romania)

• Key information documents for packaged retail and insurance-based investment products as regards the date of its application

  • Rapporteur: Pervenche Berès (S&D, France)

• EU-Kiribati Agreement on the short-stay visa waiver

  • Rapporteur: Mariya Gabriel (EPP, Bulgaria)

• EU-Solomon Islands Agreement on the short-stay visa waiver

  • Rapporteur: Mariya Gabriel (EPP, Bulgaria)

• EU-Micronesia Agreement on the short-stay visa waiver

  • Rapporteur: Mariya Gabriel (EPP, Bulgaria)

• EU-Tuvalu Agreement on the short-stay visa waiver

  • Rapporteur: Mariya Gabriel (EPP, Bulgaria)

• EU-Marshall Islands Agreement on the short-stay visa waiver

  • Rapporteur: Mariya Gabriel (EPP, Bulgaria)

• The European Union Solidarity Fund: an assessment

  • Rapporteur : Salvatore Cicu (EPP, Italy)

• Liability, compensation and financial security for offshore oil and gas operations

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

• EU-Ghana Stepping Stone Economic Partnership Agreement

  • Rapporteur : Christofer Fjellner (EPP, SV)

• US-EU Agreement on the protection of personal information relating to criminal offenses

  • Rapporteur : Jan Philipp Albrecht (Greens/EFA, Germany)

• Mobilisation of the Contingency Margin in 2017

  • Rapporteur: Jens Geier (S&D, Germany)

• Mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument to finance immediate budgetary measures to address the ongoing migration, refugee and security crisis

  • Rapporteur: Jens Geier (S&D, Germany)

• Mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund to provide for payment of advances in the 2017 budget

  • Rapporteur : Patricija Šulin (EPP, Slovenia)

• 2017 budgetary procedure: joint text

  • Rapporteurs: Indrek Tarand (Greens/EFA, Estonia), Jens Geier (S&D, Germany)

• Mobilisation of the Contingency Margin in 2016

  • Rapporteur: José Manuel Fernandes (EPP, Portugal)

• Draft amending budget No 4/2016: Update of appropriations to reflect the latest developments on migration and security issues, reduction of payment and commitment appropriations

  • Rapporteur: José Manuel Fernandes (EPP, Portugal)

• Draft amending budget No 5/2016: Implementation of the Own Resources Decision No 2014/335/EU

  • Rapporteur: José Manuel Fernandes (EPP, Portugal)

• Mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Germany

  • Rapporteur : Monika Hohlmeier (EPP, Germany)

• Draft amending budget No 6/2016 accompanying the proposal to mobilise the EU Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Germany

  • Rapporteur: José Manuel Fernandes (EPP, Portugal)

• Situation in Italy after the earthquakes

• Commissioners’ declarations of interests – Guidelines

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

• Situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

• Access to energy in developing countries

• Application of the European Order for Payment Procedure

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

Committee of Inquiry into Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector

15:00 – 17:30

• Hearing of Mr Vladimir Šucha, Director-General, Joint Research Centre (JRC)

• Hearing of Mr Giovanni De Santi, Director, Joint Research Center (JRC)

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

TBC – Joint meeting with the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee

• Prevention of the use of the financial system for the purpose of money laundering and terrorist financing activities (COD) 2013/0025(COD)

  • Co-rapporteurs: Krišjānis Kariņš (EPP, LV) and Judith Sargentini (Greens/EFA, NL)

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

TBC – Joint meeting with the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee

• Prevention of the use of the financial system for the purpose of money laundering and terrorist financing activities (COD) 2013/0025(COD)

• Co-rapporteurs: Krišjānis Kariņš (EPP, LV) and Judith Sargentini (Greens/EFA, NL)