Next week will be an interesting week in the European Parliament, with a mixture of committee meetings, and plenary sessions. The Parliament will address energy, chemicals, food and drugs, and the constitutional relationship between the United Kingdom and Scotland and Gibraltar respectively.

On Monday, the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (“AFCO”) will invite representatives of the government of Gibraltar and Scotland to discuss the impact of the Brexit referendum held on June 23, 2016, and its possible consequences on constitutional relationship between the EU and the UK.

Tuesday will be a very busy day for the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (“ENVI”), as votes are expected on various reports.

First, the ENVI Committee is expected to vote on a draft Report on draft recommendation for second reading on the proposal for a new Official Controls Regulation. The objective of the proposal is to enhance existing enforcement mechanisms and official controls by simplifying the legislative framework. The proposal also aims to increase transparency of official controls, as well as the availability of appropriate and stable resources specifically dedicated to these controls. Effective controls contribute to profitable EU imports and exports in the agri-food field, as they ensure high quality standards. The Committee is likely to approve the position of the Council. See the proposal for Regulation here, the position of the Council here, and the draft Report here.

Secondly, the ENVI Committee will vote on a draft non-legislative Resolution on EU options for improving access to medicines. The Resolution aims to support the Commission’s follow-up of the health ministers’ Council Conclusions  on “strengthening the balance in the pharmaceutical systems in the EU and its Member States”, from June 17, 2016, which called for a revision of some intellectual property rights incentives the EU grants to drug makers. The draft Resolution includes many recommendations, including the establishment of an EU public R&D platform funded by some of the profits made by pharmaceutical companies; the promotion of data in private research; the revision of the regulatory framework governing orphan medicines; the definition of what constitutes “unmet needs”; the assessment of the impact of incentives on the development of innovative drugs; the promotion of the reasonable use of pharmaceuticals across the EU; and the development, by the Commission, of means to enhance and foster the availability of generic drugs. See the draft Report here.

Furthermore, the ENVI Committee will also vote on a motion for a Resolution on Biological low-risk pesticides. The motion will then be put to vote in plenary on Thursday. The Resolution aims to question the Commission on the measures it intends to take to stop the stalemate faced by those seeking certification for low-risk pesticides. The certification is aimed at progressively replacing products deemed dangerous for the environment and human health by low-risk products. See the draft motion here.

Finally, on Wednesday, Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič will present to the Parliament the progress, and the next actions required to finalize the European Energy Union. The debate is likely to address climate commitments, competitive pricing for both the energy industry and EU citizens, energy efficiency and safe supply.

Meetings and Agenda

Monday, January 30, 2017 

Committee on Foreign Affairs

15:00 – 18:30 

• Discussion with Børge Brende, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

15:00 – 18:30

• Discussion with the Commission on the Large Combustion Plant Best Available Technique reference document (LCP BREF) under the Emission Directive (15.00)

• Meeting the EU’s 2030 emission reduction targets: the role of the land use and forestry sectors (LULUCF) (17.00-18.30)

Committee on Legal Affairs

15:00 – 18:30

• Hearing on the Treaty of Marrakesh: realizing the potential

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

15:00 – 18:30

• High-Level Expert Group on information and Interoperability – discussion with Julian King, Commissioner for Security Union (15.00-16.00)

• European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation and Training (Europol) – discussion with Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol on the Europol data breach on terrorism investigation files (16.00-16.45)

• “Hotspot Italy” Amnesty International report on how EU’s flagship approach leads to violations of refugees and migrant rights – discussion with Matteo de Bellis, Amnesty International’s researcher and a representative of the Italian government (17.15-18.00)

Committee on Constitutional Affairs

15:00 – 18:30

• Workshop on “The composition of the European Parliament” (15.00-16.30)

• Scotland and Gibraltar: the constitutional relationship of the United Kingdom with the European Union: discussion with representatives from the governments of Scotland and Gibraltar in view of the consequences of the results of the referendum of June 23, 2016 (16.30-18.30)

Tuesday, January 31, 2017 

Committee on Foreign Affairs

09:00 – 18:30

• Discussion with João Vale De Almeida, Head of the EU Delegation to the United Nations (09.00)

• The Nordstream 2 and its geopolitical implications,  Public hearing (10.30)

Vote (15.00) Jointly with the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety on

• Report on An integrated European Union policy for the Arctic (INI)

  • Co-rapporteurs: Urmas Paet (ALDE, EE) and Sirpa Pietkäinen (EPP, FI)

Vote (16.00) Jointly with the Committee on Development on

• Report Addressing Refugee and Migrant Movements: the Role of EU External Action (INI)

  • Co-rapporteurs: Elena Valenciano (S&D, ES) and Agustín Díaz De Mera García Consuegra (PPE, ES)

Vote on

• Report on the 2016 Commission Report on Albania (INI)

  • Rapporteur: Knut Fleckestein (S&D, DE)

• Report on the 2016 Commission Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina (INI)

  • Rapporteur: Cristian Dan Preda (EPP, RO)

• Report on Strategic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Canada, of the other part (NLE)

  • Rapporteur: Charles Tannock (ECR, UK) 

Committee of Inquiry into Money Laundering, Tax Avoidance and Tax Evasion

9:30 – 11:15

Joint meeting ECON/PANACommittee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

09:00 – 18:30

Vote on

• Report on Controls and activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health, plant reproductive material, plant protection products (COD)

  • Rapporteur: Karin Kadenbach (S&D, AT)

• Motion for a resolution further to a question for oral answer on Biological low risk pesticides (RSP)

• Report on EU options for improving access to medicines (INI)

  • Rapporteur: Soledad Cabezón Ruiz (S&D, ES)

  • Joint Committee meeting with AFET and ENVI

• Vote on Report on An integrated European Union policy for the Arctic (INI) (15.00 – 15.45)

  • Co-rapporteurs: Urmas Paet (ALDE, EE) and Sirpa Pietkäinen (EPP, FI)

• Discussion with Andrea Ammon, acting director of European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)

• Discussion with the Commission and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on Acrylamide in food

Committee on Legal Affairs

09:00 – 18:30 

• Vote on the text agreed during interinstitutional negotiations on Corporate governance: long-term shareholder engagement; corporate governance statement (COD)

  • Rapporteur: Sergio Gaetano Cofferati (S&D, IT)

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

09:00 – 18:30

Vote on 

• Draft Report on Subjecting the new psychoactive substance methyl 2-[[1-(cyclohexylmethyl)-1Hindole-3-carbonyl]amino]-3,3-dimethylbutanoate (MDMB-CHMICA) to control measures (NLE)

  • Rapporteur: Lorenzo Fontana (ENF, IT)

• EU/Liechtenstein Agreement: supplementary rules in relation to the instrument for financial support for external borders and visa (NLE)

  • Rapporteur: Josef Weidenholzer (S&D, AT)

• Discussion on draft Report on Reception of applicants for international protection. Recast (COD)

  • Rapporteur: Sophia in ‘t Veld (ALDE, NL)

• Passenger Name Record (PNR) – discussion with the Commission on their working document on the Implementation Plan for Directive (EU) 2016/681 on the use of PNR data for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of terrorist offences and serious crime

• Joint Way Forward (JWF) on migration issues between Afghanistan and the EU and Standard Operating Procedures between the EU and the Republic of Mali – discussion with Simon Mordue, Deputy Director-General for Migration & Home Affairs, European Commission (15.00-16.00)

• Discussion on draft Report on Conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of highly skilled employment (COD)

• Rapporteur: Claude Moraes (S&D, UK)

Committee on Constitutional Affairs

09:00 – 12:30

• Discussion with Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Better Regulation, Interinstitutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights (09.00-10.00)

• Conclusions of the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the EU – discussion with Ambassador Peter Javorcik, Permanent Representative of the Slovak Republic to the EU (10.00-11.00)

• Priorities of the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU – discussion with Louis Grech, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Malta and Ian Borg, Parliamentary Secretary for EU funds and 2017 Presidency (11.00)

Wednesday, February 1, 2017 

Plenary

15:00 – 23:00

Debates on

• State of the Energy Union

• Situation in South Sudan

• Rule of law crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Gabon

• Zero tolerance for female genital mutilationBilateral safeguard clause and stabilization mechanism for bananas of the EU-Colombia and Peru Trade Agreement

• Rapporteur: Marielle de Sarnez (ALDE, FR)

• Committee: INTA

• Sustainable management of external fishing fleets

• Rapporteur: Linnéa Engström (Greens/EFA, SE)

• Committee: PECH

• Biological low risk pesticides

• Implementation of Erasmus +

  • Rapporteur: Milan Zver (EPP, SI)

  • Committee: CULT

• Short presentation of the following report: An integrated approach to Sport Policy: good governance, accessibility and integrity

  • Rapporteur: Hannu Takkula (ALDE, FI)

  • Committee: CULT

Thursday, February 2, 2017 

Plenary

9:00 – 13:00

Debates on

• Third countries whose nationals are subject to or exempt from a visa requirement: Georgia

  • Rapporteur: Mariya Gabriel (EPP, BG)

  • Committee: LIBE

• Cross-border aspects of adoptions

  • Rapporteur: Tadeusz Zwiefka (EPP, PL)

  • Committee: JURI

Vote on

• An integrated approach to Sport Policy: good governance, accessibility and integrity

  • Rapporteur: Hannu Takkula (ALDE, FI)

  • Committee: CULT

• Cross-border aspects of adoptions

• Rapporteur: Tadeusz Zwiefka (EPP, PL)

  • Committee: JURI

• Bilateral safeguard clause and stabilization mechanism for bananas of the EU-Colombia and Peru Trade Agreement

  • Rapporteur: Marielle de Sarnez (ALDE, FR)

  • Committee: INTA

• Sustainable management of external fishing fleets

  • Rapporteur: Linnéa Engström (Greens/EFA, SE)

  • Committee: PECH

• Third countries whose nationals are subject to or exempt from a visa requirement: Georgia

  • Rapporteur: Mariya Gabriel (EPP, BG)

  • Committee: LIBE

• Rule of law crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Gabon

• Implementation of Erasmus +

  • Rapporteur: Milan Zver (EPP, SI)

  •  Committee: CULT

• Biological low risk pesticides