The Week Ahead in the European Parliament – April 7, 2017

Sebastian F.A. Vos

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The Week Ahead in the European Parliament – April 7, 2017

by: Sebastian F.A. Vos of Covington & Burling LLP - Global Policy Watch

Monday, April 10, 2017

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Summary

Next week will be a committee week in the European Parliament. There will be a number of interesting discussions in committee and public hearings.

On Tuesday, the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (“ENVI”) will vote on a its own-initiative draft report on resource efficiency: reducing food waste, improving food safety. This report aims to cut food waste by 50% by 2030, through means such as facilitating the donation of food. The report will also contribute to ongoing discussions on a legislative package on waste management and the circular economy.

On the same day, the ENVI Committee will consider first a draft motion for a Resolution on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Hepatitis C. Among its multiple proposals, the ENVI Committee calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop a comprehensive EU policy addressing HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Hepatitis C; reinforce their work with vulnerable communities through multi-sectoral cooperation (including by involving NGOs); facilitate access to innovative treatments and work on tackling the negative image associated with HIV infection; encourage EU Member States to make HIV tests free of charge, particularly for vulnerable groups; and cooperate in establishing cross-border measures to prevent the spread of Tuberculosis through the conclusion of bilateral agreements and joint actions. In addition, the ENVI Committee highlights the impact of tackling the antimicrobial resistance crisis by funding research and development programs for new vaccines, and through innovative and patient-centered approaches, diagnostics and treatment for tuberculosis.

Also on Tuesday, there will be a hearing organized by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (“LIBE”) dedicated to “ePrivacy Reform”. This hearing seeks to help the LIBE Committee prepare its views on the proposal for a Regulation on Privacy and Electronic Communications introduced by the Commission in January. The LIBE Committee aims to obtain the views of the various stakeholders involved (including NGOs, communication services providers, and actors from the telecoms sector) on various topics, such as the confidentiality and security of electronic communications.

Finally, on the same day, the Legal Affairs Committee (“JURI”) and ENVI Committee will hold a public hearing on the Environmental Liability Directive (see here). The public hearing brings together Members of the European Parliament, experts, academics and interest representatives. The Committees will seek their views on the successes and failures of the Directive’s implementation in the EU Member States. Both parliamentary committees want to analyze the impact the Directive had on the environment, consumers and businesses, and how this could be improved.

Meetings and Agenda

Monday, April 10, 2017

Committee on Foreign Affairs

15:00 – 18:30 Jointly with the Committee on International Trade and in association with the Delegation for relations with the Maghreb countries and the Arab Maghreb Union:

· Consideration of draft report and accompanying resolution – Joint debate: Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Cuba, of the other (2016/0298(NLE) and 2017/2036(INI))

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

· Discussion on the situation in Syria

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

15:00 – 18:30

· European Central Bank Annual Report for 2016 – Discussion and presentation of the Annual Report by the ECB Vice-President, Vitor Constâncio

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

15:00 – 18:30

· Hearing of the candidate for the function of Executive Director of ECDC

· Discussion with Mr Hans Bruyninckx, Executive director of the European Environment Agency (EEA)

Committee on Transport and Tourism

15:00 – 18:30

· Agenda not available

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Committee on Foreign Affairs

09:00 – 12:30

Voting

· Adoption of amendments on draft report on Statelessness in South and South East Asia (2016/2220(INI))

o Rapporteur Amjad Bashir (ECR, UK)

End of voting

· Discussion with Igor Crndak, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina

· Discussion with Valentin Inzko, UN High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina

Committee on Development

11:30 – 12:30

Joint committee meeting (Rule 55)

· Consideration of amendments on European Fund for Sustainable Development (EFSD) and establishing the EFSD Guarantee and the EFSD Guarantee Fund (2016/0281(COD))

o Rapporteurs: Eduard Kukan (EPP, SK), Doru-Claudian Frunzulică (S&D, RO), Eider Gardiazabal Rubial (S&D, ES)

Subcommittee on Human Rights

15:00 – 18:30

Jointly with the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

· Hearing on Child marriages (see Public hearings) 15.00 – 17.00

Subcommittee on Security and Defence

15:00 – 18:30

With the Council and Commission and EEAS

· The future of conventional arms control in Europe – discussion with Robin Mossinkoff, Head FSC Support Section, OSCE and William Alberque, Head Arms Control and Coordination Section, NATO

Committee on Budgets

11:30 – 12:30

· Consideration of amendments – European Fund for Sustainable Development (EFSD) and establishing the EFSD Guarantee and the EFSD Guarantee Fund (COD)

o Rapporteurs: Eduard Kukan (EPP, SK) , Doru-Claudian Frunzulica (S&D, RO) and Eider Gardiazabal Rubiall (S&D, ES)

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

15:00 – 18:30

· Public hearing – Social protection and the Commission proposal on coordination of social security systems

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

09:00 – 12:30

Votes

· Adoption of question for oral answer to the Commission – HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Hepatitis C

o Co-rapporteurs: Françoise Grossetête (EPP, FR), Claudiu Ciprian Tănăsescu (S&D, RO), Urszula Krupa (ECR, PL), Frédérique Ries (ALDE, BE), Kateřina Konečná (GUE/NGL, CZ), Martin Häusling (Greens/EFA, DE), Piernicola Pedicini (EFDD, IT), Mireille D’ornano (ENF, FR)

· Adoption of draft report – Initiative on resource efficiency: reducing food waste, improving food safety

o Rapporteur: Biljana Borzan (S&D, HR)

· Adoption of draft opinion – A longer lifetime for products: benefits for consumers and companies

o Rapporteur: Christel Schaldemose (S&D, DA)

End of votes

· Consideration of draft motion for a resolution – HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Hepatitis C

o Co-rapporteurs: Françoise Grossetête (EPP, FR), Claudiu Ciprian Tănăsescu (S&D, RO), Urszula Krupa (ECR, PL), Frédérique Ries (ALDE, BE), Kateřina Konečná (GUE/NGL, CZ), Martin Häusling (Greens/EFA, DE), Piernicola Pedicini (EFDD, IT), Mireille D’ornano (ENF, FR)

· Joint JURI / ENVI hearing on The Implementation of the Environmental Liability Directive: the way forward (15.30 – 17.00)

Committee on Transport and Tourism

09:00 – 18:30

· Vote on a draft directive on Registration of persons sailing on board passenger ships operating to or from ports of the Member States of the Community and amending Directive 2010/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on reporting formalities for ships arriving in and/or departing from ports of the Member States (COD)

o Rapporteur: Izaskun Bilbao Barandica (ALDE, ES)

· Vote on a draft directive on System of inspections for the safe operation of ro-ro ferry and high-speed passenger craft in regular service and amending Directive 2009/16/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on port State control and repealing Council Directive 1999/35/EC (COD)

o Rapporteur: Dominique Riquet (ALDE, FR)

· Vote on a draft directive on Safety rules and standards for passenger ships (COD)

o Rapporteur: Daniela Aiuto (EFDD, IT)

· Hearing on “Women and Transport – the role of women in solving the shortage of qualified staff in transport” (10.30-12.30)

Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

15:00 – 18:30

· Discussion with Bernhard URL, Executive Director of the European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA), on recent and current EFSA activities relevant for the agricultural sector

Committee on Legal Affairs

15:00 – 18:30

· Joint hearing of the Committees on Legal Affairs, and on the Environment, the Public Health and the Food Safety, on The Implementation of the Environmental Liability Directive: the way forward (15.30 – 17.00)

17-18.30 in camera

· Request for waiver of the parliamentary immunity of Marine Le Pen (IMM)

o Rapporteur: Angel Dzhambazki (ECR, BG)

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

15:00 – 18:30

· Consideration of amendment on Establishment of ‘Eurodac’ for the comparison of fingerprints for the effective application of Regulation (EU) No 604/2013, for identifying an illegally staying third-country national or stateless person and on requests for the comparison with Eurodac data by Member States’ law enforcement authorities and Europol for law enforcement purposes (recast) (COD) (possibly, 9.00 – 9.40)

o Rapporteur: Monica Macovei (ECR, RO)

· Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the application of, and delegation of power under, Regulation (EU) 98/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the marketing and use of explosives precursors (9.40 – 10.10) – Presentation by Hans Das, Head of Unit for Terrorism and radicalization, DG HOME, European Commission

Joint debate (10.10 – 11.00)

· Commission Recommendation on making returns more effective when implementing the Directive 2008/115/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council;

· Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on a more effective return policy in the European Union – A renewed Action Plan – Presentation by Ioan-Dragos Tudorache, Head of Unit for Irregular Migration and Return Policy (C.1), DG HOME, European Commission

Votes (11.10 – 11.30)

· Vote on a draft report – Agreement on Operational and Strategic Cooperation between the Kingdom of Denmark and Europol (CNS)

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

End of votes

· Hearing on “The proposed rules for the respect for private life and the protection of personal data in the electronic communications in the EU” (15.00 – 18.30)

Committee on Constitutional Affairs

15:00 – 18:30

· No agenda available

Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

17:15 – 18:45

· Joint DROI/LIBE Hearing on Child marriage (15.00 – 17.00)

Votes (17.15 – 17.30)

· Vote of a question for oral answer on The humanitarian situation in Gaza, in particular concerning women and girls

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Subcommittee on Human Rights

9:00 – 12:30

· Discussion with Stavros Lambrinidis, EU Special Representative for Human Rights 10.00 – 11.00

Subcommittee on Security and Defence

09:00 – 12:30

· Workshop “Implementation of the EU arms export control system”

· Review of EU’s crisis management structures and civil-military coordination – discussion with Kenneth Deane, Director of the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC), EEAS and Rear Admiral Waldemar Głuszko, Deputy Head of the European Union Military Staff, EEAS

Committee on Budgetary Control

09:00 – 12:30

· Votes and adoption of draft report – Partial renewal of members of the Court of Auditors – HU nominee (NLE)

o Rapporteur: IIndrek Tarand (Greens/EFA, EE)

· Hearing of Ildikó Gáll-Pelcz – Candidate nominated by the Hungarian authorities – In camera – Evaluation

Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

9:00 – 18:30

· Special Report No 31/2016: Spending at least one euro in every five from the EU budget on climate action: ambitious work underway, but at serious risk of falling short, presentation by Phil Wynn Owen, Member of the European Court of Auditors

Committee on Legal Affairs

9:00 – 18:30

· Joint Workshop for the Committees on Legal Affairs, and on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, on The training of judges and legal practitioners -ensuring the full application of EU law

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Joint committee meeting (Rule 55) with the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (9.00 – 9.45)

end of joint committee

· Adoption of opinion(s) in letter form on EGF application(s) – Technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission

· European Solidarity Corps Initiative – Adoption of question for oral answer

End of votes

· Consideration of a draft report – Union Resettlement Framework (COD) (9.45 – 10.30)

o Rapporteur Malin Björk (GUE/NGL, SE)

· Consideration of amendments – Establishing the 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) (10.30 – 11.30)

o Rapporteur Cecilia Wikström (ALDE, SE)

· Establishing an EU common list of safe countries of origin for the purposes of common procedures for granting and withdrawing international protection (COD) (11.30 – 12.00) – Presentation of the state of play of the negotiations by the rapporteur and feedback from the Maltese Council Presidency

o Rapporteur: Sylvie Guillaume (S&D, FR)

· Joint LIBE/JURI Workshop on Judicial Training (in collaboration with the Policy Department C): “The training of judges and legal practitioners as a tool to ensure the full application of EU law” (15.00 – 16.30)