Weekly European Agenda 06/02/2023
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06 February – 12 February 2023
Monday 6 February
- EP: PECH, SEDE, DROI, IMCO, LIBE, EMPL, CULT, DEVE, BUDG, ECON, AFET
- CoM: General Affairs Council
- CoM: Informal meeting of competitiveness ministers
- EC: Gentiloni participates in the 9th Recovery and Resilience Dialogue with ECON and BUDG committees of the European Parliament
- EC: von der Leyen receives the President of the European Investment Bank
- EC: Simson receives the Prime Minister of Moldova
- Presidency: Meeting of the Expert Group on Adaptation (EGA) and the Expert Group on Implementation (EGI)
- FRA: FRA and the UN Human Rights Office further strengthen their cooperation
- ECB: Publication of Harmonised competitiveness indicators
Tuesday 7 February
- CoM: Informal meeting of competitiveness ministers
- EC: Reynders participates in the “Cities for the rule of law” Conference
- EC: Schmit participates in the launch event of the report by the High Level Group on the future of social protection and the welfare state
- EC: Suica participates in the conference: “How can regions be made attractive and livable for talented people?”
- CoR: Stakeholder consultation on “Do no harm to Cohesion – A cross-cutting principle contributing towards cohesion as an overall objective and value of the EU”
- Presidency: Meeting of the Expert Group on Adaptation (EGA) and the Expert Group on Implementation (EGI)
- EDPS: 7th ENISA-ESOs Cybersecurity Standardisation Conference
Wednesday 8 February
- CoM: Informal meeting of competitiveness ministers
- EC: College Meeting
- EC: Schmit and Ferreira participate in the launch event for cohesion policy funds
- EC: Sinkevičius meets with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark
- EESC: YAP to youth worldwide: Next step – implementation!
- CoR: 153rd CoR Plenary Session
- Presidency: Meeting of the Expert Group on Adaptation (EGA) and the Expert Group on Implementation (EGI)
- EDPS: Wiewiórowski meeting with Director General DG LINC
Thursday 9 February
- EP: AFET, INTA, AFCO, ENVI, CONT, BUDG, CONT, AFET, ITRE, PEGA
- Special European Council
- EC: Vestager attends the European Council pre-summit organised by Renew Europe
- EC: Šuica in the United States meets with two Special Assistants to the President and Senior Director for Democracy at the National Security Council
- EC: Schmit receives the President of the COTER Commission of the Committee of the Regions
- EESC: The right to a healthy environment in the EU, especially in the context of the war in Ukraine
- CoR: 153rd CoR Plenary Session
- Presidency: Meeting of the Expert Group on Cross-cutting and Horizontal Issues (EGC)
- ECB: Lagarde participates in Euro Summit in Brussels
Friday 10 February
- Special European Council
- EC: Šefčovič, Simson, and Breton receive the President of Cofindustria
- EC: Sinkevičius meets with the Minister for Environment of Denmark
- EC: Schmit will receive the Minister of Labour of Palestine
- ECB: Publication of Long-term interest rates statistics
Institutional Agendas
European Parliament
Monday 6 February
Committee on Fisheries (PECH)
Debates: Conclusion of a Protocol implementing the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Mauritius (2022-2026); Protocol Amending the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization; EU-Norway bilateral and trilateral fisheries arrangements: state of play; Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, Ecuador.
Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE)
Debates: Exchange of views on the EU military operation EUFOR Althea and the security
situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina with General Robert BRIEGER, Chairman of the EU Military Committee (EUMC) and Lieutenant General Hubert COTTEREAU, Operation Commander of EUFOR Althea; Hearing on Enhancing EU support for Ukraine: conditions for the European Peace Facility and replenishing capabilities through joint procurement to efficiently enhance military support to Ukraine and the European Defence
Technological and Industrial Base; The implementation of civilian CSDP and other EU civilian security assistance.
Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI)
Debates: Election of the Chair; Exchange of views with Russia’s anti-war opposition and the Union’s action on the matter; In association with the Delegation for relations with Iran, exchange of views on ways to support the civil society in Iran.
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO)
Debates: Implementation of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive; Amending Directive 2011/83/EU concerning financial services contracts concluded at a distance and repealing Directive 2002/65/EC; EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles; Presentation of Policy Department study “Personalised Pricing”.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE)
Debates: Exchange of views with the Commission on the enforcement of EU law in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice; Study: EU migration and asylum funds for third countries; Joint debate Activities of the Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring.
Votes: Activities of the Frontex Scrutiny Working Group; Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of North Macedonia on operational activities carried out by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency in the Republic of North Macedonia; 2022 Rule of Law Report – The rule of law situation in the European Union; Proposals of the European Parliament for the amendment of the Treaties; Protection of the environment through criminal law and replacing Directive 2008/99/EC.
Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL)
Debates: Social and employment consequences of the rising cost of living; Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2009/148/EC on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to asbestos at work.
Votes: European Year of Skills 2023; Assessment of the new Commission communication on outermost regions.
Committee on Culture and Education (CULT)
Debates: Presentation of the priorities of the Swedish Presidency; Public hearing on the “European Media Freedom Act”.
Committee on Development (DEVE)
Debates: The hunger crisis in East Africa; Addressing the challenges associated with plastic pollution, waste disposal and management in developing countries; Achieving the UN Agenda 2030: Overall actions for the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals before and after the 2030 deadline.
Committee on Budgets (BUDG) jointly with Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON)
Debate: Recovery and Resilience Dialogue with Valdis Dombrovskis Executive Vice-President for An Economy that Works for People; and Paolo Gentiloni, Commissioner for Economy.
Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) jointly with Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE)
Debate: Establishing the European defence industry reinforcement through common procurement act.
Thursday 9 February
Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), Committee on International Trade (INTA), Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO)
Vote: Laying down rules for the exercise of the Union’s rights in the implementation and enforcement of the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the other part.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI)
Debates: Presentation of the Council Presidency’s programme; Chair’s announcements concerning coordinators’ recommendations of 24 January 2023; Standards of quality and safety for substances of human origin intended for human application and repealing Directives 2002/98/EC and 2004/23/EC; Election of the third Vice-Chair; Exchange of views with the Commission – Delivering the European Green Deal: present and future challenges in EU climate policy”; Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2009/148/EC on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to asbestos at work.
Vote: Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence and amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937; Laying down harmonised conditions for the marketing of construction products, amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and repealing Regulation (EU) 305/2011; 2021 discharge: General budget of the EU – Commission; Discharge 2021: European Medicines Agency; 2021 discharge – European Chemicals Agency; 2021 discharge – European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control; 2021 discharge – European Environment Agency; 2021 discharge : European Food Safety Authority; Own resources: a new start for EU finances, a new start for Europe; European Semester for economic policy coordination 2023; Amending Directive 2003/87/EC establishing a system for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Union, Decision (EU) 2015/1814 concerning the establishment and operation of a market stability reserve for the
Union greenhouse gas emission trading scheme and Regulation (EU) 2015/757; Establishing a carbon border adjustment mechanism; Amending Directive 2003/87/EC as regards aviation’s contribution to the Union’s economy-wide emission reduction target and appropriately implementing a global market-based measure; Amending Decision (EU) 2015/1814 as regards the amount of allowances to be placed in the market stability reserve for the Union greenhouse gas emission trading scheme until 2030.
Committee on Budgets (BUDG), Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT)
Debate: Financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (recast).
Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT)
Debates: 2021 Discharges; Large Transport Infrastructure Projects in the EU – implementation of projects
& monitoring and control of EU funds; CONT mission to Spain (20-22 February 2023); ECA Special Report 23/2022 – Synergies between Horizon 2020 and European Structural and Investment Funds.
Vote: Proposals of the European Parliament for the amendment of the Treaties.
Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET)
Debates: 2022 Commission Report on Serbia; 2022 Commission Report on Kosovo; Guidelines for the 2024 Budget – Section III.
Votes: EU-Armenia relations; EU-Azerbaijan relations; The EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders; Implementation of “passerelle” clauses in the EU Treaties; Exchange of views on the state of play of EU-UN relations with Ambassador Olof Skoog, Head of the European Union Delegation to the United Nations in New York.
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE)
Debates: Amending Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Directive 98/70/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the promotion of energy from renewable sources, and repealing
Council Directive (EU) 2015/652.
Votes: Amending Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 as regards establishing a framework for a European Digital Identity; Harmonised rules on fair access to and use of data (Data Act); Common rules for the internal markets in renewable and natural gases and in hydrogen (recast); Internal markets for renewable and natural gases and for hydrogen (recast); Energy performance of buildings (recast); Information security in the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union.
Committee of Inquiry to investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware (PEGA)
Debate: Hearing on “Geopolitics of Spyware”.
Find an overview of the parliamentary agenda here.
European Council
Thursday 9 February – Friday 10 February
Special European Council
There is no official agenda available yet. However, leaders are expected to discuss ways in which the EU can intensify its joint action, such as strengthening control of EU external borders, including through FRONTEX support from Member States’ actions and the use of IT tools.
The meeting page can be found here.
Council of Ministers
Monday 6 February
General Affairs Council
The Council will prepare for the special European Council on 9-10 February 2023 by discussing draft conclusions. Ministers will discuss the state of play of the EU-UK relations. In public session, the Swedish Presidency will present its priorities for the duration of its term of office.
Monday 6 February – Wednesday 8 February
Informal meeting of competitiveness ministers
The informal meeting of competitiveness ministers will be led by Minister for Energy, Business and Industry Ebba Busch, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell and Minister for Education Mats Persson. On the first day, Ms Busch, Mr Forssell and the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise will welcome participants to a business fair at Scandinavian XPO, where innovative Swedish businesses leading the green transition will be presented. The second day, participants will discuss how the EU can achieve the long-term objectives regarding enhanced competitiveness through a strengthened single market and the green transition. At the plenary meeting, the ministers will discuss how short-term measures that for example are taken due to the energy crisis can strengthen EU competitiveness in the long-term. On the third and final day, 8 February, Minister for Education Mats Persson and his ministerial colleagues will hold a policy debate on how to strengthen and develop the use of research data from research infrastructures to be better able to meet various societal challenges and strengthen competitiveness.
An overview of planned Council meetings can be found here.
European Commission and High Representative
Monday 6 February
Gentiloni participates in the 9th Recovery and Resilience Dialogue with ECON and BUDG committees of the European Parliament
Commissioner Gentiloni will participate in the 9th Recovery and Resilience Dialogue with ECON and BUDG committees of the European Parliament.
von der Leyen receives the President of the European Investment Bank
President von der Leyen will receive Werner Hoyer, President of the European Investment Bank.
Simson receives the Prime Minister of Moldova
Commissioner Simson will receive Natalia Gavrilita, Prime Minister of Moldova.
Tuesday 7 February
Reynders participates in the “Cities for the rule of law” Conference
Commissioner Reynders participates in the “Cities for the rule of law” Conference co-hosted by the Mayor of Brussels City and the Mayor of Budapest.
Schmit participates in the launch event of the report by the High Level Group on the future of social protection and the welfare state
Commissioner Schmit will participate in the launch event of the report by the High Level Group on the future of social protection and the welfare state, in Brussels.
Suica participates in the conference: “How can regions be made attractive and livable for talented people?”
Vice-President Suica will participate in the conference: “How can regions be made attractive and livable for talented people?” organized by the CoR and the Saxonian State Minister and Member of the Committee of the Regions Thomas Schmidt.
Wednesday 8 February
College meeting
The College of Commissioners will present new measures on the Union’s disaster resilience goals.
Schmit and Ferreira participate in the launch event for cohesion policy funds
Commissioners Schmit and Commissioner Elisa Ferreira will participate in the launch event for cohesion policy funds in Warsaw, Poland.
Sinkevičius meets with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark
Commissioner Sinkevičius will meet with Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
Thursday 09 February
Vestager attends the European Council pre-summit organised by Renew Europe
Commissioner Vestager will attend the European Council pre-summit organised by Renew Europe.
Šuica in the United States meets with two Special Assistants to the President and Senior Director for Democracy at the National Security Council
Vice-President Šuica, in Washington DC, United States will meet with two Special Assistants to the President and Senior Director for Democracy at the National Security Council, Rob Berschinki, and Justin Vail.
Schmit receives the President of the COTER Commission of the Committee of the Regions
Commissioner Schmit will receive Emil Boc, President of the COTER Commission of the Committee of the Regions.
Friday 10 February
Šefčovič, Simson, and Breton receive the President of Cofindustria
Commissioners Šefčovič, Commissioner Simson, and Commissioner Breton will receive Carlo Bonomi, President of the General Confederation of Italian Industry (Cofindustria).
Sinkevičius meets with the Minister for Environment of Denmark
Commissioner Sinkevičius in Copenhagen, Denmark, will meet with Magnus Heunicke, Minister for Environment of Denmark.
Schmit will receive the Minister of Labour of Palestine
Commissioner Schmit will receive Nabil Abu Jaish, Minister of Labour of Palestine.
An overview of the Commission College can be found here; the Commissioners’ weekly activities can be found here; the agenda of upcoming College meetings can be found here; Commission events can be found here.
European Economic and Social Committee
Wednesday 8 February
YAP to youth worldwide: Next step – implementation!
The Youth Action Plan (YAP) in EU External Action is guided by three pillars of action that will help shape the EU’s partnership with young people in partner countries: partnership to engage: increasing young people’s voices in policy and decision-making; partnership to empower: fighting inequalities and providing young people with the skills and tools they need to thrive; partnership to connect: fostering opportunities for young people to network and exchange with their peers worldwide. The hearing “YAP to youth worldwide: Next step – implementation!” in the framework of the EESC REX/566 opinion will focus on the implementation of YAP by hearing views of International Organisations, social partners and youth representatives from around the Globe.
Thursday 9 February
The right to a healthy environment in the EU, especially in the context of the war in Ukraine
The Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment (NAT) section of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is organising a hybrid public hearing to gather the view of international institutions, environmental law experts and European and Ukrainian civil society stakeholders on the EU’s approach to protecting and enhancing a healthy environment for all. The debate will feed into to the preparation of the EESC own-initiative opinion on “The right to a healthy environment, especially in the context of the Ukrainian war”. It will seek to provide civil society recommendation on improving the protection of the EU citizens’ right to a healthy environment.
More information about EESC events can be found here.
The agendas of the different EESC meetings can be found here.
Committee of the Regions
Tuesday 7 February
Stakeholder consultation on “Do no harm to Cohesion – A cross-cutting principle contributing towards cohesion as an overall objective and value of the EU”
The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is drafting an opinion on “Do no harm to Cohesion – A cross-cutting principle contributing towards cohesion as an overall objective and value of the EU”. The Rapporteur for this opinion, Mr. Michiel RIJSBERMAN (NL/Renew E.), Member of the Council of the Province of Flevoland, together with his expert, Ms. Sidony VENEMA, will meet representatives of local and regional associations and other stakeholders for a consultation and an exchange of views on the relevant topics of this opinion.
Wednesday 8 February – Thursday 9 February
153rd CoR Plenary Session
The main highlights of the Plenary session will be: Debate on LRAs fit for the digital age; Debate on the implementation of the Sustainable Developement Goals; Mayor Pawel Adamowicz Award Ceremony; Debate on the European Year of Skills 2023; Debate on the European Commission 2023 priorities, focusing on the EU energy platform, critical raw materials and EU-UK relations.
More information about Committee of the Regions events can be found here. The agendas of the different Committee of the Regions meetings can be found here.
Swedish Presidency
Monday 6 February – Wednesday 8 February
Meeting of the Expert Group on Adaptation (EGA) and the Expert Group on Implementation (EGI)
On 6-8 of February, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Paris Agreement climate negotiators from all over the EU will convene for two expert group meetings in Sweden as part of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Expert group on Implementation as well as the Expert Group on Adaptation. The agenda includes the outcome of the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) and how the EU should work together to advance the negotiations and implementation of the Paris Agreement. The Swedish Presidency is coordinating the work to draft the EU’s negotiating line ahead of the UN’s Bonn Climate Change Conference in June 2023 and the next Conference of the Parties (COP28) in the United Arab Emirates at the end of the year.
Thursday 9 February
Meeting of the Expert Group on Cross-cutting and Horizontal Issues (EGC)
On February 9, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Paris Agreement climate negotiators from all over the EU will convene for an expert group meeting on Cross-cutting and Horizontal Issues (EGC) in Sweden as part of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The agenda includes how the EU should work together to advance the negotiations and implementation of the Paris Agreement. Key issues to be discussed during the expert group meetings is climate information to the public, the upcoming Global Stocktake (which is a key component of the Paris Agreement that is used to monitor its implementation and evaluate the collective progress made in achieving the agreed goals), science related issues, the future of the UNFCCC process and gender mainstreaming climate action.
The agenda of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU can be found here.
European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights
Monday 6 February
FRA and the UN Human Rights Office further strengthen their cooperation
FRA’s Director will meet the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on 6 February in Geneva. The discussion will focus on how to further strengthen cooperation between FRA and the UN Human Rights Office. They will exchange views on current and future priorities. FRA’s Director will also meet Deputy Permanent Representatives of the EU Member States and the EU Delegation to the UN. There will also be meetings with human rights NGOs based in Geneva at a meeting hosted by the International Service for Human Rights.
Wiewiórowski meeting with Director General DG LINC
European Data Protection Supervisor Wojciech Wiewiórowski will meet with Agnieszka Walter-Drop, Director General DG LINC at the European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium.
Information on upcoming FRA events can be found here.
European Central Bank
Monday 06 February
Publication of Harmonised competitiveness indicators
ECB will publish its Harmonised competitiveness indicators.
Thursday 09 February
Lagarde participates in Euro Summit in Brussels
ECB President Lagarde will participate in Euro Summit in Brussels.
Friday 10 February
Publication of long-term interest rates statistics
ECB will publish its long-term interest rates statistics.
More information about ECB events can be found here.
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