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News > Weekly European Agenda 23/01/2023

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Weekly European Agenda

Weekly European Agenda 23/01/2023

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23-29 January 2023

Monday 23 January

Tuesday 24 January

Wednesday 25 January

Thursday 26 January

Friday 27 January

Saturday 28 January

Institutional Agendas

European Parliament


Monday 23 January

Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET)
Debates: Exchange of views with the EEAS on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in light of ongoing escalation; draft report on the Recommendation to the Council, the Commission and the Commission Vice President/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on Relations with the Palestinian Authority; Exchange of views with Jonathan HATWELL, Head of Division for Mexico, Central America and Caribbean at the EEAS on the situation in Nicaragua.

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON)
Debate: Update on the digital euro – exchange of views with Fabio PANETTA, Member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank.

Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT)
Debate: ECA Special report 25/2022:Verification of Gross National Income for financing the EU budget – Risks in data compilation well covered overall, but scope for increased prioritisation of actions.

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL)
Debates: Exchange of views with Michael O´FLAHERTY (Director of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA)) on the impact of recent crises, including the war in Ukraine, on social rights; Exchange of view as part of the structured dialogue with Margrethe VESTAGER (Executive Vice President of the European Commission).

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI)
Debates: Exchange of views with Romina POURMOKHTARI, Minister for Climate and Environment, Swedish Presidency; Presentation of the Council Presidency’s programme – exchange of views with FORSSMED, Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health, and Acko ANKARBERG JOHANSSON, Minister for Health Care, Swedish Presidency; Exchange of views with the Commission on the current COVID-19 situation and on the shortage of medicines in Europe.

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE)
Debates: Presentation by the Commission of the EU-Republic of Korea Digital Partnership agreement; Presentation of a study on the role of financial operators in the ETS market and the incidence of their activities in determining the allowances’ price; Presentation of a study on the Cost of Non-Europe in space sector.

Committee on Fisheries (PECH)
Debates: EU-UK: Implementation of the Trade & Cooperation Agreement (TACs 2023) – exchange of views with Commission representatives; public hearing on the state of play of the implementation of the Multiannual Plan (MAP) for the Baltic Sea.

Committee on Culture and Education (CULT)
Debates: Presentation of the new proposal on the European Media Freedom Act; The budgetary state of affairs concerning the Erasmus+, Creative Europe, European Solidary Corps and CERV Programmes; Exchange of views on Cooperation in Culture/Education and Town Twinning – opportunities and good practices.

Committee of Inquiry to investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware (PEGA)
Debate: Public hearing “The use of spyware by private actors”.

Tuesday 24 January

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON)
Debates: Economic Dialogue and exchange of views with Elisabeth SVANTESSON, ECOFIN President and Minister for Finance of Sweden; Structured dialogue with Mairead McGUINESS, Commissioner for Financial services, financial stability and Capital Markets Union.
Votes: Amending Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 as regards requirements for credit risk, credit valuation adjustment risk, operational risk, market risk and the output floor; Amending Directive 2013/36/EU as regards supervisory powers, sanctions, third-country branches, and environmental, social and governance risks, and amending Directive 2014/59/EU (2021/0341(COD); Amending Directives 2011/61/EU and 2009/65/EC as regards delegation arrangements, liquidity risk management, supervisory reporting, provision of depositary and custody services and loan origination by alternative investment funds (2021/0376(COD)).

Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET)
Debates: Exchange of views with Tobias Lennart BILLSTRÖM, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden on the priorities of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union; Exchange of views with Mark GITENSTEIN, Ambassador of the United States of America to the European Union on the state of play of EU-US relations; Exchange of views with Maroš ŠEFČOVIČ, Vice-President of the European Commission for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight, on EU relations with Switzerland, and Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway; Exchange of views with Oleksandr KORNIENKO, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) Jointly with the Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE)
Debate: Exchange of views with Rafael Mariano GROSSI, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL)
Debate: Exchange of views with Anna TENJE (Swedish Minister for the elderly and social security) and Paulina BRANDBERG (Swedish Minister for Gender Equality and Deputy Minister for Employment).
Vote: Adequate minimum income ensuring active inclusion (2022/2840(RSP)).

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI)
Debates: A toolbox for reforming environmentally harmful subsidies in Europe; Type-approval of motor vehicles and engines and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles, with respect to their emissions and battery durability (Euro 7) and repealing Regulations (EC) No 715/2007 and (EC) No 595/2009 (2022/0365(COD)).
Votes: Regulation concerning batteries and waste batteries, repealing Directive 2006/66/EC and amending Regulation (EU) No 2019/1020 (2020/0353(COD)); Proposals of the European Parliament for the amendment of the Treaties (2022/2051(INL)); Objection pursuant to Rule 112(2), (3) (4)(c) on Commission Implementing Decision amending the marketing authorisation granted by Decision C(2022) 7342(final) for “Comirnaty – tozinameran, COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (nucleoside-modified)”, a medicinal product for human use (2022/2991(RSP)); Amending Directives 2005/29/EC and 2011/83/EU as regards empowering consumers for the green transition through better protection against unfair practices and better information (2022/0092(COD)).

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) jointly with the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) and in association with the Committee on Petitions (PETI)
Debate: Public hearing on European Citizens’ Initiative – “Save bees and farmers! Towards a bee-friendly agriculture for a healthy environment”.

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE)
Debates: Presentation of the Council Presidency’s programme; Exchange of views with Ebba BUSCH, Minister for Energy, Business and Industry (energy, industry, innovation and digital, ICT, telecommunications) and Mats PERSSON, Minister for Education (research, space); Structured dialogue with Mariya GABRIEL, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth.
Votes: Establishing a framework of measures for strengthening Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem (Chips Act) (2022/0032(COD); Amending Regulation (EU) 2021/2085 establishing the Joint Undertakings under Horizon Europe, as regards the Chips Joint Undertaking (2022/0033(NLE)); Cooperation Agreement on a Civil Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Korea, of the other part, to take account of the accession of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Republic of Croatia and Romania to the European Union (2018/0429(NLE)).

Committee on Culture and Education (CULT)
Debates: The System of European Schools: State of play, Challenges and Perspectives (2022/2149(INI)) – rapporteur: Ilana CICUREL (Renew, FR); The European Universities Initiative: first lessons, main challenges and perspectives – Study presentation of the Policy Department; Exchange of views on the fight against illicit trafficking in cultural goods; Guidelines for the 2024 Budget – Section III (2022/2184(BUI)).
Votes: 2021 discharge: General budget of the EU – Commission (2022/2081(DEC)); 2021 discharge – Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union (2022/2094(DEC)).

Committee of Inquiry to investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware (PEGA)
Debates: Proposal for a recommendation of the European Parliament of the Investigation of alleged contraventions and maladministration in the application of Union law in relation to the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware; hearing on “Intelligence services: to map procedures in spyware development.”

Committee on Fisheries (PECH)
Debates: Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union – exchange of views with Peter KULLGREN, Minister for Rural Affairs; The state of play in the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy and future perspectives; Commission Communication Towards a strong and sustainable EU algae sector; Fisheries control; Role and impact of China on world fisheries and aquaculture.

Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT)
Debates: Consideration of 2021 discharge draft report for European Parliament; Consideration of 2021 discharge draft reports for “Other institutions”; Consideration of 2021 discharge draft reports for Joint Undertakings.

Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) jointly with Special Committee on the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned and recommendations for the future (COVI)
Debate: ECA Special Report 18/2022 – EU institutions and COVID-19 – Responded rapidly, challenges still ahead to make the best of the crisis-led innovation and flexibility.

Wednesday 25 January

Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO)
Debates: Presentation of the Council Presidency’s programme; Study on “Towards a permanent citizens’ participatory mechanism in the EU”; Institutional relations between the EU and the Council of Europe; Public access to documents – annual report for the years 2019-2021; Guidelines for the 2024 Budget – Section III.
Votes: Consultation on European Ombudsman Implementing Provisions; Implementation report on the Agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU; Information security in the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union; Laying down measures for a high common level of cybersecurity at the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union; Own Resources: A new start for EU finances. A new start for Europe.

Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM)
Debates: Council Presidency – presentation by Paulina BRANDBERG, Minister for Gender Equality and Deputy Minister for Employment; Sexual harassment in the EU and MeToo evaluation; Regulation of prostitution in the EU: its cross-border implications and impact on gender equality and women’s rights; Presentation by EIGE (European Institute for Gender Equality) on the work programme – exchange of views.
Vote: The EU priorities for the 67th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI)
Workshop: Strengthening the right to participate: legitimacy and resilience of electoral processes in illiberal political systems and authoritarian regimes.
Debates: Exchange of views with Nicholas KOUMIJAN, Head of the UN Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar; The protection of journalists around the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter; Exchange of views with Attiya WARIS, UN Independent Expert on foreign debt, other international financial obligations and human rights; Exchange of views on the lack of judicial independence in Turkey, in particular the sentencing of Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu.

Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE)
Debates: Exchange of views with Pål JONSON, Minister for Defence on Swedish priorities in the area of the EU security and defence; EU Rapid Deployment Capacity, EU Battlegroups and Article 44 TEU: the way forward; Debrief of the SEDE ad hoc delegation to South Korea and Japan, 19-21 December 2022; Global security concerns from the trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons by organised criminal groups – exchange of views with Simonetta GRASSI, Head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Firearms Trafficking Section.

Committee on Development (DEVE)
Debates: Priorities of the Swedish Presidency – exchange of views with Johan Forssel, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade; EU Global Health Strategy: better health for all in a changing world; EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles; The situation in Haiti.

Committee on Petitions (PETI)
Debates: Mission report following the fact-finding visit to Washington D.C. 18-22 July 2022; Study on FATCA legislation and its Application at International and EU Level; Workshop on Transparency of pricing and reimbursement of medicinal products; Study on “Environmental Crime affecting EU financial interest, the economic recovery and the EU’s green deal objectives EU.

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) Jointly with the Committee on Development (DEVE)
Debate: EU Global Health Strategy: better health for all in a changing world.

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) jointly with Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM)
Vote: The EU accession to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) jointly with Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM)
Vote: Strengthening the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms.

Thursday 26 January

Plenary Session
Debate: International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Committee on Petitions (PETI)
Debate: Mission report following the fact-finding visit to Poland 19-21 September 2022.

Find an overview of the parliamentary agenda here.

Council of Ministers


Monday 23 January

Foreign Affairs Council
The Council will exchange views on the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the Sahel and coastal countries of West Africa. It will also be informed about current affairs. Over a working lunch, EU foreign affairs ministers will hold an informal exchange of views with the Palestinian Prime Minister.

Thursday 26 Friday 27 January

Informal meeting of justice and home affairs ministers
The first day of the meeting will be devoted to Home Affairs, while the second day will focus on issues of Justice. Home Affairs ministers will discuss a key component of EU migration policy – the need for
effective and well-functioning return and how to make full use of the visa leverage mechanism, and debate on how to mobilise all relevant instruments and means of leverage to achieve goals in the field of migration in relation to third countries. They will also address the fight against organised crime in the digital era. Justice ministers will debate on judicial cooperation and the fight against organised crime and the prosecution of core international crimes in Ukraine.

An overview of planned Council meetings can be found here.

European Commission and High Representative


Monday 23 January

Vestager meets by videoconference with the French Minister of Economy and Finance
Commissioner Vestager will meet by videoconference with Bruno Le Maire, French Minister of Economy and Finance.

Dombrovskis meets the Prime Minister of Croatia
Commissioner Dombrovskis in Zagreb, Croatia, will meet Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of Croatia.

Schinas participates in the EPP Foreign Affairs Ministers meeting
Commissioner Schinas will participate in the EPP Foreign Affairs Ministers meeting.

Tuesday 24 January

von der Leyen and eight Commissioners participate in the New Year’s Reception by His Majesty The King of the Belgians
President von der Leyen will participate in the New Year’s Reception by His Majesty The King of the Belgians, together with Commissioner Vestager, Commissioner Schinas, Commissioner Hahn, Commissioner Šuica, Commissioner Schmit, Commissioner Wojciechowski, Commissioner Simson, and Commissioner Sinkevičius.

Jourová receives the Hungarian Minister of Justice
Commissioner Jourová will receive Judit Varga, Hungarian Minister of Justice.

Ferreira meets with the President of the European Court of Auditors
Commissioner Ferreira will meet with Tony Murphy, President of the European Court of Auditors.

Wednesday 25 January

College meeting
The College of Commissioners will present the package entitled “Strengthening social dialogue”, which includes a Communication on strengthening social dialogue in the European Union and a Council Recommendation to support social dialogue at EU and national level.

Hahn receives the Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds of Hungary
Commissioner Hahn will receive Tibor Navracsics, Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds of Hungary.

Thursday 26 January

Dombrovskis will receive the General Secretary of The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)
Commissioner Dombrovskis will receive Esther Lynch, General Secretary of The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).

Schinas participates in the European Parliament International Holocaust commemoration solemn ceremony
Commissioner Schinas will participate in the European Parliament International Holocaust commemoration solemn ceremony.

Johansson participates in the Informal Justice and Home Affairs Council
Commissioner Johansson will be in Stockholm, Sweden, until the 27/01, for the Informal Justice and Home Affairs Council.

Friday 27 January

Gentiloni meets with the French Prime Minister
Commissioner Gentiloni in Paris will meet with Elisabeth Borne, French Prime Minister.

McGuinness speaks at the 15th South Africa-EU Ministerial Political Dialogue
Commissioner McGuinness in Pretoria, South Africa, will speak at the 15th South Africa-EU Ministerial Political Dialogue.

Jourová meets with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Commissioner Jourová in Tallinn, Estonia, will meet with Urmas Reinsalu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia.

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


Tuesday 24 – Wednesday 25 January

575th Plenary session
Debates: European Union’s responses to (geo-) political challenges in 2023 – the perspective of the European Parliament; Priorities of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union; 30 years of the Single Market, our greatest success but also the biggest challenge for the next generation!; Mid-term assessment of the progress towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda – organised civil society’s perspective. 

Thursday 26 January

Towards green collective bargaining in Europe: assessment of good practices and future prospects
In order to prepare an exploratory opinion requested by the upcoming Spanish presidency, the EESC is organising a remote public hearing “Towards green collective bargaining in Europe: assessment of good practices and future prospects”, on 26 January 2023. By including perspectives from relevant institutional stakeholders, social partners and experts, the event will explore the role of collective bargaining in promoting environmental sustainability and the decarbonisation of the economy, and will look at recent experiences and best practices of green collective bargaining. The input will then feed into the EESC’s opinion.

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 24 January

Annual EPAS day for seniors and juniors 
The meeting is meant for all EPAS schools in Belgium and it takes place every year in January in Brussels. Activities are organised for both juniors (students) and seniors (teachers) during a full day which is closed by a debate with Belgian MEPs.​

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 23 Tuesday 24 January

Conference on the impact of EU platform regulation on democratic discourse and media policy
Through major changes in the media and communications landscape, media policy has become closely linked to the quickly growing international policy and the regulation of platform services – a development that affects its potential and future design. In light of this, the theme of the conference will focus on two key issues: 1. How do the tech regulations affect the media industry and the opportunities to conduct an effective media policy in the EU and nationally? / 2. What should media policy focus on in the future as a tool for a well-functioning democracy? The conference is aimed at ministry officials and public authorities throughout the EU, as well as experts and other actors in the media sector. Some 150–200 people are expected to attend upon special invitation.

Meeting of EU directors for education
Discussion during the meeting will focus on follow-up of the Commission’s progress report on the European Education Area, an initiative for collaboration between EU Member States and relevant stakeholders to make national education systems more resilient. The meeting will also address education for Ukrainian refugees.

Conference of directors and experts of better regulation in the EU
The Conference of directors and experts of better regulation in the EU is a recurring meeting with representatives of the Member States, the OECD, Business Europe, the European Commission and others.

The agenda of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU can be found here.

European Ombudsman


Tuesday 24 January

King’s College London, Annual Meeting and Alumni dinner
The Ombudsman will deliver a keynote speech titled ‘Defending the Integrity of the EU: an Ombudsman’s Perspective’.

The EU Ombudsman calendar of activities can be found here.

European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights


Tuesday 24 January

Article 17 dialogue on liberal democracy
FRA Director Michael O’Flaherty will give a speech on liberal democracy at the European Parliament’s Article 17 dialogue seminar in Brussels. It brings together different churches, religions and philosophical organisations with the European Parliament. Article 17 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU provides a legal basis for an open, transparent and regular dialogue between the EU institutions and churches, religious associations, and philosophical and non-confessional organisations.

Thursday 26 January

FRA to join Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights conference in Tallinn
The Estonian Human Rights Centre will host a conference on artificial intelligence and human rights on 26 January in Tallinn. The conference brings together leading experts on AI. They will discuss topics such as social change through AI, ethics and regulations, the potential and limitations of AI, the use of AI in war and policing, and how AI affects human rights and fundamental freedoms. FRA will deliver a keynote speech, presenting the results of its reports on AI. This includes the most recent report on bias in algorithms. FRA will also join a panel discussion on AI and security.

Information on upcoming FRA events can be found here.

European Data Protection Supervisor


Monday 23 January

Wojciech Wiewiórowski meeting with Commissioner McGuinness
Wojciech Wiewiórowski will meet with Mairead McGuinness, European Commissioner for Financial services, financial stability and the Capital Markets Union, Brussels, Belgium.

Wednesday 25 January

EDPS-Civil Society Summit
EDPS-Civil Society Summit, Privacy Camp 2023, Speech by Wojciech Wiewiórowski, Brussels, Belgium.

Find more information on EDPS events here

European Central Bank


Monday 23 January

Introductory statement by Panetta at the Hearing before the ECON Committee
Introductory statement by Board member Panetta at the hearing before the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) of the European Parliament in Brussels.

Tuesday 24 January

Video message by President Lagarde at the high-level conference “Croatia, the 20th member of the eurozone”
Video message by President Lagarde at the roundtable “The euro as a guarantee of resilience” at high-level conference “Croatia, the 20th member of the eurozone” in Zagreb.

More information about ECB events can be found here

European Investment Bank


Tuesday 24 – Wednesday 25 January

15th European Space Conference
The yearly high-level gathering of the key stakeholders of the European space domain will return to the Egmont Palace in Brussels for two days of dynamic and thought-provoking debates and exchanges focusing on the theme “Securing the Future of Europe in Space”. Like the previous annual editions of this cycle of conferences dedicated to the European Space Policy and its technological and industrial challenges, this upcoming gathering will bring together, on site and online, high-level decision makers from across the EU institutions and Member States, the European Space Agency, high-level representatives of the industry, civil society and researchers. Two days of information sharing and rich debates throughout the various sessions, while leaving room for informal meetings and high-level networking.

The agenda of the EIB can be found here.

Council of Europe


Monday 23 – Friday 27 January

PACE 2023 winter session: the legal and human rights aspects of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine
An urgent debate on the legal and human rights aspects of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine, with the participation of Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, will be among the highlights of the Winter plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). #OnTheRoadToReykjavik, a report on the fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe (16-17 May, Reykjavik), will present PACE’s proposals. The Assembly will also elect its President and Vice-Presidents. Combating violence against women will also be a focus of the session, with a debate on conflict-related sexual violence, and a joint debate on the Istanbul Convention, on the role and responsibility of men and boys in stopping gender-based violence against women and girls, and on finding solutions for marital captivity. Other topics on the agenda include the environmental impact of armed conflict, Daesh foreign fighters and their families returning from Syria and elsewhere, and the ethical, cultural and educational challenges of contact tracing applications.

Thursday 26 January

Annual press conference of the European Court of Human Rights
The President of the European Court of Human Rights Síofra O’Leary will present a summary of the Court’s activities and its statistics for 2022.

Conference “Advancing the human rights of intersex people”
In the framework of Iceland’s Presidency of the Committee of Ministers, the Council of Europe will organise a conference on “Advancing the human rights of intersex people”. Prime Minister of Iceland Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić and Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović will address the conference. It will aim at raising awareness of the situation of intersex people in Europe and launching the work on a new Recommendation by the Committee of Ministers on equality of rights of intersex people.

Find an overview of Council of Europe events here; the PACE diary here; the Congress calendar of events here; information on forthcoming judgments here; the calendar of hearings here; information on Venice Commission events here; the agenda of the Commissioner of Human Rights here; and the Chairmanship agenda here.

EU National Elections


Friday 27 – Saturday 28 January

Presidential elections in Czech Republic – Round 2
The second round of presidential elections will take place in the Czech Republic. The top two candidates are Andrej Babiš, former Prime Minister, and Petr Pavel, retired NATO general.

More information can be found here.

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