Monday 4 December

• EU Council. Justice and Home Affairs Council (Brussels - and 05/12) (see EUROPE 13305/3). *Justice: - Judicial cooperation: definition of the Council’s position (‘general approach’) on new EU legislation on the transfer of proceedings in criminal matters. – Victims’ rights: policy debate on the revision of the directive on victims’ rights. - War in Ukraine: discussion on the fight against impunity and Member States’ actions in this area. - European Public Prosecutor’s Office: exchange of views on a Commission study on the functioning of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office; approval of the Council’s position on the application of the General Data Protection Regulation and the EU e-Justice strategy 2024-2028. - Any other business.
• EU Council. ‘Transport, Telecommunications and Energy’ Council (Brussels - and 05/12) (see EUROPE 13305/6). *Transport: - Land transport and road safety: general approach on the proposed legislation on driver licences, the amendment of the directive on the cross-border exchange of information on road traffic offences, the amendment of the regulation on breaks and rest periods in occasional passenger transport services. - Greening road freight transport: general approach on the proposal for a regulation on emissions from transport services; progress on the revised directive on the weight and dimensions of heavy goods vehicles. - Maritime safety: definition of a general approach on the proposals for revised directives on port State control, ship-source pollution, compliance with flag State obligations and investigations into accidents in the maritime sector. - Transport infrastructure: debate on the financing of transport infrastructure. - Any other business: progress on current legislative dossiers (Single European Sky package, revised regulation on the Trans-European Transport Network); problems in maritime transport caused by the implementation of the directive on emissions trading (various delegations); fatigue of European pilots (Netherlands); work programme of the future Presidency (Belgium).
• EU Council. Preparatory bodies (Brussels): - Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management (Civcom). - Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA). - Advisers/Attachés. - Military Committee Working Group (EUMCWG).
• European Parliament. Committee activities (Brussels): – LIBE: Interparliamentary Committee Meeting on the Situation of the Rule of Law in the EU (agenda: https://aeur.eu/f/9wd ). - CONT: hearing of the European Parliament Secretary-General on the 2022 discharge (rapp. A. Novakov) (agenda: https://aeur.eu/f/9we ). - EMPL: Interparliamentary Committee Meeting on the participation of persons with disabilities in the electoral process (agenda: https://aeur.eu/f/9wf ). - ENVI: Exchange of views with Ms Andrea Ammon, Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) (agenda: https://aeur.eu/f/9wg ). - IMCO: Public hearing on the “Performance of the Package Travel Directive and Consumer Protection” (agenda: https://aeur.eu/f/9wh ). - CULT: Exchange of views with Commissioner Ivanova (agenda: https://aeur.eu/f/9wi ). - AFET: Exchange of views with Gert Jan Koopman, Director-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, on the results of the review of EU financial assistance for Palestinians (agenda: https://aeur.eu/f/9wj ). ECON: Public hearing of Dominique Laboureix, Chair of the Single Resolution Board (agenda: https://aeur.eu/f/9wk ).
• European Court of Auditors (Luxembourg). Publication of an audit report on public procurement by government and municipal authorities in the EU.

Tuesday 5 December

• EU Council. ‘Justice and Home Affairs’ Council (Brussels) (see EUROPE 13305/5). *Home Affairs: - Schengen area: discussion on the ‘Schengen Barometer’ presented by the Commission and on ways to improve the return of rejected asylum seekers (cooperation with third countries and national procedures). - Asylum and migration: progress on all the legislative dossiers of the Pact on Migration and Asylum; progress on the external dimension of migration. - Internal security: implications of the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East for the EU’s internal security; state of play on cooperation between authorities responsible for combating terrorism; progress report on the Council recommendation on critical infrastructures. - Any other business.
• EU Council. ‘Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council’ (Brussels). *Telecommunications: - Digital networks and infrastructures: definition of a general approach to the regulation on reducing the costs of ‘gigabit infrastructures’; policy debate on technological advance and competitiveness (investment in digital networks and infrastructures). - Cybersecurity: Progress report on the regulation on cyber-solidarity (measures to strengthen solidarity and capacities in the EU to detect and counter cybersecurity threats). - Any other business: progress of interinstitutional negotiations on legislation on artificial intelligence, the regulation on a digital identity (eIDAS), the regulation on the interoperability of public services in the EU, the amended regulation on cybersecurity in security services and legislation on cyber-resilience; information from the Commission on the state of progress of international initiatives in the digital field, European data gateways and the results of WRC-23; work programme of the next Presidency (Belgium).
• EU Council. Preparatory bodies (Brussels): - Military Committee Working Group (EUMCWG). - Antici Group. - Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management (Civcom). - Headline Goal Task Force (HTF). - Mertens Group. - Political and Security Committee (PSC).
• Court of Justice of the EU (Luxembourg). #Judgments: - Cases C-451/21 P (Luxembourg v Commission) and C-454/21 P (Engie Global LNG Holding and others v Commission - does the tax treatment of a restructuring of the Engie group in Luxembourg constitute an anti-competitive agreement?) - Cases C-683/21 (Nacionalinis visuomenės sveikatos centras) and C-807/21 (Deutsche Wohnen - in the event of improper processing of personal data, may the controller be subject to an administrative fine, even in the absence of any wrongful conduct on its part or where the operation has been carried out by a subcontractor?) - C-128/22 (NORDIC INFO - in the event of a pandemic likely to affect a fundamental interest of society, may national legislation prohibit the crossing of the internal borders of that Member State for the purposes of “non-essential” travel to and from countries considered to be high-risk?).

Wednesday 6 December

• EU Council. Preparatory bodies (Brussels): - Coreper I. - Coreper II. - European Union Military Committee (EUMC). - Trade Policy Committee (Experts - Services and Investment). - Financial Services Committee (FSC). - Political and Security Committee (PSC). - Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management (Civcom). - ‘Justice/Home Affairs’ Advisers. - Working Party on the United Kingdom.
• European Commission. Weekly meeting of the College of Commissioners (Brussels). - Citizen package : + Consular protection – review of EU rules. + Citizenship Report 2023. + Revised guidelines on free movement. (Borrell/Jourová). - Protection of animals during transport – revision of EU legislation (Šefčovič). - Response to the European citizens’ initiative: ‘Fur Free Europe’ (Šefčovič/Jourová).
• European Parliament. Committee activities (Brussels): ITRE: technical meeting to prepare Net-Zero Industry Act.
• European Court of Auditors (Luxembourg). Publication of an audit report on screening foreign direct investments (FDIs) in the EU.

Thursday 7 December

• European Council. EU-China Summit (Beijing - and 08/12).
• EU Council. Eurogroup (Brussels). *Ordinary configuration: - Budgetary outlook: assessment of the draft budgetary plans of the euro area Member States and the budgetary situation and outlook for the euro area. - Euro area: presentation by the Commission of recommendations for the euro area for 2024. - Operation of ERM II. - Any other business. *Open configuration: - Future of financial and capital markets: exchange of views with invited guests on the driving forces behind the development of European capital markets.
• EU Council. ‘Competitiveness’ Council (Brussels - and 08/12). *Internal Market and Industry: - Net-zero industry: general approach on the Net-Zero Industry Act. - Forced labour: policy debate on the proposal for a regulation banning products made from forced labour on the EU market. - SMEs: exchange of views on SME policy. - Any other business: progress on legislative dossiers; presentation by the Commission of the 2023 report of the SME envoys network, of the communication “Strengthening the European administrative area”; information from various delegations on reducing the administrative burden on businesses, on the entry into force of the Unified Patent Court; presentation of the work programme of the future Belgian Presidency.
• EU Council. Preparatory bodies (Brussels): - Military Committee Working Group (EUMCWG). - Trade Policy Committee. - Security Committee. - Headline Goal Task Force (HTF). - ‘Justice/Home Affairs’ Advisers. - Political and Security Committee. - Standing Committee on Operational Cooperation on Internal Security (COSI).
• Court of Justice of the EU (Luxembourg). #Judgments: - C-634/21 (SCHUFA Holding - scoring) and in joined cases C-26/22 and C-64/22 (SCHUFA Holding and others - release of outstanding debts - what restrictions does the GDPR impose on credit information agencies which provide their customers with creditworthiness assessments or which record in their own databases published information relating to early release of outstanding debts?) - C-518/22 AP (Assistenzprofis - is a difference in treatment based on age, imposed in the recruitment of a personal assistant who accompanies a young disabled person on a daily basis, justified in the light of European Union law?).

Friday 8 December

• European Council. EU-China Summit (Beijing).

• EU Council. ‘Economic and Financial Affairs’ Council (Brussels). - Own resources: presentation by the Presidency of the progress made on the adapted package for the next generation of own resources. - Economic governance: general approach on the proposed reform of the economic governance framework (regulation on the coordination of economic policies and multilateral budgetary surveillance; regulation speeding up the excessive deficit procedure, directive on the requirements applicable to the budgetary frameworks of the Member States). – ‘Single currency’ package: presentation by the Presidency of progress on the single currency package (legal framework for the digital euro and legal tender for bank notes and coins). - War in Ukraine: exchange of views on its economic and financial repercussions. - Recovery and Resilience Facility: exchange of views on the state of play of the RRF and implementation decisions approving the amended recovery and resilience plans of certain Member States. - European Semester: exchange of views on the 2024 annual review of sustainable growth, the 2024 report on the alert mechanism and a recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area. - Taxation: approval of the report to the European Council on tax issues and of the conclusions on the progress made by the Code of Conduct Group. - Financial services: progress report on legislative proposals.
• EU Council. Competitiveness Council (Brussels).*Research: - Policy-making: adoption of conclusions on the impact of research and innovation on policy-making. - Attracting talent: political agreement on a Council recommendation aimed at creating a European framework for attracting and retaining research, innovation and entrepreneurial talent in Europe. - Economic recovery: policy debate on the theme “Making the most of research as a tool for economic and industrial recovery and resilience”. - Gender equality: Lunchtime discussion on promoting equality in research. - Any other business. *Space : - Space traffic management (congestion and security threats) and approval of Council conclusions. - Future of space policy in the world”: exchange of views on “Future EU space policy in a changing world”, on the basis of a document prepared by the Presidency. - Any other business: assessment of the activities of the Spanish Presidency and presentation of the programme for the future Belgian Presidency.
• EU Council. Preparatory bodies (Brussels): - Coreper I. - Security Committee. - ‘Justice/Home Affairs Advisers. - Working Party on the United Kingdom.

Sunday 10 December

• EU Council. ‘Agriculture and Fisheries Council’ (Brussels - and 11/12). *Fisheries: - Fishing opportunities for 2024 : political agreement sought on the proposal on fishing opportunities in the Atlantic and North Sea for 2024 (also 2025 and 2026 for certain stocks) and on the proposal on fishing opportunities in the Mediterranean and Black Sea for 2024. *Agriculture: - Market situation: examination of the market situation in context of war in Ukraine. - CAP strategic plans: review of the first year of implementation. - New genomic techniques: general approach to the proposed regulation. - Pesticides: progress on the proposal on the sustainable use of pesticides. - Plant reproductive material and forestry: progress on related proposals. - Any other business: progress on the revision of the ‘breakfast’ directives.
• EU Council. Preparatory bodies (Brussels): - Coreper I.