Brussels, 18/10/2010 (Agence Europe) - At the next plenary session in Strasbourg, 18-21 October, the European Parliament (EP) will adopt its position on the draft EU budget for 2011 and on setting up the European External Action Service (EEAS), and will debate maternity leave (20 weeks on full pay?), time limits for payment (30 days to pay invoices), the economic crisis and a minimum wage to tackle poverty. EP President Jerzy Buzek will give his mid-term review and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon will address the Parliament.
Monday 18 October
5.00pm to 11.00pm: Joint debate on working conditions for women (safety and health at work for pregnant workers and workers who have recently given birth or are breastfeeding, women workers on short-term contracts), joint debate on Parliament-Commission Framework Agreement (reports by Paulo Rangel), data transfer to the US by member states on the basis of Memoranda of Understanding (oral questions) and joint debate on fisheries (Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries and scheme of control and enforcement applicable in the area covered by the Convention on future multilateral cooperation in the North-East Atlantic fisheries)
Tuesday 19 October
9.00am to 11.50am: Joint debate on the European External Action Service (Financial Regulation, Staff Regulations and draft amending budget)
Joint debate on poverty (including the debate on the role of minimum income in combating poverty)
12.00 to 12.00pm: Formal sitting: Address by Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations
12.30pm to 1.30pm: Votes
3.00pm to 7.00pm: Joint debate on Parliament's position on the 2011 draft budget (reports by Sidonia El¿bieta Jêdrzejewska and Helga Trüpel)
Commission statement on the budget review
7.00pm to 8.30pm: Question Time (Commission)
9.00pm to 0.00: combating late payment in commercial transactions (report by Barbara Weiler), sludge catastrophe in Hungary (Commission statement), databases relating to racial and ethnic origin in the EU (oral questions)
Wednesday 20 October
9.00am to 11.50am: Priority debates on preparations for the G20 summit (11-12 November) and the European Council meeting (28-29 October)
Financial, economic and social crisis: recommendations concerning the measures and initiatives to be taken (report by Pervenche Berès)
Improving economic governance and stability framework in the EU, in particular in the euro zone (report by Diogo Feio)
12: 00 to 12: 10pm: Votes
12: 10pm to 12: 30pm: Formal sitting: mid-term address by Jerzy Buzek, President of the EP
12: 30pm to 1: 30pm: Continuation of votes (including on the draft budget for 2011 and the EEAS)
3.00pm to 5.00pm: Joint debate on financial instruments (including the financing instrument for development cooperation) and Ukraine (statement by High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton)
6.00pm to 7.00pm: Question Time (Council)
9.00pm to 0.00: Aid for Pakistan and possible involvement of the European industrial sector and Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)
Thursday 21 October
9.00am to 11.50am: reforms in the Republic of Moldova (Commission statement), containers lost at sea and compensation (oral question) and the Integrated Maritime Policy (report by Gesine Meissner)
12.00 to 1.00pm: Votes
3.00pm to 4.00pm: debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law: forced evictions in Zimbabwe, Cambodia, in particular the case of Sam Rainsy, and North Caucasus, in particular the case of Oleg Orlov
4: 00 to 5: 00: Votes (at the end of the preceding debates). (L.C./transl.rt)