Brussels, 13/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament's first plenary session of 2011, in Strasbourg from Monday 17 to Thursday 20 January, contains its share of difficult and/or sensitive issues, such as the priorities of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council, discussion of which is certain to bring embarrassing questions about Hungary's controversial law on the media, the situation in Tunisia, the dioxin crisis in Germany, waste in Campania and the situation of Christians. The European Commission will also make a statement on Haiti and there will be a debate on asylum seekers.
Monday 17 January
5.00pm-midnight
Statement by the President of the European Parliament on the situation in Tunisia, followed by a statement by the European Commission and by the leaders of the EP political groups
Harmonised conditions for the marketing of construction products: recommendation for second reading (report by Catherine Stihler)
Commission statement on the consequences in the European Union of the dioxin animal feed incident in Germany
Joint discussion on Forest law (Cameroon-Republic of the Congo): EU-Cameroon forest law agreement (recommendation, report by Yannick Jadot) and the EU-Republic of Congo forest law agreement report by Yannick Jadot)
Joint discussion on EU-Pacific States agreement: Interim Partnership Agreement between the EC and the Pacific States (recommendation, report by David Martin) and oral question on the Interim Partnership Agreement between the EC and the Pacific
Oral question on international adoption in the European Union
Short presentations of the following reports: Implementation of the European Consensus on humanitarian aid: the mid-term review of its Action Plan and the way forward (Michèle Striffler) and Recognition of agriculture as a strategic sector in the context of food security (Daciana Octavia Sârbu, see EUROPE 10289)
Tuesday 18 January
9.00am-11.50am: Debates
Joint discussion on the EC-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Agreement (recommendation, report by Jelko Kacin) and Council and Commission statements on this issue
Council and Commission statements - Review of the Belgian Presidency of the Council
Midday-1.00pm: Votes, including on: Protocol to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement between the EC and Jordan, to take account of the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU (report by Gabriele Albertini), and Mergers of public limited liability companies (report by Jiøí Maštálka)
3.00pm-4.00pm: Question Hour with the President of the Commission
4.00pm-6.30pm: Patients' rights in cross-border healthcare: recommendation for second reading (report by Françoise Grossetête), debate on Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia (report by Marissa Matias) and oral question on asthma inhalers
6.30pm-8.00pm: Question Time (Commission)
9.00pm-midnight
Commission statement - Situation in Haiti one year after the earthquake
Oral questions on the waste crisis in Campania
Oral questions on the violation of freedom of expression and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in Lithuania
Wednesday 19 January
9.00am-12.20pm: Key debates
Council and Commission statements on the conclusions of the European Council of 16-17 December 2010
Council and Commission statements on the programme of activities of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council
12.30pm-1.30pm: Votes
3.00pm-8.00pm
Statement by Catherine Ashton on the situation of Christians in the context of freedom of religion
Oral question from the EPP on the security situation in the Sahel region
Statement by Catherine Ashton on the situation in Belarus
EU-Libya Framework Agreement
Debate on asylum: oral question on the cost of examining asylum seekers' applications in member states
Thursday 20 January
9.00am-11.50am
Report on competition policy 2009 (report by Derk Jan Eppink)
A sustainable EU policy for the High North (report by Michael Gahler)
An EU Strategy for the Black Sea (report by Traian Ungureanu)
Midday-1.00pm: Votes
3.00pm-4.00pm
Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law: Pakistan (murder of the Governor of Punjab, Salmaan Taseer), Brazil (extradition of Cesare Battisti) and Iran (in particular the case of Nasrin Sotoudeh)
4.00pm-5.00pm: Votes (at the end of the preceding debates). (L.C./transl.rt)