Brussels, 22/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - Statements by José Manuel Barroso on the state of the Union and those by Catherine Ashton on the Middle East peace process will be the key moments of the next plenary session to be held in Strasbourg from Monday 26 to Thursday 29 September. The Commission and Council will look again at the disagreement between member states that prevents continuation of the programme for the distribution of food aid to the EU's poor, and the EP will vote on a package of texts on enhancing economic governance. The president of the Eurogroup, Jean-Claude Juncker, will answer MEPs' questions. A debate is also scheduled on the Rio+20 Earth Summit and the role of civil protection and humanitarian aid. The Commission will issue a statement on EU support to refugees in Tunisia.
Monday 26 September
5.00pm-11.00pm
EU research and innovation funding in EU (Marisa Matias report).
Trade in agricultural and fishery products between the EU and Palestine (recommendation by Maria Eleni Koppa).
EU-Taiwan trade (oral question)
Short presentations of the following reports: - Lebrecht Koch on European road safety; - Carlo Fidanza on tourism in Europe; - Nirj Deva on dam infrastructure in developing countries; - Gabriele Zimmer on assisting developing countries in addressing food security challenges; - Jean-Marie Cavada on the European Schools system; - and Michael Theurer on absorption of structural and cohesion funds: lessons learned for the future cohesion policy of the EU.
Tuesday 27 September
9.00am-11.00am
Elisabetta Gardini report on European disaster response: role of civil protection and humanitarian assistance.
11.00am-12.30pm
Question time (Commission) on the topic: EU trade and third country relations.
12.30pm-1.30pm
Votes: - EU-Mexico agreement on certain aspects of air services; EU-Cape Verde Fisheries Partnership Agreement; EU-US Memorandum of Cooperation in civil aviation, research and development; extension of scope of regulation on the professional cross-border transportation of euro cash by road between euro-area member states; and dual-use items and technology.
3.00pm-4.30pm
Question hour with the president of the Eurogroup, Jean-Claude Juncker.
4.30pm-9.00pm
Statement by the VPC/HR, Catherine Ashton, on ministerial week's activity at the UN General Assembly, in particular the Middle East peace process and North Africa.
Statement by VPC/HR Catherine Ashton on the Eastern partnership summit (Warsaw, 29 September).
Statement by VPC/HR Catherine Ashton on sexual orientation and gender identity at the UN Human Rights Council.
Wednesday 28 September
9.00am-11.00am
Statement by the president of the Commission - State of the Union
12.00pm-1.00pm
Votes
Surveillance of budgetary positions, surveillance and coordination of economic policies, implementation of excessive deficit procedure, prevention and correction of macroeconomic imbalances, budgetary surveillance in eurozone, requirements applying to member states' budgetary frameworks, and implementing measures with a view to remedying excessive eurozone macroeconomic imbalances.
3.00pm-6.00pm
Council and Commission statement on the programme for distributing food aid to the EU's poorest (“Food for Free”).
Rio+20 Earth Summit (oral questions)
Commission statement on EU support for refugees in Tunisia.
Thursday 29 September
10.00am-11.50am
European Globalisation Fund: Commission statement on the future of the European Globalisation Fund, and amendment of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 establishing the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (Report by Pervenche Berès).
State aid guidelines concerning energy-intensive industries (oral question).
12.00pm-1.00pm
Votes: including on a resolution on the situation in Palestine. (LC/transl.jl)