CALENDAR / Main activities of the european institutions
13/03 to 19/03
Monday 13 March
Brussels. Council of Ministers. EU/Algeria Association Council. – Priorities of the EU/Algeria partnership (governance, civil society, diversification of the Algerian economy, trade relations, migration and mobility, cooperation in the energy sector); - Meetings of HR Federica Mogherini with the Algerian Minister for foreign affairs, Ramtane Lamamra, on the regional situation (Libya, Mali Sahel), regional cooperation and integration, fight against terrorism and radicalisation. – Signature of three agreements (support for renewable energy, public finance reform, implementation of the association agreement).
Strasbourg. European Parliament. Plenary session (to 16/03). *Debates: - Draft regulation on mercury (report Eck – ENVI); - Corporate governance and shareholders' rights (Cofferati – JURI); - Joint discussion on gender equality: Equality between men and women in the EU (Kozlowska-Rajewicz (FEMM); EU gender equality fund (Moody – FEMM). *Presentation of reports: - impact of mega data on fundamental rights (Gomes – LIBE); - Protection standards for farmed rabbits (Eck – AGRI); - Equine care (Girling – AGRI) (votes on all these reports on 14/03).
Strasbourg. European Parliament. Activities of the committees. – IMCO: debates on improving the cooperation mechanisms between the national authorities for the application of laws on consumer protection; opinion on the update of copyright framework in the digital single market and on the role of the Body European Regulators for Electronic Communications; - BUDG-ECON: discussion with Commissioner Katainen on the working programme of the Commission, the investment plan (EFSI) and its new improved version (EFSI 2.0). – ENVI: dialogue with Commissioner Cañete on the Commission's working programme. – AGRI: dialogue with Commissioner Andriukaitis on food security priorities to be included in the Commission's 2018 programme.
Tuesday 14 March
Strasbourg. European Commission. Weekly meeting of the College of Commissioners. Implementation of the global strategy of the EU: EU's strategy for Syria
Strasbourg. European Parliament. Plenary session. *Debates: - Controls on the acquisition and ownership of weapons (Ford – IMCO) and vote. – Joint discussion on the circular economy: four reports on the 'waste' directives (Bonafé – ENVI) and vote. – Debate on matters related to Foreign Affairs with Federica Mogherini (global gag rule, the EU's priorities for the sessions of the UN human rights council in 2017); 16/03. – Legislation on food and animal feed, animal welfare, client health and phyto-pharmaceutical products (Kadenbach – ENVI). – Follow-up on the recommendations of the TAXE committee (Council and Commission declaration); - Orientations the for 2018 budget – Section III (Muresan – BUDG). – Threat of famine in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen (Commission declaration); - Use of 700 MHz frequency range (Toia – ITRE). *Votes: see above).
Luxembourg. * Court of Justice of the EU. #Judgements: C-157/15 (G46 Secure solutions) and C-188/15 (Bougnanoui and ADDH – Can people be banned from wearing an Islamic scarf at work?); - C-158/14 (A e.a. – Can the activities of Armed Forces in times of armed conflict constitute "acts of terrorism" within the meaning of international law?).
Wednesday 15 March
Strasbourg. European Parliament. Plenary session*. Priority debate: Future of the EU: Conclusion of the European Council of 9-10/03, particularly the Declaration of Rome (European Council and Commission declaration). *Votes: - EU/Brazil agreement (Sanchez-Neyra – INTA); - Exchange of data on the registration of vehicles in Denmark (Grapini – LIBE); - Automatic exchange of DNA data in Greece (Moraes – LIBE); - Approval by the Commission of Germany's revised plan to set up a road toll system. Kadenbach, Toia and Muresan reports debated on 14/03). *Debates: - EU security programme a year after the attacks on Brussels; -Duty of diligence for importers of metals and minerals from conflict zones (Winckler – INTA); - Revision of the regulation on the status and financing the European political parties (OQ Hübner – AFCO); - Constitutional, legal and institutional consequences of the ESDP (Gahler – AFET and Gonzalez Pons - AFCO); - EU's Arctic policy (Paet – AFET; Pietikäinen – AGRI); - 2016 report on Montenegro (Tannock – AFET); - Online democracy in the EU (Jáuregui Atondo – AFCO).
Brussels. Council of Ministers. Coreper I and II
Luxembourg. * Court of Justice of the EU. #Judgements: C-536/15 (Tele2 e.a. – Possibility for businesses allocating telephone numbers to subscribers to make the personal data of these subscribers available to providers of telephone directories without their specific consent); - C-253/16 (Flibtravel International and Leonard Travel International - Legality of the ban imposed by the member states upon taxis from soliciting clients, predetermining their destinations and grouping them together in the same vehicle).
Thursday 16 March
Strasbourg. European Parliament. Plenary session. *Debates: - EU framework for the collection and use of data in the fisheries sector (Affronte – PECH); - Violation of human rights, democracy or the rule of law (Sudan, Russia, Philippines). *Votes: - resolutions on violations of human rights; - Winckler, Affronte, Gahler and Gonzalez Pons, Paet and Pietkäinen, Tannock and Atondo reports debated on 15/03.
