04/12 - 10/12

Monday 4 December

Brussels. Council of the EU. ‘Transport, Telecommunications and Energy’ Council (and 05/12). *Telecommunications: - General orientations on an updated mandate for BEREC. – Progress in work to update privacy protection rules in electronic communications. Debate on the draft regulation on the free movement of non-personal data. – State of progress in negotiations on the European electronic communications code. – Conclusions of the Council of 20/11 on cyber-security and the draft action plan for their implementation. – Presentation of the working programme of the forthcoming Bulgarian Presidency.
Brussels. Council of the EU. Eurogroup. – Greece: progress and the third assessment of the macro-economic adjustment programme. – Cyprus and Spain: principal results of the post-programme monitoring missions. – Growth and employment: discussion on the gap brought in by the taxation of employment and evaluation of progress since 2015. – Eurozone: discussion on draft budgetary plans for 2018 of the various countries. – Eurogroup: adoption of the 2018 working programme and election of a new President. – Preparation, in extended configuration, for the Eurozone summit of 15/12 (EMU and Banking Union).
Brussels. Council of the EU. Meeting of the joint EU/Canada ministerial committee. – Bilateral cooperation: application of the strategic partnership agreement and the global economic and commercial agreement. – Security and defence: reinforcing cooperation in crisis management and security, cyber-security and hybrid threats. – Climate change, EU/Canada cooperation in third countries. – Signature of an agreement for the exchange of classified information between the two sides in security and defence matters.
Brussels. European Parliament. Activities of the committees (to 07/12). – IMCO: vote on the ‘services in the single market’ directive (notification procedure for authorisation regimes, proportionality test and report on necessary reforms in professional services). – BUDG: vote on the European Parliament/Council agreement on the external loan mandate and the guarantee fund for external actions. – EMPL: vote on the report on the implementation of the youth employment initiative. – FEMM: vote on the report on gender equality and climate justice. – CONT-REGI: examination of the implementation of the special measures adopted with regard to Greece. – CONT: examination, with a representative of the Court of Auditors, of the budget of the ‘other institutions’ in the framework of the discharge procedure for the 2016 budget and discussion on the use of trust funds in the field of EU external action. – AFET: hearing on Libya’s prospects in the current regional context. – ENVI-AGRI-ITRE: public hearing on European forestry strategy.

Tuesday 5 December

Brussels. Council of the EU. ‘Economic and Financial Affairs’ Council. – Fight against tax fraud: approval of the list of non-cooperative countries and territories. – Debate on the economic situation and the annual report on the European Budgetary Committee. – Adoption of conclusions on the taxation of profits in the digital economy, ahead of international discussions on the subject. – Adoption of proposals on making it easier for online businesses to meet their VAT requirements. – CRD/CRR: debate on proposals to reinforce the prudential rules to reduce risks in the banking sector. – Stock-take of work on the proposed European EDIS deposit insurance system and non-performing loans in the banking sector. – NPL: taking stock of the implementation of the action plan for the accelerated treatment of non-performing bank loans. – Excessive deficits: closure of the procedure against the United Kingdom and new recommendation for Romania. – Discussions on the budgetary situation of the member states ahead of the launch of the European Semester 2018. – EIB: agreement on the extension of the bank’s external guarantees and plans to create a development subsidiary.
Brussels. Council of the EU. ‘Transport, Telecommunications and Energy’ Council. *Transport: - State of progress with the proposals on market access and the social aspect of the first raft of measures on mobility. – Guideline debate on proposals on road pricing of this raft of measures. – Progress on the proposed regulation on maintaining competition in air transport. – Conclusions on: the trans-European transport networks and the CEF, the digitisation of transport and the mid-term evaluation of Galileo, EGNOS and the European GNSS Agency. – Presentation of the working programme of the forthcoming Bulgarian Presidency.
Brussels. Council of the EU. Informal meeting of the foreign affairs ministers with the American Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson. – Stepping up transatlantic cooperation on major global issues.
Luxembourg. * Court of Justice of the EU. #Judgement: C-42/17 (M.A.S. and M.B. – obligation to reconcile the protection of the financial interests of the EU and the principal of the legality of crimes and penalties). #Conclusions: - C-451/16 (MB – legality of the condition set out in UK law whereby an individual who has changed gender does not need to be married in order to be the beneficiary of a pension). *General Court of the EU: #Judgment: T-893/16 (Xiaomi/EUIPO - Apple (MI PAD) – Apple’s opposition to the registration of the trade name MI PAD as an EU mark).

Wednesday 6 December

Brussels. European Commission. Weekly meeting of the College of Commissions. – ‘Economic and Monetary Union' package (Dombrovskis). – Preparations for the European Council of December (defence, social questions, education and culture) and for the Euro summit (Juncker). – Commission's contribution to the meeting of the heads of state or government on the future prospects of the internal and external dimensions of migration policy (Juncker, Timmermans and Mogherini). – Preparations for the European Article 50 Council, Commission’s assessment of ‘sufficient progress’ in Brexit negotiations (Juncker).
Brussels. Council of the EU. Coreper I and II and ‘Article 50’.
Brussels. EU Economic and Social Committee (EESC). 530th plenary session (and 07/12). Debate to be attended by the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, on the contribution of civil society to the development of a global food policy of the EU.
Luxembourg. * Court of Justice of the EU. #Judgement: C-230/16 (Coty Germany – legality of the prohibition placed by a provider of luxury products upon its distributors from selling its products on Amazon).

Thursday 7 December

Brussels. Council of the EU. ‘Justice and Home Affairs’ Council (and 08/12). *Home affairs: - Debate on tackling terrorism and radicalisation. – Information systems: adoption of a position on the reform of the European Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA).
Brussels. Council of the EU. ‘Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumers’ Council (and 08/12). *Employment and Social Policy: - General orientation on the directive on the accessibility of products and services for persons living with a disability. – Partial general orientation on the coordination of social security systems. – Progress in the work on the directives on equal treatment and the work/life balance.
Brussels. European Parliament. Activities of the committees. – LIBE: public hearing on the situation in Hungary. – SEDE-AFET: public hearing on North Korea.
Brussels. EU Economic and Social Committee (EESC). 530th plenary session. - Debate to be attended by the Commissioner for the Budget and Human Resources, Günther Oettinger, on the future of EU finances up to 2025. – Award of the Civil Society Prize.
Luxembourg. * Court of Justice of the EU. #Judgements: C-636/16 (López Pstuzano – legality of removing a non-EU national who is a long-term EU resident due to being sentenced to more than one year of imprisonment). *General Court of the EU: #Judgement: T-61/16 (Coca-Cola/EUIPO-Mitico (Master) – Coca-Cola’s opposition to the registration of the trade name Master using the same emblematic sign for the marketing of drinks and food products)

Friday 8 December

Brussels. Council of the EU. ‘Justice and Home Affairs’ Council. *Justice: - Freezing and confiscation: adoption of a common position on the mutual recognition of decisions to freeze and confiscate the assets of criminals. – ECRIS: adoption of a position on the reform of the European criminal records information system.
Brussels. Council of the EU. ‘Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumers’ Council. *Health: - Pharmaceutical policy: debate on a better balance of the pharmaceutical system at EU level and national level. – Conclusions on health in the digital society and cross-border aspects of alcohol policy.
Brussels. European Commission. Adoption of the monthly infringement package.
Brussels. Council of the EU. Coreper I.
Brussels. Council of the EU. EU/Ukraine Association Council.
Brussels. Council of the EU. EU/Georgia Association Council.