The European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture will meet for the first time on Tuesday 23 July, after its inaugural session on 10 July, which saw Norbert Lins of the German Christian Democratic Group (EPP) elected President.
In the morning, the coordinators of the political groups will meet to start making progress on the work programme of this European Parliament committee. A question they will have to answer quickly: what to do with the three reports voted before the European elections by the outgoing Agriculture Committee on the proposals amending the rules of the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)? It will have to be decided whether the three reports will be submitted to the Parliament plenary to constitute the negotiating mandate or whether the new members will have to start examining the proposals again.
The MEPs will then have to elect their 3rd and 4th Vice-Presidents. Their election had been postponed because of the controversial candidacy proposed by the conservative group ECR for the position of 3rd Vice-President (see EUROPE 12293/5). The Parliamentarians will then have an exchange of views with the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Phil Hogan, on future priorities. MEPs are expected to criticise the draft trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur countries (see EUROPE 12297/11). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)