From 17/02 to 23/02/2020

Monday 17 February

Brussels. Council of the EU. Eurogroup. *Configuration of 19: - Appointment of the President of the Eurogroup working party; - Presentation of the Commission’s priorities for Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); - Presentation of the Commission’s review of the ‘six-pack’ (economic governance package) and the ‘two-pack’ (fiscal surveillance package) - Euro area issues. - Thematic discussion on growth and employment: the gap introduced by labour taxation. - Post-programme monitoring of Ireland. - Economic situation in the euro area - Commission winter forecasts. - Recommendations for the euro area for 2020. *Configuration of 27: - Budgetary instrument for convergence and competitiveness: report on a possible intergovernmental agreement. - Miscellaneous: banking union: reports from Denmark and Sweden.
Brussels. Council of the EU. ‘Foreign Affairs’ Council. - Current issues: review of current problems (Middle East, Sahel, Venezuela, Western Balkans). - EU/African Union relations: exchange of views on EU/African Union relations in view of the Commission’s new comprehensive strategy on Africa. - Libya: recent developments and worsening of the situation in the region (Turkish intervention). - EU/India: exchange of views on relations with India followed by lunch with the Indian Foreign Minister to prepare the EU/India Summit scheduled for 13/03.
Brussels. Council of the EU. ‘General Affairs’ Council. *Budget: preparation for the Extraordinary European Council of 20-21/02 on the EU’s short and long-term budget (2021-2027 MFF).
Brussels. European Parliament. Committee activities (as of 20/02). - BUDG, DEVE: Discussion on the performance of the European Fund for Sustainable Development since its establishment in 2019 with Commission representatives. - IMCO: Expert and stakeholder hearing on online advertising and consumer information. - DROI: Hearing on the state of international law on freedom of thought, conscience and religion (best practices for interreligious dialogue). - Draft agendas of the various committees: https://bit.ly/2SvxskF
Luxembourg. * Court of Justice of the EU. Week of Court’s vacations (as of 23/02).

Tuesday 18 February

Brussels. Council of the EU. ‘Economic and Financial Affairs’ Council. - Taxation: adoption of the revised list of non-cooperative countries and territories for tax purposes to prevent tax evasion and money laundering. - Economic governance: presentation by the Commission of its communication on the economic governance review and analysis of the economic surveillance framework set up to coordinate economic policies, correct macroeconomic imbalances and reduce Member States’ public deficits and debt. - European semester: adoption of conclusions on the annual strategy for sustainable growth and on macroeconomic imbalances in the Member States and approval of draft recommendations on the economic policy of the euro area. - Annual EU budget: approval of conclusions on budget guidelines for 2021 and discharge recommendation for 2018 budget.
Brussels. Council of the EU. PSC.
Brussels. European Parliament. Committee activities. - ENVI: Meeting with Commissioner Stella Kyriakides for a discussion on EU actions against the Coronavirus, the cancer plan (prevention, analysis and access to treatment, palliative care) and the EU’s ‘farm to fork’ strategy; workshop on cancer prevention. - ECON, EMPL, BUDG: European Parliamentary Week 2020: interparliamentary meetings focusing on fiscal, environmental and social policy, governance of financial services, fight against poverty, minimum wage, etc. (and 19/02). - BUDG: review of the guidelines for the EU’s 2021 budget. - AGRI: discussion with the Executive Director of the European Food Safety Authority; hearing on EU aid for innovation in agriculture. - SEDE: public hearing on the future of global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regimes (implications for the EU). - DROI: Public hearing on authoritarianism and the reduction of space for freedom of expression. - IMCO: Workshop on the reform of the E-Commerce Directive. - FEMM: Structured dialogue with Commissioner Dalli, including on the EU strategy for gender equality.

Wednesday 19 February

Brussels. European Commission. Weekly meeting of the College of Commissioners. - A strategy for Europe, adapted to the digital age (Vestager). - White Paper on Artificial Intelligence (Vestager/Jourová). - European Data Strategy (Vestager).
Brussels. Council of the EU. Coreper I and II and PSC.
Brussels. European Parliament. Committee activities. - TRAN; expert hearing on the role of public transport in sparsely populated regions; discussion with the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organisation (UN) on the situation of tourism in the context of the European Green Deal. - PECH: public hearing on measures to develop sustainable aquaculture. - LIBE: Hearing on the implementation of the Dublin III Regulation. - INTA: Structured dialogue with Commissioner Hogan on Commission proposals and priorities for 2020 in the area of trade policy (including trade and investment). - PETI: Consideration of petitions concerning parental child abduction in Japan.

Thursday 20 February

Brussels. European Council. Extraordinary meeting of Heads of State or Government (and 21/02). - 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework: pursuit of agreement on the MFF (overall amount of the budget and its distribution). - Short-term budget: discussion on the short-term budget after the departure of the United Kingdom.
Brussels. Council of the EU. ‘Education, Youth, Culture and Sport’ Council. *Education: - European Semester: approval of a resolution on education and training in the ‘European Semester’ budgetary process. - Brain circulation: policy debate on brain circulation as a factor in the development of a European Education Area. - Miscellaneous: Information from the Presidency on the post-2020 strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training.
Brussels. European Parliament. Committee activities. - LIBE: Public hearing on the use of artificial intelligence in criminal cases. - TRAN: debate with the Commissioner for Transport, Adina-Ioana Vălean, who will present the Commission’s priorities in this area for the coming months.

Friday 21 February