From 21/09 to 27/09/2020

Monday 21 September

Berlin. Council of the EU. Informal Meeting of Trade Ministers (20-21/09). – Informal exchange of views on current challenges in trade policy, also with a view to overcoming the economic consequences of the coronavirus crisis; – discussions on further WTO reform (rules-based trade and market opening, diversification of the EU’s trade relations and reduction of its dependence on supply chains).
Brussels. Council of the EU. ‘Agriculture and Fisheries’ EU Council. *Agriculture: – German Presidency paper on the state of play of the CAP reform. – Discussion on the post-2020 CAP: ecological architecture (eco-regime, cross-compliance); direct payments (new implementation model and implementation of the European Council decisions on degression and capping of direct aids). – Miscellaneous: presentation by France and other countries of a joint declaration advocating in particular the development of plant protein production in the EU; presentation by the Commission of various trade-related issues (developments in the sector in connection with the crisis linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, negotiation of free trade treaties with various countries, relations with China, the United States, Africa and Russia, etc.)
Brussels. Council of the EU. ‘Foreign Affairs’ Council. – Topical issues: situation in Lebanon, China, Turkey and Russia. – Libya: latest developments following the 21 August 2020 announcements by Libyan political leaders on the way out of the Libyan crisis and the High Representative’s visit to the country on 1 September 2020. – EU/African Union relations: preparations for the meeting of EU and AU foreign ministers on 28 September 2020 and exchange of views on common EU and African priorities and contacts with African partners ahead of the EU-AU summit. – Belarus: recent developments after the elections and discussion on possible EU support for a national dialogue. – Southern Neighbourhood: future partnership with Southern Neighbourhood countries and future programming of bilateral aid.
Internet. Council of the EU. Virtual Ministerial Conference on “Innovative Rail Transport: Connected, Sustainable, Digital” – ‘Berlin Declaration’ on the development of European rail freight on European corridors in the service of competitive rail freight. – Presentation of the ‘Trans Europa Express 2.0’ concept study on high-speed and cross-border overnight trains and a common reservation platform for passengers.
Brussels. European Parliament. Committee activities: – AFET: debate with the Head of the Chinese Mission to the EU on EU-China relations; exchange of views with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and other members of the opposition on the situation in Belarus (full agenda: https://bit.ly/3knRDMe ). – FEMM: hearing on the presence of women on the boards of directors (full agenda: https://bit.ly/33D2j32 ). – AGRI: exchange of views on the Recovery Plan and the revised MFF; exchange of views with Ruben Tascon, DG HEALTH; Coordinators’ meeting (22/09) (agenda: https://bit.ly/35S4K4j ). – CULT: exchange of views with the Commission on the European Heritage Label; report on artificial intelligence in education, culture and audiovisual (rapp. S Verheyen) (agenda: https://bit.ly/3ktAe4P ). – LIBE: discussion of the Commission’s report on PNR; Commission's state of play of international agreements on Passenger Name Records; implementation of the European arrest warrant (rapp. J Zarzalejos) (agenda: https://bit.ly/2Eh0a4k ).

Tuesday 22 September

Brussels. Council of the EU. ‘General Affairs’ Council. – Budget: Presidency briefing on the progress of work on the next multiannual financial framework and the Recovery Plan. – Preparation of the Extraordinary Summit on 24 and 25 September: examination of the draft conclusion. – Brexit: state of play in the negotiations with the United Kingdom on the implementation of the withdrawal agreement (Barnier). – Legislative programming: presentation by the Commission of its draft work programme for 2021 and the 2020 strategic outlook report. – Covid-19: coordination at EU level of measures to combat the pandemic. – Article 7: state of play of proceedings against Poland and Hungary.
Brussels. Council of the EU. Preparatory Proceedings: Coreper I and II, PSC, Military Committee (EUMC).
Brussels. European Parliament. Committee activities: – BUDG: consideration of a working document concerning the Council’s position on the 2021 budget; exchange of views with the Acting Chairman of the ERC (agenda: https://bit.ly/33zQ7Qs ). – ENVI-ITRE: hearing with various stakeholders on securing access to Covid-19 vaccines for EU citizens. – DROI-LIBE: meeting with representatives of the US Congress and the US Helsinki Commission on Racial Equity, Equality and Justice. – LIBE: state of play on an adequacy decision by South Korea and the UK on EU transfers of personal data (agenda: https://bit.ly/3kvAoc4 ). – CULT: exchange of views with Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas; European Day of Languages – exchange of views with the Association of Language Testing in Europe (ALTE) and the Council of Europe; European Day of Languages – exchange of views with the Association of Language Testing in Europe (ALTE) and the Council of Europe; EU leadership in the digital age and European approach to AI (rapp. S Verheyen) (agenda: https://bit.ly/2ZPlHc2 ). – PECH: coordinators’ meeting; Commission report on the implementation of the multi-annual plan for the cod, herring and sprat stocks in the Baltic Sea (agenda: https://bit.ly/2H8c15D ).
Luxembourg. * Court of Justice of the European Union. #Rulings: – Cases C-724/18 (Cali Apartments) and C-727/18 (Public Prosecutor at the Court of Appeal of Paris and City of Paris – do short-term rentals for transient customers fall within the rules on the free movement of services and does prior authorisation for such rentals is in conformity with Union law?). – C-594/18 P (Austria v Commission – action by Austria against the Commission’s decision to approve the aid measure granted by the United Kingdom for the construction of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station).

Wednesday 23 September

Brussels. European Commission. Weekly meeting of the College of Commissioners. – Annual report on the rule of law 2020 (tbc) (Jourova). – Action Plan on Capital Markets Union (Dombrovskis). – Digital Finance Package (FinTech strategy, retail payment strategy, legislative proposals on crypto-assets, legislative proposal on operational resilience of the financial sector (Dombrovskis). – Action Plan on Customs Union (Dombrovskis).
Brussels. Council of the EU. Preparatory Proceedings: PSC.
Brussels. European Parliament. Committee activities: – TRAN: debate with stakeholders on the situation of the tourism sector in the EU in the context of the coronavirus crisis (agenda: https://bit.ly/2EdnS1p ). – Election of the chairs and vice-chairs of the new committees and subcommittees set up in June 2020 for the duration of the mandate of the committee in question.
Luxembourg. * Court of Justice of the European Union. #Rulings: C-777/18 Vas Megyei Kormányhivatal (Cross-border health care – Can a national of a Member State be refused, by that Member State, reimbursement of the costs of cross-border health care, in this case for an emergency surgical operation carried out in another Member State?). #Conclusions: cases C-83/19 (Asociaţia “Forumul Judecătorilor Din România”), C-127/19 (Asociaţia “Forumul Judecătorilor Din România” and Asociaţia “Mişcarea Pentru Apărarea Statutului Procurorilor”) and C-195/19 PJ, C-291/19 SO, C-355/19 (Asociaţia “Forumul Judecătorilor din România” et al.) and C-397/19 (Statul Român – Ministerul Finanţelor Publice – is the cooperation and verification mechanism binding for Romania and does the Romanian regulation establishing a section of prosecutors with exclusive competence to investigate all types of offences committed by judges and prosecutors respect the principle of the rule of law?). * Court of the EU: #Rulings: – T-411/17 (Landesbank Baden-Württemberg/SRB – application for annulment of the decision of the Single Resolution Board on the calculation of ex ante contributions to the Single Resolution Fund for 2017). – joined Cases T-515/13 RENV (Spain v Commission) and T-719/13 RENV (Lico Leasing and Pequeños y Medianos Astilleros Sociedad de Reconversión v Commission – is the Spanish tax regime applicable to certain financial leasing agreements concluded by shipyards constitutes an aid scheme?).

Thursday 24 September

Brussels. European Council. Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State or Government (and 25/09). – Single market, industrial policy and digital transition: deepening and strengthening the single market, increasing the competitiveness and autonomy of European industry at world level, accelerating the digital transition. – External relations: strategic debate on Turkey (situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, future relations with the country); relations with China following the EU/China Summit on 22/06 and the virtual meeting with President Xi on 14/09. – Other foreign policy issues.
Brussels. European Parliament. Committee activities: – REGI: vote on the opinion on the public sector loan facility under the Just Transition Mechanism (agenda: https://bit.ly/3mv1JwF ). – INTA: exchange of views on the negotiations for the modernisation of the Energy Charter Treaty; presentation of the in-depth analysis “Trade and Biodiversity”; elimination of tariffs on certain products (rapp. B Lange) (agenda: https://bit.ly/3caLzDQ ). – LIBE: presentation by Vice President Margaritis Schinas and Commissioner Ylva Johansson of the New Deal on Asylum and Migration (agenda: https://bit.ly/3caWKMR ).
Luxembourg. * Court of Justice of the European Union. #Rulings: – C-195/20 PPU (Generalbundesanwalt beim Bundesgerichtshof (Principle of speciality) - In the context of criminal proceedings, where European arrest warrants have been issued on the basis of which the convicted person who has committed different offences has been surrendered, does the principle of speciality preclude the national arrest warrant from being maintained?)

Friday 25 September