Until 5 March 2021

Monday 1 March

Brussels. Council of the EU. EU-Albania Stabilisation and Association Council. – Discussion on the pre-accession strategy in light of the accession criteria. – Progress in the implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement. -– Exchange of views on the situation in the Western Balkans and other international issues of common interest.
Brussels. Council of the EU. Informal videoconference of Tourism Ministers. – Exchange of views on the state of the sector and reflection on a set of measures for recovery (state of vaccination, coordination of measures restricting movement, measures to restore travellers’ confidence).
Brussels. Council of the EU. Informal videoconference of health ministers. – Discussion on the impact of new variants of SARS-Cov-2 and strategies for testing and exchanging information on national vaccination plans.
Brussels. Council of the EU. Preparatory proceedings: Coreper II, Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management (CivCom), Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA).
Brussels. European Parliament. Committee activities. – AIDA-AFET-SEDE: public hearing on ‘The foreign policy dimension of artificial intelligence’: different panels (also on 04/03) (agenda: http://bit.ly/3qZyhRj ). – AFET: debriefing of the EU ambassador to Russia on the High Representative’s visit to Moscow on 4 and 5 February (agenda: https://bit.ly/3r0bpkD ). – CONT: votes on the 2019 discharge for the general budget of the EU (agenda: https://bit.ly/3q2tCg1 ). – INGE: exchange of views with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the EU strategy to combat interference in democratic processes in the EU and disinformation (agenda: https://bit.ly/2O51FqV ). – ANIT: public hearing on the transport of live animals to third countries: controls and problems when leaving the EU and in third countries (agenda: https://bit.ly/2ZX6yEQ ). – LIBE: exchange of views on the situation in the Western Mediterranean and the Canary Islands with the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, and with the President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, and Estrella Galán, CEAR; votes on various reports, including: the Commission’s strategy on children’s rights (rapp. JF López Aguilar), and on the interim interinstitutional agreements on the Asylum and Migration Fund (rapp. T Fajon), the Financial Support Instrument for Border Management and Visas (rapp. T Fajon) and the Internal Security Fund (rapp. M Hohlmeier) (agenda: http://bit.ly/3qZVp2i ).

Tuesday 2 March

Brussels. Council of the EU. Informal videoconference of trade ministers. – Exchange of views on the Commission Communication on the EU Trade Policy Review.
Brussels. Council of the EU. Preparatory proceedings: Political and Security Committee (PSC).
Luxembourg. * Court of Justice of the EU. #Judgments: – C-746/18 (Prokuratuur – Conditions for access to data relating to electronic communications - are national rules allowing access to electronic communications for the purpose of conducting a criminal investigation in conformity with EU law?) – C-425/19 P (Commission – Italy et al. – should the appeal brought by the Commission against the judgment of the Court of First Instance concerning measures adopted by a consortium of Italian banks in support of one of its members be allowed?) – C-824/18 (AB et al. – appointment of judges to the Supreme Court - Action - does Polish law introduced to exclude the possibility of judicial review of the assessment by the National Council of the Judiciary of candidates for the post of judge to the Supreme Court infringe EU law?)

Wednesday 3 March

Brussels. European Commission. Weekly meeting of the College of Commissioners. – One year since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic: fiscal policy response (Dombrovskis). – Commission Recommendation on ‘Active and effective support for employment’ (EASE) (Dombrovskis). – Action Plan for the implementation of the European pillar of social rights (Dombrovskis). – Binding measures on wage transparency (Jourova). – Strategy on the rights of people with disabilities (Jourova).
Brussels. Council of the EU. Preparatory proceedings: Coreper I, Coreper II, EU Military Committee (EUMC).

Thursday 4 March

Brussels. Council of the EU. Preparatory proceedings: PSC.
Brussels. European Parliament. Committee activities. – AFET: The effects of climate change on human rights and the role of environmentalists in this regard (rapp. MS Rodriguez Ramos (agenda: http://bit.ly/3dO0rLd )). – ECON: dialogue with Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis (Economy at the service of people) and Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni (Economy) on the autumn budget package; exchange of views with the President of the European Statistical Governance Advisory Board (ESGAB), Aurel Schubert; vote on the reports on the annual strategy for sustainable growth within the framework of the European Semester (rapp. E Győri), the strengthening of the international role of the euro (rapp. D Hübner) (agenda: https://bit.ly/3ksorov ). – FEMM: preparation for International Women’s Day (agenda: https://bit.ly/3pU9Y5R ).
Luxembourg. * Court of Justice of the EU. #Judgments: C-362/19 P (Commission v Fútbol Club Barcelona - application for annulment of the judgment of the Court of First Instance rejecting the Commission’s decision ordering Spain to recover State aid from the professional football club Fútbol Club Barcelona). #Conclusions: cases C-357/19 (Euro Box Promotion and Others) and C-547/19 (Asociaţia Forumul Judecătorilor din România), joint cases C-379/19 (DNA - Serviciul Teritorial Oradea) and C-811/19 (FQ and Others) and C-840/19 (NC - although it has its own characteristics and specialised competence as guardian of the Constitution, is the Romanian Constitutional Court a body outside the judiciary?)