CALENDAR / Main activities of european institutions
Until 16 May 2021
Monday 10 May
Brussels. Council of the EU. Foreign Affairs Council. – Briefing by the High Representative on key international developments and discussions, including on: global health and pandemic preparedness in view of the forthcoming G20 World Health Summit. ; the situation in Afghanistan, following the announcement of the withdrawal of US troops; relations with Russia; the state of play of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) negotiations in Vienna; the recent postponement of the Palestinian elections; the worrying situation in Lebanon. – Exchange of views on Belarus, the Western Balkans and transatlantic relations. – Climate issues: John Kerry, the US Special Climate Envoy, may join the session by video conference. – Any other business. – List of A items (adoption without debate – https://bit.ly/3un2FqG ).
Brussels. Council of the EU. EU-Kazakhstan Cooperation Council. – Progress and next steps on the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the two sides. – Political, economic, and trade issues, including internal reforms, regional trade, rule of law, and human rights. – Regional and international developments and cooperation, including security issues.
Brussels. Council of the EU. Preparatory proceedings: Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management (Civcom); Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) (discussion on strategic plans - flexibilities on eco-regimes); Standing Committee on Operational Cooperation on Internal Security (COSI).
Brussels. European Parliament. Committee activities. – AFET-INTA: Exchange of views with Gunnar Wiegand, EEAS Executive Director for Asia and the Pacific, on the virtual meeting of EU and Indian leaders on 8 May. – AFET: Public hearing: EU’s long-term strategy towards Russia; examination of the report on the future of EU-US relations (rapp. T Picula) and the report on the new EU/China strategy (rapp. H Vautmans) (agenda: https://bit.ly/3erkhMd ). – BUDG: discussion and votes on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund in favour of various countries; exchange of views on EU buildings policy with Fabienne Keller, rapporteur on this subject (agenda: https://bit.ly/3etswrj ). – ECON: hearing of Petra Hielkema, candidate for the management of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA). (agenda: https://bit.ly/3vKhRhy ). – BUDG-ECON: dialogue on recovery and resilience with Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis (Economy for People) and Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni (Economy) (agenda: https://bit.ly/3bcKj3V ). – ENVI: public hearing “New GM techniques in the food sector: impacts on health and the environment?”; structured dialogue with the Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius; vote on the interim agreement reached in the interinstitutional negotiations on the ‘Climate Law’ (rapp. J Guteland) (agenda: https://bit.ly/3etsK1D ). – AFCO: exchange of views with Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President of the Commission for Interinstitutional Relations and Strategic Prospective on the framework of the structured dialogue between the Commission and the European Parliament (agenda: https://bit.ly/2RssdEd ). – TRAN: presentation of the Court of Auditors’ special report “Electric recharging infrastructure”; exchange of views with the European coordinators for TEN-T (Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean and Rhine-Alps corridors); discussion of the report on the sustainable mobility strategy (rapp. I Ertug) (agenda: https://bit.ly/33qnDJa ). – CULT: exchange of views with Věra Jourová, Vice-President of the Commission; presentation of a study on the consequences of the Covid-19 crisis on education and young people in the EU, followed by a structured dialogue with young people (agenda: https://bit.ly/3uoBrzP ). – PECH: Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF): monitoring the effectiveness of the Common Fisheries Policy (Article 50 of the CFP); presentation of the “STECF 21-01 ad hoc” report (agenda: https://bit.ly/3nWVTW4 ). – AGRI: progress of the inter-institutional negotiations on the CAP reform (strategic plans, horizontal regulation, CMO) (agenda: https://bit.ly/3h6DvIY ). – FEMM: workshop “GBV in education: Addressing behaviours and patterns of perpetrators, raising awareness among the boys” (agenda: https://bit.ly/2R5bl6z ). – LIBE-FEMM: presentation by Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, on the Commission’s communication on the EU strategy to combat trafficking in human beings 2021-2025 (agenda: https://bit.ly/2QZYPFf ). – INGE-AFET: exchange of views with Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Dossier Center, on Kremlin interference abroad (agenda: https://bit.ly/3tjxL13 ). – INGE-ITRE-IMCO: exchange of views with delegates from Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube on the role of multimedia platforms in disseminating and amplifying disinformation as well as detecting and countering it (agenda: https://bit.ly/3tjxL13 ). – INGE: votes on foreign interference in EU democratic processes, including disinformation (rapp. S Kalniete) (agenda: https://bit.ly/3tjxL13 ). – BECA: exchange of views with experts on the results of the consultation on the impact of the pandemic on cancer prevention; exchange of views with the EU Council and the Commission on the financing of the European plan to combat cancer (agenda: https://bit.ly/3hg5R3H ). – LIBE: results of the trilogue on the digital green certificate (rapp. JF López Aguilar); discussion with journalists on the work of the working group on Frontex control (agenda: https://bit.ly/2Svp1Ih ). – JURI: exchange of views with Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager (Competition) and Vice-President Vera Jouróva (Values and Transparency) in the framework of the structured dialogue (agenda: https://bit.ly/3ttZLiy ).
Tuesday 11 May
Brussels. Council of the EU. General Affairs Council. – Covid-19: progress report on the coordination of national measures to counter the pandemic and the distribution of vaccines. – Conference on the future of Europe: Presidency briefing. – Preparation of the European Council on 25 May: exchange of views on the draft annotated agenda. – Other business: enlargement and stabilisation process (Western Balkans); EU-Switzerland relations. – A items (adoption without debate).
Brussels. Council of the EU. Preparatory proceedings: Political and Security Committee (PSC); Trade Policy Committee (Experts - services and investment).
Brussels. European Parliament. Committee activities. – FEMM: vote on the report on the situation of sexual and reproductive health and rights (rapp. PF Matic) (agenda: https://bit.ly/3nXxIqp ). – LIBE: adoption of the annual report on the functioning of the Schengen area (rapp. T Fajon) (agenda: https://bit.ly/3o0DurA ). – JURI-LIBE: discussion on the report on the misuse of civil and criminal law actions to silence journalists, NGOs and civil society (rapp. T Wölken and R Metsola) (agenda: https://bit.ly/3eqR7Nm ).
Wednesday 12 May
Brussels. European Commission. Weekly meeting of the College of Commissioners. – Communication on zero pollution for water, air and soil (Timmermans). – Communication on a new approach for a sustainable blue economy in the European Union (Timmermans).
Brussels. Council of the EU, European Commission, European Parliament. Agriculture: Trilogue meeting on the common market organisation in the framework of the CAP reform.
Brussels. Council of the EU. Preparatory proceedings: Coreper I; Coreper II; Political and Security Committee (PSC); European Union Military Committee (EUMC); Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management (Civcom); Trade Policy Committee (alternate members).
Luxembourg. * Court of Justice of the EU. #Judgments: – C-505/19 (Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Interpol red notice - does the principle of the prohibition of cumulative prosecution (ne bis in indem) allow the provisional arrest of a person covered by an Interpol red notice as long as it is not established that they have been finally tried in a Member State or in a State party to the Schengen Agreement?) – C-11/20 (Commission v Greece - Aid to agricultural producers - has Greece failed to fulfil its obligations by not taking within the prescribed time-limits all the measures necessary to recover unduly paid aid to Greek farmers, as ordered by the Commission in a decision of December 2011?) #Conclusions : – C-124/20 (Bank Melli Iran - does the blocking statute adopted by the European Union following the withdrawal of the United States from the Iran nuclear agreement require an EU economic operator not to comply with US requirements and prohibitions, including where the continuation of its business relationship with an Iranian bank exposes it to significant economic losses on the US market) * General Court of the EU : #Judgments: – joint cases T-816/17 (Luxembourg v Commission) and T-318/18 Amazon EU and Amazon.com v Commission - in the context of the implementation of the criteria linked to the concept of ‘State aid’ in relation to advance tax rulings, what is the scope of the burden of proof incumbent on the Commission?) – joint cases T-516/18 (Luxembourg v Commission) and T-525/18 (Engie Global LNG Holding and others v Commission - do the tax rulings adopted between 2008 and 2014 by the Luxembourg tax authorities in respect of subsidiaries of Engie constitute State aid incompatible with the internal market? – T-789/19 (Moerenhout and others v Commission - can the Commission refuse to register a proposed European citizens’ initiative on the grounds that its objective relates to the Union’s foreign policy and not to the common commercial policy, without further explanation of its reasoning?)
