The plenary session of the European Parliament, which starts on Monday 2 May in Strasbourg, will be marked by several key events such as a speech from Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, the European reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the adoption of the ‘Ruiz Devesa’ report advocating the creation of transnational lists for the 2024 European elections.
On Tuesday morning, Mr Draghi will address MEPs to set out his vision for the future of the European Union, against the backdrop of high geopolitical tension on the EU’s eastern border which is having a negative impact on the European economy in terms of higher prices and slower growth.
At the beginning of March, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas tested this new kind of debate organised by the European Parliament (see EUROPE 12907/11).
Russian invasion of Ukraine. Several key moments of the plenary session will be devoted to the European response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
On Tuesday afternoon, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, will answer questions from MEPs. They will then debate the EU’s energy independence in the light of the recent decision by the Russian company Gazprom to suspend gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland (see EUROPE 12940/1, 12941/1). They will discuss the consequences of this war on the transport sector, particularly air and sea transport. A resolution will be put to the vote on Wednesday, in which they call for the refusal of entry to European ports for ships that have called at Russian ports. MEPs will also debate the EU’s resilience to cyber attacks.
On Wednesday, the Parliament will hold an exchange of views on the socio-economic consequences of the war provoked by Russia against Ukraine and on how to strengthen the EU27’s capacity to act. A specific resolution will be adopted at the May mini-plenary.
On Thursday, MEPs will ask the European Commission an oral question on the situation of women in the war in Ukraine; women and children account for 90% of the millions who have fled Ukraine. A resolution on the issue of human trafficking, sexual exploitation and rape as a weapon of war will be adopted at the same time.
On the same day, in a debate and vote, the Parliament will discuss the latest developments in EU-Moldova relations. The country is under great pressure with the arrival of many Ukrainian refugees on its territory. Additionally, the secessionist region of Transnistria has been hit by explosions in recent days (see other news). Moldova applied for EU membership in early March (see EUROPE 12930/6). Its president, Maia Sandu, has been invited to speak at the plenary session on 18 and 19 May.
Rule of law. On Tuesday 3 May, MEPs will take stock of the latest developments related to democracy and respect for the rule of law in Hungary and Poland and the EU’s actions to protect its common values.
Following a debate with the Commission, the plenary will vote on a resolution assessing the current EU Council hearings procedure with these two countries, under the so-called ‘Article 7’ procedures of the Treaty. The European Parliament regrets that, despite the deterioration of the situation in both countries in recent years, Member States have so far avoided holding a vote establishing the existence of a clear risk of a serious breach of the EU’s common values.
MEPs are also expected to comment on the Commission’s decision on 27 April to trigger the budgetary conditionality mechanism against Hungary (see EUROPE 12941/23).
On Tuesday, MEPs will start the day with a debate on threats to journalists and press freedom, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day.
EU electoral law. On Monday, the plenary will start with the debate on the proposal to reform the EU’s electoral law, tabled by Domènec Ruiz Devesa (S&D, Spain).
As agreed by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, this reform includes the creation of a European constituency, a major political innovation that would allow European citizens to elect 28 MEPs on transnational lists led by ‘head of list’ candidates (‘Spitzenkandidaten’), in addition to the European elections in each Member State (see 12921/20, 12881/1). The attitude of the EPP group will be one to monitor, as it torpedoed a similar attempt in February 2018 (see EUROPE 11956/1).
Late Tuesday afternoon, the results of the Conference on the Future of Europe will be debated in plenary, after the Conference’s plenary assembly has finalised its recommendations on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 April. A feedback event on the conclusions of the Conference will take place on Monday 9 May in Strasbourg, one year to the day of the launch of this citizen consultation exercise (see EUROPE 12716/1).
Most importantly, on Thursday 5 May the European Parliament is expected to adopt a resolution that would mandate the Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) to prepare, by the June plenary, a second resolution to activate Article 48 of the Treaty and to set up a Convention to prepare an institutional reform (see EUROPE 12941/21). The last obstacle, linked to the inclusion of social policy as requested by the S&D group, was removed on Friday, according to our information.
Foreign affairs. On Wednesday afternoon, MEPs will discuss threats to stability and the state of democracy in the Sahel region and West Africa before voting on a specific resolution on Thursday. The situation in the region has deteriorated in recent years due to the increased presence of terrorist groups, food insecurity and the impact of climate change.
According to the European Parliament, democratic consolidation in the region is undermined by the repression of public demonstrations and restrictions against opposition parties and policies. The debate is also expected to address the presence of foreign private security companies, including the Wagner Group, which has implications for the EU’s CSDP missions in the region.
Also on Wednesday afternoon, MEPs will debate the case of Turkish human rights defender Osman Kavala, who was sentenced on 25 April to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole on charges of attempting to overthrow the government (see EUROPE 12939/27). They will vote on a resolution on the subject on Thursday.
The European Parliament will adopt two other resolutions on the human rights situation in the world, namely on organ harvesting in China and the repression of political opponents in Cambodia.
Foreign subsidies. In the area of international trade, on Wednesday afternoon MEPs will debate the proposal for a regulation to combat foreign subsidies that distort competition in the EU, and on Thursday they will vote on the draft report by Christophe Hansen (EPP, Luxembourg). The text was adopted unanimously on 25 April by the Committee on International Trade (see EUROPE 12939/22).
Home affairs. On Wednesday, the plenary will approve the agreement reached with Member States on extending the powers of the European police agency, Europol (see EUROPE 12881/5). Europol’s mandate has been strengthened, for example regarding the agency’s processing of large datasets and its ability to assist national authorities in monitoring foreign direct investment in security-related cases. MEPs will debate this on Tuesday and vote on the text on 5 May.
On 4 May MEPs will debate the use of Pegasus spyware in Member States, including against Catalan MEPs, as revealed by a recent investigation. The Parliament’s specific committee of enquiry began its work on 19 April (see EUROPE 12934/6).
Furthermore, the European Parliament will be asked to validate the decision of the Committee on Civil Liberties to extend the validity of the EU Digital Covid-19 certificate beyond 30 June 2022 in view of the trilogues with the Council of the EU (see EUROPE 12941/19). It is in favour of a review of this tool in six months. It is also demanding that certificate holders should not be restricted in their freedom of movement within the EU unless absolutely necessary. The decision to enter into negotiations with the Council and the Commission is expected to be endorsed on Monday 2 May. If MEPs object, the decision will be put to a vote on Thursday 5 May.
Digital. On Tuesday morning, MEPs will debate the draft report by Axel Voss (EPP, Germany) on artificial intelligence (AI). The report, which includes a roadmap to 2030 to close the EU’s AI gap while protecting fundamental rights and democracies, will be put to the vote on the same day in the afternoon. Finalised on 22 March, this text is the result of the work of the European Parliament’s special committee on AI (see EUROPE 12917/23).
Barring opposition from at least 71 MEPs, the European Parliament is expected to give the green light for the opening of negotiations with the EU Council on the common charger directive, following the vote in the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) on 20 April (see EUROPE 12935/7). Interinstitutional negotiations with the Council could start within two weeks, according to a source close to the subject.
After a debate on Monday, MEPs will vote on Tuesday on the regulation proposed in October 2021 to tighten limit values of concentration for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) - highly toxic chemical substances - in waste (see EUROPE 12822/10). This legislation aims to protect human health and the environment, promote the circular economy and align EU limit values with the Stockholm Convention. By adopting its position on the basis of the report by Martin Hojsík (Renew Europe, Slovakia), which adds POPs to be removed from the material recycling chain (see EUROPE 12924/15), the Parliament will open the way for negotiations with the EU Council (see EUROPE 12914/23).
Agriculture and fisheries. The European Parliament will vote on 3 May on the report by Simone Schmiedtbauer (EPP, Austria) on an EU action plan for organic farming. The S&D, Greens/EFA and The Left groups will try to reinstate, through amendments, the need to reach the EU target of 25% of land under organic farming (see EUROPE 12923/21).
After a debate on Monday, on Tuesday MEPs will take up the proposals and recommendations in the draft report by Isabel Carvalhais (S&D, Portugal) on the ‘blue’ economy, which calls for more funding for sustainable fisheries (see EUROPE 12913/17).
Regarding taxation, the report by Markus Ferber (EPP, Germany) on the common system of value added tax (VAT) will be put to the vote in the afternoon on Tuesday 3 May. MEPs will vote on extending the period of application of the optional reverse charge mechanism for the delivery of certain goods and services susceptible to fraud and the rapid reaction mechanism against VAT fraud.
Finally, the European Parliament will vote on Wednesday 4 May on the discharge for the implementation of the EU 2020 budget (see EUROPE 12924/23). The Committee on Budgetary Control is suggesting postponing the decision on the discharge to the Executive Director of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) on the implementation of the Agency’s budget for 2020 (see other news).
The European Parliament is also expected to postpone its decisions on the discharge of the implementation of the 2020 budgets of the European Court of Auditors, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Council/European Council.
See the agenda of the European Parliament plenary session: https://aeur.eu/f/1fa (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion and editorial staff)