MEPs will meet for another plenary session in Strasbourg from 21 to 24 November to celebrate the institution’s 70th anniversary and to discuss, among other things, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, migration, the budget and energy issues.
Seventy years of the European Parliament. On Tuesday lunchtime, MEPs will celebrate the creation of the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952 with a ceremony featuring European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and the Prime Ministers of the three host countries - France’s Élisabeth Borne, Belgium’s Alexander De Croo and Luxembourg’s Xavier Bettel.
Russian invasion. On Tuesday, MEPs will vote on the use of an urgent procedure for the new macro-financial assistance (MFA+). If they agree to this procedure, MEPs will vote on Thursday on the assistance, which will provide Ukraine with stable support over the year 2023 in the form of loans of up to €18 billion repayable over the long term (see EUROPE 13060/4). On Wednesday, the Member States approved the assistance, which is expected to be formally endorsed at the Ecofin Council on Tuesday 6 December.
On Tuesday 21, MEPs will debate the impact on third countries of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine under the Black Sea Grain Initiative agreement.
The next day they will vote on a resolution calling Russia a ‘state sponsor of terrorism’. According to the joint draft resolution, the European Parliament is expected to recognise “Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and as a state that uses terrorist means”. During the debate on the subject last 18 October, the representatives of the main political groups voted in favour of this designation (see EUROPE 13046/7).
On Thursday, MEPs will be asked to confirm the agreement reached with the EU Council on not accepting Russian travel documents issued in the territories illegally occupied by Russia (see EUROPE 13061/23). An agreement had been reached between the co-legislators on 10 November, and the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties adopted this agreement on 17 November by 48 votes to 0 with 1 abstention.
Foreign Affairs. In other foreign policy matters, MEPs will debate, on Monday, the human rights situation in the context of the World Cup in Qatar (see EUROPE 13062/26). They will also discuss the human rights situation in Egypt, the recent host of COP27, and vote on a resolution on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the High Representative of the Union, Josep Borrell, will brief MEPs on EU-China relations (see EUROPE 13048/3). MEPs will then debate the EU’s response to the growing repression of protests in Iran, the promotion of regional stability and security in the wider Middle East region and the situation in Libya.
They will also discuss the report by Tonino Picula (S&D, Croatian) on the EU’s new enlargement strategy, which will be put to the vote on Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday, MEPs will discuss the human rights situation in Afghanistan, including the deterioration of women’s rights and attacks on schools, the continued repression of the democratic opposition and civil society in Belarus and the forced displacement of people caused by the escalating conflict in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on the border with Rwanda (see EUROPE 13062/9, 13057/15). The three resolutions will be put to the vote on Thursday, after a debate the day before.
After a debate on Wednesday evening, MEPs will vote on Thursday on the report by Charles Goerens (Renew Europe, Luxembourger) recommending that the future European financial architecture for development should be guided by respect for the commitments made at the UN in 2015 on the Sustainable Development Goals and climate (see EUROPE 13053/18).
Migration. On Wednesday morning, a major debate will be held on the need for the EU to find a solution to asylum and migration, with a large part of the discussion being devoted to the issue of search and rescue operations at sea, particularly in the Central Mediterranean. MEPs will hear from the Commission and the Czech Presidency of the EU Council ahead of an extraordinary meeting of EU interior ministers on 25 November.
Energy. On Wednesday afternoon, on a proposal from the EPP group, MEPs will hold a debate on the single energy market.
On Thursday afternoon they will vote on a draft resolution on the outcome of negotiations on the modernisation of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), an international trade and investment agreement, in force since 1998, aimed at protecting investments in the energy sector. The content of the resolution will depend in particular on the outcome of a meeting between the Treaty’s contracting parties taking place two days before the Parliament’s vote on Tuesday 22 November to adopt the agreement in principle on the modernisation of the Treaty reached last June (see EUROPE 12979/10). At the time of going to press, Member States’ ambassadors to the EU were trying to agree on the position the Union should take (see other news).
Critical infrastructure. MEPs will debate the resilience of critical infrastructure on the morning of Tuesday the 22nd based on the report by Michal Šimečka (Renew Europe, Slovakian) adopted in the Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties in October (see EUROPE 13040/7). The new EU rules, which will also be voted on by the plenary on 22 November, aim to strengthen the preparedness and response of critical infrastructures, such as energy or health, to different crisis scenarios and no longer only related to terrorism. The sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in October put the question of the resilience of the EU’s infrastructure back in the spotlight.
Fundamental rights. MEPs will discuss and vote on Tuesday on the European Parliament’s second reading position on the directive on gender balance among directors of listed companies (‘Women on Boards’) (see EUROPE 13065/29). This endorses the EU Council’s position adopted in October (see EUROPE 13044/24).
On Wednesday, the European Commission and the EU Council will make a declaration on combating violence against women. While the Commission has put forward a proposal for a directive on the subject in March 2022 (see EUROPE 12906/14), the European Parliament has not yet taken a decision (see EUROPE 13053/22).
Justice. Some 40 MEPs have tabled an oral question on the legal protection of so-called ‘rainbow families’ (composed of same-sex parents) when they move to another Member State (see EUROPE 12884/2). The issue will be debated in the hemicycle on Wednesday, and MEPs will ask the European Commission whether there is any legislation in place for the recognition of family ties between Member States. According to its provisional timetable, the Commission should present a text on 7 December.
Economy. On Tuesday afternoon, during question time with the Commission, MEPs will ask the Commission about a possible reform of the European economic governance framework, which it had presented at the beginning of November (see EUROPE 13060/1).
Conditionality and budget. The European Commission will make a statement on Monday 21 November on the state of play of the negotiations between the Commission and the Hungarian government on the Conditionality Regulation and the Economic Recovery Plan, which has yet to be approved (see EUROPE 13065/10). Many MEPs are expected to call for further proceedings against Hungary, due to the continued violation of the Rule of law. They are expected to vote on a resolution on Thursday.
In addition, the Parliament will reportedly approve, on Wednesday 23 November, the compromise between EU institutions on the EU budget for 2023 (see EUROPE 13062/24).
On Monday, MEPs will also debate the implementation of the borrowing strategy to finance the Next Generation EU Recovery Plan and, the following day, the own resources specific to the Multiannual Financial Framework.
Transport. On Tuesday, MEPs will vote on the report by Angel Dzhambazki (ECR, Bulgarian) on the initial qualification and periodic training of drivers of certain road vehicles for the carriage of goods or passengers. The report was adopted in the Committee on Legal Affairs on 27 October.
Digital. MEPs will start Thursday with a debate on setting the policy agenda for the Digital Decade 2030. The vote will take place later in the day. As a reminder, the negotiators of the European Parliament and the EU Council had reached a provisional political agreement on the subject on the night of 13-14 July (see EUROPE 12993/8). This provisional agreement was approved in the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) on the 1 September 2022 (see EUROPE 13012/9).
Internal Market. On Tuesday, MEPs will vote on the Interinstitutional Agreement on the regulation on decisions by European standardisation bodies, which aims to restore European sovereignty over the standardisation decision-making process (see EUROPE 13052/20).
Health. On World Diabetes Day, the European Commission will issue a statement on Monday 21 on diabetes prevention and care. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant and the editorial staff)