The newly-elected MEPs meet in Strasbourg from 16 to 19 September for a plenary session with few votes, but with several key debates: the priorities of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, the ‘Draghi’ report, the Apple Case, and support for Ukraine.
On the sidelines of the plenary session, the presentation of the College of Commissioners by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Tuesday 17, remains to be confirmed.
The latter is awaiting confirmation from the Slovenian Parliament on the appointment of the Commissioner from the same country, Marta Kos. Without a concrete appointment, Mrs von der Leyen will not be able to present the exact composition of the College to the European Parliament.
The Commissioners-designate may not be heard by MEPs until November.
Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU. On Wednesday morning, MEPs will debate with Viktor Orbán, who will present the priorities of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU to Parliament, as is customary for each rotating Presidency of the EU Council. MEPs should take this opportunity to question him about his relations with Russia (see EUROPE 13456/5) and the Rule of law in his country.
While several political groups felt it was important to be able to debate with Mr Orbán, the Greens/EFA were against inviting “an autocrat and a puppet of Putin” and providing him with “a platform to spread his propaganda and disinformation”, in the words of the group’s representative, Simon McKeagney.
Competitiveness. On Tuesday, former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi will present his report on the future of European competitiveness to MEPs (see EUROPE 13478/1) ahead of a debate on the subject. Most political groups welcomed the Draghi report. They are calling on the Commission to act, whether by reducing the regulatory burden on businesses or agreeing on new public funding programmes.
Agriculture. Before that, on Monday, the European Commission will make a statement on another recently presented report: the one resulting from the strategic dialogue on the future of EU agriculture (see EUROPE 13475/1). The Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council, for its part, has begun work on the post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) (see EUROPE 13479/4).
Energy. A third report, published on 11 September (see EUROPE 13480/2) on the state of the Energy Union, will be debated on Tuesday. It takes stock of the European energy markets and the outlook as winter approaches. In particular, MEPs will be debating the persistent challenges of EU industrial electricity prices and the deployment of renewable energies.
Attack on Solingen. At the start of the session, the European Commission will make a statement on security threats such as the Solingen attack, “by tackling illegal immigration and ensuring effective return”. This is an opportunity to look back at the measures announced by the German government following the terrorist attack on 23 August, aimed at re-establishing controls at the country’s internal borders and reinforcing the expulsion of illegal immigrants (see EUROPE 13479/5).
Hungarian residence permit. On 18 September, MEPs will return to the concerns raised by the new Hungarian national card, which allows nationals of several third countries, including Russia and Ukraine, to come and work in Hungary and stay for up to 2 years. The Commission and the EPP Group in Parliament fear that Russian or Belarusian workers are engaging in espionage (see EUROPE 13475/9).
Foreign affairs. On Tuesday morning, MEPs will debate the EU Member States’ continued financial and military support for Ukraine. They will be voting on a resolution on the subject on Thursday. The debate could focus in particular on lifting restrictions on the use of European military equipment by Ukraine to strike Russian territory (see EUROPE 13455/4, 13471/1).
In the afternoon, MEPs will exchange views with the High Representative of the Union on the war in Gaza and the situation in the Middle East. Parliament has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages (see EUROPE 13361/16). The need for humanitarian access to Gaza and the ongoing polio vaccination campaign could also be discussed.
Finally, MEPs will hear the Commission’s statement on the political situation in Venezuela, where President Nicolás Maduro, whose re-election has not been legitimised by the EU (see EUROPE 13471/4), remains omnipotent. Parliament will adopt a specific resolution on Thursday 19 September.
As part of the emergency resolutions to be put to the vote on Thursday, the elected representatives will debate the situation of women in Afghanistan on Wednesday afternoon. This situation has been exacerbated by the “law on the propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice”, promulgated at the end of August by the Taliban regime (see EUROPE 13468/5).
MEPs will then discuss the situation of the thousand or so political prisoners in Belarus “often held in life-threatening conditions”, according to the EU.
Finally, MEPs will turn their attention to Cuba, to discuss the case of freedom of expression and assembly activist José Daniel Ferrer García, who has been in prison since 2021 (see EUROPE 12436/25).
Apple. On Thursday, the Council of the EU and the Commission will make statements on the consequences of the recent judgment by the European Court of Justice, which finally found that Ireland had granted the giant Apple illegal State aid valued at over €13 billion (see EUROPE 13479/1).
Digital. On Tuesday morning, the European Commission will present the progress made thanks to the Digital Services Act (DSA). This communication will provide an opportunity to take stock, one year after the introduction of the DSA, of its successes, and should lead to a debate with MEPs.
Space. On Thursday at noon, MEPs will vote on the report by Borys Budka (EPP, Polish) on the conclusion of an agreement between the EU and the United States establishing security procedures for the launch of Galileo satellites from US territory (see EUROPE 13404/19).
Budget. On Wednesday, the EU Council will present its position on the EU’s draft budget plan for 2025. Since the adoption of this position this summer, the Parliament Committee on Budgets has already expressed its opposition to the proposed cuts (see EUROPE 13475/16).
Climate. On Thursday morning, MEPs will debate a Commission statement on droughts and extreme weather events affecting local communities and agriculture in the EU.
Health. On Wednesday, the Commission will give an update on the EU’s response to the monkeypox epidemic. MEPs are expected to call for a coordinated response from the EU and its Member States, aimed at stopping the epidemic in Africa and preventing the spread of the virus to Europe.
Fundamental rights. The Commission will be speaking on Monday about the persistence of antisemitism in Europe, as well as other forms of hate speech and hate crime (see EUROPE 13451/26).
Justice. The possible extradition of Canadian environmental activist Paul Watson was put on Thursday’s agenda. The Commission will make a statement on the dangers of criminalising environmental defenders and whistleblowers.
Organised crime. On Wednesday, MEPs will debate organised crime in the EU, a major threat to the internal security of the EU and European citizens, according to the title of the debate.
Institutional. On Wednesday, MEPs will also vote on the numerical strength of interparliamentary delegations.
See the final agenda for the plenary session: https://aeur.eu/f/dfs (Original version in French by Léa Marchal and the Editorial staff)