At the European Parliament’s plenary session starting on Monday 24 November in Strasbourg, MEPs will be discussing a wide range of foreign affairs issues, such as Chinese export restrictions and perhaps, following the request made by the EPP group on Friday 21 November, the 28-point peace plan drawn up by Washington and the Kremlin (see other news) to end the conflict in Ukraine. They will adopt their position on the protection of minors online and on the future of the regulation to combat imported deforestation.
China. On Wednesday 26 November, the key debate will focus on the use of the European Union’s trade and industrial policies to respond to Chinese restrictions on exports to the EU.
Sudan. A motion for a European Parliament resolution on the escalation of violence in Sudan will be put to the vote at midday on Thursday, while the Foreign Affairs Council has just adopted sanctions against Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy leader of the Rapid Support Forces (see EUROPE 13756/5).
Following the violence that marred the Tanzanian presidential election, MEPs will debate the situation in the country and the detention of political opponent, Tundu Lissu, on Wednesday. A specific resolution will be adopted on Thursday (see EUROPE 13756/41).
The European Parliament will also vote on a draft objection to the European Commission’s delegated act amending the labelling rules for products from Western Sahara under the EU-Morocco trade agreement. It was recently updated following its annulment by the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU), but part of the Parliament disapproves of the changes proposed by the Commission and Morocco (see EUROPE 13725/2).
Originally scheduled for this plenary session, the vote on the resolution calling for a referral to the CJEU on the legality of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement is not on the plenary session agenda (see EUROPE 13755/21).
On Tuesday, in response to statements from the EU Council and the Commission, MEPs will discuss the political situation in Burma, including the humanitarian crisis affecting the Rohingya. A resolution will be put to the vote on Thursday.
At the request of the EPP, the situation of Christians in Nigeria and the Middle East will also be discussed.
United Kingdom. On Wednesday, MEPs will debate London’s implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement concluded with the EU in 2020 (see EUROPE 12628/6). The following day they will vote on the report tabled by Thijs Reuten (S&D, Dutch) and Nina Carberry (EPP, Irish).
Digital. On Wednesday, MEPs will vote on the own-initiative report by Christel Schaldemose (S&D, Danish) on the protection of minors online (see other news and EUROPE 13730/7), after debating it on Tuesday. Only a few amendments to the text were tabled by the radical right (PfE) and the sovereignists (ECR).
MEPs will also vote on a resolution on the protection of European consumers against certain illegal practices by online sales platforms, in the light of the recent Shein scandal (see other news and EUROPE 13747/2).
In the run-up to the festive season, the European Parliament will also approve the revision of the Toy Safety Directive. Legislation will ban the presence of certain endocrine disruptors and persistent pollutants (‘PFAS’) in toys (see EUROPE 13620/4).
Internal Market. On Tuesday, MEPs will vote on another proposed referral to the CJEU concerning the Commission’s withdrawal of the draft regulation on standard essential patents (SEPs) (see EUROPE 13745/3, 13755/32).
On Wednesday, the own-initiative report by Jorge Martín Frías (PfE, Spanish) on access to finance for SMEs and scale-ups will also be put to the vote.
Women’s rights. Several files on the European Parliament’s agenda concern fundamental rights and democracy. On Tuesday, MEPs will hold a debate to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
“Only yes means yes”, stressed the S&D group spokesperson, on Friday 21 November.
On Wednesday afternoon, MEPs will discuss the EU strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities post-2024. The own-initiative report by Rosa Estaràs Ferragut (EPP, Spanish) (https://aeur.eu/f/jkl ) calls for greater accessibility, greater inclusion in employment and greater political participation by people with disabilities. The text will be put to the vote on Thursday.
Democracy. On Tuesday, MEPs will give their initial reactions to the Commission’s recent proposal for a ‘Democracy Shield’ (see EUROPE 13750/4). One of the key proposals is the creation of a ‘European Centre for Democratic Resilience’.
On Wednesday, MEPs will debate the reports by Adina Vălean (EPP, Romanian) on the revision of the regulations on the Internal Market Information System and the Single Digital Gateway Regulations. These texts are part of the package of measures for the ‘Defence of Democracy’, which includes in particular the directive on the transparency of interest representation activities carried out on behalf of third countries, against cross-border lobbying activities and the risks of foreign interference.
On this last point, the report (see EUROPE 13732/25), presented by Adina Vălean, specifies which actions - such as certain meetings, public consultations, communication campaigns or the drafting of political memoranda - fall within the scope of foreign lobbying and which are excluded, such as diplomatic functions, journalistic activity, legal advice or academic research.
These texts will be put to the vote at midday on Thursday.
Hungary. On Monday, MEPs will again discuss violations of the rule of law in Hungary, on the basis of the European Parliament’s second interim report on the so-called ‘Article 7’ procedure of the Treaty. Submitted by Tineke Strik (Greens/EFA, Dutch), this report will be put to the vote on Tuesday (see EUROPE 13746/26).
Europol. On Monday, Members of the European Parliament will return to the new tasks entrusted to the Europol police cooperation agency in the fight against migrant smuggling networks. The draft report will be put to the vote on the following day (see EUROPE 13746/32).
Wednesday afternoon will also see discussion of how the EU should respond to violations of Member States’ airspace and sabotage of critical infrastructure by agents working for Russia and Belarus.
Deforestation. In the areas of climate and the environment, MEPs will be asked to decide, on Wednesday, on the future of the regulation to combat imported deforestation when they vote on the revisions proposed by the European Commission (see EUROPE 13735/4).
After rejecting a proposal from the Renew Europe and S&D groups (see other news), the EPP group may align its proposal with that of the EU Council (see EUROPE 13755/12), which is in favour of postponing the entry into force of European legislation by one year, in order to avoid interinstitutional negotiations.
On Friday, the spokesperson for the Christian Democrats confirmed that they were counting on an amendment that would reflect the Member States’ position “word for word”. The ECR group is in favour of a two-year postponement.
Climate. On Thursday, MEPs will debate the outcomes of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) (see EUROPE 13749/6), held in Belém (Brazil) from 10 to 21 November. The Commission will make a specific statement. Before the start of COP30, the EU Council had approved the EU’s greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for 2035 and 2040 (see EUROPE 13746/1).
GMOs. On Tuesday, the European Parliament is expected to issue a number of objections to the placing on the market of products containing GMOs, namely DAS1131 and MON 87427 genetically modified maize, as well as MON 88913 cotton, MON 88302 oilseed rape and MON 87708 soybean from Monsanto.
Food safety. On Tuesday, the European Parliament will vote on the report by Alexander Bernhuber (EPP, Austrian) and Anna Strolenberg (Greens/EFA, Dutch), which calls on the Commission to adapt the regulation (1107/2009) governing the placing of pesticides on the market to take account of biological control active substances and biological control products (see EUROPE 13746/10).
In particular, the text calls for “accelerated assessment of applications for biological control products, and to facilitate the renewal process of biocontrol active substances that have already been approved, in order to increase the supply of available PPPs [plant protection products] in the short term and support the move to production systems using less harmful active substances”.
Animal health. On Thursday, the European Parliament will debate the issue of fur farming and the marketing of fur products, in the wider context of current discussions on animal welfare (see EUROPE 13270/13).
The European Parliament has already expressed its support for the European Citizens’ Initiative ‘Fur Free Europe’, which calls for an EU-wide ban on the farming and slaughter of animals for fur production.
Fisheries. On Wednesday, the Council and the Commission will make a statement on fishing opportunities for 2026 (see EUROPE 13753/5). MEPs are expected to criticise the attitude of Norway, accused of overfishing, which could lead to a 70% reduction in the total allowable catch (TAC) for mackerel next year.
2026 budget. After a debate on Tuesday, the European Parliament is expected to approve the provisional agreement reached with the EU Council on the 2026 budget (see EUROPE 13753/2).
Finally, in the economic and financial spheres, the European Commission will be speaking, on Wednesday evening, on the need to protect citizens’ right to make cash payments and ensure financial inclusion as parliamentary work on a future ‘digital euro’ gathers pace (see EUROPE 13753/15).
InvestEU. The European Parliament will approve the political agreement with the Council on the revision of the InvestEU instrument with a view to increasing its impact (see EUROPE 13716/19). (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion with editorial staff)