Brussels, 10/05/2006 (Agence Europe) - The next session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg is expected to provide an opportunity for MEPs to hear the President of the Palestinian Authority, Abbas, who was unable to address them in March due to the attack on Jericho prison (EUROPE 9152 and N.9181 on the subject of the most recent plenary debate on the Middle East). Parliamentarians will also hear a speech by the Greek Head of State. The two main themes will be accession negotiations session with Bulgaria and Romania (the European Commission report on their preparedness is expected on 16 May: EUROPE 9180) and financial perspectives 2007-2013, following the agreement of the two branches of the budgetary authority (EUROPE 9168, 9169 9173). The EP is also expected to give a green light to vice-president of the Bundesbank, Jürgen Stark, taking his place on the Board of Governors at the European Central Bank where he replaces his fellow German Otmar Issing (EUROPE 9174 and 9175). There will also be debates on food safety, the EU/Morocco fisheries agreement, aviation safety and natural disasters. The EU will again be debating the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan. The detailed agenda is as follows but could be subject to modification depending on the pace of current affairs.
Monday 15 May: - Speroni report on immunity of Tobias Pflüger; - Kaufmann report on screening of pending legislative proposals; - common discussion commune of report by Poli Bortone on nutritional and health claims for foodstuffs and the report by Scheele on added vitamins and other substances to some foodstuffs (in the two cases, co-decision, second reading); - common discussion on Maat report on eel stocks in Europe, Duarte Freitas report on the EU/Sao Tomé e Principe fisheries agreement, Guerreiro report on EU/Angola fisheries agreement and the Varela Suanzes-Carpegna report on the EU/Morocco fisheries agreement (consultation in all three cases).
Tuesday 16 May: - Rack report on second Marco Polo programme on freight transport environmental performance (co-decision, first reading); - Costa report on proposals for common rules on civil aviation safety (co-decision, first reading); - Roth-Behrendt report on draft amendment to rule on prevention and eradication of certain forms BSE (co-decision, first reading); - Chatzimarkakis report competitiveness and innovation framework programme for 2007-2013 (co-decision, first reading); - Plesinska report on draft decision for European standardisation (co-decision, first reading); - Karas report on draft directive service provider locations (consultation); - Berès report on nomination of a member of the ECB board of governors (consultation); - Rosati report on public funding in EU (EUROPE 9181); - Elles report on annual EU budgetary policy for 2007; - at 12H, speech by President Abbas- (at 15H), declaration by the Commission on the progress report for Bulgaria and Romania.
Wednesday 17 May: - common discussion of reports by Böge and Sousa Pinto on financial perspectives 2007-2013, for budgets committee and constitutional affaires committee respectively; - at 12H, speech by the president of the Greek Republic Carolos Papoulias; - declarations by the Council and Commission on the situation of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan; - common discussion of reports by Mitchell on the draft regulation on a financial cooperation instrument for development, Szymanski on instrument for neighbourhood policy, Beer on stability instrument and Szent-Ivanyi on pre-accession aid instrument; - Howitt report on human rights in 2005 (EUROPE 9177); - Brepoels report on European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (co-decision, first reading); - common discussion of reports by Rocard on adoption of the Geneva Act and The Hague Agreement on registration of industrial designs.
Thursday 18 May: - common discussion of reports by Capoulas Santos on agriculture and natural disasters, Galeote Quecedo on regional factors, Estrela on environmental aspect and Berend on the draft regulation on EU Solidarity Fund (co-decision, first reading); - debates on violations of Human Rights, rule of law and democracy.