Brussels, 09/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - Several changes have been made to the agenda of the European Parliament's plenary in Strasbourg next week (12 - 15 February). The statements by the European Commission and Council have been brought forward a day to Tuesday afternoon, replacing discussion of the Fava Report, which will now take place on Wednesday morning. The final agenda is as follows:
Monday 12 February (starting 17.00 hrs). Discussion of reports by Frieda Brepoels (INSPIRE), Caroline Jackson (review of framework waste directive with no less than 183 amendments tabled), Johannes Blokland (waste recycling thematic strategy) and Emine Bozkurt (the role of women in Turkey). The Commission will give more details of the restrictions introduced by the EU on the liquids air passengers are permitted carry on board (voting on this is scheduled for the March plenary).
Tuesday 13 February. The day will start as expected with the inaugural speech by the new President of the European Parliament, attended by Angela Merkel, José Manuel Barroso, and all the former EP Presidents (10 hrs), followed by voting on the Arlene McCarthy Report (annulling directives on classification of wood in the rough and public works tenders) but not the Diana Wallis Report, which has been replaced by the reports by Herbert Bösch ("Hercules II" programme), Klaus-Heiner Lehne (exercising shareholder rights) and Ingeborg Grässle and Borut Pahor (amending Financial Regulation implementation modalities).
The statements by the European Commission and the Council on preparing for the European Council of 8 and 9 March 2007 will be made on Tuesday afternoon from 15.00 hrs onwards, replacing discussion of the Giovanni Claudio Fava Report, which has been postponed until Wednesday morning.
From 21 hrs in the evening, there will be discussion of the Katerina Batzeli Report (reforming the common market organisation for wine) calling for greater prudence and opposing the Commission's grubbing-up plans. The initially scheduled debate on the Jean-Paul Gauzès Report (payment services in the single market) will now take place in March or April 2007 as we reported yesterday (see EUROPE 9362). The reports by Lutz Goepel (voluntary modulation of direct farm payments under the CAP), Fiona Hall (for a European policy on the radio spectrum) and Michael Gahler (budget aid for developing countries) remain on the agenda as originally scheduled.
Wednesday 14 February. The whole morning (from 9.00 hrs onwards) will be taken up by debate on the alleged use of European countries by the CIA for illegal rendition and detention of prisoners (Fava Report). There are no less than 270 amendments to the report, which will be voted on from 11.30 hrs onwards. Voting will also take place on reports by Béla Glattfelder (macrofinancial aid for Moldava), Rosa Miguélez Ramos (on technical preservation measures for migratory fish and drift nets) and Margarita Starkeviciute (on the Court of Auditors' report on the trans-European Transport Network), along with voting on a resolution on PNR-SWIFT, and the scheduled resolution on climate change.
Giorgio Napolitano, the President of Italy (and former MEP), will address the plenary at midday before the MEPs look at a report by Luis Yañez-Barnuevo Garcia (on the external dimension of anti-terror activities) at 15.00 hrs. Two joint discussions will follow, one on relations with Russia (report by Maria da Assunção Esteves), and one on jobs and the economy (a report by Udo Bullmann on the BEPG for 2007 and by Jan Andersson on the EU Employment Guidelines), attended by EU Economic and Social Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia.
At 21.00 hrs, the European Commission will make a statement on the free circulation of Roma in the EU but the Commission statement on Darfur has been postponed until the March plenary. The Marie-Hélène Aubert Report (on an action plan to combat unauthorised fishing) will also be discussed in the evening.
Thursday 15 February. MEPs will discuss the Cristobal Montoro-Romero Report (on the EIB's annual report for 2005) and the Manuel Antonio dos Santos Report (on the macroeconomic impact of increasing energy prices) in the presence of the President of the European Investment Bank, Philippe Maystadt, and Commissioner Joaquin Almunia.
On Thursday afternoon, MEPs will examine and vote on resolutions on dialogue between the Chinese government and representatives of the Dalai Lama and the situation facing refugees fleeing Iraq and Guinea. (ab)