The EU Next Week 25 – 31 May 2020
Plenary and committee meetings – Brussels
New long-term EU budget. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will present the Commission’s revised Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and Recovery Plan proposals and debate with Members in an extraordinary plenary session on Wednesday, from 13:30 to 15:00.
Committees
Conference on the Future of Europe. The Constitutional Affairs Committee will discuss the next steps towards the planned Conference on the Future of Europe and the EP’s role in it. In their 17 April resolution, MEPs called for the Conference to be convened as soon as possible, stressing that the EU should engage directly with citizens to bring about a profound reform of the Union (Tuesday).
COVID-19/Impact on contract and cross-border workers. The Employment and Social Affairs Committee will debate the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on workers’ mobility, particularly for contract workers and cross-border workers, with Croatian Minister of Labour and Pension System Aladrović, Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Schmit and Interim Executive Director of the European Labour Authority Curell Gotor (Tuesday).
Future of EU tourism. The proposed package on tourism and transport, which includes guidelines on how EU countries could gradually lift travel restrictions, allow businesses to reopen and people to enjoy safely their holidays this summer, will be debated in the Transport and Tourism Committee (Thursday).
WHO/COVID-19 outbreak in developing countries. The Development Committee will discuss with Dr Michael Ryan, Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, on COVID-19 outbreak in developing countries and its impact on the international humanitarian and development response (Friday).
EU response to COVID-19/State Aid. The Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee will discuss competition policy with Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager. MEPs are likely to quiz Ms Vestager on the implementation of the Temporary State Aid Framework, applicable since March 2020 in the response to the COVID-19 crisis (Monday).
Poland/Rule of law. The Civil Liberties Committee will discuss a draft interim report on whether there is a clear risk of a serious breach of the rule of law by Poland. They will also assess the situation of the judiciary in the country with the President of the European Association of Judges, José Igreja Matos, and Joanna Hetnarowicz-Sikora, Member of the National Board of Polish judges association IUSTITIA (Monday).
COVID-19/Impact on security and defence. Commission Vice-President and EU foreign policy Chief Josep Borrell will discuss with the Defence Subcommittee the effects of COVID-19 on EU security and defence, including disinformation and hybrid threats (Tuesday).
Conference of Presidents. EP President and political groups’ leaders will meet on Wednesday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble (participarting remotely) ahead of the German Presidency of EU Council starting on 1 July. They will meet Michel Barnier, Head of Task Force for Relations with the United Kingdom, to discuss the latest developments in the talks with UK, on Thursday.
President’s diary. EP President David Sassoli will hold remote meetings with Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble on Monday and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday. President Sassoli will hold a press conference on Wednesday at 17:00, at the end of the plenary session.
European Youth Event (EYE). The online-edition of Parliaments’ bi-annual youth event that should have gathered more than 10.000 young people in Strasbourg this week goes in its final week with a series of interactive sessions to engage young people with EU policy-makers. President Sassoli will take part in the closing session on Friday.
Press briefing. The EP Press Service will hold a press briefing on the week’s activities at 11.00 a.m. on Monday, in the “Anna Politkovskaya” EP press conference room and via video conference.
