Europabevegelsen

Weekly European Agenda 15 – 21 December 2014

by · Published · Updated

Day-to-day
Monday 15 December

Tuesday 16 December

Wednesday 17 December

Thursday 18 December

Friday 19 December

 

2015

1 January 2015

Lithuania becomes the 19th Member State to adopt the euro. Following the euro adoption in Lithuania, 19 EU Member States and 337 million Europeans will share the same currency.

Start Latvian Presidency of the Council of Ministers

European Year for Development 2015

 

Institutional agendas

European Parliament

Monday 15 December

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON). On the agenda: consideration of annual tax report; Commission decision on the adoption of a proposal for the appointment of the Single Resolution Board; consideration of working document on bridging the investment gap in the EU for sustainable growth and jobs.

Plenary session. On the agenda: discussion of a report on scientific examination of questions relating to food; a recommendation on Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES; oral questions to the Commission on the Commission’s group of experts on the enforcement of intellectual property rights and the implementation of the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) under Article 185 TFEU.

Tuesday 16 December

Plenary session. On the agenda: Commission statements on the Economic governance review of the 6-pack and 2-pack regulations; on the Commission Work Programme 2015; joint debate on draft amending budgets 2014 and the 2015 budget. Votes on election of the European Ombudsman; Renewal of the Agreement on cooperation in science and technology with Ukraine; Participation of Croatia in the European Economic Area; mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund; Measures following a report adopted by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body concerning anti-dumping and anti-subsidy matters.

Wednesday 17 December

Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI). Extraordinary meeting to vote on the outcome of the negotiations of the GMOs report.

Plenary session. On the agenda; preparing the European Council meeting: Council and Commission statements and debate; award of the LUX Prize; Statement HR/VP and debate on the situation in Ukraine; joint debate on the Association Agreement with Georgia; Oral question on Renewing the EU Internal Security Strategy (ISS).  Votes on: draft amending budgets 2014 and 2015 budget; recognition of Palestine statehood; Steel sector in the EU: protecting workers and industries; Situation in the Mediterranean and the need for a holistic EU approach to migration; Appointments of Members of the Single Resolution Board.

Thursday 18 December

Plenary session. On the agenda: debates and votes on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

The Plenary Session Newsletter can be found here.

 

European Council

Thursday 18 – Friday 19 December

On the agenda: agree on a new investment policy for Europe, discussing in particular the Commission’s 315 billion euro investment plan for 2015-2017 and agree on setting up a European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI); a presentation of the Commission 2015 Work Programme; address the situation in Ukraine and other external relation issues; a report by Commission President Juncker and High Representative Mogherini on the measures taken to respond to the Ebola crisis.

 

Council of Ministers

Thursday 18 – Friday 19 December

On the agenda: agree on a new investment policy for Europe, discussing in particular the Commission’s 315 billion euro investment plan for 2015-2017 and agree on setting up a European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI); a presentation of the Commission 2015 Work Programme; address the situation in Ukraine and other external relation issues; a report by Commission President Juncker and High Representative Mogherini on the measures taken to respond to the Ebola crisis.

 

Council of Ministers

Monday 15 December

Foreign Affairs Council. On the agenda: discussions on Iraq and Syria and adopt conclusions on Syria; discussion on the Western Balkans in the wake of the High Representative’s visit to Sarajevo; adopt conclusions on Bosnia and Herzegovina; briefing on the EU response to Ebola by EU Ebola coordinator Christos Stylianides.

Association Council with Ukraine, with the participation of High Representative Federica Mogherini and Commissioner Johannes Hahn.

Monday 15 – Tuesday 16 December

Agriculture and Fisheries Council (AGRIFISH). On the agenda: reach political agreement on a proposal on the 2015 fishing opportunities; take note of the state of play of proposals on: the supply of fruit, vegetables and milk in schools; the organic production and labelling of organic products; the package on controls on the application of food and feed law, rules on animal welfare, plant and animal health; adopt conclusions on strengthening EU policies for young farmers and on the error rate for agricultural expenditure.

Tuesday 16 December

Association Council with Morocco, with the participation of Commissioner Hahn.

General Affairs Council. On the agenda: prepare the European Council on 18-19 December; exchange of views on the Commission’s 2015 work programme; adopt a joint declaration on multiannual programming and legislative planning; take note of a presidency report on improving the functioning of the EU; adopt conclusions on the enlargement and stabilisation and association process; adopt conclusions on ensuring respect for the rule of law; presentation of the Commission’s annual growth survey; presentation of the Latvian presidency roadmap; thematic debate on «the Union as a strong global actor».

Wednesday 17 December

Environment Council. On the agenda: reach political agreement on a regulation on CO2 emissions from ships; a directive on the reduction in the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags; reach a general approach on the proposal for a directive on the limitation of emissions of medium combustion plants; examine the Doha amendment ratification package as proposed by the Commission in November 2013.

 

European Commission and High Representative

A full list of meetings and appointments of the Commissioners can be found here.

Monday 15 December

First Industrial Economics Day, Brussels. Open debates on Industrial Policy by world-leading thinkers, discussing the future of the European industry.

Tuesday 16 – Wednesday 17 December

Visit to Ukraine by High Representative Federica Mogherini

Wednesday 17 December

Adoption of and press conference on the 2015 European Commission Work Programme, setting out its priorities for the next year in concrete deliverables.

Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič participates at the EUFORES roundtable on renewable energy and energy efficiency in the European Parliament, Strasbourg.

Commissioner Johannes Hahn participates in the EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Council

Wednesday 17 – Thursday 18 December

Conference on the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union: assessing and responding to the training needs of legal practitioners and public officials. On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union as a binding document. The objective is to map training needs and identify best practices in existing trainings on the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

Thursday 18 December

Visit of Commissioner Pierre Moscovici to Washington.

 

European Economic and Social Committee

Tuesday 16 December

Section for Economic and Monetary Union and Economic and Social Cohesion Meeting (ECO). On the agenda: opinion on the 6th Cohesion Report; exchange of views with Miguel Gil-Tertre from Vice-President Katainen’s office on the Investment Plan for Europe.

Section for the Single Market, Production and Consumption Meeting (INT). On the agenda: opinion on the proposal for Community procedures for the authorisation and supervision of medicinal products for human and veterinary use and establishing a European Medicines Agency.

Wednesday 17 December

External Relations Section Meeting (REX). On the agenda: adoption of draft opinion on the Situation and operating conditions of civil society organisations in Turkey; adoption of draft opinion on The review of the EU-Central Asia strategy – a civil society contribution; Statement on the development of ESCs in Latin America.

Thursday 18 December

Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship Section Meeting (SOC). On the agenda: own-initiative opinion on Inclusion of migrant women in the labour market; opinion on the Communication from the Commission on effective, accessible and resilient health systems.

 

Committee of the Regions

Thursday 16 December

Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy Meeting (COTER). On the agenda: discussion and adoption of opinion on Guidelines on measures linking the European Structural and Investment Funds to sound economic governance; exchange of views on the outcome of the negotiations on the partnership agreements and operational programmes; report and discussion on the future of cohesion policy beyond 2020.

Wednesday 17 December

Commission for Economic and Social Policy Meeting (ECOS). On the agenda: own-initiative opinion on TTIP; opinion on the EU Strategic Framework for Health and Safety at Work 2014-2020; opinion on a Green Action Plan for SMEs and the Green Employment Initiative; opinion on the Green Paper on extending geographical indication protection to non-agricultural products.

 

Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (Council of Europe)

Sunday 14 – Monday 15 December

Plenary Session Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) in Antalya, Turkey. On the agenda: the ARLEM annual report on the territorial dimension of the UfM and the two thematic reports on the role of local and regional authorities in managing migration in the Mediterranean and waste management at the local and regional level in the Mediterranean; the ARLEM mandate for 2015-2017 and ARLEM work programme 2015; debate on the state of decentralisation in the Euromed region; a presentation of the ARLEM initiative to strengthen the institutional and administrative capacities of local and regional authorities in urban governance.

 

European Court of Human Rights (Council of Europe)

More detailed information on forthcoming judgements and hearings can be found here.

Tuesday 16 December

11 judgements

Wednesday 17 December

1 hearing

Thursday 18 December

4 judgements