Day-by-day

Monday 15 February

• EP: INTA, BUDG, ECON, REGI, LIBE
• Foreign Affairs Council
• Agriculture and Fisheries Council
• Visegrad Summit
• EC: Romanian Prime Minister meets with Juncker, Timmermans, Georgieva, Hahn
• EC: Mogherini meets with Iranian Foreign Minister
• EC: High level conference on the energy-intensive industries
• Presidency: Strategic Committee on Immigration, Frontiers and Asylum
• EESC: Study Groups
• FRA: Platform meeting on the rights of migrants and asylum seekers
• CoE: Venice Commission expert visit to Georgia
• CoE: PACE fact-finding visit to FYROM

Tuesday 16 February

• EP: AFET, INTA, CONT, TRAN, REGI, LIBE
• EP: Cameron will speak to the Conference of Presidents
• EP: Interparliamentary meeting on the European Semester Cycles 2015/2016
• General Affairs Council
• EC: UNGA President meets with Juncker, Timmermans, Mogherini, Hahn, Avramopoulos
• EC: Sudanese Foreign Minister meets with Mogherini, Avramopoulos
• EC: Conference on the digital transformation of industries and enterprises
• Presidency: Conference on vocational education and training
• EESC: Study Group European Maritime Safety Agency
• ECHR: 11 judgments

Wednesday 17 February

• EP: DROI, DEVE, SEDE, ECON, EMPL, ENVI, PECH, CULT, JURI, FEMM, TAXE 2, ECON
• EP: Interparliamentary Conference on Stability, Economic, Coordination and Governance in the EU
• EESC: Plenary Session
• EC: College of Commissioners
• EC: Juncker meets with Greek Prime Minister Tsipras
• EC: European Humanitarian roundtables 2016

Thursday 18 February

• EP: BUDG, DEVE, SEDE, ECON, EMPL, ENVI, PECH, CULT, JURI, FEMM
• European Council
• Turkish Prime Minister meets EU leaders
• EESC: Plenary Session
• EC: Šefčovič visits Berlin
• EC: Conference on planning and educating health workforce without borders
• EC: 3rd Urban Development Network Seminar
• CoE: Regional conference on money in politics in Tbilisi, Georgia
• ECHR: 64 judgments

Friday 19 February

• European Council
• EC: Malmström visits Paris
• Presidency: Seminar on national policy application of the EU charter of fundamental rights
• Presidency: First meeting of the European Network for Victims’ Rights
• EESC: Study Group on European Neighbourhood Policy

 

European Union

European Parliament

Monday 15 February

Committee on International Trade (INTA) 
Exchange of views with Sandra Polaski, Deputy Director-General of International Labour Organization (ILO); Exchange of views on EU-Ukraine and Russia trade relations; State of play of ongoing trilogue negotiations; Exchange of views on EU-Morocco trade relations; Consideration of draft opinion on The EU 2015 Report on Policy Coherence for Development; Exchange of views on Customs infringements and sanctions; Exchange of views on the activities, impact and added value of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund between 2007 and 2014; Adoption of motion for a resolution on Opening of negotiations for an EU-Tunisia Free Trade Agreement; Consideration of working document on a new forward-looking and innovative future strategy on trade and investment; Consideration of draft report on the implementation of the 2010 recommendations of Parliament on social and environmental standards, human rights and corporate responsibility; Presentation of the study «Comparison of the EU service offers for the TTIP and TiSA negotiations», Exchange of views with the Commission on the TTIP follow-up report.

Committee on Budgets (BUDG)
Exchange of views on the Dutch Presidency Conference on the MFF (28 January 2016, Amsterdam); Exchange of views on Mission to Turkey (8-11 February 2016); Exchange of views on Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the EU and the Republic of Liberia and the Implementation Protocol thereto; Exchange of views on fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania for a period of four years; Consideration and adoption of European Semester for economic policy coordination: Annual Growth Survey 2016; Consideration and adoption of Fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community on the one hand, and the Government of Denmark and the Home Rule Government of Greenland, on the other; 2016 Budget: Section III – Commission; 2016 Budget: Other Sections; Building policy.

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON)
Monetary Dialogue with Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank; First exchange of views on the prospectus to be published when securities are offered to the public or admitted to trading; Adoption of draft report on Banking Union – Annual Report 2015; Adoption of draft report on the EU role in the framework of international financial, monetary and regulatory institutions and bodies.

Committee on Regional Development (REGI)
Presentation of a study “Review of the role of the EIB Group in European Cohesion policy”; Exchange of views on an EU strategy for the Alpine region; Consideration of draft opinion on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with special regard to the Concluding Observations of the UN CRPD Committee.

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE)
Mini-hearing on the control of the acquisition and possession of weapons; EU-US agreement on the protection of personal data when transferred and processed for law enforcement purposes (EU-US «umbrella agreement»).

Tuesday 16 February

Conference of Presidents meeting
UK Prime Minister David Cameron will appear at the meeting to discuss the UK-EU renegotiation with the leaders of the EP Political Groups.

Interparliamentary meeting on the European Semester Cycles 2015/2016
European and national members of parliament will debate the recently proposed changes to the European semester process and exchange of information on best practices in implementing the Semester cycles, and aim to strengthen cooperation in order to scrutinise the actions of the executive at national and European levels within the framework of the European Semester cycle. Plenary session (part 1): The revamped European Semester and the role of the European Parliament and national parliaments; Plenary session (part 2): Policy priorities of the 2016 European Semester Cycle; Interparliamentary committee meetings (in parallel) with ECON, BUDG and EMPL.

Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET)
Exchange of views on 2015 report on Turkey; Exchange of views on 2015 report on Montenegro; Exchange of views on 2015 report on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; Exchange of views with Mohammad Javad arif, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran; Exchange of views with Tzachi Hanegbi, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the Knesset; Exchange of views with Mogens Lykketoft, UN General Assembly President; Exchange of views on 2015 report on Albania; Exchange of views on 2015 report on Bosnia and Herzegovina; Exchange of views on the EU in a changing global environment – a more connected, contested and complex world.

Committee on International Trade (INTA) 
Joint INTA-DROI Public Hearing on Trade preferences for sustainable development: Scrutinising the new GSP+ mechanism after two years; Exchange of views on the WTO and the post-Nairobi agenda, Presentation of mission report on the Ad-hoc mission to the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference, Nairobi, Kenya, 15 – 18 December 2015.

Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT)
Workshop on Joint Undertakings Discharge: Success stories and difficulties seen from the beneficiaries’ perspective.

Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN)
Consideration of draft recommendation for second reading on the interoperability of the rail system within the European Union (recast); Consideration of draft recommendation for second reading on railway safety (recast); Consideration of draft recommendation for second reading on the European Union Agency for Railways and repeal of Regulation (EC) No 881/2004; Consideration of draft opinion on an EU strategy for the Alpine region; Consideration of draft opinion on social dumping in the European Union; Consideration of draft opinion on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with special regard to the Concluding Observations of the UN CRPD Committee; Consideration of draft recommendation (consent) on EU-Macao Agreement on certain aspects of air services; Scrutiny: preparation of a Delegated Act on a EU-wide multimodal travel information services – presentation by the European Commission; Scrutiny: Commission Regulation implementing Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 as regards the implementation of an electronic exchange of information on road transport undertakings – presentation by the European Commission; Tourism Task Force – Exchange of views with Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska; Hearing on Road Transport Safety.

Committee on Regional Development (REGI)
Consideration of draft report on the implementation of the thematic objective «enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs» (Article 9(3)) of the Common Provisions Regulation; Consideration of draft report on the Cohesion Policy and Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3); Exchange of views with Siim Kallas, chair of High-Level Group on simplification of cohesion policy; Adoption of draft report on new territorial development tools in Cohesion policy 2014-2020: Integrated Territorial Investment (ITI) and Community-Led Local Development (CLLD); Adoption of draft opinion on Discharge 2014: EU general budget – European Commission; Adoption of draft opinion on European Semester for economic policy coordination: Annual Growth Survey 2016; Adoption of draft opinion on the situation in the Mediterranean and the need for a holistic EU approach to migration.

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE)
Implementation of the Directive 2011/36/EU of 5 April 2011 on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims from a gender perspective; Presentation by the Commission on combating terrorism and replacing Council Framework Decision 2002/475/JHA on combating terrorism; Adoption of draft opinion on transparency, accountability and integrity in the EU institutions; Adoption of draft report on uniform format for visas; Adoption of question for oral answer to the European Commission on follow-up to the Resolution on the US Senate report on use of torture by the CIA; Adoption of questions for oral answer to the Europan Commission and to the Council on regular mechanism to inform the European Parliament on International Agreements; Mini-hearing on «Fight against organised crime and corruption: stepping up the EU response»; Presentation of the current achievements and future challenges on missing persons in Cyprus by the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP).

Wednesday 17 February

Interparliamentary Conference on Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance in the European Union
The conference will provide a framework for debate and exchange of information and best practices in implementing the provisions of the Treaty in order to strengthen cooperation between national Parliaments and the European Parliament and contribute to ensuring democratic accountability in the area of economic governance and budgetary policy in the EU, particularly in the EMU, taking into account the social dimension and without prejudice to the competences of EU Parliaments. Sessions: Parliaments’ experiences with enhanced economic coordination and governance; Budgetary policy – the effects of budgetary coordination; Future scenarios for investments in a competitive EU: opportunities and challenges.

Committee on Human Rights (DROI)
Consideration of draft opinion on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with special regard to the Concluding Observations of the UN CRPD Committee; Exchange of views on the situation of human rights, notably of women and girls, in Afghanistan; Exchange of views on violence and threats against human rights defenders: the EU’s response and the new EU Human Rights Defenders Mechanism; Debriefing by the EEAS on a recent human rights dialogue; Consideration of draft report on the fight against trafficking in human beings in the EU’s external relations; Exchange of views on strengthening the application of International Humanitarian Law.

Committee on Development (DEVE)
Exchange of views on a new forward-looking and innovative future strategy on trade and investment; Exchange of views with BUDG as associated committee on the EU Trust Fund for Africa: the implications for development and humanitarian aid; Exchange of views with a representative of the European Commission on the state of play in the revision of the definition of Official Development Assistance; Adoption of draft opinion on fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community on the one hand, and the Government of Denmark and the Home Rule Government of Greenland, on the other; Adoption of draft opinion on the EU in a changing global environment – a more connected, contested and complex world; Adoption of draft report on private sector and development; Exchange of views on the priorities of the Netherlands presidency in humanitarian aid; Exchange of views on the EU 2015 Report on Policy Coherence for Development; Exchange of views on Peace Support Operations – EU engagement with the UN and the African Union; Exchange of views on the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the EU and the Republic of Liberia and the Implementation Protocol thereto; Exchange of views on the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition.

Committee on Security and Defense (SEDE)
Exchange of views on EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia: state of play and future perspectives; Exchange of views on the security situation in the Western Balkans; Debriefing mission to EUNAVFOR Med Sophia (Rome, 8-10 February 2016); Exchange of views on the global security threats and their implications for the Middle East and the EU; Exchange of views on the new security and peace legislation in Japan; Consideration of draft report on the Peace Support Operations – EU engagement with the UN and the African Union.

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL)
Exchange of views with stakeholders on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with special regard to the Concluding Observations of the UN CRPD Committee; Adoption of draft report on the European Semester for economic policy coordination: Employment and Social Aspects in the Annual Growth Survey 2016; Adoption of draft report on the meeting the antipoverty target in the light of increasing household costs; Adoption of draft opinion on the monitoring the application of Union law. 2014 Annual Report; Adoption of draft opinion on the situation in the Mediterranean and the need for a holistic EU approach to migration; Consideration of draft report on the application of the Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation («Employment Equality Directive»); Consideration of draft opinion on the Single Market Strategy; Consideration of amendments on the Report on the application of Council Directive 2010/18/EU of 8 March 2010 implementing the revised Framework Agreement on parental leave concluded by BUSINESSEUROPE, UEAPME, CEEP and ETUC and repealing Directive 96/34/EC.

Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI)
Consideration of draft opinion on an EU strategy for the Alpine region; Consideration of draft opinion on the renewable energy progress report; Consideration of draft opinion on the energy efficiency labelling; Exchange of views with Mr Bernhard Url, EFSA Executive Director; Consideration of draft opinion on the fight against trafficking in human beings in the EU’s external relations; Adoption of draft report on the veterinary medicinal products; Adoption of draft report on the amendment to Regulation (EC) No 726/2004 laying down Community procedures for the authorisation and supervision of medicinal products for human and veterinary use and establishing a European Medicines Agency; Exchange of views with WHO on Zika virus outbreak.

Committee on Fisheries (PECH)
Adoption of draft report on the common rules with a view to the application of the external dimension of the CFP, including fisheries agreements; Adoption of draft report on the innovation and diversification in non-industrial coastal fishing in regions dependent on fishing; Adoption of draft report on the fisheries aspects within the international agreement on marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; Exchange of views on the European Fisheries Control Agency; Consideration of draft opinion on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products, processed agricultural products, fish and fishery products and amending the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Kingdom of Morocco, of the other part; Exchange of views on the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Liberia and the Implementation Protocol thereto; Exchange of views on the establishment of the Structural Reform Support Programme for the period 2017 to 2020; Consideration of draft motion for a resolution on the traceability of fishery and aquaculture products in restauration and retail; Report on the visit by the delegation of the Committee on Fisheries to Guinea-Bissau from 8 to 12 February 2016.

Committee on Culture and Education (CULT)
Adoption of draft report on Erasmus+ and other tools to foster mobility in VET – a lifelong learning approach; Consideration of draft report on the follow-up of the Strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET2020); Consideration of draft opinion on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with special regard to the Concluding Observations of the UN CRPD Committee; Exchange of views on the Assessment of the EU Youth Strategy 2013-2015; Exchange of views with Commissioner Tibor Navracsics.

Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI)
Exchange of views on cross-border recognition of adoptions; Consideration of draft opinion on workers representation on board level in Europe; Disputes involving Parliament (Rule 141); Exchange of views on request for waiver of the parliamentary immunity of Gianluca Buonanno; Consideration of draft report on request for waiver of the parliamentary immunity of Hermann Winkler; new rules for contracts in the digital environment.

Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM)
Consideration of draft report on Poverty: a gender perspective; Consideration of amendments on Gender Mainstreaming in the work of the European Parliament; Consideration of draft opinion on the application of the Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation («Employment Equality Directive»); Exchange of views on the Study: Analysis of political parties’ and independent candidates’ policies for gender balance in the European Parliament after the elections of 2014; Consideration of draft report on the implementation of the Directive 2011/36/EU of 5 April 2011 on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims from a gender perspective; Exchange of views on the study: Forced marriages from a gender perspective; Exchange of views on ABC of a Gender sensitive Constitution.

Special Committee on Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect (TAXE 2) and the Committee on Economic and Financial Affairs (ECON)
Exchange of views with Pierre Moscovici, Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs.

Thursday 18 February

Committee on Budgets (BUDG)
Exchange of views with Commission representatives on preparation of the post-electoral revision of the MFF 2014-2020: Parliament’s input ahead of the Commission’s proposal; Exchange of views on mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund – EGF/2015/009 SE/Volvo Trucks – Sweden; Exchange of views on Control of the Register and composition of the Commission’s expert groups; Consideration and adoption of mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund – EGF/2015/007 BE/Hainaut-Namur Glass – Belgium; Consideration and adoption of Guidelines for the 2017 Budget – Section III; 2016 Budget: Section III – Commission; 2016 Budget: Other Sections; Building policy.

Committee on Development (DEVE)
Presentation by the Commission of the preliminary report on the achievements and legacy of the European Year for Development 2015; Public hearing on ‘Addressing the root causes of migration from developing countries’ (in association with the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs).

Committee on Security and Defense (SEDE)
Exchange of views on the security implications of Russian Strategic Communication and information warfare in the Eastern partnership countries; Consideration of draft report on the space capabilities for European security and defence; Exchange of views on building a European architecture of space capabilities for security and defence.

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON)
Consideration of draft report on the agreement between the European Community and the Principality of Andorra providing for measures equivalent to those laid down in Council Directive 2003/48/EC on taxation of savings income in the form of interest payments; Vote on the harmonised indices of consumer prices (repeal of Regulation (EC) No 2494/95); Adoption of draft report on the European Semester for economic policy coordination: Annual Growth Survey 2016; Economic Dialogue and exchange of views with Jeroen Dijsselbloem, President of the Eurogroup; Economic Dialogue and exchange of views with Jeroen Dijsselbloem, ECOFIN President and Minister of Finance of the Netherlands

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL)
Hearing on Refugees: Social inclusion and integration into the labour market.

Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI)
Exchange of views with Mr Hans Bruyninckx, EEA Executive Director; Public hearing on the ETS Phase IV reform proposal.

Committee on Fisheries (PECH)
Exchange of views on fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania for a period of four years; Presentation on the ‛Situation in the Clam Fisheries Sector in the European Union’; Presentation on ‛The social and economic impact of the penalty points system’.

Committee on Culture and Education (CULT)
Exchange of views with the European Investment Bank on new financial instruments for creative industries and education; Presentation of the study on «European cultural institutes abroad».

Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI)
Adoption of draft opinion on public access to documents (Rule 116(7)) for the years 2014-2015; Adoption of draft opinion in letter form on the ratification and accession by Member States on behalf of the Union to the Protocol of 2010 to the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea with the exception of aspects related to judicial cooperation in civil matters.

Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM)
Adoption of draft report on gender equality and empowering women in the digital age; Adoption of draft report on gender Mainstreaming in the work of the European Parliament; Adoption of draft report on women domestic workers and carers in the EU; Adoption of draft opinion on the report on the application of Council Directive 2010/18/EU of 8 March 2010 implementing the revised Framework Agreement on parental leave concluded by BUSINESSEUROPE, UEAPME, CEEP and ETUC and repealing Directive 96/34/EC; Adoption of draft opinion on social dumping in the European Union.

Find an overview of committees here. 

 

European Council

Thursday 18 – Friday 19 February

European Council
United Kingdom renegotiation: Based on the proposals put forward by Donald Tusk, member states will try to find agreement on all the proposed issues (competitiveness, economic governance, sovereignty, social benefits and free movement).
Migration: member states will look at the implementation of earlier decisions on migration and prepare further decisions to be taken at the March European Council. Discussions will focus on humanitarian assistance, external border management, the implementation of the EU-Turkey Action Plan and the operation of hotspots.
Euro area: endorsement of the recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area.

The meeting page can be found here. 

 

Council of Ministers

Monday 15 February

Foreign Affairs Council
The Council will discuss and adopt conclusions on Belarus; address the situation in Moldova; discuss the humanitarian situation in Syria and how the EU can best support UN led efforts for a peace process; discuss and adopt conclusions on climate diplomacy; hold an exchange of views with the foreign minister of Lebanon.

Agriculture and Fisheries Council
Presentation of the priorities and work programme of the Dutch Presidency; exchange of views on the sustainable management of external fishing fleets; debate on animal welfare and the possible establishment of an EU platform on animal welfare for stakeholders and competent authorities; briefing by the European Commission on the state of play on international agricultural trade issues; state of play of the long term strategy for agricultural research; briefings on the conference on antimicrobial resistance, African swine fever, the market situation and the difficulties in the milk and pig sectors.

Visegrad Summit
Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland will meet to discuss the proposal of Donald Tusk on the UK renegotiation. The Bulgarian Prime Minister is also invited to attend the Visegrad summit. The countries will discuss the benefit restrictions proposal, as well as ensuring national powers were not diluted and making sure regulations did not only benefit countries that use the euro.

Tuesday 16 February

General Affairs Council
Preparations for the European Council on 18 and 19 February 2016: discussing draft conclusions and transmit a recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area to EU leaders, covering a set of arrangements to address the UK reform calls and an assessment of the implementation of European Council decisions in the field of migration; Preparations for the European Council on 17 and 18 March 2016: annotated draft agenda focusing on migration and economic items; take note of the state of play of the interinstitutional agreement on better law-making.

Thursday 18 February

Turkish Prime Minister meets EU leaders
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will meet EU leaders ahead of the European Council, to discuss migration and related issues, in particular the deal between the EU and Turkey on migration that involves €3 billion funding for refugees in Turkey.

An overview of planned Council meetings can be found here. Information on informal meetings can be found here.

 

European Commission and High Representative

Monday 15 February

Mr Dacian Cioloș, Prime Minister of Romania, received by President Jean-Claude Juncker; Mr Frans Timmermans; Ms Kristalina Georgieva; and Mr Johannes Hahn.

Ms Federica Mogherini hosts a working dinner with Mr Mohammad Javad Zarif, Foreign Minister of Islamic Republic of Iran.

Conference on energy-intensive industries
European Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen and Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska are hosting this conference on energy-intensive industries (EII), during which all stakeholders will have the opportunity to set out their views on the way ahead regarding the most relevant issues for European EII. The conference will map the key challenges and explore issues including innovation, investments, energy, circular economy and trade. The event will include information and discussion sessions, explaining the various EU tools at hand and identifying concrete opportunities for stakeholders. It will help to define the concrete way forward, to be taken up in the scope of the Commission high-level expert group on EII.

Tuesday 16 February

Mr Mogens Lykketoft, President of the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly, received by President Jean-Claude Juncker; Mr Frans Timmermans; Ms Federica Mogherini; Mr Johannes Hahn; Mr Dimitris Avramopoulos.

Mr Ibrahim Ahmed Ghandour, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sudan, received by Ms Federica Mogherini; Mr Dimitris Avramopoulos.

High level conference on the digital transformation of industries and enterprises
Bringing together over 25 high level speakers and 200 participants, this conference aims to convene leading business people, academics, and politicians to take stock and discuss EU-level measures to speed up the digital transformation of European industries and enterprises. It will be hosted by Elżbieta Bieńkowska, European Commissioner for internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs, with the participation of several MEPs and chief executives from European industry and business organisations.

Wednesday 17 February

Weekly College meeting

President Jean-Claude Juncker receives Mr Luca Visentini, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, and Ms Frances O’Grady, General Secretary of the British Trades Union Congress; Mr Māris Kučinskis, Prime Minister of Latvia;  Mr Alexis Tsipras, Prime Minister of Greece.

European Humanitarian roundtables 2016
The World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) in May will help reshape the way humanitarian aid will be delivered in the future. In the run-up to this important milestone, the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA) and the European Commission are organising a series of ‘European humanitarian roundtables’.

Thursday 18 – 19 February 

Conference on planning and educating health workforce without borders
This two-day conference, co-financed by the EU Health Programme, will tackle the challenges of health workforce across Europe and even beyond. The conference aims to foster active networking and interactive encounters of Joint Action partners, stakeholders, professional organizations, decision makers and experts in the field of health workforce. The event will focus on the following topics: the challenges of mobility of health professionals; the effects of a changing demography on the health workforce needs; educating the future professionals.

Thursday 18 February

President Jean-Claude Juncker receives Mr Ahmet Davutoğlu, Prime Minister of Turkey.

Mr Maroš Šefčovič is in Berlin, Germany and gives a keynote speech at the German Industry Conference 2016 together with Mr Sigmar Gabriel, Vice Chancellor of Germany; meets with Ms Barbara Hendricks,Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety; meets with Mr Sigmar Gabriel, Vice Chancellor of Germany and Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy; meets with Mr Norbert Röttgen, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag; meets with Mr Peter Altmaier, Chief of Staff of the German Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Affairs.

3rd Urban Development Network Seminar
The Directorate-General for regional and urban policy is organising the 3rd Urban Development Network seminar. The UDN is a newly created network targeted towards those urban authorities implementing integrated sustainable urban development strategies funded via Article 7 of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). In this seminar, the Commission will offer its expertise and support with regard to some of the key areas, such as the involvement of stakeholders, setting up the strategy, how to organise administrative capacity, the division of roles and responsibilities between the managing authorities and cities, the project pipeline and the selection of projects.

Information day for the 2016 call for Knowledge and Innovation Communities proposals
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), in collaboration with the European Commission, is organising this information day. The EIT invites applicants to submit their proposals with a view to selecting and designating a Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) in each of the following thematic areas: Food4Future – Sustainable supply chain from resources to consumers; and
added-value manufacturing.

Friday 19 February

Ms Cecilia Malmström is in Paris, France, for a Citizens’ Dialogue on TTIP.

A full list with meetings of Commissioners can be found here.

 

European Economic and Social Committee

Monday 15 February

Study Group Meeting on the external dimension of the EU’s energy policy
Presentation of the working document on the external dimension of the EU’s energy policy drawn up by the rapporteur, Mr Vitas Maciulis.

Study Group Euro area economic policy
Discussion of the preliminary draft opinion on Euro area economic policy (2016), drawn up by the rapporteur, Mr Ikrath and the co-rapporteur, Ms Demelenne.

Tuesday 16 February

Study Group European Maritime Safety Agency
Discussion of the preliminary draft opinion on the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002 establishing a European Maritime Safety Agency.

Wednesday 17 February 

Plenary Session
Debate: Upholding the achievements made under the Schengen with Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament (tbc), Jo Leinen, member of the European Parliament, president of the European Movement (tbc), Markus Beyrer, director general of BusinessEurope, Luca Visentini, general secretary of ETUC, Allan Päll, secretary general of the European Youth Forum, and Conny Reuter, co-chair of the Liaison group with European civil society organisations and networks.
Debate: Annual Growth Survey with Maria João Rodrigues, member of the European Parliament, S&D group vice-chair responsible for economic and social policies, in conjunction with the adoption of opinion SC/042.
Opinions to be discussed (anything left over will be discussed Thursday 18 February): Action plan on a capital markets union (communication); The future of the EU Urban Agenda seen from the perspective of civil society; Common system of value added tax – duration of the obligation to respect a minimum standard rate; Fighting poverty (exploratory opinion requested by the incoming Dutch presidency); Contribution of indigenous coal and lignite resources to the EU’s energy security (own-initiative opinion); Integrated SET Plan: accelerating the European energy system transformation (rolling programme); EU Enlargement Strategy; Annual Growth Survey 2016: Strengthening the recovery and fostering convergence;

Thursday 18 February

Plenary Session
Presentation: Dutch presidency of the Council of the EU with Jetta Klijnsma, State Secretary at the Dutch Ministry for Social Affairs and Employment
Debate: the rights of humankind with Corinne Lepage, former French environment minister.

Friday 19 February

Study group meeting – Review of the European Neighbourhood Policy
Presentation of the working document Review of the European Neighbourhood Policy.

More information about EESC events can be found here.
The agendas of the different EESC meetings can be found here.

 

Dutch Presidency

Monday 15 – Tuesday 16 February

Strategic Committee on Immigration, Frontiers and Asylum (SCIFA)
SCIFA is a strategic consultative EU body concerned with asylum, migration, borders and visas.The Committee generally meets six times a year: four times in Brussels and twice in an informal setting in the country that holds the Presidency. The agenda for the informal meeting in Amsterdam will be determined at a later stage on the basis of current developments.

Tuesday 16 – Wednesday 17 February

Presidency: Conference on vocational education and training – Skills for a lifetime
The conference on vocational education and training (VET) to be held in the framework of the Dutch EU Presidency will be focusing on vocational education that provides the fundamentals for a starting position on the labour market, and is at the same time capable of responding to learning needs that may arise in a subsequent career. Lifelong learning is therefore one of the three themes in the conference and the overall theme is ‘Skills for a lifetime’. The conference provides inspiration and stimulation on three themes of interest to Europe: excellence in VET, lifelong learning and internationalisation of VET. Jet Bussemaker, the Dutch education minister, will open the conference after lunch on Tuesday 16 February. Her short speech will be followed by the keynote speech by Marianne Thyssen, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility.

Friday 19 February

First meeting of the European Network for Victims’ Rights
All victims of crime in the European Union have certain basic rights irrespective of their nationality or the country in which the crime occurred. The European Network for Victims’ Rights will be established during the Dutch Presidency to strengthen the legal position of crime victims. This will be the first meeting, and therefore the kick-off, of the European Network for Victims’ Rights: a network of policymakers who are keen to ensure that victims are able to exercise their basic rights. At the meeting, they will share their knowledge and experience, discuss dilemmas and explore ways of strengthening cooperation on cross-border cases.

National policy application of the EU charter of fundamental rights
The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union sets out the most important rights of citizens and is legally binding on EU institutions and bodies. The Charter also applies to the actions of member states when they are implementing Union law. This meeting is being organised to strengthen the application of the Charter in the member states. The Netherlands campaigns actively for the application of the Charter. On 19 February 2016 the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations will therefore host a seminar for representatives of the member states on the application of the Charter in the national policymaking and legislative process. The seminar will offer a platform for the member states to exchange information and views on the challenges they have faced in applying the Charter and the instruments they have used. Different experiences will be presented during the seminar with the aim of identifying whether or not certain practices are successful, and why.

The agenda of the Dutch Presidency can be found here.

 

European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights

Monday 15 – Tuesday 16 February

CoE-FRA-Equinet-ENNHRI Platform meeting on the rights of migrants and asylum seekers
Participants will discuss how National Human Rights Bodies can further step up their efforts in tackling the challenges around migration in their countries. Specific emphasis will be placed on inclusion and integration of migrants, non-discrimination, and how to look at the specific needs of children, following a recent publication on the situation of refugee children by the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children representing 41 European Ombudspersons and Commissioners for children based in 33 countries. One of the expected outcomes will be to see how the platform could support national institutions in their work. The results of the meeting will feed into the platform’s 2016 work plan.

Information on upcoming FRA events can be found here. 

 

Council of Europe

Monday 15 – Friday 19 February

Venice Commission visit to Georgia
A delegation of the Venice Commission will participate in an expert visit in the context of the preparation of an opinion on amendments to the Election Code of Georgia requested by the Parliament of Georgia, with a series of meetings with Georgian stakeholders, jointly with the OSCE/ODIHR. They will also take part in the 6th annual meeting of the Georgian Electoral Management Bodies.

Monday 15 – Thursday 18 February

PACE fact-finding visit to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 
Lise Christoffersen and Valeriu Ghiletchi, PACE co-rapporteurs for post-monitoring dialogue with the country, will make a fact-finding visit to Skopje, Gostivar and Tetovo in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Thursday 18 – Friday 19 February

Regional conference on money in politics in Tbilisi, Georgia 
The conference will gather political finance experts from around the world and will aim to identify areas of political finance regulations in need of reform; exchange good practices and lessons learned on the effective enforcement and monitoring of political finance legal frameworks; identify approaches, mechanisms and procedures for improving the implementation of existing regulations; and help form a regional peer network on political finance. The event is organised jointly by the Council of Europe, the International IDEA, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the State Audit Office of Georgia, the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).

Find an overview of Council of Europe events here and information on Venice Commission events here.

 

ECHR

Tuesday 16 February

11 judgments concerning Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia and Spain.

Thursday 18 February

64 judgments and/or decisions concerning Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

Information on forthcoming judgments can be found here.