Day-by-day

Monday 3 April

• EP: Plenary Session
• Agriculture and Fisheries Council
• Foreign Affairs Council
• Council: Informal meeting of employment, social policy and health ministers
• EC: Juncker receives Chairman of the European People’s Party Group
• EC: Ansip meets Prime Minister of Luxembourg
• EC: Moscovici meets President of the Republic of France
• EESC: Meeting of the section for employment, social affairs and citizenship
• CoE: Committee meeting on Culture, Science, Education and Media
• CoE: Intercultural workshop on democracy

Tuesday 4 April

• EP: Plenary Session
• Council: Brussels conference on supporting the future of Syria and the region
• EC: College meeting
• EC: Juncker receives President of Germany
• EESC: Meeting of the section for external relations

Wednesday 5 April

• EP: Plenary Session
• EC: Juncker addresses the plenary of the European Parliament
• EC: Dombrovskis meets Minister for Finance of Germany
• EESC: Meeting of section for agriculture, rural development and the environment

Thursday 6 April

• EP: Plenary Session
• EP: Meeting of Chairpersons of Economic and Environmental Affairs Committees
• Council: Informal meeting of competitiveness ministers
• EC: Juncker receives President of the Swiss Confederation
• EC: Mogherini receives Minister for Foreign Affairs of Senegal
• CoR: CIVEX commission meeting
• EESC: Hearing on the counterfeit and pirated products industry
• EESC: Meeting of section for EMU and economic and social cohesion
• CoE: Election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights
• CoE: International conference on Democratic societies

Friday 7 April

• Eurogroup
• Council: Informal meeting of economic and financial affairs ministers
• EC: Mogherini receives Secretary-General of the Goethe-Institut
• EC: Ansip participates in Meeting of G20 ministers in charge of digitalisation
• CoR: Conference on Innovation in regional and local VET systems
• EESC: Meeting of consultative commission on industrial change

 

European Union

European Parliament

Monday 3 April

Plenary Session
Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council defining characteristics for fishing vessels (PECH).
Short presentations of the following reports: Women and their roles in rural areas (AGRI, FEMM); Palm oil and deforestation of rainforests (ENVI).

Tuesday 4 April

Plenary Session
Joint Debate: Medical devices (ENVI); In vitro diagnostic medical devices (ENVI).
Votes followed by explanation of Votes.
Debates: Addressing refugee and migrant movements: the role of EU External Action (AFET, DEVE).
Joint debate: Multiannual financial framework for 2014-2020 (BUDG); Mobilisation of the Contingency Margin (BUDG).
Debates: Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Money Market Funds (ECON); Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the prospectus to be published when securities are offered to the public or admitted to trading (ECON).

Wednesday 5 April

Plenary Session
Debates: Report on the inquiry into emission measurements in the automotive sector; Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Votes: Draft recommendation following the inquiry into emission measurements in the automotive sector; Estimates of revenue and expenditure for the financial year 2018 – Section I – European Parliament (BUDG); Interim Report on the draft Council decision on the ratification and accession by Member States, in the interest of the European 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 regard to the aspects related to judicial cooperation in civil matters (JURI); Certain aspects of company law (JURI); Automated data exchange with regard to dactyloscopic data in Latvia (LIBE); Automated data exchange with regard to DNA data in Slovakia, Portugal, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Cyprus, Poland, Sweden, Malta and Belgium (LIBE); Automated data exchange with regard to dactyloscopic data in Slovakia, Bulgaria, France, Czech Republic, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Hungary, Cyprus, Estonia, Malta, Romania and Finland (LIBE); Automatic exchange of data concerning vehicles registered in Finland, Slovenia, Romania, Poland, Sweden, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Hungary (LIBE); Automated data exchange with regard to vehicle registration data in Malta, Cyprus and Estonia (LIBE); Application of the provisions of the Schengen acquis relating to the Schengen Information System in Croatia (LIBE).
Debates: Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation listing the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement: Ukraine (LIBE); Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation as regards rules for wholesale roaming markets (ITRE).

Thursday 6 April

Plenary Session
Debates: International Roma day (PPE, S&D, ALDE, Verts/ALE, GUE/NGL); Cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law (PPE, S&D, ALDE, Verts/ALE, GUE/NGL).
Votes: Motions for resolutions concerning debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law; Texts on which debate is closed.

Thursday 6 – Friday 7 April

Meeting of the Chairpersons of Economic and Environmental Affairs Committees
Meeting Sessions: The Economic and Social Impact of Climate Change – the costs of doing nothing; Financing the cost of taking action: climate change as an exciting opportunity for non-state actors Part A – Public and Private Financing, Part B – Practical discussion on the involvement of non-state actors.

Find the full plenary agenda here. Find an overview of committee agendas here.

 

Council of Ministers

Monday 3 April

Agriculture and Fisheries Council
Ministers will meet in Luxembourg to discuss agricultural topics only. In particular they will discuss the Omnibus regulation with a view to agreeing the Council’s position on the agricultural aspects of the proposal. Ministers will then have an exchange of views on the Commission report on the implementation of ecological focus areas.

Foreign Affairs Council
The Council will start with a discussion on Syria ahead of the Brussels Conference on supporting the future of Syria and the region on 4-5 April 2017. Ministers will discuss the EU strategy for Syria following a joint communication of the European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 14 March 2017. The Council will adopt conclusions on Syria focusing on the strategy and preparations for the conference. The Council will examine the situation in Yemen and will adopt conclusions. Ministers will address the humanitarian situation in the country, which continues to deteriorate. The Council will also discuss the situation in Libya, following up on the last discussion at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting of January. The High Representative will debrief ministers on the first Quartet meeting on Libya, in which she participated on 18 March 2017. The Quartet was created when the United Nations, African Union and League of Arab States invited the EU to join their common work to find a solution to the problems facing Libya. EU ministers will have an exchange of views with the Secretary General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul-Gheit. They will discuss key issues for the region such as the situation in Syria, in Libya, and the Middle-East peace process. The meeting will be chaired by Federica Mogherini, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Monday 3 – Tuesday 4 April

Informal meeting of employment, social policy and health ministers
Official Council meetings are organised by the Council of the EU and chaired by the Council presidency. However, each Council presidency also organises informal meetings of ministers to discuss initiatives related to a particular topic or Council configuration.

Tuesday 4 – Wednesday 5 April

Brussels conference on supporting the future of Syria and the region 
The European Union, Germany, Kuwait, Norway, Qatar, the United Kingdom and the United Nations will co-chair the Brussels Conference on supporting the future of Syria and the region, on 5 April 2017. The conference, which will be held at ministerial level, will bring together 70 countries, international organisations and civil society. The conference will seek to assess where the international community stands collectively in fulfilling commitments made at the London conference in February 2016 and agree on additional efforts ; reconfirm existing pledges and identify additional support to Syrians inside Syria and in the neighbouring countries, as well as to the respective host communities; support a lasting political resolution to the Syrian conflict through an inclusive and Syrian-led political transition process under the UN auspice; consider the prospects for post-agreement assistance once a genuinely inclusive political transition is firmly underway.

Thursday 6 April

Informal meeting of competitiveness ministers
The Malta Informal Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Competitiveness is that of exposing Ministers to the ecosystem that start-ups and scale-ups operate in. On the evening of Wednesday, 5 April 2017, the Ministers will be invited to a cultural visit in Valletta, followed by a dinner at the Casino Maltese in Valletta. Throughout the dinner, the Ministers will be able to interact with a number of start-up and scale-up entrepreneurs. During the morning session on Thursday, 6 April 2017, Ministers will be discussing the European ecosystem for start-ups and scale-ups. The discussion will be complemented with breakout sessions that will be dealing with SMEs, and the different stages of their life cycle. The aforementioned breakout sessions will be discussing the challenges and opportunities faced by such SMEs, such as access to finance, resources allocation, strategic and operational aspects, human capital and capacity building. This will be followed by the official launch of ‘Ideas from Europe’; a pan-European platform, connecting innovators and entrepreneurs with the stakeholders needed to scale ideas with positive impact. Two Maltese finalists will pitch their idea and the winner will go on to represent Malta in November in Estonia.

Friday 7 April

Eurogroup

Friday 7 – Saturday 8 April

Informal meeting of economic and financial affairs ministers
The aim of the meeting is to continue the tradition of the rotating Presidency of the EU Council hosting one meeting of ECOFIN Ministers in its capital. The Maltese Presidency hopes to showcase Malta and Valletta to European delegates, through a cultural programme and targeted policy discussions on issues that affect the economic and financial interests of the EU Member States.

An overview of planned Council meetings can be found here.

 

European Commission and High Representative

Monday 3 April

Juncker in Strasbourg, France: receives Chairman of the European People’s Party Group in the European Parliament.

Ansip in Luxembourg: meets Prime Minister of Luxembourg.

Moscovici in Paris, France: meets President of the Republic of France.

Tuesday 4 April

College meeting
Commission Seminar to prepare the reflection papers on the social dimension of Europe by 2025 and on the deepening of the Economic and Monetary Union by 2025 (White Paper Process).

Juncker in Strasbourg, France: receives President of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament and President of Germany.

Wednesday 5 April

Juncker in Strasbourg, France: addresses the plenary of the European Parliament on the triggering of Article 50 by the United Kingdom.

Dombrovskis in Berlin, Germany: meets Minister for Finance of Germany and Minister for Labour and Social Affairs of Germany.

Thursday 6 April

Juncker receives President of the Swiss Confederation holds a joint press point with the President of the Swiss Confederation, in Brussels.

Mogherini receives Minister for Foreign Affairs of Senegal and Senegalese Abroad.

Friday 7 April

Mogherini receives Secretary-General of the Goethe-Institut.

Ansip in Düsseldorf, Germany: participates in the Meeting of G20 ministers in charge of digitalisation.

A full list with meetings of Commissioners can be found here; the agenda of specific Commissioners can be found here; Commission events can be found here.

 

European Economic and Social Committee

Monday 3 April

Meeting of the section for employment, social affairs and citizenship
Adoption of the opinion: European travel information and authorisation system (ETIAS).
Debate on the occasion of World Autism Awareness Day.
Presentation of the publication «How Civil Society Organisations Assist Refugees & Migrants in the EU – Successful Experiences & Promising Practices from the 2016 EESC Civil Society Prize».

Tuesday 4 April

Meeting of the section for external relations
Draft opinion on European consensus for Development; General debate on the future of the EESC; Approval of the composition of new study groups.

Wednesday 5 April

Meeting of section for agriculture, rural development and the environment
Orientation debate on NAT/703 – A possible reshaping of the CAP (exploratory opinion at the request of the European Commission); Thematic debate: European Citizens’ Initiative «Ban glyphosate»; «The EU role in the UN Rome Based Agencies in the context of achieving the SDGs» presentation by H.E. Ambassador Tombiński, Head of the EU Delegation to the UN Organisations in Rome, followed by a discussion with members.

Thursday 6 April

Hearing on the counterfeit and pirated products industry in Brussels
The hearing is part of the preparation of an own-initiative opinion by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) aiming at shedding some light to major aspects and challenges in relation with this topic. The final Opinion will be transmitted to the European Institutions for consideration.

Meeting of section for economic and monetary union and economic and social cohesion
Opinion on Terrorism Financing – Controls of cash movements; Opinion on VAT- derogation – reverse charge; Exchange of views with Mario Monti, Chair of the High Level Group on Own Resources, on the findings and recommendations of the High Level Group.

Friday 7 April

Meeting of consultative commission on industrial change
Adoption of the opinion; Adoption of the own-initiative; Digitisation and innovative business models in the European financial sector, impact on employment and customers; Debate on Industrial and energy transition: the industrial, economic and social consequences.

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

 

Committee of the Regions

Thursday 6 April

13th CIVEX commission meeting
The CIVEX members will discuss and adopt the opinions on: Next steps for a sustainable European future – European action for sustainability; Migration on the Central Mediterranean Route. The meeting will provide the opportunity to the CIVEX members to have an exchange of views on Future of Europe, Erasmus for local and Regional Representatives and the 2017 EU Citizenship Report.

Event on AÑO JUBILAR 2017, Liébana, Cantabria 
Welcome speech by President of CoR accompanied by Eva Díaz Tezanos, full member of Cantabria at CoR; Presentation of the « Año Jubilar 2017 » by Francisco Martín, Regional Minister for Innovation, Industry, Tourism and Trade; Closing words by Rodrigo Ballester, member of Commissionner Tibor Navracsics cabinet.

Friday 7 April

Conference on “Looking into the future: Innovation in regional and local VET systems”
Setting the framework: The hanging nature and role of VET in Europe – future challenges and
Opportunities; Updates from the European Commission: new initiatives for VET; Apprenticeships and Adult Learning Unit, DG EMPL; EARLALL’s Position with regard to the future European Innovation Council (EIC) – Government of Catalonia; Regional best practices: New learning settings and processes, Innovative products and services, Advanced practices to transfer knowledge to the business network, Training on new methodological models, anticipating arising needs.

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

 

Council of Europe

Monday 3 – Tuesday 4 April

Committee meeting on Culture, Science, Education and Media
Education and culture: new partnerships to support personal development and cohesion; Work programme of the Sub-Committee on Education, Youth and Sport – future priorities; Strengthening the link between popular sports events and cultural heritage; Need for better international sports governance; Joint hearing with Play the Game on “Hands on, hands off? The role of politicians in reforming sports governance”, with the presence of Ms Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe; The value of cultural heritage in a democratic society; Work programme of the sub-committee on culture, diversity and heritage – future priorities.

5th Intercultural workshop on democracy on Interaction between Constitutional Courts and similar jurisdictions and ordinary courts 
The Venice Commission is organising, in the framework of the Presidency of Cyprus of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and in co-operation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, the 5th Intercultural Workshop on Democracy on the theme “Interaction between Constitutional Courts and similar jurisdictions and ordinary courts”. The workshop will be attended by judges of Constitutional Courts and Councils as well as ordinary courts from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian National Authority and Tunisia.

Thursday 6 April

Election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights in Paris, France

Thursday 6 – Friday 7 April

International conference on Democratic societies – Interaction between majority and opposition 
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe Mr Th. Jagland in his 2016 report on the “State of democracy, human rights and the rule of law: a security imperative for Europe”, recommended that Council of Europe guidelines concerning the role and the responsibility of the political majority and its interaction with the opposition be developed. In this context, the Venice Commission was invited to update its study of 2010 on the role of the opposition in a democratic parliament (CDL-AD(2010)025). The angle of the new study will be the interaction between the majority and opposition in a democratic society. The conference, which is co-organised by the Venice Commission and the Presidency of Romania, will provide an opportunity for a brainstorming on the issue between representatives of Parliaments (both from the majority and the opposition) from different Council of Europe member states, members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, experts and civil society representatives, members of the Venice Commission including its President G. Buquicchio.

Find an overview of Council of Europe events here; the PACE diary here; the Congress calendar of events here; information on forthcoming judgments here; the calendar of hearings here; information on Venice Commission events here; the agenda of the Commissioner of Human Rights here; and the Chairmanship agenda here.