Weekly European Agenda 31 Oct – 6 Nov

Day-by-day

Monday 31 October

  • EP: Green Week
  • EP: DEVE delegation visit to Lebanon
  • EC: Commissioners visit Estonia, Riga, Paris and Copenhagen
  • EESC: EU-Russia Follow-up Committee
  • CoR: Start MOOC 2016 on EU funding for regions and cities
  • FRA: at OSCE-ODIHR meeting

Tuesday 1 November

  • All Saints Day
  • EP: Green Week
  • EC: Mogherini visits Tunisia
  • EC: Commissioners visit Malta, China and the Czech Republic

Wednesday 2 November

  • All Souls Day
  • EP: Green Week
  • EC: Business delegation to Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia
  • CoE: Venice Commission visit to Moldova

Thursday 3 November

  • EP: Green Week
  • EP: FEMM delegation visit to Greece
  • EC: Juncker visits Austria
  • EC: Avramopoulos and Stylianides at the EU Arab World Summit in Athens
  • EESC: Study Groups on EU-Turkey Trade, the Blue Card and Automotive Industry
  • CoR: Commission for Economic Policy Seminar on Smart Regulation and Growth
  • Presidency: Forum on the EU Strategy for the Danube Region
  • FRA: meeting EU Agencies’ Network on Scientific Advice
  • CoE: Presentation results Eastern Partnership Projects
  • CoE: ECHR jugdments
  • CoE: Conference on European Social Charter

Friday 4 November

  • EP: Green Week
  • EC: Hahn at Euromed Cities Network
  • EESC: Study Groups on EU Resettlement Framework and the MFF
  • CoE: Conference on Children’s Rights with a focus on the digital world and migration
  • CoE: Venice Commission visit to Turkey

Sunday 6 November

  • Referendum and Presidential Elections in Bulgaria

European Union

European Parliament

Monday 31 October – Friday 4 November

Green Week

Monday 31 October – Wednesday 2 November

DEVE Delegation visit to Lebanon
A Development Committee delegation will visit Lebanon to assess the situation of Syrian refugee children and particularly their access to education. MEPs will visit schools and community centres, and meet children, parents, local and international NGOs, donors and Lebanese officials.

Thursday 3 – Friday 4 November

FEMM Delegation visit to Greece
A Women’s Rights Committee delegation will travel to Athens to look into the situation of refugee women and girls, the anti-trafficking responses and the existing assistance infrastructure for victims. MEPs will visit several reception facilities and meet Greek authorities, NGOs and other organisations working in the field.

Find more information here.

European Commission and High Representative

Monday 31 October

Andrus Ansip in Estonia: meets Ms Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Estonia; Mr Ardo Hansson, Governor of the Bank of Estonia; Mr Robert Kitt, CEO of Swedbank AS; Ms Ulla Ilisson, Member of the Board Swedbank, AS; Mr Allan Parik, CEO of SEB Pank; Mr Kalev Pihl, CEO of Certification Centre; and Mr Tarmo Kärsna, Head of B2B Telia Eesti.

Valdis Dombrovskis in Riga, Latvia: meets Mr Edgars Rinkēvičs, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Latvia; delivers a lecture at the BA School of Business and Finance.

Pierre Moscovici à Paris, France: rencontre M. Michel Wierviorka, Président de la Fondation Maison Sciences Homme et M. Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, Président du Conseil européen de la Recherche.

Margrethe Vestager in Copenhagen, Denmark: participates in a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark; gives an opening speech at the Model European Parliament (MEP) Copenhagen; meets Mr Karsten Dybvad, Director General and CEO of the Confederation of Danish Industry, on current European issues; gives a keynote speech on current European issues at the event organised by the Geelmuyden Kieses’ network.

Tuesday 1 November

Federica Mogherini in Tunis, Tunisia: meets Mr Beji Caïd Essebsi, President of Tunisia; Mr Youssef Chahed, Prime Minister of Tunisia; Mr Khemaies Jhinaoui, Foreign Minister of Tunisia; attends the inauguration of Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) project on the depollution of the Lake of Bizerte and meets with students and civil society representatives of Bizerte.

Günther Oettinger in Malta: on official visit.

Phil Hogan in Hong Kong, China: holds a series of meetings including with Mr Ko Wing-Man, Secretary for Food and Health of Hong Kong; and with Mr Gregory So Kam-leung, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Developmentof Hong Kong.

Vĕra Jourová in the Czech Republic: speaks at the Expert Meeting organized by Participation 21 on better communication of municipalities with citizens.

Wednesday 2 – Wednesday 9 November

European Commission Business delegation to Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia
Phil Hogan, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, will visit Vietnam and Indonesia from2 to 9 November 2016 accompanied by a business delegation composed of representatives of agri-food companies and producers’ organisations from the EU Member States. The business delegation will also make a stop in Singapore on 6 and 7 November. The agenda will include promotional business-to-business activities in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore and Jakarta such as: seminars on the local market conditions, meetings with professional buyers (importers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, specialty stores, horeca sector etc.), retail visits, press conferences and media interviews, restaurant week, etc. In Jakarta, the activities will be linked to the SIAL Interfood 2016 trade fair.

Thursday 3 November

President Jean-Claude Juncker in Vienna, Austria: participates in a round table conversation, organised by the New Vienna Congress Lab, under the title «The Future of Europe», along with Mr Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament; Mr Christian Kern, Chancellor of Austria; and Mr Reinhold Mitterlehner, Vice-Chancellor of Austria.

Dimitris Avramopoulos and Christos Stylianides in Athens, Greece: participate in and speak at the EU Arab World Summit «Partners for Growth and Development».

Friday 4 November

Johannes Hahn in Nice, France: delivers a keynote speech at the Euromed Cities Network.

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

 

European Economic and Social Committee

Monday 31 October

EU-Russia Follow-up Committee

Thursday 3 November

Study Groups
Study Group on the Enhancement of the EU-Turkey bilateral trade relations and the modernisation of the Customs Union
Study Group Towards a coherent EU labour immigration policy with regard to the EU Blue Card
Study Group and Hearing: The automotive industry on the brink of a new paradigm?

Friday 4 November

Study Groups
EU Resettlement Framework
Mid-term review of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020

The agendas of the different EESC meetings can be found here.

 

Committee of the Regions

Monday 31 October

CoR MOOC 2016: EU budget and funding for regions and cities
In 2015, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) became the first EU body to develop and deliver a freemassive open online course (MOOC) on Europe’s regions, the EU institutions and policy-making. Building on positive feedback received from participants, this pilot edition is followed by a second course focusing on ‘EU budget and funding for regions and cities’. This year the course has been co-created with the European Investment Bank and the European Commission – Directorate-Generals for Regional and Urban Policy, and Budget. The course will start on Monday 31st October 2016.

Thursday 3 – Friday 4 November

Commission for Economic Policy (ECON) seminar on ‘Smart Regulation and Smart Growth: Fostering Employment, growth and innovation through administrative burden reduction’
The seminar in Seggauberg, Styria (Austria) will include three sessions focussing on the perspective and needs of enterprises, on the response provided by the EU in the area of smart and better regulation, and on the role of local and regional authorities in creating a growth-friendly regulatory environment.

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.

 

Slovak Presidency

Thursday 3 – Friday 4 November

5th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region ‘Innovative Flows – Water, Knowledge and Innovation in the Danube Region’
The 5th annual forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR), jointly organised by the Slovak Republic (holding the current Presidency of the EUSDR) and the European Commission (Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, DG REGIO and Directorate-General of the Joint Research Center, DG JRC) will will put a strong emphasis on the challenges and perspectives of water management and research and innovation. The key question to answer will be how to best transform political commitment into operational policies and measures.

The agenda of the Slovak Presidency can be found here.

 

European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights

Monday 31 October

OSCE-ODIHR focuses on political participation of people with disabilities
The OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) will host a high-level expert seminar in Helsinki on participation of people with disabilities in political and public life. The event marks the launch of ODIHR’s OSCE-wide initiative addressing political participation of people with disabilities. The Agency will be rapporteur for one of the panel discussions, drawing on its findings developing and applying indicators on the right to political participation of people with disabilities.

Thursday 3 – Friday 4 November

EU Agencies’ Network on Scientific Advice meets
FRA will participate in the 8th meeting of the EU Agencies’ Network on Scientific Advice (EU-ANSA) in Helsinki. The network comprises 11 EU agencies that undertake scientific research and analysis for institutions and national authorities in Europe. It meets twice a year to exchange information and expertise on the advancement of science and research for EU policy and regulatory frameworks.

Information on upcoming FRA events can be found here

 

Council of Europe

Wednesday 2 – Thursday 3 November

Venice Commission: Visit to Moldova
A delegation of the Venice Commission (including experts from DGI) will visit Moldova to discuss two draft laws supplementing and amending the existing legislation on «security mandates. » The delegation will be received by the Moldovan authorities, and meet with local stakeholders. After the visit, a draft opinion will be submitted for adoption by the next plenary session of the Venice Commission to be held in December.

Thursday 3 November

Presentation of mid-term results Eastern Partnership projects in Minsk
The mid-term results of the projects for the Eastern Partnership countries, including Belarus, funded by the EU and co-funded and implemented by the Council of Europe under the Programmatic Co-operation Framework in 2015-2017, will be presented. The two country-specific projects implemented in Belarus focus on facilitating accession to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and promoting good governance and the fight against corruption.

ECHR judgments
The European Court of Human Rights will be notifying in writing 32 judgments and/or decisions, concerning Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia and Turkey, some of which concern issues which have already been submitted to the Court, including excessive length of proceedings.

Conference on the European Social Charter
The event in Rome, which marks the 20th anniversary of the European Social Charter (revised), refers to the main objectives of the Turin process, launched by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in 2014. In this framework, while focusing on the current imperative challenges for the promotion of social rights in Europe, the Conference will highlight the contribution of Italy to the setting up of a balanced system for the protection of social rights at continental level.

Thursday 3 – Friday 4 November

Venice Commission: Visit to Turkey
Following a request submitted in October by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, a group of rapporteurs of the Venice Commission, accompanied by Secretary Thomas Markert, will visit Ankara in order to meet the local stakeholders and discuss with them emergency decrees adopted after the failed coup attempt. The opinion will be then drafted and submitted for adoption at the December 2016 plenary session of the Venice Commission.

Friday 4 November

Conference on Children’s Rights with a focus on the digital world and migration
The Conference in Tallinn, Estonia, takes place in the context of the Estonian Chairmanship in the Council of Europe. The conference is supporting the implementation of the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child and the Programme “Building a Europe for and with Children”. Estonia is committed to mainstreaming children’s rights on all levels of society. The aim of the conference is to share good practices and discuss two burning issues that are currently in the spotlight in Estonia, in Europe as well as at global level – children’s rights in the turmoil of migration and children’s rights in the digital environment.

Find an overview of Council of Europe events here; information on forthcoming judgments here; information on Venice Commission events here; and the Chairmanship agenda here.

 

Elections

Sunday 6 November

Referendum and Presidential Elections in Bulgaria

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