The European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs will discuss the European Central Bank’s (ECB) Annual Report for 2017 with the ECB Vice-President, Vitor Constancio on Monday.
Digital Day 2018 will take place in Brussels on Tuesday. This one-day event, organized by the European Commission, will bring together policymakers and stakeholders to discuss the future of Europe. Andrus Ansip, vice-president of the EC in charge of the Digital Single Market will give the opening speech. Topics on the agenda include artificial intelligence, blockchain technologies, e-health, as well as innovation and future investments in the Digital Single Market.
A new draft regulation establishing a common single procedure for asylum claims, as part of the review of the Common European Asylum System, will be put to the vote at the Civil Liberties Committee on Thursday in the European Parliament. The new rules aim to avoid so-called asylum-shopping and would simplify and shorten asylum procedures and offer guarantees for asylum seekers. The draft regulation also clarifies and harmonizes the concept of safe countries of origin.
The Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee will discuss on Thursday the draft report on the situation in Hungary, assessing whether Hungary is at risk of a serious breach of EU values and if Parliament should ask the Council to act on the basis of Article 7(1) of the EU Treaty.
The EP’s Committee on Foreign Affairs will hold a public hearing on the EU’s policy options in case of the U.S.’ decertification of the Iran nuclear deal.
Political groups in the EP will prepare for the April Strasbourg plenary debates, in particular, the debate with the French President Emmanuel Macron on the future of Europe this week. MEPs will prepare votes, amongst others, on a set of new rules to boost waste recycling, on binding reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions, on rules to prevent money laundering and financial flows to terrorists, on organic food labelling, on stricter car approval rules and on incentives to increase the energy efficiency of buildings. They will also discuss the final drafts of resolutions on the protection of investigative journalists following the murder of Jan Kuciak, media pluralism and freedom as well as gender equality in the media sector.
EU’s General Affairs Council will meet in Brussels on Thursday. Ministers will exchange views on the strategic context and priorities of cohesion policy after 2020. More specifically, they will focus on the investment priorities of cohesion policy, regions to be covered by the future policy and criteria for the allocation of funds, how to speed up the implementation of the policy and improve its effectiveness. The debate will feed into preparation by the Commission of the legislative package for cohesion policy post-2020.
The fourth EU Energy Summit, organized by Business Bridge Europe and supported by the European Business Summit will take place in Brussels on Thursday.
Turkey's Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (MUSIAD) will open its Belgium representation on Friday in Brussels.