The European Parliament’s plenary sessions will take place in Strasbourg this week.
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will vote on a proposal to end the switch between summer and wintertime on Tuesday. EU countries can either keep their summer time and adjust clocks for the last time on the last Sunday of March 2021, or keep their standard wintertime, and change clocks for the last time on the last Sunday of October 2021.
During the plenary session, MEPs are set to adopt a detailed roadmap revamping taxation and tackling financial crimes. They will call for, among other things, the set-up of an EU financial police force and an EU anti-money laundering watchdog on Tuesday. The report also flags that Belgium, Cyprus, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands are potentially acting like tax havens while calling for an end to golden visa schemes.
Parliament will vote on Tuesday on the provisional deal, reached in February, on new copyright rules for the Internet. The aim is to better protect consumers whether they buy a product on the Internet, in a local store or download music, apps, games or use cloud services online.
Parliament will vote on plans to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from cars and vans by 2030 on Wednesday. MEPs and EU ministers have agreed on a 37.5 percent reduction target for new cars, and 31 percent for new vans by 2030.
Also on Wednesday, MEPs are set to endorse the ban on single-use plastic items such as plates, cutlery, straws and cotton buds from 2021. The law also sets a 90 percent collection target for plastic bottles by 2029 and by 2025, recycled material should make up 25 percent of each plastic bottle, increasing to 30 percent by 2030.
MEPs will vote on proposals aimed to better tackle illegal practices in the road transport sector, such as the use of letterbox companies or operating in national markets beyond existing limits on Wednesday. They will also define workers rules for transport operations, such as minimum wages and amending drivers' rest times.