Brussels briefing, Oct. 7

The EU’s Justice and Home Affairs Council, which will convene in Luxembourg on Monday and Tuesday, will debate on whether additional action should be taken at EU level to fight corruption. The council will discuss the role the EU should play in this field at an international level and listen to reports on the state of play on the assessment of the code of conduct on hate speech online. A discussion on the setting up of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), the EU's first independent and decentralized prosecution office, will also take place.

On Tuesday, Home affairs ministers will hold a debate on right-wing violent extremism and terrorism. In particular, they will focus on analyzing the nature of the threat and the existing response, and discuss possible next steps at national or EU level to improve information sharing, preventive measures, raising awareness and sharing best practices.

The ministers will also discuss the challenges and opportunities that new technologies may bring to internal security. These include developments such as 5G mobile networks, artificial intelligence, the internet, drones, encryption, 3D printing and biotechnologies. The Council will then hold a debate on hybrid threats and internal security and the debate will extend to the state of play on migration while taking a general overview of the migratory situation in the EU.

The European Parliament (EP) will continue public hearings of Commissioners-designate in the parliamentary committees on Monday and Tuesday to examine whether a candidate is qualified both to be a member of the College of Commissioners and to carry out their assigned duties.

 The Eurogroup will meet in Luxembourg on Wednesday when finance ministers will discuss banking, growth and jobs. They will also begin the selection process for new executive board members for the European Central Bank.

Members of the EP will debate the Oct. 17-18 EU summit on Wednesday. The agenda currently includes the EU’s long-term budget, Brexit and the Climate Action plan.

Co-chair and Trustee of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Bill Gates will meet with European Commissions First Vice President Frans Timmermans, Commissioner Carlos Moedas and Commissioner Mariya Gabriel on Wednesday in Brussels.

MEPs will debate and vote on a resolution on the EU long-term budget for 2021-2027 and the reform of the EU’s own budgetary resources on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Economic and Financial Affairs Council will gather in Luxembourg on Thursday. The Council will discuss the progress achieved in the implementation of the anti-money laundering (AML) action plan adopted in December 2018. The Council will also prepare for upcoming international meetings including the G20 and International Monetary Fund.

On Thursday, MEPs will vote on a resolution on foreign electoral interference and disinformation in national and European democratic processes to combat the threat to the stability of political systems in member states and cohesion of EU integration.