The fourth round of Brexit negotiations will begin this week in Brussels. Michel Barnier will be the Chief Negotiator representing the 27 EU countries. His taskforce at the European Commission will coordinate the work on all strategic, operational, legal and financial issues related to the negotiations. Discussions are expected to continue on a financial settlement, civil rights and the Irish border.
European Central Bank (EBC) President Mario Draghi will discuss the program allowing the ECB to purchase bonds issued by European companies, as well as the latest economic and monetary developments in the EU, with members of the European Parliament’s (EP’s) Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee in Brussels on Monday.
EU Ministers from member states will gather in Brussels on Monday to prepare for the upcoming European Council meeting on Oct. 19-20. The Council, in an EU 27 format, will discuss the state of play of the Brexit negotiations with the launch of the fourth round of talks with the U.K., EU Chief Negotiator, Barnier will brief the ministers on progress in the negotiations.
The EP’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee will put forward plans to introduce an EU-wide minimum income to fight poverty and social exclusion on Thursday. The draft proposal says such schemes should correspond to 60 percent of the median income of the participating country.
The Special Committee on Money Laundering and Tax Evasion (PANA) of the EP will question representatives of Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the European Football Agents Association on the transparency of the transfer market, the financing of European clubs and players' image rights on Tuesday.
EP President Tajani and political group leaders will meet to discuss the latest progress in the Brexit negotiations on Thursday.
The setting up of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, which will be in charge of cross-border criminal investigations of fraud involving EU money, will be up for a vote by the Civil Liberties Committee on Thursday. Currently, 20 member states have decided to participate in this proposal.
-Last week
On Thursday, Sept. 21, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada entered into force provisionally. As of Sept. 21, CETA removes duties on 98 percent of products (tariff lines) that the EU trades with Canada. It also gives EU companies the best access ever offered to companies from outside Canada to bid on the country's public procurement contracts.
The European Commission plans to scale up the EU's response to cyber-attacks. This includes a proposal for an EU Cybersecurity Agency to assist the Member States in dealing with cyber-attacks, as well as a new European certification scheme that will ensure that products and services in the digital world are safe to use.