The Week Ahead 09 – 15 April 2018

Committees

Common asylum system. 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 in the Civil Liberties Committee. 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 harmonises the concept of safe countries of origin. (Thursday)

Hungary. The Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee will discuss 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 rapporteur will give a press conference after the debate. (Thursday)

Plenary preparations. Political groups will prepare for the April Strasbourg plenary debates, in particular the debate with the French President Emmanuel Macron on the future of Europe. 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 final drafts of resolutions on the protection of investigative journalists (following the murder of Ján Kuciak), media pluralism and freedom as well as gender equality in the media sector. MEPs will also hear from the European Council President Donald Tusk on the outcome of the EU summit of 22 and 23 March.

President’s agenda. EP President Antonio Tajani will be in Madrid on Wednesday to receive the 2018 Nueva Economía Fórum award and deliver a speech. At 5pm, he will address the Spanish Congress. President Tajani will meet with President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Mr Sooronbay Jeenbekov, on Thursday.