The Week Ahead 14 – 20 February 2022

Russia’s military threat against Ukraine. MEPs and Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell will debate European security, Russia’s threat to Ukraine and the latest diplomatic attempts to de-escalate the situation. They will also discuss two reports on how to strengthen the EU as a global foreign policy and security actor, and are set to approve €1.2 billion in financial assistance to Ukraine. (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)

Rule of Law. MEPs will debate with Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn on Wednesday afternoon the EU Court’s decision -expected that same day in the morning- on the requests filed by Hungary and Poland to annul the regulation that links disbursement of EU funds with respect for the rule of law. A press conference by lead MEPs is scheduled for 11.30.

Beating cancer. Parliament will debate and vote on measures and actions to fight cancer in the EU. Key recommendations by the Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA) include facilitating access to cross-border health care and clinical trials, managing shortages of cancer medicines more efficiently, and ensuring equal access to innovative drugs and treatments. (debate Tuesday, vote Wednesday)

20 years of the Euro/Debate with ECB President Lagarde.The session will start with a ceremony to celebrate 20 years of the Euro, after which MEPs will debate with European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde the work of the ECB in 2021 and the state of the EU economy (debate Monday, vote Tuesday)

COVID-19/Travel rules. MEPs and the Commission will debate the current situation on intra-EU travel rules, the need for a coordinated approach as well as the proposal to extend the use of the EU Digital COVID Certificate until 30 June 2023 (Wednesday)

Toy safety. To better protect children, MEPs are set to call for more stringent EU rules to ensure all toys sold on the EU market are safe, including those from non-EU countries and those sold online. (debate Tuesday, vote Wednesday)

Road charging. MEPs are set to approve new road charging rules for trucks, moving from a time-based model to a distance-based system. The new system will better reflect the “polluter-pays” and “user-pays” principles, and help reduce CO2 emissions. (debate Wednesday, vote Thursday)

President of Colombia. On Tuesday at noon, the President of Colombia Iván Duque Márquez will address MEPs in the Strasbourg hemicycle. Before his address, EP President Roberta Metsola and President Duque Márquez will have a bilateral meeting.

President’s Diary. On Monday, EP President Metsola will meet with ECB President Lagarde and Commission President von der Leyen. On Thursday and Friday, she will be in Brussels for the European Union – African Union Summit.

Last-minute briefing. On Monday at 16.30, Parliament’s Spokesperson will hold a press briefing on the plenary session, which starts at 17:00.