The Week Ahead 29 January – 04 February 2024
European UnionChild Sexual Abuse online. Current derogations from EU e-privacy rules, which allow companies to voluntarily detect child sexual abuse material and remove it, will expire in August 2024. As the passage of new permanent rules before August is uncertain without a Council mandate to negotiate on it, the Civil Liberties Committee will vote on a temporary extension of the derogations (Wednesday).
Anti-Money Laundering Agency host city. In a public hearing organised by Parliament and Council, nine candidate cities bidding to host the future Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism Authority (AMLA) will present their proposals and answer questions. The seat will be determined for the first time by a joint vote of Parliament and Council later in spring. The cities applying are: Rome, Vienna, Vilnius, Riga, Frankfurt, Dublin, Madrid, Paris and Brussels. (Tuesday).
Priorities of the Belgium Presidency. Belgium’s ministers will continue presenting their priorities in meetings with parliamentary committees, this time in the fields of Home Affairs, migration, health, and food safety). Belgium holds the rotating Presidency of the Council until the end of June 2024 (Monday).
Plenary preparations. Political groups will prepare for the 5 – 8 February plenary session, where MEPs will assess the results of the 1 February Special EU summit with Presidents Michel and von der Leyen, which will focus on the review of the EU’s long-term budget and on aid for Ukraine. They will also debate Russia’s war against Ukraine two years after the invasion and Europe’s continuous support for the country, debate and vote on their position for talks with Council on a new law on plants obtained by new genomic techniques, and debate and take a final vote on instant payments in euro. MEPs will also vote on resolutions on the situation in Serbia following the elections, on the rule of law and media freedom in Greece and will debate the future of Europe with Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis as part of the “This is Europe” debate series.
Pre-session press briefing. The EP’s Press Service will hold a press briefing with the Parliament’s political group spokespersons at 11.00 on Friday (Anna Politkovskaya room, press centre, Brussels).
President’s diary. EP President Metsola will be in Rome on Monday, where she will address the Vertice international summit “Italy – Africa. A bridge for common growth”. On Tuesday she will be in Denmark for an official visit, where she will meet the Speaker of the Danish Parliament, Søren Gade, and participate in a Town Hall discussion with young people. Back in Brussels on Wednesday, she will attend a ceremony in honour of former European Commission President Jacques Delors, before addressing the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the European Union, during a New Year’s Reception. On Thursday at 10.00, she will address heads of state or government at the special European Council, followed by a press conference at around 11.00.
