The Week Ahead 02 – 08 April 2018
Delegations
EU/Latin America. MEPs will travel to Panama to take part in meetings of the Standing Parliamentary Committees of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly. Trade relations between the two blocks and with non-EU countries, bilateral cooperation, particularly in the areas of research and aviation, the fight against impunity and money laundering, and how to reduce inequality, as well as the political tensions in countries such as Venezuela, are some of the topics which will be raised during the debates. (Tuesday to Friday)
Tainted meat/Brazil. An Agriculture Committee delegation will travel to Brazil to examine what has been done so far to ensure the safety of beef exports to the EU, following the 2017 tainted meat scandal. MEPs will meet with the Brazilian Minister of Agriculture, federal parliamentarians and researchers. They will also visit cattle farms and a slaughterhouse in the State of Mato Grosso. (Tuesday to Thursday)
Human Rights/Nigeria. Members of the Subcommittee on Human Rights will visit Nigeria to gain a first-hand impression of human rights, irregular migration and human trafficking in the country. The delegation is scheduled to meet with different political and religious representatives, members of civil society and media, as well as humanitarian organisations and with some parents of abducted Chibok girls. MEPs will also visit the Migration Resource Centre and facilities of EIDHR-funded project aimed at protecting potential migrants, especially children and women, from being trafficked. (Tuesday to Saturday)
Democracy/Ukraine and Moldova. A delegation of Foreign Affairs Committee members will travel to Chisinau, Moldova, and Kiev, Ukraine to evaluate the implementation of the EU Association Agreements, in particular the situation of the rule of law, good governance, media freedom, judiciary reform and the fight against corruption. MEPs will also look into how bilateral trade agreements with the EU work on the ground. (Tuesday to Friday).
