The Week Ahead 11 – 17 September 2023
Plenary session Strasbourg
State of the European Union debate. At 9.00 on Wednesday, Commission President von der Leyen will give her final State of the European Union address before the 6-9 June 2024 European elections, followed by a discussion with MEPs.
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. On Wednesday at 12.30, exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will address MEPs in a formal sitting. After her speech, MEPs will vote on a resolution calling on the Belarusian regime to release all political prisoners, while expressing great concern over the country’s subordination to Moscow.
Boosting renewable energy. Parliament is set to adopt new legislation to increase the share of renewables in the EU’s final energy consumption to 42.5% by 2030, in line with the EU’s Green Deal and REPowerEU initiatives. (debate Monday, vote Tuesday)
Supply of critical raw materials. Parliament will debate and vote on their position on the critical raw materials (CRMs) act, which aims to secure the supply of key materials such as lithium for batteries or silicon for semiconductors and reduce dependence on imports. (Wednesday, Thursday).
Improving EU air quality. MEPs will debate on Tuesday and vote on Wednesday on their position on stricter 2030 limits and target values for several pollutants to ensure that air quality in the EU is not harmful to human health, natural ecosystems and biodiversity.
Joint procurement of defence products. MEPs will debate on Monday and take a final vote on Tuesday on new rules to incentivise EU countries to jointly procure defence products and support the EU’s defence industry, helping member states address their most urgent and critical defence needs.
Vote on Commissioner-designate Iliana Ivanova. Following a positive evaluation by the relevant committees and Parliament’s Conference of Presidents, MEPs will vote on the appointment of Iliana Ivanova as Commissioner on Tuesday.
Ukrainian grain exports. On Tuesday, MEPs will debate with the Commission the impact of Ukrainian grain exports on EU farmers after Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The current EU ban on Ukrainian grain exports to Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia is due to expire on 15 September.
Violence and discrimination in sports. After the final of the Women’s Football World Cup was marred by harassment, MEPs will quiz the Commission on how to counter violence and discrimination in sports on Thursday.
Extreme weather events over the summer. On Tuesday, MEPs will debate with the Council and Commission how to protect Europeans more effectively from extreme heatwaves, floods and forest fires. They are set to call for increased action to build a more disaster-resilient EU.
President’s diary. EP President Roberta Metsola will meet Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday. On Tuesday, she will meet Hadja Lahbib, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs, Foreign Trade and the Federal Cultural Institutions of Belgium, as well as Laurence Boone, Secretary of State for European Affairs of France. On Wednesday, she will meet Belarusian opposition leader, SviatlanaTsikhanouskaya, before her address in plenary.
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. Political group briefings will take place on Tuesday morning.
