The Week Ahead 19 – 25 September 2022
Delegations
No parliamentary meetings are scheduled in Brussels, as the week is set aside for committee delegations conducting visits linked to topics falling under their responsibility.
Ukraine refugees/Poland and Romania. A Civil Liberties Committee delegation will travel to Warsaw and Bucharest, including visiting the borders with Ukraine in both countries, where they will meet with government representatives, local authorities as well as civil society organisations, EU agencies and international organisations working with refugees. MEPs will visit border checkpoints and reception centres set up for Ukrainian refugees (Monday to Thursday).
Illegal use of spyware/Poland. MEPs from the EP’s Inquiry Committee on the use of Spyware will be in Warsaw to hear from victims of spyware, local politicians, and other experts. MEPs will meet with members of the Polish Senate’s extraordinary committee on Pegasus, security service experts, victims of spyware, journalists, NGO personnel and experts from academia (Monday to Wednesday).
Trade/Australia and New Zealand. A delegation of the International Trade Committee travels to Australia and New Zealand to gather information first-hand about trade negotiations ongoing with Canberra and finalised with Wellington. MEPs will meet ministers, deputies, NGOs, and business and trade union representatives (Monday to Friday).
COVID-19/Netherlands and Germany. A delegation of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 pandemic (COVI) will visit the European Medicines Agency in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and the headquarters of BioNTech in Mainz, Germany. Members will exchange with the EMA Director, Emer Cooke, and experts on the agency’s role during the pandemic. They will learn about mRNA technology and its potential, in the laboratories where the development of the Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine took place (Tuesday and Wednesday).
EU-US relations on digital policy and company law. A Legal Affairs Committee delegation meets with US legislators, governmental officials, US regulatory agencies, civil society, academia and think tanks on topics of common interest related to artificial intelligence, intellectual property rights, corporate due diligence, the protection of the environment through criminal law as well as on strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), among others (Monday to Friday).
World Press Photo Foundation exhibition. Parliament will host an exhibition by the World Press Photo Foundation titled “ICONIC: defending freedom and democracy since 1955” (Thursday).
President’s agenda. On Thursday Parliament’s President Roberta Metsola will meet the Speaker of the Spanish Senate Ander Gil in Brussels.
