The Week Ahead 26 June – 02 July 2023
Committee meetings, Brussels
Green Deal/Nature restoration. The Environment Committee will finish voting on a draft regulation to introduce legally binding EU targets to restore Europe‘s damaged ecosystems – forests and agricultural land to urban areas, rivers and marine habitats – by 2050. The rapporteur will hold a press conference after the vote at 13:00 (Tuesday).
Green Deal/Air pollution. The Environment Committee will also vote on a legislative proposal to reduce deaths associated with air pollution by more than 75% in ten years and introduce a zero-pollution objective for air quality by 2050.Nearly 300,000 Europeans die prematurely each year due to air pollution (Tuesday).
Green Deal/Water pollutants. A draft bill to protect citizens and natural ecosystems from the risks posed by pollutants and their mixtures will be up for a vote in the Environment Committee. The legislation would set new limits for a series of chemical substances of concern to address chemical pollution in water (Tuesday).
Media freedom/Anti-SLAPPs. MEPs in the Legal Affairs Committee will vote on a legislative proposal to protect journalists and human rights defenders from abusive lawsuits aimed at silencing them (Tuesday). A press briefing with the rapporteur will take place ahead of the vote, on Monday at 10.00.
Violence against women. The Civil Rights and Women’s Rights committees will vote on EU legislation to fight violence against women and domestic violence. MEPs want a uniform criminal definition of rape based on the absence of consent, for cyber violence to be a crime under EU law (including non-consensual sharing of intimate material), and safer and gender-sensitive procedures for reporting incidents (Wednesday).
Prostitution in the EU. The Women’s Right and Gender Equality Committee will adopt its proposals for an EU-wide approach to regulate prostitution and overcome the inequalities caused by existing different national rules (Tuesday).
2023 LUX European Audience Film Award. The ceremony of the LUX European Audience Film Award will take place in Parliament’s hemicycle in Brussels and will be opened by the EP President Roberta Metsola. There will be a seminar for media before the ceremony, and a press conference with the winner immediately afterwards. Parliament and the European Film Academy award the prize to help distribute European films with significant artistic merit that reflect cultural diversity in Europe and beyond (Tuesday at 18:00).
President’s diary. EP President Roberta Metsola will deliver a keynote address at the European Ombudsman ‘Award for Good Administration’ 2023 ceremony and participate in a reception hosted by His Majesty King Philippe of the Belgians for the 70th Anniversary of the European Parliament, on Wednesday. On Thursday, President Metsola will address the European Council and host a press conference afterwards. On Saturday, the President will be in Helsinki to give a keynote address on “What’s Next for Europe? Europe´s Role in the New World Order” at the European Business Leaders´ Convention Northern Light Summit 2023.
