The Week Ahead 30 August – 05 September 2021

Committee meetings, Brussels

Conference of Presidents. Political group leaders and EP President Sassoli will discuss the evolving situation in Afghanistan with Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, as well as the rule of law situation in the EU and the application of the Conditionality Regulation. (Monday)

Afghanistan. A joint meeting of the committees on foreign affairs and on development and the Delegation for Relations with Afghanistan will discuss the situation on the ground with a representative from the European External Action Service, the day after the US is due to withdraw from the country. (Wednesday)

Commission’s 2021 rule of law report. The Civil Liberties Committee will discuss the findings in the Commission’s second annual review of the state of play of the rule of law with Commissioner Reynders. According to the report, concerns remain and, in the case of certain member states, have increased. MEPs have repeatedly called for a more comprehensive approach to encompass all EU values. (Wednesday)

EU values in Poland and Hungary. Commissioner Reynders and a Slovenian Presidency representative (TBC) will discuss with the Civil Liberties Committee the latest developments in the ongoing Article 7 procedures. Parliament has repeatedly expressed its concerns about the lack of progress since the processes were launched in 2017 (Poland) and 2018 (Hungary). (Wednesday)

Delay of new Own Resources proposals. MEPs on the Budgets Committee will discuss the delay in new own resources proposals on a digital levy and a carbon border adjustment mechanism with Commissioner for Budget Johannes Hahn. According to the Interinstitutional Agreement, the Commission was to put these proposals forward by June 2021, with a view to their introduction at the latest by 1 January 2023. (Tuesday)

Greek finance minister. Christos Staikouras, Greece’s finance minister, will field questions on Greece’s economy from MEPs on the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee. MEPs have already heard from several finance ministers in this format, which was established as part of the economic governance rules agreed in 2011. (Wednesday).

Recovery and Resilience Facility. The Budgets and Economic and Monetary Affairs Committees will hold their third hearing with the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and Commissioner for the Economy Paolo Gentiloni on the progress being made under the Recovery and Resilience Facility – the EU’s main tool to mitigate the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Wednesday).

EU International public procurement rules. The Trade Committee discusses Rapporteur Daniel Caspary’s (EPP, DE) draft of an updated parliamentary position on the instrument that aims to protect EU companies against unfair treatment in international public tenders. Parliament’s original position dates from 2014, and it became necessary to update it after Council agreed on its own mandate in July following nine years of standstill. (Wednesday).

Slovenian Presidency priorities. Slovenia’s ministers for justice and for the interior will present the Slovenian Presidency’s priorities in two meetings with the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (Wednesday and Thursday).

President’s diary. EP President David Sassoli will remotely address the Soft Power Club’s conference on Monday. On Tuesday, he will travel to Slovenia where he will engage in a youth forum in Ljubljana and, on Wednesday, he will participate in a panel on the future of Europe in the Bled Strategic Forum. On Friday, he will remotely deliver a speech at the Festival del Cinema di Venezia.