EU

Plenary session 20-23 October (Strasbourg)

Published

12 years ago

October 17, 2014

Pre-session briefings: Brussels: Friday, 17 October - 11-11h30 – PHS 0A50
Strasbourg: Monday, 20 October - 16h30-17h - LOW N-1/201

Final draft agenda
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Highlights include

Hearings of Commissioners-designate for Transport and Energy Union

Violeta Bulc, the new Commissioner-designate for transport, and Maroš Šefčovič, newly proposed as Commission Vice-President for the Energy Union, will be quizzed on their skills and qualifications for these posts by the Environment, Energy and Transport committees on Monday evening from 19h. Read more

Vote on the new European Commission

Jean-Claude Juncker, President-elect of the new Commission, is to present his team of 27 Commissioners-designate and discuss the priorities of the future Commission’s work programme with political groups on Wednesday morning. After final statements by the heads of political groups at noon and a vote on a resolution winding up the evaluation of candidate commissioners, Parliament is scheduled to elect (or reject) the new Commission as a college.

Budget 2015: Parliament set to boost funding for EU priorities

Parliament as a whole is set to reverse all Council cuts in the EU draft budget for 2015 and even add to the amounts originally proposed by the Commission for priorities such as growth, job creation, research and education, including the Erasmus+ student exchange programme. In Wednesday’s vote MEPs are also likely to add more funding for external policies, including humanitarian aid to refugees and support for Ukraine and Palestine.

Review of Barroso II Commission

Current President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso is to give his final speech as President in plenary on Tuesday at 15.00. The European Parliament elected Mr Barroso for a second term on 16 September 2009, by 382 votes to 219 with 117 abstentions. It then approved his Commission on 9 February 2010, by 488 votes to 137, with 72 abstentions.

Members to discuss 23-24 October European Council priorities

A new climate and energy policy, with a focus on energy security, the economic situation in the EU and international developments are likely to be among the priorities discussed at the next European Council summit in Brussels on 23 and 24 October. On Tuesday Members will discuss and present their priorities ahead of a summit that could also appoint the new Commission, if Parliament approves the college on Wednesday.

Prolonging Ukraine’s duty-free access to the EU market

Plans to prolong duty-free access to the EU market for Ukraine’s exports until the end of 2015, so as to support Ukraine’s struggling economy, will be debated on Tuesday and put to a vote on Wednesday.

Other topics include:

EU job-search aid for former metal and car workers in Belgium, France and Spain
European semester: action needed on EU countries’ economic reform pledges
2012 accounts to close with votes on spending by Council and telecoms regulators
Debate on ISIS, Kobane and EU security risk posed by European 'foreign fighters'
MEPs to debate EU-wide police crackdown on clandestine migrants
Debate on fundamental rights in Hungary
Human rights and democracy resolutions (Russia, Uzbekistan and Mexico)