Coming up in plenary: #Brexit, #ECB chief and #AmazonForestFires

Brexit

On Wednesday (18 September) MEPs will discuss the current state of play of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU with the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier. The discussion will focuss on the implications of a no-deal Brexit and the conditions under which the Parliament would support a third extension of Article 50. MEPs will vote on a resolution later on the same day.

ECB president

MEPs are expected to back Christine Lagarde´s nomination as the first woman to lead the European Central Bank on Tuesday (17 September). Lagarde, who has been the managing director of the International Monetary Fund since 2011, was nominated in July by EU leaders to replace outgoing ECB president Mario Draghi from 1 November.

Amazon forest fires

Ten of thousands of fires have been raging for weeks in the Amazon rainforest. More than 900,000 hectares of forest have been destroyed this year. MEPs will discuss the implications and what the EU could do with Council and Commission representatives on Tuesday..

Research and Erasmus

On Wednesday, MEPs are set to approve an additional €80 million for research programme Horizon 2020) and an extra €20m for youth mobility initiative Erasmus+.

Also next week

On Thursday (19 September) Parliament President David Sassoli and the leaders of the political groups will decide the dates for the public hearings of the commissioners-designate in the European Parliament, from 30 September until 8 October. The vote by Parliament on the whole Commission is scheduled for 23 October in Strasbourg.

Also on Thursday,  the nominees for the 2019 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought will be announced. MEPs have until  noon on Thursday to submit their nominations. Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov, who was recently released from prison, was last year’s winner.