European Parliament Strasbourg Agenda

Highlights of the next European Parliament plenary session - 21-24 October 2013 (Strasbourg).

EU budget 2014: EP set to reverse Council cuts in growth and humanitarian aid

Parliament is set to reverse the Council's proposed cuts in growth and jobs investments when it votes on the EU's 2014 budget on Wednesday. The same goes for Council cuts in funding for humanitarian aid to the Middle East and refugees. Parliament's own budget will be reduced substantially.

MEPs to set out their priorities for European Council summit

The priorities of the 24-25 October European Council summit will be debated with the Commission and the Council Presidency on Wednesday at 09.00. MEPs are likely to stress the need for real reductions in youth unemployment, a stronger and more social EMU, incentives for innovation, and measures to deal with immigration in the Mediterranean.

Economic co-ordination between EU countries needs to be much better

Parliament's annual resolution on developments in the "European Semester" process, whereby EU member states coordinate their budgetary and economic policies, will be debated and put to a vote on Wednesday morning. The draft resolution welcomes some progress but says many important fixes are needed.

Migrants: EU must avoid further tragedies in the Mediterranean

Migratory flows in the Mediterranean are the subject of a resolution to be voted on Wednesday. The influx of migrants resulting in tragedies like the recent ones off the coast of Lampedusa and Sicily are a challenge not only for Italy but for the whole EU, MEPs stressed at Parliament's last session. Solidarity between member states and with migrants must mean deeds as well as words, they said in the debate.

NSA snooping: MEPs to take a stand on whether to suspend EU-US bank data deal

The question as to whether the EU should suspend its agreement with the US on the Terrorist Finance Tracking Programme (TFTP), in response to the US National Security Agency's alleged tapping of EU citizens' bank data handled by the Belgian company SWIFT, is the subject of a non-binding resolution to be voted on Wednesday. In a plenary debate on 9 October, Commissioner Malmström said that she did not intend to propose suspending the deal.

MEPs move to tighten up controls for implants and prostheses

MEPs will call for stricter monitoring, stronger certification bodies and better traceability of defective medical devices in the wake of the breast implant and hip replacement scandals, when they debate draft legislation aimed at increasing patient safety on Tuesday. The health committee is also proposing tougher rules for in- vitro diagnostic devices used for example in pregnancy, HIV and DNA testing.

Aung San Suu Kyi to receive Sakharov Prize awarded to her 23 years ago

Myanmar/Burma militant and parliamentary opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will finally receive the Sakharov Prize, awarded to her in 1990, at a ceremony at noon on 22 October. A press conference will follow at 12.35. Ms Suu Kyi was released from house arrest three years ago.

Organised crime, corruption and money laundering: crackdown hit list vote

Measures to crack down on organised crime, corruption and money laundering, will be debated 22 October and put to a vote on 23 October. These measures are set out in an EU action plan for 2014-2019, drafted by a European Parliament committee established for this sole purpose. Attacking organised crime's financial assets and sources of income tops the list. VAT fraud costs an estimated €100 billion each year in the EU and corruption costs 1% of EU GDP.

Other topics include:

• MEPs to vote on rules for €6.5 billion EU fisheries fund   
• Parliament to vote on a law to halt reckless scrapping of old ships   
• MEPs to tell Ashton EU foreign policy must be proactive and set priorities   
• Weighing up judicial and anti-corruption reforms in Western Balkans and Turkey   
• Debate on detention of Greenpeace activists in Russia   
• Putting the EU on the path to green growth   
• Climate change conference: MEPs to set out their priorities   
• Ties with EU's neighbours should reward reforms

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