European Parliament this week: Outcome of EU summit, trade talks with US

A quiet week on the legislative front, MEPs turn their attention to last week’s EU summit results and relations with the US, including trade talks and a common line on Russia against the backdrop of the EU-US Summit in Brussels on 26 March. Also on the agenda: a seminar for journalists about European elections and parliamentary delegations travel to Poland to assess the progress toward adopting the euro and to Qatar to review the situation of migrant workers.

On Wednesday (26 March), an extraordinary Conference of Presidents meeting, open to all MEPs, takes place with Council President Herman Van Rompuy to discuss last week’s EU summit that extended sanctions against Russia over its annexation of Crimea.
The role of financial services in the EU-US trade deal (TTIP) and the fight against tax evasion are the key topics of discussion in Washington DC, when a delegation of the economic committee meets with members of the US Congress and US treasury representatives on 24-26 March.

A delegation from the economic committee will on 24-25 March meet with Polish authorities to assess the country’s progress towards the adoption of the euro. Meanwhile, a delegation made up of members from the foreign affairs and human rights committees will visit Qatar to assess the situation of migrant workers.
On 25-26 March, the European Parliament is holding a seminar for journalists on the upcoming European elections in May. They will look at the political context of the elections, the role of European political parties, trends, challenges and the future of the EU.