On the Agenda

Today in the EU

Commission vice president in charge of Justice, freedom and security Jacques Barrot will today unveil a package of measures on Asylum protection.

External relations and European neighbourhood policy commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner will today present proposals for the creation of a new Eastern Partnership with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and potentially Belarus. 

The European parliament holds a mini plenary in Brussels, featuring council and commission statements on preparations for the upcoming EU summit.

The assembly also hosts several news conferences, including one by Marco Cappato, an Italian ALDE member, on Thursday’s visit to parliament of the Dalai Lama.

French economy minister Heve Novelli holds a news conference on the results of the French presidency while Polish member Jerzy Buzek hosts a press conference on the EU’s climate goals.

Elsewhere, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, a Danish Socialist MEP, is one of the keynote speakers at a conference in parliament on best practice.

The foreign affairs committee has a discussion with Egyptian foreign affairs minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

Daily diary

• The French Presidency of the EU hosts the plenary meeting of the European network for environmental inspections in Clermont-Ferrand over three days.

• DG INFSO holds a forum on Online Edcua over three days in Berlin.

• The GUE/NGL group holds a hearing on the Cyprus problem and efforts to reach a comprehensive solution.

• The PES group holds a conference on cohesion policy – cases of excellence in the European Parliament.

• ALDE and PES hold a joint conference on the Danube Delta: nature and sustainability in Europe in the European Parliament.

• ALDE hold a Seminar entitled solving the organ shortage, the ultimate European solidarity in the European Parliament. They also hold their European Winter Academy with the subject of Liberals and Democrats on Migration and Integration.

• Karin Scheele MEP and Willy Meyer Pleite MEP hold a debate on the Western Sahara dossier in the European Parliament.

• Elizabeth Lynee MEP, Henrik Lax MEP, Vittorio Prodi MEP and Jules Maaten hold a seminiar entitled can snus stop smoking in the European Parliament.

• Vural Oger MEP holds a conference on Religion in education - a contribution to dialogue or a factor of conflict in the European Parliament.

• Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou MEP holds an event entitled Europe of diversity: the Island of Chios.

• Giovanni Berlinguer MEP holds a debate on ensuring mental health in youth in modern European societies in the European Parliament.

• The Committee of the Regions hosts a conference on The Outermost Regions, a chance for Europe.

• North East England Office in Brussels holds a debate on Social inclusion through financial inclusion in the centre for the Regions.

• The European Aviation Safety Agency organise the ETSO Workshop 2008 in Cologne.

• ActionAid International holds a briefing on biofuels / eu renewables deal.

• The United Nations Population Fund presents the State of World Population 2008.

• The European Policy Centre holds a seminar on giving the citizens a voice in the current economic crisis.

• The Centre holds a discussion entitled where does Nicolas Sarkozy lead Europe?

• Telefónica hold a conference entitled Internationalisation: What role for business and the EU? and what benefits for society?

• The region of Baden-Wuerttemberg holds a meeting entitled on the eve of the Czech EU Presidency in the Committee of the Regions.

• The European Association for Forwarding Transport Logistic and Customs Services holds the Freight Forwarders' Conference.

• The French Institute of International Relations holds a conference on Europe’s ambitions in space, 2009.

• The Centre for European Policy Studies organises a conference on Democracy, populism and minority rights.

• The International Organisation for Public Transport holds the third UITP Metro Conference in Lausanne.

• The Konrad Adenauer Fondation holds a seminar on Parliamentary Reform – Living up to the expectations?

Council of the European Union

International Climate Change Conference in Poznan
Poznan

Coreper I
Brussels

Coreper II (poss)
Brussels

Political and Security Committee
Brussels

European Commission

Mini plenary session of European parliament (03-04, Bruxelles)

Joaquín ALMUNIA
•    answers an oral question on the European Recovery Plan (EP)
•    gives a speech on 'Internationalisation: what role for business and the EU?' at the Telefonica conference

Danuta HÜBNER
•    delivers a keynote speech at the European Socialists party REGIO Conference on Best Practices for cohesion (EP)
•    receives Kadir TOPBAs, mayor of Istanbul
•    gives the opening speech at the UPEC conference (Union Economique des Régions Ultrapériphériques)

Ján FIGEL' participates in the Conference on EYID “Religion in Education: A contribution to Dialogue or a Factor of Conflict?” (EP)

Androulla VASSILIOU
•    gives a press conference on Organ Donation and Transplantation
•    meets Mr Saša DRAGIN, Serbian Agriculture Minister

    
Margot WALLSTRÖM
•    receives Heads of Public Service Radio
•    gives a press conference together with the King Baudouin Foundation on the launch of the 2009 Citizens' Consultations

Jacques BARROT receives Anne DELVAUX, senator and president of the federal advisory council for European affairs

Antonio TAJANI
•    participates in "The Fourth Joint Meeting National Enforcement Bodies - Stakeholders - Air Passenger Rights" (Brussels)
•    receives Mr Willie WALSH, CEO British Airways

Joaquín ALMUNIA and Benita FERRERO-WALDNER receive José MONTILLA AGUILERA, president of the government of Catalonia

Joe BORG
•    receives representatives of Irish fishermen and fish producers' organisations
•    receives members of the Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP)

Ján FIGEL' attends the Share the World Final Concert (Cirque Royal)

Louis MICHEL participates at the awarding of the Prix Princesse Mathilde 2008 (Palais Royal de Bruxelles)

Mariann FISCHER BOEL receives Bernard TERRAND, Président de la Fédération Européenne pour la Santé Animale et la Sécurité Sanitaire

Benita FERRERO-WALDNER at the seminar "America Latina y la Diplomacia de las Cumbres" (Maison de l'Amérique Latine, Paris)

Charlie McCREEVY receives Mr Martin RIMAN, Czech Minister for Industry and Trade

Vladimír ŠPIDLA participates at Round-Table Conference-Luncheon for the AECA Presidents' Group (The American European Community Association)

Meglena KUNEVA receives Mr Nikolai VASSILEV, Bulgarian Minister for Administration

European Parliament

Plenary agenda
Brussels, Plenary Chamber

15:00 - 20:00, 21:00 - 24:00
•    Resumption of session and order of business
•    Preparation of the European Council (11-12 December 2008) - Council and Commissions statements
•    Future global architecture of financial markets and EU economic recovery plan - Oral question to the Council and the Commission
•    EU strategy on Roma - Council and Commission statements
•    Israel's participation in Community programmes - Joint debate
•    Israel's participation in Community programmes - Report by Véronique DE KEYSER (PES, BE)
•    Israel's participation in Community programmes - Council and Commission statements
•    Steps towards improving the environment for SMEs in Europe - Small Business Act - Oral question to the Council
•    Arms exports (Code of Conduct) - Council statement
•    One-minute speeches (Rule 144)
•    Facility for rapid response to soaring food prices in developing countries - Debate on report by Gay MITCHELL (EPP-ED, IE)
•    Combating tax evasion - Joint debate
•    Combating tax evasion connected with intra-Community transactions (common system of VAT) - Report by José Manuel GARCÍA-MARGALLO Y MARFIL (EPP-ED, ES)
•    Combating tax evasion connected with intra-Community transactions - Report by José Manuel GARCÍA-MARGALLO Y MARFIL (EPP-ED, ES)
•    Administrative cooperation in the Field of VAT (Special report N° 8/2007 of the ECA) - Report by Bart STAES (Greens/EFA, BE)
•    Implementation of REACH - Oral question to the Commission
•    Short presentation of the following report:
•    The situation of women in the Balkans - Report by Zita GURMAI (PES, HU)


The President's diary    
Brussels

11.45 - Meeting with Egeresi Sandor, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of Vojvodina


Press conferences    
Brussels, PHS 0A50, Anna Politkovskaya

10.00 - Desertification: EPP-ED presentation - Struan STEVENSON (EPP-ED, UK)
 
10.30 - Campaign against human trafficking - Mikel IRUJO AMEZAGA (Greens/EFA, ES), Susana TRIMARCO, activist against human trafficking
 
11.00 - Predictable carbon price? Reaching EU's climate targets - the case for efficient ETS - Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI (EPP-ED, PL), chair of the foreign affairs committee, Boguslaw SONIK (EPP-ED, PL) and Jerzy BUZEK (EPP-ED, PL)
 
12.30 - One day fasting in support of the Dalai Lama's nonviolent policy -  Luigi COCILOVO (ALDE, IT), EP Vice-President, Marco CAPPATO (ALDE, IT), Marco PANNELLA (ALDE, IT), Eva LICHTENBERGER (Greens/EFA, AT), Thomas MANN (EPP-ED, DE)
 
13.30 - Presentation of the Euregio "Pyrénées-Méditerranée" - Teresa RIERA MADURELL (PES, ES) with José MONTILLA, President of the government of Generalitat de Catalunya, Francesc ANTICH, President of the Balearic Islands, Martin MALVY, President of the Midi-Pyrénées region
 
14.30 - Emission trading - Peter LIESE (EPP-ED, DE), Hannes SWOBODA (PES, AT)
 
15.00 - The situation of exiled and expelled people in Europe - EU-Russia relationships - Luca ROMAGNOLI (NI, IT)
 
18.00 - Radiactive contamination in Huelva - Spain - Willy MEYER PLEITE (GUE/NGL, ES), Pedro JIMENEZ and Cristobalina BEJARANO, both members of Izquierda Unida


Parliamentary committees    

Committee on Foreign Affairs
09:00 - 10:00    Brussels, ASP 1E2 Joint meeting with the Delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries


Delegations    

Delegation to the third meeting of the Internet Governance Forum
09:00 - 19:00    Hyderabad, India

Court Of Justice

Grand Chamber

Hearing C-440/07 P Commission v Schneider Electric
Competition

First Chamber

Opinion C-59/08 Copad
Intellectual property