Policy Focus

The Week Ahead – 6-12 October 2008

The Week Ahead – 6-12 October 2008

Plenary session and committee meetings – Brussels

Source: European parliament

Financial market supervision. MEPs vote on a formal request for the Commission to propose laws to improve the framework for supervising financial markets (debate and vote Thursday).

Ingrid Betancourt. The plenary will be addressed by the former Colombian presidential candidate freed from 6 years as a hostage in July. Ms Betancourt will join EP President Hans-Gert Pöttering for a press conference (Wednesday) and take part in meetings with a number of EP bodies (Thursday).

The plenary agenda also includes a debate on the forthcoming EU summit and votes on the use of EU symbols by Parliament, water scarcity in Europe, the EU’s health strategy and tackling poverty.

Climate Change. The Environment Committee votes on the emissions trading system, on carbon capture and storage and on effort sharing in reducing CO2 emissions (Tuesday).

Temporary workers. The rights of agency workers are at the heart of a second reading vote in the Employment Committee (Tuesday).

Solvency II. The Economics Committee votes at first reading on the overhaul of the supervisory framework for the insurance sector (Tuesday).

Budget 2009. The Budgets Committee devotes most of the week to its first reading vote on the 2009 EU budget (Monday – Thursday).

CAP Health Check. The Agriculture Committee adopts its position on the proposed reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy (Tuesday).

Joseph Blatter. The FIFA chairman joins a discussion with the Culture Committee (Monday).

Lisbon Treaty. The Irish Foreign Minister discusses the Lisbon Treaty with the Constitutional Affairs Committee (Monday).

Human rights. The EP, Commission and the UN hold a conference to mark 60 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Tuesday and Wednesday). There will also be an event for the European Day against the Death Penalty (Tuesday).

Euro-Med Assembly. The Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly holds a plenary session in Jordan, under the Presidency of Hans-Gert Pöttering (Saturday 11 – Monday 13 October).