By Desmond Hinton-Beales and Ruth Marsden - 30th January 2012
Europe's economic woes are set to dominate this week's parliament agenda, with the mini-plenary to focus on the outcomes of the EU summit on new fiscal union rules and a resolution on eurobonds.
Parliament's president Martin Schulz is also set to meet with German chancellor Angela Merkel, and address European heads of state on the issue of growth and the economy at Monday's Brussels summit.
Among the other items on the parliament agenda today is a discussion between international cooperation, humanitarian aid and crisis response commissioner Kristalina Georgieva and MEPs in the environment committee on the EU civil protection scheme.
On Tuesday, the commission, parliament and council discuss derivatives, with a high likelihood of a deal being struck despite a potential stumbling block over what powers should be granted to the European securities and markets authority.
Iran's nuclear programme will come under the spotlight on Wednesday, as foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton takes part in a plenary debate with MEPs on the issue.
Ashton will discuss the latest sanctions imposed on Iran and evaluate with MEPs their effectiveness, as parliament is keen to know if there is the possibility of opening negotiations with Tehran.
The current situation in Russia ahead of the upcoming presidential elections will also be debated, and there will also be a 'question time' with Ashton to discuss other issues.
Also on Wednesday, the foreign affairs and security and defence committees hold a joint discussion with UN undersecretary general and head of peacekeeping operations Hervé Ladsous.
On Thursday, the commission will field questions on eurobonds, featuring reaction to the green paper, and the need for short-term solutions to complement the joint security scheme.
MEPs are concerned over the moral hazard associated with member states relaxing reforms due to the safety net provided by eurobonds, and the need to make the system attractive to AAA-rated economies.
