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The Week Ahead 2-8 July 2012

  29-06-2012 - 10:42  
 

Plenary Session - Strasbourg

EU summit. MEPs will debate the outcome of the 28-29 June EU summit on plans to build a real economic and monetary union  (including a cross-border banking union and a debt redemption fund) and the EU budget for 2014-2020, with Council President Van Rompuy, Danish Prime Minister Thorning-Schmidt and Commission President Barroso. A resolution on the summit may be voted on Wednesday.  


Cyprus/Denmark. President Demetris Christofias will present plans for Cyprus' Council presidency on Wednesday, followed by a debate. Ms Thorning-Schmidt will take stock of the Danish presidency on Tuesday.


 ACTA. The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) reaches a decisive stage when Parliament votes on its consent. If MEPs take International Trade Committee advice to say "no", then ACTA is dead so far as the EU and its Member States are concerned (debate Tuesday, vote Wednesday).  


EU patent. The EU should at last get a single patent system if Parliament backs a deal with the Council brokered by MEPs. The new EU patent would be cheaper and easier to apply for than a bundle of national ones. Parliament helped adapt the rules to small firms' needs (debate Tuesday, vote Wednesday).


Border checks. Complaints about the reimposition of border checks between Schengen area countries, e.g. Germany and the Czech Republic, will be debated with the Council and Commission (Wednesday).


In-car emergency eCall system. All new cars must be fitted with eCall devices by 2015 to alert rescue services to crashes automatically, enabling rescuers to arrive faster and save more lives, says a draft resolution.  (debate Monday, vote Tuesday).


Tachographs for lorries. Compliance with driving and rest times should be stricter and EU-wide says a draft resolution. It calls for lorries to be fitted with improved recording devices and inspectors to be properly equipped (debate Monday, vote Tuesday).


Pre-session press briefing. The last-minute press briefing by the EP Press Service and political group spokespeople is on Monday at 16.30 (Press Conference room Strasbourg). 

REF. : 20120629WKN47946