Newsletter

New rules to discourage automatic reliance on agencies' credit ratings of sovereign debt or share issuers will be put to a vote on Wednesday. Agencies could issue unsolicited sovereign debt ratings only at specific times, and their shareholdings in rated entities would be capped, to prevent conflicts of interest.

A resolution to keep up pressure on the Commission and member states to explore all avenues for pooling sovereign debt will be voted on Wednesday. The draft affirms that fears of free-riding can be overcome by carefully-crafted solutions, including Eurobonds. It also points out that the Eurozone is unique in having a single currency but no common bond market.

The House will discuss the programme and priorities of the incoming Irish Presidency with the Irish Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, in the week's key debate at 9 a.m. on Wednesday. MEPs will review the outgoing Cyprus Presidency with Cyprus President Demetris Christofias from 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

MEPs will vote Wednesday on a new calendar with 12 plenary part-sessions in Strasbourg in 2013 as ruled by the European Court of Justice.

Plans for "youth guarantee" schemes to ensure that all young people get a job, education or internship offer after four months' unemployment, will be put to vote on Wednesday. The draft resolution urges EU employment ministers to agree in February on introducing the schemes in all member states.

Escalating violence in Syria and UN and Arab League joint efforts to secure its transition to democracy will be debated by political group leaders and a representative of EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Wednesday.

Question Time with the Commission on Tuesday will focus on research and innovation, particularly under the EU's "Horizon 2020" research programme for 2014-2020.