EU investment, growth and jobs

• Summit - MEPs will set out what they feel would be the desirable outcomes of Wednesday's informal summit in a debate with Commission President Barroso (debate Tuesday). 

• Financial Transaction Tax - the current proposal should be improved to capture more trades and make evasion unprofitable, the Economic Affairs Committee said in its opinion for the plenary. It also thinks that the tax should go ahead even if only a few Member States opt in (debate and vote Wednesday). 

• Cutting resource waste - MEPs will vote a resolution on recovering resources from waste, which would make the EU economy more competitive and protect the environment. The draft resolution calls for stricter waste management and an end to environmentally-harmful subsidies (debate Wednesday, vote Thursday).

• Small and medium-sized enterprises, as key drivers of growth and job creation, will be the subject of a debate with the Council and the Commission that will examine their definition and access to EU structural funds (debate Tuesday). 

• Youth opportunities - MEPs will debate plans to use €82 billion in unspent EU structural funds to help create jobs for young people (debate Wednesday).

Ukraine. MEPs will debate the situation in Ukraine, in particular the harsh treatment of jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, with Council and Commission. The Ukrainian authorities and the EP have agreed that medical experts will be sent to Ukraine to treat Ms Tymoshenko. A high level monitor will also go to Ukraine to follow the court cases against her (debate Tuesday, vote Thursday).

Gender pay gap. Parliament is set to urge the European Commission to table new measures to close the gender pay gap, including stricter sanctions on employers. The draft resolution notes that the gap still averages 16.4% in the EU, and has even widened in some Member States (debate and vote Thursday).

Presidents' Diary. President Martin Schulz will participate in a debate with EU government leaders at the start of the informal European summit on Wednesday evening, followed by a press conference. On Thursday he will give a speech to Humboldt University on "Democratic Europe" in Berlin.

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