Agenda

 

 

11:00 - Briefing on the parliamentary agenda

 

 

 

 

 

A delegation of three members of the EP Development Committee will be visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo. MEPs will look into the question of sexual violence being used as a weapon of war in Kivu (eastern Congo), a region ravaged by violence and population movements. The European Parliament adopted a resolution on this subject at its plenary session on 17 January 2008.

 

Participants: Jürgen SCHRÖDER (EPP-ED, DE), head of delegation, Alain HUTCHINSON (PES, BE) and Johan VAN HECKE (ALDE, BE)

 

 

 

 

 

17:00 - Press Conference on the results of the Spring European Council with Janez JANŠA, Prime Minister of Slovenia

 

10:30 - Presentation of a study by PAN Europe on pesticides in European wines - Hiltrud BREYER (Greens/EFA, DE), Dan JØRGENSEN (PES, DK), Elliott CANNELL, Pesticide Action Network Europe, Prof. Dr. N. van LAREBEKE, Ghent University

 

11:00 - Engaging other actors : climate change, adaptation and global security - Guido SACCONI (PES, IT), Karl-Heinz FLORENZ (EPP-ED, DE), Justas Vincas PALECKIS (PES, LT), Rajendra PACHAURI, 2007 Nobel Prize Winner

 

14:30 - Situation of human rights in Tibet - Marco CAPPATO (ALDE, IT), Marco PANNELLA (ALDE, IT), Luigi COCILOVO (ALDE, IT) and Karma CHOPHEL, Speaker of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile

 

 

 

 

- vote on reports by Nils LUNDGREN (IND/DEM, SE)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A delegation of three members of the EP Development Committee will be visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo. MEPs will look into the question of sexual violence being used as a weapon of war in Kivu (eastern Congo), a region ravaged by violence and population movements. The European Parliament adopted a resolution on this subject at its plenary session on 17 January 2008.

 

Participants: Jürgen SCHRÖDER (EPP-ED, DE), head of delegation, Alain HUTCHINSON (PES, BE) and Johan VAN HECKE (ALDE, BE)

 

 

 

 

On 26 March, the Climate Change Committee will organise its 6th Thematic Session on "Engaging other actors: climate change, adaptation in third countries and global security". 2007 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rajendra K. PACHAURI, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, will deliver the key note speech. Exchanges of views with Dr PACHAURI and other assembled experts will follow. A press conference with Dr PACHAURI, Committee Chair Guido SACCONI, EP rapporteur on climate change Karl HEINZ FLORENZ and theme leader Justas PALECKIS will take place prior to the meeting, at 11:00.

 

10:00 - Presentation of the project EUROMED meeting - Gianni PITTELLA (PES, IT)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This session will take place only if the votes on the 2006 discharge reports cannot be completed on 26 March.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joint debate on Aviation Security Regulation (repealing reg. 2320/2002): impact on PNR, CRS and related issues in the presence of Jacques BARROT, Vice-President of the Commission with responsibility for Transport and interim Commissioner in the area of Justice, Freedom and Security

 

 

 

 

 

 

A delegation of three members of the EP Development Committee will be visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo. MEPs will look into the question of sexual violence being used as a weapon of war in Kivu (eastern Congo), a region ravaged by violence and population movements. The European Parliament adopted a resolution on this subject at its plenary session on 17 January 2008.

 

Participants: Jürgen SCHRÖDER (EPP-ED, DE), head of delegation, Alain HUTCHINSON (PES, BE) and Johan VAN HECKE (ALDE, BE)

 

 

In a world in which fish stocks are declining and world demand for fish and seafood is constantly rising, aquaculture is becoming increasingly important.

 

The current situation in the sector plays an important socio-economic role in several European regions by enabling the development of a processing industry with a promising future.

 

 

The EU’s aquaculture sector totals 1.3 million tons of fisheries products per year, representing some 3 billion euros. This corresponds to around one third of the total value of production in the EU’s fisheries sector and roughly one fifth of its volume. In some Member States the value of farmed products is higher than that of products landed. In others, aquaculture represents a significant proportion of total production. In Greece, for example, 100.000 of every 200.000 tons of fish are produced by aquaculture.

 

As well as encompassing important sources of products for European consumers, the aquaculture sector is also a substantial source of employment in regions dependent on fishing. European aquaculture provides more than 80.000 full and part-time jobs, which is the equivalent of 57.000 full-time jobs.

 

 

The hearing will examine a study on "Governance and partnership in Regional Policy" by Ms Herta TÖDTLING-SCHÖNHOFER, OÏR Managementdienste GmbH, Austria. This study looks at on governance and partnership in the processes that have been set up in Member States for programming the National Strategic Reference Frameworks.

 

It includes five national case studies (Austria, Denmark, Italy, Latvia and Romania), showing the structural and cultural differences that condition the role played by each layer of government, (federal, national, regional and local), as well as the role played by the public/private sector relationship.

 

 

 

In preparation of an own-initiative report on "Reaping the full benefits of the spectrum freed by the digital switchover" the Industry Committee is organising a mini-hearing on the digital dividend. The switchover from analogue to digital terrestrial TV by 2012 will release a large portion of spectrum known as the "digital dividend". At the hearing MEPs and experts will debate for which services (mobile TV, broadcasting, or broadband internet) the freed spectrum will bring the greatest benefits.

 

 

As work begins on the EU budget for 2009, a working meeting on budgetary aspects of the Lisbon Treaty is being held at Parliament. The new treaty will alter relations between the institutions by strengthening the EP's powers. It abolishes the distinction between compulsory and non-compulsory expenditure and makes the EU's multiannual financial framework (the financial perspective) legally binding. But the treaty does not settle the question of the transition to the new system, although the 2009 EU budget is due to be adopted under the financial perspective for the years 2007-2013.  According to the Lisbon Treaty, the financial regulation will be subject to the co-decision procedure, thereby boosting the influence of Parliament, which until now has only been consulted.  However, the regulation is to be revised before the treaty enters into force, and the division of budgetary provisions between the multiannual framework and the regulation is due to be negotiated and decided by Parliament and Council.  These are only some of the questions that will be discussed at the Budgets Committee's working meeting. The debate will be launched by the rapporteur, Catherine Guy-Quint. Two experts, Giacomo Benedetto (London School of Economics) and Johannes Lindner (Adviser to the Board of the European Central Bank) will also give their views.

 

Rapporteur: Catherine GUY-QUINT (PES, FR)

 

The 240-member Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA), which brings together MEPs with national MPs from the EU Member States with an equal number of Parliamentarians from Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey, is holding its fourth plenary session.

 

After devoting Thursday to meetings of the Assembly’s committees, the parliamentarians will come together for the plenary session on Friday, opened by EMPA President and Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament Dimitrios Sioufas, with Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, Fouad Mebazaâ, Speaker of the Tunisian Chamber of Deputies, EP President Hans-Gert Pöttering and Ahmed Fathy Sorour, Speaker of the Egyptian People’s Assembly among the confirmed participants.

 

The main subject for debate will be “Energy and Environment – perspective for Euro-Mediterranean Cooperation”.  The session will also be marked by elections of a new Bureau (including a new EMPA President) and new chairs of the committees.  There will be a press conference at 18:00 on Friday in the Kleoniki Room.

 

09:00 - Plenary Session  of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly

 

A delegation of three members of the EP Development Committee will be visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo. MEPs will look into the question of sexual violence being used as a weapon of war in Kivu (eastern Congo), a region ravaged by violence and population movements. The European Parliament adopted a resolution on this subject at its plenary session on 17 January 2008.

 

Participants: Jürgen SCHRÖDER (EPP-ED, DE), head of delegation, Alain HUTCHINSON (PES, BE) and Johan VAN HECKE (ALDE, BE)

 

The 240-member Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA), which brings together MEPs with national MPs from the EU Member States with an equal number of Parliamentarians from Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey, is holding its fourth plenary session.

 

After devoting Thursday to meetings of the Assembly’s committees, the parliamentarians will come together for the plenary session on Friday, opened by EMPA President and Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament Dimitrios Sioufas, with Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, Fouad Mebazaâ, Speaker of the Tunisian Chamber of Deputies, EP President Hans-Gert Pöttering and Ahmed Fathy Sorour, Speaker of the Egyptian People’s Assembly among the confirmed participants.

 

The main subject for debate will be “Energy and Environment – perspective for Euro-Mediterranean Cooperation”.  The session will also be marked by elections of a new Bureau (including a new EMPA President) and new chairs of the committees.  There will be a press conference at 18:00 on Friday in the Kleoniki Room.

 

A delegation of three members of the EP Development Committee will be visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo. MEPs will look into the question of sexual violence being used as a weapon of war in Kivu (eastern Congo), a region ravaged by violence and population movements. The European Parliament adopted a resolution on this subject at its plenary session on 17 January 2008.

 

Participants: Jürgen SCHRÖDER (EPP-ED, DE), head of delegation, Alain HUTCHINSON (PES, BE) and Johan VAN HECKE (ALDE, BE)

 

A delegation of three members of the EP Development Committee will be visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo. MEPs will look into the question of sexual violence being used as a weapon of war in Kivu (eastern Congo), a region ravaged by violence and population movements. The European Parliament adopted a resolution on this subject at its plenary session on 17 January 2008.

 

Participants: Jürgen SCHRÖDER (EPP-ED, DE), head of delegation, Alain HUTCHINSON (PES, BE) and Johan VAN HECKE (ALDE, BE)