The Week Ahead 1-7 March 2010

Airport security charges.  The Transport Committee votes on legislation setting EU-wide principles to ensure the transparency of charges to users for security arrangements at airports (Monday). The rapporteur proposes that the Member States cover the costs of security measures that go beyond common EU requirements.

EU Budget 2011.  The Budgets Committee takes its first step in setting next year’s EU budget when it adopts its guidelines for the procedure ahead (Thursday).

EP President – Ukraine, Italy, Croatia.  Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament, will have meetings in Brussels with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych (Monday), Italian President Giorgio Napolitano (Thursday) and Croatian President Ivo Josipović (Thursday).  There will be a press point after each meeting.

Jerzy Buzek in Bulgaria.  The EP President will make an official visit to Bulgaria, including meetings with President Georgi Parvanov, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, and the speaker of the National Assembly, Tsetska Tsacheva (Wednesday).

Plenary preparations. Parliament’s political groups will devote most of the week to preparations for the 8-11 March plenary session in Strasbourg.  The agenda includes Parliament’s annual assessment of EU Foreign and Security Policy, which has added significance given the setting up of the External Action Service, as well as a resolution on the Goldstone report on the Israel-Gaza conflict. MEPs will debate the situation of the Roma in Europe and vote on legislation exempting the smallest businesses from formal accounting requirements, a resolution on the recent European summit and the Europe 2020 economic programme and the EP position on the Europeana digital library project.

Pre-session press briefing.  Any changes to the agenda adopted by the Conference of Presidents will be presented at the regular press briefing at 11am on Friday.  Parliament’s press service and the spokespeople of the main political groups will be on hand to comment on the session ahead (PHS 0A050 Anna Politkovskaya room).