Von besonderem Interesse

The Committee on Development and experts will discuss in a public hearing how to create sustainable and decent employment opportunities in Africa for its increasingly young population on 21 March. African youth aged 15-24 constitute around two thirds of the continent's population. Currently, over 80% of jobs in Sub Saharan Africa are in family agriculture or in small household enterprises with extremely low incomes and precarious conditions.

The Committee on Development will receive Achim Steiner, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), on 21 March. Members will discuss the impact of shifting geopolitical circumstances on UNDP's work and, more generally, doing development work in complex settings such as crises or working in countries with de facto authorities.

The Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs will hold the first Monetary Dialogue of the year with the ECB President on 20 March. The specific topics of discussion for this Dialogue are quantitative tightening in the euro area, and prospects for monetary policy one year into the war in Ukraine. The Monetary Dialogue will be followed by a public hearing with Ms Lagarde in her capacity as Chair of the European Systemic Risk Board.

The Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs will hold a public exchange of views with José Manuel Campa, Chair of the European Banking Authority (EBA), and with Andrea Enria, Chair of the Supervisory Board of the ECB on the implications of the failure of Silicon Valley Bank for financial stability in Europe, on 21 March. Mr Campa and Mr Enria will be invited to present their views on the effects and lessons to be drawn, followed by an exchange of views with the Members.

The Committee on Transport and Tourism will hold a hearing on the “Future green and digital transport in a time of energy-related challenges” on 21 March. The Committee will examine possibilities for transition towards greener and digital transport and mobility, which is one of the key priorities on the EU policy agenda. Experts will discuss current challenges and possibilities for air, rail, and road transport, as well as the ways to improve last mile solutions related to urban freight.

The Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality will have an exchange of views with Commissioner Helena Dalli in the framework of the structured dialogue between Parliament and the Commission on 21 March. The exchange will focus on gender equality topics pertaining to the remit of the Commissioner with an update on legislative initiatives which were recently adopted by the Commission and those still to be adopted.

The Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality together with the Delegation for relations with Afghanistan will hold a hearing on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan on 21 March. Since the Taliban takeover, women are being oppressed, silenced, erased and isolated from public life, banned from their right to get an education or get proper access to healthcare – exposing women and girls to higher risks of entering child marriages and abuse.

The Subcommittee on Security and Defence and the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy will consider amendments to the proposal on the Joint Defence Procurement instrument, known as "EDIRPA", on 20 March. By incentivising Member States to procure defence products jointly, the instrument will facilitate the procurement of the most urgent and critical defence capability gaps whilst also strengthening the European defence industrial base.

The Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the European Union will hold an Inter-parliamentary meeting (ICM) on 21 March. Based on the established fruitful contacts, the Special Committee will hold an ICM on legislative resilience, electoral laws or information manipulation campaigns with law makers from Member States that will hold legislative and/or presidential elections in 2023-2024.