Highlights

The Committee on Budgetary Control will hold two hearings in the context of the 2020 Discharge, on 6 December. The hearing with Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski and the European Court of Auditors (ECA) will touch on the performance and compliance issues of the CAP financial management. The hearing with Commissioner Johannes Hahn and ECA will focus on the financial management of DG BUDG, in particular on the annual reports and the performance audits issued by the European Court of Auditors.

The Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality will vote on the "MeToo and harassment - the consequences for the EU institutions" draft resolution, on 6 December. The Committee will also hold a hearing on “Regulation of prostitution in Europe: its cross-border implications and impact on gender equality and women’s rights”. Several experts will present their ideas and different approaches to manage the prostitution phenomena and compare the different legislative models in Europe.

The Subcommittee on Human Rights Committee and the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality will host a workshop to discuss global perspectives for combating femicide, on 6 December. The killing of women due to their gender is recognised as a violation of human rights, occurring in different economic, cultural, and social contexts. Together with experts and academics, the Committees will discuss how the EU's external policies, states, societies and individuals can shed light on the issue.

The Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety will hear from the Commission on the outcome of the special three-day session of the WHO World Health Assembly, on 6 December. The Committee will also discuss with Joyce Msuya, United Nations, the 2022 global climate and environmental milestones. The Committee will quiz the Commission on its plans concerning marine protected areas on the high seas within the framework of the UN Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.

The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy is organising an ad-hoc delegation of five Committees (ITRE, IMCO, CULT, JURI, and LIBE) and the STOA panel to the 16th annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), from 6 to 10 December. The delegation will be hosted by the Government of Poland in Katowice, and the overarching theme will be ‘Internet United.’ The participants will attend specific bilateral meetings, as well as IGF conference panels of common interest.

The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) will be hosting a public hearing on "New ERA for Research and Innovation", on 6 December. Some of the topics covered are investments and reforms in research and innovation towards the green and digital transition; strengthening mobility of researchers and free flow of knowledge and technology; boosting market uptake of research and innovation results; improving access to excellence for researchers across the EU.