Asuntos destacados

The Committees on Budgets and on Budgetary Control will hold a debate with European Commission representatives on the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation and the development of guidelines for its application, on 26 May. In its Resolution of 25 March 2021, Parliament stressed that the application of the Regulation, which entered into force on 1 January 2021, could not be subject to the adoption of guidelines.

The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs will hold a hearing on European common values and fundamental rights issues in the European Digital Strategy and related legislation, notably the Digital Services Act, the Digital Market Act and the Data Governance Act. The hearing will take place on 26 May and will focus on the issues of data protection, freedom of expression in relation to disinformation and non-discrimination, and the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights.

The Committee on Petitions will hold a hearing on interinstitutional relations in the treatment of petitions, focusing on the role of the European Commission, on 26 May. The European Ombudsman’s keynote speech on the Commission’s response to citizen’s concerns will be followed by debates on the role of petitions in political decisions from an academic point of view, and on the Commission’s outlook on the relation between the Commission and Committee on Petitions.

The Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety will vote on its report on the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, on 27 and 28 May. Following the Commission’s “EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 – Bringing nature back into our lives”, which is a core part of the European Green Deal, the Committee is stressing the need for urgent action on biodiversity protection, ensuring the full implementation of the Strategy, and guaranteeing sufficient funding to attain the announced goals.

The Committees on Economic and Monetary Affairs and on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety will hold a public hearing on sustainable finance, in order to take stock of the work that has been done so far in this field and acquire expert insight on current issues. The hearing will take place on 26 May, ahead of the Commission’s Renewed Sustainable Finance Strategy, which is due to be adopted later on this year.

The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs will hold a hearing with experts and stakeholders on the mechanisms proposed in the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, on 27 May. Focusing particularly on solidarity mechanisms and the procedures at borders, the hearing will aim to prepare the upcoming positions of the European Parliament and the negotiations with the Council.

The Special Committee on Beating Cancer will put the spotlight on the use of artificial intelligence in cancer research, cancer care and personalised cancer medicine and issues related to data protection during a public hearing with leading experts in the field. The public hearing will be held on 27 May, in association with the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age.

The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs will hold a hearing titled “Amazon attacks on fundamental workers' rights and freedoms”, on 27 May, focusing on the freedom of assembly and association and the right to collective bargain and action. The hearing will seek to examine the reports revealed by the media on Amazon potentially monitoring its workers, and other business and workplace practices - which might be in breach of European labour, data and privacy laws.

The Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on Security and Defence will hold a hearing with experts on collective security in the Gulf region, on 27 May. While de-escalation is of recent tensions is key, the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council have significant influence on the stability of the region. The hearing will aim at evaluating the security situation in the Gulf region while analysing the possibility of setting up a regional security mechanism.