Seduti ta’ smigħ

On 26 April 2023, the Commission presented legislative proposals to implement a comprehensive reform of the EU’s economic governance rules. The central objective of these proposals is to strengthen public debt sustainability while promoting sustainable and inclusive growth in Member States through reforms and investment. The ECON Committee is now assessing the proposals by the Commission and working on its reports.

The objective of this hearing is to listen to various stakeholders on what is important to them when it comes to fisheries and aquaculture in rural areas.

The hearing aims to provide rapporteur Ms Pagazaurtundúa and committee members with information in view of her report on this topic. It will focus on progress on the implementation the Treaty provisions on EU citizenship and on identifying the areas that need improvement. Prof. Freixes, Jean Monnet ad Personam Professor in Constitutional Law-Vice President of RAED and Ms Kavrakova, Executive Director of the ECAS will make their presentations then followed by a Q&A session with the Members.

The aim of this hearing is to capitalise on the remarkable increase in turnout rates of the last election and ignited a momentum for the launch of a deeper process of democratisation of the Union. It builds upon the main findings and recommendations of the AFCO report on stocktaking of European elections and identifies the areas of improvement where further action is needed with a view to fuel the debate and the work on the ongoing AFCO report on the 2024 elections.

On 19 September 2023, from 15:00 to 16:30, the FISC Subcommittee will host a public hearing on “New EU common system for the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of tax abuse in the area of withholding taxes”.

TThe public hearing “Agriculture sustainability: Past, present and future - the role of data and indicators” brings together four experts from the FAO, Wageningen research and university and the Organic Agriculture research centre, Austria. The aim is provide insights into the actual management and use of data and indicators with the aim to monitor the sustainability of EU agriculture. The hearing is organised by AGRI Committee with ENVI Committee associated.

Members discussed with the Commission and other invited experts the revision of the current Toy Safety Directive, which has been in force since 2011. The new proposal, adopted by the Commission in July 2023, should make toys even safer for children, as well as further strengthen the single market for toys.

On 5 October 2022, Parliament adopted with a large majority a resolution on the situation of Roma people living in settlements in the EU, highlighting that an unacceptably high number of Roma - Europe’s largest ethnic minority - live in poverty and are socially excluded, enduring extremely precarious, unsafe and overcrowded living conditions in segregated rural and urban areas.

On Tuesday, 19 September 2023, the FEMM Committee held a hearing on “Women's reproductive health and specificities, including SRHR and access to abortion”.

SEDE organises a public hearing on 'European defence industry and the urgent need to replenish defence stockpiles within the EU' on Tuesday, 19 September 2023 from 9.00 to 10.30hrs in room SPINELLI 3G2, with external experts.

On 5 September 2023 at 9:30, Ms Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner-designate for innovation, research, culture, education and youth, will appear before the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the Committee on Culture and Education.

On 19 July, the Committee on International Trade will hold a hearing on EU Trade and investment relation with Taiwan.