The Week ahead

EU-wide rules will finally tackle unfair trading practices in the food chain and will protect farmers, SMEs and many others against the more powerful players.  For many years, the EPP Group has asked for this Directive and the agreement was finally pushed through at the end of last year. Members of the European Parliament will vote for the final approval on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, MEPs will assess the state of EU-Russia political relations in the report authored by Sandra Kalniete, Vice-Chair of the EPP Group, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Working Group. At a time when Russia is further trying to increase tensions in relations with the EU and its Member States, the EPP Group insists that the EU should stand ready to consider adopting further sanctions if Russia's violation of international law continues. It also calls for more ambitious financial assistance to Russian civil society. The EPP Group furthermore supports the principle of selective engagement with Russia. On Tuesday, MEPs will also discuss the new EU sanctions targeted against human rights perpetrators, which are in line with the US Magnistsky Act.

The new rules for banks to keep a minimum loss coverage for non-performing loans (NPL) will be debated on Wednesday in plenary. The EPP Group wants to require banks to reduce the number of non-performing loans while keeping a realistic approach. This is an important step forward as for the first time, this legislation creates legally-binding provisioning levels for new NPLs in all banks, next to the bank-by-bank requirements set by the Single Supervisory Mechanism. "The corpses must get out of the closet in order to make our banking sector healthier and our financial system more stable“, said the EPP Group's Esther de Lange MEP, Parliament's Co-rapporteur on the new rules.

The European Parliament will vote on the European Commission's Annual 2018 Report on Turkey on Wednesday. The EPP Group position is firm - no Accession to the EU for Turkey because of human rights violations; rather, a redefined effective partnership is required. We insist that any renewed political engagement between the EU and Turkey should be built on key conditionality provisions based on respect for democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights.

Cybersecurity in the EU must be improved for security reasons and to increase consumer trust in internet-connected products and IT solutions. The agreement reached with the Council gives a new mandate for the EU Cybersecurity Agency (ENISA) to propose an EU cybersecurity certification scheme which will be available on a voluntary basis for the producers of connected appliances. When it comes to critical infrastructure like energy and communication networks for instance, the European Commission will be obliged to assess, on a regular basis, whether there is a need for mandatory certification. The debate on the EU Cybersecurity Act will take place on Monday, plenary vote on Tuesday.

Recently, it was revealed that Chinese tech giant Huawei - the world’s biggest seller of network telecommunications equipment and one of the pioneers of 5 G technology – has been accused of being a gateway for China to spy on Western nations. The resolution, initiated by the EPP Group, calls on the EU to take measures to protect our citizens from cyber-attacks and espionage.

The EU Criminal Records Information System, which allows police, investigators and judges to exchange data on EU citizens who have committed crimes, has become an irreplaceable tool for criminal investigations in the EU since 2012. With the plenary vote on Tuesday, the scope of ECRIS will be extended to all criminals moving around the EU, including third-country nationals. No matter who has been convicted of a crime - or where - all Member States will be informed. More cooperation and data sharing is the answer to the ongoing terrorist threats EU citizens face.

On Wednesday, the European Parliament will vote on three funds for migration, border management and internal security which should be significantly boosted for the upcoming EU financial period after 2020. The money will help Member States handle asylum procedures and irregular migration as well as control their borders. A significant amount of EU finance should also go towards supporting information exchange between EU law enforcement authorities so that crime and terrorism can be better prevented in the EU.​

The European Solidarity Corps Programme provides opportunities for young people to volunteer or work on projects that benefit communities and people in Europe, and have clear EU added value. For NGOs, churches, schools and other institutions, this European Solidarity Corps Programme has, since 2018, helped young people gain experience, skills and competences for their personal, educational, social, civic and professional development. The main innovation of the proposal for 2020-2027 is the integration of the EU Aid Volunteers Programme. This will allow the European Solidarity Corps to provide humanitarian aid volunteering opportunities outside of the EU. The Plenary will vote on Tuesday.

The European Parliament will adopt its position on Thursday regarding the planned European Monetary Fund (EMF). The EPP Group wants the Fund to be independent and integrated into Union law. The European Stability Mechanism should be turned into a fully-fledged European Monetary Fund, provide for crisis prevention and conditional support for Member States with difficulties in accessing financial markets - and accompany debt-restructuring processes.

On Wednesday, the European Parliament will vote on the guidelines for next year's EU Budget. "The EPP Group was instrumental in shaping and consolidating Parliament’s guidelines so that the next EU Budget prioritises EU programs that strengthen competitiveness and support SMEs and entrepreneurship, so that EU citizens, particularly young people, can have quality jobs. At the same time, the EPP Group stands for a safer Europe," stated José Manuel Fernandes, EPP Group Coordinator in the Committee on Budgets. The EPP Group Rapporteur Monika Hohlmeier is leading the process of preparing the political priorities for next year's EU spending, to be taken into account by the Commission when it presents its draft EU Budget in June.

Tuesday @ 11.10: EPP Group Plenary briefing

Wednesday @ 15.00: Lefteris Christoforou MEP on the “Discussion on the 2018 Commission Progress Report on Turkey”