With politicians, lobbyists, diplomats and bureaucrats streaming back into the city, the so-called ‘La Rentrée’ has officially started — with a touch of much-needed sun to brighten the week.
On Tuesday (5 September), EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will be in Nairobi, Kenya, to participate in the first Africa Climate Summit.
Discussions about how to provide financial assistance to those most affected by climate change will be high on the agenda, ahead of a UN climate summit in New York in September and the COP28 in November.
A 2022 report from the Climate Policy Initiative revealed that African countries received only 12 percent of the funding the continent needs to cope with the impacts of climate change.
Von der Leyen, together with EU Council president Charles Michel, will also travel to India for the weekend to take part in the G20 meeting where Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is expected to be discussed.
Russian president Vladimir Putin is not expected to attend the summit in New Delhi.
Following the Qatargate allegations, MEPs from the parliament’s committee on constitutional affairs will vote on the 14-point anti-corruption reform presented by the president of the parliament, Roberta Metsola.
Reforms include, for example, stricter rules for the publication of meetings with lobbyists and widening the scope of who should declare such meetings.
Last week, Belgian police found €280,000 in cash at the home of the son of MEP Maria Arena, according to Le Soir.
The parliament’s committee on constitutional affairs will also hold a debate about the upcoming 2024 EU elections on the same day.
A key vote on the European Media Freedom Act, the draft law that aims at protecting media pluralism and independence in the EU, will also take place in the culture committee on Thursday. And if adopted, the plenary vote could be in October.
MEPs meet Nato and Frontex chiefs
Also on Thursday, the parliament’s foreign affairs committee and the security and defence committee will hold a debate with Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg on the latest on the war in Ukraine and other security matters.
On the same day, MEPs in the human rights committee will have a debate with the head of the EU’s border agency Frontex, Hans Leijtens.
The EU Ombudsman recently launched an investigation into the role of Frontex in the 14 June sinking of the Adriana trawler that led to more than 500 people drowning.
On Wednesday (6 September), the European Commission is expected to present a roadmap to help digitalise the traditional approach of social security administration in member states as well as a proposal for a European disability card to ensure the recognition of persons with disabilities across the EU.
EU agriculture ministers will gather in Cordoba, Spain, on Tuesday (5 September) to have a discussion about new technologies and innovations such as the controversial new genomic techniques and their impact on sustainable agriculture.
Meanwhile, a committee vote on the report about critical raw materials, such as lithium or cobalt, will take place on Thursday.
