EUobserver.com

EUOBSERVER / WEEKLY AGENDA (20 – 27 April) – During its plenary session in Strasbourg this week, the European Parliament intends to tackle enlargement, human rights, terrorism and geopolitics.

On Monday (21 April) MEPs will debate a report on cross-border cooperation to combat terrorism and cross-border crime, preceded by a hearing on crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by totalitarian regimes.

They will also discuss ways to improve co-operation on organ transplants in the EU – and to tackle organ trafficking, with a vote on the report to take place on Wednesday (23 April).

Meanwhile, MEPs in the foreign affairs committee will vote on a report assessing Turkey's progress towards EU accession on Monday, while on Wednesday, the plenary will vote on Macedonia's EU progress.

Initially planned to be voted upon in the beginning of April, the Macedonian report was delayed until the Strasbourg plenary, with some MEPs arguing that certain points of the report needed further clarification.

A reference in the report to a Greek-Macedonian row over the name of the small Balkan country caused the most controversy.

Greece has repeatedly indicated it wants the so-called "name issue" to be resolved before allowing Skopje closer to the EU, and earlier this month, it blocked a NATO membership invitation to Macedonia for the same reason.

Euro-deputies will also debate visa issues this week, both for EU and non-EU citizens.

On Monday, they will discuss how Belorussian and Ukrainian citizens will be alowed EU visas, while on Wednesday the US visa-waiver programme for EU citizens will be on the agenda.

On Tuesday (22 April), MEPs will look beyond the EU's neighbourhood to discuss a report on the effect of Chinese policies in Africa, and will vote on the matter on the next day.

Prior to this, the riots caused in the last weeks by rising food prices in the developing world, will be tackled on Monday.

Recently, the UN warned that a 'perfect storm' of poor harvests, rising fuel prices, the growth of biofuels and increased pressure from a growing middle class in China and India, was rapidly increasing world hunger. Additionally, EU development commissioner Louis Michel stated last week that "a global food crisis is becoming apparent."

Internal EU affairs will also be on the agenda of the MEPs with a debate on the statute of the European Ombudsman planned for Monday.

A debate on the matter planned for a mini-plenary session in Brussels earlier this month was postponed due to objections from the parliament's two biggest parties, the conservatives (EPP-ED) and the Socialists (PSE).

Meanwhile, the European Commission will on Tuesday (22 April) present a communication on the protection of minors with regard to video games.

Among other things, the commission will call on all stakeholders to raise parents' awareness of existing self-regulatory age-rating systems and to make them more effective within the 27-nation bloc.

This WEEK in the European Union