Monday

11th Dec 2023

Agenda

EU still in Paris' shadow This WEEK

  • Athens: Each tranche comes with strings attached (Photo: EUobserver)

Fellow euro states, at a ministers’ meeting in Brussels on Monday (23 November), are expected to disburse the next tranche in the Greek bailout.

The aid, €2 billion for the Greek treasury and €10 billion for helping to prop up its banks, comes after Athens passed new laws on tax arrears and home foreclosures in line with creditors’ demands.

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But the Paris attacks will take centre stage in political affairs, with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker to discuss the bloc’s reaction to the security crisis at a plenary debate with MEPs in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

The deputies will debate the bloc’s handling of the refugee crisis the next day with foreign relations chief Federica Mogherini, as the two situations become increasingly entangled in terms of public opinion.

The same day they will vote on a report by French centre-right MEP, Rachida Dait, on how to counter radicalisation.

They will wave through a new EU budget for 2016, an envelope which contains more money for refugee front-line states than earlier planned.

Back on finance, Wednesday’s plenary will also vote on what to do about Luxleaks.

The tax revelations, which make Juncker, a former Luxembourg leader, look like Europe’s tax-avoide-in-chief, indicate that the Grand Duchy let multinationals off the hook for billions of euros.

But EU states and big corporations fobbed off the EP’s enquiry, causing frustration.

When executives from leading firms, including Google, Facebook, and Amazon took part in a recent EP hearing, they either dodged questions or denied wrongdoing.

For several EU leaders, the week will start in Hamburg, amid obsequies for former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt, who died on 10 November.

Meanwhile, Italy’s new president, Sergio Mattarrella, who was recently elected, will address the Strasbourg plenary for the first time on Wednesday.

Anti-terror raid in Paris region

Eight suspected terrorists are reported dead or arrested. The mastermind of Friday's Paris attacks was targeted.

EU-China summit and migration files in focus This WEEK

This week, EU and Chinese leaders will meet in Beijing to discuss how to cooperate in the international area despite their rivalry. Meanwhile, a marathon trilogue on the five migration files takes place on Thursday.

UN climate talks and passengers' right in focus This WEEK

The two-week UN climate talks (#COP28) will kick off on Thursday. Earlier this week, the EU Commission will unveil a proposal to improve passengers' rights and Nato foreign affairs ministers will meet in Brussels.

Opinion

How should EU reform the humanitarian aid system?

The example of Ukraine illustrates that donors like the EU should be more ambitious about the localisation of aid. And this funding to local actors needs to be predictable, flexible, and longer than the typical one-year funding cycle.

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