Monday

11th Dec 2023

Agenda

Brexit votes set for This WEEK

Brexit is set to dominate this week as the British parliament debates proposals to break the on-going negotiation deadlock with embattled prime minister Theresa May.

The Tuesday (29 January) debate will explore proposals to possibly delay the UK's exit day beyond the 29 March deadline or even hold a second referendum.

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The plans are part of intense in-fighting among British MPs over the direction of May's deal with the European Union, some of whom want to wrestle away the prime minister's power in the talks.

It also comes amid further questions on ways to avoid a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in the event of a no-deal scenario.

The British back-and-forth will be closely watched by an increasingly frustrated European Union.

Mini-plenary

Meanwhile, MEPs at the European Parliament will be holding a mini-plenary session in Brussels with the future of Europe and rule of law in Hungary as among some of the scheduled debates.

It is also set to hold a secret ballot on transparency on Thursday (31 January).

The secrecy bid was earlier proposed by the centre-right EPP in a move that has generated backlash from Transparency International, an NGO.

The vote is part of larger report on internal rules that includes, among other things, new ideas on the formation of European political groups.

The votes are preceded by a debate on the future of Europe with Juha Sipila, Finland's prime minister, and Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission.

Roma integration, gender balance, and the fight against fraud are also on order when the mini-session kicks off on Wednesday (30 January).

Ministers across Europe will also be in Brussels on Monday (28 January) to discuss reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy.

Aachen treaty and Brexit endgame This WEEK

Germany and France are set to reinforce their alliance as the engine-house of European integration, while Britain continues to struggle to leave the EU.

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

Why this week's EU summit must agree a new budget deal

There are claims by some member states that there are pots of unused cash sloshing around in the EU's coffers. This is simply untrue. By European Parliament budget rapporteur MEPs Jan Olbyrcht and Margarida Marques.

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