Agenda
This WEEK in the European Union
EUOBSERVER / WEEKLY AGENDA (29 September – 5 October) This week kicks off with an EU-India summit in France, with trade, climate change and the financial crisis dominating the agenda. The summit will be held on Monday (29 September) in Marseille, with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh attending, as well as French President Nicolas Sarkozy who currently chairs the rotating EU presidency and other top EU officials.
The summit is also set to discuss security problems in Pakistan and Afghanistan and Iran's controversial nuclear programme. The question of opening trade in peaceful nuclear technology with India might also pop up, after the Nuclear Suppliers' Group, a multinational body charged with reducing nuclear proliferation by controlling the nuclear exports gave the green light to such trade in early September.
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On the bilateral front, Mr Sarkozy might strike a nuclear deal with Mr Singh similar to the one New Delhi has already signed with Washington, but which is stalled in Congress. Indian foreign minister Shiv Shankar Menon said he expects a nuclear agreement to be signed during this visit, AFP reports.
Agriculture and fisheries are also on the EU agenda, with the block's respective ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday (29-30 September). They are set to debate further reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, as they have to come to an agreement by November, while the commission will be tabling its proposals on food aid for the poor.
EU school children might soon get free fruit and vegetables, with agriculture ministers debating the financing scheme, and hoping to obtain dedicated co-funding for the scheme's budget, an estimated €90 million.
The commission is also to present its communication on the prevention of the sale and use of wood and wood by-products derived from illegal logging, accompanied by a draft regulation against illegal wood imports.
Regarding fisheries, ministers are likely to shift the basis from species exploitation towards an understanding of the marine ecosystem as a whole. They will also debate measures to be taken to restore cod stocks, which the French presidency wishes to see adopted before the end of the year.
On Wednesday, the commission is to adopt a package of measures aimed at improving conditions for maternity leave. According to a draft seen by the EUObserver, the provisions would extend the minimum length of maternity leave from fourteen to eighteen continuous weeks while ensuring a full salary.
"Longer leave would have a positive impact on the mother's health in general," the draft commission paper says, adding that full payment of wages or salary would prevent women from suffering financial losses during their time away from work.
Currently, the duration of maternity leave varies from fourteen weeks in Germany to 28 weeks in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with the possibility of extending it to 52 weeks in some countries.
A parent does not earn the full monthly salary during the entire time, however.
The commission will also put forward a proposal aimed at "improving the protection of self-employed women and assisting spouses, in order to increase the number of women engaged in entrepreneurship in Europe help them remain in business independently of their family responsibilities," a commission statement reads.
A report on childcare in the member states, covering aspects such as accessibility, availability, cost and quality will also be made available on Wednesday.
Still on the social front, Employment and Social affairs ministers from the 27 member states will meet on Thursday and Friday (2-3 October) in Luxemburg to debate 'flexicurity' measures - flexible hiring and firing practices married with a strong social safety net - adopted in their respective countries.
A draft directive on equal treatment "beyond the workplace" will also be discussed, aiming at prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of religion, disability, age and sexual orientation in the areas of social protection, health care, education and access to goods and services.
In matters of defence, the respective EU ministers will hold an informal meeting on Wednesday and Thursday (1-2 October) in Deauville, France, in order to talk about the EU's current military operations and the reinforcement of the block's military capabilities.
Several projects for EU capacity-building are under way with regard to helicopters, a prospective European fleet of transport planes, as well as aeronautic co-operation, spatial observation and various research and technology projects, such as unmanned aircraft. The aim is to identify which member states are prepared to participate in each of these projects.
The ministers will also hold initial talks on a cross-border training project for officers inspired by the Erasmus EU student exchange program for civilian pupils, often referred to as a 'military Erasmus'.
On the same note, a NATO conference aimed at strengthening the link between the defence industry and the member states will take place in Brussels on Wednesday (1 October).