3 June 2013
EU-USA trade deal hearing Central European energy security Human rights in North Korea Commissioner-designate Mimica Schengen Evaluation Mechanism
EU-USA trade deal hearing
Central European energy security
Human rights in North Korea
Commissioner-designate Mimica
Schengen Evaluation Mechanism
EU-USA trade deal hearing
Ahead of the expected launch of formal talks towards an EU-USA Trade and Investment Partnership, the ECR will host a hearing asking if the deal would be a game-changer. Hosted by ECR Chairman Martin Callanan, the meeting will hear from William Kennard, the US Ambassador to the EU, and Ignacio Garcia Bercero, the EU Chief negotiator, along with Robert Sturdy MEP, Vice-President of the trade committee, and representatives of business organisations.
here and the event will be livestreamed here
Press officer to contact: James Holtum on +32 473 861762
Hearing: Tuesday 10.00 in room ASP5E2, European Parliament, Brussels
Central European energy security
ECR MEP Konrad Szymanski will co-host a hearing on Energy Security in Central Europe. The event will be opened by a presentation of a report by Ernst and Young, and speakers include Gunther Verheugen, the former Vice-President of the European Commission.
Press officer to contact: Mateusz Kochanowski on +32 489 582781
Hearing: Tuesday @ 09.00 in room ASP1H1, European Parliament, Brussel
Human rights in North Korea
ECR vice-chair of the European Parliament Korea delegation Anna Rosbach will host a hearing with the Database Centre for North Korean Human Rights on the human rights situation in North Korea. The main speaker will be Shin Dong-hyuk, the only person born in the notorious ‘Camp 14’ to have escaped to the outside world, and Lee Jo-guk, a former senior DPRK military official and a close aide to Kim Jong-un’s uncle.
Press officer to contact: Peter Hansen on +32 489 84 47 96
Hearing: Thursday @ 15.00 in ASP5E2, European Parliament, Brussels
Commissioner-designate Mimica
The Croatian Commissioner-designate Neven Mimica will appear before a meeting of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee, alongside Members of the Environment committee, who will assess his credentials for the portfolio of European Commissioner for Consumer Affairs. If successful, the Commissioner-designate will be approved as a new European Commissioner next week.
ECR Chairman of the internal market committee, Malcolm Harbour, will chair the hearing.
Press officer to contact: John Furbisher on +32 498 984760
Hearing: Tuesday @ 09.30
Schengen Evaluation Mechanism
A long-running dispute between the parliament and the Council of Ministers is set to conclude this week, after an agreement was reached on the Schengen Evaluation Mechanism. The parliament had initially wanted co-decision powers on the mechanism, and a major role in determining whether countries could introduce temporary border controls. As this was unanimously rejected by national governments, the parliament froze talks on a number of home affairs files. The ECR believed this response to be highly irresponsible by the parliament. However, following an undertaking by the council to include the parliament in the decision-making process for the mechanism, along with greater scrutiny powers for the parliament, the deadlock should now be broken. This will, in turn, enable other proposals – such as crucial measures to tackle cyber crime (to be voted on this week also) – to progress.
Press officer to contact: John Furbisher on +32 498 984760
Likely votes: Thursday @ 10.00
Contact
ECR spokesman: James Holtum on +32 473 861762
UK delegation: John Furbisher on +32 498 984760
Czech delegation: Jan Krelina on +32 493 214346
Polish delegation (PiS): Mateusz Kochanowski on +32 489 582781
Latvian delegation: Roland Petersons on +32 228 41545
Danish delegation: Peter Hansen on+32 489 84 47 96
Belgian delegation: Luc Rochtus on +32 479 73 45 67
Netherlands delegation: Maarten van de Fliert on +31 652 24 44 64
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