Next week our members will be in Strasbourg for the monthly voting session. They will hold a debate with the Slovakian Prime Minister, vote on a reports looking into propaganda from foreign actors, closing a criminal records loophole and new rules to protect farmers from abusive supermarket practices.

Debate with Slovakian Prime Minister

Parliament will continue its series of debates with EU leaders next week with the visit of Slovakian Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini. Our members will again lead calls for a reformed EU that does less but better and focusses on core specific issues such as internal security, migration and the single market.

Debate: Tuesday @ 10:00

Contact: Jan Krelina

Establishing the Internal Security Fund

On Tuesday ECR MEPs will support the agreement reached between Parliament and Council on the Internal Security Fund. This Fund will support important actions by Member States aiming at improving the security of their citizens, where one of the main goals of the fund is to increase the exchange of information among law enforcement authorities.

Debate: Tuesday @ 15:00, vote; Wednesday @ 12:00

Tackling foreign propaganda

A report that takes stock of the Strategic Communications policy of the EU’s External Action Service as it aims to help tackle strategic
propaganda originating from third countries – mainly Russia - is set to be endorsed by parliament on Wednesday. ECR MEP Anna Fotyga, who chairs parliament’s Security and Defence sub-Committee and also is a Standing Rapporteur for countering hostile propaganda, has prepared a text which underlines the important role of an independent media as the best safeguard against disinformation and calls for a robust legal framework in order to better respond to hybrid threats, both at national and EU level. The report also focuses on social media and its potential role both in spreading and countering false information and recommends that the EU should support civil society, private institutions, academia and the wider media in further enhancing measures aimed at exposing propaganda.

Debate: Tuesday @ 15:00, vote: Wednesday @ 12:00

Protecting farmers from unfair supermarket trading practices

MEPs are set to approve new rules to tackle unfair trading practices in the food supply chain. The overall aim of the proposals is to protect farmers from buyers who are substantially larger than they are and who are often faced with cancellation of contracts for fresh produce at short notice and late payments by retailers.

Vote: Thursday @ 12:00

Delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goals

A report by ECR Cypriot MEP Eleni Theocharous on the delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals will be put to the vote on Thursday. The EU has committed to report jointly in 2019 on EU efforts related to the SDGs and the report adopted in committee suggests that the goals need to be better integrated into EU policies and governance mechanisms which will serve to boost monitoring, facilitate proportionate accountability and avoid duplication with national policies.

Debate: Thursday @ 9:00, vote: @ 12:00

Closing a criminal records loophole

The European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) allows judicial authorities across the EU to quickly share details of offenders. However, it remains difficult to access information on the criminal records of third country nationals. Following an agreement reached between Parliament and Council, which was guided through by ECR MEP Dan Dalton, new legislation will be introduced to create a separate database in order to close this loophole.

Debate: Monday @ 17:00, vote: Tuesday @ 12:30

Council preparations

On Wednesday morning group leaders will debate the forthcoming meeting of the European Council which has jobs, growth and competitiveness on the agenda, as well as external relations and possible measures to tackle disinformation.

Debate: Wednesday @ 9:00