The Week Ahead – 11th-16th May 2020

New MFF, own resources & recovery plan, 70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration & 2018 Discharges

New MFF, own resources and Recovery plan

In recent communications, the European Commission has placed the next long term EU budget (Multiannual Financial Framework, MFF) at the centre of the EU’s crisis response strategy, adopting solutions that are very different from the last economic and financial crisis. Making use of the new delay, the European Parliament will debate on the issue with the Commission and the Council on Wednesday, and vote on a resolution to influence the Commission’s proposal on Friday. The resolution is aimed at clarifying the Parliament’s position on the link between the MFF and the Covid-19 Recovery Plan. Ahead of this week’s plenary session, ECR shadow rapporteur and representative in the MFF contact group Roberts Zile said: “The European Parliament needs to safeguard the single market without being carried away by political games.”

Debate: Wednesday @ 16.00

Webstream: https://multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/webstreaming?d=20200513&lv=ALL

Vote: Friday

70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration

The 70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, which was celebrated on 9th May, will also be marked in Plenary on Thursday. The ECR took its own stand to commemorate Europe Day. The Group refused to agree to the joint Statement with the majority of Groups of the European Parliament and issued its own text. The 61 conservative MEPs declared that the idea of the sovereign nations of Europe coming together in an association of states, which preserves their independence, whilst facilitating cooperation, had worked well for many years but this ideal has since been superseded by an ideology to subsume the nations of Europe within a centralised federal state. To preserve the EU in the long run, the ECR MEPs call for a period of profound reflection concerning the future of Europe.

Debate: Thursday @ 10.00

Webstream: https://multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/plenary-session_20200514-0900-PLENARY_vd

2018 Discharges

MEPs will vote to approve the implementation of the EU’s budget by the different institutions and agencies. 41 reports have been drafted by ECR rapporteurs.

Vote: Wednesday