Week Ahead; 20th November- 24th November 2017; Closing a criminal records loophole; Geoblocking proposals – closing in on agreement; Modernised copyright rules must safeguard investment;

Closing a criminal records loophole

The European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) allows police and security organisations across the EU to quickly share details of offenders. However, it remains difficult to access information on the criminal records of third country nationals. A report by British ECR MEP Dan Dalton being presented to the LIBE Committee on Monday aims to close this loophole by establishing a separate database.

When: Debate LIBE Committee, Monday @ 5pm

Geoblocking proposals – closing in on agreement
The Parliament will meet with the Estonian Presidency and the European Commission with the aim of concluding an agreement on the geoblocking proposal for goods and services. The ECR are in favour of all efforts to open up markets online for e-commerce in goods and some services however ECR shadow Anneleen Van Bossuyt remains unconvinced that the new rules should be applied to copyright protected content. She believes that this would unduly affect how creative content is produced in Europe, particularly for smaller regions with a strong cultural heritage.

When: Monday @ 20:00

Modernised copyright rules must safeguard investment
Reforms to the way that the programmes are transmitted and retransmitted online will be put to the vote in the legal affairs committee on Tuesday. The ECR Group will vote in favour of limiting the scope of the legislation to news and current affairs programmes. Saj Karim, the ECR Group’s shadow, is extremely concerned that proposals to broaden the rules beyond news and current affairs will destroy many existing business models in the broadcast sector, which relies heavily on cross border co-investment in return for license exclusivity.

When: Tuesday @ 10:00

Sustainable fishing plan for the Adriatic
In the fisheries committee on Tuesday ECR Croatian MEP Ruža Tomašić will present her draft report on annual fish stocks in the Adriatic Sea, the first plan of its kind in the Mediterranean area. The Adriatic Sea is an important sub-area within the Mediterranean, accounting for about a third of the total landing value. While welcoming the plan, Tomašić is concerned that the Commission proposal does not contain a detailed assessment of socio-economic impacts, as fisheries remain a key local economic resource, in particular for island communities.

When: Tuesday @ 11:00