The week ahead 25th - 28th November 2013

25th - 28th November 2013. Eastern Partnership Summit. Honey. Trans-European telecoms networks. Paralympics. Christian women in Palestine. Single Telecommunications Market. 'VUKOVAR 1991’.

Eastern Partnership Summit

Following the disappointing news that Ukraine will suspend talks on an EU Association Agreement, Eastern Partnership countries will meet at a summit with the EU in Vilnius. Moldova and Georgia are expected to initial the Association Agreement with the EU.

The ECR Group is strongly committed to the Eastern Partnership. ECR MEP Pawel Kowal chairs the EU-Ukraine parliamentary cooperation committee, and ECR MEP Milan Cabrnoch chairs the Delegation to the EU-Armenia, EU-Azerbaijan and EU-Georgia Parliamentary Cooperation Committees. Ryszard Legutko is standing rapporteur on Ukraine and Tomasz Poreba is standing rapporteur on Armenia. Pawel Kowal is also preparing a report for the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee on the Eastern Partnership.

Along with ECR Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Tannock, they want to see the summit take solid steps that will anchor Eastern Partnership countries to their Western neighbours.

Contact: James Holtum

Summit: Thursday and Friday

Honey

The environment committee will vote on a report by Julie Girling that seeks to clarify the status of pollen as an integral constituent of honey. This will prevent EU honey producers from having to re-label all honey products with pollen as an ingredient – at a cost of €3.25m.

Mrs Girling does not support efforts by the left to confuse these proposals with regulation regarding ingredients sourced from Genetically Modified plants, which are dealt with under separate legislation.

Contact: John Furbisher

Vote: Wednesday @ 15.00

Trans-European telecoms networks

The industry committee will vote on a report by Evzen Tosenovsky on the newly agreed guidelines for trans-European telecommunications networks. The report sets out eligibility criteria for financing through the Connecting Europe Facility for digital service infrastructures and broadband networks. Mr Tosenovsky, in cooperation with other shadow rapporteurs, strongly advocated the necessary support for financing in the field of broadband networks and as well the need to ensure the continuity in EU funding for Safer Internet and European projects. The budget for trans-European telecommunications networks is one billion in the MFF 2014-2020.

Contact: Press officer to contact: Jan Krelina

Vote: Thursday @ 10.00

Paralympics

Tomasz Poreba MEP will host a photo exhibition on the Polish Paralympic Team – ‘Paralympic sport – Return to Life’.

Contact: Katarzyna Ochman

Exhibition opening: Tuesday 26th November @ 17.30 in the European Parliament ASP0G floor area.

Christian women in Palestine

Marina Yannakoudakis MEP will hold a hearing on ‘Christian Women in Palestine: Religious freedom & women’s rights’. Speakers will include a young Christian girl who lives in the Palestinian Authority, and Howard Stern, who has worked on pursuing solutions to the Arab-Israeli dispute for many years.

Contact: John Furbisher

Hearing: Wednesday 27th November @ 12.30 in the European Parliament A1H1

Single Telecommunications Market

The parliament’s internal market committee will hold a hearing on a single Telecommunications Market, for which ECR committee chair Malcolm Harbour MEP is rapporteur. The full agenda is available here.
and the hearing will be webstreamed here.

Contact: John Furbisher

Hearing: Wednesday 27th November @15.00 in the European Parliament A3G3.

‘VUKOVAR 1991’

On the occasion of 22nd Anniversary of the Fall of Vukovar, Croatian MEP Ruža Tomašić is hosting an exhibition on the 87 day siege, which ended in the deaths of 2,000 villagers at the heavily-armed hands of the Yugoslav National Army.

Contact: James Holtum

Exhibition opening: Wednesday 27th November @ 18.00 in the European Parliament Jan 2Q area.