Belgium, (Brussels Morning) This week, no parliamentary meetings are scheduled in Brussels, as MEPs are traveling as part of committee delegations to conduct visits to Poland, to assess how the country manages its budget, to France, to assess the situation at the ports of Dunkirk and Calais and to Bangladesh, where MEPs will debate labour conditions in relation to international trade. MEPs are set to visit Israel, to investigate the Pegasus situation as well as to Washington DC, to discuss economic relations between the bloc and the United States.
Budgetary control in Poland
A delegation of the Budgetary Control Committee will go to Warsaw on a fact-finding trip to look into how taxpayers’ money is being managed and whether the governance systems and procedures in place are fit for the upcoming challenge of managing the recovery funds. MEPs will meet investigative journalists and associations of judges, prosecutors and NGOs, as well as public authorities, government and parliament members.
Transport
This week, a delegation of the Transport and Tourism Committee will visit the ports of Dunkirk and Calais in France to assess the implementation of the Connecting Europe Facility and Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) projects. MEPs will also look into how Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine are affecting ports’ activity.
International trade in Bangladesh
MEPs of the Trade Committee travel to Dhaka to get first-hand information on the country’s trade with Europe and its progress in adapting to the more demanding trade standards. MEPs will look into how the country has prepared for its upgrade to GSP+, an EU programme that requires that 27 international labour, social and environmental conventions be in place in the applicant country. MEPs are expected to emphasise that Bangladesh must implement and respect these rights, especially in the field of labour.
Pegasus inquiry
From Monday until Wednesday, a delegation of the Inquiry Committee on the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware will be in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to discuss spyware, cybersecurity and fundamental rights with local experts and stakeholders. During the visit, they will meet politicians, academics, digital rights experts, and the leadership of NSO Group, the provider of Pegasus spyware.
EU-US economic relations
An Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee delegation will travel to Washington DC to look into EU-US relations in light of the war in Ukraine, sanctions on Russia and the worsening global economic situation. MEPs will meet with legislators, government officials, US regulatory agencies, international organisations, think tanks and businesses.
