Pact on Migration
The Commission is expected to present its plan on migration and asylum on Wednesday, 23 September, a day before EU heads of state and government
convene for the Special European Council summit in Brussels(24-25 September). According to a senior EU official, Von der Leyen is not expected to provide details of the proposal in advance, national leaders would likely not have enough time to study it to allow a detailed discussion during the summit.
The pact will acknowledge that internal and external aspects of migration are interconnected and will strive for a more resilient, more humane and more effective migration and asylum system, which will buttress confidence in the Schengen area of free movement.
Fairer taxation
On Monday, Commissioner for Finance and Economy, Paolo Gentiloni, will host an online event on simplifying taxation based on the tax reform package presented in July. Kicking off at 16h CET, the event will entail a debate between the Commissioner, German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, and MEP Irene Tinagli, Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. Fair taxation remains a top priority for the European Commission as a means of protecting public revenues.
Research and Innovation Days happening again
On Tuesday, the European Commission’s annual flagship event —European Research and Innovation Days — brings stakeholders together to shape the future of Europe’s research and innovation landscape in a virtual event (22-24 September). Research and Innovation (R&I) Commissioner Mariya Gabriel will host this three-day event with interactive sessions that allow participants to provide input on how research and innovation funding can propel Europe’s recovery and prepare the way for a green, digital and resilient future. As the event falls just before the launch of Horizon Europe and an enhanced European Research Area, the occasion will serve as a unique opportunity to discuss how R&I will benefit the future of Europe.
Digital trust services
On Tuesday, 22 September, the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), in collaboration with the European Commission, for the 6th consecutive year is organizing the Trust Services Forum. The event will focus on emerging issues related to trust services across Europe, stemming from the first review of the application of the eIDAS regulation (electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market and repealing Directive 1999/93/EC). The forum aims to share the latest developments on the framework surrounding trust service providers, including standards, implementing acts and technical guidelines.
European Medicines Agency (EMA)
On Wednesday, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) together with other EU bodies and agencies will deliver a virtual workshop on the application of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the area of health and secondary use of data for medicines and public health purposes. This virtual event will provide an overview of the European Commission’s work on the creation of a European Health Data Space, followed by a discussion on the development of an EU-wide governance framework and a future code of conduct on the processing of personal data in the health sector.
Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency (CHAFEA)
On Thursday, the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency (CHAFEA) will organise an online conference on the theme “Promoting healthy lifestyles in Europe: from education to practice”. Based on an EU-wide study on educational practices for different healthcare professions, the conference aims to show that more can be done within training programmes to set a focus on disease prevention and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Also, the continuing education programmes should focus on promoting good health and disease prevention.
European 5G Observatory – 5G networks in Europe
On Friday, the European 5G Observatory, supported by DG CNECT, will hold its second stakeholder workshop — “5G for growth and recovery”. This workshop will review the main findings of the second year of the 5G Observatory and debate the current state of play of 5G deployment and the latest trends. It will also serve as input for the planned update of the Action Plan for 5G and 6G as announced in the Commission’s Digital Strategy last February.
The virtual session will be open to all stakeholders interested in 5G, including telecom operators and suppliers, national authorities in charge of telecom and spectrum policy and regulation, as well as industry representatives.
