Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) This week, MEPs will be travelling in official missions to assess the status of the rule of law in Poland, and discuss the Ukrainian crisis with officials from the Baltics in Tallin and Vilnius. Another mission will visit regions affected by the summer floods in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. In Ankara and Istanbul, MEPs will discuss Turkey’s human rights situation, while in Mexico, they will review the upcoming trade agreement with the EU. The week finishes with the final panel of the Conference of the Future of Europe, which is being held in Dublin.
Rule of law in Poland
A delegation from the Civil Liberties and Constitutional Affairs Committees will travel to Warsaw, where from Monday to Wednesday they will assess the rule of law situation, including the issue of the primacy of EU law, in the context of the ongoing Article 7 procedure about the possible breach of EU values brought against Poland.
MEPs plan to meet representatives of the Polish Government, the judiciary, civil society organisations and media. A press conference is scheduled for Wednesday.
Ukraine crisis
A delegation of the Security and Defence Subcommittee will spend Monday-to-Thursday visiting Tallinn and Vilnius to examine first-hand the threat from cyber-attacks generated by the escalating tensions surrounding the Ukraine crisis. MEPs will meet representatives from the governments, NATO and private companies.
2021 natural disasters
Monday-to-Wednesday sees a Regional Development Committee delegation visiting sites in flood-affected regions of the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. MEPs will assess EU relief measures in the regions by way of follow-up to the severe flooding and landslides that hit these member states last summer.
Human rights in Turkey
From Tuesday to Thursday, a delegation from the Subcommittee on Human Rights will be in Ankara and Istanbul, where MEPs will meet with political representatives and stakeholders to discuss Turkey’s human rights situation, the rule of law, and refugee protection and migration management.
Trade with Mexico
An International Trade Committee delegation travels to Mexico City to meet with government and parliament representatives between Tuesday and Thursday in order to learn about the status of the modernisation of the EU-Mexico trade agreement.
Conference of the Future of Europe
The last of the European Citizens’ Panels takes place in Dublin, Friday through Sunday, and will deliver recommendations on issues covering economy, social justice, jobs, culture and digital transformation. The recommendations will be debated at the Conference Plenary in early March, along with recommendations made by the Panel on “EU in the world/migration“ and those made by other national panels and events.
