What's coming up in Parliament

Final trilogue on CO2 and trucks expected

Tuesday, 12 February

The trilogue negotiations on the CO2 emission standards for new heavy-duty vehicles are likely to conclude late on Tuesday evening. This follows on from the European Parliament’s vote in favour of substantial reductions in CO2 emissions from trucks and heavy goods vehicles last November. Greens/EFA rapporteur, Bas Eickhout, is leading the Parliament's negotiating team, and is pushing for member countries to maintain the ambitious reduction targets set out in the text.

EU-Singapore trade agreement

Debate and vote on Tuesday, 12 February

Parliament must now give its say on the trade and investment protection agreements between the EU and Singapore before they can enter into force. The Greens/EFA group is calling for a delay to the consent of the Investment Protection Agreement, because of significant concerns over public debt and pending a ruling from the ECJ. We will demand that public debt is removed from the agreement in its entirety. Moreover, the ECJ ruling on the Belgian case concerning the compatibility of CETA with the EU Treaties is expected for publication around May. Hence, any ratification of the Singapore agreement prior to the final ruling is ill-timed. The Greens/EFA group is against the Investment Court System (ICS), which perpetuates special foreign investor rights in EU trade agreements with third countries.

Debate with the prime minister of Italy on the Future of Europe

Tuesday, 12 February, 17:00-19:30 

The Prime Minister of Italy, Giuseppe Conte, will be debating the future of Europe in plenary on Tuesday evening. Greens/EFA co-president Philippe Lamberts will take the floor during the debate. 

> A press point with Philippe Lamberts and Italian Greens/EFA MEP, Marco Affronte, will take place on Wednesday at 10am. Please get in touch if you would like to attend.

EU gas directive, first and possible final trilogue

Tuesday, 12 or Wednesday, 13 February, to be confirmed

If the Council is able to reach a common approach in today’s (Friday, 8th February) COREPER meeting (15:00), there may be a first, and final, trilogue on the gas directive in Strasbourg. The decision at stake is whether gas pipelines from third countries should comply with the same rules on transparency and third-party access as other EU gas infrastructure. This would also apply to the planned North Stream II pipeline to connect Western Europe with Russian energy supply. The Greens/EFA group wants to see an agreement reached on the extended scope. A common approach would be a significant step forward for energy diplomacy and reduce EU dependency on third countries. With France being in favour of increasing the scope, Spain and Italy will be decisive when it comes to finding a common position.

Final trilogue on copyright

Tuesday, 12 or Wednesday, 13 February, to be confirmed

The final trilogue on the copyright directive is expected to take place next week in Strasbourg. For the Greens/EFA group the proposed deal is disappointing and the outcome likely to be weaker than the former Council position. Of concern is whether Germany agrees to this deal, since it would risk violating the government’s coalition agreement, which explicitly rejects upload filters against copyright infringement as disproportionate. Neither article 11 or 13 of the directive are acceptable to the Greens/EFA group as they stand. If what we have seen from the Council proposal ends up in the final deal, it is unlikely to carry Greens/EFA support when it comes back to plenary for adoption.

EU-Morocco Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement

Consent vote on the agreement on Wednesday, 13 February

The Greens/EFA group cannot support the EU-Morocco sustainable fisheries partnership agreement since it fails to respect the ruling of the European Court of Justice on the earlier fisheries agreement which the court declared illegal in March 2018. Led by the Greens/EFA and GUE, 110 MEPs tabled a motion for a resolution to ask the ECJ for an opinion of the compatibility of the agreement with the treaties. The deal was negotiated with Morocco as the illegal occupier of the territory and the people of Western Sahara did not give their consent. Under the agreement, over 90% of the fish will be caught off the coast of Western Sahara, the EU wants to pay to Morocco € 160 Million plus € 48 Million paid by the sector over four years. The motion for a resolution will be voted ahead of the vote on the consent of the EU-Morocco agreement itself. The Greens/EFA will call for a debate before the vote on the agreement.

Protection of animals during transportation

Debate on and vote on Thursday, 14 February

This implementation report will be voted on Thursday in plenary. For the Greens/EFA group, this report sends an important signal to the European Commission that the current regulation is inadequate and in desperate need of revision. The time has come to ensure that Member States enforce regulation on the welfare of animals during transportation consistently and thoroughly, and for infringement proceedings to take place against those that do not. This report follows cross-party calls, particularly via the Greens/EFA group, for an inquiry committee to investigate failures to apply the current rules on animal welfare in transport. In November 2018, several Greens/EFA MEPs brought a case to the ECJ against the conference of the presidents' decision not to put the establishment of an inquiry committee to vote in plenary.

Presidents Press briefing, Tuesday 15, 10:30am

Ska Keller and Philippe Lamberts will present the Greens/EFA priorities for the plenary week in the Daphne Caruana Galizia room in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.