WEEK FROM 18 TO 24 FEBRUARY.

Monday 18 February

European Parliament

Plenary agenda

+ Resumption of part-session and order of business

+ One-minute speeches (Rule 144)

+ Request for defence of the parliamentary immunity of Witold Tomczak - debate on report by Aloyzas Sakalas (PES, LT)

+ Transparency in financial matters - debate on report by Jose Javier Pomes Ruiz (EPP-ED, ES)

+ Protection of the Communities financial interests - Fight against fraud - Annual reports 2005 and 2006 - debate on report by Francesco Musotto (EPP-ED, IT)

+ (***I) Application of the law on customs and agricultural matters - debate on report by Bill NEWTON DUNN (ALDE, GB)

+ (***II) Community Customs Code - debate on report by Janelly Fourtou (ALDE, FR)

+ The factors favouring support for terrorism and the recruitment of terrorists - debate on report by Gerard Deprez (ALDE, BE)

+ The EU's Strategy to deliver market access for European companies - debate on report by Ignasi Guardans Cambo (ALDE, ES)

+ The reform of trade protection instruments - statement by the Commission, followed by debate

Parliamentary committees

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

+ European Institute of Technology - consideration and adoption of draft recommendation for second reading by Reino Paasilinna (PES, FI)

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

+ Joint meeting of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Subcommittee on Human Rights

+ United Nations Security Council and European Union blacklists (PACE resolution: 1597(2008)) - exchange of views with Dick Marty, Chairman and rapporteur of the Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Temporary committee on climate change

Delegations

Observation mission delegation to Pakistan for the parliamentary elections

The European Parliament is sending an electoral observation mission to Pakistan, to monitor the parliamentary elections on 18 February. The delegation is chaired by Robert Evans (PES, UK), and will complement the long-term EU observation mission, which is headed by Michael Gahler (EPP-ED, DE). The six other Members of the delegation are: Ivo Belet (EPP-ED, BE), Lilli Gruber (PES, IT), Jo Leinen (PES, DE), Marianne Mikko (PES, ET), Nickolay Mladenov (EPP-ED, BU) and Baroness Emma Nicholson of Winterbourne (ALDE, UK).

Contact:Lorinc Redei, Press Officer travelling with the delegation, foreign-press@europarl.europa.eu, +32 498 98 32 83, +923 035 041 459

Observation mission delegation to Armenia for the Presidential elections

A European Parliament election observation mission will be in Armenia to monitor the Presidential elections on 19 February. The delegation will be chaired by Marie Anne Isler Beguin (Greens/EFA, FR) and consist of 3 additional MEPs: Sarunas Birutis (ALDE, LT), Alexandra Dobolyi (PES, HU) and Gabriele Stauner (EPP-ED, DE). The delegation is to hold a press conference on 20 February in Yerevan to announce its initial evaluation of the elections.

Contact: Thomas Dudrap, foreign-press@europarl.europa.eu, (32-2) 28 44524 (BXL), (33-3) 881 72850 (STR), (32) 0498.98.32.84

Council of Ministers

EU Troika - Montenegro

General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC)

18.02. - 19.02.2008, Brussels

Agriculture and Fisheries Council

More: The Council will be chaired by Mr Iztok Jarc, Slovenian Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Food. The Council will meet from 15.00 and will first be invited to state its position on five proposals for decisions concerning the marketing of four varieties of genetically modified maize and one variety of potato (GMOs). This item fall within the remit of the Coreper. The Council will then hold a policy debate on the "Health Check" of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) since its 2003 reform. Under part "A" item, the Council will adopt Council conclusions on fisheries partnership agreement with Mauritania and data collection.

COREPER II

CEPOL Governing Board Meeting

More: CEPOL, the European Police College established as a European Union Agency by Council Decision 2005/681/JHA, acts as a network of the national police training colleges of the Member States. The meeting will be opened by Anton Travner, CATS chair (Article 36 Committee), and Nevenka Tomovi , chair of CEPOL Governing Board. After the meeting, on 20 February 2008 at 1 p.m., Ms Nevenka Tomovi and Director of CEPOL Ulf Goeransson will give statements to the media about the meeting and its main topics at the Brdo congress centre.

Political and Security Committee (PSC)

Innovative Public Services Working Group EUPAN (IPSG WG) - 1st meeting

More: The aim is to set up and substantiate an evaluation of the value added by public administrations to the realization of the Lisbon Strategy objectives, to launch a comparative study on quality management in the public administrations in the EU and to take forward the activities associated with the Quality Conference for Public Administrations in the EU (5QC), client satisfaction management, etc. Participants will be representatives of the EU Member States and observers, European Commission, European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) and European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) organisation.

Informal Meeting of EU Fisheries Ministers

More: As the State holding the Presidency of the EU Council, Slovenia will organise in the margins of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council an informal meeting of EU Fisheries Ministers. The purpose of the meeting is to exchange opinions at the highest level on the reform of the fisheries control system and the formulation of guidelines for the future work of the European Commission. The informal ministerial meeting is of particular importance in the light of recent criticism of enforcing EU Common Fisheries Policy rules. The Slovenian Presidency expects the forthcoming informal discussion to lead to conclusions that will help the European Commission in its reform of Common Fisheries Policy control legislation, thereby contributing to the effective implementation of Common Fisheries Policy rules.

Slovenian Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Food Mr Iztok Jarc and European Commissioner Joe Borg will hold press conferences at the end of the session at 2 pm at Sofitel Brussels Europe hotel (near Place Jourdan).

European Commission

Travel and visits

+ Mr Stavros Dimas receives Mr Daniel M. Price, Assistant to the US President for International Economic Policy

+ Mr Joaquin Almunia receives Mr Philippe Marini, General Rapporteur of the French Senate Finance Committee

+ Mr Joaquin Almunia at the dinner-debate with Chatham House members

+ Mr Louis Michel participates in the Conference on the Challenges of EU27 Development Policy in Ljubljana (Slovenia)

+ Ms Mariann Fischer Boel meets Ms Pilar Merino, Canary Islands Minister of Agriculture

+ Ms Mariann Fischer Boel meets Mr Dacian Ciolos, Romanian Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development

+ Ms Benita Ferrero-Waldner at the Association Councils Egypt and Lebanon (Bxl)

+ Mr Peter Mandelson in Ukraine to open the negotiations on Free Trade Agreements; meetings with government ministers

Economic and Social Committee

+ Participation of Ms King, member of the ACP-EU Follow-up Committee and President of the SOC Section in the civil society seminar on the CARIFORUM -EC Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), organised by the European Commission

+ 2nd meeting of the Labour Market Observatory of the Specialised Section for "Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship" (SOC)

Tuesday 19 February

European Parliament

Plenary agenda

LEGISLATIVE DEBATES

+ Joint debate - Marketing of products

+ (***I) Accreditation and market surveillance relating to the marketing of products - debate on report by Andre Brie (GUE/NGL, DE)

+ (***I) Common framework for the marketing of products - debate on report by Christel Schaldemose (PES, DK)

+ (***I) Application of certain national technical rules to products lawfully marketed in another Member State - debate on report by Alexander Stubb (EPP-ED, FI)

+ Safety marking on consumer products - Statement by the Commission, followed by debate

+ Votes

+ Pursuant to Rule 43(1)

+ (***) Protocol to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement between the EC and Israel to take account of the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU - report by Jacek Saryusz-Wolski (EPP-ED, PL)

+ (***) Protocol to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement between the EC and Egypt, to take account of the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU - report by Jacek Saryusz-Wolski (EPP-ED, PL)

+ (***I) Exposure of workers to the risks arising from physical agents (electromagnetic fields) - report by Jan Andersson (PES, SE)

+ Pursuant to Rule 80

+ (***I) Installation of lighting and light-signalling devices on wheeled agricultural and forestry tractors (codified version) - report by Hans-Peter Mayer (EPP-ED, DE)

+ (***I) Statutory plates and inscriptions for motor vehicles and their trailers (codified version) - report by Hans-Peter Mayer (EPP-ED, DE)

+ (***I) Rear registration plate lamps for motor vehicles and their trailers (codified version) - report by Hans-Peter Mayer (EPP-ED, DE)

+ (***I) Suppression of radio interference produced by agricultural or forestry tractors (codified version) - report by Francesco Enrico Speroni (UEN, IT)

+ (***I) Noise level of wheeled agricultural or forestry tractors (codified version) - report by Francesco Enrico Speroni (UEN, IT)

+ (***I) European Environment Agency and the European Environment Information and Observation Network (codified version) - report by Francesco Enrico Speroni (UEN, IT)

+ (*) Excise duty applied to manufactured tobacco (codified version) - report by Francesco Enrico SPERONI (UEN, IT)

+ Pursuant to Rule 131

+ (*) Agreement between the EC and Switzerland on the Community programme MEDIA 2007 - report by Ruth Hieronymi (EPP-ED, DE)

+ Request for defence of the parliamentary immunity and privileges of Claudio Fava (PSE, IT) - report by Klaus-Heiner Lehne (EPP-ED, DE)

DEBATES ON THE...