WEEK FROM 27 NOVEMBER TO 3 DECEMBER.

Monday 27 November

European Parliament

Parliamentary committees

Committee on Budgets

+ Budget 2007: Preparation of Parliament's Second Reading - Section III Commission: Rapporteur James Elles (EPP-ED, UK) - Other Sections: Rapporteur: Louis Grech (PES, MT)

+ Financial Regulation - (Possible) vote on report by Ingeborg Gra[sz]le (EPP-ED, DE)

Amending budget 6/2006: revision of the forecast for traditional own resources, VAT and GNI bases - reduction in appropriations for the EAGGF and the Structural and Cohesion Funds - (Possible) vote on report by Giovanni Pittella (PES, IT)

Committee on Budgetary Control

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

+ Promoting healthy diets and physical activity: a European dimension for the prevention of overweight, obesity and chronic diseases - Vote on report by Frederique RIES (ALDE, BE)

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

Committee on Culture and Education

+ Hearing of Leonard ORBAN, Romanian commissioner-designate for multilingualism

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

+ Visas for crossing Member States' external borders - Vote on report by Ioannis Varvitsiotis (EPP-ED, EL)

+ Modalities of Iceland and Norway's participation in the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union - Vote on report by Jean-Marie Cavada (ALDE, FR)

(from 17:45-18:30) Presentation of the Annual Report 2006 of the European Monitoring Centre of Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) by Beate Winkler

Committee on Petitions

Temporary Committee on the alleged use of European countries by the CIA for the transport and illegal detention of prisoners

+ Discussion with Maurice Manning, President of the Irish Human Rights Commission accompanied by Suzanne Egan, Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights

Subcommittee on Security and Defence

+ Latest developments in the European Security and Defence Policy (EDSP) - Discussion with Teemu Tanner, Finnish Ambassador to the Political and Security Committee (PSC) and Acting President of the Council

+ EDSP Operations (EUFOR, EUSEC, EUPOL) in the Democratic Republic of Congo - Oral report by ad hoc delegation

+ (from 17:00) Activities in the European Defence Agency - Long term vision and the first research programme on better production of armed forces - Discussion with Nick Witney, Director of EDA

Delegations

+ Delegation to the EC-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee

Contact: Jory Van Den Broeke, E-mail: foreign-press@europarl.europa.eu, Tel: (32-2) 28 44304 (BXL)

Public Hearing

Hearings of Bulgarian and Romanian Commissioners designate

+ The European Parliament will conduct a hearing with each of the Commissioners-designate on Monday 27 November.

On 1 January 2007 the Accession Treaty with Bulgaria and Romania will enter into force and they will join the European Union, bringing the number of Member States up to 27.

The appointment of two nationals from Bulgaria and Romania to the European Commission will be an important sign of their integration into the European Union and - along with Bulgarian and Romanian members joining the European Parliament - will mark the beginning of the full participation of these two new Member States in the decision making process at European level.

Before they are appointed, the European Parliament will conduct a hearing with each Commissioner designate followed by a formal vote of approval.

The hearings will take place on 27 November 2006. The current 732 Members of European Parliament and the 53 national parliamentarians from Romania and Bulgaria who are currently observers at the EP, will have the chance to test the candidates' qualifications. To prepare for the hearings, each candidate has been asked to reply to a written questionnaire.

Based on the outcome of the hearings the European Parliament will proceed to a vote of approval at the December plenary session in Strasbourg. Only after Parliament's vote will the Council formally appoint the new Commissioners.

Profile of the candidates and timetable of the hearings

+ Leonard Orban - Romanian Commissioner-designate. Portfolio: Multilingualism. Responsible committee: CULT in participation with the AFCO committee (13:00-16:00, PHS 1A02).

Spokesperson for Mr Orban: Pietro Petrucci - tel. +32 2 298 9492

+ Meglena Shtilianova Kuneva - Bulgarian Commissioner-designate. Portfolio: Consumer Protection. Responsible committee: IMCO in participation with the ENVI committee (16:30-19:30, PHS 1A02).

Spokesperson for Ms Kuneva: Helen Kearns - tel. +32 2 298 7638

Other events

+ Citizens forum Italo-Grec,

As part of its contribution to the debate on the future of Europe and the period of reflection following the 'no' votes on the constitution in France and the Netherlands, the European Parliament is organising a series of citizen's forums to enable members of the public directly to enter the debate on the main issues. This forum, in Bari in Greece, has as its theme 'Integration and immigration: the new EU Neighbourhood Policy'.

Contact: Paolo Meucci & Massimo Palumbo, Information Office, Rome : +39 6 6995 01, E-mail : eproma@europarl.europa.eu

Council of Ministers

Best Practices Conference of the European Crime Prevention Network

Eurogroup

Foreign Ministers' follow-up meeting of the Barcelona Process (EUROMED)

Informal Sports Ministers Conference

26th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats

8th Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention

European Commission

Travel and visits

+aMr Frattini to take part in "Lezione Agenzia Europea Diritti Fondamentali" (Florence)

+aMrs Fischer Boel (9:30) and Mr Borg (15:00) to meet Greenland's Minister for Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture, Finn Karlsen

+aMrs Hubner to address Annual Forum of Unioncamere Piemonte

+aMrs Hubner to meet United Nations Under-Secretary General and Director of Development Programme for Europe, Kalman Mizsei, and Slovakia's State Secretary for Employment, Social Affairs and the Family, Miroslav Beblavy

+aMrs Hubner to meet Regional Senior Vice-President of Motorola Inc, Gene Delaney

+aMr Piebalgs to speak at International Think-Tank Conference "Transforming NATO in the Global Era" (Riga)

+aMr Borg to inaugurate conference organised by Latin Arch at Committee of Regions: "What Mediterranean for 2010?"

+aOfficial visit by Mr Mandelson to Egypt and Algeria (27-28)

+aMr Figel to take part in anniversary of European Voluntary Service

+aMrs Reding to meet Uruguay's Industry Minister Jorge Lepra

+aMrs Reding to take part in ICT Taskforce for presentation of report on "ICT and Competitiveness: keys to unlock growth"

+aMr Kovacs to deliver remarks at final conference on "Tax benefit systems and growth potential of the EU", sponsored by CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies)

+aMr Rehn to speak at Helsinki University on "Turkey and the EU"

+ Mr Verheugen to take part in "United Turbines Forum"

+aMr McCreevy in Manchester

+aMrs Wallstrom to speak at ceremony for 10th anniversary of European Voluntary Service

+aMrs Wallstrom to meet the SG of International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), Vidar Helgesen

Committee of the Regions

+ European Regions on Education for Sustainability

Subject: The first session of t his RES event will represent the occasion to focus on the interactions between the Network and the EC and UNESCO strategies for education to sustainability. A second session will be dedicated to share experience among partners, in order to stimulate the reflection about the regional cooperation in the field of environmental education

Organiser: Network of European Regions on Education for Sustainability

Venue: CoR, Brussels

Contact: To register, contact: E-mail: info@regionres.eu

http://www.cor.europa.eu/document/activities/RES_Registration%20form.doc

+ Which Mediterranean for 2010? Arco Latino Conference

Subject: ARCO LATINO (Association of Local Authorities of the Western Mediterranean) proposes a joint reflection between the members of the Association and the various European actors and stakeholders about the challenges and the future of the Mediterranean and its territories in a perspective placed in 2010

Organiser: ARCO LATINO (Association of Local Authorities of the Western Mediterranean)

Venue: CoR, Brussels

Contact: For information and to register with the event, contact: E-mail: oce.arcllati@diba.es

http://www.cor.europa.eu/document/activities/med_2010_fr.pdf

Conferences and seminars

+ International High-level roundtable: "Clean, clever and competitive from a citizen's perspective".

Subject: Environmental Health aspects of the Lisbon Agenda and the Sustainable Development Strategy

Organiser: Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF)

Venue: Brussels

Contact: E-mail: wecf@wecf.org, Tel: +31 30 2310300, Irma Thijssen, WECF Project Manager

+ EUnited Turbines Industry Forum

Subject : Energy Technology - Key Driver for the Competitiveness of Europe's Industry

Organiser : EUnited Turbines Contact : Udo Kremer : Tel: 32 2 706 8211, E-mail: udo.kremer@mcm.be

www.eunitedturbines.org

Tuesday 28 November

European Parliament

Parliamentary committees

Committee on Foreign Affairs

+ (from 15:00) Report by Alexander Lambsdorff (ALDE, DE) on ad hoc delegation to the United Nations General Assembly (New York, 9-10 November 2006)

Committee on Budgets

Committee on Budgetary Control

+ 2005 discharge: EC general budget, Section III, Commission - Rapporteur: Salvador Garriga Polledo (EPP-ED, ES). From 9:00-10:15 discussion with Marianne Fischer BoeL, Commissioner responsible for Agriculture and Rural Development. From 10:15-11:30 discussion with Janez Potocnik, Commissioner responsible for Science and Research

+ Community action programme to promote activities in the field of the protection of the Community's financial interests (Hercule II programme) - Vote on report by Herbert BOSCH (PES, AT)

+ 2005 discharge: EC...