European Union

On 17 March Foreign Affairs MEPs will welcome Dritan Abazović, Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro, several months after the elections, leading to the first transition of power since the introduction of the multi-party system in the country. The debate will offer an opportunity to re-confirm the EP support for Montenegro's EU-related reforms and to discuss government priorities in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected Montenegrin economy particularly hard.
Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

On Friday 12 February 2021, AFET will discuss the details of the renewed partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood with Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement.
The debate follows the publication of the Joint Communication by the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the renewed partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood - A new Agenda for the Mediterranean. The exchange of views will be web-streamed live from 8:30 to 10:00.
Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

On 6 July, the Committee on Foreign Affairs will hold an online hearing on the geopolitical implications of the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic has had profound geopolitical consequences that inevitably affect key aspects of EU foreign policy, including relations with major global powers, humanitarian aid, development and peacekeeping, and the fight against disinformation and cyber-attacks.
The hearing will provide AFET Members with more insights on foreign policy consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak from leading experts in the area.
Location : (Remote) - 2Q2 - European Parliament - Brussels
Draft programme
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

On Tuesday 21 January 2020, The Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) will hold a public hearing on the Eastern Partnership - vision of development after 2020.

On 21 January, the Committee on Foreign Affairs will hold a public hearing on the future of the Eastern Partnership. The Members will discuss with experts the achievements and shortcomings of the Eastern Partnership both at the regional and multilateral level. They will also analyse possible evolution of the EU's relations with its six Eastern partners and a way forward for the Eastern Partnership in the next decade.

The hearing will help the Parliament in drafting its contribution to the Eastern Partnership summit, which is foreseen in spring 2020.
Location : JAN 2Q2, european Parliament, Brussels
AFET Public Hearing - Draft Programme
The Eastern Partnership a decade on looking back, thinking ahead
Live Webstream
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

On 2 December the Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) will hold an Interparliamentary Committee Meeting (ICM) with national parliaments in two sessions. The meeting is scheduled from 13.45 to 15.45 and 16.45 to 18.45, via remote participation.
The first one will be devoted to the situation in the Western Balkans in the perspective of 25 years after the Dayton Accords, and the second one to Belarus and the EU response in support of democratic change in the country. Members of the AFET Committee and national parliaments, as well as those from the Western Balkans will debate in a remote meeting with high-level speakers and experts.
Draft agenda
Watch the meeting live - 13.45 - 15.45
Watch the meeting live - 16.45 - 18.45
Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

EU nations will on Friday (19 March) sign off on a series of declarations designed to ensure the bloc can build a sustainable, sovereign, and competitive future in its digital transition, documents obtained by EURACTIV reveal.

Germany v Poland
Energy
According to Advocate General Campos Sánchez-Bordona, the principle of energy solidarity can be used to review the lawfulness of acts of the EU institutions in energy-related matters

As AI technologies develop and their uses in everyday life become more and more relevant, EU countries need a framework to regulate this transition. To talk about AI advances in Europe, speakers across different areas of the industry gathered in a EURACTIV panel on 17 March. 

In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about French President Emmanuel and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki met to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, a former Slovenian PM is calling for the impeachment of current PM Janez Janša, and so much more.

The stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and good neighbourly relations with the country are exceptionally important for Serbia, Serbia’s Foreign Minister Nikola Selaković said after meeting his BIH counterpart, Bisera Turković, in Sarajevo on Wednesday. Serbia also respects the...

More than half of Serbia’s LGBT community does not expect much from the newly-established ministry of human and minority rights, but nearly as many believe that a same-sex union bill might be passed this year, a survey released on Wednesday...

Former Slovenian Prime Minister and head of the LMŠ party, Marjan Šarec, has called for an impeachment of Prime Minister Janez Janša for his failure to order a second round of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines in June, a move Šarec considered...

Croatia’s Electronic Media Act will be liberalised and one of the options includes allowing the vertical integration of the media in Croatia, Culture and Media Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the news and programming director of privately...

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov met with North Macedonian Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani on Tuesday and urged North Macedonia and Albania to move forward on its EU path. Sofia and Skopje must find ways to resolve their conflict, the PM...

Europe's medical regulator is set to give its verdict on the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday, following a chaotic few weeks that has seen nations suspend its use over blood clot fears.

Far-right group Our Slovakia has brought a legislative proposal to the national parliament banning gender reassignment surgery and forbidding same-sex couples from being acknowledged as parents. The legislation was supported by 44 members of parliament. Beside the far-right members of...

The Czech interior ministry’s medical facility, which is used to store private data on the security forces, was attacked by hackers this month, findings of weekly Respekt and website Aktuálně.cz show. The attack is part of an operation that has...

The competitiveness of European businesses is at risk if EU introduces unilateral public country-by-country reporting, writes Krister Andersson.

The restrictions currently in force in four of Poland’s 16 regions will apply to the whole country from Saturday, only allowing grocery stores, pharmacies, hairdressers, and other services deemed essential to operate until 9 April. The introduction of the wider...

The EU green digital certificate to facilitate travel will be adopted soon, but it seems it will not be the main factor to determine the progress of the next summer season. An expert in Greece insists that safety protocols should...