European Union

Place: European Convention Centre (KIRCHBERG building), Luxembourg
Time: Meeting starts at 9.30 on 18 June and at 10.00 on 19 June

 All times are approximate and subject to change

All items are in public session, except for certain items under any other business

Thursday, 18 June (09.30) - Employment and Social Policy  

08.15

Doorstep by Uldis Augulis, Minister for Welfare

09.30

Adoption of the agenda
Adoption of non-legislative A Items
Adoption of legislative A Items

09:45

European Semester 2015: Contribution to the European Council (Brussels, 25-26 June 2015)

12.00

Proposal for a Council decision on the employment guidelines of the  member states 

12.10

Youth employment

12.30   

Closing the gender gap in pensions - Council conclusions

Proposal for a directive on improving the gender balance among non-executive directors of companies listed on stock exchanges and related measures 

Proposal for a Council Directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation

13.00

AOB

13.15

Press conference

followed by Working lunch - Equality between women and men: strategic orientations up to 2020 

Friday, 19 June (10.00)  -  Health and Consumer Affairs

ttbc

Doorstep by Guntis Belēvičs, Minister for Health of Latvia

10.10

Medical and in-vitro diagnostic devices

12.00

AOB

13.00

Press conference

On 16 June 2015, the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the EU, the Council General Secretariat and the ECI Campaign gathered the opinions of stakeholders and the wider public in a conference on "The European Citizens' Initiative and the Promise of Participatory Democracy". The aim of the conference was to take stock of the three years since the creation of the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI), and to give impetus to discussions on how to make the instrument more efficient and user friendly.

Opening the conference, the Latvian Parliamentary State Secretary for EU Affairs Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica set out the situation: "The past three years have shown that the European Citizens' Initiative is part and parcel of the EU's democratic structures. However the experience of stakeholders and the recent report from the Commission have clearly highlighted that there are still issues which need to be addressed quickly if the ECI is to continue to be seen as a viable instrument". 

"The European Citizens' Initiative is a real force for mobilising and inspiring public opinion. Six million people have demonstrated this through their signatures", said Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica. 

Kalniņa-Lukaševica underlined the importance which Latvia attaches to participatory democracy, having one of the most innovative and successful e-petition platforms in Europe, ManaBalss.lv. 

The ECI is the world's first tool of transnational, participatory and digital democracy. Nevertheless, none of the three initiatives, which secured the required one million signatures, have resulted in a legislative proposal, raising a number of questions. 

The conference was the first public debate on the ECI in the Council, bringing together those from the institutions, stakeholders, and the wider public with the twin aim of reviewing the role of participatory democracy in the EU and refining a set of joint recommendations for improving the instrument. 

The discussions at the conference highlighted that some progress can be achieved through immediate action, without legislative changes, by means of raising public awareness about the initiative and its procedures. Another suggestion is to provide greater assistance to the organisers of initiatives.

More political impetus and possible legislative changes are needed to address the structural problems, such as the too tight deadlines for collecting signatures. Measures should also be taken in simplifying or digitalising the signature collection procedures. The conference conclusions will be published on 18 June ECI campaign website.

AMENDMENTS 20 - 72 - Draft opinion Trade in certain goods which could be used for capital punishment, torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Length of video : 196'
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Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

The Capital Markets Union (CMU) should boost the efficient allocation of savings to fund businesses, protect cross-border investors and create a new channel to finance the real economy, said economic and monetary MEPs in a resolution on Tuesday. They want CMU building blocks such as diverse investment choices, risk mitigation and clear investment information across the EU to be in place by 2018 to complement bank financing
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

The Capital Markets Union (CMU) should boost the efficient allocation of savings to fund businesses, protect cross-border investors and create a new channel to finance the real economy, said economic and monetary MEPs in a resolution on Tuesday. They want CMU building blocks such as diverse investment choices, risk mitigation and clear investment information across the EU to be in place by 2018 to complement bank financing
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Plans to help businesses obtain legal redress against the theft or misuse of their trade secrets were backed by the legal affairs committee on Tuesday. The committee clarified the draft rules to ensure respect for freedom of expression and information, including media freedom, and provide adequate protection for whistle-blowers.
Committee on Legal Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Plans to help businesses obtain legal redress against the theft or misuse of their trade secrets were backed by the legal affairs committee on Tuesday. The committee clarified the draft rules to ensure respect for freedom of expression and information, including media freedom, and provide adequate protection for whistle-blowers.
Committee on Legal Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Greek soldiers march in front of parliament during a military parade to mark independence

One of the oddities of Greece’s bailout programme has been that, despite five years of punishing austerity, its military budget remains amongst the highest in the EU.

Early in the crisis, the issue became controversial during a dispute over whether Athens should follow through on a contract to purchase German-built diesel submarines – a move that was criticised as a way to curry favour with Greece’s largest creditor.

More recently, the far-left government of Alexis Tsipras raised questions when it agreed to sign off on a €500m programme to upgrade five aging US-made maritime patrol aircraft.

And according to a document obtained by Brussels Blog and posted here, the issue has come up again during the current standoff between Athens and its international creditors as a way to breach the fiscal gap the two sides are currently wrestling over.

To recap, Greece’s bailout monitors have pushed Athens to make up a €1bn-€2bn annual budget shortfall by cutting public sector pensions and raising value-added taxes on some items like electricity, which Tsipras has resisted. Creditors have insisted they are open to other ideas, but argue Athens has not come back with credible alternatives.

The three-page document, circulated among creditors, shows that two of Greece’s bailout monitors – the European Commission and European Central Bank – think defence cuts would be one way to make up the difference and have suggested changes (particularly moving to a less manpower-intensive force structure, a decision several Nato allies like the US have already taken) in talks with Greek negotiators:

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