European Union

The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety questioned Wopke Hoekstra from the Netherlands, Commissioner-designate for Climate Action.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

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On 2 October, ENVI Committee, in association with AFET, DEVE and ITRE Committees, will hold the hearing of Mr. Wopke Hoekstra, Commissioner designate for Climate Action, as part of the process to replace Executive Vice- President Frans Timmermans, following his resignation from the European Commission on 22 August.
During the hearing, Members will ask a series of questions to Mr Hoekstra, in order to evaluate his qualifications to carry out the specific tasks assigned. As a new member of the College, the hearing will also evaluate his general competence, European commitment and personal independence.
Live streaming Wopke Hoekstra hearing
Meeting agenda
Documents related to the evaluation of Wopke Hoekstra as commissioner-designate for Climate Action
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President Metsola opened the 2-5 October plenary session in Strasbourg with the following announcements.

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EU foreign ministers held an unprecedented meeting in Kyiv on Monday to debunk stories the West was tired of helping Ukraine, but Hungary's Péter Szijjártó was conspicuous by his absence.

DRAFT REPORT Shaping the EU’s position on the UN binding instrument on business and human rights, in particular on access to remedy and the protection of victims
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Heidi Hautala

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

MEPs on the environmental committee will have three hours to grill the designated climate commissioner, the Netherlands' Wopke Hoekstra, on Monday.

DRAFT REPORT on a European Parliament recommendation to the Council, Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy concerning EU-India relations
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Alviina Alametsä

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The EU's border force Frontex shared the personal data of NGO staff with police in at least six cases after collecting information during debriefing interviews with asylum seekers as part of an anti-smuggling operation.

On Tuesday, after the vote on Parliament’s position on the draft bill, the lead MEPs will present its key proposals and answer journalists’ questions.
Committee on Culture and Education

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Following the adoption of the EP Resolution on the implementation of civilian CSDP and other EU civilian security assistance, on 9 October SEDE Members will exchange views on the state of implementation of the new Civilian CSDP Compact, which was a concrete deliverable in the Strategic Compass.
The new Compact, which incorporated a number of EP priorities in the Resolution, should result in the enhancement of the effectiveness and capabilities of civilian CSDP missions through 20 concrete commitments taken by the EU Members States and institutions.

Members will also discuss in an in camera session the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the observations of the EU Mission in Armenia (EUMA) as well as the fragile security context in the Sahel, including as a result of the accelerated withdrawal of the UN Mission in Mali and the role of the Wagner Group.
Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

This should be a wake-up call to ensure consultancy firms with a vested interest are permanently excluded from public tenders. The close relationship between the EU's competition authority and economic consultants poses a serious risk to its independence.

Monday, 2 October

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Fico has the potential to shift Slovakia from the West and jeopardise the EU unity in its stance against Russia's Ukraine war. His victory could also have a domino effect in central Europe and empower of other far-right, populist movements.

A major meeting of leaders from all over Europe will take place this week, with security and enlargement as key topics for discussion. In the Parliament, MEPs are expected to vote on the European Media Freedom Act.

The European Central Bank (ECB) recently raised interest rates to the highest point in the currency's 21-year existence — but the effects of its policies on renewables are badly understood.

The dominance of the 'realist' camp in the Brussels' bureaucracy explains the EU's past and current behaviour towards Ukraine — in which reform shortcomings and failures are rarely openly called out.

The EU is meant to become a safer place for women from Sunday (1 October), as the Istanbul Convention enters into force.

Life in Nagorno-Karabakh has become a hellscape. For the time being, Azerbaijan's calculation is that it is best off waging war to get what it wants, then signing a ceasefire deal that codifies its gains.

OPINION on the ongoing negotiations on a status agreement on operational activities carried out by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) in Senegal
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Jan-Christoph Oetjen

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

While Belarus has not sent its own troops to fight Russia's war in Ukraine, the Minsk dictatorship has been heavily involved. As a result, Belarus must be punished for its involvement — what can the world do to sanction Belarus?