Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) - European Parliament

On 23 October 2023, the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on Security and Defence will hold a hearing on "The situation in Syria 12 years after the revolution: Standstill, Dynamics, EU response, and Future Prospects?". It will provide a reflection on the political, social and economic consequences of the ongoing conflict, which has shaped the country's development in the twelve years since the Revolution.
Members will discuss with experts the geopolitics of the region under the changed circumstances, in which international and regional actors including Iran, Russia, Türkiye and the United States, but also local groups, are operating. The hearing will contribute to the upcoming Recommendation on the situation in Syria that the Foreign Affairs Committee is preparing and which will provide recommendations for concrete political and diplomatic fine-tuning of the EU's Syria policy.
This hearing will take place during the European Parliament Gender Equality week and will be an opportunity to highlight the impact of conflict on women and the importance of women's contribution to conflict resolution and sustainable peace, in line with the UN resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.
Location : Antall 2Q2
Poster
Programme of the hearing
Briefing -Impact of sanctions on the humanitarian situation in Syria
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Parliament has condemned Hamas’ despicable terrorist attacks against Israel while expressing serious concern over the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

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MEPs say the Serbian Government is pursuing a very dangerous policy with regard to Kosovo and its Western partners, in a resolution adopted on Thursday.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

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MEPs have awarded the 2023 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to Jina Mahsa Amini and the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement in Iran.
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Committee on Development
Subcommittee on Human Rights

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A delegation of AFET Members will travel to the UK from 18 to 19 September 2023. This will be the first time that the committee travels to the UK since 31 January 2020 when the United Kingdom officially left the EU. The AFET delegation will discuss possibilities for strengthened partnership and deepening dialogue on issues of importance in relevant areas of bilateral cooperation, including in foreign and security affairs.
This visit will also be an opportunity to exchange views on issues of significance to Northern Ireland, particularly in the context of the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol and the Windsor Framework.
Mission report
Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

A delegation of AFET members will travel to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan from 21 to 25 August 2023. The AFET delegation will discuss the regional developments and the potential for closer cooperation in the current challenging geopolitical context, including the impact of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the introduction of EU sanctions on Russia.
Location : Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan
Press release
Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

A delegation of AFET members will travel to Japan and Taiwan from 24 to 27 July 2023. This mission would contribute to strengthening the cooperation with like-minded partners in the Indo-Pacific region. The AFET visit to Japan and Taiwan will allow discussing the regional dimension and further geopolitical developments in both the Indo-Pacific and the South China Sea region.
Location : Japan and Taiwan
Press release
Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

On 23 October 2023, the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on Security and Defence will hold a hearing on "The situation in Syria 12 years after the revolution: Standstill, Dynamics, EU response, and Future Prospects?". It will provide a reflection on the political, social and economic consequences of the ongoing conflict, which has shaped the country's development in the twelve years since the Revolution.
Members will discuss with experts the geopolitics of the region under the changed circumstances, in which international and regional actors including Iran, Russia, Türkiye and the United States, but also local groups, are operating. The hearing will contribute to the upcoming Recommendation on the situation in Syria that the Foreign Affairs Committee is preparing and which will provide recommendations for concrete political and diplomatic fine-tuning of the EU's Syria policy.
This hearing will take place during the European Parliament Gender Equality week and will be an opportunity to highlight the impact of conflict on women and the importance of women's contribution to conflict resolution and sustainable peace, in line with the UN resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.
Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

Members of the AFET Committee will meet on Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 October in Antall 2Q2, Brussels

Debates:

• Global Gateway: Strategic governance and implementation
• Debrief on the AFET Ad-hoc delegation to Belfast and London, the United Kingdom
• Debrief from the 12th EU-China Strategic Dialogue
• Deepening EU integration in view of future enlargement (jointly with AFCO)
• Exchange of views with José Manuel Albares, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain

Draft reports:

• Role of preventive diplomacy in tackling frozen conflicts around the world...
• EU-Russia political relations
• EU-India relations

Votes:

• Implementation report on the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (jointly with INTA)
• Strengthening the right to participate
• Strategic Compass and EU space-based defence capabilities
• Measures to detect, prepare for and respond to cybersecurity threats

Hearing: The situation in Syria 12 years after the revolution

Meetings are webstreamed with the exception of items held "in camera".
AFET-SEDE-DROI meetings 2023
Meeting documents
Webstreaming
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In a vote on Tuesday, Parliament improved and endorsed a proposal for a €50 billion facility to support Ukraine’s recovery, reconstruction and modernisation from 2024.
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Committee on Budgets

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AMENDMENTS 1 - 474 - Draft report EU-China relations
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Hilde Vautmans

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

AMENDMENTS 1 - 131 - Draft report EU-Japan relations
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Reinhard Bütikofer

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The Commissioner-designate, Wopke Hoekstra, appeared before the European Parliament on 2 October 2023 to answer questions put by MEPs from the Committees on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), Foreign Affairs (AFET), Development (DEVE) and Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE). During the hearing, he made a number of commitments which are highlighted in this document. These commitments refer to his portfolio, as described in the mission letter sent to him by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, including on Climate Action.
Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP