Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) - European Parliament

EU citizens have to be better informed about their governments’ strategic choices on an issue that directly affects their security, warn MEPs.
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Subcommittee on Security and Defence

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

AMENDMENTS 1 - 388 - Draft report Proposal for a Recommendation to the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on relations with Belarus
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Petras Auštrevičius

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

On 10 September, the Committee on Foreign Affairs will hold an exchange of views with Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs for European Affairs of Greece and Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey on the current tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean. Members will also welcome Avdullah Hoti, the Prime Minister of Kosovo for a debate on the situation in the country and the EU-facilitated dialogue with Serbia.
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Length of video : 137'

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, 2020 - EP

Length of video : 69'

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, 2020 - EP

MEPs and representatives of institutions, governments and NGOs will gather on 14-17 September to debate the challenges the pandemic poses to democratic systems.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

On 25 August, the Committee on Foreign Affairs held an extraordinary meeting on the political situation in Belarus. Large-scale civic protests against Lukashenka's regime continue following the presidential elections of 9 August, which were considered neither free nor fair by the European Union.
AFET Members discussed actions the European Union should take to support the cause of democracy and freedoms in Belarus and to reassess its cooperation with Minsk, including within the Eastern Partnership.
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

"In the context of the exponential growth of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the President of the European Parliament has announced a number of measures to contain the spread of epidemic and to safeguard Parliament's core activities.

On 2 April, the Conference of Presidents updated the EP's calendar of activities to introduce an extraordinary plenary session on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 April in Brussels, and additional dates for remote meetings for EP governing bodies, committees and political groups.

The current precautionary measures adopted by the European Parliament to contain the spread of COVID-19 do not affect work on legislative priorities. Core activities are reduced, but maintained to ensure that the institution's legislative, budgetary, scrutiny functions are maintained.

The next ordinary AFET Committee meeting will take place on 1 September (via videoconference).

New Calendar 2020
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

DRAFT OPINION on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2021 – all sections
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Nikos Androulakis

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

AMENDMENTS 1 - 323 - Draft report Report on the implementation of the EU Association Agreement with the Republic of Moldova
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Dragoş Tudorache

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

"In the context of the exponential growth of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the President of the European Parliament has announced a number of measures to contain the spread of epidemic and to safeguard Parliament's core activities.

On 2 April, the Conference of Presidents updated the EP's calendar of activities to introduce an extraordinary plenary session on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 April in Brussels, and additional dates for remote meetings for EP governing bodies, committees and political groups.

The current precautionary measures adopted by the European Parliament to contain the spread of COVID-19 do not affect work on legislative priorities. Core activities are reduced, but maintained to ensure that the institution's legislative, budgetary, scrutiny functions are maintained.

Following these decisions, the next AFET Committee meeting will take place on 1 September (via videoconference).

New Calendar 2020
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

The EU is currently working towards updating its Arctic policy. It needs to respond to two major changes that affect the region and pose challenges to the role of the EU in the Arctic; accelerated climate change and increased geoeconomic and geopolitical competition. The EU finds itself in a rather unique position. As a supranational institution with competences in parts of the Arctic, and with Member States having territories in the region, as well as institutionalised linkages with Arctic countries Iceland and Norway — with whom the EU shares the European Economic Area (EEA) — it needs to balance sectoral policies, priority areas and addressing different Arctics. The EU should therefore create ‘more EU in the Arctic’ by broadening the scope of its existing Arctic policy, as well as incorporating ‘more Arctic in the EU’ by stipulating that the Arctic becomes a cross-cutting consideration in other relevant EU policies. In addition, the EU will need to address hard and soft security issues within existing functional, regional and global frameworks and continue engaging in dialogue and confidence-building measures with Russia. Finally, a revised EU Arctic policy needs to be proactive and ambitious, based on existing strengths and expertise within the EU. At the same time, in an Arctic that witnesses the return of geopolitics, the ‘civilian power’ EU will encounter challenges assuming its role in the region. How it narrates its future position in the Arctic will play a tangible role in negotiating this position politically.
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

OPINION on artificial intelligence: questions of interpretation and application of international law insofar as the EU is affected in the areas of civil and military uses and of state authority outside the scope of criminal justice
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Urmas Paet

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

AMENDMENTS 1 - 351 - Draft report Recommendation to the Council and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy concerning the Implementation and governance of Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO)
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Radosław Sikorski

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

In a resolution adopted on Thursday, the European Parliament reiterates its deep concern at the severity of the humanitarian emergency in Venezuela.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP