Weekly European Agenda 10/06/2024

As of this week after the European elections, the newly elected MEPs will meet to form political groups. The new legislative term will begin with MEPs resuming work on legislative files not finished in the 2019-2024 term. On Wednesday, the Committee on Budgets (BUDG) will hold an extraordinary meeting where Commissioner for Budget and Administration Johannes Hahn will present the Commission's Draft Budget for the year 2025. On the same day, EU Commissioners will meet to discuss the 2025 draft budget, the annual management and performance report for the EU budget and a communication on the common implementation plan for the Migration Pact. On Thursday, the Justice and Home Affairs Council will gather ministers to discuss the state of play of a legislative proposal to combat child sexual abuse and the extension of the temporary protection for persons having fled from Ukraine after the start of the war.

European Parliament

The new legislative term will officially start on 16 July, the first day of the new Parliament’s first plenary session in Strasbourg. During the weeks after the elections, the newly elected MEPs will form political groups according to shared political beliefs. Groups will hold meetings to decide on their composition before the first new plenary meeting. During the first plenary session, MEPs will elect their new President, vice-presidents and quaestors, as well as decide on the number of MEPs that will be sitting in each parliamentary committee. 

Council of Ministers

On Friday, the Justice and Home Affairs Council (Justice) will gather ministers to discuss the proposed update of a directive from 2011 on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography. The presidency will also aim to agree on a negotiation mandate on a directive on combatting corruption. On Wednesday and Thursday, the Belgian Presidency will host a high-level group on combating hate speech and hate crime.  

European Commission and High Representative

On Monday, Commissioner Janez Lenarčič will participate in the Gaza Humanitarian Summit: Call for Action - Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza in Jordan. On Tuesday, President Ursula von der Leyen will deliver an opening speech at the Ukraine Recovery Conference, hosted jointly by Germany and Ukraine in Berlin, while on Thursday, Commissioner Nicolas Schmit will meet with Gilbert Houngbo, Director General of the International Labour Organization in Geneva.