Ursula von der Leyen, who’s formally searching for a second time period, is anticipated to be confirmed this week because the European Folks’s Occasion (EPP) lead candidate to turn out to be EU fee president.
Throughout a congress in Bucharest, the EPP is anticipated to unveil its priorities for the subsequent legislative time period — with a concentrate on defence and reindustrialisation already pitched final week by von der Leyen throughout a plenary debate.
The information follows the appointment of the EU commissioner for jobs and social rights Nicolas Schmit because the lead candidate of the Socialists & Democrats this weekend in Rome.
On Tuesday, the European Fee is anticipated to unveil its much-awaited European Defence Industrial Technique (EDIS) and European Defence Funding Programme (EDIP) in a bid to answer calls from each trade and politicians to strengthen Europe’s defence capabilities.
Europe ought to “turbocharge” the bloc’s defence industrial capability within the subsequent 5 years, von der Leyen stated final week.
EU ministers answerable for residence affairs will meet in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday to debate a legislative proposal to counter migrant-smuggling and the safety state of affairs in gentle of the Israel-Gaza battle and battle in Ukraine.
They’re additionally anticipated to undertake good practices to fight drug trafficking and organised crime and to have an change of views on two legislative proposals to fight little one sexual abuse.
The Belgian EU Council presidency will maintain a convention for a Simply Transition in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday.
Additionally on Monday, EU power ministers will meet in Brussels to debate the safety of gasoline provides for the subsequent winter and progress made by member states in the direction of 2030 local weather targets.
Ladies’s rights
In the meantime, MEPs will resume their committee actions and put together for subsequent week’s plenary in Strasbourg.
Within the commerce committee, lawmakers will focus on on Thursday the state of play of the deforestation regulation — which dangers placing hundreds of susceptible farmers in Africa and Latin America out of enterprise, as beforehand reported by EUobserver.
They’re additionally anticipated to assist the EU’s duty-free commerce coverage with beleaguered Ukraine —regardless of discontent voiced by Polish farmers in current months.
Frontline neighbouring states have argued that their native markets and producers have skilled disruptions because of a surge in cheaper Ukrainian imports — prompting Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to put bans on Ukrainian grain imports.
On Monday, MEPs within the price range committee are set to undertake a report on new duties for the EU chemical company.
And lawmakers within the surroundings and transport committees goal to undertake a report for the harmonised measurement of transport emissions on the identical day.
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Friday (8 March) will mark Worldwide Ladies’s Day and MEPs within the committee engaged on gender equality will focus on the challenges girls face in sports activities.
The talk comes after the Spanish soccer chief, Luis Rubiales, gave a non-consensual public kiss to one of many stars of nation’s girls’s soccer staff once they received the World Cup final 12 months.
ECB assembly
In Frankfurt, the European Central Financial institution (ECB) is anticipated to chorus from decreasing presently excessive rates of interest throughout a gathering on Thursday, regardless of constructive inflation forecasts.
“These rates of interest are at ranges that, maintained for a sufficiently lengthy period, will make a considerable contribution to making sure that inflation returns to our two p.c medium-term goal in a well timed method,” ECB chief Christine Lagarde informed MEPs final week.
The ECB has stored rates of interest at report highs since September 2023 — however rumours level to potential cuts by the summer season.
In response to the most recent Eurostat figures, the annual inflation within the euro space is anticipated to be all the way down to 2.6 p.c in February.
Additionally on Thursday, EU ministers will focus on the so-called late fee regulation and the state of play of the one market and EU competitiveness in Brussels.
A report on competitiveness from former European Central Financial institution chief Mario Draghi, and a report on the European single market ready by former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta, is anticipated later this 12 months.
Ministers may even focus on the EU’s long-awaited Company Sustainable Due Diligence Directive — which has failed to achieve approval from EU member states after 13 EU ambassadors declared an abstention and one, Sweden, expressed opposition, final week. The dispute within the council comes after a preliminary settlement was reached by co-legislators in November.
On Sunday (10 March), Portuguese residents will head to the poll packing containers in a high-stakes snap basic election. The elections come after socialist prime minister Antonio Costa resigned in November, amid a corruption scandal.