EU Agenda: Week Ahead - 21-26 October 2024
This week, fisheries ministers aim to reach agreement on catch limits in the Baltic Sea for 2025; the Commission co-organises a workshop on sustainable finance; MEPs in plenary are set to call for an urgent ceasefire in Lebanon, vote on EUR 35bn financial assistance for Ukraine, and on the 2025 EU budget, and announce the winner of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought 2024; and we have European Week for Safety and Health at Work. The week's events in the European Union including EU Council, Commission and Parliament meetings from 21 to 26 October 2024.
Monday 21 October
European Parliament | Political Meetings | Institutional affairs
European Parliament plenary session
Strasbourg
Single Market/competitiveness: former Prime Minister of Italy Enrico Letta will present his report on strengthening the EU’s internal market, followed by a debate among MEPs. On Thursday, MEPs will discuss with the Commission how to close the so-called skills gap, the difference between workers’ skills and those sought after by employers.
Monday 21 - Friday 25 October
Other bodies and agencies | Conferences and summits | Safety | Health
European Week for Safety and Health at Work
Brussels
Happening every year in October, the European Week for Safety and Health at Work is a highlight of every Healthy Workplaces Campaign. With hundreds of awareness-raising events taking place across the EU and beyond.
Organised by EU-OSHA and its partners, each European Week has the campaign theme at its heart and this years it aims to raise awareness about the EU-OSHA Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2023-2025 “Safe and Healthy Work in the Digital Age”.
Monday 21 - Tuesday 22 October
Council of the EU | Political Meetings | Fisheries | Agriculture
Agriculture and Fisheries Council
Luxembourg
Fisheries ministers will discuss fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea, with the aim of reaching a political agreement on catch limits for 2025. Additionally, they will also exchange views on the upcoming meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
As far as agriculture is concerned, the Council will seek to endorse a set of conclusions on a farmer-focused post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Moreover, the Council will discuss the main challenges the EU food chain is facing, as well as trade-related agricultural issues.
Monday 21 - Tuesday 22 October
Other bodies and agencies | Conferences and summits | Competition
European Competition Day
Budapest, Hungary
European Competition Day has been held every six months since 2000, traditionally organised by the competition authority of the country holding the EU Presidency. As a flagship event for European competition policy, the conference discusses the most topical issues and challenges in competition law.
The event will focus on the relationship between competitiveness, sustainability and competition policy, the experiences to date in relation to the application of the Digital Markets Act, and the opportunities and risks related to the use of artificial intelligence.
Tuesday 22 October
European Parliament | Political Meetings | Institutional affairs
European Parliament plenary session
Strasbourg
Financial assistance to Ukraine: MEPs will debate and vote on a €35 billion financial assistance package for Ukraine as part of the G7’s support initiative. The package leverages extraordinary profits from frozen Russian assets and aims to address Ukraine’s urgent financing needs in the face of Russia’s brutal war of aggression.
Lebanon: MEPs will debate the situation in Lebanon and are set to call for an urgent ceasefire and for the UN mission in the country to be protected, after several recent attacks.
China/Taiwan: Parliament will discuss China’s military provocations close to Taiwan, and vote on a resolution on Thursday. MEPs are set to criticise China’s aggressive stance on Taiwan and to express their solidarity with Taiwan, which is regularly subjected to foreign information manipulation and interference by China.
EU budget 2025: Parliament will debate on Tuesday and vote on Wednesday for a 2025 EU budget that focuses on improving people’s lives, boosting competitiveness, and addressing further current challenges. The plenary vote will kick-start three weeks of talks with Council, aiming to reach a deal to be voted on by Parliament before the end of 2024.
Tuesday 22 October
Other bodies and agencies | Training and workshops | Translation | Machine translation | Artificial intelligence and advantages
AI Act and AI impact on the future of translation: risks and advantages
Online | Italy
This online workshop will cover the latest developments in AI and its impact on translation, by examining benefits and challenges. Speakers will explore the matter from the perspective of legislation, translation training and language diversity. No registration required.
Wednesday 23 October
Other bodies and agencies | Conferences and summits | Urban transport | Sustainable mobility | Transport research
SMARTA-NET Final Conference
Brussels
As the two-year project concludes, the conference offers a valuable opportunity to reflect on the journey and share insights.
The final conference aims to highlight the diversity of rural contexts and explore how mobility and tourism solutions can be developed and implemented according to specific local conditions. It will showcase the outcomes of various tasks, including typology, guidance, training activities, and evaluation analysis. It will also discuss urban and rural linkages and the SMARTA-NET recommendations to enhance SUMPs with rural considerations.
The event primarily targets European Rural Mobility Network members, including rural municipalities, and multipliers such as regions, counties, and leader action groups.
Wednesday 21 October
European Parliament | Political Meetings | Institutional affairs
European Parliament plenary session
Strasbourg
Migration: MEPs will discuss with the Commission potential changes to EU legislation to make the return of third-country nationals who do not have the legal right to stay in Europe easier and facilitate a more orderly management of migration.
Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism/Malta: at 18.00, Parliament will award the 2024 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism, which rewards outstanding journalism that promotes or defends the core EU principles and values. Just before the award ceremony, the EP press service will organise a media seminar on "Safeguarding Media Freedom" on Wednesday at 15.00. MEPs will also assess the latest developments in Malta regarding the rule of law, seven years after Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder.
Wednesday 23 - Thursday 24 October
Other bodies and agencies | Conferences and summits | Research
Sustainable Economy in Horizon Europe. International Matchmaking & Networking
Warsaw, Poland
Sustainable Economy in Horizon Europe is a unique opportunity to establish direct contacts between scientists/researchers and entrepreneurs.
The event is focused on areas related to sustainable economy in particular on the: Capabilities of the Polish industry within the European ecosystem; Infrastructure for sustainable economy; Technologies, raw materials and advanced materials for defense and civil applications; Partnerships in Horizon Europe and the benefits of participating in them; Hubs4Circularity; New technologies for the recovery of metals and critical raw materials; Sustainable construction; Clean energy & clean mobility; Innovative solutions for transport.
Thursday 24 October
European Parliament | Political Meetings | Institutional affairs
European Parliament plenary session
Strasbourg
Sakharov Prize 2024 winner: the Conference of Presidents (EP President Metsola and political group leaders) will decide on the winner of the 2024 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. The three shortlisted candidates are (in alphabetical order): Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu, academic and anti-corruption activist in Azerbaijan; María Corina Machado, as leader of the democratic forces in Venezuela and President-elect Edmundo González Urrutia; and "Women Wage Peace" and "Women of the Sun", Israel/Palestine.
Friday 25 October
Other bodies and agencies | Training and workshops | Sustainable finance | Financial risk
Workshop: Sustainable finance, the way forward
Padua, Italy
The Joint Research Centre and the Accounting and Finance Group at the University of Padua invite you to reflect on opportunities and challenges in sustainable finance.
The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) - a key player in linking environmental challenges with economic risks - co-organises, together with the The Accounting and Finance Group at the University of Padua, the "Sustainable finance, the way forward" workshop: an event that aims to prompt a reflection over questions, issues and inquiries about opportunities and challenges in sustainable finance, focusing on key areas including measurement and reporting, valuation, policies, and markets.