EU Agenda: Week Ahead - 22-27 October 2018
This week, the EU presidency holds the Warsaw Security Forum and a conference on future EU chemicals policy; the Commission has conferences on emission standards for light and heavy-duty vehicles, and matrimonial property regimes; MEPs in plenary session vote on a new law to forbid the sale of single-se plastic products, reform of EU road charging rules, improving drinking water and the EU Budget 2019; and its Biocides Day.. The week's events in the European Union including EU Council, Commission and Parliament meetings and other EU-related conferences and events. Events for the week of 15 to 20 October 2018.
Monday 22 October
European Chemicals Agency, Other bodies and agencies, Events/Conf/Fairs, Energy, environment and climate, Research and innovation
Workshop on waste framework directive database
Helsinki, Finland
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) will be discussing the next steps on establishing a database on the presence of Candidate List substances, i.e., substances of very high concern, in articles, in a workshop on 22-23 October in Helsinki. The workshop is targeted at Member State authorities and stakeholders.
The primary users of the database are the waste treatment operators and consumers. The database will contain information submitted by companies producing, importing or supplying articles that contain Candidate List substances. Companies need to submit this information for articles placed on the market from 5 January 2021.
The task is based on the revised Waste Framework Directive that entered into force in July 2018. It is part of the EU's waste legislation package, contributing to the EU's circular economy policy. This new task strengthens the need for good supply chain communication, as foreseen under REACH, where companies have to communicate in the supply chain and notify ECHA about Candidate List substances in articles.
Monday 22 October
Presidency of the Council of the EU, Events/Conf/Fairs, Research and innovation
The role of competitive research funding in science
Klosterneuburg, Austria
Based on the importance of third-party funding for society as well as for an institute such as IST Austria, the role of competitive research funding in science will be discussed from different angles: What are competitive research grants? Which societal and institutional factors should be considered when implementing them? Which institutional effects have to be considered? And what is the impact of competitive research grants on society?
Top speakers from all across Europe come together to share their views on project related funding in an institutional framework. The goal is to provide a platform for exchange and discussion in the area of public sector research, with a special focus on curiosity driven research.
Monday 22 October
European Parliament, Political Meetings, Institutional affairs
European Parliament plenary session
European Parliament, Strasbourg
Plastics ban: Parliament will vote on a new law to forbid the sale of single-use plastic products such as cutlery, cotton bud sticks, plates, straws, beverage stirrers and balloon sticks within the EU from 2021 (debate Monday, vote Wednesday).
Drinking water: MEPs will vote on plans to improve consumers' trust in drinking water from the tap by tightening the maximum limits for certain pollutants. They also propose setting up free water fountains where feasible and providing tap water for free, or for a low service fee, in restaurants, canteens and catering service (debate Monday, vote Tuesday).
Monday 22 October
Other bodies and agencies, Events/Conf/Fairs, Energy, environment and climate
ACER-CEER market monitoring report launch event 2018
Brussels
On 22 October, the European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) and the Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER) will present the main findings of their annual report on the results of monitoring the internal electricity and natural gas markets in 2017.
The annual market monitoring report consists of four volumes, covering respectively: electricity wholesale markets, gas wholesale markets, electricity and gas retail markets, and consumer protection and empowerment. The various volumes present the state of play in their respective domains on the road towards the completion of the internal energy market as well as remaining challenges.
Tuesday 23 October
Presidency of the Council of the EU, Events/Conf/Fairs, Enlargement, external relations and trade, Research and innovation
EU-Eastern Partnership eDemocracy conference: Politics in the digital age
Krems, Austria
How can eDemocracy support and enhance important elements of democracy, for example participation, inclusion, transparency and accountability? Which factors help the process and which factors hinder it?
Experts from government, academia and civil society representing the EU member states and the Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) will discuss these and related issues at this conference, organised in the framework of the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Tuesday 23 October
European Economic and Social Committee, Events/Conf/Fairs, Economy and the euro, Employment and social rights
The new multiannual financial framework and cohesion policy
Brussels
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is organising a public hearing on 'The new multiannual financial framework (MFF) and cohesion policy: How to better use EU funds for persons with disabilities in the new financial framework'.
The aim of the event is to look into the changes for funds available for inclusions of persons with disabilities in the new MFF and cohesion policy.
Based also on presentations of good practices, participants will try to identify what worked and what did not in the past MFF and make recommendations for the future.
Tuesday 23 October
European Commission, Events/Conf/Fairs, Justice and citizens' rights
Conference on the new European regulations on matrimonial property regimes and the property consequences of registered partnerships
Brussels
The Council of the Notariats of the EU and the European Commission are jointly organising a conference on the two new European regulations on matrimonial property regimes and the property consequences of registered partnerships. The event will feature prestigious speakers and bring together more than 250 participants, notaries and representatives of the political, legal and academic worlds.
Tuesday 23 October
European Parliament, Political Meetings, Institutional affairs
European Parliament plenary session
European Parliament, Strasbourg
EU Budget 2019: MEPs will confirm their negotiating position for the 2019 EU budget, before starting talks with the Council of ministers. They are set to demand that the budget should focus on Erasmus+, tackling youth unemployment and migration, research, infrastructure investments and climate protection (debate Tuesday, vote Wednesday).
Klaus Iohannis/Future of Europe debate: Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will debate the future of Europe with MEPs and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. This will be the eleventh in a series of future of Europe debates with EU heads of state or governments.
Tuesday 23 - Wednesday 25 October
Presidency of the Council of the EU, Events/Conf/Fairs, Justice and citizens' rights
The 'national life' of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights – Avenues to enhance awareness, judicial training and implementation
Vienna, Austria
Judiciary and fundamental rights practitioners and persons in charge of judicial training will discuss the challenges of implementing the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights at national level. Together, they will seek potential and future solutions by looking at best practices and at (EU-funded) tools that are intended to strengthen awareness, judicial training and implementation of the Charter.
The Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU organises this conference in cooperation with the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) and the European Commission.
Tuesday 23 - Thursday 25 October
Presidency of the Council of the EU, Events/Conf/Fairs, Culture, education and youth, Justice and citizens' rights
Bi-annual meeting of the European agency for special needs and inclusive education
Vienna, Austria
The European agency for special needs and inclusive education is an independent organisation that acts as a platform for collaboration for the Ministries of Education in its member countries. The bi-annual meeting of the agency brings together representatives from all 31 member States in order to exchange on educational developments in Europe, to plan and evaluate joint initiatives and projects and to support each other in the areas of policy development.
Tuesday 23 October
European Commission, Events/Conf/Fairs, Research and innovation, Transport and travel
Horizon 2020 Transport virtual information day
Online
The Horizon 2020 Transport virtual information day will present the upcoming funding opportunities offered by the EU's Horizon 2020 programme to projects focusing on smart, green and integrated transport.
The event will present the following 2019 calls for funding making available a total of nearly € 355 million:
- Mobility for growth
- Automated road transport
- Green vehicles
- Next generation batteries
It will also give an overview of the application and evaluation process, and will offer a recap on lessons learnt from previous evaluations, including tips for writing a good proposal.
Tuesday 23 - Friday 26 October
Presidency of the Council of the EU, Events/Conf/Fairs, Culture, education and youth
Erasmus+ Youth in Action national agencies' business meeting
Vienna, Austria
In the framework of the business meeting of all national agencies for Erasmus+ Youth in Action, updates and relevant developments of the programme will be discussed and ideas for future formats developed. The meeting offers the possibility to reflect and exchange ideas, thus contributing to the strengthening of the network.
Tuesday 23 - Thursday 25 October
Presidency of the Council of the EU, Events/Conf/Fairs, Business
Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) annual conference
Vienna, Austria
The annual conference is the main event of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN). It provides a global forum for partners, representatives from European institutions as well as key stakeholders to meet and learn from each other, and to improve the quality and collaboration of EEN services.
The conference brings together 800 participants from more than 60 countries. The three-day event programme features workshops, plenary sessions, networking opportunities and social events.
The EEN Awards will be one of the highlights, putting EEN clients and their stories in the spotlight. Agenda topics will range from issues such as innovation management, access to finance, digitalisation, and internationalisation to sessions designed to ensure more and better impact from EEN as a whole.
Tuesday 23 October
European Institute for Gender Equality, Other bodies and agencies, Events/Conf/Fairs, Economy and the euro, Justice and citizens' rights
Experts' consultation meeting - Gender budgeting: Closing the gaps between gender equality commitments and resources in the EU
Brussels
With the aim of closing the gaps between commitments to gender equality and the policies and programmes funded by EU and national budgets, the ongoing project of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) focuses on effective integration of gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting in the European Structural Investment Funds (ESIF).
This one-day meeting will provide an opportunity to:
- validate the recommendations for more effective gender mainstreaming in the ESIF
- obtain feedback on the proposed system to track spending on gender equality
- facilitate an exchange of information about the application of gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting in the ESIF among EU Member States
- raise awareness and build capacity on gender budgeting
Tuesday 23 October
European Investment Bank, Events/Conf/Fairs, Employment and social rights, Energy, environment and climate, Research and innovation
Social Innovation Tournament (SIT) - final event
Copenhagen, Denmar
The Social Innovation Tournament recognises and supports the best European social entrepreneurs. It is organised in a different country every year to reward and sponsor European entrepreneurs whose primary purpose is to generate a social, ethical or environmental impact.
Projects are typically related to combating unemployment, marginalisation of disadvantaged communities and promoting access to education in a wide range of fields, from education and health care to the natural or urban environment, using new technologies, new systems, and new processes.
The tournament runs in two rounds. A selection committee, comprised mainly of European Investment Bank (EIB) experts in innovation, the environment, and other relevant disciplines, selects 15 finalists. The finalists are invited to a mentoring bootcamp to provide them with the necessary guidance to finalise their proposals. At the final event, all the finalists have to present and defend their project to a jury of social innovation specialists.
Wednesday 24 October
Presidency of the Council of the EU, Events/Conf/Fairs, Transport and travel
Symposium on corridor management for inland waterways
Vienna, Austria
The project 'River Information Services, Corridor Management Execution' (RIS COMEX) is coordinated by Austria in the framework of the Connecting Europe Facility.
The project covers 15 project partners from 12 EU member states and one candidate country (Serbia).
The aim of the project is the permanent implementation of harmonised cross-border river information services for governmental users, businesses and industry.
Intermediate results of the project (running from 2016 to 2020) will be available in 2018. These results will be presented and discussed at the expert conference. The European Commission expects the RIS COMEX project to deliver concrete contributions to the implementation of its concept 'Digital Inland Waterway Area' (DINA).
Wednesday 24 - Thursday 25 October
Presidency of the Council of the EU, Events/Conf/Fairs, Enlargement, external relations and trade, Security and defence
Warsaw Security Forum
Warsaw, Poland
The Warsaw Security Forum looks at various aspects of security in the European and transatlantic context.
Attendees of this year's forum will discuss topics such as migration policy, relations with the Western Balkans and the future of the EU – all topics which are reflected in the priorities of the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Wednesday 24 October
European Medicines Agency, Other bodies and agencies, Events/Conf/Fairs, Consumer affairs and public health, Research and innovation
Multi-stakeholder workshop to launch consultation on European Medicines Agency (EMA) human regulatory science to 2025
London, United Kingdom
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is holding a multi-stakeholder workshop to gather initial thoughts on the key areas for human medicines to be covered in EMA's regulatory science to 2025.
This should facilitate a shared reflection on the key regulatory science challenges faced by the EMA scientific committees and working parties and the opportunities to address them, an understanding of the process leading to the proposed strategic goals and core recommendations, and highlighting areas of particular relevance to various stakeholder groups in order to focus on them during the public consultation.
Participants will include patient representatives, healthcare professionals, academic infrastructures, health technology assessment bodies, payer organisations, trade associations and regulators.
Wednesday 24 October
European Commission, Events/Conf/Fairs, Energy, environment and climate, Transport and travel
Preparing for the future European emission standards for light and heavy-duty vehicles
Brussels
The European Commission is organising a stakeholder event on the future of emission standards for the automotive industry. This all-day event will bring together scientific evidence from the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and academia, as well as gather the opinions of different stakeholders on the future of emission standards for passenger cars, light commercial vehicles and heavy-duty vehicles.
Topics to be discussed include:
- Lessons learned from developing the latest emission standards and the way forward
- Scientific evidence on emissions gathered by the JRC
- Evidence on emissions collected by the scientific community
Wednesday 24 October
European Chemicals Agency, Other bodies and agencies, Events/Conf/Fairs, Energy, environment and climate
Biocides Day 2018
Helsinki, Finland
After five years of implementing the Biocidal Products Regulation, it is time to take stock and look ahead. The Biocides day will give insight into the latest developments in biocides at EU level and provide a platform to discuss what should be improved for the next five years. The focus will be on experiences from companies, stakeholders, Member States, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the European Commission. Training on biocides IT tools and one-to-one sessions are also on offer.
Wednesday 24 October
Presidency of the Council of the EU, Events/Conf/Fairs, Research and innovation
International chemical politics from a European perspective
Vienna, Austria
This European conference on the future EU chemicals policy, with a strong international flavour, will provide a vision for the future of this policy area in the light of the programmes of the United Nations (UN) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). It is co-hosted by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs (BMDW) and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO), in the framework of the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Wednesday 24 October
European Parliament, Political Meetings, Institutional affairs
European Parliament plenary session
European Parliament, Strasbourg
Road charges: MEPs will vote on the reform of EU road charging rules, which will oblige EU countries imposing time-based road use charges to switch to distance-based charging (debate Wednesday, vote Thursday).
EU Summit: MEPs will assess the outcome of the 17/18 October summit, in a debate with European Council President Donald Tusk. The main topics of the leaders' meeting were migration, internal security and Brexit.
Wednesday 24 - Thursday 25 October
Other bodies and agencies, Events/Conf/Fairs, Research and innovation, Security and defence
2nd Europol-ENISA Internet of Things security conference
Europol, The Hague, the Netherlands
The 2nd Internet of Things (IoT) security conference organised by the European Police Office (EUROPOL) and the EU Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) will focus on the cybersecurity of the entire IoT ecosystem by providing a platform for all relevant stakeholders to exchange insights and discuss pertinent topics and open challenges.
For the second year in a row, Europol and ENISA are co-organising a conference to raise awareness on the security implications of IoT. The conference aims to enable a broad discussion by bringing together experts from cybercrime units, computer security incident response teams (CSIRTs), international organisations, private industry, regulatory agencies, and academia.
The three main sessions of the conference will focus on: Industry 4.0; IoT application domains and case studies; Emerging IoT trends
Wednesday 24 - Friday 26 October
Other bodies and agencies, Events/Conf/Fairs, Research and innovation, Transport and travel
'Space for your App' Hackathon
Padua, Italy
Experts and developers interested in shaping the future of Earth Observation (EO), location-based services (LBS) and the Internet of Things (IoT) will be heading to Padua to take part in the 2nd EU Space programmes hackathon. Participants will have the opportunity to showcase their skills, gain a competitive advantage for their future projects and win great prizes.
At the hackathon, experts from various fields, such as engineers, geologists, economists, and sociologists, will join with app developers, coders, graphic and web designers, data scientists, marketers, dreamers, and pioneers who want to shape the future of EO, LBS and IoT, to discover how space technologies can help transform their ideas into reality.
The assembled hackers will focus in particular on applications in the areas of smart mobility, augmented reality, geo-marketing, and mapping and geographic information system (GIS). Other target areas will include fitness, sport and mHealth, business applications and social networking.
Thursday 25 October
European Investment Bank, Events/Conf/Fairs, Economy and the euro
The EIB Copenhagen conference on circular economy
Copenhagen, Denmark
The European Investment Bank (EIB) conference on circular economy is one of the 2018 reference events on circular economy with leading representatives from the industry, the European Commission, the financing sector and circular economy project promoters.
The day will be organised in three high-level panels: Plastics in the circular economy; Circular bio-economy; Circular economy in cities
Thursday 25 - Friday 26 October
European Commission, Events/Conf/Fairs, Energy, environment and climate, EU regional and urban development, Research and innovation
2nd Arctic science ministerial meeting
Berlin, Germany
The European Commission, Finland and Germany will co-host the 2nd Arctic science ministerial meeting. The aim of this meeting is to promote the results of the deliverables agreed at the 1st meeting, increase capacity to respond to major societal challenges in the Arctic, encourage further scientific cooperation among a large number of countries and representatives of indigenous people.
An Arctic science conference will showcase the latest achievements as regards the deliverables agreed for each thematic area at the 1st meeting. The discussion will focus on scientific advances in the deliverables and on the commitment needed in future. It will be open to a wide range of Arctic stakeholders, policymakers and media.
Thursday 25 - Friday 26 October
European Commission, Other bodies and agencies, Events/Conf/Fairs, Research and innovation
Frontier research and artificial intelligence
Brussels
The conference will take stock of relevant research supported by the European Research Council (ERC), provide a forum of networking between the scientists leading ERC-funded projects, and position the ERC as a contributor to artificial intelligence (AI) through its 'bottom up' approach to research funding.
The conference will include the following sessions:
- Why artificial intelligence matters?
- Foundations of artificial intelligence
- Artificial intelligence and the brain
- Artificial intelligence and ethical challenges
- Applied artificial intelligence: vision, speech, language, robotics and games
- Artificial intelligence and society
Thursday 25 October
European Parliament, Political Meetings, Institutional affairs
European Parliament plenary session
European Parliament, Strasbourg
Antimicrobial resistance: MEPs will vote on a law limiting the use of antibiotics on farms to keep resistant bacteria out of food and halt the spread of drug resistance from animals to humans. To help tackle antimicrobial resistance, the law would also empower the EU Commission to select antimicrobials to be reserved only for treating humans (debate and vote).
Facebook-Cambridge Analytica: MEPs are expected to urge Facebook to allow EU bodies to carry out a full audit assessing data protection and security of users' personal data. They are also set to call for election manipulation to be prevented on social platforms and for action to update EU competition rules to reflect the digital reality (debate and vote).
2018 Sakharov Prize: Parliament President Antonio Tajani and the leaders of the political groups (Conference of Presidents) will select this year's laureate from among the finalists. The prize will be awarded in a ceremony in Strasbourg on 12 December 2018.
Thursday 25 October
European Medicines Agency, Other bodies and agencies, Events/Conf/Fairs, Consumer affairs and public health
Risk management plan information day
London
This information day will update participants on the medicine risk management activities of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and provide advice to marketing authorisation holders and applicants on drafting a risk management plan (RMP). It will also provide an opportunity for an exchange of experiences with this template between regulators and industry.
A dedicated session will discuss the streamlining of safety specification for biologicals with a special focus on biosimilars, so that only risks that are important for risk management and relevant for the benefit-risk of the product are included in the RMP.
EMA will provide updates on risk management aspects of the new good pharmacovigilance practice (GVP) guidance on special populations such as children and elderly. Other topics will include risk communication and patients' access to information on the safety of medicines.
Friday 26 October
European Medicines Agency, Other bodies and agencies, Events/Conf/Fairs, Consumer affairs and public health
Information day for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): regulatory toolbox for medicines and combined devices developers
London
This SME information day will provide an update on regulatory affairs topics for developers of human medicines and combined devices.
It will cover subjects such as data exclusivity and market protection, orphan and paediatric rewards, legal basis for submission of a marketing authorisation application, conditional marketing authorisations and approvals under exceptional circumstances, classification of advanced therapies and activities of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in relation to the new medical device legislation. An update on Brexit-related activities will also be provided at the end of the event.
The 'Meet EMA' event will provide an opportunity for SMEs to engage with staff from different EMA departments to increase awareness of the range of support available at EMA. The event is open to companies that have been assigned SME status by EMA and to representatives of stakeholder organisations.