War in Ukraine
In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, MEPs will discuss how to handle the increasing number of Ukrainians fleeing war on Tuesday.
On Wednesday morning, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas will discuss with MEPs the EU’s role in a changing world and security following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Foreign interference and disinformation
In June 2020, Parliament set up a special committee to look into foreign interference and disinformation. During this plenary session MEPs will vote on the recommendations presented in the committee’s final report. The report says that a lack of EU measures and awareness allow malign foreign actors to interfere in EU democracy and it proposes countermeasures such as sanctions or revoking the licenses of organisations that distribute foreign state propaganda.
MEPs will also vote on giving the committee a new mandate and consider convening a special committee on Covid-19 and an inquiry committee to look into the Pegasus spyware affair.
International Women’s Day
On 8 March, the Parliament marks International Women’s Day with a special focus on gender equality, mental health and unpaid care work. Polish author and Nobel Prize for Literature Laureate Olga Tokarczuk will address MEPs, which will be followed by debates on the EU’s Gender Action Plan and gender mainstreaming.
Rule of law
The European Court of Justice decided recently to uphold the validity of EU rules providing that member states in breach of the rule of law can face suspension of EU payments and dismissed appeals by Hungary and Poland. MEPs will vote on a resolution assessing the implications of the decision.
Golden passports
MEPs are set to call for a ban on so-called golden passports, under which non-EU nationals can get nationality rights in exchange for investment, and the introduction of EU-wide rules for “golden visas” or ‘”esidence by investment”. The aim is to defend core EU values as well as common security.
Batteries
Batteries are becoming a strategic market as the number of electric vehicles and the share of renewable energy increases. Parliament will debate and vote on its position on new EU measures on the design, production and disposal of batteries to tackle related environmental, ethical and social issues.
