Busy week ahead for EU Parliament

Belgium (Brussels Morning Newspaper), MEPs face a busy week with a wide range of issues on their agenda in the coming five days.

It starts on Monday and Tuesday when parliamentarians from the EU, candidate, and observer countries will gather in Brussels in the framework of the European Parliamentary Week 2024 to discuss economic, budgetary, and social matters.

The main topics will focus on strategic investments and reforms enhancing the EU’s growth potential and the future of the EU single market and taxation.

On Tuesday, the European Parliament’s committee on the internal market and consumer protection (IMCO) will vote on the Safety of Toys Regulation.
MEPs say that toys that are placed on the EU market should not put children at risk.

The new EU regulation aims to lay down the safety requirements that toys must meet including a ban on the use of certain chemicals.
MEPs say they aim to ensure that the future legislation not only protects children under 14 but also the adults who would play with them.

On Friday, 2 February, EU member states adopted the first-ever legislation on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the world.

The AI Act will be voted on in the Committee on Consumer Protection on Tuesday and by the whole European Parliament during a plenary vote in April.
“By putting human rights at the core of the negotiations, the S&D Group says it “has shown that with progressive legislation, we can bring in rules to keep everyone safe online.”

On Wednesday, Parliament’s economy committee is set to vote on the Payment Services Regulation that will bring tangible benefits to all Europeans.
It aims to keep customers better informed, for example, about the fees that can be charged while withdrawing money from an ATM, and it will also better protect them from falling victim to fraud, for example, when making transactions online.

Later in the week, (19-20 February), members of the Socialist Bureau and Heads of Delegation will be on mission to Bucharest, Romania. During the two-day visit, they will hold working meetings with PSD (Partidul Social Democrat) Ministers and the President of the Chamber of Deputies.

The delegation will join the outreach event ‘Living better with Europe’, hosted by PSD, with the participation of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, at the Palace of the Parliament.