Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) This week, the European Parliament convenes in parliamentary committees to discuss the impact of the military conflict in Ukraine, regulation of cryptocurrencies and EU taxonomy, where MEPs will debate the classification of gas and nuclear. MEPs will debate the political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, EU economic coordination between EU countries, online propaganda and gender gap.
Impact of military conflict in Ukraine
Several committees will discuss the impact of Russian aggression in Ukraine on their respective policy areas, ranging from transatlantic cooperation, transport, fisheries, and culture, to foreign interference, and children’s and human rights. The escalating conflict threatens the EU and the world’s economy, from energy to food supplies.
On Thursday, Ukraine’s Minister of Defence, Oleksii Reznikov, will brief MEPs on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Subcommittee on Security and Defence and the Parliament’s EU-Ukraine delegation about the latest developments of the war.
Cryptocurrency
On Monday, a draft law to regulate the use of cryptocurrencies will be put to a vote by the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee. The new rules are intended to cover crypto assets outside the EU, and how to support innovation and mitigate risks as well as lessen the cryptocurrency environmental footprint. Last year, the Slovenian Presidency of the Council agreed to continue parliamentary negotiations about updating existing rules on the information that should accompany transfers of crypto funds.
EU Taxonomy
On Tuesday, the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committees will debate the EC’s proposal to include specific gas and nuclear sectors in the so-called taxonomy, a classification system to channel investment into environmentally sustainable economic activities. Parliament has four months to decide whether to veto it.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
On Tuesday, the Foreign Affairs Committee will review persisting political challenges in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the Chairman and members of the country’s tripartite Presidency, Milorad Dodik, Šefik Džaferović and Željko Komšić, as well as with the Speaker of the country’s House of Peoples, Dragan Čović.
The political situation has become more acute as mounting nationalist and separatist rhetoric and activism threatens peace, stability and the country’s integrity, as well as undermining the functioning of its state institutions.
EU economic coordination
On Tuesday and Wednesday, MEPs and national parliamentarians from the EU, candidate, and observer countries will discuss economic, budgetary, employment and social issues. The conference will focus on the impact of COVID-19, particularly with regard to the implementation of national recovery plans, as well as the reform of the Stability and Growth Pact.
Online propaganda
Online propaganda in the context of the Russian war in Ukraine is the topic when the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee meets with Internal Market Commissioner Breton on Wednesday. They will review how to effectively deal with propaganda on online platforms and the role of the Digital Services Act, mindful that the EU decided to ban all Russian TV channels.
Gender balance on company boards
On Wednesday, the Committees on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality and on Legal Affairs will vote to start talks with EU governments on an EU bill to increase the representation of women on the corporate boards of publically listed companies to at least 40%.
Gender pay gap
On Thursday, the Committees on Employment and Social Affairs and Women’s Rights and Gender Equality will vote on draft legislation to combat unequal pay with binding transparency measures. Lack of pay transparency has been identified as a key obstacle to closing the gender pay gap.
