EP this week: CO2 emissions, Sakharov Prize, preparation Commission hearings

MEPs have another busy week ahead of them

MEPs meet in committee this week to prepare legislation on data protection, regional policy and discuss the annual report on immigration and asylum. They will also prepare the hearings for the new European Commission taking place from 29 September to 7 October. The nominees for the Sakharov Prize will be presented to three committees on Tuesday. On the same day EP president Martin Schulz i will meet Portugal's prime minister Pedro Passos Coelho i in Lisbon.

EP committees and political groups will prepare the hearings with the candidate commissioners starting next week. More information and background materials are available on the hearings website (click on the link to the right to find out more). All hearings will be shown live on the Parliament website.

Mario Draghi i, president of the European Central Bank, will discuss the latest economic and monetary developments with the economic affairs committee on Monday. They are likely to debate the effects of different inflation rates on the common monetary policy.

On Wednesday the environment committee will discuss a list of industries exempted from paying for CO2 emission allowances under the EU's Emissions Trading System (ETS) to avoid "carbon leakage", the relocation of jobs to countries outside the EU.

On Tuesday the nominees for the 2014 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought will be presented by political groups and individual MEPs at a joint meeting of the foreign affairs and development committees and the human rights subcommittee. The European Parliament awards the prize every year. Last year Malala Yousafzai received it for her brave fight for education in Pakistan.

Robert Turner, director of the United Nations and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), will discuss the situation in Gaza following the ceasefure with members of the foreign affairs committee.

REF. : 20140919STO66601