Highlights of AFET, SEDE and DROI meetings – 14-17 June 2021

Meetings of Committee on Foreign Affairs Monday and Tuesday, 14-15 June, Subcommittees on Human Rights and Security and Defence take place on Wednesday and Thursday, 16-17 June.

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS (AFET)

Monday 14 June – 13.45 – 16.15 and 16.45 – 18.45 / Tuesday 15 June, 9.00 – 12.00 and 14.30 – 14.45 and 14.45 – 17.15 (extraordinary joint meeting) and 17.45 – 18.45 (extraordinary joint meeting) – Room: SPAAK 3C50 and remote participation

Monday

In association with the Delegation for Northern cooperation and for relations with Switzerland and Norway and to the EU-Iceland Joint Parliamentary Committee and the European Economic Area (EEA) Joint Parliamentary Committee – Exchange of views on the decision of the Swiss Federal Council to terminate the negotiations of the EU-Swiss Institutional Framework Agreement

Exchange of views with the European External Action Service (EEAS) on the situation in Burkina Faso (15.00 – 16.15)

Tuesday

Jointly with the Committee on Development

Exchange of views with Pekka HAAVISTO, Special European Envoy and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland on his recent visit to Ethiopia and Sudan (9.15 – 10.30)

Votes open at 14.30 and closes at 16.00
EU global human rights sanctions regime (EU Magnitsky Act) (RSP), adoption of motion for a resolution – Rapporteur David McALLISTER (EPP, DE )

14.45 – 17.15 and 17.45 – 18.45
Extraordinary meeting jointly with the Committee on Development
High-level geopolitical dialogue on the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe (see separate draft agenda)

SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS (DROI)

Wednesday 16 June – 13.45 – 16.15 and 16.45 – 18.45 / Thursday 17 June 2021, 9.00 – 12.00 – Room: remote participation (via Antall 4Q1)

Wednesday

Jointly with the Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the EU, including Disinformation (INGE)

Presentation of the study: „Digital technologies as a means of repression and social control“, in the presence of: Dorota GŁOWACKA, Legal Officer, Panoptykon Foundation and Richard YOUNGS, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Europe and Professor of International Relations, University of Warwick

Jointly with the Committee on Foreign Affairs and in association with the Delegation for relations with Afghanistan (14.45 – 16.15)
Exchange of views on women’s rights and women’s participation in the reconstruction process of Afghanistan, in the presence of: Shaharzad AKBAR – Chairperson, Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), Sima SAMAR, human rights advocate, former Minister of Women’s Affairs, and former Chair of Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, Fawzia KOOFI, member of Afghan Peace Negotiation Team and Metra MEHRAN, young social entrepreneur and co-founder of the Feminine Perspectives Movement

In association with the Delegation for relations with the countries of Southeast Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (16.45 – 17.45)
Exchange of views on the human rights situation in Myanmar, in the presence of:Tom ANDREWS, UN Special rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in Myanmar, Maung MOE, journalist and Ben HARDMAN, EarthRights International

Thursday

In association with the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasu (09.45 – 10.30)
Follow-up to the EU-Azerbaijan Human Rights Dialogue of 26 April 2021, in the presence of Leyla YUNUS, 2014 Sakharov Prize nominee, Philippe DAM, Advocacy Director for Europe and Central Asia, Human Rights Watch and an EEAS representative (TBC)

(10.30 – 11.15)
Exchange of views on corruption and human rights in the context of the recommendation on the matter, in the presence of: Susan HAWLEY, Executive Direct or of Spotlight on Corruption, Björn JANSON, Deputy Executive Secretary of GRECO, Council of Europe and Laure BRILLAUD, Senior Policy Officer – Anti-Money Laundering, Transparency International

(11.15 – 12.00)
Exchange of views on the human rights dimension of the new European Union’s Integrated Strategy in the Sahel, in the presence of: Ángel Losada FERNANDEZ, Ambassador, European Union Special Representative for the Sahel (TBC), Drissa TRAORÉ, Coordinator of the joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Malian Association for Human Rights (AMDH)

SUBCOMMITTEE ON SECURITY AND DEFENCE (SEDE)

Wednesday 16 June 9.00 – 12.00 and 13.45 – 16.15 and 16.45 – 18.45 / Thursday 17 June  9.00 – 12.00

Room: Altiero Spinelli (3E-2) – Remote meeting

Wednesday

Exchange of views with Vice-Admiral Herve BLEJEAN, Director General of the EU Military Staff: mission report from the Federal Republic of Somalia

Jointly with the Committee on Foreign Affairs – Exchange of views on the crisis in the Republic of Mali and the implications for CSDP withBernard QUINTIN, Deputy Managing Director, Africa, European External Action Service (EEAS),Stefano TOMAT, Director Integrated Approach for Security and Peace, EEAS andVice-Admiral Herve BLEJEAN, Director General of the EU Military Staff

Towards a European Union Operational Headquarters: the Strategic Review of the Military Planning and Conduct Capability – exchange of views with Vice-Admiral Herve BLEJEAN, Director General of the EU Military Staff

(13.45 – 16.15)

The EU’s Climate Change and Defence Roadmap and presentation of the study on „Preparing the Common Security and Defence Policy for the new security environment created by climate change“ –

Exchange of view with Arnout MOLENAAR, Head of Division, Security and Defence Policy, European External Action Service (EEAS) and Prof. Christoph MEYER, Professor of European & International Politics, King’s College, London

In association with the Delegation for relations with the People’s Republic of China –China’s military build-up – exchange of views with • Helena LEGARDA, Senior Analyst at Mercator Institute for China Studies, Berlin and Prof. François GODEMENT, Senior Advisor for Asia to Institut Montaigne, Paris, a non-resident Senior Associate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C., and an external consultant for the Policy Planning Staff of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs

(18.00-18.45)
Measures for a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union, repealing Directive (EU) 2016/1148 – Consideration of amendments – Rapporteur for the opinion Markéta GREGOROVÁ (Greens/EFA, CZ) 

Resilience of critical entities, consideration of draft opinion – Rapporteur for the opinion Lukas MANDL (EPP, AT)

Thursday

(10.00 – 12.00)

In association with the Delegation for relations with Japan – EU-Japan Strategic Partnership: trends and prospects for closer cooperation in security and defence – Exchange of views with Nobuo KISHI, Minister of Defence of Japan

State of EU cyber defence capabilities (INI), consideration of amendments – Rapporteur Urmas PAET (Renew, EE)