MFF | Hungary | Tourism

This week will be a busy week especially for the European Parliament, which will hold several committee meetings and a plenary that will last until Saturday. On Wednesday, the plenary will discuss the post-2020 budget revision and the economic recovery plans with the Commission and the Council, before voting on a resolution on Friday. MEPs will also address current threats to democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in Hungary, following the government’s recently introduced emergency powers. Parliament will also discuss the delayed Conference on the Future of Europe which is now expected to start later this year. Meanwhile, the Commission will put forward its ideas on how tourism in Europe can be managed this summer while keeping the spread of the virus low.

European Parliament

During the plenary this week, MEPs will prioritise the next EU long-term budget, including a contingency plan, the rule of law in Hungary, COVID-19 tracing apps, COVID-19 vaccines and treatments and the Conference on the Future of Europe. The separate committee meetings will tackle a number of additional issues, including the EU’s artificial intelligence package, the Just Transition Fund of the Green Deal, circular economy and biodiversity. On Monday, the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) will debate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on human rights in places of detention, and related policy responses.

European Commission

This week, the college of commissioners will follow-up on the EU’s roadmap towards lifting coronavirus containment measures. For this, it will issue various recommendations, including a communication on tourism, health and safety protocols for main tourism locations accommodation. Moreover, the Commission will offer guidance on safe and healthy resumption of passenger transport, as well as on lifting internal borders and will produce recommendations on travel vouchers as alternative reimbursement.

Council of the EU

On Tuesday, EU defence ministers will discuss the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on security and defence by focusing on the work carried out by the task force created to facilitate the exchange of information on the national military assistance to civilian authorities in response to the pandemic. Meanwhile, EU health ministers will assess the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on access to medicines, with a focus on how to avoid shortages and ensure the availability of medicines.