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COP 25 Madrid | EUCO | European Green
Deal
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The UN Climate Conference (COP25) continues this week in Madrid,
with European Commission executive vice-president Frans Timmermans in
attendance. This week also sees the introduction of the promised
European Green Deal, which will be unveiled on wednesday. The Green
Deal's main objective is to make the EU climate-neutral by 2050, which
was one of Ursula von der Leyen's key promises when she took on the
job of president of the European Commission. Alongside this, on
thursday and friday the European Council will meet for the final time
in 2019, in order to discuss climate change, the long-term EU budget,
external relations issues, and the economic and monetary union.
Additionally, the EU-27 will hold a special meeting to discuss article
50, the British withdrawal from the EU, and future UK-EU relations,
right in the midst of the United Kingdom General Election which will
be held on December 12.
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European Commission
The Commission has a busy week ahead and will be focusing on
climate and the environment, with events such as the EU Energy Day at
COP25, the Agricultural Outlook Conference, and the EU Water
Innovation Conference. The longly anticipated European Green Deal will
formally be presented on Wednesday by Frans Timmermans, in the middle
of his activities at the UN Climate Conference. Additionally,
commissioners Margaritis Schinas and Ylva Johannsson are travelling to
several countries to prepare the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, and
president von der Leyen will be participating in the European
Council.
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Council of the EU
The Foreign Affairs ministers are meeting today to discuss
EU-Africa relations, as well as the promotion and protection of human
rights in the world (ahead of the International Day of Human Rights on
December 10). The General Affairs Council will meet on tuesday in
order to dicuss Article 7 procedures and the current situations in
Hungary and Poland, as well as the preparations to be made for the
upcoming European Council. The EPSCO meeting on the other hand will
include discussions on the economy of wellbeing, as well as the
European pharmaceutical policy, labour markets, strategic frameworks
on health and safety at work, and gender equality economies in the
EU.
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European Parliament
Committee meetings will be held this week at the Parliament, though
there will be a brief resumption of the plenary session on the 11th,
to debate on the European Green Deal ahead of the press conference.
Otherwise, members of parliament will debate on the European Data
Protection Board and conditions of EU information systems. Votes will
also be had on the EU-Iceland-Norway protocol agreements on asylum and
Eurodac, migration and international protection, and a motion for a
resolution on preventing post-public employment conflicts of interest.
President Sassoli will participate in the inauguration ceremony of the
Sakharov Walk of Freedom at the parliament.
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