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Opening of the session at 15.00

EP President David Sassoli will open the 24 - 25 March plenary session at 15.00. He will make a statement on China’s sanctions on MEPs and EU bodies.

There will be live coverage of debates and votes on Parliament’s webstreaming and on EbS+.

For more detailed information on the session, please see our newsletter.

All information regarding the plenary, including speakers’ lists, can be found here.

Digital Green Certificate / EU summit

For the session’s first debate, Parliament will discuss the 25-26 March EU summit on COVID-19, EU-US relations, the digital transition and Turkey. From around 16.00, MEPs will debate the proposed Digital Green Certificate, which aims to facilitate safe and free movement in the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Thursday, they will decide whether to fast-track its approval under the urgent procedure.

Kyriakos KLOSIDIS
(+32) 470 96 47 35
EP_Justice

Polona TEDESKO
(+32) 470 88 42 82
EP_Justice

Clearing another hurdle for the COVID-19 recovery plan

MEPs will debate from around 17.00 three laws relating to the ongoing reform of the EU’s Own Resources system and for the creation of new sources of EU revenue, such as a new plastic levy. Reforming the EU revenue system is a crucial element in the establishment of the €750 billion “Next Generation EU” recovery fund. The votes will take place later today and tomorrow.

Armin WISDORFF
(+32) 498 98 13 45
EP_Budgets

New EU-Africa Strategy. In the evening, MEPs will debate a new EU-Africa Strategy, which aims to improve relations between the two continents beyond the current “donor-recipient” dynamic. Instead, the EU and Africa should cooperate as equals, empowering African governments to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The vote will take place tomorrow.

Eszter BALAZS

(+32) 470 88 08 77

EP_Development

In brief

Marine litter. To reduce ocean waste, MEPs will call for more restrictions on single-use plastics, the circular economy should be boosted through more collecting, recycling and upcycling, and fishing gear should be designed in a more sustainable way. The vote will take place tomorrow.

Safe and clean travel. Parliament is set to urge EU countries to include the tourism and travel sectors in their COVID-19 recovery plans, to consider temporarily reducing VAT on these services and to include EU criteria for safe travel in a new EU strategy on tourism. The vote will take place tomorrow.

Votes

The voting session lasts from 21.00 to 22.15, with results announced at 9.00 on Thursday.

MEPs will vote, among other things, on

• Request for waiver of the immunity of Lívia Járóka
• Request for waiver of the immunity of Jean‑François Jalkh
• System of own resources of the European Union.