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MEPs will assess the results of the European Council meeting of 20-21 October in a three-hour debate with Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Council President Donald Tusk on Wednesday morning. Issues raised will include the fate of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), negotiations for free trade deals with other countries, EU-Russia relations, upgrading EU trade defence instruments, Mediterranean migration trends and protecting the EU’s external borders.
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The EU Commission’s to-do list for 2017 will be debated by MEPs on Tuesday afternoon, immediately after the Commission adopts it. This year’s debate on the Commission Work Programme will contribute to the first-ever joint declaration, to be signed by the Presidents of Parliament, Council and Commission in December, on common objectives and priorities for the following year.
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Parliament is to adopt its position on next year’s EU budget, ahead of negotiations with the Council, in a vote on Wednesday. MEPs are set to demand more funds to help young people into jobs, boost economic growth and help third countries with a view to mitigating the migration crisis. They plan to reverse all the cuts made by the Council to the draft budget.
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The EU needs to update its long-term financial plan to cope with unforeseen crises, MEPs will argue in Monday’s debate on its forthcoming revision with Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva. MEPs acknowledge that the Commission’s proposal to revise the multiannual financial framework (MFF) genuinely responds to Parliament’s July request for more flexibility and an EU crisis reserve, but are disappointed that resources remain unchanged. A resolution will be voted on Tuesday.
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To end the current “crisis-driven” approach to perceived breaches of fundamental rights, the EU Commission should set up a binding mechanism to report annually on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in all EU member states, say MEPs in a draft resolution to be voted on Tuesday. This mechanism should include objective benchmarks and lay down a clear, gradual approach to remedying breaches, they add.
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MEPs will debate progress in boosting security, as agreed at EU level, on Tuesday afternoon. Improving the interoperability of databases and data exchange, preventing radicalisation and progress in implementing the passenger name record (PNR) rules approved in Spring 2016, are likely to be raised in the debate with the Council and Commission.
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The EU should place mandatory limits on industrially-produced trans-fatty acids which may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, infertility, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and obesity, says a draft resolution to be put to a vote on Wednesday.