Written by Rebecca Fredrick and Clare Ferguson.
Members of the European Parliament meet in plenary session in Brussels this week, and will focus on the topical subject of countering the effects of foreign interference in democratic processes, with just over a year to go until the next European Parliament elections. Breaches of the rule of law also feature, along with further assistance to Ukraine, corporate responsibility in value chains and protection of EU speciality products through geographical indications. Salomé Zourabichvili, President of Georgia is expected to address a formal sitting on Wednesday afternoon.
Against a background of increasing external interference in European Union affairs – ranging from social media disinformation campaigns, to corruption of officials and the weaponisation of energy, food supplies and migrants – Parliament is making it a priority to develop recommendations on how to counter harmful foreign influences. Members are set to hold a joint debate on foreign interference in democratic processes and election integrity on Thursday morning. They will then vote on the report of the second Special Committee on Foreign Interference (ING2) on external attempts to influence elections and democratic processes in the EU. The ING2 report follows the first INGE special committee’s report, whose work ING2 continues, with the added mandate to address issues of transparency, integrity and accountability within the European Parliament. The recommendation and updates in the report on foreign interference in EU democracy address resilience-building, cybersecurity, interference during electoral processes, covert funding of political activities by foreign actors, the EU’s coordinated strategy on interference, and the development of a defence of democracy package.
In the face of ongoing Russian aggression, Ukraine is fast exhausting its own supplies of ammunition and missiles as well as those provided by NATO. Responding to Ukraine’s request for EU assistance, the Council agreed on a three-track proposal on ammunition in March 2023. The first two components (delivery from existing Member State stocks, and joint procurement from industry), are already under way, supported through the European Peace Facility. The third component – increasing EU production – is the subject of a legislative proposal now subject to the urgent procedure, following a vote at the May I 2023 plenary session. The proposal aims to assist defence industry to increase production capacity, introduce a temporary regulatory framework to address ammunition shortages, and create a mechanism to address supply-chain bottlenecks – as providing assistance to Ukraine should not leave EU countries without the means for their own defence. While Parliament supports increasing munitions delivery to Ukraine, the new proposal is potentially controversial as, in helping the defence industry to ramp up production, it includes the creation of a fund that would provide financial assistance to EU ammunition producers. After Parliament adopts its position, negotiations with the Council on the proposed act in support of ammunition production are to be fast-tracked, with Parliament aiming to adopt the act by the end of July 2023.
President Roberta Metsola opens the session on Wednesday afternoon with a statement marking the 10-year anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh, a disaster that highlighted the terrible conditions in which many workers produce goods for Western companies. Concern has continued to grow about corporate responsibility for the potential risks business activities pose to human rights and the environment, particularly from companies with operations outside the EU. Yet a 2020 Commission study found that only 37 % of businesses were undertaking due diligence that considered environmental and human rights impacts. A Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) report on harmonising corporate sustainability due diligence across Member States demands amendments to the Commission’s proposal. These include broadening the scope of companies subject to the directive, as well as the definition of ‘value chain’, introducing remediation for those affected by unfair corporate practices, and linking the variable remuneration of directors of large companies (1000+ employees) to the implementation of climate change transition plans. Members are due to debate the JURI report on corporate sustainability due diligence on Wednesday, with a view to setting Parliament’s position for trilogue negotiations with the Commission and Council.
The EU’s geographical indications (GIs) schemes currently protect over 3 500 products whose quality or reputation are linked to the place in which they are produced. Accounting for 7 % of sales in the EU food and drink sector, certification can be lucrative for producers: on average, products with a GI label have double the sales value of those without. However, rules for GIs for food, spirits and wine are currently governed by three separate pieces of legislation, leading to delays in application and approval, and concerns regarding consumer awareness, sustainability requirements, and enforcement. On Wednesday, Parliament is scheduled to consider a report from the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) on a proposed regulation consolidating elements of the geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products into a single system. Under the proposal, management of GIs would be transferred to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), a move that has garnered criticism from stakeholders who say that EUIPO lacks sectoral expertise. The AGRI amendments would restrict EUIPO’s role to monitoring the GI register and potential domain name conflicts. The committee’s report would also simplify the GI registration procedure and allow some of the existing rules for wine GIs to remain in place.
European Parliament Plenary Session May II 2023 – Agenda
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