This WEEK in the European Union
LUCIA KUBOSOVA
08.09.2008 @ 09:43 CET
EUOBSERVER / WEEKLY AGENDA (8 - 14 September) - This week starts with the EU delegation's talks with Russian leaders on the situation in the Caucasus where French president and current EU president Nicolas Sarkozy will try to convince Moscow to withdraw Russian troops from Georgia.
The demand was voiced in several European forums last week, most recently by the bloc's foreign ministers at their informal meeting in Avignon over the weekend, which also saw a call for an international inquiry into the break-out of the armed conflict in Georgia in early August.
Nicolas Sarkozy and Jose Barroso are kicking off this week in talks with Russian leaders on Georgia (Photo: © European Community, 2008 )
"Our basic message to Russia is very clear. It is through diplomacy, through dialogue, that Russia can and should defend its legitimate interests," said European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, also present in the EU delegation, along with the EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
On Tuesday, the commission and the French presidency will hold a summit with Ukraine leaders in the French town of Evian, to sketch out plans for a new bilateral treaty and Ukraine's future accession prospects to the EU. the meeting will be held in the shadow of a political crisis in Kiev, which saw its pro-Western ruling coalition fall apart last week.
Economic gloom darkens
The other key event for the European Commission is the publication of a fresh economic forecast for the 27-strong bloc which has been preceded by several partial reports on various aspects of economic activities in member states, prompting gloomy expectations.
Just last week, the Paris-based think-tank the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) warned that Europe is still striving to cope with the consequences of the financial turmoil, with Britain expected to enter recession by the end of 2008 and the eurozone to grow by 1.3 percent, not 1.7 percent as said earlier.
The commission publishes economic forecasts four times a year and covers several indicators from growth, inflation and employment to public budget deficits and debts.
After its publication on Wednesday, it will be discussed in the European Parliament's economic and monetary affairs committee which holds a debate with the ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet on the same day.
The issue will also dominate at an informal meeting of finance ministers to be held next weekend in Nice, starting on Friday.
Climate change in the parliament
The other big topic to be discussed in the EU assembly during its "committee week" will be climate change.
On Thursday, MEPs in the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy will vote on some 1,200 amendments to the report on renewable energy - part of the EU's climate change package - prepared by Green MEP Claude Turmes from Luxemburg.
The same day, parliament will present a joint Eurobarometer survey with the commission on climate change.
MEPs will also discuss migration in Europe - both at a two-day meeting with national delegates starting on Wednesday, and in the employment committee which will vote on a report linked to the proposals on sanctions for employers of illegal immigrants.
On Tuesday, the eight nominations for this year's Sakharov Prize for democracy and human rights will be formally presented at a joint meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Development Committee and the Human Rights Subcommittee.
And finally, several committees will be involved in events called "African week" in the EU parliament, with issues facing Africa, such as security of food supplies set to be debated by prominent speakers, including the director-general of the UN's food agency, Jacques Diouf.