The Executive Director of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Emer Cooke will debate with the Environment and Public Health Committee the latest developments in the COVID-19 vaccination campaign (including reviews, authorisations for paediatric use and boosters), as well as recent developments around COVID-19 therapeutics and the general epidemiological situation (Tuesday).

The Civil Liberties Committee will begin legislative work on two asylum and migration proposals. One will cover new procedures to make a quick determination at the EU’s external borders whether an asylum-seeker should be refused entry, returned, or referred to the EU’s asylum system. The second file is about a new instrument to tackle migration crises in one or more EU countries. A press conference on the crisis instrument proposal will take place at 12:15 (Tuesday).

The Women’s Rights and the Civil Liberties committees will adopt a legislative initiative calling for a directive to establish the minimum rules concerning the definition of the crime of gender-based cyber-violence and related sanctions; new measures to promote the prevention of this crime; and to ensure reparation for victims (Tuesday).

The 16th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), bringing together MEPs and parliamentarians from the Mediterranean countries, will kick off with remarks by EP President Sassoli. EU foreign policy Chief Josep Borrell and Jordan’s Foreign Affairs Minister H.E. Ayman Al Safadi will also take the floor, among several other speakers (Friday and Saturday).

President Sassoli will open the tribute, from Parliament’s Strasbourg hemicycle, to President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, former President of France and Chair of the European Convention (Thursday am)