The Week ahead

After the US President Joe Biden announced his support for a COVID-19 vaccine patent waiver, several European Parliament committees will debate the trade-related implications of COVID-19 next week. The EPP Group is in favour of accelerating efforts to help developing countries vaccinate their population but is sceptical as to whether this goal can be reached by lifting patents. A comprehensive and strategical technology transfer is needed to increase vaccine production in developing countries. "We want to deal with this issue in a non-ideological way, but waiving patent rights will not solve the problem in the short-term. The Americans must lift their export ban and we must work together to support technology transfer around the world for mRNA vaccines", says Peter Liese MEP, the EPP Group's Spokesman for Health. "We welcome the United States' ambition to catch up, particularly so after having exported hardly any vaccines for several months. It would be very beneficial for all if they lifted their export ban. Issuing populistic statements will not help anyone", said Christophe Hansen MEP, the EPP Group's Spokesman for International Trade.

The Kremlin's interference in democracies in the EU will be in the spotlight on Monday, as Mikhail Khodorkovsky debates with MEPs in a joint meeting of Parliament's Special Committee on Foreign Interference and the Foreign Affairs Committee. The exiled Russian businessman, philanthropist and former oligarch was imprisoned for 14 years by the Putin administration. He was arrested on 25 October 2003 after calling on President Putin to account for systemic corruption and advocating an independent judicial system and respect for the rule of law.

The EPP Group will host a hearing on Wednesday on the right for cancer survivors to not have their medical history recorded by banks and insurance companies. "We want cancer survivors to have the right to be forgotten. Insurance companies or banks should not deny cancer survivors who have beaten the disease access to financial services, such as mortgages, or ask for additional and higher premiums. Those who survive mustn't be punished twice", says Cindy Franssen MEP, the EPP Group's Spokeswoman in the Beating Cancer Committee.  

Members of the Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee will discuss the new EU-China strategy on Monday. "China is the kind of challenge which I hope will concentrate minds because competition with China is inevitable because of the dynamics, because of the ideology, because of the system of alliance”, says Radosław Sikorski MEP, who is negotiating the strategy on behalf of the EPP Group and authored the EPP Group Position Paper on China.

On Monday, the Budgets Committee and the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee will debate the National Recovery Plans with Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni. On the same day, the Environment Committee will also hold a structured dialogue with Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius on sustainable water management, the circular economy, reversing soil degradation, and restoring biodiversity. Parliament's Industry Committee will quiz Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton and the Legal Affairs Committee will hold a debate with Commission Vice-Presidents Margrethe Vestager and Věra Jourová on the state of play, progress and outlook of their work. The Culture Committee will also have a discussion with Věra Jourová focusing on Media Policy. Also on Monday, Ylva Johansson, Commissioner for Home Affairs, will participate in the meeting of the Women's Rights and Gender Equality Committee.