The Week ahead

On Wednesday, the European Commission will present what it calls the Digital Green Certificate. The certificate is meant to provide proof that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, has recovered from it, or has received a negative test result. "Now that vaccination in Europe is increasing, we must have a perspective to returning to the fundamental right of free movement and travel in Europe. A vaccination certificate is a good way to do this. Unfortunately, however, we have already lost months debating this. The European Parliament should adopt these proposals as a matter of urgency", says Manfred Weber MEP, the EPP Group Chairman.

On Monday, MEPs in the Parliament's Environment Committee will debate with representatives of the European Medicines Agency, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organisation how to contain and keep in check more transmissible and rapidly-spreading variants of Coronavirus that are causing concern across Europe. For the EPP Group, adapting production capacities and supply chains to Coronavirus mutations is a top priority.

On Tuesday, MEPs from the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee (LIBE) will once again address the topic of violations of the rule of law in Poland. This time, they will focus on the situation of judges and prosecutors in light of reports of repressions of both groups for defending the rule of law and European standards. The EPP Group calls on the European Commission to take immediate action in order to prevent further repression and destruction of the personal lives of judges and prosecutors who defend the rule of law, the Polish Constitution and European law standards. Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, and a representative of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council will take part in the discussion. The LIBE Committee has also invited representatives of the Polish authorities to the debate.

How to deal in monetary policy with the economic fallout from the Coronavirus pandemic and how the crisis has effected economic life in various business sectors are at the top of the agenda when the President of the European Central Bank (ECB) Christine Lagarde takes part in a debate with Members of the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee on Thursday 18 March. With massive asset purchases, the ECB has already done a lot to sustain the economy in Europe. Looking forward, Lagarde is expected to explain how she intends to steer monetary policy over the next few months against the backdrop of an uncertain economic outlook.

On Thursday, MEPs from the European Parliament's Industry, Research and Energy Committee will vote on a hydrogen strategy for a climate-neutral Europe. The aim is to create a strategic roadmap, an investment agenda, to help boost demand and scale up the production of hydrogen. The EPP Group believes in the significant role of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in this sector and underlines the need for low-carbon hydrogen as a bridging technology to reach the 2030 and 2050 goals, while respecting the principle of technology neutrality. Research, development and dedicated training programmes are also core in the deployment of this technology.

On Thursday, the Special Committee on Beating Cancer will meet in the European Parliament to discuss the importance of screening and early detection of cancer to save and improve patients' lives.