The Week Ahead in Strasbourg

Eurozone crisis

Ahead of new legislative proposals on economic governance, due at the end of November, the Presidents of the Commission, European Council and Eurogroup will speak in a debate with MEPs on the matter.

ECR Chairman Jan Zahradil and the group's economics spokesman Kay Swinburne MEP will argue that it is important that national governments consolidate their fiscal positions and keep debts and deficits within manageable levels in the future. However, they are concerned that any proposals for economic governance suitably respect those countries that are not members of the Eurozone.

Debate: Wednesday @ 09.00

Professional qualifications

MEPs will vote on a report by ECR MEP Emma McClarkin which aims to better facilitate professional worker mobility across the EU by ensuring qualifications are easily recognised and portable.

The report, which will assist the commission with legislative proposals, aims to simplify and speed up the recognition of qualifications, and reduces the number of regulated professions in the EU.

The proposals will also ensure that checks continue to remain in place for sensitive sectors, particularly healthcare. They will also introduce an alert to be sent to all Member States in cases where regulatory action is taken against a health professional's right to practice, to ensure patient safety throughout the EU.

Vote: Tuesday @ 12.00
Press conference: Tuesday @ 17.00

2012 work programme

The parliament will debate the European Commission's 2012 programme of work with President Barroso.

The ECR group wants to see this programme focus on growth, SMEs, competitiveness, flexible labour markets, a commitment to open trade and measures to further the EU Single Market. The ECR chairman of the parliament's internal market committee Malcolm Harbour MEP will be coordinating the ECR's document outlining its priorities for 2012, which will be voted on by the parliament in December.

Debate: Tuesday @ 15.00
Vote: Week of 12th December

Short selling

MEPs are expected to endorse an agreement between the parliament and national governments which aims to introduce powers to increase the transparency of dealing with credit default swaps (CDSs) and 'naked' short selling, and to enable temporary restrictions on dealing when market stability is threatened.

Short selling, the practice of selling a security which has been borrowed in the expectation that its price will fall and thus can be bought back at a lower price before its return to its original owner, and credit default swaps (CDSs), which are a form of insurance against defaults, are established components of the financial markets. They have attracted some controversy, however, especially where short selling takes place in its "naked" or "uncovered" form (i.e. arrangements have not been made to borrow the security) and where the asset insured by the CDS is not owned by the party which has bought the CDS.

ECR shadow rapporteur on the proposal Syed Kamall MEP was concerned that a blanket ban of uncovered sovereign CDS could have serous impacts on the ability of Member States to raise revenue through issuing bonds. In the final text some of the most significant concerns have been amended so that governments will be able to opt out of a ban if they see signals that sovereign debt markets are distressed. However, he is still concerned that the proposals could have unintended consequences on bond markets.

Vote: Tuesday @ 12.00

EU-US summit

MEPs will debate the summit between the EU's leaders and the US administration to be held on the 28th November. ECR foreign affairs spokesman Charles Tannock MEP will argue that close EU-US relations are the bedrock of the transatlantic partnership and account for a significant proportion of global wealth and trade.

He will say that as well as close economic cooperation, the USA and the EU member states need to coordinate a common approach to many foreign policy challenges - such has containing Iranian nuclear ambitions and making the Quartet meaningful as a broker for peace in the Middle-East.

Debate: Wednesday @ 15.00