EP deze week: Mali, Nobelprijs, dag tegen homofobie en Dag van Europa (en)
EU budget negotiations and a discussion on the situation in Mali with the country's acting president will take centre stage in a week dominated by committee and political group meetings. There will also be a seminar for journalists on the overhaul of EU rules on data protection, the EP i's visitors centre will open an exhibition on the Nobel peace prize, the international day against homophobia will be marked on Friday and preparations for next week's plenary will get under way.
On Thursday Mali's interim president Dioncounda Traoré will discuss the situation in his country with members of the foreign affairs and development committees and the security and defence subcommittee. An international donors conference to help the reconstruction of Mali will be held in Brussels the day before.
Parliament will organise a seminar for journalists on 14-15 May to tell them more about the first overhaul of EU rules on data protection since 1995. The aim is to strengthen people's rights, such as the right to be forgotten and requiring companies to obtain explicit consent before they can use people's data.
On Wednesday an exhibition on the Nobel peace prize awarded to the EU last year will be opened at the EP's visitors centre.
Parliament's political groups will prepare for next week's plenary session that features votes on bank supervision and new offshore drilling rules, as well as a debate ahead of the upcoming EU summit that will focus on tax evasion and energy issues.
On Friday it will be the international day against homophobia. The EU's fundamental rights agency will present in The Hague a survey on hate crime and discrimination against people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered. Parliament will be represented at the launch by Kinga Göncz i, a Hungarian member of the S&D group who is a vicechair of the civil liberties committee.
On 19 May Parliament will opens its doors to the public in Strasbourg. The focus will be on citizens' rights as 2013 is the European Year of Citizens.