Opening – December plenary session

Symbolically opening the December part-session in Strasbourg, the official seat of the European Parliament, President Sassoli expressed his solidarity with the citizens of Strasbourg and the French authorities and committed to holding the Parliament’s plenary sessions in the Strasbourg hemicycle again in the near future.Former French president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, who passed away on 2 December, was also an MEP and “a passionate European”, said the president. The Parliament will hold a special ceremony in his honour in Strasbourg, on 2 February 2021 which will be attended by President Macron and other heads of state or government. President Sassoli expressed his condolences to the victims of the terrorist attack on the City of Strasbourg on 11 December 2018, as well as to their families and their friends.

European Parliament: Plenary session The week ahead 14 – 20 December 2020

Future EU financing and recovery package/Rule of Law Mechanism. MEPs stand ready to vote on all related legislative files and the 2021 budget, provided that the texts agreed with MEPs are referred to Parliament in time for the start of next week’s plenary session.Outcome of EU summit. In a debate on Wednesday, Parliament will assess the outcome of the December European Council with Commission and Council Presidents Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel. MEPs are set to discuss their position on the future EU-UK relationship, climate change, relations with Turkey, the fight against terrorism and violent extremism as well as coordinated efforts to combat COVID-19, including vaccines and testing.Belarus opposition to be awarded Sakharov Prize. On Wednesday at 12.00, the democratic opposition in Belarus, represented by several laureates including opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, will be awarded the 2020 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. EP President Sassoli, Ms Tsikhanouskaya and fellow laureate Veranika Tsapkala are scheduled to hold a press conference immediately after the award ceremony at around 12.40. COVID-19 vaccines: In a debate on Wednesday, MEPs will present their views on an EU strategy for COVID-19 vaccinations that addresses challenges inside and outside the EU. They are expected to call for coordinated efforts to ensure access to safe vaccines across Europe once EU market authorisation has been granted, fair distribution and the protection of the most vulnerable, as well as equal access to vaccines across the world. Addressing the impact of COVID-19. MEPs are expected to approve on Tuesday (announced Wednesday) the €47.5 billion REACT-EU package to mitigate the immediate effects of the COVID-19 crisis across EU regions. The money will be made available over the next two years through the EU Structural Fund and investments will be focused on the sectors most affected by the economic fallout of the pandemic. MEPs will also discuss on Monday and vote on Wednesday a resolution calling for measures to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) deal with the economic crisis. Higher quality of tap water. On Tuesday evening, MEPs will vote on new drinking water rules, designed to offer high quality tap water across the EU, thus enabling and encouraging people to drink tap water rather than bottled water while reducing plastic waste. To improve access, member states should encourage the free provision of water in public buildings. A resolution on the implementation of the EU water legislation will be put to the vote on Thursday. Climate Change. MEPs want to give impetus to building climate-resilient societies through the upcoming EU adaptation strategy, in a resolution to be put to the vote on Thursday. They are set to call for renewed focus on adaptation, to minimise the adverse impact of climate change, and for climate-proofed infrastructure to receive EU funding. Legislative negotiations. On Monday, MEPs from several committees will continue negotiating with the German Council Presidency on a number of legislative files, including the EU4Health, Creative Europe, and Digital Europe programmes. President’s Diary. The President of the European Parliament will open the remote plenary session from the Strasbourg hemicycle on Monday at 17.00, preceded by a press point at 16.00. On Tuesday at 11.30, David Sassoli will meet with Michael Roth, the German Minister of State for Europe. On Wednesday, the President will chair the 2020 Sakharov Prize Award Ceremony in the Brussels chamber at 12.00, followed by a press conference with the laureates at 12.40. At 16.15, he will receive the Flame of Peace on the Esplanade.

13th EuroLat Plenary Session

The week ahead 02 – 08 November 2020. MEPs and their Latin American counterparts will gather, via video conference, for the 13th EuroLat Plenary Session, and will chiefly discuss the pandemic. Parliamentarians will assess the human impact of COVID-19 on both sides of the Atlantic and will also consider how to promote social and economic recovery. High Representative Josep Borrell will deliver a video message to the assembly. German Minister Heiko Maas, on behalf of the Presidency of the Council, and the new President of the Inter-American Development Bank Mauricio Claver-Carone are also expected to participate (Wednesday, Thursday).

European Parliament:The week ahead 19 – 25 October 2020

Remote plenary session. Due to the serious public health situation in Belgium and France, the President, in agreement with EP group leaders, has decided that the October II session will take place remotely. Future of EU Farm Policy. MEPs will debate and vote on plans to reform the EU’s farm policy, to make it more sustainable, resilient and flexible. The package includes plans to enhance mandatory climate- and environmentally-friendly practices, reduce payments to bigger farms and channel more money to smaller farms and young farmers, to help them deal with crises and simplify rules on carrying out checks and controls. (debate Tuesday, final votes and results Friday) Sakharov Prize 2020 Winner. EP President David Sassoli will announce the winner of the 2020 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought at noon on Thursday. The finalists are: the democratic opposition in Belarus, represented by the Coordination Council, an initiative of brave women and political and civil society figures; Guapinol activists and Berta Cáceres in Honduras; Mgr Najeeb Michaeel, Archbishop of Mosul, Iraq. (Thursday) Digital Services. MEPs will present their demands on how digital services, including online platforms and marketplaces, should be regulated and how they expect the Commission to address and tackle current shortcomings in the online environment in its Digital Services package, due to be presented by the end of the year. (debate Monday, final votes Tuesday, results Wednesday morning) Artificial Intelligence. MEPs will outline their vision of how the EU can best regulate Artificial Intelligence (AI) and what AI rules are needed on ethics, liability and intellectual property rights, so that the EU can become a global leader in its development. (debate Monday, final votes Tuesday, results Wednesday morning) Deforestation. To ensure that EU consumption does not lead to global deforestation, MEPs are expected to call for binding legislation based on traceability requirements and mandatory due diligence for companies placing products on the EU market. (debate Wednesday, final vote and result Thursday) Member states selling EU passports. MEPs will quiz the Commission about possible measures to stop third-country criminals from buying EU citizenship documents or visas to gain access to EU territory. (Thursday) Commission Work Programme for 2021. MEPs will debate the Commission’s 2021 work programme, presented by Commission Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans, focussing on its plans to boost recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and build a resilient, carbon-neutral and digitally advanced EU economy. (Tuesday) EU summit. In a debate with European Council President Charles Michel, MEPs will comment on the outcome of the 15-16 October EU Summit, particularly on EU-UK relations, COVID-19 coordination measures, climate change and EU-Africa relations. (Wednesday) President’s Diary. EP President David Sassoli will meet the European Ombudswoman, Emily O’Reilly, on Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday, he will meet the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev. On Sunday, he is travelling to Portugal for an official visit.

Brussels Plenary session, The week ahead 05 – 11 October 2020

Long-term budget/Rule of law. With regard to ongoing talks, MEPs are set to remind member states that Parliament will only agree to a long-term budget if there is a strong mechanism that allows for EU funding to be reduced or suspended if a member state disrespects the rule of law. A press conference by the EP’s negotiating team for the next MFF and Own Resources reform is scheduled for 16.30 on Monday. (debate Monday) Mechanism to protect European values. In order to target autocratic and illiberal tendencies as well as corruption, disinformation and state capture in EU countries, Parliament will vote on a legislative initiative that envisages a permanent EU mechanism applying equally and fairly to all member states, to protect and strengthen democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights. (debate Monday, vote Wednesday) Bulgaria. MEPs will debate the situation of rule of law and fundamental rights as well as the ongoing protests against corruption and alleged state capture in Bulgaria. A resolution will be put to the vote on Thursday. (debate Monday, vote Thursday) EU climate law. MEPs will vote on a more ambitious 2030 emissions reduction target on Wednesday. The European climate law aims to transform political promises that the EU will become climate-neutral by 2050 into a binding obligation, to give European citizens and businesses the legal certainty and predictability they need to plan for the transformation. A press conference is scheduled for 10.00 on Wednesday (debate Tuesday, vote Wednesday) Changes in the Commission. Parliament is set to decide on the appointment of Commissioner-designate Ms McGuinness and on the new portfolio allocated to Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis, on Wednesday. Following their hearings in the competent committees, the Conference of Presidents will carry out the final evaluation and decide whether to close the hearings or request further action on Tuesday. Special EU summit. MEPs will comment on the results of the special European Council meeting, in particular on escalating tensions between Turkey and its EU neighbours, on relations with China and on the situation in Belarus, in a debate with Council President Michel. During the debate, MEPs will also look ahead and give their input regarding the next regular EU summit, to be held 15-16 October. (Tuesday) Women on Boards. MEPs are set to reiterate their demand to move forward on the ‘‘Women on boards’’ Directive, which sought to address gender inequality by requiring that at least 40% of board members of companies listed on stock exchanges should be women by 2020 in the private sector and by 2018 in the public sector. The directive has been blocked in the Council for years. (debate Monday) President’s diary. EP President David Sassoli will participate in the event commemorating the 57th anniversary of the Vajont Tragedy, on Saturday. On Sunday, the President will join the Peace March in Assisi. Press briefing. The European Parliament’s and the groups’ spokespersons will hold a press briefing on the plenary session at 11:00 on Monday, in the “Anna Politkovskaya” EP press conference room and via skype. Group leaders are due to brief the media on Tuesday morning.

European Parliament: Plenary session

Brussels The week ahead 11 – 17 May 2020. New EU long-term budget. MEPs will debate the post-2020 budget revision and economic recovery package plans with Commission and Council on Wednesday and vote on a resolution on Friday, to ensure that the new MFF (Multiannual Financial Framework) proposal to be tabled by the Commission turns the EU budget into an efficient tool for restarting the EU economy.
Safeguard EU budget 2021. Parliament will also vote on a legislative initiative report requesting that the European Commission submits a proposal for an MFF contingency plan by 15 June 2020 to avoid programme funding being disrupted on 1 January 2021 in the event that the approval of the long-term budget is delayed. (Wednesday)
Hungary. Parliament will address the threats to democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights posed by the Hungarian government’s recently introduced emergency powers in light of COVID-19, in a debate with Council and Commission on Wednesday evening.
COVID-19 tracing apps. MEPs will discuss the use of smartphone apps in managing the spread of the pandemic and how to ensure data protection and privacy rights are fully respected. (Thursday)
COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. Boosting research to ensure everyone has swift access to future vaccines and treatments for the novel Coronavirus will be at the core of a debate with Council and Commission on Thursday.
Water reuse. To remedy fresh water scarcity, MEPs will vote on new requirements to safely use recycled waste water for agricultural irrigation and other purposes. (Wednesday)
70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration. Commemorating Robert Schuman’s declaration of 9 May 1950 that set out the European Union’s founding principles, MEPs will discuss how the Conference on the Future of Europe (expected to start later this year, with citizen participation at its core) can help the EU to overcome current and future challenges. (Thursday)
Artificial Intelligence package. Intellectual property rights for the development of AI, ethical aspects of AI technologies and robotics, as well as the civil liability regime for AI will be debated by the Legal Affairs Committee (Tuesday).
Just Transition Fund. The Regional Development Committee will hold the first debate on the proposed Just Transition Fund, the first legislative proposal implementing the priorities set out in the European Green Deal. Topics likely to be discussed include the scope of the support, the budget envelope, as well as the new Fund’s relation to existing instruments of the EU’s cohesion policy (Tuesday).
Circular economy and biodiversity: The Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee will debate the new Circular Economy Action Plan and the upcoming Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 with Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius. (Tuesday)
President’s Diary. The President will invite civil society actors engaged in daily solidarity actions to take the floor on Saturday 9 May, in a livestreamed event in the Brussels Chamber celebrating EUROPE DAY 2020: 70 YEARS OF SOLIDARITY. On Wednesday, he will open the plenary session in Brussels and chair the debates on the EU response to COVID-19 and the recovery plan within the long-term budget with Council President Charles Michel and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Pre-session press briefing. The EP Press and Spokesperson Services will hold a virtual press briefing together with spokespersons of Parliament’s political groups (tbc), on Wednesday. A media advisory, including exact timing and technical specifications, will be published on the press-room webpage ahead of the online press conference.

Brussels The week ahead 09 – 15 March 2020 Plenary session

Bruxelles Coronavirus. In a debate with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Parliament will assess EU and national efforts to contain the COVID-19 virus from spreading and the role of the new EU corona response team, which coordinates with member states to share information, assess needs and ensure a coherent, EU-wide response. A significant increase in COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks would deeply affect public health and healthcare systems and heavily affect the economy and social life. (Debate Tuesday, vote Thursday)
EU long-term budget. In a debate with Council President Charles Michel, MEPs will assess the consequences of member states’ failure to agree on a common position on the 2021-27 Multiannual Financial Framework at the special EU summit on 20-21 February. They will also discuss topics on the agenda of the next European Council meeting on 26-27 March such as digitalisation, external policies, enlargement and the EU economic base. (Debate Wednesday)
Climate Law. The first legislative proposal and cornerstone of the Green Deal to turn Europe into a carbon-neutral continent by 2050 will be discussed with Commission Executive Vice-President Timmermans on Monday afternoon. Parliament last year declared a climate emergency and called for more ambitious intermediate EU reduction targets for 2030.
Greek-Turkish border. MEPs will assess the situation of migrants and asylum seekers following an ad-hoc visit by EP President Sassoli, Council President Michel and Commission President von der Leyen. They will also look into the Greek authorities’ response to the decision by Turkey to open its border and the EU emergency assistance offered to Athens for border management. (Debate Wednesday)
International Women’s Day. Women as key agents for change will be the focus of a debate on Tuesday morning with Commission Ursula von der Leyen. MEPs are likely to react to the new 2020-2025 Gender Equality Strategy presented by the Commission on 5 March.
Protecting EU-funds. Parliament will vote on a resolution asking for EU funds to be protected more effectively against conflict of interest and misuse, including by the Czech Prime Minister. MEPs will add their impressions from a recent parliamentary fact-finding mission to Czechia. A press conference by MEPs who went on the mission is scheduled on Wednesday at 14.00. (Vote Thursday)
Ukraine/Minsk agreement. MEPs will discuss the situation in Ukraine after six years of diplomatic efforts to end the violent conflict in the Donbass region. The Minsk agreements between Russia and Ukraine, signed in 2014 and 2015, have so far failed to bring peace to the area and allow Ukraine to regain full control over its eastern territories. (debate Tuesday, vote Thursday)
President’s Diary. The President will open the plenary session on Monday at 17.00 in Brussels, calling for a minute of silence for the victims of the Hanau attacks. On Tuesday, he will make an opening statement at the beginning of the International Women’s Day debate, at 9.00.
Pre-session press briefing. The EP Press Service will hold a press briefing at 16.30 on Monday in the Anna Politkovskaya press conference room, Brussels.

NetApp Hosts Technology Sessions at 2019

Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 29, 2019, from 12:45 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. Pacific Time. NetApp participants include George Kurian, chief executive officer; Brad Anderson, executive vice president, cloud infrastructure business unit and storage, system and software business unit; Anthony Lye, senior vice president and general manager, cloud data services business unit; Octavian Tanase, senior vice president, ONTAP; and Brett Roscoe, vice president, product management. Henri Richard, executive vice president, worldwide field and customer operations, will moderate a customer panel. Audience members will include financial analysts and investors.
NetApp is the data authority for hybrid cloud. We provide a full range of hybrid cloud data services that simplify management of applications and data across cloud and on-premises environments to accelerate digital transformation. Together with our partners, we empower global organizations to unleash the full potential of their data to expand customer touchpoints, foster greater innovation, and optimize their operations. For more information, visit http://www.netapp.com. DataDriven

La session de printemps 2019 des Collections Aristophil

Paris. S’achève après sept ventes aux enchères orchestrées du 1er au 5 avril par les OVA (Opérateurs de Vente pour les Collections Aristophil ; Aguttes, Artcurial, Drouot Estimations, Ader). Avec un total de 11 179 839 €, le bilan de cette session de ventes est à nouveau très positif. Maître Claude Aguttes a précisé: « Les très beaux résultats de la semaine dernière illustrent la force et la stabilité du marché ainsi que la demande importante pour les livres et les manuscrits. La confiance des enchérisseurs envers la provenance « Collections Aristophil » est incontestable, quelle que soit la nature des œuvres en étant issues, des autographes aux tableaux modernes ; confiance d’autant plus soulignée par le nombre important (45) de préemptions par l’État français. Enfin, j’estime que le succès de cette session printanière repose sur le travail commun fourni par nos quatre maisons de ventes et je suis extrêmement fier de nos équipes qui travaillent sans relâche au bon déroulement et au succès de ces sessions de ventes ». http://www.collections-aristophil.com

The Future of AI-Powered Healthcare session and reception

Parc 55 San Francisco, Monday, January 7, 4 pm 55 Cyril Magnin Street; 4th Floor, Cyril Magnin Ballroom. The newly formed Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (AAIH) is sponsoring a panel discussion open to the public, titled “The Future of AI-Powered Healthcare,” on Monday, January 7, in association with the Digital and Medtech Medicine Showcase at the Biotech Showcase in San Francisco. Experts will explore not only the potential impact of machine learning on healthcare systems and drug development, but also provide insights on what investors and partners should consider before engaging in financing or co-development with AI healthcare companies.Preceding the panel, Alex Zhavoronkov, CEO of Insilico Medicine, will provide an introduction, announcing the official launch of AAIH, which will include the organization’s inaugural board meeting on Wednesday, January 9, in San Francisco.
Panelists are Alex Lash, National Biotech Editor, Xconomy; Brandon Allgood, CTO and Co-founder of Numerate; John Baldoni, Senior VP of In-Silico Drug Discovery, GSK; Maria Luisa Pineda, CEO and Co-Founder, Envisagenics; Bill Martin, President and COO, BlackThorn Therapeutics; Angeli Moeller, Co-Lead of AI, Head of Research IT Business Partnering, Bayer; and Ben Newton, CDO, GE Healthcare Life Sciences.

WCIT adopts Declaration of Amsterdam

During the closing session of WITSA’s 17th World Congress on IT (WCIT 2010) in Amsterdam the Declaration of Amsterdam was presented by Minister Van der Hoeven (Economic Affairs). The Declaration of Amsterdam, subtitled ‘The Digital Road to Recovery’, spells out commitments to direct the use of ICT to stimulate economic growth and address key societal challenges such as climate change, healthcare and quality of life. To address these challenges in a full and timely manner, the intelligent use of information and communication technologies (ICT) is an important enabler. The Declaration provides a strong support for the development of ICT which is important because ICT is a crucial factor on the way to global economic recovery.  According to Minister Van der Hoeven “it is important to turn the Declaration of Amsterdam and its messages into action”. As an interesting example she mentioned the way the ICT-sector in the Netherlands together with the government wants to reduce the CO2 footprint of the ICT-sector. “More of these public private partnerships are necessary,” according to Van den Hoeven. To turn the Declaration into action the WCIT website doa.wcit2010.org contains an Action Forum to engage a wide range of stakeholders. The results provide input for a process that will continue beyond Amsterdam, towards the next WCIT in 2012 in Montreal, Canada. According to Henk Broeders (chairman ICT~Office) about 70 interesting projects have been submitted since the opening of the website, which can make a difference in making better use of ICT to fulfill its promises.  The Declaration of Amsterdam and its Call for Action is a first step towards implementing the Granada Ministerial Declaration and the EU Digital Agenda and will be recommended for support by the G20 countries at their summit in June 2010 in Toronto, Canada. The declaration is supported by among others: ICT-office, The City of Amsterdam, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Spanish presidency of the EU and the European Commission.

Il Million Dollar Quartet conquista Broadway!

Dopo due anni di successi all’Apollo Theater di Chicago, arriva anche a New York l’attesissimo cast del musical “Million Dollar Quartet”. Il debutto la scorsa sera al Nederlander Theatre di Broadway con ottime recensioni da parte della stampa e del pubblico presente. Lo spettacolo è un’omaggio all’incontro tra Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis e Carl Perkins che la sera del 4 dicembre 1956 si riunirono alla Sun Records di Memphis per quella che sarebbe diventata una delle più grandi jam session di tutti i tempi. La narrazione dello spettacolo è affidata a Sam Phillip, fondatore della Sun Records ed interpretato da Hunter Foster, e si basa sulla storia di quel fortuito incontro, con qualche correzione alla storia per poter apprezzare al meglio tutta l’energia dello spettacolo. Ma ciò che rende questo musical un vero successo sono le canzoni, che ci fanno fare un salto nel passato, quando alla radio si ascoltava “Blue Suede Shoes”, “Folsom Prison Blues”, “Great Balls of Fire”, “Hound Dog”, “Peace in the Valley” e non si poteva di certo stare fermi senza ballare. Robert Britton Lyons interpreta Carl Perkins, Lance Guest è Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis è interpretato da Levi Kreis, mentre Eddie Clendening è The King Elvis Presley. Il musical cattura quel singolare momento musicale di quando quattro grandi talenti si riunirono per diventare una vera rock ‘n’ roll band!I biglietti per lo spettacolo possono essere acquistati chiando il numero 02/45077407 oppure collegandosi alla sezione musical del NYC-Site.com al seguente indirizzo

My plan for real health reform

Letter from Obama. I just finished laying out my plan for health reform at a joint session of Congress. Now, I’m writing directly to you because what happens next is critical — and I need your help. Change this big will not happen because I ask for it. It can only come when the nation demands it. Congress knows where I stand. Now they need to hear from you. The heart of my plan is simple: bring stability and security to Americans who already have health insurance, guarantee affordable coverage for those who don’t, and rein in the cost of health care. Tonight, I offered a specific plan for how to make it happen. I incorporated the best ideas from Democrats and Republicans to create a plan that’s bold, practical, and represents the broad consensus of the American people. We’ve come closer to real health reform in the last few months than we have in the last 60 years. But those who profit from the status quo — and those who put partisan advantage above all else — will fight us every inch of the way. We do not seek that fight, but we will not shrink from it. The stakes are too high to let scare tactics cloud the debate, or to allow partisan bickering to block the path. Your voice, right now, is essential. (P.Obama)

European Parliament:The Week ahead 27 April – 3 May 2009

Brussels Preparing for the plenary.  Parliament’s political groups will devote most of the week to preparations for the final plenary session of 2004-2009 parliamentary term.  The main items on the agenda include legislation on telecom networks, a package of measures on asylum systems, a new set of rules for the supervision of banks and legislation concerning maternity leave.  There will be a debate with the Czech Council Presidency on plans for the June EU summit.  In addition, Hans-Gert Pöttering will make an address marking his final session as EP President. EP/Lithuania and Poland. President Pöttering makes official visits to both Lithuania and Poland. In each country, he will meet the President and Prime Minister among others (Monday – Wednesday). Working time.  Parliament and Council representatives meet for a final time in the Conciliation Committee to try to reach agreement on changes to EU rules on working time (Monday). If they succeed, this too will be put to the vote at the May plenary session. Recovery plan.  Budgetary changes needed to bring into effect the Commission’s proposals for spending on energy projects as part of the effort to counteract the economic downturn will be put to the vote in the Budgets Committee (Monday). Turkey/Women.  The Women’s Rights committee holds a hearing on the role of women in Turkey’s social, economic and political life (Thursday). Asylum.  The Civil Liberties Committee votes on a range of measures concerning asylum provisions (Monday). Moldova + Ecuador.  A delegation of MEPs visits Chişinău to assess the situation follow Moldova’s disputed elections (Monday-Tuesday). Another delegation will be in Ecuador to observe presidential elections (Monday-Tuesday).Pre-plenary press briefing.  As Friday is a public holiday, the regular pre-session press briefing with the EP press service and political group spokespeople will take place on Monday in Strasbourg, just before the opening of the session.