This WEEK in the European Union
RENATA GOLDIROVA
18.07.2008 @ 17:27 CET
EUOBSERVER / WEEKLY AGENDA (21 - 27 July) – This week all eyes will be on the EU's two newest states, Bulgaria and Romania, as the European Commission is to publish reports on their progress in judicial reform and fighting corruption.
It is expected that the assessment, due on Wednesday (23 July), will be an unpleasant piece of news, especially for Bulgaria.
WTO Headquarters in Geneva - international trade talks will start on Monday in Switzerland (Photo: World Trade Organisation)
According to a draft document seen by EUobserver, Sofia is on course to temporarily lose a significant part of EU fundings due to "critical weaknesses in administrative and judicial capacity, be it at local, regional or central level".
"High level corruption and organised crime exacerbates these problems," the commission paper also stresses.
Ministerial meetings
EU foreign ministers will meet on Tuesday (22 July) to discuss a series of international issues, including Ukraine, the Middle East, Chad and Somalia.
They will return to the repercussions of the run-off presidential elections in Zimbabwe on 27 June, with the possibility of sanctions for those responsible for the campaign of violence by extending the union's visa ban and freezing of assets.
In addition, the EU's chief diplomat Javier Solana will brief ministers on the outcome of his meeting with the Iranian negotiator on nuclear issues, Said Jalili on 19 July.
Thursday and Friday (24-25 July) will see EU justice and home affairs ministers gathering in Brussels to take stock of the European Pact on Immigration and Asylum - an idea presented by the French EU presidency earlier this month.
The pact is to set out common EU guidelines for how to cope with the rising numbers of migrants wanting to make their home in Europe. Current estimates suggest there are some eight million undocumented migrants in the EU.
Ministers will also look into the situation of non-EU nationals, who were granted refugee status or benefit from subsidiary protection in the 27-nation bloc. The idea is to extend possibilities for them to obtain long-term resident status in order to ease their full integration.
WTO talks
The European Parliament will be quiet next week as there are no official meetings held in Brussels.
On Monday (21 July), parliament chief Hans-Gert Poettering will travel to Warsaw to attend the funeral service of Bronislaw Geremek, an MEP and one of the key figures in Poland's transition to democracy. He died last Sunday in car crash.
On the same day, a delegation from the parliament's international trade committee will be in Geneva for the World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting - seen as a last attempt to secure an international trade deal on cutting farm subsidies and tariffs and boosting free trade.
The run up to next week negotiations has seen a dispute between EU governments of liberal economic views and those trying to protect own farmers - something that most visibly materialised in a clash between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson.
Another delegation of MEPs will take off to Cambodia to observe the parliamentary elections on 27 July.
EU lawmakers are due to return to Brussels at the end of August to prepare the first autumn plenary session in Strasbourg from 1-4 September.