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Good afternoon and welcome to this presentation of the main topics to be dealt with at the plenary.

Held on Wednesday, 11th and Thursday, the 12th of November in Brussels.

First of all, in the field of foreign affairs, security and defense.

On Wednesday at 3:15,

the members will have a debate with the Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas Kallas on the means available to the EU to assist with the return to Ukraine of thousands of Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia.

There will be a vote on a resolution on Thursday at 11.

Ahead of the International Day of Children for Children's Rights on the 20th of November,

and there will be speaking time for the political groups, then there will be debate with commissioner.

Albuquerque Marin Harkin from the Irish presidency tomorrow at 9 and the members then will look at the need for further sanctions against Russia in the face of intensified attacks on Ukraine.

Defense is also on the agenda on an own initiative report.

The members will ask the EU to help startups and SMEs to help contribute to beefing up the union's defense capacity so that they can transition more easily from the technological development stage to validation and placing on the market.

Tomorrow, Thursday,

there will be a vote on this report which will look at how new defense actors in the EU can get established and step up production of cyber attacks against supermarkets and other hybrid threats across Europe.

And hybrid attacks on Wednesday, so today this afternoon at 6:30,

members will exchange with the Commission Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen and Marianne Hagen for the Irish Council presidency on how to enhance the EU's cyber resilience capabilities to protect critical infrastructure and supply chains.

The Union Civil Protection Mechanism is also on the agenda.

In the coming weeks, files related to the next EU long term budget will continue to feature prominently on the agenda of committees and plenary,

and plenary will discuss with Commissioner Hadja Lahbib this afternoon as of 5 and vote on Thursday on this budget and structure for the next 7 years of this EU main tool for crisis prevention and response to disasters such as wildfires,

floods, and earthquakes.

We saw this summer how these mechanisms helped.

Very different EU regions in France, in Belgium, in Spain and other member states to cope with very difficult situations.

So Members are expected to call for more funds than the Commission proposed, with a focus on civil protection and health emergency.

There will be a press conference on this file with the co-rapporteurs Pain and Berrigan ahead of the vote.

A note related to the long term budget of the EU.

Several files will be announced for entering into interinstitutional negotiations when there is an MFF agreement.

The mandates that have been negotiated in committees will be announced at the plenary opening,

and I speak here about the file on Global Europe,

the justice program for 2834, and the Union's support for internal security.

So if there is no objection, the mandate will be deemed adopted,

and if there is one, the vote would be carried in the same session.

In addition to the agenda, as is placed now at 7:30 today,

Parliament will debate with Commissioner McGrath.

Media freedom and the rule of law in Czechia focusing on the independence of its public broadcasters.

During the debates, members are set to focus on a government bill to replace license fees with state funding for Czech television and Czech radio,

which was passed in first reading on 24 October.

And with staff at both broadcasters going on strike,

they were on strike on 3 as of 3rd of November in response.

There is a resolution in preparation by the members,

but it's got to be voted in the second part session of November in Strasbourg later this month.

Neil, there are another set of files on the agenda this week. Delphine.

4 more topics you may be interested in. One is boosting citizens.

Trust in financial markets so they can use some of their savings to invest in businesses,

beating cancer strategy, the commission's work program for next year, and proxy voting for female MEPs.

So tomorrow Parliament will vote on new rules to help retail investors access quality financial products and protect them from misleading or biased information.

They aim to strengthen investor protection, encourage citizens' participation in capital markets,

and reduce reliance on bank loans, especially for smaller companies.

In a debate with Commissioner Várhelyi today,

MEPs will assess Europe's beating cancer plan and present some of their own thoughts and proposals.

In the text prepared by the Public Health Committee and put to a vote tomorrow,

MEPs are set to suggest improvements to the measures the EU takes against cancer,

including dedicated funding, ambitious prevention policies, and equal access to screening, diagnosis and treatment.

And then on the institutional front, members of Parliament will question Commissioner Šefčovič on this afternoon regarding the European Commission's priorities for the legislative agenda next year,

which was presented, as you know, on November 4th.

On that basis, the Commission,

Council and Parliament will then establish a joint declaration setting out the EU's legislative priorities and key areas for action for 2027.

And then the last item for me is tomorrow members of Parliament are expected to adopt amendments to the statute for members.

Of the European Parliament which would allow female MEPs to cast proxy votes before and after the birth of a child,

the proposal was put forward last year by President Mitterer and reflects Parliament's long-standing commitment to promoting gender equality.

For your information, the Council already adopted the necessary changes to the European Electoral Act in May of this year.

The amendments to the statute for members of the European Parliament will enter into force once all EU member states have ratified the Electoral Act.

I just want to end on another institutional topic.

Vice President Stephen Kauta decided to step down from his position as vice president.

The plenary will be taking a position on his post within the bureau. There'll be a vote at 11 o'clock.

An absolute majority is required for this vote.

The elected member will be Seeing out the remainder of the term in office,

and we've received two nominations, Miss Radka Vladyková and Miss Tilly Metz. I'll leave it at that.

And I'd encourage you to take a look at the newsletter which is available in all languages.

You will find it online or on websites, and you can always contact our press offices if you need additional information.

I don't know if there are questions in the room or online. I don't see any. Everybody's ready for this plenary session. It's true that it's quite packed. Then, perfect.

I invite you to follow the opening at 3, and then, of course,

don't hesitate to contact us if there is any additional information requested. Thank you. Good afternoon, Neil. Good afternoon, everyone.