EU parliament to debate illegal migration issue, Eastern Partnership

PARIS, May 18. /TASS/. The European Parliament is opening a plenary session in Strasbourg on Monday. During the meetings, which will last until May 21, the lawmakers will consider proposals to restrict illegal immigration, the Eastern Partnership Porgramme, the situation in Macedonia and other issues.

Particular attention will be focused on discussing the action programme for 2015-2020 offered by the European Commission to address problems relate to illegal immigration into Europe. The European Parliament has long urged the European Commission to develop a comprehensive programme in this sphere. Brussels proposes to solve the problem also by strengthening control at the external borders, stepping up measures to combat human trafficking and optimising the flow of legal migrants.

On Wednesday, MEPs will express their wishes concerning the content of the Eastern Partnership Programme, which will be discussed at the European Union Summit in Riga on May 21-22. This is a multilateral EU programme aimed at promoting regional cooperation with six former Soviet republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The debate in Strasbourg will be held with the participation of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini.

At the session, the MEPs intend to pay close attention to the situation in Macedonia. A mass protest rally organised by the opposition was held in the Macedonian capital on Sunday. The protesters demanded immediate resignation of the government led by Nikola Gruevski. After the meeting, many its participants started pitching tents with a view to continuing the protest action until their demands are met.

The session of the European Parliament is planned to approve the annual resolution on a common security and defence policy (CSDP). Thee MEPs will also continue to improve methods of combating money laundering and terrorism financing - they will debate a new directive providing for the mandatory registration in EU countries of the beneficiary owners of companies and enterprises. The lawmakers also plan measures to prevent the financing of armed groups at the expense of trade in gold and rare earth metals. They will also hold a debate on the situation in the sphere of observance of human rights and democratic norms.

The Strasbourg meeting agenda also includes the development of an EU strategy for the consolidation of the market of services in the sphere of digital technology and copyright enforcement, improving control over the energy market and its pricing.