Proposals to regulate private security firms, a blacklist of countries linked to money laundering and the opportunities and challenges of the sharing economy are just some of the topics covered by Parliament committees this week. In addition the House of European History will be officially launched this week, while the Parliament opens its door to the general public in Brussels.

On Tuesday afternoon, the  foreign affairs committee votes on recommendations on how to strengthen oversight of private security companies operating in EU countries, as well as in EU missions abroad. Some of them have been repeatedly involved in incidents resulting in injury or even the loss of life.

On Wednesday the economic committee votes on a proposal by the European Commission to update a blacklist of countries linked to money laundering and terrorism financing. In January MEPs rejected a similar proposal because it did not include countries that facilitate tax evasion. According to EU anti-money laundering rules, citizens and firms of the listed countries who want do business in EU countries have to be submitted to stricter checks.

Press Freedom Day is held on Wednesday and to mark it members of Parliament’s human rights subcommittee discuss the state of press freedom on Thursday morning, with a focus on the growing threat of fake news.

The internal market committee votes Wednesday on a report on the sharing economy, which is when people offer products or services directly to other people using online transactions. Some well-known examples of this include Uber and Airbnb. The report being dealt with by Parliament assesses the benefits it brings, such as new jobs and more choice for consumers, but also looks at the issues it raises: workers’ rights, taxation and consumer protection.

On Thursday Parliament President Antonio Tajani inaugurates the House of European History, a museum dedicated to European integration and Europe’s recent history. The new museum will open to the public on 6 May.

Parliament opens its doors to the public in Brussels on Saturday, an opportunity for people to learn more about Parliament and the EU ahead of Europe Day on 9 May.

Antonio TAJANI, Hans-Gert PÖTTERING, and Hans Walter HÜTTER

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