605th Plenary Session - 29-30 April 2026

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Event type
Plenary Session

Location

Brussels
Belgium

605th Plenary session, with the following debates and guests:

  • Competitiveness and the role of the EU in the current geo-political environment, with António Costa, President of the European Council, at 15:00 on Wednesday 29 April 2026.
  • Union of Equality: Advancing LGBTIQ+ rights and banning conversion practices, with Matteo Garguilo and Caleb Stocco, representatives of the European citizens’ initiative ‘Ban conversion practices in the European Union’, European Association Against Conversion Therapy (ACT); Francesco Zoia Bolzonello, Member of the European Commissioner Hadja Lhabib’s cabinet; Béatrice Fresko-Rolfo, chair of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; and Graeme Reid, United Nations independent expert on Protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (remotely); 
    • linked to the adoption of opinions SOC/854 on the Ban on conversion practices in the EU and SOC/849 on the Union of Equality: LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy 2026-2030, at 16:00 on Wednesday 29 April 2026.
  • Supplementary pensions for a Savings and Investment Union, with Maria Luís Albuquerque, European Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union; Elma Saiz Delgado, Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration of Spain; and Damian Boeselager, Member of the European Parliament (remotely); 
    • linked to the adoption of opinion ECO/695 on the Supplementary pensions package, at 09:00 on Thursday 30 April 2026.
  • How to improve the ‘innovation to market’ journey and address barriers for startups in the European Union, with András Inotai, acting head of the Taskforce on Startups and Scaleups and lead for the European Innovation Act, European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RDT); Stefan Dobrev, chair of the Governing Board & Executive Committee of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT); Reinhilde Veugelers, senior fellow at Bruegel (co-author of the report Regime 0: Europe-wide incorporation for startups to kickstart innovative growth); and Agnès Mathis, Director of Cooperatives Europe; 
    • linked to the adoption of opinion INT/1112 on the EU Startups and scale up strategy – with a focus on European Innovation Act, at 10:00 on Thursday 30 April 2026.
  • Europe for Culture – Culture for Europe, with Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport; Nela Riehl, Member of the European Parliament and chair of the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) (remotely); Tanja Hristova, member of the Committee of the Regions, vice-chair of the Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research and Culture (SEDEC) and rapporteur of the opinion on Culture Compass for Europe; and Lars Ebert, secretary-general of Culture Action Europe; 
    • linked to the adoption of opinion SOC/853 on A Culture Compass for Europe, at 11:30 on Thursday 30 April 2026.

You will be able to follow the debates by web streaming. Web streaming