Agenda
THURSDAY in the European Union
The highlight of Thursday's action in the EU is set to be UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's appearance in the European Parliament to receive the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
Mr Annan will be accompanied by a delegation of staff injured in attacks on the UN and by family members of those who died in Baghdad. Six former Sakharov prizewinners will also attend the ceremony - amongst them Xanana Gusmao, President of East Timor who won the award in 1999. Mr Gusmao will later meet Antonio Vitorino, Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs.
Join EUobserver today
Get the EU news that really matters
Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.
Choose your plan
... or subscribe as a group
Already a member?
The prize was first awarded in 1988 and is named after the late Soviet dissident physicist Andrei Sakharov.
The House will also debate and vote on a report on EU-UN relations on the same day.
Education through sport
Thursday also sees the launch of the European year of education through sport in Dublin by Vivianne Reding, commissioner for culture and education.
Other commissioners taking part in events include telecommunications commissioner Erkki Liikanen making a speech in Copenhagen on the subject of "Innovation and opportunities in the enlarging Europe".
And Vice-President of the Commission Anna Diamantopoulou will attend the European Seminar on "The European Social Fund, Cohesion Policy and the European Employment Strategy: Mid-term review and perspectives".
Constitution clashes continue
Another attempt will be made to acheive a breakthough in negotiations over the future EU Constitution as Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern meets his Polish counterpart Leszek Miller.
Poland, along with Spain, opposed the newly proposed system of voting in the EU Constitution, which led to the failure of the talks during last month's EU summit.
Finally, there will a conference of journalists in Brussels to discuss journalistic ethics in the vast Brussels press pack. A code of conduct for media that will try to define a set of guidelines will be unveiled.