On Monday Parliament President David Sassoli is in Madrid for the opening of the UN climate change conference COP 25. During last week’s plenary, MEPs declared a climate emergency and demanded increased efforts to ensure the EU is climate neutral by 2050.

Ahead of the COP 15 UN convention on biodiversity in China next year, members of the environment committee will vote on Tuesday on a resolution calling for EU strategy on biodiversity as well as for globally binding targets.

Bees and other pollinators are vital to the ecological system and MEPs are pushing for an EU roadmap to tackle their decline as well as raise awareness of the issue. On Tuesday the environment committee will vote on a resolution calling for action.

Also on Tuesday, the petitions committee will hold public hearings with the five candidates for EU Ombudsman. The five candidates are: Giuseppe Fortunato (Italy), Julia Laffranque (Estonia), Nils Muižnieks (Latvia), Cecilia Wikström (Sweden) and current Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly (Ireland).

In her first appearance as president of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde will join the economic affairs committee on Monday for the regular monetary dialogue meeting. They will discuss the bank's monetary policy, including the decision-making process on setting rates.