(Strasbourg) The European Parliament’s plenary session begins today in Strasbourg (2-5 October). Many items are on the agenda, starting with migration. “In the context of continued arrivals of refugees and migrants to the EU by sea, MEPs will debate with the Spanish Council Presidency and the Commission the state of play of negotiations on the new European rules on migration and asylum. The situation in some countries, such as Italy –and particularly on the island of Lampedusa- will feature prominently”, a statement from the European Parliament reads. Following Parliament’s confirmation of its position on key proposals in April 2023, MEPs and member states have been involved in intense negotiations to achieve meaningful solidarity and to share the responsibility of managing migration more fairly. “This is a top priority for the European Parliament, which aims to conclude the reform before the June 2024 European elections”. Other topics to be discussed by MEPs include the Media Freedom Act (“in response to growing threats to editorial independence, MEPs will adopt their position on a draft law to strengthen the independence of EU media”), and the new trade tool to defend EU from economic blackmail (“the new trade rules seek to deter foreign powers from bullying the EU or member states into policy changes using economic coercion”). MEPs will also question the Commission about trade relations with China.