PLENARY FLASH Greens/EFA Priorities 15 to 18 June

On Monday, the LIBE Committee will vote on the outcome of trilogue negotiations on the Returns Regulation, which will lead to widespread and arbitrary detention and deportation, including to camps outside the EU where the rights of those affected cannot be guaranteed. Following Monday’s committee vote, on Wednesday the whole Parliament will vote on the file. The Greens/EFA Group strongly oppose this regulation, which will endanger lives, strip away people’s rights and dignity while imprisoning people, including children, in offshore detention camps in third countries. Our group laments the structural cooperation on this file between the EPP and the far-right in order to pursue populist and morally bankrupt migration policies.

• Vote: Wednesday, 17 June
• MEP: Mélissa Camara  

On Tuesday, the European Parliament will vote on the trilogue agreement on the implementation of the EU-US tariff deal, known as the Turnberry Deal. The Greens/EFA Group has been highly critical of the Trump administration's coercive tactics against Europe and the overall deal, including the problematic inclusion of vast fossil fuel imports that will create new dependencies on the US and undermine climate action. Thanks to the suspension clause as strengthened by the Parliament, the EU has some leverage that will enable it to force Trump to comply with the 15% tariffs as stipulated by the Turnberry Deal. Importantly, the tariff preferences will expire on 31 December 2029.

• Vote: Tuesday, 16 June
• MEP: Anna Cavazzini

On Wednesday, the European Parliament will adopt its position on the New Genomic Techniques (NGTs). In order to speed up the market entry of these new GMOs, the Commission proposes to remove the vast majority of NGT plants from the scope of existing GMO legislation, claiming that they are equivalent to conventionally bred plants. While conventionally bred plants are not patentable under European law, NGT-derived plants would be eligible for patents. Such a shift risks further concentrating control over seeds and food production in the hands of a small number of multinational corporations.

The Commission’s proposal goes against consumers’ wishes and makes it much more difficult for organic and non-GMO producers to guarantee GMO-free products, by abolishing mandatory risk assessment, traceability and labelling requirements. In line with the ruling of the EU Court of Justice, the Greens/EFA Group considers that these techniques should be subjected to GMO legislation.

• Vote: Wednesday, 17 June
• MEP: Martin Häusling

On Tuesday, MEPs will vote on a report on countering transnational repression, which was drafted under the lead of Greens/EFA MEP and European Parliament rapporteur Hannah Neumann. Transnational repression refers to authoritarian regimes targeting critics, dissidents and journalists beyond their own borders, including inside Europe.

This report calls for a coordinated European strategy to protect those targeted, to close loopholes between national and EU authorities and hold both perpetrators and the regimes behind them accountable. Europe must be safe for those fleeing repression, and not a place where authoritarian regimes can continue to intimidate, harass or silence them.

• Vote: Tuesday, 16 June
• MEP: Hannah Neumann

On Wednesday, MEPs will vote on the Commission’s proposal to revise the current Tobacco Taxation Directive, which dates back to 2010 and does not include a wide range of new nicotine products. The Greens/EFA Group welcomed and supported the Commission’s proposal, which was long overdue and remains crucial in protecting EU citizens’ health and ensuring the fair and proper functioning of the internal market.

However, the EPP has caved to the interests of the tobacco lobby and deliberately chosen to side with the far-right to massively reduce the ambition of the Commission’s text. This is a clear example of how the EPP’s alliance with the far-right is working against people’s health. 

• Vote: Wednesday, 17 June
• MEP: Rasmus Andresen

On Tuesday, MEPs will vote on Common Organisation of the Markets (CMO) in agricultural products, new rules meant to strengthen farmers’ position in the food supply chain. The Greens/EFA Group supported the original aim of ensuring better contracts, more price transparency and fairer incomes for farmers, especially for small and medium-sized farms. However, this file was hijacked by the EPP group wanting to ban meat-related terms, which is why we can no longer support it.

Ultimately, the final deal weakens key protections on written contracts and turns the so-called “veggie burger” debate into a distraction from the real issues facing farmers. Banning familiar names for plant-based products will not improve farmers’ incomes, but risks confusing consumers, hurting sustainable food producers and diverting attention from making sure farmers receive a fair share of the value they create.

• Vote: Tuesday, 16 June
• MEP: Anna Strolenberg (Volt)

More:

AI Omnibus

On Tuesday, MEPs will vote on the outcome of the trilogue negotiations of the AI Omnibus. The Greens/EFA Group has been highly critical of attempts to weaken the AI Act under the guise of “simplification”, but secured an important victory with a new ban on AI-powered “nudifier” apps. This ban will help prevent the creation of non-consensual intimate images, aimed at protecting women and girls in particular from digital sexual violence. Thanks to Greens/EFA Group pressure, the final text limits harmful deregulation and ensures that AI providers must put safeguards in place by the end of the year.

• Vote: Tuesday, 16 June
• MEPs: Kim van Sparrentak (IMCO) & Markéta Gregorová (LIBE)

Urban Waste Water Management

Everyone should have access to clean water and those who pollute must pay. On the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, in calling for suspension of the rules, the EPP have aligned themselves with the far-right to try and water down the polluter-pays-principle. Citizens and municipalities must not be made responsible for the contamination of our water from polluting products. The Parliament should not shield large corporations from the billions of clean-up costs their products are causing. The Greens/EFA Group are calling for extended producer responsibility, ensuring that pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies cover the costs of removing medicinal residues and other micropollutants from wastewater.

• Vote: Thursday, 18 June
• MEP: Jutta Paulus

Commission’s 2025 report on Albania

On Wednesday, MEPs will vote on the Commission’s 2025 report on Albania. Albania’s future lies in the EU. The accession process must go hand in hand with continued progress on the rule of law, improving the fight against corruption, strong environmental safeguards and transparency requirements. This report largely reflects those priorities. Albania’s citizens care about protecting the environment and joining the EU and the Greens/EFA Group will not stand by while MAGA supporters exploit their natural heritage to build luxury resorts for the mega rich. Albania’s citizens will decide the country's future, not Trump-loving US billionaires. The Greens/EFA Group is calling for environmental protection, from the Vjosa National Park to vital habitats for flamingos, seals, and turtles.

• Vote: Wednesday, 17 June 
• MEP: Tineke Strik

Tech sovereignty

On Tuesday, one week after the European Commission presented its disappointing Tech Sovereignty Package, MEPs will debate European technological sovereignty and digital infrastructure. For the Greens/EFA Group, reducing the EU’s dependence on US tech giants and building digital infrastructure based on privacy, openness, interoperability and democratic control is a key priority. Last week, theGreens/EFA Group brought together European tech companies and civil society to call for a strong EU Tech Sovereignty Package.