PLENARY FLASH: Greens/EFA Priorities 9 to 12 February

On Wednesday, ahead of the Informal European Council (EU Leaders’ Retreat), MEPs will debate how to revive EU competitiveness, deepen the Single Market and reduce the cost of living. This debate goes to the heart of European sovereignty. Without urgently deepening the Single Market, strengthening the euro and investing in industry and public services, Europe risks losing millions of jobs. Calls for further deregulation offer no solution. Europe needs a Freedom Deal that delivers European-made green and social investments identified by Draghi to strengthen competitiveness while safeguarding people and the environment.

• Debate: Wednesday, 11 February
• Greens/EFA MEP: Bas Eickhout

On Tuesday, The European Parliament will vote to amend asylum rules under the Migration Pact, adopted last year, before the Pact has been implemented. The new rules undermine the right to seek asylum in the EU and outsource the EU’s responsibilities to third countries where human rights compliance cannot be guaranteed. The texts on the establishment of an EU list of safe countries of origin as well as the one on the Safe Third Country Concept reflect the ideology of the far right and places  responsibility on third countries, including those where people might never have set foot. The Greens/EFA reject a migration system based on division and fearmongering, and continue to stand firmly on the side of international and human rights law and those in need of protection.

• Vote: Tuesday, 10 February
• Greens/EFA MEP: Erik Marquardt
• More: Expansion of safe third country concept throws human rights to the wind

On Tuesday, MEPs will debate EU-US political relations, focusing on the transatlantic partnership, shared democratic values and the importance of upholding human rights and the rule of law. The discussion comes at a moment of growing concern over developments in the United States that risk undermining these core principles. In this context, MEPs will address recent incidents of state violence in Minneapolis and the broader practices of U.S. immigration enforcement on Wednesday. The Greens/EFA Group strongly condemns shootings by federal agents and patterns of intimidation, racial discrimination, arbitrary detention and family separation linked to migration policies. These events are not isolated, but part of a wider shift towards increasingly harsh and repressive approaches to migration. The Greens/EFA Group warns against similar policies gaining ground in Europe and stresses that human rights, democratic accountability and the rule of law must remain non-negotiable in EU–US relations.

Debates: Tuesday, 10 February & Wednesday, 11 February
 

Next Tuesday, MEPs will have the final vote on the EU’s 2040 climate target. Reaching political consensus on these targets is a major success. The Greens/EFA Group successfully ensured a clear EU commitment from pro-European groups to decrease emissions by 90% by 2040 and reach climate neutrality by the year 2050. The quality criteria included in the law are a Greens/EFA achievement. Strong industry, quality jobs and investments in the green economy will make Europe a strong, competitive and leading global force. On the downside, international carbon credits are an expensive way to outsource climate action to countries outside the EU, money will be missing for massive investments in green industry and economy, including battery production, within the EU. Green laws, rules and guidelines are the key to green jobs, planning security for industry and the economy and for saving the climate, nature and the environment - we cannot afford to let them be swept away.

• Vote: Tuesday, 10 February
• Greens/EFA MEP: Lena Schilling
   

The Greens/EFA Group condemns recent violent clashes between Syrian government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the north east of Syria where civilians, including women and children, are paying the highest price. The Syrian government, its allied forces and the SDF must fully respect the ceasefire, protect civilians and peacefully resolve the conflict in line with international  humanitarian law. The Greens/EFA Group reiterates its full solidarity with the Syrian people who have suffered for decades at the hand of the Assad dictatorship and renews our full support for a united Syria, a peaceful transition, accountability and equal rights for Kurds and all ethnic and religious groups composing the country. The Syrian authorities must be a government for all Syrians.

• Debate: Tuesday, 10 February
• Vote: Thursday, 12 February
• Greens/EFA MEP: Hannah Neumann