Court Decision against Journalists seeking Transparency of MEP spending shows need for urgent reform

This disappointing decision from the European Court of Justice was in some ways inevitable due to the fact that the European Parliament’s accounting systems are outdated and not done in a way that foresees public scrutiny of how the various Parliamentary Allowances are spent.

Greens/EFA Debriefing

Plenary week, 10-14 September 2018

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary week included: The Future of Europe debate with Prime Minister of Greece; Autonomous weapon systems; The rule of law in Hungary; Language Equality in the Digital Age; State of the European Union; Digital copyright; Dual quality of products; Greens/EFA MEPs take EFSA to court over Monsanto studies on glyphosate; European CO2-regulation for cars and vans.

State of the Union

EFA MEP Jordi Solé invites Juncker to visit Catalan political prisoners

EFA MEP Jordi Solé invites European Commission President Juncker to visit the Catalan political prisoners to discuss European values, during the European Parliament's State of the Union debate.

Debate with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on the Future of Europe

Plenary speech by Ska Keller

More social Europe is needed

Language Equality in the Digital Age

Plenary speech from EFA MEP Jill Evans (Wales)

Jill Evans presents her report on language equality in the digital age at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, which makes proposals to help bridge the digital language divide.

Greens/EFA MEPs to face Monsanto, Cheminova and the EU Food Safety Authority in Court

Glyphosate transparency

A public hearing will be held before the European Court of Justice in a case brought by 4 Greens/EFA MEPs against the EU Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for its refusal to provide the public with access to crucial studies regarding the impacts of glyphosate on human health.

Same quality of products for all EU citizens!

Did you know that companies are mistreating EU consumers depending on which country they shop in?

What's coming up in Parliament

Strasbourg Flash - plenary session 10-13 September 2018

A look ahead to next week's session in the European Parliament in Strasbourg and the Greens/EFA priority issues on the agenda

Hungary: Q&A on Sargentini Report on the rule of law

On Wednesday 12 September, the European Parliament will vote on the report on Hungary by the Dutch Green MEP Judith Sargentini. If a two-thirds majority supports Sargentini’s conclusions, then for the first time in history the European Parliament will conclude that in an EU country there is a clear risk of a serious breach of democracy, fundamental rights and rule of law.

Rescue and push-back of 108 migrants to Libya

Letters to Juncker, Tajani and Tusk

We are concerned about the direct push-back of over 100 migrants rescued by the Italian vessel Asso ...

Gene editing techniques are GMOs says EU Court of Justice

Time to put them aside and finally invest in true innovation

On Wednesday 25 July, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) published its very awaited ruling on the legal statute of modern mutagenesis, including some of the techniques known as “new breeding techniques”. This ruling confirms what civil society and the Greens/EFA have been claiming from the beginning: these are not “breeding techniques” but GMOs, and they should be treated as such. Now is definitely the time to finally invest on real innovation for our food system!

Challenging Dieselgate Secrecy

Official complaint to EU Ombudsman on lack of transparency

Bas Eickhout has submitted an official complaint to the European Ombudsman to challenge the secrecy of the Commission and Council around the Dieselgate scandal which has been hitting headlines across Europe since 2015. The Dieselgate revelations were a scandal on many different fronts, affecting consumer rights, public health, environmental protection, public confidence in regulators and oversight bodies and also the share price of many car companies.

Pathways to a Euratom Reform

Short legal evaluation and strategy approach

On 3 July, the EU Commission is going to present its ideas for the future of energy and climate poli...

Is this the Europe we want?

As Austria takes over EU Presidency, we want to remind Sebastian Kurz and his government that they now have the task to bring governments of the EU together and finding compromises. It's time for him to stop stirring up fear and division in the EU!

Greens/EFA Debriefing

Plenary week, 2-6 July 2018

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary week included: Austrian presidency of the EU, debate on the Future of Europe with the Polish Prime Minister, declaration of Italy's Interior Minister on Sinti and Roma, reform of the electoral law of the European Union, transport workers need dignified work conditions, digital copyright, European Citizens' Initiative

Europe can't betray its values!

Ska Keller

Hands off minority schools!

EFA MEP Miroslavs Mitrofanovs on minority education

'Hands off Russian minority schools in Latvia!' This was the slogan of a demonstration he...

HDP and democracy in Turkey

Statement from EFA MEP Jordi Solé (Catalonia)

EFA MEP Jordi Solé, a member of the European Parliament's Turkey delegation, has praised ...

Save Your Internet!

Copyright Directive

Unfortunately, the internet as we know and love it is under threat. The European Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs voted on 20th June in favour of the European Commission’s proposed Copyright Directive, which will tighten copyright laws and restrict our freedoms, In particular two amendments are the most dangerous.

World Refugee Day

It's #WorldRefugeeDay In a time where each day thousands are forced to flee, it's time we stand #withrefugees Don't get discouraged by all the anti-migration or far-right rhetoric. All over Europe, people like you are standing up to support refugees.

New GMOs are not progress, but yet another tool of industrial farming

Our food system needs real innovation

Very soon, the EU Court of Justice (ECJ) will publish its ruling concerning the legal statute of a group of biotech. After the ruling, tense negotiations will set the future of the current European GMO regulation. As always, citizens and lawmakers will face the full force of the industry lobbies. Whatever happens these new GMOs will not bring any progress to our food and farming system: innovation is somewhere else.

We need a European solidarity based coalition

Merkel/Macron

Greens/EFA co-presidents Ska Keller and Philippe Lamberts comment on the outcomes of the meeting between President Macron and Chancellor Merkel:  "It is good that President Macron and Chancellor Merkel agree on the need for a European solution to the challenge of migration and asylum. But a European solution is not automatically the right one. We need a solution based on solidarity and human rights.

The battle for a more democratic Europe heats up as we push for meaningful reform of the European Citizen’s Initiative

Despite the concerns raised by more than 60 NGOs as part of the #EPforgetusnot campaign, tomorrow’s vote on the reform of the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) looks like it will fail to address the democratic aspirations of the 9,000,000,000 citizens who already signed an ECI in the hopes of having their voices heard by the European Commission. Read and take action

Greens/EFA Debriefing

Plenary week, 11-14 June 2018

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary week included: Multiannual Financial Framework; Brexit; Iran nuclear deal; Netherlands PM Mark Rutte on the Future of Europe; Poland: independence of the judiciary; Renewable Energy Directive; Circular economy at the heart of cohesion policy; Tax justice: transparency of big companies; FIFA: Play Fair – Fight for the forgotten; Climate change photo exhibition.

Debate on the Future of Europe

Ska Keller addressed today the Prime Minister of The Netherlands Mark Rutte

Europe needs solidarity, not tax giveaways! The Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte likes to give lectures to other countries for not keeping their budgets in order, but the Netherlands continues to hurt EU countries' economies by being one of Europe's biggest tax havens and by blocking EU action against tax avoidance.

Green Trade for All

A Greens/EFA paper

Green trade policy needs to identify the first bold steps on the path to bring us closer to an ecological vision for trade. Such steps should be developed as much as possible at the multilateral level, including proposing the necessary changes to the existing rules of the world trade system as embodied in the WTO.

We need more solidarity in the EU

Plenary speech by Greens/EFA Co-President Ska Keller

Our co-President Ska Keller calls for a reform of the Dublin System. We need a system that is fairer for refugees and shows real solidarity between Member States.

FIFA: play fair, fight for the forgotten!

Sign our petition now!

While Russian stadiums will be filled with football fans, more than 150 political prisoners fill prisons all over Russia. FIFA cannot stay silent. We urge the FIFA leadership to engage personally with President Putin and Russian officials to raise this topic and make sure that the fate of these prisoners is not ignored or forgotten.

We demand tax justice

Each year, big corporations dodge between €50 - €70 billion in the EU. But there's a solution! This week, EU governments can take the decision to demand real tax transparency and make multinationals publish data on where they generate their profits and where they pay tax.

What's coming up in Parliament

Strasbourg Flash - Plenary session 11-14 June 2018

A look ahead to next week's session in the European Parliament in Strasbourg and the Greens/EFA priority issues on the agenda

Sustainable eating

How small steps can lead to big chance for your health and the climate

This booklet is about the food we eat every day, and the impact it has on our health, our environment and our future. Sustainable eating is becoming an urgent issue all over the world. We can all help change things by making different food choices. So, if you are ready, here's some 'food for thought' about making your fridge a force for change.

The EU-Turkey Statement and the Greek Hotspots

A failed European pilot project in refugee policy

The study shows how the hotspots approach, coupled with the implementation of the EU-Turkey statement, violates the rights of refugees and migrants and still fails to achieve its underlying dual aim, namely to contain migrants and refugees in order to deter potential new arrivals and to facilitate returns from Greece to Turkey.

10 proposals to target terrorism at EU level

A document put forward by WG on Terrorism

While we believe the most urgent and effective steps the EU should undertake to address terrorism are to improve the security architecture within and between member states, we also consider the need for a comprehensive political approach and response, and thus push for resilient, cohesive societies focussing on preventing radicalisation.

Greens/EFA Debriefing

Plenary week, 28-31 May 2018

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary week included: Commission proposals on plastics, sustainable finance, sustainable fishing, Multiannual Financial Framework and cohesion policy, trade dispute on steel and aluminium tariffs, debate with Luxemburgish Prime Minister, posting of workers, reform of the CAP, objections to the authorisation of two GMOs

GMO imported crops continue to enter the EU while the flawed authorisation process undergoes reform

2 objections to GMOs were voted today

Little by little, the European Parliament is trying to install more democracy and transparency into the EU decision processes. by reforming the way the EU approves GMOs, active substances contained in pesticides or any product or substance susceptible of having an impact on human health or the environment. But while the discussions are under way, GMOs continue to enter the EU market.

What's coming up in Parliament

Strasbourg Flash - Plenary session 28-31 May 2018

A look ahead to next week's session in the European Parliament in Strasbourg and the Greens/EFA priority issues on the agenda