Defending Fundamental Rights and the Rule of Law Requires Political Will...and Courage

GreensEFA Group proposals sent to the European Commission

While the Hungarian Prime Minister gags the press, undermines freedoms, and kicks ‘progressively-minded’ universities out of the country; the Polish government attacks the independence of Constitutional judges or violates the rights of women; the Romanian government attempts to decriminalise corruption offences and while murders of journalists in Malta and Slovakia send shockwaves across Europe, people are looking towards the EU for help, but so far, not enough has been done.

EU Safety Authority decides not to appeal landmark transparency judgement, cementing GreensEFA victory in favour of the environment, public health and the right to know

It’s official. After years of legal battles with the EU Food Safety Authority against their decision to keep essential documents hidden from the public, victory is ours. By ‘ours’, we are referring to the public’s health, the people’s right to know, and the human right to live in a safe and thriving environment.

Six Demands to make the EU work for young people

Every young person in the EU should be given the best possible life chances. We need to increase funding toward youth organizations and programs, ban unpaid internships, and involve youth in decision-making processes so that young people can reclaim their rights.

Affordable and adequate housing for all

Access to housing is a fundamental right. No one should have to choose between a place to sleep and a meal to eat. We call for an EU wide target of at least 3% of GDP to be spent on housing.

Time to Smash the Gender Backlash

Four Greens/EFA demands for a Feminist Europe

Proudly feminists, the Greens/EFA will continue working to bring the feminist mobilisations and demands rising up from the streets to the European institutions.

Thirty six objections and counting

Why the European Parliament opposes new EU GMO authorisations in vain

Thirty six. That is the number of objections that the European Parliament has voted through, against the draft authorisations of genetically modified plants in the EU put forward by the European Commission (the most recent objections against a GM soy and a GM maize). In 24 of these cases, the European Commission has happily ignored both the indecision of Member states (and hence the lack of a clear political majority) and the European Parliament’s clear disagreement and went ahead to authorize the GM plants anyway. Nine additional authorisations are expected in the coming weeks.

How did the car industry manage to undermine EU pollution limits?

The dangers of technocratic decision-making on public health and the environment

Despite an EU law limiting the amount of pollution that cars could emit, the car industry - together with complicit EU governments - managed not only to delay the implementation of the rules, but to insert massive loopholes that essentially rendered the new pollution limits meaningless. How this happened is a scandal that is yet to be fixed.

Why dangerous hormone-disrupting chemicals are still everywhere

...and why we need to reform comitology

In your shampoo, in your sports bottle, in your bathroom air freshener, in your cleaning products, in your food and its packaging, in the pesticides the local farmer uses near your children’s school, even in nappies... endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are everywhere, omnipresent, like a monster from a horror movie. And a broken EU decision-making process is letting them slip through and continue to poison us.

A welcoming Europe for all

Our views on asylum and migration

We believe that a migration and asylum policy founded on human rights and solidarity is urgently needed and that migration should be managed responsibly and effectively. The right to asylum shall be upheld and the human rights of all migrants shall be respected, as provided by international and human rights laws, including the Geneva Convention, to which the EU is party.

GREENS/EFA Proposals on Media Freedom in the EU

Media freedom, pluralism and independence across Europe are being undermined in many ways. Although the European Union institutions may claim to have limited competence to defend media freedom and pluralism across the region, the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament is convinced that more can, and should be done.

Greens/EFA demands for a Social Union

Greens/EFA are convinced that we urgently need clear steps towards the sustainable transformation of our economy and the creation of quality, long-term jobs. Europe needs a plan to face the challenges of climate change and a just transition roadmap that fairly distributes the benefits as well as the effort required to get to a resource-efficient future economy.

This is the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament

Climate change, trade, human rights, social issues, protection of European values or Brexit, you name it, our Group fought every battle in the European Parliament!

Greens/EFA Debriefing

Plenary week, 15-19 April 2019

Greens/EFA priorities for the plenary week included Climate change and Greta Thunberg, the rule of law, Frontex - European Border and Coast Guard, CO2 emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles, Whistleblower protection, EU-US trade talks, the investigation into conflict of interest surround Czech PM Andrej Babiš, Copyright,...

EFA in the European Parliament

Summary overview of the work of EFA MEPs in the European Parliament 2014 -2019

The European Free Alliance (EFA) Group in the European Parliament is made up of MEPs representing Eu...

"I want you to panic!"

Greta Thunberg in the European Parliament

We hope Greta's speech will change many minds! We stand with her & millions of others demanding policies to phase out coal, put a real price on carbon, make aviation really pay, no subsidies for fossil fuels and green our agriculture

10 priority measures to protect our climate

If the climate were a bank, the governments would have saved it long ago. The Greens/EFA group stands for bold actions against climate change that are in line with the Paris Agreement. We want to reduce CO2 emissions of 60% by 2030 and go carbon neutral by 2050 at the latest by shifting to 100% renewables...

What's coming up in Parliament

Greens/EFA priorities - plenary session 15-18 April 2019

A look ahead to the March I plenary session in the European Parliament in Strasbourg and the Greens/EFA priority issues on the agenda

For a Europe with MORE!

It's time to turn away from austerity thinking to a real social Union that benefits people. Ahead of the International Workers' Day, the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament are putting on the table a series of demands to fight social exclusion, poverty & unemployment in the European Union.

12 years to save the planet

We have the money (to finance it). What we need is political will!

There is enough money to fund a green transition in Europe that works for all. What Europe needs is political will. We need to ensure that polluters pay, fossil fuels are no longer subsidized, and more green jobs are created.

Affordable and adequate housing for all

Access to housing is a fundamental right. No one should have to choose between a place to sleep and a meal to eat. We need a European framework for social and affordable housing to ensure there are enough inclusive, energy-efficient and healthy homes throughout Europe.

European Parliament negotiators admit failure to improve the EU Lobby Register

The negotiations to improve the EU’s lobby Transparency Register were declared dead by the European Parliament’s negotiators. Clearly ambition to deliver real lobbying transparency for citizens has been lacking from many sides. Therefore, the next Parliamentary term will need to be used to finally deliver the transparency and accountability that citizens deserve.

We need decent minimum incomes for all in Europe

Too many people in the European Union cannot make ends meet and live a decent life. We want this to change. The Greens/EFA group is calling for a minimum income scheme in all EU countries to be set at 60% of the national median income. It’s time for the EU to become a union of solidarity, not austerity.

Tax shop

Europe is much more than profit for the richest. We stand for a safe society, with more hope, more equality, more fair chances for all. Together, we change Europe!

Fund farms, not factories

10 Priorities for the cap reform and beyond

What kind of agriculture do we want? What kind of animal agriculture should the European Union promote through its various policies, including of course its Common Agricultural Policy?

Greens/EFA Debriefing

Plenary week, 25-28 March 2019

Greens/EFA priorities for the plenary week included the Copyright Directive; the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Cohesion Fund; the Framework for sustainable investment; the final report of the TAX3 committee; the Mobility Package; recent developments on the Dieselgate scandal; the rule of law in Malta and Slovakia; the 2017 'discharge'; the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment.

Members States must stop blocking tax transparency

“We recognise and value the benefits for society that arise from fair, effective and predictab...

Why we objected to GMOs in the EU - 36 times!

Our Group has always fought against Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in the EU. We believe that they pose risks to consumers’ health, animal welfare and the environment. This is why the every time the European Commission proposes the authorisation of a new one, the European Parliament objects to it. Read our top six reasons for saying no (again and again).

Every Farm Counts

Why we need to keep as many farms on the land as we can

A quarter of all farms disappeared in the EU between 2005 and 2016. And corporate power still pushes farmers to go big or go out of business. But there are alternatives! Many small to medium-sized farms provide better income and more jobs and are more resilient than big farms. The key to their success is the adoption of agroecological and organic practices.

Consumer rights: time for a class action mechanism in the EU

The European Parliament today adopted its position on new legislation regarding a collective redress mechanism to be used by consumers throughout the EU. Unfortunately, Member States in the Council are slacking in moving forward on this, thereby not recognising the need for such a tool for the protection of consumers.

What's coming up in Parliament

Greens/EFA priorities - plenary session 25-28 March 2019

A look ahead to the March II plenary session in the European Parliament in Strasbourg and the Greens/EFA priority issues on the agenda

ExxonMobil’s lobbyists should be removed from European Parliament

Following ExxonMobil’s refusal to give testimony at a hearing of the European Parliament’s Environment and Petitions Committees, the Greens/EFA Group have today called for their lobby badges to be removed until they agree to face MEPs in a public setting. When representatives of Monsanto refused to attend a similar hearing we also got their access badges revoked, so we think the same thing should be done for ExxonMobile.

A vote for a Digital Single Market, a vote for an open and free internet for all

Copyright Reform

Two years and a half have passed since the European Commission proposed a Directive for Copyright in the Digital Single Market. More years have passed ever since academics, politicians and the civil society have looked into the amendment of a law that is considered obsolete. Now, we are only counting days until the European Parliament votes on this controversial file

Ending the secrecy that allowed the car emissions scandal to flourish

Dieselgate

After car manufacturers were caught manipulating the results of emissions tests designed to reduce the amount of pollution emitted by vehicles in Europe, the Greens/EFA Group is still pushing hard to fix the failures in the EU’s regulatory process that allowed for this massive-scale emissions fraud.

Time for climate action!

On 15th March, young people in over 110 countries will be marching and striking to demand climate action!

Greens/EFA Debriefing

Plenary week, 11-15 March 2019

Greens/EFA priorities for the plenary week included the climate debate, the final trilogue on Whistleblower Protection Directive, the second Brexit vote, the reform of the European citizens’ initiative, the Clean Air for All resolution, the European Anti-Money Laundering Blacklist, the opening of trade negotiations between the EU and the US, gender balance and top EU financial roles,...

Our co-President Philippe Lamberts calling for Tajani's resignation

We are appalled by the recent comments made by the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani praising the fascist dictator of Italy, Benito Mussolini.