Greens/EFA wish you a pleasant summer

Contacting the Greens/EFA Group during the parliamentary summer recess

During the parliamentary summer recess, from 29 July to 1 September 2019 inclusive, the general secretariat of our Group will operate on a reduced service.

Greens/EFA Debriefing

Plenary weeks July I and II 2019

We are back !  After the green wave of the European elections in May, political groups were formed and the new European Parliament had its first two plenary sittings in Strasbourg.  The topics on the agenda were mainly about the election of the Presidents of the European Parliament and of the European Commission.

A green vision for our mobility system in 2050

Tackling air pollution and protecting citizens health

On 26 June, thanks to an initiative from Brussels residents and campaign group ClientEarth, the European Union Court of Justice ruled that European cities need to do much more effort to reduce pollution levels. The level of pollution in European cities - particularly from vehicle diesel engines - has become a major threat to public health.

Call on Ursula von der Leyen to strongly support and defend Gender Equality and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)

Joint statement

As Members of the European Parliament and representatives of MEPs for Sexual and Reproductive Rights and the pro-choice network ALL of US we call on the newly elected President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to protect and further strengthen gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights in the work programme for the European Commission 2019-2024.

The French citizen representing Scotland in Europe

EFA MEP Christian Allard defends Scotland's attachment to Europe

Scottish MEP Christian Allard is a 'newly elected representative unlike any other.' Born in Dijon, Christian Allard has lived in Scotland for over thirty years where he has worked extensively in the fishing an...

Why will the Greens/EFA vote against Ursula von der Leyen ?

Vote on the Commission Presidency

During last week's hearing, our MEPs were not satisfied by her "answers". Find here the questions we asked & the answers she gave, as well as what we would have liked to have heard . It explains why our MEPs cannot support Ms von der Leyen during the plenary vote in Strasbourg

Greens/EFA Presidents meeting with Ursula von der Leyen

Quotes from Ska Keller & Philippe Lamberts

Today, the Presidents of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament met with nominee for Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen. The Greens/EFA group have now invited Ms von der Leyen to an upcoming group meeting, which has yet to be determined, where she will be questioned by our MEPs in a web-streamed meeting.

Italy’s own goal - why the Commission should have a look at Italy’s new problematic tax scheme

Italian decree on personal income tax for non-residents

The FIFA Women’s World Cup has spawned countless passionate debates in the past few weeks on fairness in sport. On one hand, we have enjoyed the impassioned efforts of all players as they contend head-to-head on the international platform - with the spirit of fair play that all sports people carry as ambassadors for their sporting discipline - and on the other hand we have seen the players’ courageous fight against unfair hurdles and unequal conditions women football players face in comparison to men.

Time to guarantee ethics and integrity in the EU

Ending conflicts of interest

A new political term is a new chance to upgrade the EU’s ethics systems to make sure any risks of conflicts of interest or corruption are completely stamped out. In a Union that is under constant attack, the best form of defence is to act with the highest standards of ethics, transparency and integrity. Citizens deserve no less.

Candidacy for the Presidency of the European Parliament

Plenary statement by Ska KELLER (Greens/EFA, DE)

In order to defend Europe, we need to show the courage to change it for the better. As the only directly elected EU institution, the European Parliament has a key role in doing this leap forward.

Catalan MEPs should be allowed to take their seats

Support from EFA MEPs for taking up their mandates

On the first day of the new parliamentary term, EFA MEPs supported the right of Catalan MEPs to take their seats in the European Parliament. More than 10,000 people gathered in a peaceful demonstration outside the Eur...

Greens/EFA demands for the Finnish Presidency

Finland takes over EU Council Presidency from Romania which did not exactly show the highest integrity in its own politics. In this perspective Finland is the right member state to answer to the growing demands on transp...

The Transparency Standards of the GREENS/EFA Group

The Greens/EFA Group is committed to lobbying transparency and to the equal access of stakeholders to the decision-making process. For this reason, over the years, the Group has put in place different tools to guarantee transparency of our activities and public money spent.

Political groups have been formed

How the new European Parliament looks like

Made up of Green, European Free Alliance, Pirate, independent, ecological and animal welfare MEPs, the GREENS/EFA group counts with 75 Members from 16 countries and 5 regions. It is the fourth group in the European Parliament.

Avoiding ecosystem collapse will require a different Common Agricultural Policy

Report on biodiversity sheds a light on where the future negotiation should go

In Paris a few weeks ago, a report on biodiversity and aimed at global decision makers was released, anouncing the extinction of 1 million species in the coming years - meaning a collapse of our ecosystems and dire consequences for human beings throughout in the world. However, the report, produced by the intergovernmental platform IPBES, also talks at length about the possible solutions, in particular for our farming and food system. What conclusions should we draw when it comes to the European Common Agricultural Policy?

Phosphate additives in food

EFSA confirms serious concerns for human health

Eighteen months ago, the Parliament voted on an objection, co-tabled by Greens/EFA MEP Bart Staes, to the authorisation of phosphate additives in kebab meat. Whilst the sole aim of the objection was to protect human heal...

Newly elected GREENS/EFA MEPS and Bureau

Outcome of the 2019 European elections

Here is the current composition of the GREENS/EFA Group for the newly elected Parliament. The new Bureau of the Group was elected on 12 June

Unprecented success for Greens/EFA

Provisional results of the European elections

With currently 74 Members, the GREENS/EFA group achieves its highest representation ever and will be the fourth biggest group in the European Parliament. The Green Wave has swept across Europe and newly elected progressive MEPs are joining our Group

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 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 Europe’s stateless nations, regions and minorities. Over the 2014 -2019 Parliamentary term, EFA MEPs have come fr...

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

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.

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 predictable tax regimes. We are committed to acting with integrity, honesty and transparency in all matters related to tax and en...

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).

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.

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,...

Company cross-border re-structuring in Europe

a first success for workers and the fight against letter-box companies

The European Parliament and the Council finally reached an agreement on the mobility aspect of the new legislative package on company law including measures for protecting and reinforcing worker’s rights in Europe. The deal reached will support honest companies moving within the EU, but will also provide tools to catch dishonest companies looking for the loopholes to profit from the differences between Member States in financial, social and employment rules.

Strengthening the European Citizens’ Initiative

Improving Your Power to influence the EU

The European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) is the EU’s most important tool for participatory democracy. Historically championed by the Greens/EFA Group, which has pushed to ensure that citizens have stronger pow...

Breakthrough for whistleblowers as EU institutions agree on new law to protect them from retaliation

Thanks to the high profile revelations by whistleblowers in recent years, including the #luxleaks case and #PanamaPapers, and to the campaigning efforts of NGOs, trade unions and journalists, the final result is an ambitious text that will set minimum standards for how whistleblowers should be protected across the European Union.

International Women's Day

We strike for a feminist Europe

A Europe against gender-based violence, where women can make decisions over their bodies, that secures equal pay for equal work, that guarantees access to sexual healthcare, that fights for gender equality. The future is now

What's coming up in Parliament

Greens/EFA priorities 11-14 March 2019

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

European Court of Justice to decide if transparency over cancer studies should override commercial secrets

On the 7th March 2019, the European Court of Justice will deliver its verdict in a landmark case pitting the public interest in transparency against the commercial interests of private companies. The case was brought by four Greens/EFA MEPs in May 2017, after EFSA claimed that it had used unpublished studies by Monsanto, Syngenta and Cheminova to conclude that glyphosate was not carcinogenic.

Citizens’ Rights improved as European Parliament Strengthens the Role of the EU Ombuds(wo)man

To improve democracy and the rights of citizens in Europe, the Greens/EFA decided to strengthen the European Ombuds(wo)man’s office so that it could better investigate maladministration and conflicts of interest. We also managed to secure a role for the Ombuds(wo)man’s Office in important areas such as whistleblower protection and sexual harassment.