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The EU is not a cash machine for oligarchs and politicians

Greens/EFA Proposals to end fraud in farm subsidies

On the occasion of the International Day Against Corruption, the Greens/EFA Group is publishing a series of recommendations on how to end the abuse of EU farm subsidies. Farm subsidies make up the biggest portion of EU spending and are an indispensable measure to protect European farmers, ensure food sovereignty, and promote healthy and sustainable food production in Europe. However, the lack of controls on the way EU funding is disbursed by European governments means that in some cases, unscrupulous politicians and people in positions of power are able to abuse the EU funding system for their own personal gain.

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CAP reform

The Greens/EFA group stays on course until the final votes

This month the CAP reform is back to plenary in the European Parliament. Key debates and votes on legislative proposals following the trilogues (interinstitutional negotiations) (15 in total!) will take place this Wedn...

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The EU should lead the climate negotiations

Blog from COP19 in Warsaw

The high level segment of the COP19 has now started. In order for the negotiations to make tangible progress, building trust this week will be vital and the EU must play its part to ensure a successful outcome at this year’s conference. With the 2015 COP being held on its territory, it cannot afford to risk losing face…

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Whose interests are we exactly defending at COP19?

Blog from Warsaw

The international coal and climate summit organised by the Polish Ministry of Economy is taking place today and tomorrow. The Greens, which organised a counter summit last week, severely criticized the decision. The interests that must be defended at the COP19 are those of the people, not those of the big polluters.

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e-fa: News Round-Up

news bulletin from the European Free Alliance Group in the European Parliament

October/November 2013 Round-Up The European Free Alliance (EFA) draws together political parties fighting for democracy and self-determination for the stateless nations and regions of Europe. European Free Alliance MEPs ...

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Strasbourg Flash

Weekly preview of the Greens/EFA group - 18-22 November 2013

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary include standards in public procurement, MFF and EU budget, single seat of the Parliament, boardroom quotas for women, rules on EU spending to hit crisis countries, priorities for additional social funds, agriculture policy reform, EU environment and climate change action

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The Amazon up for grabs?

Public Conference and debate on the Belo Monte dam and its alternatives

CONFERENCE PRESENTATION Belo Monte is a controversial mega-dam complex on the "big bend" of the Xingu river, a tributary of the Amazon. Like other mega-projects, it is claimed that such large scale developme...

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Strasbourg Flash - MFF special

Greens/EFA preview on the future EU budget and funding programmes for the November plenary 2013

With the European Parliament to vote on the EU multiannual financial framework 2014-20, as well as a series of votes on EU funding programmes for the budgetary period, this preview provides an overview from a Green persp...

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The BEE2BEES Project

Open Data for Healthy Bees

The B2B project just launched at EU level aims at developing an open source tool to follow up bee colony losses. Beekeepers can use this application, either on their smartphone or on a computer, to share information a...

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Brussels Agenda

Weekly preview of the Greens/EFA group - 11 - 15 November 2013

Greens/EFA priorities for the week include final conciliation negotiations on the EU's budget framework 2014-20. The Greens/EFA also organise a participatory debate about Poland and its future (in Warsaw) as well as 4 conferences in Brussels on UN climate talks, post-growth society, the Belo-Monte dam and the right to decide: a democratic right

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Travel diary - Rebecca Harms, Greens/EFA Co-President's visit to Eastern Europe

Building the Green fight back against fossil and nuclear energy

What an intense week: Warsaw, Katowice, Prague, Paks and Budapest. Many wonderful encounters, interesting conversations and events. In all three countries I visited during my Central Europe tour (27th to 31st October) I ...

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Commission lets GMOs loose

Borg wants to impose new GMOs to the EU

Only a few months before being replaced, it seems that the EU Commission has decided to impose new GMOs on to its citizens who by and large do not want them.Tomorrow, on the 6th November, Commissioner for Health and C...

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Brussels Agenda

Weekly preview of the Greens/EFA group - 4 - 8 November 2013

Greens/EFA priorities for the week include Limiting CO2 emissions from vans, Reducing the use of plastic bags, Forcing through GMO authorisations, A pollinator-friendly agricultural model: the way forward, Nuclear Transparency Watch: launch of a European civil society initiative to improve nuclear safety and transparency

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Greens/EFA Round-up

Debriefing of the plenary week Strasbourg 21-25 October 2013

        Table of contents     EU data protection rules Towards a UN climate change deal Sexual and reproductive health and rights Medical implants and consumer ...

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Mikhail Khodorkovsky

10 years in jail and still fighting for democracy, the rule of law and the social market economy in Russia

Mikhail Khodorkovsky has been in detention for 10 years. He was arrested on 25 October 2003 and sentenced to a total of 14 years imprisonment in two politically motivated trials. The well known legal expert and trial obs...

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Respect My Privacy

New Data Protection Rules approach first vote

On Monday, 21st October, the Civil Rights, Justice and Home Affairs committee of the European Parliament will have its first vote on new EU wide data protection rules. Although we are still some months away from a fi...

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Strasbourg Flash

Weekly preview of the Greens/EFA group - 21-25 October 2013

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary include EU data protection rules, UN climate change deal, sexual and reproductive health and rights, medical implants and consumer safety, ship recycling, sustainable fisheries, EU economic governance, migrant protection after Lampedusa, secret data surveillance and SWIFT, detention of activists in Russia

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Join the Food Revolution

World Food day 2013

As part of World Food Day, the Greens/EFA group launched a new campaigning project called 'Join the Food Revolution'. Personal engagement and participative democracy are key in determining and improving food policies throughout Europe. Thanks to the 'Join the Food Revolution'...

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GMO Court Case

Mexican judge bans GMO maize

The very good news from last week was the decision of the Federal Tribunal of Mexico to suspend all authorisations for growing GMO maize. On the 10th of October, the federal judge of the 12th Federal District Court fo...

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Greens/EFA Round-up

Debriefing of the plenary week Strasbourg 7-11 October 2013

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary included EU food rules, tobacco rules and lobbying, shale gas and environmental assessment, flight times and safety, Syrian refugee crisis, right-wing extremism on the rise, EU borders and migrant protection, CIA human rights abuses in Europe, secret data surveillance and SWIFT, Roma discrimination, Sakharov Prize

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Brussels Agenda

Weekly preview of the Greens/EFA group - 14 - 18 October 2013

Greens/EFA priorities for the week include Boardroom quotas for women, European Parliament - ending the multi-seat operation, Rules governing EU funds, Cloud computing: an opportunity for Europe? Product safety for consumers, EU car emissions rules in the balance, World Food Day – Green campaign launch

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Untouchables: stop discriminations based on castes!

Vote on the caste-based discrimination resolution by the DEVE Committee

The European Parliament adopted on Thursday 10 October a resolution on caste-based discrimination. Having regards to the resolution of 2007 on the human rights situation of the Dalits in India and the one of 2012 on cast...

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e-fa: News Round-Up

news bulletin from the European Free Alliance Group in the European Parliament

September 2013 Round-Up The European Free Alliance (EFA) draws together political parties fighting for democracy and self-determination for the stateless nations and regions of Europe. European Free Alliance MEPs sit in ...

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Strasbourg Flash

Weekly preview of the Greens/EFA group - 7-11 October 2013

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary include EU food rules, tobacco rules and lobbying, shale gas and environmental assessment, flight times and safety, Syrian refugee crisis, right-wing extremism on the rise, EU borders and migrant protection, CIA human rights abuses in Europe, secret data surveillance and SWIFT, Roma discrimination, Sakharov Prize

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Revision of the tobacco directive

Registry of contacts between Greens/EFA and the tobacco industry

The Greens/EFA Group respects the provisions of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control with regard to contacts with the tobacco industry. Greens/EFA interactions with the industry are listed here.

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Join the seed freedom campaign

European Greens and Vandana Shiva launch joint petition on seed legislation

The Greens together with Navdanya , the organisation of Indian activist and scientist Vandana Shiva, launch a petition on the new legislative proposal of the European Commission on the production and commercialisation of seeds.

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IPCC report

Change policies, not the climate!

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (IPCC) will release its report on the latest scientific research on climate on Monday 30th September. The summary for policy makers is currently being finalised by the different government representatives in Stockholm and will be presented this morning at 10 am. For the Greens, leaders from Europe and beyond know enough now and cannot continue to ignore the overwhelming body of scientific evidence....

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Brussels Agenda

Weekly preview of the Greens/EFA group - 30 September - 4 October 2013

Greens/EFA priorities for the week include the vote on the CAP reform in the agriculture committee, the shortlisting of Sakharov Prize candidates, the votes on flight times and aviation safety, EU economic governance and EU budget 2014. Greens/EFA meet in Ghent for their study days.

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EU seed regulation

Inspired by Vandana Shiva's visit Europe should take the lead in shifting the flawed logic of seed laws

  International activist and scientist Dr Vandana Shiva is currently travelling the world on a campaign on seed freedom and has published, together with the 'International Commission on the future of Seed' a small ...

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GMO (In)Digest

Issue 10 of the GMO Campaign Newsletter

In this issue : no qualified majority in appeal committee on GMO imports; honey contamination; EFSA; is Monsanto dropping the EU?

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EU-Thailand Free-Trade Agreement

Thousands protest on the streets of Thailand

  The 2nd round of the Thailand - EU Free-Trade Agreement (FTA) talks took place last week in the city of Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. Since the start of the negotiations, civil society has expressed its fear...

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Brussels Agenda

Weekly preview of the Greens/EFA group - 23 - 27 September 2013

Greens/EFA priorities for the week include the final trialogue on the EU agriculture policy reform, the committee votes on easier access to EU funds for crisis countries, risky medical devices and EU funding for research and innovation to 2020. Greens/EFA co-presidents will also travel to Greece and meet with key stakeholders and decision-makers.

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Greens/EFA Round-up

Debriefing of the plenary week Strasbourg 9-13 September 2013

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary included the reports on the climate impact of biofuels, the right of access to a lawyer, innovative, sustainable transport technologies, supervising European banks, mortgages, eel stocks under threat, covert surveillance and threats to media freedom, preserving endangered languages in Europe, access to genetic resources and rights, Egypt crisis and the EU's role

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Brussels Agenda

Weekly preview of the Greens/EFA group - 16 - 20 September 2013

Greens/EFA priorities for the week include the committee votes on organised crime, on risky medical devices, on emissions trading scheme. Two Greens/EFA events: 'The law of the seed' public debate and press conference with Vandana Shiva & an event in the framework of the mobility week 'Sustainable 2 Wheels'

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Youth in Crisis

Forgotten Generation?

A lost generation, a forgotten generation. MEPs sent mixed messages today to young people across Europe suffering from the effects of the crisis. We have ended up allocating too little money for too many years while impo...

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Lobbying and transparency

Bonanza week for dirty lobbyists in European Parliament

Another plenary week, another list of successes for dirty lobbyists in the European Parliament. With the sound of popping corks ringing around the offices of public affairs and industry representatives in Brussels, let's...

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Food or Fuels?

The EU must stop fuelling climate change and hunger

Several years ago, agrofuels were presented as an adequate solution to limit the negative climate impacts of the transport sector. There are currently two European laws that encourage the use of these fuels in the tr...

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Strasbourg Flash

Weekly preview of the Greens/EFA group - 9-12 September 2013

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary include the reports on the climate impact of biofuels, the right of access to a lawyer, innovative, sustainable transport technologies, supervising European banks, mortgages, eel stocks under threat, covert surveillance and threats to media freedom, preserving endangered languages in Europe, access to genetic resources and rights, Egypt crisis and the EU's role

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Youth Unemployment

Wrong message, wrong strategy

The European Parliament will next Wednesday vote in plenary on a report on youth unemployment. This report comes in response to the EU's alarming rates of youth unemployment. However, the Greens/EFA group doesn't belie...

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Brussels Agenda

Weekly preview of the Greens/EFA group - 2 - 6 September 2013

Greens/EFA priorities for the week include committee debates on PRISM/NSA snooping scandal and EU implications, water protected as basic public service, Commission communicaiton on shadow banking and a Greens/EFA conference on shale gas

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Belo Monte Blog

"It is a monster"

Greens/EFA MEPs went to Brazil for a delegation mission where they met with officials and NGOs about the Belo Monte Mega-Dam project.

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First Debriefing

Green Group Delegation to Belo Monte

Debriefing on the Green Group Delegation to Belo Monte (Brasilia, Belem and Altamira), July 8-13, 2013   Brussels, July 17th, 2013 Son Excellence l’Ambassadeur Mrs Vera Barrouin Machado Brazilian Mission to t...

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First post mission meeting

Ulrike Lunacek meets with the new Brazilian Ambassador to the EU

Ulrike Lunacek met with Vera Machado, the new Brazilian Ambassador to the EU, this afternoon after the end of our delegation visit to the controversial Belo monte mega dam site. Ulrike handed her a first debriefin...

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e-fa: News Round-Up

news bulletin from the European Free Alliance Group in the European Parliament

June/July 2013 Round-Up The European Free Alliance (EFA) draws together political parties fighting for democracy and self-determination for the stateless nations and regions of Europe. European Free Alliance MEPs sit in ...

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Illegal deportation in Italy

Italian ministers must address concerns of collusion with Kazakhstan over deportation of dissident's wife and 6-year-old daughter

Italy must provide rapid answers to concerns of conspiring with Kazakhstan to deport a prominent Kazakh opposition figure's wife and 6-year-old daughter from Italy to Kazakhstan. French Green MEP Nicole Kiil-Nielsen toda...

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Protecting Bees

New steps at EU level to protect bees and other pollinators

On Monday 15 July the European Commission will try to take the next step in protecting bees and other pollinators by proposing a temporary ban on the highly toxic pesticide Fipronil, from the phenylpyrazole chemical fa...

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State Aid for nuclear

Giving public support to an expensive technology failure?

The UK government has been since months in lengthy negotiations with the French energy provider EDF, over subsidy payments for planned nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point C. These public subsidies, known as Contracts for D...

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European Maritime and Fisheries Fund

A progressive reform works together with a progressive use of subsidies

On 30th May, the European Parliament and EU Member States reached agreement on the main issues in the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), with very positive outcomes for the future of fish and the fisheries se...

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Greens/EFA Round-up

Debriefing of the plenary week Strasbourg 1-5 July 2013

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary include export credit agencies, EU budget 2014-2020, Hungary, reforming the EU's anti-fraud body, reforming the structure of the banking sector, regulating investment funds (UCITS), implementing the Financial Transaction Tax, emissions Trading System, US and UK government surveillance of EU citizens, election of the EU Ombudsman, access to care for vulnerable groups, arms exports, the crisis in Syria, closure of Greek public television ERT

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Finding Food

Some of the best practices of innovative ways to help the most deprived

Finding Food is getting harder. Across Europe, organisations that help the most deprived are sounding the alarm bell. The number of people that fall below the poverty line is rising fast, while the amount of food available is dropping. Food banks and other aid organisations have increasing difficulties in meeting the demand.

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Belo-Monte Mega-Dam

Green MEPs depart for Belo Monte Mega-Dam project

As hundreds of thousands of Brazilians take to the streets to challenge the development model of their country, Green MEPs Catherine Grèze, Eva Joly and Ulrike Lunacek, will be in Brazil gaining an overview ...

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