Homophobia

European Parliament strongly condemns homophobic laws and discrimination in Europe

With a large majority*, the European Parliament today adopted a resolution to condemn homophobic laws and discrimination in Europe. For the first time since the last European elections, all five mainstream political grou...

Equal pay for equal work!

Gender pay gap still exists in all member states

Equal pay for equal work has been one of the most basic principals of the European Community since its foundation in 1957.  However, despite legislation, women continue to earn less than men. On average women needed...

European Parliament will listen to Citizens

Mandatory hearings for Citizens' Initiatives introduced

The European Parliament decided to change its Rules of Procedure and introduce mandatory hearings for successful European Citizens’ Initiatives. The new regulation will ensure that Europe keeps its ears open towards active citizens.

Think Biodiversity

The future we really want

The United Nations proclaimed today, the 22nd May, the International Day for Biological Diversity to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. In the 20 years since the Rio Earth Summit, much rema...

Durban Platform - first discussions in Bonn

Which Future for the Kyoto Protocol?

The second and final week of the climate discussions in Bonn, Germany, has just started. The Greens want the EU to do its utmost to ensure that the new alliance delivers and that we avoid what some call the BAU scenario – Bonn As Usual....

Strasbourg Flash

Weekly preview of the Greens/EFA group - 21 - 25 May 2012

Greens/EFA priorities for next week's Strasbourg Plenary include shifting the focus from austerity in the Euro crisis, bluefin tuna on the brink, balancing trade with China, rights and democracy in Ukraine, taxing financial transactionsequal pay for equal work, resource efficiency,...

Bluefin Tuna

New EU rules needed

Bluefin tuna is the most valuable fish in the world, with a single fish selling for over €100,000 at times. As such, it is also one of the most difficult fisheries to manage. A virtual arms race has developed between those attempting to catch up and control its exploitation, and those developing ever more sophisticated techniques for catching the fish or exploiting loopholes. A new report from Green MEP Raül Romeva to be voted on next week seeks to change the approach and jump ahead in this race, giving the species a real chance of avoiding extinction, and taking the industry with it.

Brussels Agenda

Weekly preview of the Greens/EFA group - 14-18 May 2012

Highlights of the week for the Greens/EFA include reducing risk in EU banks, strenghtening EU economic governance, our conference on reindustrialising Europe,...

50 reasons to reject ACTA

Tell us about yours!

The vote of the European Parliament will be decisive for the future of ACTA. Discussions are currently taking place. We believe it is essential to survey the various fields and sectors impacted by ACTA.

Stop Climate Change Newsletter

Issue 54 - May 2012

In this month's newsletter : international climate objectives, the battle against shale gas in Europe continues, EED - EU states prefer to listen to fossil fuel exporters rather than their own citizens

Stop climate change blog

Climate discussions - no backtracking by the EU!

Early this week, informal discussions took place in Brussels with Members of the "coalition of ambition" ahead of UN talks in Bonn. The Greens insist that Europe give concrete expression to this new alliance with least developped countries and that it continues to lead the climate debate forward...

Brussels Agenda

Weekly preview of the Greens/EFA group - 7-12 May 2012

Highlights of the week for the Greens/EFA include plenary votes on mobile phone roaming, on financial transaction tax, on rejecting patents on biological processes,...

ACTA anti-counterfeiting agreement

EP raises questions over Commission's legal handling of ACTA

The chair of the European Parliament's legal affairs committee has written to EU trade commissioner De Gucht outlining the committee's dissatisfaction with how the Commission has handled the controversial ACTA anti-count...

e-fa: News Round-Up

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

April 2012 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 a Eu...

Shale Gas Petitions at EP

Bulgarians appeal against fracking

Green MEPs met with three petitioners from Bulgaria today to discuss their petition against the exploration and extraction of shale gas in their country ahead of its presentation to the petitions committee. Bulgaria de...

EU plans for big brother data analysis must be nipped in the bud

The ever-creeping drive for more pervasive retention and analysis of private data and big brother-style surveillance looks set to continue in the European Union. Last week, the European Parliament voted to give the green...

Equal pay for equal work

High time for change

Stop Climate Change Blog

Let's not frack it all up!

Despite what is often said, shale gas is clearly not a solution to our ever growing energy needs and its development will even create more problems with dramatic consequences for the environment, health and safety and the climate....

Greens/EFA Round-up

Debriefing of the plenary session Strasbourg 17-20 April 2012

Priorities of the Greens/EFA Group for the April 2012 plenary session included the situation in Syria, the common corporate tax base, the taxation of energy products, the EU-US PNR agreement, the financing of ITER, the report on women and climate change...

Brussels Agenda

Weekly preview of the Greens/EFA group - 23-27 April 2012

Highlights of the week for the Greens/EFA include EP committee votes on mobile phone roaming, equal pay for equal work, taxing financial transactions, resource efficiency, reform of EU staff regulations. Other EU priorities are the 2013 EU budget, PNR and Schengen

EU-Azerbaijan

Eurovision Song Contest - touchstone for compliance with human rights

The European Parliament today adopted a report on the negotiations of the EU-Azerbaijan and EU-Armenia Association Agreements. The Greens/EFA group succeeded in making it clear in the report that increasing economic re...

No Arms for Assad!

Open letter - EU cannot allow flouting of arms embargo

In spite of an EU arms embargo prohibiting the sale, supply, transfer or export of arms and related materiel of all types to Syria from EU member states, there have been two reported cases of EU member states being poten...

Strasbourg Flash

Weekly preview of the Greens/EFA group - 17 - 20 April 2012

Greens/EFA priorities for next week's Strasbourg Plenary include the humanitarian crisis in Syria, shifting the focus from austerity in the eurozone crisis and easing access to structural funds, the passenger data agreement with the US, energy and carbon taxation, a common coporate tax base, the ever expanding ITER budget, preserving Schengen, Mali and the Azawad region

Collective rights management reform

Time for a fair remuneration of artists

Collective rights management is key for artists. However, in many cases the way it is organised and implemented at national or European level raises important issues: transparency, governance, fair remuneration and shari...

GMO (In)Digest

Issue 4 of the GMO Campaign Newsletter

Download the newsletter here (pdf) EU Work: EFSA discharge On 27th March, the Budget Control Committee (Cocobu) voted to postpone the discharge of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for 2012, as well as the ...

Stop Climate Change Newsletter

April 2012 - Issue 53

In this months newsletter: have climate policies reached a deadlock? Aviation in the EU ETS, 'Global Weirding', 1st anniversary of Fukushima, the Green New Deal, WWF Earth Hour...

Brussels Agenda

Weekly Preview of the Greens/EFA Group - 10th -13th April 2012

Priorities for the Greens/EFA group this week include...

UN Day for Mine Action and Mine Awareness

Much remains to be done, all EU member states need to join the Conventions!

Although more than 80% of the UN Member States have banned landmines during the last decade, much needs to be done in order to reach the objective of a mine free world. Too many governments and their armed forces still p...

The Citizens’ Initiative is Only the Beginning

On 1 April, Europe will turn over a new leaf! For the first time in history, citizens will be given a tool to set the political agenda across the continent with the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI).

Greens/EFA Round-up

Debriefing of the week and plenary session 26-30 March 2012

Priorities for the Greens/EFA group this week included the next step in the fight against ACTA, protecting passenger data, repression in Belarus, strenghtening air passenger rights, enlargement reports, refugee fund, ...

Eurovision and Human Rights

Singing for Democracy in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is determined to boost its international image and portray itself as a modern European country by hosting this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Baku in May. Yet at the same time, reports on human right...

Green Troika in Athens

MEPs travel to Greece to put forward Green ways out of the crisis

Since the beginning of the financial and Eurocrisis, the Greens have consistently criticised the one-sided austerity focus of the response being pushed by centre-right governments in Europe. In this context and af...

Dakar 2012

Global Greens Congress

The 3rd Global Greens Congress kicks off today in Dakar with members of the Greens group leading the way with workshops, plenaries and meetings throughout the event. It is particularly exciting that Global Greens 2012 w...

Brussels Agenda

Weekly Preview of the Greens/EFA Group - 26-30 March 2012

Priorities for the Greens/EFA group this week include the democratic scale back in Hungary, the next step in the fight against ACTA, protecting passenger data, repression in Belarus, strenghtening air passenger rights and marking Document Freedom Day

Open Standards

Document Freedom Day, transparency and the eBook market

Document Freedom Day is coming to the European Parliament on the 28th March with the Greens and free software community organising an event to highlight the importance of Open Standards. With a topical focus on the eBo...

e-fa: News Round-Up March 2012

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

March 2012 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 a Eu...

Liu Xiaobo

Worldwide Reading in the European Parliament

See the video of the event   As part of a worldwide action today in 119 towns in more than 40 countries, Greens/EFA MEPs organised a reading in the European Parliament of prose and poems by imprisoned Nobel Peace ...

Greens/EFA Round-up

Debriefing of the plenary session 12-15 March 2012

Greens/EFA priorities for the plenary session included the state of nuclear power on the Fukushima anniversary, strengthening the role of cooperatives in European society, the recent elections in Russia, government violence in Syria, the low carbon roadmap...

GMO Campaign Blog

Flawed compromise rejected by Ministers - Good news, but door still left open for new GMOs

On March 9th, 2012, a blocking minority of 9 EU environment ministers (from D, Fr, Bel, UK, Ire, Cyp, Bul, Esp and Svk) have put a halt to a Danish compromise proposal that aimed at allowing more freedom for Member Sta...

Brussels Agenda

Weekly Preview of the Greens/EFA Group - 19-23 March 2012

Priorities for the Greens/EFA group this week include a common EU corporate tax base, new proposals for dealing with shadow banking and our iniative for the EP to participate in a worldwide reading of Liu Xiaobo's writings.

Stop e-Fortress Europe

Join us against surveillance mania and an electronic fortress Europe!

The European Commission and the EU Member States want to achieve a complete surveillance of all EU borders and all non-EU travellers. Help us stop this and join our photo campaign smash smart borders.

Animal Transport

EU Commission must hear call and finally act

MEPs joined more than a million Europeans today in calling on the Commission to put an end to long-distance live animal transport in the European Union. Three commissioners have already promised change, but failed to d...

Stop Climate Change Blog

Climate roadmap: both our climate and the EU´s international reputation at stake

Because of Poland, the EU environment council did not manage to reach a consensus on the climate roadmap last week. All eyes are now on the European Parliament...

Rare Earths

China and raw materials: conflict or cooperation?

The decision by the EU, together with the US and Japan, to challenge China's rare earth export restrictions before the World Trade Organisation (WTO) takes this ongoing dispute to a new level. Building on an earli...

Greens/EFA conference on the problems of land grabbing around the world

Land grabbing and Europe’s responsibility

The public debate included high level speakers like Olivier de Schutter, Special Rapporteur of the United Nations on the human right to food; Renée Vellvé from GRAIN, the global network focussing on people's struggles...

Technology transfer

Flexibility needed as well as innovation

Everybody is quick when it comes to asking for more technology transfer to developing countries. The parliament has stated several times in different resolutions the need to foster technology transfer. Obviously, deve...

Strasbourg Flash

Weekly preview of the Greens/EFA group - 12 - 15 March 2012

Greens/EFA priorities for next week's Strasbourg Plenary include the state of nuclear power on the Fukushima anniversary, strengthening the role of cooperatives in European society, the recent elections in Russia, government violence in Syria, the low carbon roadmap...

Emissions Trading

Lets throw the ETS a life jacket

The European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) has been malfunctioning for months as the low carbon price continues to undermine, rather than encourage, green investment.  This will be a central topic during the discus...

Fukushima one year on

Lessons learnt? - Opinion piece published in the EU Observer

Greens/EFA Co-Presidents look back at the impact of the Fukushima nuclear disaster for the local people, Japan and the World in this opinion piece that also appeared in EU Observer

Commission should investigate all options as regards Data Retention

Currently the Commission is assessing whether to revise or abandon the Data Retention Directive 2006/24/EC. The Directive was adopted in 2006 as a reaction to, amongst others, the London Bombings in 2005. It makes blan...