New Parliament re-asserts its opposition to GMOs

The new Parliament adopted its first three GMO objections that the European Commission proposes to authorise for  import into the EU for food (for humans) and feed (for livestock).  Let’s now hope that the new Commission will have the political courage to respect the call from citizens and the European Parliament to stop GMO authorisations and imports into Europe

Right intentions and promising words are not enough

Hearing with Frans Timmermans

On the hearing of Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice President-designate for a “European Green Deal”, Bas Eickhout, Coordinator of the Greens/EFA in the Committee on Environment, comments:

Greens/EFA call for urgent action on oceans & extreme sea-levels

IPCC Special Report on Oceans

The dramatic melting of ice and rising sea levels must be an urgent warning that we cannot wait any longer for real action on climate change. The EU can't afford to come away empty-handed from the UN Climate Change Conference in Chile this December and in Glasgow next year after the poor showing of this week's summit in New York.

Greens/EFA Debriefing

Plenary week, 16-19 September 2019

Greens/EFA priorities for the plenary week included: Hungary – Rule of Law, Amazon Fires, Christine Lagarde appointed President of the European Central Bank, Climate Debate Ahead of UN Summit, Brexit, New von der Leyen Commission, Money Laundering Greens/EFA nominees for the Sakharov Prize, Patentability of plants and essential biological processes, Laura Codruța Kövesi, new European Chief Prosecutor.

The abuse of European Patent law must stop!

This Thursday, 19 September, the European Parliament will vote on a resolution on the issue of the patentability of biological plants and animals, aka plants and animals that could be found in nature or bred by farmers.

What's coming up in Parliament

Greens/EFA priorities - plenary session 16-19 September 2019

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

Greens/EFA call for new proposal for Common European Agricultural Policy

IPCC report on climate change and land

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a damming report on climate change and the devastating effects of desertification, land degradation, land management its consequences for people, animals, the environment and climate.

The Mercosur trade agreement is a bad compromise

Quote by Heidi Hautala

The Mercosur trade agreement is a bad compromise and it is comes at the wrong time when there is an increasing demand for sustainable development. The price for the Mercosur agreement will be paid by farmers, the environment and the climate.

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?

Member States' climate plans need far more ambition

Quote from Bas Eickhout

The European Commission has released its assessment of EU Member States' National Energy and Climate Plans, and found that national governments need to step up their ambitions to meet EU climate and energy targets and be in line with the Paris Agreement.

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 health, in line with the law governing food additives, it was narrowly rejected. ...

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.