Free Software and Open Standards in the European Parliament

Ensuring utmost transparency - Free Software and Open Standards under the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament

Do public bodies in Europe have an obligation to move from closed source and lock-in to vendor independence and free software? In general probably yes, but is it also true for the European Parliament? Definitely!

Digital market/Google

MEPs fail to focus consumer rights and net neutrality

The European Parliament today adopted a resolution on the digital single market and the current legal proceedings against Google. Commenting on the vote, Green digital agenda expert Jan Philipp Albrecht stated: "The core principle guiding the debate on the Google anti-trust case and the digita...

Outcome of the conference on employment (Milano, 8 October)

Plenary speech by Terry Reintke

EU employment summit

PR exercise in Milan fails to offer concrete measures

Commenting on today’s meeting of EU leaders in Milan on the issues of growth and unemployment, Greens/EFA co-presidents Rebecca Harms and Philippe Lamberts stated:“The only employment this summit has created is for EU diplomats, journalists and hoteliers in Milan. It is purely a public relations...

Education, Culture, Youth and Citizenship

Green MEP Helga Trupel gives our assessment of commissioner-designate Tibor Navracsics

What is your overall impression of how commissioner-designate Navracsics performed? He is a very talkative and eloquent person, but absolutely not ready for any self criticism and not ready to admit his role in the introduction of the media freedom hobbling law in Hungary. He...

Commissioner Test: Tibor Navracsics

Helga Trüpel

Language diversity side-lined in new EU Commission

Press Release from the EFA Group in the European Parliament

The new European Commission is at risk of ignoring the importance of language diversity in Europe, according to Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales MEP Jill Evans, a member of the European Free Alliance (EFA) Group of MEPs. The Welsh MEP has criticised the decision not to appoint a dedicated EU Commi...

Greens/EFA Roundup

Debriefing of the Strasbourg plenary week 15-19 September 2014

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary included access to life-saving medicines in Europe, EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, UN climate talks and the EU's role, the European Youth Initiative, nominations for the Sakharov Prize and the EU response to the Ebola outbreak.

Fundamental rights and migration under Team Juncker

Green MEP Judith Sargentini on the provocative candidate choices

So, overall, are you happy with the proposal from Jean Claude Juncker? While President-elect Juncker has made positive sounds as regards the need to address the challenges of migration and fundamental rights in Europe, some of his proposals in terms of candidates raise serious questions. What is yo...

Digital agenda, copyright and privacy under Team Juncker

Greens/EFA MEPs Jan Philipp Albrecht and Julia Reda give their initial impression

So, overall, are you happy with the proposal from Jean Claude Juncker? The overall structure proposed for this broad area of portfolios is generally positive. However, the jury remains out as to whether the candidates Juncker has assigned to the different portfolios - Věra Jourová, Günther Oet...

Breaking out from the old pattern

A Green vision for the new EU Commission

  This time it’s different. The traditional “Europe at a crossroad” has morphed into a cliff-hanger situation. For the European Union, the next five years have become a matter of make-or-break choices. Shaken by the violent crisis of the past years, European public opini...

TISA services trade agreement

Leaked texts underline concerns with shadowy services talks

Wikileaks yesterday leaked negotiating texts from the ongoing negotiations on an international trade in services agreement (TISA). The leaks come ahead of the seventh negotiating round, taking place in Geneva next week. The Greens have previously raised concerns about the lack of transparency in the...