The EU-Mercosur Agreement: A threat to the environment and livelihoods?

20.11.2019

A Greens/EFA Conference

The EU-Mercosur free trade agreement, due to be voted by the European Parliament during this mandate, will be discussed in detail with researchers, experts and civil society. The event is open to all and will be livestreamed on the day

US formally requests to withdraw from Paris Climate Agreement

Climate change

Donald Trump is shirking the USA's responsibility to the world and to its own people by pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement.

European Parliament demands better protection for bees

Bee protection / pesticides

The Parliament's objection is sending a strong signal to the Commission not to bow to the pressure of Member States and the agro-chemical industry. The Parliament is demanding a new text that fully implements existing scientific guidelines. Bee populations are suffering everywhere largely due to the use of pesticides, with major consequences for our ecosystems and food supplies.

Protection of bees against harmful pesticides

The European Parliament must stop Commission's plans

The very partial implementation of the Bee Guidance Document is the latest of many comitology 'black box' scandals. Everybody claims they love bees, but the decision making process on how to really protect them is taking place in the dark and does not aim to protect them properly, based on existing scientific evidence.

EIB must become climate bank & stop support for fossil fuels

Climate

Today, the European Parliament will debate 'Greening the European Investment Bank' (EIB) at the plenary session in Brussels. The Greens/EFA group support calls for turning the EIB into a climate bank and are calling for the EIB to stop financial support for any fossil fuel projects by 2020, ...

European Parliament votes to make the MFF work for the climate

EU budget

Today a large majority of MEPs voted to make the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027 work for the climate. Rasmus Andresen, shadow rapporteur for the Greens/EFA group on the EU's 2020 budget, comments: "The European Parliament wants to turn the EU budget into the driving f...

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.

Greens/EFA demand urgent action on climate

Global climate strike

We need fast action now. CO2 must have a fair price. We urge the new European Commission to make climate priority a reality and increase our CO2-reduction target from the weak 40 per cent to at least 65 per cent by 2030. It is also unacceptable for aircraft and ships to not pay the price and to benefit from tax subsidies.

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.

Amazon fires debate

Quote from Heidi Hautala MEP

On the initiative of the Greens/EFA and other groups, the European Parliament debated the on-going fires in the Amazon rainforest. Heidi Hautala MEP and Greens/EFA spokesperson on trade comments.