Greens/EFA Round up

Debriefing of the Strasbourg plenary week 15-18 May 2017

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary included: food waste; Commission statement: harnessing globalisation by 2025; ECJ ruling on competences of EU vs Member States in FTAs; Council and Commission statements - Making relocation happen; Vote on GMO objections; Situation in Hungary; Money laundering; Conclusions of the European Council meeting; Cross-border portability.

Remember the fight for garment workers’ rights this May 1st

Greens/EFA working to ensure Rana Plaza tragedy is not repeated

The first of May recognised around the world as the International Workers' Day. On this day we acknowledge the crucial role of the worker in our societies and the need for stringent standards across our industries to ensure everyone has the right to work in a safe workplace.

Garment workers remain unsafe four years after Rana Plaza

Blog post by Jean Lambert MEP and Judith Sargentini MEP

Four years on from the Rana Plaza disaster, urgent action is needed to clean up the garment industry, say Green MEPs Jean Lambert and Judith Sargentini.

Greens/EFA Round up

Debriefing of the Strasbourg plenary week 13-16 March 2017

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary included: Mercury rules; Gender equality: still a long way to go on equality; Arctic policy; Animal welfare; Firearms control; LuxLeaks appeal verdict; Official controls in the food chain; Shareholders' rights; Conclusions of the European Council/Rome Declaration; Conflict minerals; Fishing sector data collection.

EU institutions must end exploitation of interns

Ombudsman rules EEAS trainees must receive a fair allowance

The European Ombudsman has delivered her judgement on unpaid internships with the European External Action Service (EEAS). She has recommended that the EEAS pay all of its trainees an appropriate allowance to allow greater access for young people from all backgrounds.

Commission labour mobility package

Proposals could undermine “social Europe”

The European Commission has today announced its proposals on EU social security coordination.They include plans to tighten the rules for accessing benefits for non-working citizens. For example, EU citizens currently receive unemployment benefits in the country in which they last worked. Under the C...

A study on Job Creation in a Post-Growth Economy

The Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament commissioned a study on the conditions for job creation in a post-growth economy. The aim was to twofold. Firstly, we wanted to examine the relationships between jobs, GDP and energy consumption over the years and to check how far we went with energy efficiency. Secondly, we wanted to lay the foundations of a green macroeconomic model that would enable us to test, in a formal setting, the effectiveness and coherence of Green economic policies, to support the creation of widely attractive narratives about possible futures.

Caterpillar and Alstom cases show urgent need for European reindustrialisation policy

MEPs have today voted in favour of a resolution on the need for a European reindustrialisation policy, in light of the recent Caterpillar and Alstom cases. The Greens/EFA group secured a range of amendments, which included the need for:  more ambition on green targets and indicators;greater dem...

Greens/EFA Round up

Debriefing of the Strasbourg plenary week 12-15 September 2016

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary included: Car emissions scandal; Work-life balance; Rule of law in Poland; Situation in Turkey; State of the Union; Social dumping in the EU; Asylum - additional measures for Italy and Greece; Apple tax ruling; Copyright reforms; External investment plan; Nomination for Sakharov Prize 2016; Informal EU Council on security.

State of the Union

European Union still best answer to the challenges we face

Commenting on today's State of the Union address from President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, Greens/EFA co-president Rebecca Harms said: "The European Union, with all its achievements and its shortcomings, is still the best answer to nationalism. We are better able to defe...

Social Dumping

Time to end the exploitation of workers across the European Union

The European Parliament today adopted the Balas report on "social dumping within the European Union".Today’s decision is significant in the context of the forthcoming negotiations on the controversial directive on posted workers.Commenting after the vote, Greens/EFA member of the Committ...

Protecting universal postal services

MEP Jill Evans has defended the Universal Service Obligation to deliver and collect post at least five times a week within the EU. Jill Evans was speaking on behalf of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament's debate on the application of the EU's Postal Services Directive. MEP...