Equal Opportunities

From seed to store, clothes production should be safe and sustainable

How many different stages do you think it takes to produce your clothes? Two? Twenty? In fact, the average number is closer to six, from planting the cotton seed to distribution on the shop floor. Six is not a big number. So why it is that retailers often don't know the conditions under which the clothes they sell were made?

Jill Evans MEP asks 'who made my clothes'?

Press release from EFA MEP Jill Evans (Plaid Cymru)

As the third anniversary of the Rana Plaza clothing factory tragedy approaches this Sunday, Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans is backing a campaign for ethical clothes labelling in Europe. Over a thousand people died and more than two thousand five hundred were injured in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2013 when th...

Undeclared work

New EU platform must not become debating club

The European Parliament today voted to approve the establishment of a European Platform to prevent undeclared work. The Greens welcomed the new platform, with social policy spokesperson Terry Reintke stating: "Undeclared work is a widespread phenomenon in Europe, which leads to the exploitation...

Circular economy

the new job paradigm?

We urgently need to move to a circular economy: it protects the environment, it creates jobs in the EU, and it makes the EU economy more resilient and our businesses more competitive, but will these benefits be felt by all? Or will the circular economy benefit big corporations only?

EU boardroom quotas for women

Don't back down

Not voting can have serious consequences. Especially when a majority is needed in the European Council. EU ministers could not agree on Monday on a new rules on EU boardroom quotas for women. The vote was canceled and the proposal is now practically dead. The Dutch government has already announced t...

The Circular Economy Package

A waste of job opportunities?

An opinion article by Jean Lambert and Davor Skrlec, Green MEPs The new Circular Economy Package is a step back for Europe. In a European Union with levels of unemployment at around 11%, youth unemployment at over 20% and with 24% of the population either at risk of poverty or social exclusion...

The circular economy package

a transformation for all?

The European Greens believe that the EU's economy needs to work for both people and planet. The circular economy can contribute by creating jobs, protecting the environment and promoting growth in Europe, but like any other paradigm shift, it needs to have citizens' interests at its core.

Circular economy

European Commission must deliver by the end of the year

The European Parliament today adopted a report on the circular economy. The report's central demands are for less waste, better product design, less dependence on imports of raw materials and more green job creation in the EU. Following the European Commission’s controversial withdrawal of its ini...

Green jobs

European Parliament calls for measures supporting green job creation

The European Parliament today adopted a report on green jobs drafted by Greens/EFA MEP and Green employment spokesperson Jean Lambert. This report looks at how to tap into the job creation potential of the green economy and follows on from last year's European Commission proposals on green employmen...

EU Investment Plan

European Parliament prioritises climate change and employment

The European Parliament voted today in plenary to adopt the rules on a Guarantee Fund that is a cornerstone of the European Commission’s investment plan (1). Although the finances are shaky and insufficient, the Greens/EFA group welcomes this first step towards investment rather than austerity. Gr...

Green jobs - Will the EU lead the transition or watch from the side lines?

Jean Lambert

Green jobs

Will the EU lead the transition or watch from the side lines?

The European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee adopted Tuesday 16 June a report on green employment. Driven by Green draftswoman Jean Lambert, the report looks at how to tap into the job creation potential of the green economy.