EU Institutions

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Well deserved prize for human rights defender Ilham Tohti

Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought

Greens/EFA have supported and do welcome this choice. Ilham Tohti is the paradigmatic non-violent prisoner of conscience who has been jailed for life just for speaking up on behalf of Uyghur minority in China, even after being sentenced he has held on to his consistent approach of trying to build bridges between Han Chinese and the Uyghur minority.

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The European Council must open accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania

Eu enlargement

The European Parliament, on the initiative of the Greens/EFA group, adopted a firm response to the decision by three countries (France, Denmark and the Netherlands) to block opening EU accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania at last week's European Council.

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Parliament votes to invest in climate protection, youth and sea rescue

EU budget 2020

The European Parliament has taken a bold step towards a more forward-looking and greener budget. Those Member States who are serious about fighting climate change, youth unemployment and the catastrophe in the Mediterranean must now agree to putting more money where it's needed.

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ohrid lake between macedonie and albania — Elen Schurova (CC BY-SA 2.0)

EU accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania

Quote from Philippe Lamberts MEP

"It's unfortunate that EU enlargement is being held back by the French President. Only by having a credible path to EU membership can we help to build stability and lasting peace in the Western Balkans."

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Parliament rejects Goulard - politics of trust must be at heart of new Commission

New Commission

Today, following the second joint-hearing of the Commissioner-designate Sylvie Goulard in the European Parliament, MEPs have not endorsed her candidacy for the Commission. The Greens/EFA group voted against.

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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, ...

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Syvlie Goulard - Photo European Parliament

Greens/EFA reaction to Sylvie Goulard

New Commission

After having analysed the written answers of Sylvie Goulard, the Greens/EFA group pushed for a second hearing before the final assessment.

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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:

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migrants greece — Christopher Jahn/IFRC (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

EU-wide distribution of refugees and migrants

JHA Council

At their meeting tomorrow (Tuesday, 8 October), EU interior ministers will discuss the initiative of Germany, France, Italy and Malta for an EU-wide distribution of refugees and migrants. Magid Magid, member of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, calls for an EU-wide distribution k...

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Greens/EFA group proposes upper limit for supplementary income of MEPs

Following Sylvie Goulard hearings

MEPs from the conservative EPP and the socialist S&D parliamentary groups were unusually vocal in their criticism of extra income earned by MEPs during the Hearing with the French Commissioner candidate Sylvie Goulard.

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Hearing with the Commissioner designate for the internal market, Sylvie Goulard

Greens/EFA reactions

After the joint ITRE-IMCO hearing with the Commissioner designate for the internal market, Sylvie Goulard, the Greens/EFA group decided to not support her after this hearing, but to ask further questions to the Commissioner designate as she was not clear in her answers

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Greens/EFA group asks Ursula von der Leyen to find new candidates for two Commissioner posts

New Commission

The Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) has taken the decision on the conflicts of interests of the Commissioners designate. As it has been leaked to the media, the JURI Committee, did not clear the Romanian candidate Plumb and the Hungarian candidate Trócsányi of conflicts of interest, blocking them from moving on to the next stage of hearings to become European Commissioners.

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