European Union

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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Syvlie Goulard - Photo European Parliament

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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MEPs vote for ambitious budget that invests in climate protection, youth & sea rescue

Quote from Rasmus Andresen MEP

MEPs voted for more than €2 billion to be invested in climate protection and around €500 million to combat youth unemployment and promote youth exchanges through the Erasmus programme. The Greens/EFA group was successful in its demand for a new budget line for an EU sea rescue mission.

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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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Greens/EFA group demand potential conflicts of interest investigated fully

New Commission

On Wednesday and Thursday, the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament will review the cases of 10 Commissioner designates who have been asked to provide additional information in order for the committee to assess any potential conflict of interest issues.

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“Politics as Usual” does not suffice: We need an ethical Commission we can trust

Ethics and Integrity

Ursula Von der Leyen, the new Commission President, is working to put together a new Commission, but many of the candidates to become European Commissioners have been the subject of political scandals, investigations for corruption or questionings about potential conflicts of interest. But the European Parliament now has the power to prevent conflicts of interest - will it deliver?

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European flags — © Photo European Parliament

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.

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EPPO: Kövesi chosen as Chief Prosecutor

Quote from Saskia Bricmont MEP

"The role of European Chief Prosecutor is essential in the fight against fraud and corruption in the EU and will be strengthened with Laura Codruța Kövesi's integrity, experience and determination," comments Saskia Bricmont MEP.

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Brexit vote European Parliament

Quote from Philippe Lamberts MEP

The European Parliament has voted by a large majority on a Brexit resolution calling on the EU to protect citizen's rights and, if no agreement is reached, to extend Article 50 in order to avoid a no-deal Brexit and preserve peace in Ireland.

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Hemicycle European Parliament Strasbourg — European Union

What's coming up in Parliament

Greens/EFA priorities - plenary session 16-19 September 2019

A look ahead to the plenary session in the European Parliament in Strasbourg and the Greens/EFA priority issues on the agenda

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