Comments from Bart Staes on the European Parliament’s new PEST Special Committee

Glyphosate

"We want to make sure there can no re-run of the glyphosate saga. The re-authorisation of glyphosate highlighted the serious problems with the current process," says the committee’s co-rapporteur and Greens/EFA MEP, Bart Staes.

Save the bees

Have your say by answering the consultation

The European Commission is collecting ideas and views on the decline of bees in order to develop an EU initiative on pollinators. This is the chance to play your part! Answer the consultation to save the bees!

Five reasons not to allow the Bayer - Monsanto merger

Why the Commission should stop this "merger from hell"

In September 2016 Bayer and Monsanto announced their intention to merge. If authorised by the European Commission, this would create, in the Commission’s own words, “the world's largest integrated pesticides and seeds company”, and have devastating consequences. Join us in calling on Margrete Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, to stop this “merger from hell”!

Committee will provide answers to the serious questions raised by glyphosate scandal

Glyphosate

"Pesticides can have a serious impact on the quality of the food on our plates and the health of our environment. That’s why it is so important that the authorisation process is made fit for purpose," says Greens/EFA MEP Bart Staes.

Bisphenol A, an old artificial oestrogen, still allowed in out dated and industrial food packaging

Have you ever heard about endocrine disrupters (EDCs)? If so, then you’ve probably also heard of BPA, aka « bisphenol A », one of the world’s most famous EDCs. But if you never heard about those chemicals that irreversibly affect the hormonal system, there’s no way you’ve escaped « BPA- free » labels on food containers for our little ones.

Greens/EFA Round up

Debriefing of the Strasbourg plenary week 15-18 January 2018

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary week included: Conservation of fishery resources and protection of marine ecosystems; Women, gender equality and climate justice; EU plastic strategy; No spyware for dictators: stricter rules for dual-use exports; Clean energy package: put Paris into practice; Priorities for the new Bulgarian presidency; Future of Europe with Irish PM: hard border must be avoided; Marrakesh Treaty: facilitating the access to published works; Glyphosate: presidents to decide on special committee; EU tax haven blacklist.

Modern mutagenesis techniques are GMOs according to the European Court of Justice Advocate General

On Thursday 18 January, the European Court of Justice published the opinion of its Advocate General on the legal statute of modern mutagenesis. This opinion confirms what civil society and the Greens/EFA have been claiming from the beginning: these are not “breeding techniques” but GMOs. At the same time, the Advocate General opens the door for some of these techniques to be exempt from risk assessment, traceability and labelling - an unacceptable conclusion.

European Parliament group presidents endorse Special Committee on Glyphosate

Following a Greens/EFA initiative, the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament endorsed the mandate of a Special Committee to analyse and assess the authorisation procedure for pesticides today. The decision will be endorsed by the next plenary.

Failure to set shared objectives undermines common fisheries policy

Fishing

The European Parliament has voted in favour of a report on the conservation of fishery resources and protection of marine ecosystems. While Green MEPs backed the successful attempt to include a ban on pulse fishing, the Greens voted against the report, which fails to establish common objectives at an EU level.

The Greens/EFA Co-Presidents' briefing

16.01.2018

LIVE press conference 16 January 2018 10:30-10:50

Greens/EFA co-presidents Ska Keller and Philippe Lamberts present the key issues of the plenary session and of the European agenda for the Greens/EFA group

What's coming up in Parliament

Strasbourg Flash - Plenary session 15-18 January 2018

A look ahead to next week's session in the European Parliament in Strasbourg and the Greens/EFA priority issues on the agenda

Greens/EFA Round up

Debriefing of the Strasbourg plenary week 11-14 December 2017

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary week included the adoption of the recommendations after the tax scandal of the Panama Papers; the Green report on European Strategy for low emission transport; Poland and the Bialowieza forest; another Green report on new legislation to regulate EU vessels outside EU waters; the EU summit and Brexit and migration; the Green objection to phosphate additives in kebabs