Health

We need a European response to fight against the consequences of the COVID-19

Open letter to the Eurogroup

Green Members of the European Parliament call on the Ministers for Finance of the Eurozone to quickly adopt the following urgent initiatives

A Greens/EFA take on the plenary week

Plenary week, 10-14 February 2020

Greens/EFA priorities for the plenary week included the future EU/UK relationship, conclusion of the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, objection to the energy projects ‘PCI List’, humanitarian situation of refugees at EU external borders, automated decision-making processes, the illegal trade in companion animals in the EU, and the Gender Equality Strategy.

Parliament votes against toxic recycling

Quote from Bas Eickhout MEP

The European Parliament has voted to object to a Commission draft regulation that would allow for recycled PVC products to be exempt from a ban on lead. The objection which was tabled by the Greens/EFA group calls for an end to toxic recycling. This is the first time the European Parliament has vetoed chemicals legislation.

Europe will benefit from public drinking water dispensers and cleaner water

Drinking Water Directive

Yesterday (Wednesday, 18 December), the representatives of the European Parliament, the Council of Member States and the European Commission agreed on stricter limits for lead and endocrine disruptors such as bisphenol A allowed in drinking water.

Our future : fair & healthy food

Decades of yield maximization and export-oriented monocultures in a globalising economy have broken our food and agricultural chain. Business-as-usual has become impossible. But the tide is changing. More and more cities put agroecology in practice in concrete urban food policies. It is now time for a new EU policy that reflects and supports this holistic vision.

New revelations about VW cheating must force Commission to act

Four years of Dieselgate

According to the German broadcaster SWR, Volkswagen continued to cheat on emissions tests using defeat devices in diesel engines under Euronorm6 after the diesel scandal came to light in 2015. The revelations were published before Chancellor Angela Merkel opens the International Motor Show in Frankfurt.

Greens/EFA Debriefing

Plenary weeks July I and II 2019

We are back !  After the green wave of the European elections in May, political groups were formed and the new European Parliament had its first two plenary sittings in Strasbourg.  The topics on the agenda were mainly about the election of the Presidents of the European Parliament and of the European Commission.

A green vision for our mobility system in 2050

Tackling air pollution and protecting citizens health

On 26 June, thanks to an initiative from Brussels residents and campaign group ClientEarth, the European Union Court of Justice ruled that European cities need to do much more effort to reduce pollution levels. The level of pollution in European cities - particularly from vehicle diesel engines - has become a major threat to public health.

Phosphate additives in food

EFSA confirms serious concerns for human health

Eighteen months ago, the Parliament voted on an objection, co-tabled by Greens/EFA MEP Bart Staes, to the authorisation of phosphate additives in kebab meat. Whilst the sole aim of the objection was to protect human health, in line with the law governing food additives, it was narrowly rejected. ...

EU Safety Authority decides not to appeal landmark transparency judgement, cementing GreensEFA victory in favour of the environment, public health and the right to know

It’s official. After years of legal battles with the EU Food Safety Authority against their decision to keep essential documents hidden from the public, victory is ours. By ‘ours’, we are referring to the public’s health, the people’s right to know, and the human right to live in a safe and thriving environment.

Thirty six objections and counting

Why the European Parliament opposes new EU GMO authorisations in vain

Thirty six. That is the number of objections that the European Parliament has voted through, against the draft authorisations of genetically modified plants in the EU put forward by the European Commission (the most recent objections against a GM soy and a GM maize). In 24 of these cases, the European Commission has happily ignored both the indecision of Member states (and hence the lack of a clear political majority) and the European Parliament’s clear disagreement and went ahead to authorize the GM plants anyway. Nine additional authorisations are expected in the coming weeks.

How did the car industry manage to undermine EU pollution limits?

The dangers of technocratic decision-making on public health and the environment

Despite an EU law limiting the amount of pollution that cars could emit, the car industry - together with complicit EU governments - managed not only to delay the implementation of the rules, but to insert massive loopholes that essentially rendered the new pollution limits meaningless. How this happened is a scandal that is yet to be fixed.