The “innovation principle” is a regulatory Trojan horse from the industry

How a group of industries with problematic products are trying to weaken the precautionary principle

Few words carry a more positive image than “innovation”: solving humanities’ problems, bringing comfort, relief and fun. So why the hell are the Greens/EFA in the European Parliament opposing the introduction of the so-called “innovation principle” in the Horizon Europe Regulation, which will be setting the terms for the next 160 billion euro EU research funding programme? Because this is in reality an industry stunt to hinder the precautionary principle, and the EU citizens' safety. Here is how.

Time for stricter testing around pesticide authorisation

PEST final report

The final report calls on EU governments and the European Commission to step up environmental and health assessments of pesticides and pesticide active substances, to ensure that no conflicts of interest affect the authorisation procedure and to make risk assessments transparent. The product glyphosate will be tested for cancer risks. MEPs will vote on the final report in the plenary session of the European Parliament in January.

EU-wide class action law suits will hold companies to account

Consumer rights

Today, the majority of the members of the Legal Affairs Committee today voted in favour of greater consumer protection and for the possibility of EU-wide class action law suits. Representative entities, such as consumer organisations, will be able to bring collective redress before the courts if infringements affect people in several EU countries.

A new EU law for more transparency in the food chain

No more dirty secrets in the authorisation procedure for pesticides, GMOs, food additives and novel food!

Democracy and science have in common the fact that they cannot be properly carried out in the dark: both require transparency. The altercation around the reauthorisation of the herbicide glyphosate in 2017 shed an uncomfortable light on the opacity of both the assessment process and the authorisation process of pesticides in the EU. The Commission's imperfect attempt to make the situation better will be debated and voted on next week in the European Parliament, under strong industry lobby pressure.

Greens/EFA demand debate on medical devices

Implant files

The "Implant Files", a cross-border investigation by journalists into how medical devices on the EU market, such as pacemakers, artificial hips and contraceptives, which may have caused pain, injury or even death among patients, must be debated by the European Parliament, according to the Greens/EFA group.

Driving down emissions from trucks

CO2/trucks and heavy duty vehicles

The European Parliament voted in favour of Greens/EFA rapporteur Bas Eickhout's proposed changes to the European Commission's regulation on "CO2 emission standards for new heavy-duty vehicles", which would see substantial reductions in CO2 emissions from trucks and heavy goods vehicles.

The Greens/EFA Co-Presidents' briefing

13.11.2018

LIVE press conference 13 November 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

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

Pesticides found in hair samples

We tested people's hair and the majority of participants from 6 EU countries had pesticides in it! Share to tell the EU that pesticides don't belong in our bodies and we need to be stricter on pesticide rules!

Our hair, testimony of our overall exposure to pesticide residues

Pesticides

Environmentalists in the European Parliament are launching a campaign on pesticide contamination. They used an independent institute that performed capillary tests for 30 pesticides reported as endocrine disruptors. Results: The laboratory detected one or more of these 30 pesticides for two thirds of the samples.

Pesticides found in hair samples

Pesticides are ubiquitous in our environment and food

The Greens/EFA set up a campaign to measure human exposure for a selection of 30 pesticides, reported as endocrine disruptors, among the EU population. The analyses detects toxic pesticides such as fipronil but also chlorpyrifos. Read more

Greens/EFA Debriefing

Plenary week, 22-26 October 2018

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary week included COP 24 – Climate; COP 14 - Convention on Biological Diversity; Reducing plastic pollution; The use of Facebook users’ data by Cambridge Analytica and the impact on data; Charging of heavy goods vehicles; Use of antibiotics in farming; Drinking water directive and open letter; Decision on Sakharov Prize winner 2018; Future of Europe debate with Klaus Iohannis, Romanian President; Debate on EU-wide breaches of REACH chemicals regulation; Killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.