Human Rights

Anti-Torture Regulation

Human Rights and coherent trade policy are not mutually exclusive

A clear majority of MEPs today adopted a legislative report which revises EU trade rules, focusing on provisions to prevent the trade in goods that could be used for torture or capital punishment. Greens/EFA MEPs have been instrumental in ensuring this revision, which includes clear and robust provi...

Hungary migration referendum

Result fails to meet threshold

Commenting on the result of the Hungarian referendum on EU migration quotas, which failed to reach the legal threshold of 50% turnout, Greens/EFA MEP Tamás Meszerics stated: “Despite an extremely aggressive propaganda campaign, a majority of the Hungarian electorate did not cast a valid vote. Eve...

Greens/EFA Round up

Debriefing of the Strasbourg plenary week 12-15 September 2016

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary included: Car emissions scandal; Work-life balance; Rule of law in Poland; Situation in Turkey; State of the Union; Social dumping in the EU; Asylum - additional measures for Italy and Greece; Apple tax ruling; Copyright reforms; External investment plan; Nomination for Sakharov Prize 2016; Informal EU Council on security.

Refugee crisis

European Parliament calls for urgent distribution of asylum seekers

The European Parliament today backed a report from Greens/EFA MEP Ska Keller on refugee quotas. A large majority of the Members of Parliament called for Member States to urgently meet their commitments to relocate 160,000 refugees from Greece and Italy to their territory

Sakharov Prize 2016

Greens/EFA nominate Can Dündar for defending of freedom of thought and expression in Turkey

The Greens/EFA group has agreed to nominate Can Dündar, a Turkish journalist, columnist and documentarian, for this year's Sakharov Prize.

The Greens/EFA Co-Presidents' briefing

13.09.2016

VOD press conference 13 September 10:30-10:50

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

EU - Turkey: The answer is more democracy

Greens/EFA MEP Ernest Maragall has spoken out to condemn the military coup in Turkey as well as aspects of the Turkish government's response to it, during a debate at the European Parliament in Strasbourg with EU Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini. Mr Maragall, a member of the European Parliam...

A Green Debate on Integration and Active Inclusion

08.09.2016

Rethinking Integration of Third Country Nationals in Europe

REGISTRATION CLOSED Programme 09:30 - 10:00  Registration and coffee 10:00 - 10:15 Welcome and Introduction Josep-Maria Terricabras MEP, Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament PANEL I: SETTING THE SCENE: MAINSTREAMING INTEGRATION IN THE EU POLICY FRAMEWORK ON MIGRATION Chair: Josep...

Attempted coup in Turkey

Further polarisation must end

Commenting on the attempted coup d’état in Turkey, Greens/EFA co-president Rebecca Harms stated: “We are shocked by the events in Turkey. Although the background to the coup remains unknown, a military coup is clearly incompatible with democratic objectives. We extend our deepest condolences t...

Out there

Celebrating diversity, fighting for equal rights & open societies

Pride is first and foremost political. It is not just about dressing up and bringing some more colour and glitter into the world. The Pride season is about equal rights for all. It is about the right to live the life you want to live, love the person you want to love and be the person you want to be. This is why the Pride season is a mirror for our society, showing us how open, how equal, how inclusive our societies are.

EU asylum rules

Retrograde proposals on rights and criteria for asylum seekers

The European Commission today presented further proposals for reforming the EU’s system of asylum rules, notably as regards the criteria under which asylum-seekers’ applications for international protection are judged in the EU, and the rights and treatment they should receive. Commenting on the...

EU border and coastal guard

FRONTEX transformed into return agency

The European Parliament today approved a proposal to grant the EU’s border management agency FRONTEX greater powers, notably for border and coast guard missions. The Greens opposed the plan, due to concerns about the fundamental rights implications of the new system. After the vote, Greens/EFA vic...