Industry

Environmental policy in the European Semester: assessing progress to date

A report prepared by the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) for the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament

This Greens/EFA study draws a critical analysis of environmental policy in the current European Semester and discusses avenues for greening the EU semester process.

Reindustrialising Europe to promote competitiveness and sustainability

Reinhard Bütikofer

Carbon capture and storage technology

Not the solution to Europe’s fossil fuel addiction

The Greens/EFA Co-Presidents' briefing

10.12.2013

Video - press briefing Strasbourg 10 December 2013

The Greens/EFA co-presidents Dany Cohn-Bendit and Rebecca Harms presented the key issues of the plenary session for the Greens/EFA group

Brussels Agenda

Weekly preview of the Greens/EFA group - 25 - 29 November 2013

Greens/EFA priorities for the week include sexual and reproductive health and rights, railway safety, European investigation order, rules on car noise, honey labels, bee health and GMOs, sustainable reindustrialisation and competitiveness

COSME programme

A step in the right direction but efforts still needed

The European Parliament has endorsed the COSME programme on 21 November 213, which aims to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability of EU enterprises, particularly SMEs. The new programme will help address the competitiveness and sustainability of EU enterprises, promote entrepreneurship and improve access to finance and to markets. While the Greens would have preferred sustainability to play a more central role, the Group is still happy that the programme maintains it as an objective. The report rightly emphasises that access to skills, including managerial skills and knowledge (and not only access to finance), are critical factors for SMEs. The Greens also welcome the initiative to involve stakeholders in the drafting of the work-programme, including NGOs and labour organisations. The Greens succeeded in ensuring greater support for start-ups.

Research and innovation policy

Dispute on Israeli settlements overshadows otherwise positive Horizon 2020 programme

The European Parliament today voted to adopt a series of legislative files setting out the EU's research and innovation funding programme 2014-20, Horizon 2020. The Greens gave a broad welcome to the programme but expressed regret that it failed to clearly exclude firms from illegal Israeli settleme...

The Greens/EFA Co-Presidents' briefing

19.11.2013

Video - press briefing Strasbourg 19 November 2013

The Greens/EFA co-presidents Dany Cohn-Bendit and Rebecca Harms presented the key issues of the plenary session for the Greens/EFA group

Citizens' energy for a good climate

15.11.2013

A participatory debate about Poland and its future

At the next COP19, all eyes will be on Poland. Not only will the country have the chance to lead the UN climate negotiations and play a key role on the international stage, it will also have an opportunity to weight in the debate about the future of the European Union itself. For this reason, the Greens/EFA group would like organise a debate with both the Polish citizens and activists from around the world. Our aim is to give everybody an opportunity to express their views about the Polish, European and global choices about the future.

A Post-Growth Society for the 21st Century

14.11.2013

Opportunities and challenges for Europe

How can economic growth be explained, and what future for growth in Europe? What’s the state of natural resources, limiting our ability to grow? What could be key factors and dynamics for decoupling economic growth from our ecological footprint in the case of energy and climate change? Given the radical uncertainty about the future of economic growth, how to pursue well-being, design employment policies, pension and health systems and fight inequalities without relying on growth?

Radio broadcasting in minority languages

16.10.2013

where we are, where we should go

Today globalization, the growth of the Internet and web-based information is having a direct and detrimental impact on minority languages and linguistic diversity, as global communications and marketplaces require global understanding. Nevertheless, community media are a tool that reinforces pluralism and diversity not only through radio content production, but through participatory and democratic processes that support and reinforce the European identity and cultural wealth through the use and promotion of minority languages in Europe.

A Renaissance of Industry for a Sustainable Europe (RISE)

16.10.2013

A Greens/EFA conference

How to reindustrialise Europe and create economic recovery, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing resource efficiency? What’s the contribution from SMEs to sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, and which policy framework suits them? How can we achieve a socially fair greening of our industries, and what does this mean for new alliances between trade unions and environmentalists?