European Parliament demands EU governments do more to prevent climate catastrophe

Climate Protection/COP24

MEPs voted to call on EU governments and the European Commission to heed the warnings of recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and increase their ambitions to reduce CO2 emissions from 40% to 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, ahead of the UN climate summit in December 2018, in Katowice, Poland.

A new instrument to fight climate change and air pollution

Transport/Eurovignette Directive

The European Parliament voted on a future EU-wide toll for trucks busses and vans, which will apply the Greens/EFA core demand for a 'polluter-pays' principle that would take into account CO2 emissions and road construction costs.

Our fights, our values

What the Greens/EFA stand for

European Parliament shows some ambition on CO2 reductions

CO2 emissions

The majority of MEPs have just voted to reduce CO2 emissions from new cars by 40% by 2030. The European Parliament's position for the upcoming negotiations with the European Commission and Council and lags behind the position of the Environment Committee, which had called for a 45% reduction, and goes beyond the European Commission's proposal of just 30%.

More ambitious reduction targets will lead to EU-wide job creation

Car industry/CO2 emissions

"Even though this is clearly a politically steered report from the Commission, designed to influence votes in the Parliament and Council, it still finds that employment numbers in the entire EU will increase with more ambitious reduction targets," says Bas Eickhout, energy policy spokesperson for the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament.

Paris Agreement now enshrined in EU law

Energy Governance

A final text on a European framework law on climate and energy (energy governance) was adopted in trilogue on Tuesday, 19 June. This Regulation is the transposition at European level of the Paris Agreement resulting from COP21.

Greens/EFA Debriefing

Plenary week, 11-14 June 2018

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary week included: Multiannual Financial Framework; Brexit; Iran nuclear deal; Netherlands PM Mark Rutte on the Future of Europe; Poland: independence of the judiciary; Renewable Energy Directive; Circular economy at the heart of cohesion policy; Tax justice: transparency of big companies; FIFA: Play Fair – Fight for the forgotten; Climate change photo exhibition.

Posted workers/transport: weak mandate must be renegotiated

Quote from Terry Reintke

A majority of MEPs have just rejected the negotiating mandate for posted workers in the road transport sector. MEPs voted to overturn the decision made in the Transport Committee, where Social Democrats, Liberals and Conservatives voted against social rights such as minimum wages, adequate rest periods, local collective agreements and legally secure entitlement to allowances for travel, accommodation and food.

Modest success on targets but key decisions pushed back to 2023

Renewable Energy

The European Parliament, Commission and Council came to agreement on the revision to the Renewables Directive late last night.

Cohesion policy must be a driver of the circular economy

Circular economy

The European Parliament has today backed Greens/EFA proposals on making Cohesion Policy a driver of the circular economy. The proposals are contained in an initiative report from Greens/EFA MEP Davor Škrlec.

The Greens/EFA Co-Presidents' briefing

12.06.2018

LIVE press conference 12 June 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 11-14 June 2018

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