Has the G7 learned its lesson?

Not at all!

The G7 club of industrialised nations met this week in Japan against a backdrop of economic gloom, geopolitical tension and rising concerns on climate change. Despite being viewed by many as remote and undemocratic, the G7 meetings are still seen as politically important, which explains the masses...

The role of the United States as a tax haven

New Greens/EFA research looks at implications for Europe

On the same week of the publication of the Panama Papers’ database by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, providing a useful resource to track shell companies often created with the objective to evade taxes or launder dirty money, the Greens launch a new report on why the United States are becoming the biggest tax haven on the planet.

China’s market economy status

Greens/EFA motion for resolution

Tabled by Reinhard Bütikofer, Yannick Jadot, Ska Keller, Philippe Lamberts, Claude Turmes, Bas Eickhout on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group The European Parliament, –  having regard to the EU’s anti-dumping legislation (Council Regulation (EC) No 1225/2009 of 30 November 2009 on prote...

Make the digital single market inclusive!

The Juncker Commission placed the completion of the Digital Single Market (DSM) as one of its ten priorities. However, the current approach of the European Commission is way too narrow.

Financial benchmarks

EP adopts a much too timid response to recent Libor, Forex and commodity index rigging scandals

The Greens/EFA group today voted against the proposed Regulation of financial benchmarks, which was adopted by a large majority of MEPs.

From seed to store, clothes production should be safe and sustainable

How many different stages do you think it takes to produce your clothes? Two? Twenty? In fact, the average number is closer to six, from planting the cotton seed to distribution on the shop floor. Six is not a big number. So why it is that retailers often don't know the conditions under which the clothes they sell were made?

EU needs to take action to clean up clothes industry

  A blog by MEP Davor Skrlec The clothing industry is arguably second only to oil as the world's most polluting industry[1]. From the many dyes and chemicals used which pollute the soil and water, to the pesticides used in cotton fields (without even mentioning the chemicals used in synthetic f...

Jill Evans MEP asks 'who made my clothes'?

Press release from EFA MEP Jill Evans (Plaid Cymru)

As the third anniversary of the Rana Plaza clothing factory tragedy approaches this Sunday, Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans is backing a campaign for ethical clothes labelling in Europe. Over a thousand people died and more than two thousand five hundred were injured in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2013 when th...

Three years after Rana Plaza

The fight continues for workers' rights

As a consumer, even the smallest choices have a massive impact across the world. The choice of your clothes can have a global positive change. Every year we buy 73 million tonnes of clothing. And each of these garments has most likely traversed multiple continents before reaching your local shop.

Trade Secrets

Must not outweigh the public interest

In many of the biggest political scandals of the past months – Luxleaks, Dieselgate and now the Panama Papers – we saw trade secret laws abused as a shield against investigation and exposure of how corporations are harming the public good, avoiding taxes and endangering public safety. Whistleblowers find themselves fighting for their freedom in court – or in hiding. And yet, the European Parliament is about to expand corporate secrecy and deter whistleblowing by adopting the Trade Secrets Directive.

European Commission lobby transparency consultation

An opportunity to improve transparency and equality in EU lobbying

The Greens/EFA group welcomes the launch today by the European Commission of a public consultation on the EU lobby transparency register.

Greens/EFA Round up

Debriefing of the Strasbourg plenary week 1-5 February 2016

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg plenary included car pollution laws and real driving emissions tests, controversial TiSA services agreement, health damaging endocrine disruptors and Commission inaction, EU Corporate Tax Package, Schengen and Europe's asylum shame, Brexit, opposing GMO feed approvals and reforming the system, and the EU-Kosovo progress report.