Pollution

strasbourg building ep
© European Union 2015 - Source EP

A Greens/EFA take on the plenary week

Plenary week, 17-19 June 2020

Greens/EFA priorities for the plenary week included anti-racism protests following the death of George Floyd, Hong Kong, sustainable investment/taxonomy, tax sub-committee, the Disability Strategy, the animal transport inquiry committee, investigation against the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic on the misuse of EU funds and potential conflicts of interest, the Future of Europe, recovery/MFF, land grabbing and deforestation in the Amazonas, Brexit, Eastern Partnership and European Council.

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Trucks on highway
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Social pillar of the Mobility Package - voted in Transport Committee

Quote from Ciarán Cuffe MEP

The European Parliament Transport Committee has just given the green-light to the social pillar of the 'Mobility Package' on three separate files dealing with the rules governing rest periods, cabotage and the posting of road transport operators.

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drinking water bottle
drinking water bottle ©kate-joie

Europe will benefit from public drinking water dispensers and cleaner water

Drinking Water Directive

Yesterday (Wednesday, 18 December), the representatives of the European Parliament, the Council of Member States and the European Commission agreed on stricter limits for lead and endocrine disruptors such as bisphenol A allowed in drinking water.

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car exhaust pipes

New revelations about VW cheating must force Commission to act

Four years of Dieselgate

According to the German broadcaster SWR, Volkswagen continued to cheat on emissions tests using defeat devices in diesel engines under Euronorm6 after the diesel scandal came to light in 2015. The revelations were published before Chancellor Angela Merkel opens the International Motor Show in Frankfurt.

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Mobility

A green vision for our mobility system in 2050

Tackling air pollution and protecting citizens health

On 26 June, thanks to an initiative from Brussels residents and campaign group ClientEarth, the European Union Court of Justice ruled that European cities need to do much more effort to reduce pollution levels. The level of pollution in European cities - particularly from vehicle diesel engines - has become a major threat to public health.

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How did the car industry manage to undermine EU pollution limits?

The dangers of technocratic decision-making on public health and the environment

Despite an EU law limiting the amount of pollution that cars could emit, the car industry - together with complicit EU governments - managed not only to delay the implementation of the rules, but to insert massive loopholes that essentially rendered the new pollution limits meaningless. How this happened is a scandal that is yet to be fixed.

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airplane
Flickr: shyb (CC BY-NC 2.0)

EU must change from a kerosene tax paradise to a global pioneer for climate action

Aviation/CO2 tax

The non-governmental organisation "Transport and Environment" today published a study, kept secret by the European Commission, on the consequences of a kerosene tax on aviation.

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Trucks on highway
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New CO2 emissions standards for trucks and heavy goods vehicles

Quote from Bas Eickhout MEP

Today, the European Parliament voted by a large majority to approve the new CO2 emissions standards for trucks and other heavy goods vehicles. The CO2 emission standards for new heavy-duty vehicles regulation will see new trucks and heavy goods vehicles reduce their CO2 emissions by 15% by 2025, and...

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European flags
© Photo European Parliament

Greens/EFA Debriefing

Plenary week, 15-19 April 2019

Greens/EFA priorities for the plenary week included Climate change and Greta Thunberg, the rule of law, Frontex - European Border and Coast Guard, CO2 emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles, Whistleblower protection, EU-US trade talks, the investigation into conflict of interest surround Czech PM Andrej Babiš, Copyright,...

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Hemicycle European Parliament Strasbourg
European Union

What's coming up in Parliament

Greens/EFA priorities - plenary session 15-18 April 2019

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

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Road Transport
Rolf van Melis | CC

Parliament vote on mobility risks creating second class workers

Mobility Package

The majority of Members of the European Parliament, have voted in favour of exemptions for a range of transport journeys from the Posting of Workers Directive.

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Trucks on highway
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Mobility package vote postponed

Quote from Karima Delli MEP

The President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, has just announced that the mobility package will be referred back to the Transport Committee and that the vote will be postponed until the plenary session on the 3rd and 4th of April.

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