Pollution

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Automotive industry

Draft EU supervision will have to be strengthened

The European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection committee has voted in favour of the draft report on approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles (“type approval”). The Greens/EFA group has been pushing for the establishment of an independent EU agency to help restore consumer confidence and avoid further scandals, but this proposal did not find majority support in committee.

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Green MEP appointed Chair of the Transport Committee

Karima Delli takes over from Michael Cramer

The European Parliament's Transport Committee has appointed its Chair for the next two and a half years. The French Green MEP Karima Delli, who has been a member of the committee since 2014, was elected chair and takes over the position from Green MEP Michael Cramer.

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Waste Directive

Environment committee brings ambition to Commission proposal

The European Parliament's Environment committee has today voted to strengthen the European Commission's Waste Directive proposal.   The committee has supported amendments in a number of key areas, including the effective implementation of a waste hierarchy (prioritising prevention...

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Greens/EFA Round up

Debriefing of the Strasbourg plenary week 12-15 December 2016

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary included: LuxLeaks appeal trial; 4th Railway Package: missed opportunity for progress; New Greens/EFA co-presidents and bureau announced; Commission Statement: rule of law in Poland; Sakharov Prize presentation; Commission Statement: Energy Union Package; Parliament’s rules of Procedure; Commission: Labour mobility package - coordination of social security systems; Revision of the Research fund for Coal and Steel; Council and Commission statements ahead of European Council; European Parliament presidency: Greens/EFA candidate; ETS vote in ENVI.

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Dieselgate

Commission launches overdue infringement proceedings

The European Commission has today launched infringement proceedings against seven EU Member States. The states are accused of having failed to set up a system of sanctions for car companies that installed prohibited software in their vehicles in order to cheat emission tests. This sanction system is...

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Greens/EFA Round up

Debriefing of the Strasbourg plenary week 21-24 November 2016

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary included: Occupational retirement provision; EU-Turkey relations; Conflict minerals trialogue; Council/Commission Statements on outcome of COP22; EU Parliament refuses to refer CETA to the ECJ; Commission considers Code of Conduct changes; Emissions of certain atmospheric pollutants; Renewing the approval of the active substance bentazone; Sign language and professional sign language interpreters; Umbrella deal on EU-US data protection; Dieselgate hearing with French Minister, Ségolène Royal; EU accession to the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women.

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Hearing of French Minister Ségolène Royal

EMIS inquiry committee 24 November 2016

  Ségolène Royal, France’s environment minister, appeared before the EMIS committee in Strasbourg today. The much-anticipated hearing got off to a rocky start, as Ms Royal arrived 40 minutes late due to a delayed flight, and the Members therefore only had an hour for thei...

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Air pollution

Revised legislation won’t tackle public health crisis

The European Parliament has today voted in favour of a long-overdue revision of EU air quality legislation, setting out national limits on a range of air pollutants. The Greens/EFA group has condemned the final agreement, which is substantially weaker than the European Commission's original proposal...

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Conflict minerals

Binding rules agreed as EU finally takes action

  The European Parliament and Council today reached a final agreement on new EU regulation aimed at tackling the problem of conflict minerals. This legislation is intended to stop the financing of armed groups through trade in conflict minerals by forcing companies to source responsibly. Com...

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Hearing of Alexander Dobrindt, Olaf Lies and Ségolène Royal

EMIS inquiry committee - 20 October, November

Hearing with German Transport Ministers Alexander Dobrindt and Olaf Lies (20 October), upcoming hearing with Minister Ségolène Royal (presumably in November)

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Hearing of Mr Alexander Dobrindt

EMIS inquiry committee - 19 October 2016

Hearing of Mr Alexander Dobrindt - Federal Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Germany

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For an EU Car Emission & Safety Agency

EMIS inquiry hearing

The revision of the EU type-approval framework for cars is currently being discussed in the European Parliament in the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO). This reform has been put forward by the European Commission in the aftermath of the scandal on diesel emissions and turn-off devices. While the Greens/EFA welcomed the Commission's proposal as a good basis for discussion, we are more sceptical about the draft report presented by MEP Daniel Dalton (European Conservatives and Reformists, ECR UK).

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