Regions

No community left behind / La population au coeur de la transition

30.06.2020

Putting people at the centre of the just transition

Join Greens/EFA MEPs Mounir Satouri, Henrike Hahn and Green Mayor of Loos-en-Gohelle, Jean-Francois Caron to discuss how to safeguard social and economic justice in the transition, the infrastructure and initiatives that will put people at the centre, and how to support green investment in local industry and start-ups.

EU Funding for Cities

10.06.2020

Webinar

Cities and local governments can take the lead in climate action and realize ambitious action plans for a sustainable future. This recognition leads us to raise the question, how the EU can back cities’ efforts in the most effective way?V4 capital cities are advocating a proposal to strengthen EU financing for cities in the next MFF, the Green Deal and the Recovery Plan. It is already backed by almost 20 European municipalities. How to move forward?

Coronavirus / Europe's islands - call for urgent EU intervention

Press Release from EFA MEP François Alfonsi (Corsica)

Europe's islands could face economic collapse as a result of the necessary measures put in place to combat the spread of Coronavirus, and targetted intervention at EU level is needed to prevent this. That is the message that a cross party group of MEPs representing many of Europe's island...

Kosovo: Vote of no confidence amid Corona crisis

Quote from Viola von Cramon-Taubadel MEP

The current political turmoil in Kosovo and the Corona pandemic should not be used to any individual politician's advantage. Kosovo needs a stable government that can lead its citizens through these times of uncertainty and crisis.

The French citizen representing Scotland in Europe

EFA MEP Christian Allard defends Scotland's attachment to Europe

Scottish MEP Christian Allard is a 'newly elected representative unlike any other.' Born in Dijon, Christian Allard has lived in Scotland for over thirty years where he has worked extensively in the fishing and seafood industries. He became a Member of the Scottish Parliament in 2013 a...

Future of Europe debate with Latvian Prime Minister

Krišjānis Kariņš

Philippe Lamberts, President of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament, comments on the Future of Europe debate with the Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš.

Back to the future? How the EU can regain relevance in the Western Balkans?

10.04.2019

A GREENS/EFA Conference

At the beginning of the current legislative term the Commission communicated that there will be a 5-year enlargement stop. This led to a loss of credibility of the EU's most powerful incentive for the region's transformation. Since then we witnessed more autocracy and foreign influences in the Western Balkan region. Behind this background the conference aims to assess also latest developments and ask "How the EU can regain relevance in the Western Balkans?"

Greens/EFA Debriefing

Plenary week, 25-28 March 2019

Greens/EFA priorities for the plenary week included the Copyright Directive; the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Cohesion Fund; the Framework for sustainable investment; the final report of the TAX3 committee; the Mobility Package; recent developments on the Dieselgate scandal; the rule of law in Malta and Slovakia; the 2017 'discharge'; the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment.

EU funds should not be spent on fossil fuels

Regional development

The European Parliament has just voted to block spending from the European Regional Development Fund (EDRF) and the Cohesion Fund to be spent on fossil fuels. These funds have a direct influence on the lives of citizens, especially those living in less developed regions: stabile quality employment, new infrastructure, and improved quality of life. The ERDF and Cohesion Fund should be the green face of Europe, delivering a better quality of life to citizens and ensuring a suitable and environmentally friendly future.

What's coming up in Parliament

Greens/EFA priorities - plenary session 25-28 March 2019

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

MEP demands urgent plan for replacement of EU funds

Press release from EFA MEP Jill Evans (Plaid Cymru)

Member of the European Parliament for Wales, Jill Evans, has joined calls with a cross-party group of MEPs in a letter to Prime Minister Theresa May asking her to urgently bring forward a proposal to replace the funding provided for Wales by the EU. Wales currently benefits from billions of pound...

Leaving the EU will devastate regional development

Press release from EFA MEP Jill Evans (Plaid Cymru)

The worst regional inequality in Europe is between London and Wales, new research has found. The research from the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) also found that the UK would be entitled to €13 billion (in excess of £11 billion) of regional development funding for the...