Rights and freedoms

Fighting for EU democracy, defending human rights

Photo by Simon King on Unsplash

Shrinking Spaces

21.11.2019

Policing humanitarianism and human rights defenders

Civil society organisations are increasingly under pressure in Europe. NGOs engaged in helping refugees as well as human rights defenders fighting against rule of law backsliding are criminalised, intimidated and charged with legal restrictions. They face an hostile climate of harassment and intimidation. The conference will address how the criminalisation affects the rights of citizens and discuss ways to protect NGOs and human rights defenders.

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Sasha Popovic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Catalan leaders' sentences a 'travesty of justice'

Press Release from Alyn Smith MEP (SNP), President of the EFA Group in the EP

Responding to today's verdict in the trial of Catalan pro-independence leaders which saw them receive sentences of between 9 and 13 years imprisonment, Alyn Smith, SNP MEP and President of the EFA Group in the European Parliament described the sentences as 'a travesty of justice which will o...

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© Photo European Parliament

Greens/EFA Debriefing

Plenary week, 16-19 September 2019

Greens/EFA priorities for the plenary week included: Hungary – Rule of Law, Amazon Fires, Christine Lagarde appointed President of the European Central Bank, Climate Debate Ahead of UN Summit, Brexit, New von der Leyen Commission, Money Laundering Greens/EFA nominees for the Sakharov Prize, Patentability of plants and essential biological processes, Laura Codruța Kövesi, new European Chief Prosecutor.

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MEPs to establish Kurdish Friendship Group

Support for fundamental rights from across the political spectrum

Around a dozen MEPs from a variety of political groups have met at the European Parliament in Strasbourg to agree the establishment of a Kurdish Friendship Group. The aim is to provide a forum of support and discussion for issues of concern relating to the Kurdish people. It is anticipated that t...

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Promoting women's rights

Call on Ursula von der Leyen to strongly support and defend Gender Equality and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)

Joint statement

As Members of the European Parliament and representatives of MEPs for Sexual and Reproductive Rights and the pro-choice network ALL of US we call on the newly elected President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to protect and further strengthen gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights in the work programme for the European Commission 2019-2024.

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Catalan MEPs should be allowed to take their seats

Support from EFA MEPs for taking up their mandates

On the first day of the new parliamentary term, EFA MEPs supported the right of Catalan MEPs to take their seats in the European Parliament. More than 10,000 people gathered in a peaceful demonstration outside the European Parliament. They called for Catalans elected at the recent European electi...

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The Mercosur trade agreement is a bad compromise

Quote by Heidi Hautala

The Mercosur trade agreement is a bad compromise and it is comes at the wrong time when there is an increasing demand for sustainable development. The price for the Mercosur agreement will be paid by farmers, the environment and the climate.

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Defending Fundamental Rights and the Rule of Law Requires Political Will...and Courage

GreensEFA Group proposals sent to the European Commission

While the Hungarian Prime Minister gags the press, undermines freedoms, and kicks ‘progressively-minded’ universities out of the country; the Polish government attacks the independence of Constitutional judges or violates the rights of women; the Romanian government attempts to decriminalise corruption offences and while murders of journalists in Malta and Slovakia send shockwaves across Europe, people are looking towards the EU for help, but so far, not enough has been done.

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Time to Smash the Gender Backlash

Four Greens/EFA demands for a Feminist Europe

Proudly feminists, the Greens/EFA will continue working to bring the feminist mobilisations and demands rising up from the streets to the European institutions.

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ggia (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Saving lives is not a crime

Mission Lifeline judgement

In the case of Malta against the captain of the private sea rescue boat 'Lifeline', captain Claus-Peter Reisch was today sentenced to a fine of 10,000 euros due to alleged inadequate registration of the vessel.

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Ilias Bartolini (CC BY-SA 2.0)

A welcoming Europe for all

Our views on asylum and migration

We believe that a migration and asylum policy founded on human rights and solidarity is urgently needed and that migration should be managed responsibly and effectively. The right to asylum shall be upheld and the human rights of all migrants shall be respected, as provided by international and human rights laws, including the Geneva Convention, to which the EU is party.

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© Brandon Laufenberg

Greens/EFA launch plan to improve media freedom and journalist protection

World Press Freedom Day

To mark World Press Freedom Day tomorrow (May 3rd), the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament will launch plans to improve media freedom and journalist protection in the European Union together with a petition directed at the European Commission.

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