Rights and freedoms

Greens/EFA Debriefing

Plenary week, 10-14 September 2018

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary week included: The Future of Europe debate with Prime Minister of Greece; Autonomous weapon systems; The rule of law in Hungary; Language Equality in the Digital Age; State of the European Union; Digital copyright; Dual quality of products; Greens/EFA MEPs take EFSA to court over Monsanto studies on glyphosate; European CO2-regulation for cars and vans.

EU copyright reform needs more work

Press release from EFA MEPs Ian Hudghton & Alyn Smith (Scotland)

The European parliament today, by 438 votes to 226 against with 39 abstentions, voted to approve the negotiating mandate for the next stage of complex negotiations over the reform of Copyright in the digital Single Market.  MEPs Ian Hudghton and Alyn Smith, supported a workable compromise betwe...

European Parliament votes to defend the rule of law in Hungary in historic vote

Hungary

In an unprecedented move, Members of the European Parliament have voted in favour of starting procedures against the Hungarian government for breaching European values on the rule of law. The resolution by Greens/EFA rapporteur Judith Sargentini was supported by over two-thirds of MEPS.

Parliament approves upload filter with cosmetic changes

Copyright reform

The majority of MEPs are satisfied with cosmetic changes and have ignored the loud protests from across science and civil society. Upload filters endanger a free internet.

#SOTEU – Catalonia – 'Europe needs to be part of the solution'

Press release from EFA MEP Jordi Solé (Catalonia)

EFA MEP Jordi Solé (Catalonia) has invited European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to visit the nine political prisoners currently being held in Catalan jails, including two former MEPs. Solé was speaking in the keynote debate on the State of the Union in the European Parl...

Language Equality in the Digital Age

Plenary speech from EFA MEP Jill Evans (Wales)

Jill Evans presents her report on language equality in the digital age at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, which makes proposals to help bridge the digital language divide.

Victory for language equality in the European Parliament

Press release from EFA MEP Jill Evans (Wales)

The European Parliament has overwhelmingly endorsed a report by Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans which calls for action at the EU level to bridge the digital language divide. The report looks at the use of languages in digital technology and makes a number of recommendations for action by the European ...

Vote on rule of law in Hungary

Quote from Ska Keller

The vote on Hungary is a decisive moment for every political group and each individual Member of Parliament. We must not leave the playing field open to right-wing nationalists

European Parliament to call for a ban on killer robots

Killer Robots

"Autonomous weapons systems must be banned internationally, the power to decide over life and death should never be taken out of human hands and given to machines," says Bodil Valero MEP, security policy spokesperson for the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament.

The Greens/EFA Co-Presidents' briefing

LIVE press conference 11 September 2018 10:30-10:50

Greens/EFA co-presidents Ska Keller and Philippe Lamberts present the key issues of the plenary session and of the European agenda for the Greens/EFA group

What's coming up in Parliament

Strasbourg Flash - plenary session 10-13 September 2018

A look ahead to next week's session in the European Parliament in Strasbourg and the Greens/EFA priority issues on the agenda

Hungary: Q&A on Sargentini Report on the rule of law

On Wednesday 12 September, the European Parliament will vote on the report on Hungary by the Dutch Green MEP Judith Sargentini. If a two-thirds majority supports Sargentini’s conclusions, then for the first time in history the European Parliament will conclude that in an EU country there is a clear risk of a serious breach of democracy, fundamental rights and rule of law.