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.

Greens/EFA demand urgent action on climate

Global climate strike

We need fast action now. CO2 must have a fair price. We urge the new European Commission to make climate priority a reality and increase our CO2-reduction target from the weak 40 per cent to at least 65 per cent by 2030. It is also unacceptable for aircraft and ships to not pay the price and to benefit from tax subsidies.

The abuse of European Patent law must stop!

This Thursday, 19 September, the European Parliament will vote on a resolution on the issue of the patentability of biological plants and animals, aka plants and animals that could be found in nature or bred by farmers.

What's coming up in Parliament

Greens/EFA priorities - plenary session 16-19 September 2019

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

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.

Global Climate Strike

20-27 September

This September, millions of us will walk out of our workplaces and homes to join young climate strikers on the streets and demand an end to the age of fossil fuels. Join the climate strike

Greens/EFA call for new proposal for Common European Agricultural Policy

IPCC report on climate change and land

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a damming report on climate change and the devastating effects of desertification, land degradation, land management its consequences for people, animals, the environment and climate.

Greens/EFA Debriefing

Plenary weeks July I and II 2019

We are back !  After the green wave of the European elections in May, political groups were formed and the new European Parliament had its first two plenary sittings in Strasbourg.  The topics on the agenda were mainly about the election of the Presidents of the European Parliament and of the European Commission.

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.

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.

Avoiding ecosystem collapse will require a different Common Agricultural Policy

Report on biodiversity sheds a light on where the future negotiation should go

In Paris a few weeks ago, a report on biodiversity and aimed at global decision makers was released, anouncing the extinction of 1 million species in the coming years - meaning a collapse of our ecosystems and dire consequences for human beings throughout in the world. However, the report, produced by the intergovernmental platform IPBES, also talks at length about the possible solutions, in particular for our farming and food system. What conclusions should we draw when it comes to the European Common Agricultural Policy?

Member States' climate plans need far more ambition

Quote from Bas Eickhout

The European Commission has released its assessment of EU Member States' National Energy and Climate Plans, and found that national governments need to step up their ambitions to meet EU climate and energy targets and be in line with the Paris Agreement.