Sustainable development

Calls for bolder and urgent climate action

Press Release from EFA MEP Aileen McLeod

The European Parliament today voted to declare a climate and environmental emergency in Europe. There were calls for the EU to take the necessary action in cutting greenhouse gasses in order to achieve climate neutrality. The European Parliament resolution was supported by SNP MEP Aileen McLeo...

Climate emergency declaration must lead concrete actions

The EU must commit to a range of goals including: Achieving climate neutrality by 2040, a 65% reduction in emissions by 2030, and to put the environment and biodiversity at the centre of the EU's agricultural policy to halt biodiversity loss

What's coming up this week

Greens/EFA priorities - plenary session 25-29 November 2019

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

The EU-Mercosur Agreement: A threat to the environment and livelihoods?

A Greens/EFA Conference

The EU-Mercosur free trade agreement, due to be voted by the European Parliament during this mandate, will be discussed in detail with researchers, experts and civil society. The event is open to all and will be livestreamed on the day

Greens/EFA call on action instead of empty declarations

Climate emergency

A Group of MEPs among which the Greens/EFA tabled an amendment for the resolution ahead of the UN Climate Conference COP25 to ask for the declaration of climate emergency on a European level. The European Parliament should not only officially declare climate emergency, but also agree on a number of concrete measures to make the declaration tangible.

Breakthrough for climate budget

EU budget 2020

The European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission agreed on a green EU budget for the year 2020. The climate budget is finally becoming real under pressure from the Greens/EFA and the European Parliament. The ambitious fight against youth unemployment threatened to fail because of national egotisms in the Council. Yet, in the end, the European Parliament prevailed.

EIB takes big step towards becoming a climate bank but loopholes remain

European Investment Bank

EU Member States and the Commission agreed to a new energy lending policy for the European Investment Bank. It is a good step in the right direction and a milestone on the road to ending investments for fossil fuels altogether. The EIB needs to become the climate bank of Europe but we're not quite there yet.

ECJ rules Poland in breach of EU Treaties for rules on judges

Quote from Terry Reintke MEP

The European Court of Justice has just ruled that Poland is in breach of the EU Treaties for measures aimed at lowering the retirement age of judges, at different ages for men and women, and for allowing the Minister of Justice discretion to prolong judges' service. The Greens/EFA group have long argued that this amounts to political interference in the independence of the Polish judiciary and runs counter to the rule of law and European values.

US formally requests to withdraw from Paris Climate Agreement

Climate change

Donald Trump is shirking the USA's responsibility to the world and to its own people by pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement.

European Parliament demands better protection for bees

Bee protection / pesticides

The Parliament's objection is sending a strong signal to the Commission not to bow to the pressure of Member States and the agro-chemical industry. The Parliament is demanding a new text that fully implements existing scientific guidelines. Bee populations are suffering everywhere largely due to the use of pesticides, with major consequences for our ecosystems and food supplies.

Protection of bees against harmful pesticides

The European Parliament must stop Commission's plans

The very partial implementation of the Bee Guidance Document is the latest of many comitology 'black box' scandals. Everybody claims they love bees, but the decision making process on how to really protect them is taking place in the dark and does not aim to protect them properly, based on existing scientific evidence.

EIB must become climate bank & stop support for fossil fuels

Climate

Today, the European Parliament will debate 'Greening the European Investment Bank' (EIB) at the plenary session in Brussels. The Greens/EFA group support calls for turning the EIB into a climate bank and are calling for the EIB to stop financial support for any fossil fuel projects by 2020, ...