Protecting Journalists is Protecting Democracy

EU needs to step up ambition so that the #TruthNeverDies

The UN highlights each year, on 2 November, the need to end impunity for crimes against journalists, because journalists are in the front line when it comes to holding the powerful to account, which is why they are often violently silenced. This year, the UN is reminding us that each year one journalist gets a Pulitzer prize, but one hundred get shot. Press freedom across the world - including in Europe - is in crisis.

Greens/EFA group asks Ursula von der Leyen to find new candidates for two Commissioner posts

New Commission

The Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) has taken the decision on the conflicts of interests of the Commissioners designate. As it has been leaked to the media, the JURI Committee, did not clear the Romanian candidate Plumb and the Hungarian candidate Trócsányi of conflicts of interest, blocking them from moving on to the next stage of hearings to become European Commissioners.

Greens/EFA group demand potential conflicts of interest investigated fully

New Commission

On Wednesday and Thursday, the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament will review the cases of 10 Commissioner designates who have been asked to provide additional information in order for the committee to assess any potential conflict of interest issues.

“Politics as Usual” does not suffice: We need an ethical Commission we can trust

Ethics and Integrity

Ursula Von der Leyen, the new Commission President, is working to put together a new Commission, but many of the candidates to become European Commissioners have been the subject of political scandals, investigations for corruption or questionings about potential conflicts of interest. But the European Parliament now has the power to prevent conflicts of interest - will it deliver?

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 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.

European Commission’s New Proposals on Rule of Law Fall Short Once Again

The European Commission - and its new President, Ursula Von der Leyen - has promised that “there can be no compromise” when it comes to upholding the rule of law across the European Union. Yet despite the urgency of the situation, both Von der Leyen’s promises and the concrete proposals presented today by the European Commission remain deeply insufficient.

Greens/EFA Vice-Presidents will push for more transparency, ethics and openness

Heidi Hautala & Marcel Kolaja elected Vice-Presidents of European Parliament

Today, the European Parliament voted to confirm key positions in the Bureau of the European Parliament. The Greens/EFA group had two Members elected for Vice-President positions, Heidi Hautala, Green MEP from Finland and Marcel Kolaja, European Pirates MEP from Czech Republic. Our MEPs will push for more transparency, ethics, openness and digitisation and protection from harassment for staff.

Time to guarantee ethics and integrity in the EU

Ending conflicts of interest

A new political term is a new chance to upgrade the EU’s ethics systems to make sure any risks of conflicts of interest or corruption are completely stamped out. In a Union that is under constant attack, the best form of defence is to act with the highest standards of ethics, transparency and integrity. Citizens deserve no less.

The Transparency Standards of the GREENS/EFA Group

The Greens/EFA Group is committed to lobbying transparency and to the equal access of stakeholders to the decision-making process. For this reason, over the years, the Group has put in place different tools to guarantee transparency of our activities and public money spent.

Greens/EFA demand action from Tusk & Juncker on Czech PM Babiš' conflict of interest

The Greens/EFA group has sent two separate letters to the European Commission and Council demanding they take immediate action on the conflict of interest surrounding Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. Leaked copies of the Commission's audit into the conflict surrounding Babiš' business Agrofert, which received EU subsidies, shows that large sums of EU and Czech money are distributed to Agrofert and will need to be repaid.

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.