Quote from Josep Maria Terricabras

European Citizens' Initiative reform

The European Parliament's Constitutional Affairs committee has today voted on the reform of the European Citizens' Initiative, with the majority blocking all meaningful improvements.

The battle for a more democratic Europe heats up as we push for meaningful reform of the European Citizen’s Initiative

Despite the concerns raised by more than 60 NGOs as part of the #EPforgetusnot campaign, tomorrow’s vote on the reform of the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) looks like it will fail to address the democratic aspirations of the 9,000,000,000 citizens who already signed an ECI in the hopes of having their voices heard by the European Commission. Read and take action

Reaction to Antoine Deltour ruling from Benedek Jávor

LuxLeaks

The Luxembourg Court of Appeal has today ruled on the case of Antoine Deltour. The Court has acknowledged his status as a whistleblower but gave him a “suspension du prononcé” for downloading documents related to the LuxLeaks, for which he receives a €1 fine.

EU needs to stop conflicts of interest from undermining climate policy

Revolving doors

"There is a revolving door between politics and the fossil fuel lobby all across Europe. It’s not just a handful of cases – it is systematic," comments Max Andersson, Greens/EFA MEP attending the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn today.

Report on revolving doors in the fossil fuel industry reveals widespread potential for conflicts of interest to undermine climate policy

Conflicts of interest in climate policy

A report published today by the Greens/EFA Group on revolving doors between the public sector and the fossil fuel industry in Europe concludes that there is a widespread problem when it comes to the potential for conflicts of interest to dominate climate policy-making.

Support for independent journalism is the best antidote

Fake News

Well-funded independent journalism with high professional standards is key to addressing disinformation and propaganda, says Josep Maria Terricabras, Vice President of the Greens/EFA group.

How to deal with fake news

Supporting good journalism is the only solution to fake news that prevents despots from curbing freedom of expression

As the European Commission unveils its plans to tackle the “fake news” phenomenon, the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament has a different perspective on how to deal with “fake news” in a manner that avoids giving questionable powers to governments to regulate what is true and what is false.

Victory for whistleblower rights campaigners

Commission Whistleblower proposals

After a long campaign for the protection of whistleblowers in the EU, the Greens/EFA group has welcomed the publication of the European Commission’s proposals. The Greens/EFA group has been consistently pushing for a directive and published its own draft proposal in May 2016, which was updated earlier this month following a public consultation.

Greens/EFA Debriefing

Plenary week, 16-19 April 2018

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary week included: Future of Europe - debate with President Macron; Selmayr: Commission ethics in question – Discharge of Commission 2016 budget; Money Laundering - New legislation will deliver real benefits for citizens; Organics - Parliament seals the deal on new legislation; Greenhouse gas emissions; The Circular Economy; Energy performance of buildings; Facebook & Cambridge Analytica - Parliament response to scandal; Protection of journalists - resolution following recent murders; Dieselgate - new legislation on type-approval and market surveillance.

EU must respond to the threat to investigative journalism

Protection of journalists

Greens/EFA transparency spokesperson Benedek Jávor comments on the threat to investigative journalism.

Time for the EU to protect whistleblowers

What the EU legislation on whistleblower protection should look like

The need to protect whistleblowers is increasingly recognised at both European and national level. In a recent public consultation done by the European Commission, an overwhelming majority of 96% of respondents agreed that we need legally binding minimum standards on whistleblower protection across the EU.

Sad day for Europe

Hungary elections

This result shows how big our responsibility is to defend democracy and fundamental rights everywhere in the European Union. It is true, Orbán secured his majority. But we should not forget that the Orbán government managed to silence opposition media, filled a lot of key positions in official institutions with people close to his party and lead an aggressive campaign driven by fake news when it comes to migration.