The future of gas in Europe

07.03.2019

The energy sector in particular should be leading the decarbonisation effort given the availability of technological solutions so that Europe moves towards a highly efficient, 100% renewable energy system. What could be the role of gas in this 2050 perspective? While natural fossil fuel gas should be phased-out, other gases emerge and are presented as renewable alternatives. What are their potential, properties, costs and benefits? Are they compatible with a net-zero carbon emission society by 2050?

CAP: Fund farms, not factories

07.03.2019

The event will shed light on the CAP, its interrelations with the treaties of the EU, and how we can tackle the issue of factory farming. It is organised in three different panels: the first one on the implications of factory farming, and how the lack of a legal definition is hindering the design of a CAP that works in accordance with other EU policies and goals; the second panel focuses on the CAP reform, and the way it interacts with the treaties. The third one will be a roundtable discussion and as a conclusion a round of questions and answers from the audience.

First EU limits for heavy-duty vehicles vital to reduce pollution

19.02.2019

CO2 emissions

Trucks and heavy goods vehicles will have to reduce their CO2 emissions by 15% by 2025, and by 30% by 2030, compared with 2019 levels. Thanks to the pressure of the European Parliament, the targets for 2030 are now legally binding. In 2022, the Commission will also have to propose post-2030 targets in line with the Paris Agreement.

MEP demands urgent plan for replacement of EU funds

15.02.2019

Press release from EFA MEP Jill Evans (Plaid Cymru)

Member of the European Parliament for Wales, Jill Evans, has joined calls with a cross-party group of MEPs in a letter to Prime Minister Theresa May asking her to urgently bring forward a proposal to replace the funding provided for Wales by the EU. Wales currently benefits from billions of pound...

Greens/EFA Debriefing

15.02.2019

Plenary week, 11-15 February 2019

Greens/EFA priorities for the plenary week included the EU-Singapore trade agreement, the protection of animals during transportation, the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement, the debate on the Future of Europe with the Italian Prime Minister, the final trilogues on copyright and on the gas directive, ...

Environment Committee wants significantly greener agriculture policy

14.02.2019

CAP reform

Today, the Environment Committee (ENVI) of the European Parliament voted on the reform of the Common Agriculture Policy. MEPs favour a much greener CAP reform than proposed by the European Commission, says ENVI committee member Bas Eickhout, leading candidate of the European Greens for the European elections:

A big step towards a more social Europe

14.02.2019

European Labour Authority

Negotiations on the European Labour Authority have just been concluded with stronger protections for cross-border workers. The European Labour Agency will strengthen the functioning of the Internal Market and will help better detect mailbox companies, bogus self-employment and other fraudulent business models across all EU Member States and mediate between national authorities in labour disputes. It will also cooperate with trade unions and social partners in EU Member States. The Greens/EFA group have long argued for a more social Europe that protects workers' rights.

EU deal on copyright a blow to the free internet

14.02.2019

Copyright

"This deal is a threat to small publishers, authors and internet users alike and risks putting the internet as we know it solely in the hands of the tech and media giants. Upload filters do not work as algorithms simply cannot tell the difference between copyright infringements and legal parodies. Even the most sophisticated upload filters routinely block perfectly legal content." Julia Reda, Greens/EFA Vice President and shadow rapporteur on the Copyright Directive

Trial of Catalan political prisoners

13.02.2019

Press release from EFA MEPs J-M Terricabras & Jordi Solé

EFA MEPs from Catalonia have spoken out in the European Parliament this week as the trial gets underway in Madrid of the Catalan political prisoners - government ministers, civil society leaders and former Speaker of the Catalan parliament - for seeking to assert Catalonia's right to self-determ...

Deal against a sustainable and fair international trade policy

13.02.2019

EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement

The European Union's trade agreement with Singapore and the accompanying investment protection agreement have just been adopted by the majority of Members of the European Parliament. The Greens/EFA voted against.

New EU blacklist successful tool to combat money laundering

13.02.2019

Anti-Money Laundering

The European Commission has unveiled its 'blacklist' of 23 jurisdictions where there is a significant risk of money laundering. The list contains 'third country' jurisdictions and includes places such as the Bahamas, the US Virgin Islands, Panama and Saudi Arabia. The list will require all traders in the EU doing business in goods or services worth more than €10,000 in jurisdictions on the blacklist to undertake enhanced due diligence on transactions. The blacklist comes as a result of the EU's Anti-Money Laundering Directive, which is currently being ratified by Member States, and will see the Commission undertake enhanced assessments of the jurisdictions on the list.

Revisions to Gas Directive will limit power of monopolies to threaten energy supply

13.02.2019

Energy

Late last night, trilogue negotiations were concluded on revisions to the Gas Directive, which strengthens EU market rules around gas pipelines entering the EU from third countries. The revisions will make it harder for Member States and third countries, such as Russia, to pursue pipeline projects which that undermine European solidarity and pose a security risk, such as Nord Stream 2.