Fair Trade

Foreign Affairs Committee votes on conflict minerals

On Monday the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament (AFET) voted on an opinion to a Trade committee report on conflict minerals.

Human trafficking, forced labour and land grabbing

Europe's share of responsibility

Barbara Lochbihler, foreign policy and human rights spokesperson of the Greens/EFA group, visited Thailand and Cambodia from 12 to 20 February to follow up on the group’s work on human trafficking and land grabbing. This included a short film produced by Greens/EFA staff in 2012. Land grabbing in...

Greens/EFA Round up

Debriefing of the Strasbourg plenary week 9-12 February 2015

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg plenary included processed meat and origin labelling; access to medicines in the EU; CIA abuses and the role of EU governments; combatting child abduction globally; Ukraine, Russia and the EU's role; EU counter-terrorism policy and fundamental rights; Lux Leaks and tax evasion: EP investigation; detention of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi.

Food safety

Meat in processed food must have origin labelled according to EU Parliament

The European Parliament today adopted a resolution urging the European Commission to finally propose new legislation to ensure mandatory origin labelling for meat in processed foods, like frozen lasagnes or pies. Commenting after the vote UK Green MEP Keith Taylor, who co-drafted the resolution, sai...

The Greens/EFA Co-Presidents' briefing

10.02.2015

Video from press conference Strasbourg 10 February 2015

Greens/EFA co-presidents Rebecca Harms and Philippe Lamberts present the key issues of the plenary session and of the European agenda for the Greens/EFA group

Payment card fees

New EU rules on lower card payment costs a boon for consumers and retailers

The European Parliament and EU finance ministers this evening reached an agreement on EU rules on credit and debit card interchange fees. The Greens welcomed the new legislation, which is aimed at curbing excessive fees paid by many retailers for accepting payment cards. Commenting on the agreement,...

Greens/EFA Roundup

Debriefing of the Strasbourg plenary week 20-24 October 2014

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary included the Ebola crisis and the EU's response, the Energy and climate policy and the EU summit, Hungary's crackdown on civil society, the election of the European Commission, the EU budget, bullfighting, lobbying and the single seat and rounding up migrants in coordinated EU action.

43 Student teachers missing in Mexico

Horrendous crime must be solved and impunity ended

Six people were killed and 43 student teachers disappeared on the 26th September 2014 in Guerrero, Mexico.

Ebola

EU must take all necessary measures to contain outbreak at source

Commenting on today's meeting of EU health ministers on the Ebola epidemic, Green health spokesperson Michèle Rivasi said: "The Ebola outbreak is out of control and the risk of contamination is not ruled out in Europe, as we have seen recently in Spain. The priority is to contain it at th...

Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality

Green MEP Heidi Hautala gives our assessment of Commissioner-designate Vera Jourová

What is your overall impression of how Commissioner-Designate Jourová performed? It certainly seems that she has been given a portfolio with such breadth and depth that tending to all relevant issues satisfactorily seems impossible. She did not explain how she would defend her portfolio within the...

EU-US trade agreement (TTIP)

Council refuses to allow transparency on the negotiations

A few hours after the arrest of hundreds of environmental campaigners in Brussels yesterday during a protest against the free trade agreement with the USA (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) and with public resistance continuing to grow, the EU Member States decided the same day to refu...

LobbyCloud

Greens welcome launch of new website fostering lobbying transparency

Lobbycloud, a new website aimed at enhancing transparency of lobbying activities in the European Parliament, was presented today at the re:publica 14 internet conference in Berlin by its developer OpenDataCity. This new tool will allow users to email lobbying documents for publication or upload th...