Sustainable development

Trucks on highway
Creative Commons CC0

Social pillar of the Mobility Package - voted in Transport Committee

Quote from Ciarán Cuffe MEP

The European Parliament Transport Committee has just given the green-light to the social pillar of the 'Mobility Package' on three separate files dealing with the rules governing rest periods, cabotage and the posting of road transport operators.

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A Greens/EFA take on the plenary week

13-17 January 2020

Greens/EFA priorities for the plenary week included the European Green Deal, the Sustainable Investment Plan, Just Transition Fund, Roadmap on Social Europe, the Council hearings on the rule of Law in Hungary and Poland, Czech PM Andrej Babiš' conflicts of interest, Convention on biodiversity, ...

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Biodiversity Forest © texasmary
© texasmary

New global agreement on biodiversity needed

Biodiversity

The European Union has already set climate change high on the agenda. Now it needs to do the same with protecting biodiversity.

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slash and burn amazon
Slash and burn amazon ©Matt Zimmerman (CC BY 2.0)

Analysis of the agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur

Greens/EFA Study

The study offers a comprehensive review of the disciplines and mechanisms covered in the hundreds of pages of text which make up the agreement, and of their potential effects. It covers all chapters published so far, addressing changes to trade flows in goods and services, rules, standard-making and non-tariff barriers to trade. The study is based on a textual analysis of the agreement itself, while also integrating secondary literature, impact assessments, and the perspectives and analyses of stakeholders on the agreement.

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European Green Deal
European Green Deal // Wind turbine construction

Parliament calls for more ambition in green transition

European Green Deal

A majority of MEPs have voted in favour of a cross-party resolution on the European Green Deal, initiated by the Greens/EFA group. The Greens/EFA group have succeeded in including demands for more biodiversity protection, more climate financing and a more social approach to tackling the climate crisis.

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People together
People together

Bland declarations on employment will not solve inequality

Roadmap for a Social Europe

We were waiting for a roadmap that could curb inequalities and tackle the scourge of poverty, but instead the Commission has offered bland declarations on employment. The Commission Roadmap reduces the social agenda to the issue of employment and leaves out issues such as poverty and social exclusion.

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coal mining garzweiler
coal mining garzweiler // Frank Kehren (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

A necessary tool but commitment to coal phase-out needed

Just Transition Fund

The Just Transition Fund is a necessary tool to support the regions that will be affected by the move away from coal and other polluting industries, which we have long been calling for. Unfortunately, the Commission's proposal does not set a binding date for the phase-out of coal.

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Hemicycle European Parliament Strasbourg
European Union

This week in the European Parliament

Greens/EFA priorities - plenary session 13-17 January 2020

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

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strasbourg building ep
© European Union 2015 - Source EP

Greens/EFA Debriefing

Plenary week, 16-19 December 2019

Greens/EFA priorities for the plenary week included the rule of law in Malta, conflict of interest and corruption, situation of the Uyghur in China, EU pollinators initiative, animal welfare, EU-Mercosur and European Green Deal, EU Ombudsperson, ...

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drinking water bottle
drinking water bottle ©kate-joie

Europe will benefit from public drinking water dispensers and cleaner water

Drinking Water Directive

Yesterday (Wednesday, 18 December), the representatives of the European Parliament, the Council of Member States and the European Commission agreed on stricter limits for lead and endocrine disruptors such as bisphenol A allowed in drinking water.

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globe on grass
globe on grass ©Guillaume de Germain

Deal reached on taxonomy will support sustainable investments

Quote from Bas Eickhout

A deal has been reached on a framework to facilitate sustainable investment. All financial products that make the claim that they contribute to environmental sustainability will have to prove this by disclosing the share of their investments into activities that are considered sustainable.

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Climate March Cop25 Madrid
Climate March Cop25 Madrid ©Friends of the Earth International (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Climate summit closes with timid call to step up ambition - reaction from Bas Eickhout MEP

COP25

After two weeks of negotiations, the 25th UN climate conference (COP25) in Madrid has ended today without an agreement on binding rules for the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement. The next climate summit will take place in Glasgow, in November 2020, where countries are supposed to present their plans for achieving the Paris targets.

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