EU environmental policy to 2030: a systemic change
Jul 5 2021
EU environmental policy to 2030: a systemic change

News | European Parliament

What are the goals of the new EU Environment Action Plan to 2030 and what has to be done to achieve them?

As Europe, along with the rest of the world, faces the economic and societal impact of climate change, ecosystem degradation and overconsumption of natural resources, MEPs will vote on the EU’s Environment Action Programme 2030, which aims to tackle some of the issues.

Find out about EU responses to climate change

Towards a climate-neutral EU

In November 2019, Parliament adopted a resolution declaring a climate emergency and urged the European Commission to ensure that future legislative and budgetary proposals are aligned with the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement.

The first EU Environment Action Programme in 1973 aimed to reduce pollution, improve natural and urban environments and promote awareness of ecological problems. The 8th environmental action programme, which will be discussed by MEPs during July’s plenary session, will focus on accelerating the transition to climate neutrality, to clean and efficient energies and to a circular economy.

A sustainable economy is key

In its State of the Environment report, the European Environment Agency said that economic activities and lifestyle are Europe’s most important environmental challenges.

According to Parliament’s environment committee, the EU should shift towards a sustainable well-being economy with the Sustainable Development Goals as the foundation. A wellbeing economy is one where public interest determines economics and not the other way around.

The priorities in the action plan proposal include:

  • Environmental damage should be seen as a priority, rectified at source and damage paid for by the polluter
  • Mid-term evaluation by the Commission in March 2024
  • Data technologies should be used to support environment policy, ensuring transparency and public accessibility of the data
  • The phase out of all direct and indirect fossil fuel subsidies by 2025 and subsidies which fund environmentally harmful activities to be phased out by 2027.

Transparency and monitoring 

The new Environment Action Programme, which will support the European Green Deal, will include a new monitoring mechanism. The Commission is expected to come up with indicators to monitor and track progress by 31 December 2021.

 

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The EU plans to spend more than €5 billion o help Turkey and other countries host Syrian refugee
Jun 28 2021
The EU plans to spend more than €5 billion o help Turkey and other countries host Syrian refugee

The European Union plans to spend more than €5 billion ($5.9 billion) to help Turkey and other countries host Syrian refugees, diplomats said on Wednesday.

European Commission’s proposal will be presented to EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on Thursday. Pour it can become official policy, it would need approve from EU governments and the European Parliament .

Human rights groups say the deal is a way to outsource the problem without considering the human factor.

The proposal, briefed out to the media on Wednesday, sets aside €3.5 billion for Turkey, €2.2 billion for Jordan and Lebanon over the next three years.

Per UN figures this three nations are currently home to more than 5 million Syrian refugees. .

The fresh funding was initially promised to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during talks with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel in Ankara back in April.

The 2016 agreement said it would provide Turkey with up to €6 billion in health, education, food and infrastructure assistance.

It came after the 2015 migration crisis when more than one million refugees and migrants entered Europe at the height of the Syrian civil war.

Officials in Ankara said the amount was not enough to cope with the financial burden of welcoming so many migrants to Turkey, arguing the installment payouts were often hit by delays.

But Turkey failing to honor its commitments under the agreement, that they have allowed migrants to cross into Europe.

The European Commission is seeking a similar migrant accord with Tunisia and Libya

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Coming up: Future of Europe plenary, migration, biodiversity | News | European Parliament
Jun 14 2021
Coming up: Future of Europe plenary, migration, biodiversity | News | European Parliament

MEPs will participate in the inaugural plenary of the Conference on the Future of Europe and discuss migration and development issues.

The inaugural plenary of the Conference on the Future of Europe takes place on Saturday, 19 June in Strasbourg. The Conference Plenary gathers representatives from EU institutions, and national parliaments together with citizens and will develop people’s proposals into recommendations for EU action. All Europeans can participate in the Conference by sharing their ideas on the multilingual digital platform.

Following the approval of the EU Digital Covif Certificate during last week’s plenary session, Parliament President David Sassoli will sign it into law on Monday 14 June together with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa.

A  conference on migration and asylum in Europe takes place in the Parliament on Monday. MEPs and members of the  national parliaments will discuss the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on migration and the international aspects of the EU’s approach to migration, lsuch as partnerships with non-EU countries, legal pathways for migration and integration policies. Follow it live from 10.30 CET.

This year the European Development Days focuses on the EU’s Green Deal and creating a sustainable future. On Tuesday, Parliament’s development committee organises a panel on food security and biodiversity to discuss how to preserve biodiversity and increase nutritious and diverse food in developing countries, based on local varieties and production.

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Global Europe: €79.5 billion to support development | News | European Parliament
Jun 3 2021
Global Europe: €79.5 billion to support development

The EU is set to invest €79.5 billion on development and international cooperation in neighbouring countries and further afield by 2027. Find out more in our video.

As part of its 2021-2027 budget, the European Union is overhauling how it invests outside the bloc. Following a landmark deal with EU countries in December 2020, MEPs will vote during June’s plenary session in Strasbourg on establishing the €79.5 billion Global Europe fund, which merges several existing EU instruments, including the European Development Fund. This streamlining will allow the EU to more effectively uphold and promote its values and interests worldwide and respond more swiftly to emerging global challenges.

The instrument will finance the EU’s foreign policy priorities in the coming seven years and support sustainable development in EU neighbourhood countries, as well as in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, the Americas, the Pacific and the Caribbean. Global Europe will support projects that contribute to addressing issues such as poverty eradication and migration and promote EU values such as human rights and democracy.

The programme will also support global multilateral efforts and ensure the EU is able to live up to its commitments in the world, including the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris climate accord. Thirty percent of the programme’s overall funding will contribute to achieving climate objectives.

At least €19.3 billion is earmarked for EU neighbourhood countries with €29.2 billion set to be invested in sub-Saharan Africa. Global Europe funding will also be set aside for rapid response action including crisis management and conflict prevention. The EU will boost its support to sustainable investment worldwide under the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus, which will leverage private capital to complement direct development assistance.

In negotiations with the Council, Parliament ensured MEPs’ increased involvement in strategic decisions regarding the programme. Once approved, the regulation on Global Europe will retroactively apply from 1 January 2021.

Global Europe is one of 15 EU flagship programmes supported by the Parliament in the negotiations on the EU’s budget for 2021-2027 and the EU recovery instrument, which collectively will allow the Union to provide more than €1.8 trillion in funding over the coming years.

Watch the video above to learn about the difference EU investment in development makes

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#FreeRomanProtasevich: EU calls for release of journalist | News | European Parliament
May 28 2021
#FreeRomanProtasevich: EU calls for release of journalist

News | European Parliament

Join the call for the release of Roman Protasevich and Sofia Sapega, who are being held by Belarus authorities. Find out how you can help.

Belarus journalist Protasevich and his girlfriend Sapega were on a flight from Athens to Vilnius on 23 May when the Belarusian government forced the plane to redirect to Minsk where they were detained.

The move was immediately met with widespread condemnation from all around the world and led to calls for sanctions against the country.

Parliament President David Sassoli said: “The events in Belarus, with the hijacking of a civil plane to arrest opponents of the regime, require a leap forward in our response in both strength and speed.”

Parliament and other EU institutions are calling for the immediate release of Protasevich and urge everyone to speak up about this blatant breach of fundamental rights.

What you could do to help get Roman Protasevich released

The abuse of human rights can only thrive in silence. Help create a noise by speaking up for Protasevic and Sapega who are currently being silenced and detained.

What you could do online:

  • Use the hashtag #FreeRomanProtasevich and #FreeSofiaSopega on Twitter and other platforms
  • Help us to spread the message by sharing this article and our posts on social media, such as our tweet

You could come up with your own ways to protest. For example, President Sassoli suggested using airports to highlight the cause: “I think it would be a very positive gesture if a photo of Roman Protasevich were to be displayed in the main airports of European Union member states, as a mark of solidarity and to show that we will not fail him.”

What the EU is doing in response to the actions by Belarus

EU leaders met a day after the forced redirection of the Ryanair flight to decide on a common response. President Sassoli opened the summit with a call for action: “Our response must be strong, immediate and unified. The European Union must act without hesitation and punish those responsible. Tonight you have a great responsibility to show that the Union is not a paper tiger.”

EU leaders agreed to ban Belarusian planes from flying in EU airspaces or using EU airports. They also called for the release of Protasevich and Sapega as well as an investigation by the International Civil Aviation Organization. They also agreed targeted economic sanctions and to add to the list of people subject to sanctions.

What the European Parliament has called for regarding Belarus

Parliament’s foreign affairs committee discussed the events in Belarus on 26 May with opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. She told MEPs: “I call on the European Parliament to ensure that the reaction of the international community is not limited to the Ryanair flight incident. The response must address the situation in Belarus in its entirety.”

Parliament has regularly called for fair elections in Belarus as well as for respect for human rights and the rule of law.

, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20210527STO04907/

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Sassoli on forced Minsk landing: response must be strong, immediate, unified | News | European Parliament
May 25 2021
Sassoli on forced Minsk landing: response must be strong, immediate, unified

News | European Parliament

David Sassoli called for a strong EU response to Sunday’s forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk and the immediate release of those being held by Belarus.

The President of the European Parliament made the appeal at the start of the European Council on 24 May. In his speech to EU heads of state and government, he said; “An international investigation is undoubtedly needed to verify whether air transport and passenger safety was jeopardised by a sovereign state and if there has been a violation of the Chicago Convention.

“Our response must be strong, immediate and unified. The European Union must act without hesitation and punish those responsible. Tonight you have a great responsibility to show that the Union is not a paper tiger.”

Regarding climate change measures, Sassoli warned that Parliament could not be expected to simply rubberstamp the conclusions of the European Council: “As far as we are concerned, Parliament is working to reach an ambitious climate and energy package before summer, with a strengthened emissions exchange system and more ambitious targets on renewable energy and energy efficiency.”

The President praised the recent agreement on the European Covid-19 certificate, which will make it easier for people to travel safely through Europe. “For Parliament, the certificate cannot be a condition for free movement. We also clearly indicated that no one must be discriminated against due to health conditions or health choices and we want only necessary data to be included in the certificate.”

Although the vaccination campaign in the EU is progressing swiftly, Sassoli stressed the importance of helping beyond the bloc’s borders by exporting vaccines and providing doses to low and medium income countries. He also supported the mandatory sharing of licenses to help boost production in these countries.

Turning to migration, he said the EU has a legal and moral obligation to save lives and added that people should be able to arrive in the EU safely without having to risk their lives. He also called for a true European migration reception policy and referred to the resolution adopted by Parliament on this last week.

Full text of the speech 

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