Parliament

The Finns Party Joins ECR Group in European Parliament

by Our Staff Correspondent
Photo by Jorgen Hendriksen on Unsplash

Photo by Jorgen Hendriksen on Unsplash The members of the ECR in the European Parliament have decided to accept the application for membership of the Finns Party (Perussuomalaiset) and to admit them to its ranks. The new delegation will be made up of Teuvo Hakkarainen and Pirkko Ruohonen-Lerner, who will join the European Parliament in the coming weeks,…

Democratic Backsliding

by Our Staff Correspondent
Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash

Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash MEPs have voiced concern about allegations of democratic backsliding in Greece, Spain, and Malta.  They expressed particular concern over press freedom and pluralism, and warn that journalists will continue to be at risk as long as institutions do not prosecute exposed corruption. They also voted on a resolution comprising Parliament’s assessment of…

Healthy Eating for Schools

by James Wilson
Members of the European Parliament have been accused of “downplaying” the need to drastically change eating habits at schools. Euro deputies are also accused of failing to agree that plant-based milks and pulses must be part of an EU-funded healthy eating scheme. The attack was made by Compassion in World Farming EU, a Brussels based group that campaigns for animal welfare. Its head Olga Kilou told this site: “MEPs have voted to downplay the drastic change we need to see with our diets.” She added, “We can’t have our kids overeat on animal products in school, and then expect them to grow up with healthy eating habits and live within the planetary boundaries, in a planet that is already burning.” Kikou went on, “If schools were to continue to fail with this education, school canteens should at least give students the choice of plant-based meals and milks. MEPs now failed to recognise even this need. “The bar is obviously quite low in the Agriculture Committee. We can only hope the rest of the Parliament will be more ambitious when they vote on the file later this year.” In their recommendations on how the EU should change its funding for school meals, which were adopted on 22 March, the Parliament’s Agriculture Committee is said by the group to have “not only failed to acknowledge the need for plant-based meals and milks – it even stated that there should be educational campaigns to promote milk and dairy products.” The group, in a statement, added, “In light of the climate emergency and our diets heavy on animal protein, it is mind-boggling that such a position was adopted.” The European Commission is currently reviewing the EU scheme that supports the distribution of fruit, vegetables, milk and certain milk products to schoolchildren, from nursery to secondary school. As part of the process, CWF called on the EU to revise the scheme in order to shift dietary habits towards healthier and “more sustainable foods and engrain these dietary habits in future generations.” It says, “The position of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, however, does not go far enough for the EU to reform our food systems, as outlined in the Farm to Fork Strategy and the European Green Deal.” CWF campaigns for farm animal welfare and sustainable food and farming. With over one million supporters,it has representatives in 11 European countries, the U.S., China and South Africa.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash Members of the European Parliament have been accused of “downplaying” the need to drastically change eating habits at schools. Euro deputies are also accused of failing to agree that plant-based milks and pulses must be part of an EU-funded healthy eating scheme. The attack was made by Compassion in World Farming EU,…

Work and Residence Permits for Migrants

by James Wilson
Photo by Darren Wanliss on Unsplash

Photo by Darren Wanliss on Unsplash MEPs have backed draft EU legislation to issue work and residence permits more quickly for nationals of third countries and to improve their rights. With 47 votes in favour, 13 against, and no abstentions, the Civil Liberties Committee adopted a report updating the 2011 single permit directive foresees a single administrative procedure for…

Parliament Debates Georgia

by James Wilson
Photo by Kent Tupas on Unsplash

Photo by Kent Tupas on Unsplash The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament say they “reject the false and harmful” claim made by Georgian Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili, who said in a Georgian TV interview on Sunday that the European Parliament wishes to “drag Georgia into the Russian war against Ukraine.” At the request of the S&D…

Northern Ireland

by James Wilson
Photo by Patrick Metzdorf on Unsplash

Photo by Patrick Metzdorf on Unsplash A huge majority in the European Parliament have welcomed the so-called Windsor Framework. They say the new joint understanding “allows more flexible and more effective implementation” of the trading arrangements for goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain. It will, say deputies, ensure that both the EU’s Single Market and the Good…

Sanctions For Belarus

by James Wilson
Photo by LOGAN WEAVER | @LGNWVR on Unsplash

Photo by LOGAN WEAVER | @LGNWVR on Unsplash MEPs say that the EU should consider imposing “comparable” sanctions on Belarus as it has done on Russia.  Such measures would also “act as a deterrent against any attempts to bypass the sanctions,” they assert. The demand is included in a resolution that the European Parliament is due to vote…

Reform of the EU’s Electricity Market

by James Wilson
Photo by Alessandro Bianchi on Unsplash

Photo by Alessandro Bianchi on Unsplash MEPs have given a mixed reaction to the European Commission’s proposal to reform the EU’s electricity market. The commission on Tuesday said the move aims to accelerate a surge in renewables and the phase-out of gas, make consumer bills less dependent on volatile fossil fuel prices. It also hopes it will “better protect consumers from future price…

Defending Women’s Rights

by James Wilson
Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash

Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash Justyna Wydrzyńska, a women’s rights defender, was sentenced to eight months community service for helping a woman in need obtain an abortion. She is a member of the Abortion Dream Team, an abortion rights organisation.  In 2020, she helped a woman in an abusive relationship to access abortion pills. The woman’s husband…