This week in the European Parliament

European Green Deal Resolution
Vote Wednesday

Following the debate, which took place in December, the Parliament will vote on a resolution on the European Green Deal. The Greens/EFA group want to see an ambitious and transformative Green Deal that will ensure that the EU can lead the way in keeping global temperature rises under 1.5c.

Sustainable Investment Plan, Just Transition Fund, Roadmap on Social Europe
Debate Tuesday afternoon

A just and fair European Green Deal, must be backed up by a strong social element to support those most affected by the transition to a green economy. We welcome that the Commission has taken the initiative to propose a Just Transition Fund. The Greens/EFA group are calling for any plans to be strong on the social dimension. A phase-out of fossil fuels should be included in any plans for a just transition. There must be significant financial resources for these funds, which should draw from new sources.

Australia bushfires
Commission statement and debate Monday

On the initiative of the Greens/EFA group, the Parliament will debate the devastating bushfires in Australia and other extreme weather events driven by climate change. 2019 was the hottest year in New South Wales where the fires started; leading to the catastrophic consequences for people, animals and forests.

Council hearings on the rule of Law in Hungary and Poland
Council and Commission statements Wednesday, vote Thursday

Council hearings on breaches of European values by the Hungarian and Polish governments will be debated and voted on next week. In both cases, the hearings have not yet resulted in any significant progress by both Member States. The situation has deteriorated in both Poland and Hungary since Article 7 has been triggered. The failure by the Council to make effective use of Article 7 undermines the integrity of common European values, mutual trust, and credibility of the Union as a whole.

Czech PM Andrej Babiš' conflicts of interest
Council and Commission statements Wednesday, vote in February

In December, a leaked Commission audit report confirmed that the Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has conflict of interest, and may have benefited from EU funds through his company Agrofert. Thanks to the work of Greens/EFA MEPs in the Budgetary Control Committee, the Commission has agreed to hold an in-camera meeting to discuss the audit reports on Babiš. The debate on the reopening of the prosecution against the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic on the misuse of EU funds and potential conflicts of interest will take place on Wednesday afternoon. The Committee on Budget Control will also go on a fact finding mission to Prague in February.

Convention on biodiversity
Commission statement Wednesday, ENVI vote Thursday

Ahead of the biodiversity conference COP15 in Kunming, China at the end of this year, MEPs are calling to set legally binding goals to protect the planet’s biodiversity, along the lines of the Paris Agreement. The Greens/EFA group are calling for 30% of land and marine areas to be protected by 2030 and for an amendment on gene drives to set a framework to prevent even greater biodiversity loss.

Housing First
Commission statement Monday

Homelessness is on the rise in every country across most of Europe. Housing First is a project that serves as an opportunity for urgent action to address the situation of homeless people in Europe, after numbers of homeless people have been rising across Member States in recent years. The initiative serves as a system that provides housing regardless of people’s social or economic situation, acting as an opportunity to fight extreme poverty and social exclusion and with that, also the discrimination they experience.

Greens/EFA press briefing
Tuesday 10.30

Our regular press briefing with Presidents Ska Keller and Philippe Lamberts will take place on Tuesday at 10.30 in the Daphne Caruana Galizia press room, in Strasbourg.