Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance

Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance

The Greens/EFA parliamentary group was established in 1999, when two progressive European political families - The Greens and the European Free Alliance (EFA) - agreed to join forces in the European Parliament. Greens/EFA now includes members of Green movements, Pirate and Independent MEPs, as well as MEPs from the European Free Alliance (EFA) representing stateless nations, regions and minorities, standing up for the right to self-determination. The Greens aim to protect climate and environment; defend equality and freedom; fight for a true democracy; reduce poverty; create an economy that serves the people, not the other way around; invest in public services and create strong communities.

Position

Social inequality has been and is on the rise. Women’s rights and gender equality are being challenged while civil liberties and the foundations of democracy are under threat, not only outside of the EU’s borders but also inside. The potential of the digital transformation is being misused in order to concentrate wealth and power in the hands of a few (surveillance and profiling, targeting for political purposes, privatized law enforcement, labor conditions for platform workers, the rise of digital monopolies and tax avoidance), and is adding to the polarization of society, strengthening authoritarian forces. We have seen the European Union becoming a fortress, increasingly closed to any migrant, regardless of whether they are eligible or not for refugee or another protection status. We have seen global multilateralism recede in favour of the “might is right” approach. We have seen global corporate power exert an ever greater pressure on how our societies are governed. The economic neoliberal dogma can no longer be taken for granted. Big companies are being challenged on why they should not pay their fair level of taxation, tech companies cannot continue their monopolistic expansion as they were used to, and fossil industries feel their warm relations with politicians are being scrutinized more intensely than ever before.

Now the twenty-seven heads of state or government had to decide unanimously, which put them at the mercy of the most extreme among them. The proposals of the Von der Leyen Commission to respond to the pandemic came out mutilated: their amount, already insufficient, was cut by nearly a quarter, which affects initiatives the most promising for the future. The European budget is reduced, in particular in its dimensions linked to the Green Deal. The rural development fund, the greenest component of the common agricultural policy, is being cut in half.

On the positive side, we are delighted that the target of devoting 30% of European spending to the fight against climate change has been adopted. But beware, without truly restrictive enforcement and control mechanisms, the risk is that make-up wins over reality. On respect for the rule of law by beneficiaries, the mechanism adopted remains unclear, and there is no guarantee that it will be effective.

For the first time, the European Union will finance massive investments with common borrowing. The question of their reimbursement, and this is another blind spot of the summit, remains largely unresolved. In our view, it will be necessary for the Member States to grant the Union the right to levy taxes, in particular on multinational companies and polluting activities.

⇐ Предыдущая 1 2 34