ECR (European Conservatives and Reformists)

11-01-2012 Concerns over minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), some of the critical mineral raw materials that are essential to EU markets are mined. These critical minerals are used for i.e. electronic devices. MEPs Dan Jørgensen (S&D) and Syed Kamall (ECR) have expressed their concerns on the mining of these minerals in the DRC. Read more »

26-04-2011 Fox questions Commission on proper implementation of RED

The Renewable Energy Directive (RED) requires that biofuels deliver substatial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and should not come from vulnerable araes like forests, wetlands or natural protected areas. By 2020 10% of fuels used should be derived from sustainable biofuels. Read more »

12-01-2011 Biofuels under attack from MEPs

A decade ago, biofuels were seen as the answer to scarce and polluting fossil fuel sources. The European Union (EU) jumped on board of this idea, aiming at a 10% share of renewable energies in transport fuels by 2020. Biofuels were to provide at least half of the share, and therefore the EU provided subsidises to increase production. However it soon became clear that the benefits of biofuels were smaller than the damage it was causing. In general, biofuels are not sustainable since they do not produce less CO2 than fossil fuels. In November 2010 the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) published a report about this, called Anticipated Indirect Land Use Change Associated with Expanded Use of Biofuels and Bioliquids in the EU An Analysis of the National Renewable Energy Action Plans. Read more »

10-11-2010 MEP Nirj Deva on GDP and beyond

Following a Communication of the  European Commission, which aimed to complement the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and to provide more comprehensive information to support policy decisions, the European Parliament (EP) has been discussing how to measure growth and moreover development this last fall. This is a discussion which Fair Politics welcomes and recognises. Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) enhances development and makes development cooperation work better, but it remains difficult to prove that a change in European policy improves the situation in a developing country. To measure development and all the different indicators that are influencing this, there is need for a comprehensive measurement system. Read more »

18-10-2010 MEP van Dalen asks Commission about child labour and development charter in FTA with India

The Commission is currently conducting negotiations with India on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). MEP van Dalen asked what measures will be undertaken in order to combat child labour. The European Council of Ministers for Foreign Affairs has also expressed its concerns in relation to child labour in India, stating that more than 200 million children are still working in India. According to van Dalen the Commission has the duty to come up with a proper response for these concerns. Read more »

06-10-2010 MEP Stevenson asks Commission if cross-compliance will be introduced in CFP

MEP Struan Stevenson (ECR) asked the Commission, whether they will introduce a cross-compliance mechanism in the CFP, similar to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). This because the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is structurally failing due to lack of compliance with existing rules. Read more »

07-06-2010 Debating the Future of the CAP

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is momentarily under review because it will be reformed in 2013. The Civil Society, Member States, the Commission and the European Parliament therefore try to get as much of their opinions on the matter heard. MEP George Lyon (ALDE) member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development was responsible for drafting up an own initiative report on the Future of the Common Agricultural Policy. Although his draft was well written with concerns for growing world population, food security, financial crisis, growing oil prices, climate change and unfair trade, it was hardly critical on the negative effect the CAP has had on developing countries and their agricultural sectors. Many amendments on the other hand give hope that the report will lead to more EU Policy Coherence for Development. Read more »

20-04-2010 MEP Tannock Concerned about E-Waste

Electronic waste, is a growing problem for developing countries. Computers, washing machines, televisions and other electronic equipment that can no longer be used in Europe are shipped to developing countries (mainly West Africa) as second hand technology or illegally. European e-waste finds its way to open ground dumpsites where people, including children, make a living by removing and selling the very small amounts of raw materials such as copper, without appropriate protection. As a result, hundreds of people experience dramatic health problems and the surrounding land contains highly toxic materials such as high concentrations of lead. Charles Tannock (ECR), on the basis of a BBC television report, is concerned for the populations in Ghana, a destination for large amounts of e-waste. Read more »

29-07-2009 MEPs concerned about Uzbeki children

Different MEPs from parties such as the ECR, ALDE and S&D have raised the issue of forced child labour that is used by the Uzbeki government in order to provide for harvest of their cotton each year. While this led to a call for boycott by the World Fair Trade Organisation, the EU the biggest single destination for Uzbek cotton continued importing the product under the preferential system. Graham Watson (ALDE) particularly highlights the incoherence of this by referring to the commitments the Commission made to eradicating child labour at a global level. We would like to thank Bill Newton Dunn (ALDE), Roger Helmer (ECR), Graham Watson (ALDE), Claude Moraes (S&D) and Charles Tannock (ECR) for raising this issue. Read more »