With €365 billion between 2021-2027 the Common Agricultural Policy will continue to represent the second biggest budget of the EU. The CAP’s objectives remain largely unchanged since 1962 and need to be radically reviewed if we want them to reflect social demands and the finite environmental limits, write a group of Green MEPs.
The European Union cannot keep turning a blind eye to the flood of illegal chemicals, write MEPs Bart Staes and Sven Giegold.
Europe must get serious about short food supply chains (SFSC) and put an end to the frustrating inconsistencies within the Common Agricultural Policy and with other European policy fields, write Maria Heubuch and Bart Staes.
The EU Court of Justice will soon publish its ruling concerning the legal statute of a group of biotechnologies, which have been called “new plant breeding techniques” by the industry.
The next reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) should bring agricultural and food policies out of their respective silos and align actions across different areas in support of building sustainable food systems, write Sirpa Pietikainen and Bart Staes.
There is no evidence that deep-sea mining will reduce our dependency on land-based mining. We need to end business as usual and act to reduce the demand for these raw materials by making the transition towards a circular economy, write a group of Greens/EFA MEPs.
Food security and global peace go hand in hand. The EU's proposed organic food regulation is not perfect, but it is a step towards the sustainable food system we need, write Claude Turmes, José Bové, Molly Scott-Cato, Martin Häusling, Bart Staes and Philippe Lamberts.
Relocating the EU's UK-based agencies to Strasbourg and ending the European Parliament's monthly travelling circus is a logical solution that would benefit everyone, argues Bart Staes.
In their attempt to fast-track the EU-Canada agreement, some MEPs are reversing years of progress in democratising the European Union, warn MEPs Anne-Marie Mineur, Bart Staes and Pavel Poc.
This week, the European Court of Auditors will report on how the EU spends taxpayer money. For once, the worst offending member states will be named and shamed, with Hungary set to top the list. This should just be the starting point, insist Bart Staes and Benedek Javor.
Organic research and exchange of good practices must empower farmers to move towards resilient farming systems, write Bart Staes, José Bové and Martin Häusling.
BusinessEurope, and especially its Director Genernal, should be factual and truthful when lobbying the European Parliament on ISDS and TTIP, argue Bart Staes and Molly Scott Cato.
This is a story for all those that need public transport to reach their workplace (and home, afterwards) in Brussels, and regularly get frustrated because of delays and strikes, write Michael Cramer, Bart Staes, and Philippe Lamberts.
It is almost two years to the day that Commission President José Manuel Barroso sacked his Public Health Commissioner John Dalli after a tobacco lobbying scandal. Green MEPs Bart Staes and José Bové reflect on why the Barroso Commission's legacy will be one where lobbying, conflicts of interests and corporate interests took over European decision making. They discuss if that legacy will live on in the negotiations over TTIP.
High-level decision makers at the European Commission are blocking its very own action plan to address food waste and to promote a sustainable food policy for Europe. Saying sorry will surely not be enough, writes MEP Bart Staes.
