Brussels Agenda

Weekly preview of the Greens/EFA group - 15-19 October 2012

Biofuels, land use change and a coherent climate and energy policy

Weds. 17 Oct. - European Commission proposal

After over a year of stalling, the EU Commission is expected to come forward with long awaited proposals to ensure that EU rules take proper account of the land use emissions linked to biofuel production through the relocation of food production. With the climate impact of indirect land use change (ILUC) on biofuels now well established, and the Commission's own research confirming this impact, the Commission should revise the existing EU legislation to ensure it only promotes biofuels that actually reduce emissions. This means introducing ‘ILUC factors’ for greenhouse gas accounting of different biofuel sources and reviewing these factors periodically to reflect the best available scientific data.

Towards an EU economic and banking union

Thurs. - Fri. 18-19 Oct. - EU summit, Brussels; EP economic affairs committee vote on Mon.

EU leaders will meet against hopes that they will take concrete decisions to progress the proposed European banking and economic unions, with the EP economic affairs committee set to adopt a report to this end on Monday. There is a need to end the deleterious cycle by which EU governments agree some tentative steps towards resolving the Eurozone crisis, only to backtrack after. The Greens are strongly in favour of a banking union, which breaks the toxic link between banks and sovereigns and provides for strong European-level supervision, but stress the need for democratic control. The group also believes a democratically-controlled economic union, with common economic and fiscal policies to accompany mutualised debt, is the only way to draw a line under the crisis.

Greens/EFA study days

Tues. - Thurs. 16-18 Oct. - Greens/EFA group meeting, Oostende

The Greens/EFA group holds its annual internal study days or think-in, at which the group discusses current EU challenges and sets out policy priorities for the year ahead. (click for more information)