Plenary focus - April

We know that current biofuels are very harmful and dangerous for the environment. Parliament went into negotiations with Council and Commission with a very strong document, but the final outcome is very disappointing - it is a huge defeat not only for the environment but also for the Parliament. On all the important issues the rapporteur simply surrendered Parliament’s position to the member states without a fight. Each and every one of our red lines was crossed. We lost the 6% cap on first generation biofuels and we cannot secure adequate support for the second and third generations of biofuels. The final text is basically just a slightly enhanced version of the previous directives from 2009.

With almost 2000 migrants dying in the Mediterranean in just one week, there is no need for any further proof that the EU’s policies on border control and so-called ‘migration management’ have failed completely. As a first emergency measure, both the EU and the member states must re-establish search and rescue immediately. If the EU is serious about ending the humanitarian catastrophe that has been going on for a decade there is no alternative but to create safe and easy ways to enter the EU, both for taking refuge and for work.

Money market funds (MMF) are part of shadow banking. Constant net asset value (CNAV)-MMF, that guarantees a fixed value of investments, may trigger a banking crisis. The Commission proposal was ambitious but weakened in committee. We will table amendments in plenary to phase out CNAV-MMF and to ban MMF operating out of tax havens.