MEP Manuela Ripa: "We must abolish the principle of unanimity in the Council "At the EU summit in Brussels this week, the European Union took the historic decision to start accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. As the Hungarian head of government, Orban, spoke out against this, the unanimity principle meant that...
The citizens of Europe have clearly spoken: More than 1.5 million support a fur-free Europe as part of a successful European Citizens' Initiative (ECI)! And what is the EU Commission doing? It simply wants to commission a study that will be published in 2025. So has...
Following the extension of the COP28 climate conference and a final night of negotiations, an agreement has been reached in Dubai. MEP Manuela Ripa (ÖDP - the Nature Conservation Party) emphasizes that the final document calls for a move away from fossil fuels for the first time in history. On the agreement, the...
The European Parliament today voted on the reform of the Fruit and Vegetables Directive. This means that the legislative proposal can now be negotiated with the member states in the Council and the Commission. The legislative proposal is about improving the labeling of foods and drinks that are on our breakfast table in the morning. The...
Last weekend, I went to Saarland to explore my home region with my team. We will be presenting Saarland at the European Parliament at the beginning of February. First, we selected wines at a wine tasting at an organic winery in Perl. In the Moselle region, Elbling is one of the grapes grown, a...
Since Manuela Ripa entered the European Parliament in July 2020 as a member of the Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP - the Nature Conservation Party), one of her political priorities has been the issue of post-growth. The starting point is the realization that there can be no unlimited growth in a world with limited resources. But despite...
The EU Commission has today published two legislative proposals to reform EU animal welfare rules. These concern both animal transportation and better welfare for cats and dogs. New rules on animal transportation MEP Manuela Ripa (ÖDP - the Nature Conservation Party) welcomes the proposal, but emphasizes that it...
Biodiversity is dwindling dramatically and the vegetable shelves offer almost nothing but a monotonous selection. The dominant power of a few corporations in the seed market is also to blame. In July, the EU Commission presented a new draft law on genetic engineering. This provides for genetically modified plants to be treated the same as conventional plants as long as they are "only"...
Soils are important for people and nature! It is therefore good to see that the topic of soil is also being addressed at the COP28 World Climate Conference. Healthy soils are crucial for achieving climate protection goals and for adapting to the consequences of climate change. And precisely...
Brazilian President Lula da Silva is in Berlin today. Chancellor Scholz wants to use this opportunity to push ahead with the faltering EU-Mercosur agreement, and as a Member of the European Parliament for the ecological-democratic party - ÖDP - the Nature Conservation Party - I am clearly against this agreement! The treaty favors trade in beef, cars and...