Soil degradation in the EU costs billions every year! To be more precise, the EU Commission has estimated these costs at around 50 billion per year! This is huge but not surprising as about two thirds of the soils in Europe are in a poor state...
An eventful and challenging year comes to an end. But looking back, it is clear that our commitment to the protection of species, animals, consumers, the environment and democracy has paid off in 2023! As chief negotiator for detergents and cleaning products, I am committed to healthier, more environmentally friendly and more sustainable products that do not require animal testing. Animal welfare is a...
We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Time to recharge your batteries for 2024! That's when we will be taking up the important ecological issues at European level again, such as the protection of livelihoods, species protection, animal welfare, consumer protection and environmental protection. Until the end of the legislative period before the...
Good news before Christmas: Despite resistance, the EU Commission is sticking to its pesticide reduction strategy! Even if the agricultural industry and countries such as Poland and Hungary would prefer no regulation at all, the protection of health and nature comes first! I support the initiative and am pleased about the steadfastness...
Conservatives and liberals also in favor of EU-Mercosur under Milei: In a plenary session in the European Parliament last week, both conservatives and liberals voted in favor of a quick conclusion of the climate-damaging EU-Mercosur agreement. While the Social Democrats abstained, it was my Greens/EFA group and the Left that clearly rejected the agreement. In view of the...
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...