This week I had a very enriching follow-up meeting with representatives of Caritas following the Charting the Path to Sustainable Economic Development conference I organized at the European Parliament at the end of March, where we discussed exciting topics in depth - including the impressive initiative of Caritas...
We have come a giant step closer to animal welfare in Europe! The EU Parliament's Environment Committee today adopted my report on the "Welfare of dogs and cats" with 67 votes in favor, 9 against and 8 abstentions. That is an overwhelming majority. For the first time ever, the European Parliament has...
ÖDP MEP Manuela Ripa agrees to ease the burden on companies, but warns against weakening the laws 531 votes in favor, 69 against and 17 abstentions: The EU Parliament postponed the entry into force of new rules on due diligence and sustainability reporting by a large majority of MEPs. This gives companies more time to prepare for...
I welcome the fact that Saarland is recommending a ban on cell phones in elementary school - that is the right step. But now we need binding regulations, not just recommendations. And: private cell phone use should also be restricted at secondary schools - with pedagogically sensible exceptions. Hesse is leading the way here...
On Monday, a group of visitors from the ÖDP Starnberg visited me in the European Parliament in Brussels. I was very pleased to be able to give them an insight into my work as an MEP. We visited the plenary together, discussed important political issues and I was able to...
Thank you to everyone who attended today's event "Charting the Path to Sustainable Economic Development", which I organized together with my colleague Sirpa Pietikäinen and GLOBE EU. It was a unique opportunity to meet with leading representatives from business, science and politics...
Our world is facing profound upheavals. The climate crisis, social inequality and political polarization clearly show that "business as usual" in the name of unlimited growth no longer works. We need a new understanding of economic success - one that is no longer based solely on gross domestic product. The current World Happiness...
Today is World Down Syndrome Day - a moment to pause and take a look. People with Down syndrome and other disabilities enrich our society in many ways. That's why it's so important that we consider their perspectives and needs not just today, but every day - in our policies, in our...
Today, the first meeting of the European Parliament's Intergroup on the Rights of the Child took place - together with representatives of the Child Rights Action Group (CRAG), the largest network for children's rights at EU level. Children must be at the center of European policy. I look forward to working together to promote children's rights in...
Last week, we had the opportunity to welcome EU Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi as a speaker at the meeting of the European Parliament's Animal Welfare Group in Strasbourg. In an intensive exchange, we asked him about key animal welfare issues, in particular the EU's major legislative projects,...