Enhancing the quality of life

Date: 27/05/1999

By Magda Aelvoet (Green Group)

THE key goal of the policies of the Greens in the Parliament is to improve the quality of life for European citizens.

Quality of life means jobs for all, a sound environment, a more democratic and transparent EU and, these days more evidently than ever, peace.

Kosovo has clearly demonstrated that the EU needs to rethink its security and peace policies. The Greens want to embed this in the framework of the United Nations and Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Furthermore, the conflict showed that we have to change the approach we take towards enlargement. The Union has to speed up enlargement and give applicants, especially the war-ridden countries in the Balkans, a credible prospect of accession.

The Greens will pursue their long-standing fight for environmental protection. In this context, the most important measure is EU-wide eco-taxes. These hold two benefits for citizens. First, they punish polluters and thus help to protect the environment. Second, by reducing taxes on labour at the same time, they create more jobs.

The Greens will also call for better protection of consumers against genetically manipulated organisms, novel foods, and hormone-treated beef, and support the development of organic farming. We want a nuclear-free Europe in the long term. The EU has to switch to renewable energies.

Last, but not least, the Greens will continue their fight for more democratic control and transparency in the EU.