Work in Europe

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Committees

I'm on two main committees, see what we do and what our main accomplishments have been over the last five years.

Working Groups

Working groups tackle a wide variety of issues facing Europeans today – see what I'm working on.

The Greens/EFA Group

Read more about my work with Ciarán Cuffe in the Greens/EFA Group.

Transparency

As an MEP, it is my duty to ensure I keep proper financial records and do right by the funds my office is allotted.

Committees

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Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI)

I am a full member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI). The ENVI committee is responsible for a very broad set of policies, ranging from climate change, pollution and the protection of biodiversity, to chemicals, pharmaceuticals, public health programmes, food labelling and veterinary legislation.

My work in ENVI has a strong focus on biodiversity and the protection of the global commons; our seas, our oceans and our land. In particular, I have a strong interest in working on legislation regarding protected habitats and nature restoration.

In autumn 2020, I commenced work as the Green MEP responsible for the 8th Environmental Action Programme (EAP). EAPs are 10 year programmes that have provided the EU with policy frameworks that deliver results and ensure predictable and coordinated action for Europe’s environment and climate change policies. The 8th EAP is for the 2021 – 2030 period.

I am currently serving as the leading Green on the new Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation. We want polluters to pay for the waste they create, and therefore to reduce the amount being created altogether!

Fisheries Committee (PECH)

I previously served as the Greens/EFA Group coordinator on the European Parliament’s Fisheries (PECH) Committee. The Committee oversees a number of related policy areas, such as the management of all fisheries in EU waters, including the annual setting of quotas for different stocks, the development of regional management plans for European seas and the many international agreements the EU signs with 3rd party countries. The Committee oversees all aspects of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

Fisheries policy is one of the areas where the EU is the primary leader in policy-making, meaning the PECH committee has a significant role to play in ensuring that Europe achieves its goal of making it sustainable, to end overfishing and fight the international problem of illegal and unreported fishing. As Greens coordinator, myself and the other Green members of the committee are working with the Green member of the European Commission, Virginijus Sinkevičius, to improve the EU’s marine policy, and to increase the scope of the Committee’s work into marine protection, sustainable blue growth and more.

As a member of the committee, I am also shadowing some key legislative files, including the important reform of the Fisheries Control Regulation, which seeks to create a level playing field and a fair application of all the rules of the CFP.

Committees

Working Groups

Greens/EFA Biodiversity Working Group (WG)

I have served as the Co-Coordinator of the Biodiversity WG. The Biodiversity WG is an internal campaign group within my political group in the European Parliament, the Greens/EFA. My fellow MEPs, along with our assistants and advisors, meet regularly to discuss issues related to biodiversity that are being discussed across various committees, notably the committees responsible for environment (ENVI), fisheries (PECH) and agriculture (AGRI). The EU 2030 Biodiversity Strategy directs much of our campaign work, with topics like nature restoration, protected areas, pesticide reduction and protection of pollinators high on our agenda during this mandate. We also keep a close eye on global policy developments related to biodiversity. In particular, we will be closely following the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 15), scheduled to take place in Montreal, Canada in 2023.