Dear friends,

The last few months have been a roller coaster ride, but my time in the European Parliament has finally come to an end.

I want my constituents in London to know what an absolute privilege it has been to represent you in the European Parliament over the past 20 years, and I am delighted to hand on to Scott Ainslie as my successor.

As I explain in the video message above, I’ve worked hard to give you a voice in the European Parliament. Many of best ideas have come from speaking with you – the real living wage, for example, which I’ve been proud to champion in the European Parliament.

I really do think that, together, we’ve managed to change some things for the better. Below I’ve outlined a few of the highlights of my time in the European Parliament – from helping to improve EU asylum laws, to doing my small bit to protect UK citizens in the EU in the case of a catastrophic ‘˜no deal’ Brexit.

In these troubled political times, it’s crystal clear to me that the EU makes a positive difference to peoples’ lives.

We need genuine cooperation across borders if our world is to tackle climate chaos, uphold human rights, and defend and promote our hard-won democratic standards.

Thankfully, the new, bigger-than-ever Greens/EFA group will bring new energy to the fight for a more social, progressive Europe that lives within its ecological means.

And while this is the close of one chapter for me, I won’t be stepping (or dancing!) out of politics completely. I’ll be moving on to work on some of the issues that are closest to my heart.

So ‘˜Vive les différences!’ that make London the special, vibrant, creative and diverse city that we know and love.

And thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, for your trust and support over the years. The world needs people with your vision.

With very best wishes,

Jean

PS. You can contact me until the end of this week at my usual email address, jeanlambert@greenmeps.org.uk, and find my new personal website here.

Read Jean’s full final e-news, which includes her seven ‘greatest hits’ in the European Parliament here!

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Jean’s latest e-news is out now.

It takes a look at some of the work Jean has been involved with in London, Brussels and Strasbourg, and highlights that it’s crunch time for writing to MPs to secure a People’s Vote.

Read the newsletter in full here.

To receive monthly updates about Jean’s work as London’s Green MEP please sign up.

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Today MEPs voted by a margin of 318-278 against a controversial new set of copyright rules, which would have seen the introduction of a ‘link tax’ and automatic upload filters.

The proposals will now be reconsidered and debated in Parliament, before MEPs have another chance to vote on the updated model in September.

Jean Lambert, London’s Green MEP, said:

“I’m pleased that the European Parliament rejected an overhaul of EU copyright law that threatened to stifle a free and open internet.

This decision means that MEPs will now have a chance to go back to the drawing board, address citizens’ concerns, and come up with an improved model – one which strikes a balance between protecting those who create online content, and the freedom of the internet.”

Read the Greens/EFA group’s press release on the decision here.

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It features a look at the massive march for a People’s Vote on Brexit that took place on 23rd June, the ongoing fight against Heathrow expansion, the European Parliament’s stand against the Hungarian Government and much more….

Read the newsletter in full here.

To receive monthly updates about Jean’s work as London’s Green MEP please sign up.

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It highlights her cross-party open letter to David Davis warning against scrapping the Charter of Fundamental Rights from UK law, a call to all UK, Commonwealth and European Union citizens to register to vote in local elections, news of the EU’s ambitous targets to reduce use of plastics and much more…

Read the newsletter in full here.

To receive monthly updates about Jean’s work as London’s Green MEP please sign up here.

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It highlights her new report “Losing it over Brexit: What does the end of EU funding mean for London’s communities and projects?” as well as some of the other issues she’s been working on in December – from standing up for citizens’ rights, to opposing fracking and much more…

Read the newsletter in full here.

To receive monthly updates about Jean’s work as London’s Green MEP please sign up here.

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Each year 100,000 people die as a result of occupational cancer, making this the leading cause of work-related deaths in the EU. [1] Addressing this crisis, the European Parliament today voted on the final agreement on the revision to the directive on limiting exposure to carcinogens and mutagens at work.

Jean Lambert, London’s Green MEP and member of the European Parliament’s Employment Committee, said:

“Workplaces have to be safe, not just from physical hazards but from exposure to toxic substances. It is great that this directive is being brought up to speed, which will help to save lives across the EU.

“Diseases often develop many years after the exposure to toxic substances. That’s why it is so important that medical provision can now be extended until after the end of the exposure.

“We have long demanded that the European Commission assess the need to include substances that affect reproduction in EU legislation and we are delighted that they have now committed to doing this before spring 2019.”

Background:

The key changes under the revision are:

• Lower occupational exposure limits for chromium VI and hard wood dust.

• An extension of medical supervision until after the end of exposure, as there is evidence that diseases often develop many years later.

• The Commission must assess the need to include reprotoxins, which can affect reproduction, in the directive by the first quarter of 2019.

Notes:

[1] http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/cancer-chemicals-13ah

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Jean Lambert, London’s Green MEP, appeared on Sky News’ All out Politics with Adam Boulton, to discuss the current status of Brexit negotiations.

Watch the panel discussion, also featuring Labour MEP Claude Moreas and Conservtaive MEP John Procter, below.

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The European Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee has today outlined its proposed reforms to the Dublin Regulation – an important piece of legislation that details which Member States’ should handle asylum claims.

If approved by the European Parliament next week, it will put pressure on the Council to take “meaningful links” into consideration, rather than forcing refugees to claim asylum in their first country of entry in the European Union. It will also require new protections to safeguard children.

​​Jean Lambert, London’s Green MEP and the Green Party’s migration spokesperson, was shadow rapporteur ​[​the leading Greens/EFA representative​]​ on the committee’s proposal. ​She welcomes the progress, adding:
​​
“The Dublin system has been dysfunctional for years and that failure has come at a terrible human cost. We are pleased that the European Parliament is agreed on scrapping the first country of entry criteria which has seen disproportionate pressure piled on a few Member States. The new relocation measures will help ensure a fairer sharing of responsibility across the EU.

“We need an asylum policy that better reflects the needs of applicants. Family ties, social and cultural connections and language can all have a big impact on people’s ability to integrate into their new community. That’s why we have pushed for greater consideration to be given to the meaningful links that asylum seekers may have to EU Member States and for them to have a voice on where they are to be received.  

“The European Parliament has set out much needed reforms. It is now for the Member States to unblock progress at the European Council.”

​​Background:

The Dublin Regulation sets the criteria to determine the Member State responsible for examining an asylum application lodged in the EU. Some of the key changes included in the compromise are:

​​Replacement of the first country of entry criterion with a permanent and automatic mechanism of relocation. This is a major departure from the current Dublin system. It would give priority to relocation for family reunification, minors, applicants with previous residence documents or visas issued by a Member State, educational titles, dependency, sponsorship, discretionary clause, and relocation of applicants who do not fall under any of the previous categories through an automated relocation system. This system would provide the applicant with a choice among the four Member States with the lowest number of asylum applications in relation to a reference key for fair distribution.

​​Quicker family reunification procedure. As soon as there are indications that an applicant has a family member in a Member State, he or she would be relocated to that Member State. It will be a duty of the receiving Member State to verify the family link and examine the application.

​​Replacing the sanctions approach with an approach based on incentives/disincentives. The compromises replace sanctions with a different approach based on incentives to comply with the system.

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This morning, cross-party MEPs voted in agreement that there has not yet been sufficient progress in three key areas – citizens’ rights, Northern Ireland, and the financial settlement – to move onto the next phase of Brexit negotiations. [1]

Notably, the majority of UKIP representatives in the European Parliament decided to leave the plenary debate early rather than listening to responses from other MEPs.

Jean Lambert, London’s Green MEP, criticised their absence and stated that walking away without a deal will damage the UK’s future relationship with the European Union.

A full transcript of Jean’s speech is below, and the video available here.

“Thank you President. I have to say that at some points this morning this debate has taken me back to my teaching days where you used to get the occasional pupil that would behave so badly they wanted to be thrown out of your lesson, because they felt that way they would have an easy time and not have to do any work. I see some have bunked off early today.

So, let’s say here, that this is a serious set-up. It’s a serious negotiation, and one where we do want an ongoing relationship. Some of us would like the same one, but that isn’t on the table. So we have to ask whether walking away actually makes this a serious relationship. And no, it doesn’t. Continuing to say that no deal is better than a bad deal, or no deal is ok, is not a serious outcome. And does all of that show to other countries that you want to be a trusted partner in future negotiations? No, it doesn’t. Let’s also be clear that paying what you promised to pay is not a punishment – it’s also about keeping your word. Thank you.”

Notes:

[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41477817

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