Lords EU Committee issues first ever 'Green Card'

The 'Green Card'

The Green Card is a new initiative, which enables the parliaments of EU Member States to join forces to make proposals to the Commission, and thereby influence the development of EU policy. The Green Card was proposed in the EU Committee's report on The Role of National Parliaments in the EU, published in March 2014, and was supported by national parliaments in the most recent survey conducted by COSAC.

• Report: The Role of National Parliaments in the EU (PDF)
• 53rd COSAC Contribution

Food waste: the issue

It has been estimated that 89 million tonnes of food are wasted each year in the EU, a figure which could rise to approximately 126 million tonnes by 2020 if no action is taken. The Lords EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee addressed the issue in its 2014 report on Counting the Cost of Food Waste. The Green Card invites the European Commission, when tabling a new circular economy package in the coming months, to adopt a strategic approach to the reduction of food waste within the EU. 

Support for the Green Card

The Green Card has been endorsed by chairs of committees in 16 out of the 41 national parliaments and chambers of the EU. All have co-signed the letter which is today being sent to the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker.

The 16 chambers and parliaments who have supported the Green Card are:

• Bulgaria (National Assembly)
• Croatia (Croatian Parliament)
• Cyprus (House of Representatives)
• Czech Republic  (Chamber of Deputies)
• France (Assemblée Nationale)
• France (Sénat)
• Hungary (National Assembly)
• Italy (Senate)
• Latvia (Saeima)
• Lithuania (Seimas)
• Luxembourg (Chamber of Deputies)
• Malta (House of Representatives)
• The Netherlands (Tweede Kamer)
• Portugal (Assembleia da República) 
• Slovakia (National Council)
• United Kingdom (House of Lords)  

Further information

• About Parliament: Select committees
• Visiting Parliament: Select committees

Image: iStockphoto